Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1914-03-05
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EDITOR WATAUGA. DEMOCRAT:
Etis not at all strange that thosei
vho live at a distance from the1
mountains OF Western North Car.
olina have been led 70 believe thatI
The dwellersuf.t hills are very
When II lie; find that once
n a while}soiSe onawho considers
himself very smart, after accept
ing the,Aospithlity Of these good
people, will grossly .lnisrepesent
the facts as to existing condi-
tialn among us, and, such unjust;
attacks, should be resented.
During the past fall one Mr..
vass, who had spent a numberof
years as n missionary amongthe
heathen and cannibals in the jun
giles OF Africa, delivered a lecture
to- the School at Banners Elk.
He gave an account of. his adven-
lures and experiences on the Dark
Continent; theignorance and deg
relation OF the natives; he told OF
their eating wild locusts and ma
king soups from various kinds OF
and occasionally they
Giould.kill and eat q. man, and
one of their chief diets is the mon
key; and if half Of what he said is
true, those people are OF the low
esteof any creatures which might
be said to belong TO the human
race, and very little ahead OF the
common monkey.
After Mr.. vass returned to his
horne he wrote an article in regard
to the ees-MeRae Institute; the
work Of Mr.. Tufts in connection
with this school; the work that's
being done, at the hospital at
Banners Elk, the electric light
plant and etc. But at the close
of his short article he displayed
very bad taste in making the fol-
lowing comment:
"We have spent nearly eleven
years on the foreign field, and
would like to say to those who
are so anxious to know how. a
day is spent at the mission sta
ton and what the missionaries
do, andhow thingsare managed,
just go to Banner, Elk and there
is a foreign mission station at
home and in active operation.
Go and see for yourself"
Now, Ii Mr.. Vass has made a
fair comparison and what he says
is:true,. .then gross misepresenta.
tions have been made in regard
to the great needs in the foreign
fields, and we should confine ou1
efforts and devote more money
to the upbuilding OF our owl
country and the better edu
cation of our girls and boys. w
all know that the school at Ban
ner's Elk is run on the same prin
cipa} that other schools OF tn
same class are run all over tn
country; that the home peopl
are charged and expected to pa,
for al. the advantages they get
and. while it is perhaps true tina
there is some charitable worI
done at this school the creates
number pay their way AM
while the hospital is often quit
a convenience the patients VIII
are treated are required to pa
for operations and treatment
and if they are unable to pay tn
| same rule would prevail as in cs
Sos of the every day experience {
!. the ordinary country physician
J are apt to have to do more 6
, less charitable practice in cast
) of necessity, and charge some I
o these losses to the accounts
r those who are more able to pay
t Ii Mr.. Vass cannot distinguif
u the difference between a congr
!. CATION composed of the brigl
d girls and boys Of the pure Angi
+, Saxon blood, who reside in tn
l.rnountain section, and the cam
balls in the jungles of Africa, tn
: his influence might be exerted