Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16
DESCRIBED LIFE OF SOUTHERN MouNTAINEERs
Mrs. Ida Bose Wcodbury Spoke to Congregational Missionary Societies.


 There was c, large attendance at the unlon service Of the Home Missionary societies of the Congregational church. eS held at the OSgood Memorial on Friday afternoon. Mrs. George D. Coit presoided, and afte" the opening devo- tional exercises by Rev. Samuel IT. Howe. D. D.. introduced Mrs. Ida Tose WoodbuEy, field secretary of the Amer lcan Missionary association, who gave an eloquent address upon The South ern N1ountaineers.
 These are by no means poor white
 trash, she said. as some Of the best blood in the country flowers in theiY, veins. But they have become degen-
 erated. They have contributed their share to the history of this country in Colonial Revolutionary and Civil war times and set Up a republic two de- cades before the Declaration of Inde- pendence.
 She spoke of John Fox. Jr.' book. . The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, as very familiar, for she has been in all those places mentioned. Little Shep- herd of Kingdom Come and Hell for Satan also tell about the feuds. And ! she has been among and talked with all these feud people. She knows very well that the feuds have not died out Two Feuds on His Shoulders. One boy of 12 years has two of them now resting upon his shoulders. They 1 talk of murder as unconcernedly as 1 they do about the weather or the l crops. In 10 years there were 3O0 murders in Harlan county and only 1 one conviction. But since schools and ! churches have been established it is
 becoming considered decent to die in ones he'd and not with one's boots on, 1 as formerly A sirl of Is who was on l her way to school from deep in the l mountains was very much frightened i at her first sight of 8 steam ensine. 1 One of the boys at school heard of inc 1 murder of his relative and started on | the trail to take up the feud. but something happened like that in the case of Saul of Tarsls and he, returned 1 to the school to counsel peace to his | classmates.
 Corning to the Mil Towns. She also told tine amusing story of a hoy from one of these wintowless one { rooIaed cabins gstting an eduycstten end learning also with much difficulty i the habits and dress of polite society. Ha is now C. noted minister. Many of ! these inountaineers are coming down now to work in the mills and factories. ! Lynn. Carolina. where the Norwich churches are paying for a teacher in 1 the school, is one of these min to1vJss. 1 Grace MeGoEyan Cooke gives an ac- 1 curate picture of this mill life in her l book, The Power and the Glory. There
 are many ch1drenI working in the fac l tories who are under the legal age. ] That it is not a little thin gto do, to help these people, sine proved by illus. 1 trations. They have been held back by the mountains, which dam the ] streams of humanity, as they do these , of water, until they either become ] stagnant or tumble down in devasta- ton on the people below them, The same thing is happening today in the Cazpathians, the Caucssus, Rnrnco, Norway and Sweden or the TycI, 1 Even iii Nova Scotia they may be l found as primitive as in tie days of Evanse1ine. So these Inountainsers 1 speak in the language o2 ChauCsr and l Spenser, They Dressrve the ancient 1 dialects costumes, customs, songs and folk lore. They have many funny proverbs. One is. 'EFhere's whele day trmorpuw that isn't tos4eited yet"
 Ehsre was afE asssffls at Rsa ElEss