VINGSER HENDRICKS COUNTY SINCE 1847
Page A-2
The Republican
Delving Into Yester~Year
Local historian and writer Paul Miner takes items from
The Republican’s Yester-Year column to develop an interesting, informative and often humorous article.
To the Editor: From its earliest days, The Republican sought to elevate the denizens of Danville and county society, from laborer, farmer, stockman, lawyer, doctor, craftsman, shopkeeper and merchant, often in league with ministers, some distant and famous, some dead wrong. A Baptist missionary, the Reverend William Washington Colley, returned from labors in Liberia, declared in 1881 that the Sahara was not a vast desert wasteland. Colley claimed the Sahara was “fertile and densely populated.” He put forth such a demonstrably false statement because, “The wily Arabs started the lie, he explained, in order to keep out competition in the ivory traffic.” The paper apparently bought the story, declaring once again the “myths and illusions of our childhood are exploded.” Fact-checkers were scarcer then, leaving me to wonder how long this and other planted whoppers were promptly bought, repeated and persistently resown, becoming entrenched into sundry minds’ reality. Religious leaders held great sway in those times and Colley wasn’t alone. After all, preachers condemned roller skating as corruptive of morals. Syndicated pulpit orator and anti-vice crusader Thomas DeWitt Talmage believed he knew in 1886 who to blame for much of society’s ills. “Who are these people in society, light as froth, blown every whither of temptation and fashion – the peddlers of filthy stories, the dancing-jacks of political parties, the scum of society, the tavern-lounging, the store-infesting, the man of low wink and filthy chuckle, and brass breastpins, and rotten associations?” Mostly, they came “from mothers idle and disgusting – the scandal-mongers of society . . . attending to everybody’s business but their own, believing in witches and ghosts, and horseshoes to keep the devil out of the church . . .” Would the reverend today dare to claim mothers were responsible for the foul crop of finger-to-the-wind politicians and weasel commentators currently plaguing us? Dear Editor, did you know three successive tabernacles where he preached all burned? A hornswoggled community demands fealty to swallowed disinformation and false propaganda. Stray from that and you are cast aside with the curse of twisted displeasure. “Society never forgives you if you disappoint it in its estimate of you.” It is true in an advanced age of education, technology, wealth and comfort by every standard of the past. The newspaper back then strove to be a moral compass. It had no tolerance for liars in 1884. “A man who will willfully and maliciously concoct and put into circulation a slanderous lie against the character of another is so low down in the scale of human decency and moral depravity that there is no possible hope of giving him his just deserts in this life.” People like that were “a menace to society, an obstruction in morals and a putrefying stench in the nostrils of honest men and women.” That judgment teeters on the brink of bellowing for violence. “Society regulates collectively the morals of its members,” the paper shared in 1885. That was long before truth knelt before deceit. Danville and county business society was ailing in 1885. Townsfolk complained “at the dullness of the times and the general stagnation of business.” Moralistic, The Republican faulted “an outgrowth of a bad and unwholesome policy” by businessmen, town officers and citizens. Instead of “friendly rivalry . . . a jealous and spiteful opposition” reigned. The situation was not only “hurtful to society, but is destructive to prosperity and success.” The paper urged Danville’s merchants to “join hands and work heartily and honestly for the interest of all.” When a new editor assumed the reins in 1886, his predecessors declared him “a defender and promoter of good morals and social purity . . . “A paper in its news-bearing capacity is but the reflex of the community in which it lives.” It mirrored the community. Deviating from animal society’s norms also has consequences. In 1886, a prominent family packed up from its Park Avenue home to spend time at their Burlington, Vermont, farm. They took their 10 servants, horses and carriages, two shaved poodles and two donkeys. All was well until the family shaved the donkeys to resemble the “ultra fashionable” poodles. The deed so enraged the dogs they killed the donkeys. “Who could bear to see their garments copied by a donkey?” The dogs were dispatched “to the happy land of canine.” Paul Miner Lizton ______________________________________________________________________
Publisher’s Point of View Our Staff
