White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-07-11
USE LANGUAGE
OF SHAKESPEARE
Mountaineers Talk as in Queen
Eiizabeth's Time.
NEAR JOHN fox's HOME
Teacher in kentucky School Tells Of
Interesting Life In Wilds-Enolish-
man Finds Verses Of Old Ballad That
Had Been Sought for Years-cames
Long Forgotten in England Played
by Mountain Folk.

Opening a school In a region where
still prevail the language Of Shake
speare, the games and ballads of
Queen Elizabeth's era and the simple
hospitality of the day of Robin Hood,
is the work of Miss Katherine Petit,
one of the heads of the Pine Mountain
Settlement School of Harlan county,
Kentucky.
As one of the organizers Of the
school twenty years ago, Miss Petit
occupies the position Of close friend
to scores of the mountain people, who
are being acclaimed by writer's as n
of the most interesting developments
| OF American life. The school is 'just
| across the mountain" from the home
Of the late John Fox. IT., and the
author of 'The Trail Of the Lonesome
Pine" was a frequent visitor to the
old log house and the house In the
woods where classes are held.
A visitor to the settlement was Cecil
Sharp of oxford university. consid-
cred the worlds greatest authority on
English folklore. He had been told
of the Kentucky mountain region by
an American student and ~journeyed
all the way from England In the hope
of finding a ballad OF two to add to
his collection.
He remained two years and gathered
enough material to publish q new
volume, which is dedicated to the Pine
Mountain school. His delight at find
ing the store of old English customs
almost In their original form several
thousand miles away from the old
country Is expressed In the introduc-
ton to the work.
Old Fslkiere Picked Up.
One day the English expert had
packed his belongings and was on his
way across the mountains to the near
est town where he might take a train.
satisfied that he had culled the rich
store OF material to Its last fragment.
As he tramped along he overlook an
aged woman driving her COW home for
the evening, singing to herself as she
wendell her way down the path. The
ear OF the Oxford man caught a famll-
lar strain. He hurried down the path.
dragging out a notebook and pencil
as he ran.
"How many of those verses do you
known" he asked.
Eighteen" was the reply. Down
they sat on the roadside. while Mr..
Sharp took down the words and music
Of a 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 off with faithful accuracy
made a find at which historical groups
rejoiced all over the world. The Eng
lishman remained three months more
and collected almost enough to Gil 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 I'm the Apalachians. where dane
ing is regarded with a somewhat Puri-
tan distrust. II is a play" and when
the young folk gather to enjoy them
selves they 20 to "a play" and not to
"a hop The institution IS described
as seer for the first time after dark
n evening on the porch OF one of the
larger school buildings with only one
dim lantern to light up the scene.
THE moor streamed ftfully in. light
ing up the mountain peaks In the back
ground and casting its mysterious
light over the proceedings and seeming
10 exaggerate the witness 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 v 1t all floated the even.
falsetto tones of the caller calmly
and unexeitedly recitlng his direc-
tions."
Harlan county Is the seat of numer-
ous feuds Of long s~tandlng-for cen
turtles 1t 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 4 pure waste to use this nice
yarn for shot-up men !"
sheeting UP Isn't uneemmon.
"But It is for the soldiers, the brave
Frenchmen who are risking their lives
for their country. Nothing Is too good
/ for them, Is theref" asked one Of the
teachers. The mountain woman smiled
ind~ulgently.