The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-28
WHO WROTE ARTICLE Of
IRISH CREEK HOLLOW?
Citizens of That District Of Rock
bridge County After Editor
OF Golfers.
LETTERS TO j. II. BINFoRD
Attorney BowlIn. nf Chattanooga,
Former Resident, Angry. and
Vents Wrath Upon Field Secretary
OF CO-Opcrativc Association.


/ Of CO-Opcrativc Association.
/ They're up in arms ia Irish Crack
| hollow. Leading citizens Of that dis
! trict in Rockbridgc County ar" ate,
| the editor OF Golfers Weekly. They're
/ after the person or persons who sup
/ pitod Golfers Weekly with data aud
! dealing with the alleged "llteracy'
/ of Appalachian Highlands in general
/ hnd lrish Creek Hollow in particular
| which appeared IN = recen, issue OF
/ mat weekly publication. was based
cpon The innocent head OF Professor
! j ~ Sinfcrd. field sccretnrv OF the Co
! Operative Association OF Virginia Al
; iorney William ~. Row!iu. now a prac-
/ iitioncr AZ tho bar in chattauooga hut
e native and former resideu, Of Irish
| creek Hollow. has been cnvtyinc the
I Walls Of his wrath
That Attorney BowIin champion,
| ana spokesman for the folks Of Irish
'rcck Hollow. - laborin= under n mis-
apprehension Is apparent TO MIR Bin
: icrd ana the State Department Of
Education. liut Nj. Eowiin is con
sumcd by Indignation. and tho temper
OF the letters he has been nring into
the headquarters OF the department j.
such as 10 not permit Of AN cNplana-
ton that might pscify him
DOESN'T LIKE TONE
WI VI lohNI.1'S LETTER
lis iirst letter Tor example COM
plainin. against the article in Golfers
and pictures with which thu. article
was illustrated. and accusing Professor
Binford individuaily 81 the rcsponsi-
! hll'tN FOR u" alleged expose Or con
dittons in Irish Creek Hollow Nas
regarded by Professor Binford a. in
sulting. and the ncld secretary OF IA.
, co-opctativ" Education Associations
VERY promptly and firmly told him 80
Professor Birford advised tho Chatta-
nooca lawyer that IL ne desired inror-
/ nation Oh the subject. he would have
10 address him self in terms more po-
lite
Following his mrs, bombardmon, OF
the to-opcrattvc Education Association
ana The Tcproof administered hy FRO.
lessor Binford. Mr.. Bowlin ha, adj
dressed lengthy communication to
the held secretary In which he saws
that he has been Informed bv tho .dI.
tor OF Golfers that ~. u. Binford. Of
the Bureau OF Education OF inc Depart.
m"nt Of tho Interior, Washington. u
c. supplied the facts upon which tho
offending article was written
BiNF0UD INFORMS BoWLI\
THAT HE - STATE OFFICER
Professor kinford is no, associated
officially with any Federal bureau. DO
ing. instead. state officer. He has
so informed Nh Bowl,r But the law
e e Il =
as the following excerpts from this last
letter TO Professor Biuford indicate.
The reason l'wrotc YOU" he sav..
! Was to lind out whether or not yon had
supplied the facts. as stated BY INC
editor Of Golfers Weekly. FOR ina.
PARTICLE. did not believe YOU had fur
nishcd the data foe tho article. but
from the tone OF your letter Won an
pear 10 corroborat" tho statements
made therein: or, 1T least YOU do no,
deny having furnished them tho facts
AS YOU infcrentiaIly ADM, ina, yn,,
, furnished Golfers tho facts Tor IN. ar
| ticlc, | Will make my charges specific
and challenge the following facts:
u. Invent! ono school teachers ,,
, cllncd a position IN Irish Creek Hollow
$50. The district was not only stag
nant: IL was actually slipping down the
scale of civilization
3 Man. wcr" HeC"ncrating physi-
cally as result ~ 'ntcrmar-iarc
Some families were without even III.
most ordinary convon,enccs
-. That was three wears ago To-
day there is no illitcracy In Irish Creek
Hollow. and the people are .nioyinp
modern advantages
-. The change began when Miss Sill
lie Is. Dickinson and Jennie Patterson.
with twelve ycai-old boy assistant.
went into the district and opened a
summer school ia tent.
~ me- TWO women organized morn
Ing. classes OF children and afternoon
ana evening classes of adults. and their
teaching was successful from the start
.. ihe picture in the upper left
hand corner has his explanation under
II; Thirteen lived III this cabin
) lhc picture in the middle At the
right hand side has under il these
/ words The heart Of the once benighted
go The large picture across the bot
tom Of the page has this explanation
m ,ii'n H. Miss Saliie Il. Dickinson
to read M these were wholly litter
aye when the school was started The
"id woman III black, wearing the string
studied the primer at the same time.
ana each tried To surpass the other
"FAtTS" HE CHALLENGES
OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES
Tho lawyer then explains that the
tacts he challenges are the obIec-
ilonablc features OF the article. Then.
III critical comment, he pursues.
The !eaflet sou have sent me gives
the object and purpose Of the Coop
eT fnia Ed luf;n Association Of vir-
TO mold public sentiment and to get I'M
organized country communities or
ramizea for SELF help, The article in
quotation from the lcaflct unless you
mean TO advertise to the world that
Irish Creek Hollow and the Virginia
Highlands are the most ignorant. most
poverty stricken and the worst place in
the world"
The caustic cpistlc closes with the
niimat.on that some one connected
with the association sold the informa-
lion on which the article is based to
Golfers. an insinua:.on which is en-
phaticaly denied. Mr. Bowlins part
ing shot reads: "If any OF the nha BIZ
tants OF Irish Creek Hollow. or any
other part OF the Highlands. are so un-
fortunate as 10 be compelled To live in
u log aahn. shown in the pictures
or il they were deprived OF any public
school education il is Il matter to hc
much regretted. and the misiortunes Of
the poor and ignorant should not be
gathered together and .eXa sgeratcd and
published 10 tho world. even though BIZ
such exaggerated statements Il dollar
might be collected for tho support of
the Cooperative Association"