SERVING 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: I possess a fondness for highfalutin language. Some might call it rhetoric. People describe a politician’s rant as “rhetoric” when it’s often nothing more than lowbrow diatribe. Or windbaggery. Before Central Normal College packed up and hightailed it from Ladoga here to the county seat where there was room to grow, a verbose Danville academician submitted in 1876 what I call a scathingly sublime superlunary rebuke: “The Ladoga Normal College and Business Institute has promulgated a paranomastical, propaedeutical, prolegomanary, pronunciamento, which you will find in a late number of the Indiana School Journal.” The writer, “Etty Logos,” is layering rhetoric on so thick you have no choice but to believe she knows what is going on. Etty had issues with Ladoga’s opening year curriculum approach, calling it “so stilted and flatulent that less euphusiastic language would utterly fail to convey any idea of its extreme bombastry.” The prospectus read “more like a patent medicine humbug, than it does like a simple invitation to the young men and maidens of Indiana to assemble at Ladoga, for purposes educational.” Ladoga proposed: “To young men and women preparing for Teaching, Law, Medicine, Theology, Farming and Business, the Normal College offers unusual advantages and opportunities.” She argued, “In my humble estimation, this is all wrong.” Then Etty revealed what I believe was the focus of her opposition: “And in behalf of my sex, I raise my feeble protest against this indiscriminate turning of females into lawyers, preachers, doctors and grangers.” In Etty’s opinion, Ladoga’s aim was dead wrong. I had thought women of the era wanted precisely such places in society. “One Mrs. Mary Walker is all the world can put up with, with her semi-male attire and her clamor for the privileges of the Ballot-box.” Mary Walker, I gather, was the Civil War-era Medal of honor winner, surgeon, abolitionist, spy and women’s rights advocate, and she did dress like a man. I would like to have known Etty – outspoken and violently opposed to breaching the era’s gender job barrier. Her distaff polemic spanned two issues of The Republican’s competition, the Gazette, but that second installment apparently is lost to time. Before Central Normal the Danville Academy debuted in the Danville Seminary in September 1854, offering eager scholars algebra, geometry, plain and solid trigonometry, mensuration, surveying, history, philosophy, rhetoric, Latin and Greek, all for five dollars, apparently. School term ended in December. That was crammed into four months? The announcement reads that way. Central Normal opened its first four-week Danville term July 9, 1878. Miss Dora Lieuellen taught rhetoric, history and geography. I wonder what Etty thought of that. Two Union correspondents boasted of their respective cadre’s rhetorical skills in 1881. Of Plainfield’s 37-strong fanfaronade, one swore, “The most accomplished of our clan is Tom. He throws ink in a hundred directions in one stroke. He is no amateur in prose, poetry, wit, humor, or on obituaries. When he draws a bead on you, you had better step aside.” Pecksburg correspondent Hop Wo claimed his fellows were so abundant that “all you have to do at any time when you want one is to shake a bush.” Fortified with a book on composition and rhetoric, another Pecksburg correspondent “of the Eli Perkins species” would “just make the immortal gods lie down on the grass and hold their ambrosial scented breath to see him waltz in and stir up the menagerie.” Eli Perkins was the pseudonym of humorist Melville D. Landon. Monday, July 13, 1885, was “according to the family Bible,” C.W. Davis’ 26th birthday. Friends and relatives of the North Salem man threw a surprise party and, according to correspondent U.L.C., when asked what he thought of the birthday dinner, “his eyes began to beam with more than usual lustre. His muscles became rigid and his whole body was electrified as it were.” Davis spoke “for a score of minutes, perhaps two, possibly three. I only know that I was listening to words before unknown to my vocabulary. “Adjectives defined adverbs emphasized and all combined presented to my mind one sublime panorama rhetorical sublimity.” U.L.C., comparing the young man to Demosthenes and Cicero, avowed Davis “was watering us, the sickly plant of ignorance, with his eloquence.” I believe U.L.C. fainted; and, rousing, “returned to my own vine and fig tree.” Paul Miner Lizton ______________________________________________________________________
