"You see, mountains isolate people and the effect of isolation on
human life is to crystallize it. Those people over the line have
had no navigable rivers, no lakes, no wagon roads, except often
the beds of streams. They have been cut off from all communication
with the outside world. They are a perfect example of an arrested
civilization and they are the closest link we have with the Old
World. They were Unionists because of the Revolution, as they were
Americans in the beginning because of the spirit of the
Covenanter. They live like the pioneers; the axe and the rifle are
still their weapons and they still have the same fight with
nature. This feud business is a matter of clan-loyalty that goes
back to Scotland. They argue this way: You are my friend or my
kinsman, your quarrel is my quarrel, and whoever hits you hits me.
If you are in trouble, I must not testify against you. If you are
an officer, you must not arrest me; you must send me a kindly
request to come into court. If I'm innocent and it's perfectly
convenient--why, maybe I'll come. Yes, we're the vanguard of
civilization, all right, all right--but I opine we're goin' to
have a hell of a merry time.
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