As you know, a couple of weeks ago we had technical difficulties that caused the newspaper to be a couple of days late. No need to trouble you with the details but watching how the staff responded to our “crisis” was inspirational. So, if you’ll excuse me for a second, I’d like to say a little something to the staff. The rest of you can skip down and continue reading at the 5th paragraph. “Dear staff, Watching you work through the night to try and get the paper out on time and watching you all pull together in rearranging, reassigning, calling, emailing, driving, etc., it made me proud. It hit me that day how fortunate I am. Our readers don’t see what it takes to put this together every week, but I do. Then the next day you sneaked in a party and surprised me for Boss’ Day. You are the best. I don’t deserve you guys. “But our readers do deserve you. That’s what makes this place special to me. We all know what’s important and we do what we have to do. Thank you for that. Now get back to work.” (Readers can continue reading here) Delays are a rare occurrence in the history of this newspaper. Betty said it happened once during the blizzard of 1978. For 122 years the staff, working right here at 6 E. Main Street, has striven through world wars, pandemics, economic collapses, personal tragedies and death to put this newspaper in your mailbox every Thursday. Generation after generation of employees and owners have worked every week to keep you informed and tell you stories, to share stories from our history, to let you know when a treasure from our community has passed, to let you know what’s going on. Every week. You can count on us to be there. ______________________________________________________________________
It’s News To Us 6 East Main Street ~ P.O. Box 149 Danville, IN 46122 Phone: 317-745-2777 / Fax: 317-647-4341 E-mail: therepublican@sbcglobal.net BETTY JO BARTLEY Editor SUBSCRIPTION RATE $40 PER YEAR SINGLE COPY 50¢ PUBLISHED WEEKLY
MEMBER SINCE 1933
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If you have a local news item to share, our deadline for is noon on Monday for inclusion in Thursday’s edition. You can send your local news items to us by e-mail to therepublican@ sbcglobal.net. Call 317745-2777, send by fax to 317-647-4341. After hours, news items may be slipped in the mail slot in the front door at 6 E. Main, Danville. ___________ Be yourself; everyone else is taken. Oscar Wilde
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Yester~Year
The Republican has published local news weekly since 1847. We offer this column as a look back at events from our archives and to help connect today’s readers to the people and events in our past. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of October 29, 1896 Col. Hargett, the veteran tramp printer, came in Friday evening. He immediately went on a drunk, set a quarter column of matter on this paper and by Sunday disappeared as if the earth had swallowed him. The elegant new Methodist parsonage was thrown open to the members and friends of the church last evening in an old-fashioned house-warming. James V. Cook bid his Danville friends good-bye and left for Chicago, Monday, to take the road again as a theatrical manager. He goes out in advance of Henderson’s Comedians, a strong comedy company. They play in Indianapolis in the spring. Tomorrow the last grand rally will be held at Clayton. Every man who has a wagon and team to donate to the Republican cause for one day should report on the square tomorrow morning at eight o’clock, prepared to go to Clayton. Saturday’s rally at Brownsburg was the largest ever held in the town, exceeding the Bryan demonstration two to one. The parade at noon was fully two and one-half mile long and was cheered through the entire line of march. Amo: One hundred and fifteen cases of measles to date. New Winchester: As Saturday night is Hallowe’en, we advise people to get down their shotguns and see that they are in working order and use them, too, if necessary. J.S. Marshall and wife have just returned from a visit to Rockville. Mr. Marshall reports fine fishing and brought home twelve specimens of the finny tribe that weighed forty pounds. The North Salem cheese factory is a home industry that should be patronized by all, as it manufactures cheese of a superior quality. _____ ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of October 27, 1921 Many women voted in the Republican town primary, Friday afternoon and they wanted to know all about the “platform” of the candidates, too. Today, the Robards bank at Stilesville opens for business. Orville O. Carpenter, farmer, banker and wealthy man of Newcastle, has taken over the bank. A field of Hollybrook soy beans, containing eight and one-half acres, was threshed on the farm of J.B. Edmondson last week, which made a yield of 286 bushels, or an average of 33.7 bushels. This yield is probably one of the highest in the state. Lizton: About fifty women attended the public demonstration of the Pollyanna Girls’ Sewing Club, Saturday afternoon. The new telephone directory is out. The girls at the exchange most. Urgently request that everybody call by number. Box social and oyster supper on Nov. 3, at the South Hamrick school, 2 ½ miles south of Danville on the Clayton road. W.T. Hornaday, of New York city, was the guest, Tuesday, of his cousins, Grant Hornaday, Mrs. James L. Clark, and Mrs. F.E. Guthrie. Mr. Hornaday is a native of this county. He is superintendent of the zoological gardens of New York city and is a writer of note. Clarence Phillips, superintendent of the county home, this week sold hogs to the value of $871.23, the money going to the county. Dr. A.P.W. Bridges