Publisher’s Point of View It’s Time We Start Talking There is something to be said about being a newspaper in these days of online omnipotence. In today’s world of internet insanity, opinions are not posted to engage in discussion, they are posted to declare a position without any interest in a discussion. The Republican newspaper is interested in discussion. While the roots of this newspaper are grounded in conservative leanings, its branches have grown to encourage and celebrate diverse opinions. To facilitate growth. To improve. To that end, the newspaper identified two individuals with opposing and firmly entrenched political and religious views and asked them out to lunch. With the understanding that this could turn into a story about an epic food fight at the local eatery (which would have been so much fun) the two agreed to a free meal. During lunch, the newspaper asked if they would be interested in a challenge: To take a divisive issue and explain their position on that issue without knowledge of what the other is writing. The intent of this exercise is to see if we can share views without trying to destroy opposing views. As one participant hoped, “Maybe there will be points of intersection that we agree on.” This month the subject will be Critical Race Theory. Our participants are Quaker pastor and longtime liberal Philip Gulley on the left and on the right, Danville Town Councilman and longtime conservative, David Winters. To get a better feeling for each, a visit to their social media pages will quickly shine light on their individual perspectives. Stay tuned for the November 18, 2021 edition of The Republican to read their opinions about Critical Race Theory. If all goes well and our readers enjoy this exercise, we will continue this series on a monthly basis. It’s time we start listening to each other instead of talking over each other. 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
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Thursday, November 11, 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 November 12, 1896 Clayton: One of the sights next morning was Jas. Farquar wheeling Sanford Hamble around the square in a wheelbarrow with a crowd of Republicans following single file. Hazelwood: The people of this place will jollify over the election of McKinley and Hobart, Friday night, November 13th. A grand time is expected with enormous crowds as all the surrounding towns have promised to be here. This office is indebted to Mrs. Margaret Eastes for a quantity of luscious persimmons, the superior of which would be difficult to find. The Danville Tennis Club wish to thank the miscreant who broke the pole on their grounds Hallowe’en. They think they know him. Brownsburg: The C.C.B.S. will give a crayon social at the home of Mrs. P.A. Buras Saturday evening. An admission fee of ten cents will be charged, the proceeds to go to repairing the Christian church. Clayton’s genial postmaster, Henry Johnson, has taken unto himself a wife, Miss Phillips, or Coatesville, being the fortunate lady. Cartersburg: Amos McCormick, of Pittsboro, will move here this week and enter the poultry business. He will make his first shipment to New York. Oak Ridge: J.M. Barlow has been assigned to seat No. 6 in the House of Representatives and he takes room 120 in the Denison where he can be found by his many friends. There was a planned elopement from Center school house in Liberty township, Wednesday of last week. Miss Ida Craven, daughter of Murdock Craven, had been keeping company with George McClelland of Morgan county, despite the opposition of her parents. She was attending school and at the noon recess, met her lover with the license in his inside pocket and they drove to Lake Valley where a minister spoke the words that made them husband and wife. _____ ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of November 10, 1921 On Oct. 31, the club organized in the Joppa neighborhood held an all-day meeting. “The Progressive Home Economics Club” was the name selected. The club now has an enrollment of thirty-three. On Monday afternoon an enthusiastic group of fifteen women met at the home of Mrs. Wilbur Kellum at Camby for the purpose of organizing a Home Economics club. Farmers are incensed at the treatment they receive from Indianapolis hunters and ‘Squire Kennedy at Danville and ‘Squire Barlow at Plainfield have been busy “soaking” the city Nimrods on the complaint of land owners. Franklin township people are much interested in a magnificent buck which is frolicking over the fields down there, going where he pleases and jumping the highest fence without even hesitation. No one knows where he came from, but it is supposed he escaped from some private park or from some menagerie. Dr. W.F. Harper was the guest, Sunday, of Mrs. L.N. Dooley and daughter, Miss Jessie. Dr. Harper is now engaged in field work for the Baptist church with Los Angeles as his headquarters. He will be recalled as the former head of the Central Normal College. Alva Gentry, the semi-professional ball player, has been in the copper country of the northern peninsula of Michigan for the last year and a half, has returned to Danville to spend the winter. Sheriff Clark has 200 