Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-06-04

Of ballad for which English collect
ors had been searching many years.
They had hoped somewhere to find
four verses, which they believed COM
posed the story of Edward" with
the refrain of Edward, How Came
That Blood on Your Shirtsleeve? The
eighteen verses the old mountain wom-
an sang OF with faithful accuracy
made find at which historical groups
rejoiced all over the world. The Eng
lishman remained three months more
and collected almost enough to fill an
other volume from the memory of the
aged woman.
Gives England New Dance.
The Running Set" found by Sharp
at Pine Mountain school, is being
danced today all over England, where
the ancient forms are being revived
in schools. 1t is not considered a
dance In the Apalachians, where dane
Ing is regarded with somewhat Puri-
tan distrust. 1t is a "play," and when
the young folk gather to enjoy them
selves they 60 to "a play" and not to
"a hop" The institution is described
as seen for the first time after dark
one evening on the porch of one of the
larger school buildings with only one
dim lantern to light up the scene.
"The moon streamed fitfully In. light
ing up the mountain peaks In the back
ground and casting its mysterious
light over the proceedings and seeming
to exaggerate the wildness and the
breakneck speed of the dancers as
they whirled through the mazes Of the
dance" Mr.. Sharp writes. "There was
no music, only the stamping and clap
ping of the onlookers. The air seemed
literally to pulsate with the rhythm
of patters and the tramp of dancers
feet, while over 1t all floated the even,
falsetto tones of the caller calmly
and unexcitedly reciting his direc-
tions."
Harlan county is the seat Of numer-
Gus feuds Of long standing-for CEN
turies II has lived in a state Of min
iature warfare. kept alive by the Wig
Orous sense of honor and family pride
that exists among the mountaineers.
At the beginning Of the war the Pine
Mountain school called upon some Of
the expert knitters Of the district to
make garments for French soldiers
AS she handled the soft wool, one
woman remarked regretfully:
"What pure waste to use this nice
yarn for shot-up men !"
Shooting Up Isn't Uncommon.
"But 1t is for the soldiers, the brave
Frenchmen who are risking their lives
for their country. Nothing Is too good
for them, Is there?" asked one Of the
teachers. The mountain woman smiled
indulgently.
"When you've been here long as we
up men," she replied.
The coming of the war to America
brought flock of eager recruits from
the mountains. Few of them had been
beyond their own valleys, but II there
was fighting to do they were ready.
Afterward they came home, thankful
for the familiar scenes again.
"We amt changed" mountain sol
dier assured the community when
they returned. I'VE don't even smoke
cigarettes. All US boys got together
over there and made up our minds II
would be bad benefit,for us to smoke
'em, and we didn't want to do nothing
Of bad benefit that fur from home"
The hospitality Of the region Is a
quality at which the outside world can
only marvel. Aunt Judy, champion
spinner and weaver Of Pine Mountain.
with her two big sons, parted with
acres of timber land at a charge Of u
a tree for the most valuable woods In
the state. Her boys journeyed across
the mountains and brought back $l7.-
600 In saddle bags after they had
waited several days for the bank to
collect the sum In cash. Years later
the money still reposed, virtually un-
touched, In the bags under the old
lady's bed. They had no use for It
"rd be a sorry mother II I couldn't
spin enough to keep my boys In clothes
and raise enough to feed us" she said
simply.