These visitors were shocked by our habit, to say the least. "Carolina Clay-Eaters," "Sandlappers," and "Sandhillers" were belittled in many prominent publications. In 1866, The New York Times called us "the lowest representatives of the United States ... little more than mere animals ... strange, undeveloped [and] repulsive." On the plus side, the author did note we were "long-lived and rarely ill, realizing the old notion that dirt is extremely healthy."