The New York herald., 1921-08-07

w THEN one reads of little republic
w existing for centuries locked in
mountain pass between two grasp
ing absolute monarchies and when one reads
of forgotten race prospering in a desert
natural comment is that these conditions
afford an admirable background for ro-
nance Things like them couldn't be in new
America.
But they are. Less than twenty years ago
the mountains Of Kentucky afforded just
such a background for the story writer in
Knott county, only $50 miles from Lexing-
ton and $50 miles from Louisville. In ad-
joining counties these queer things are still
present to excite our wonder. That they
have been ameliorated in Knott county is
due to the devotion of a little group of
women-true missionaries If there ever were
such-who found the place and their pre-
destined work almost by accident.
Civilization, like Providence, moves in
mysterious way and when in 1899 little
band of women, teachers, workers and others
who were just nhe girls went into the
mountains of East Kentucky to camp out"
the natives Immediately looked upon them as
having been sent there by Providence, guests
with a mission almost divine.
Uncle Solomon. SO and ShoeIess,
Tramps ~ Miles to Relate a Vision
"Quare women alvin in. cloth houses"
was the description that ran about the noun
tains. That these women had come among
them merely to enjoy the views was run-
believable by the mountaineers. Their need
Of education was so great, their longing for
IL so intense that the only reasonable ex-
panation of the presence Of the strangers
was that they had come to supply 1t.
One day Uncle Solomon, aged 80, without
hat and shoes tramped twenty-five miles
over the mountains to relate vision he had
received to the strangers from the ''level
land" Ever since his boyhood or since. in
his own words, he had been "a little chunk
OF a short tail boy" Solomon had thirsted
for little 'l'arnin." Many OF his neighbors
on Troublesome Creek longed for it, too.
and the old man could not doubt but that
at last the stream of knowledge was to flow
parallel with his native creek.
Uncle Solomon's visit was followed by calls
in and out of season by women from all parts
OF the mountain. Grave faced women. with
sunbonnets shading eyes which were full OF
deep longing would appear at any hour of
night or day at the flap Of the tents TO study
the ways Of the visitants from another world.
II was a trifle embarrassing. wasn't it, for a
party OF carefree young women to be trans
figured suddenly into q kind of angels and
TO be asked to make over a race as II 1t
were a duty not to be denied?
No wonder the "quare" women hesitated
to assume It and the mountaineers, a deeply
sensitive people, marked the hesitation and
grieved. Said one poor woman a widow who
tended the crop and seven boys" in a tone
Of sincere indignation:
II lowed you come TO teach us pore crit
ters. but you haint!"
Pleas like these and the sense of real need
for service wrought their effect Before the
camp broke up the angels" realized that they
would have 20 assume the work. They were
10 be missionaries In spite Of themselves and
before they went back to the level" coun-
try each one had promised that she would
give of her knowledge to help her less
fortunate sisters. And this was the way the
Hindman Settlement School in the noun
tans Of eastern Kentucky came into being
Miss May stone OF Louisville became the