quarts of bonded whiskey - $2,000 worth – in his charge and the school fund was increased $550, as the result of the capture of the whiskey and two men, Saturday, on the National road, southwest of Clayton. ______ SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of November 14, 1946 Sportsmen of Hendricks County will meet in Crawley’s hall on Friday evening, Nov. 28, when the Danville Conservation club will sponsor a rabbit supper. Carl Humble, a. prominent attorney of Spencer, has opened law offices in the rooms formerly occupied by Virgil Sears. Sponsorship by the local Danville chapter of the DeMolay has been assumed by the Hendricks County Shrine club. One hundred forty-six Legionaries, member of their families and guests enjoyed the annual Armistice day dinner at Crawley’s hall, Monday evening. A social game of bingo followed. Mr. and Mrs. Ned C. Herrington an-
nounce the engagement of their daughter, Patricia Ann, to Rexford Douglass Skillman of Shelbyville. Emmett Eiler, principal of the high school at Plainfield, and Frederick O’Neal, principal of the high school at Brownsburg, have been appointed to handle all work permits concerning the employment of minors in their respective communities. Mrs. Mildred Shartle has been selected as one of the hostesses for this year for the meetings of the Poet’s Corner, which are held in the Athenaeum in Indianapolis. ______ FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of November 11, 1971 The first snow of the season started at 9:14 a.m., Saturday, November 6, with the temperature at 35 degrees and going downward. The Galyan’s Trading Post at Plainfield will have its unique annual wild game barbecue, November 13. The free barbecue features sandwiches of deer, moose, and bear. Students, former teachers and friends numbering 167 attended the annual reunion of the former Central Normal College, Friday evening in the Danville Community High School cafeteria. Mrs. Leslie Sandefur, Danville Welcome Wagon Hostess reports new Danville residents include Mr. and Mrs. Gary Watson, from Indianapolis. They have two children, Tammy, age 5, and Gary, age 1. The artist’s sketch of the “Pride of Danville” monument is show. Estimated cost is $700. The project is being sponsored by the Danville Jaycees and the Chamber of Commerce. It will be located at the U.S. 36 entrance to the park. David C. Rutledge has taken over the business of Jim B. Davis, public accountant, Danville, and will maintain the office at the same location, 255 W. Main. It is expected that the new Avon High School Cafeteria will serve 800 meals daily in its two serving lines, when it opens, November 26. Mrs. Carter Siddons and Mrs. James Himsel packed and mailed the Danville chapter Epsilon Sigma Alpha PAL Package this month to Sp/4 Wayne Morphew, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Morphew, Danville. Clayton: The new laundromat opened last week. It is owned and operated by the Merrill Winingers. The new apartments on S.R. 39 are finally taking shape and should be ready for occupancy the first of January. ______ TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of November 7, 1996 Monday night, the Danville Town Council was presented a national award from The Community Partnership, a division of the American Planning Association. Hendricks County election officials report a record number of absentee voters in the General Election by the Monday noon deadline: 2,379. On October 11, the Danville Public Works accepted delivery of a John Deere 410D heavy lift backhoe from Tony Rush of Reynolds Construction Equipment. Mr. and Mrs. Ted Baker of Coatesville are proud of their horse, Heavens Mikala, who won the World Championship in the National Morgan Horse Show in Oklahoma recently. Students at Danville Community High School gleaned sobering lessons last week as they maneuvered through a road course in the Neon Drunk Driving Simulator car, sponsored by Danville Chrysler-PlymouthDodge-Jeep-Eagle. The annual Awards Banquet for Danville’s outstanding citizens and the Chamber of Commerce members will be Saturday evening, Nov. 9, at the Gazebo Restaurant in Prestwick. ______ TEN YEARS AGO Issue of November 10, 2011 A new look for one of the county’s oldest downtowns earned the Town of Plainfield the 2011 Indiana Main Street Award for best Design of Downtown Public Improvements. Krystal Shirrell of Brownsburg was among four young Hoosiers philanthropists to receive the 2011 Power of Children Award from the Indiana Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Dr. Lloyd Terry was treated to a birthday luncheon at the Bread Basket last Thursday. “Doc” was celebrating his 94th birthday. The Phi Delta Kappa fraternity was officially instituted, rather annexed, into the Town of Danville at Monday night’s meeting of the Danville Town Board. The folks at Sycamore Printing are in their new home at 72 S. Jefferson. __________
