Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-19

eyed youngsters from the Qeep
L dark pocket in the Blue Ridg'
Mountains of Virginia, which /;
widely known as one of the most pr1mi-
tive communities in the United States
arrived in washington last night for
their drst glimpse of such common
place things as bath tuB6, hot-water
faucets, trains, automobiles, street
cars, brick houses and a hundred other
things.
Even after they had been bathed
dressed up and given haircuts, these
mountain children, speaking the tongue
of ElizabetAan England and almost as
fer removed all their little lives from
! modern civilization, were quaint
anachronisms in the busy city. Expe-
riences are piling upon them SO thick
and fast that they are bewildercd--
from 14-year-old Bonnie DodSon, who
lives near the entrance to the hollow
to golden-haired little Bessie Corbin,
years old, who comes from way down
yander" In the depths Of the pocket
and whose log-cabin home hardly can
be reached on horseback.
In Good Keeping.
They were accompanied to Washing
ton by Miss Miriam Sizer, former school
teacher in the hollow" who now is a
welfare worker there, and by Mrs. Ada
Dodson, mother of three Of the young
sters. The mountain woman herself IS
almost as astounded by the sights Of
the city as are her children. They have
come to have their tnsils removed at
<Sibley Hospital tomorrow morning.
Here's how 1t happens. Miss Sizer is
working out welfare program in the
community. She is trying to put an
end to the. enervating charity" with
.hich the mountain folks have been
overwhelmed in the past few years and
to make them work for everything they
get. Some Winter clothes were given
her for distribution. The children had
to earn them. One way to earn"
clothes was to come to Washington for
the operation, arranged for by DR.. r.
LYMAN Sexton, Washington physician,
who has taken a deep interest IN the
mountain people for many years.
So the children are here as part OF
the Job. They are exchanging their
tonsiis for stockings and overcoatS.
But they are getting q lot thrown IN
for a bargain.
Walk Seven Miles.
Early yesterday Miss Sizer collected
them at the little mountain school
house and they walked the seven miles
up the steep, rocky trail to Skyland,
the mountain Summer resort. Then
they were taken in carriages to the
foot of the mountain, where automo-
biles waited to take them to the sub
terminal at Luray. AS soon as they
reached the foot Of the mountain they
were in new world.
Late last evening they reached
washington and were taken at once
to the SwartZeIl Methodist Home, $500
Second street, where they were put TO
bed. Passing through the city streets
was such q bewildering experience to
the children th,,t they said little.
Night in the hollow Is q time Of utter
darkness. They seemed unable TO
comprehend the endless rows OF lighted
houses.
But at last little Louise Corbin I'M
derstood. For the past year Rev. Perry
l. Mitchell, pastor Of the Clarendon,
Va, Baptist Church, has been conduct
ing services in the hollow" He has
spoken of the Kingdom OF heaven,
where it is always day.
A little frightened, Louise turned TO
Miss Sizer and asked:
"Aint this the kingdom Of heaven?"
At the Methodist home they were
washed and put to bed, but they didn't
sleep much. In the hollow there Is al
most absolute silence after dusk has
fallen. Out here at the edge OF the city
of noises to the little ones from the
mountain cabins. There was one thun-
dering noise-a railroad train passing
few blocks away. 1t frightened the
children and they were not quite able
to grasp the explanation. Today all are
demanding to be shown locomotive.
Up bright and early they took baths
and had their hair cut. Hair cuts made
a great alteration in their appearance,
especially in the looks of little Bessie,
youngest and prettieSt Of the group, who
vironment. BeSSie's few years have
been passed since the hollow began to
get into contact with the outside world.
Then the children were given dolls.
Big Bonnie Dodson is past the doll age.
At his age most boys nowadays are be-
ginning to play with automobiles in
stead. But Bennie took picture book.
It was planned to give picture books to
Bonnie and Harry Corbin, but both
demanded dolls and that they be just
as pretty as those given to their sisters:
All day boys and girls alike Rugged
to painted china playthings, cuddling
them and protecting them from the
rain.
Something utterly incomprehensible
to the children happened at the Meth
odist Home. Miss Sizer turned q handle
in the wall and water began to flow out
of a pipe The children knew Of water
only from mountain brookletS. And
here it was flowing out Of a wall!
The establishment Of the children OF
Israel when water flowed from the rock
at the stroke of the leaders wand prob
ably was rather mild in comparison.
Gingerly one of the children put her
hand in the flowing stream, to make
sure that it was water. She quickly
drew it away with cry of aStopish-
ment It was wet like water-but it
was hot. The children still are trying
to puzzle out Miss Steers explanation
of such a miracle and are demanding
to see the tank on the stove down.
cellar where the water comes from.
Busy Days Beginning.
After they were cleaned and their
wardrobes patched out with necessary
coats and stockings, the busiest day in
the lives of these children started.
First on the program was visit to the
Zoo. DR.. William M. Mann was ready
for them.
During the last three years Miss Sizer
has. brought many animal picture books
into the hollow Before that the chill
dren had known of no animals except
the SQUIRRELS, rabbits, rattlesnakes and
occasional catamountS of the noun
tains. For a long time there has been
a traditional and unexplainable fear of
Lions and tigers" in the hollows. pos
sibly handed down from remote ances-
tors.
The trouble with the Zoo was that
there was too much TO see. All the
children wanted to talk to the lion.
They would say GOOD morning" and he
would growl. They are puzzled at this
funny lion language. Tney feared the
hippopotamus was going 20 eat tmem.
DIR. Mann has shown through the Zoo.
Thev were too overwhelmed to do much
taiking-just wanted TO stand before a
single cage all the morning and watch.
They livened up little when they were
brought to the gorillas and chimpanzees.