Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-29

ow thin Is that culture Of auto

Wv Lnln - tnAt culturo Oh euVo~
- mobiles. telephones. fast trains,
sseTe c,o asss'q lie nSass
policies, public schools and
universal literacy which generally Il
ton?
Even in the Eastern United States
which today probably Is enjoying the
highest standard Of living in all history
1t is possible to ind pockets Of popula-
ton Just of the broad asphalt Highways
TO which this culture Is almost az for
eign as TO peasants in Isolated Balkan
peasants of two centuries ago.
Specifically, such conditions exist In
certain "hollows" Of the Blue Ridge
Mountains within four hours of Wash
ington by automobile. How wide
spread they are could be determined
only by an extensive investigation.
Thus far they largely have escaped
public attention for the very reasons re-
spOnsible for them-isOlation and lack
OF contact with the outside world.
ROmantic-in the Stories.
Romance writer's and moving picture
producers have impressed on the public
mind O glamOrous picture OF the Appa-
lachian highlanders as sturdy, indepen-
dent, loyal people. with an unquench-
able thirst for learning. The beautiful
mountain maiden in her homeSpun
gown Is q stock figure on the screen.
Very likely this picture Ii not far
from the truth as applied to some local
tiles. Different "hollowS" vary enor-
mously In their degree Of culture and Of
contacts with the outside world. Clus-
tiers OF log cabins. with striking differ
Tn rtn 0eAp - ltx,H,1a 30 hn
found within few miles of each other.
istfc conception Of q simple people in
carnating some of the rugged strength
and beauty Of the towering crags, sill
very waterfalls and streams dancing
through the everlasting twilight Of
arching hemlocks and uncontaminated
by the vices OF great cities and the
nervous restlesSness which has come
with advancing civilization.
But, on the other hand there are
hollows which seem to represent ex-
tremeS Of poverty, physical deteriora-
and which have largely lost their con-
tacts with the world outside. The
stream Of history has circled around
these hollows without touching them.
They have slipped back instead OF for
ward. with the result that It Is possible
to study among them human institu-
tions and mental processes in the max
ing. A tramp into one Of these "hol-
lows" Is like q trip in H. q. Wells
Thine Machine" into q half-forsOtten
past when the human mind still was
cropping in an effort to adjust itself to
the simpler elements OF its environment.
Evolution Of Family Name.
A simple example Is the incipient
evolution OF the family name. Genera
lions Of tnterbreeding have brought
about o situation where the population
Of an entire hollow will have common
family name, which consequently loses
its significance in ditferentiating indi-
viduals. Thus another device must be
found for differentiating two persons,
especially children. with the same first
name. This Is accomplished by coupling
1t with the name OF the father or
mother, such as Jim's Pete. And 10
We have o situation similar to that In
which many OF the common family
names Of today originated. If the con-
dition was widespread, an entirely new
deal in names might be forthcoming.
The language itself contains many
curious Survivals of pre-EliZabethan
English. due to lack Of contact with the
social forces, altering idioms and speech
forms in the outside world. The vari-
Gus streams Of colloquialism which have
emptied into the main body of English
have not flown over the mountain
barriers.
There. appears to have been little sur
vival Of primitive arts and crafts. al
though here again it Is dangerous to
generalize. There are exceptions. among
them basket making from Oaken strips
which brings some small income from
Summer visitors. Church missions in
other hollows have brought about re-
vivals Of the crafts. Folk lore and folk
songs II they exist. are hidden from the
casual obServer-yet generally speaking
these are not Secretive people. silent
and suspicious in the presence OF
strangers. They are hospitable and
| frank.
5000 Dwell In Park Area.
1t is estimated that approximately
/ 5000 mountaineers dwell In the Virginia
and West Virginia areas which are tC
be included in the Shenandoah National
Park. planned as q great mountain
playground for the people Of the Eastern
States. When the park Is taken over
by the Government it will be necessary
to move them outside this area. where
the roots of their lives are planted