has retired from the office of Dr. B.M. O’Brien in order to give more time to his private practice and Keely patients. Hazelwood: Mary Pickford will be seen in “The Hoodlum” at the Cozy theater, Saturday night. The beauty contest also starts on this date. Clayton: Frank Stanley has arisen to the height of his ambition as a store keeper and during the past week sold out to his former partner, Frank W. Allen. Since last spring, Walter Clark has culled 6,684 head of chickens of this amount there were 3,021 non-producers, which were eating feed and producing nothing. Does it pay to cull? _____ SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of October 31, 1946 Miss Maree West, night operator of the local Bell Telephone company, was honored last week by being presented with a Bell pin with a ruby center in recognition of twenty-five years of service. Gary Long, eight-year-old son of Mrs. Rosemary Long, was taken to the Riley hospital, Thursday, ill with polio. Hendricks county corn growers have organized into the Hendricks County Grain
& Grain Growers association, with the following officers in charge: Jonathan Lowe, Lizton, president; Schuyler Arnold, Stilesville, vice president; Edward Etienne, Danville, secretary-treasurer. The opening of the school year at Avon brought back two ex-servicemen who will complete their high school course. Mervin Clark left school in 1945; Lloyd Gibbs is a returned Navy veteran. A double wedding ceremony at the Methodist Church, Saturday afternoon, united in marriage the two daughters of Mrs. and Mrs. Rupert S. Debra. Miss Edna Frances Debra became the bride of Haltom N. Brown; Miss Emma Louise Debra became the bride of John S. Walton. The Gale crossing that has been a traffic hazard for so long is being changed in order to give the motorists better visibility in approaching the railroad. The Robert King Construction Co. has charge of the work. _____ FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of October 28, 1971 The Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department will have five patrol cars on the roadways this week in an effort to combat the vandalism so common this time of year. U.S. Census statistics show Hendricks County has relinquished its “fastest growing county in the state” honor and has dropped to fifth place. The office of Prosecutor Seth B. Lewis has been moved from the South Marion Street location to the first floor of the Court House, north side, next to the County Extension Office. Jack Lawson, Danville Jaycee, was selected the “State Jaycee Spark Plug of the Quarter” at a meeting during the weekend at Columbus. Twin girls were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gene Wiggam, early Monday morning in the Hendricks County Hospital. The little girls, their first children, are Kimberly Kay and Deanna Michelle. Dear Editor…I do not think that all the members should be from one party or one sex, and if Danville were a bi-racial town, the members of the town board should not be all from one race. These are just a few of my viewpoints and reasons for making the decision to be a candidate in this town board election. - Lucille Stamper. Danville Town Democratic committee will sponsor two euchre parties, Oct 29 and 30, at the headquarters. Public invited. ______ TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of October 24, 1996 The White Lick Heritage Community Foundation has been awarded a $100,000 Operating Challenge Grant by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. The Tri-West Marching Blue Alliance will compete in the state finals of the Indiana Music Association, Saturday, in Class D bands, in the RCA Dome, Indianapolis. The Alpha Rho gals of Epsilon Sigma Alpha manned the stoplight on Main Street in Danville, Saturday, October 12, for a traffic stop for St. Jude’s, collecting $900. Chuck Russell of North Salem will conduct and DJ a Country Halloween Dance with line dancing on Sunday, October 27, at the 4-H Fairgrounds Community building. Two new deputies were sworn in by Sheriff Roy D. Waddell on September 27. The deputies, Amanda Wright Powell and Scott Griffith, started at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy on Monday, September 30, to receive the 12-week mandatory training. ______ TEN YEARS AGO Issue of October 27, 2011 Preparations are being made for the construction of a new Dollar General Store on U.S. 40, at the east edge of Stilesville. Laurel T. Setser, director of the Avon Washington Township Public Library will be recognized by the Indiana Library Federation on November 15 at the ILF’s annual convention. Dr. Crystal Strahla and the staff at Danville Veterinary Hospital 255 W. Main, hosted an open house on October 22. The Greater Danville Chamber of Commerce welcomed the new facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Dinner at Frank’s Place took on added meaning last Saturday night as Chicago crooner Artie Fitzgerald entertained with an evening of Frank Sinatra songs. Phi Beta sorority in Brownsburg will sponsor the 38th annual Christmas Bazaar, Saturday, November 5, at the American Legion Post. Try out your costumes and test your navigational skills in the haunted jack-olanterned prairie maze at McCloud Nature Park.
