The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1879-04-03
The ORIGINAL HO0sier,


were the offshoots OF families who
came to North Carolina from the
Western Isle OF Scotland before the
Revolution. The descendants Of
these Scotch Carolinians in Indiana
are the true and most characteristic
Hoosiers. They are the people who
have deeply Influenced their neigh
bors, though they do not themselves
change with the lapse of age.
III you want TO know how FinSal
and Ossian kept house, enter Hoos-
ier cabin. Among our care worn and
hurried Americ INST they are nonchal-
an Oriental indiff renee. masterful
indisturbance, which they brought
across Tartar and Tutonic lands and
kept among the roaring Hebrides.
A Hoosier is unimpressible, incu-
rious and incapable Of awe. He
lives on an inaccessible height Of
self-respect, where he neither knows
nor cares in what sort OF estima' ion
he is held by others. His inherent
sense OF his own superiority gives him
perfect self possession, with no un-
easy self consciousness, no vulgar
anxiety about his manners and ap.
pearance,
But he Is not one to perform high
achievements or to pursue an object
with unflag2ing obstinacy; ne has
none of the Anglo Saxon quality Of
loving to do we'll simply for the sake
OF doing it we'll. The Hoosier is
quite unlike the Buckeye OF Ohio.
who, being Of Puritan strain is bluff
and English looking. aud does every
thing with such vehement relish that
his libaary, fountain, music, temper
ance crusade. and spellingbee wake
the nation.
Hoosiers are never ridiculous; they
cannot be derided in their grave dig
nifty. They are never scrubby or
stumpy looking, or pug nosed, but
are tall and powerfully strong, and
"a race handsome and picturesque
In the aggregate theirfaces are
mole'cd according to the human
laws OF beauty as accepted by the
family for the last thousand years
Their complexion is fine, rich
brownish- yellow. e-thing like a
glow Of red in the cheeks OF the
young. Their eyes are calm, deep
steady and tranquil, as il imbued
with the imagery OF the vast soil.
tudes on which they rest. There Is
no scuddlng under bare poles with the
Hoosier; their heads are heavily
thaiched, and they wear mass oi
sireaked yellow or brown beard, the
slant-wise streaming moustache oc
casionally faded to maize color
They are dressed in black sloucheC
hats with frayed and faded edges
and in faded clothes.
The Hoosier women are not 81
good looking as the men, being sur
dried and weather beaten, as are al
women who live In houses built af
ter the domestic architecture OF tbt
stone age. There are many house.
without windows In Indiana. Th'
Hoosiers are taciturn. They have ;
singular grunt which means yes an,
another that means 40. They speal
with drawl. The phrase, "A hat o,
top CT box would be thus pro
nounced by them: "a hawt awI
tawp awv bawx." They hav,
| a slang of their own. as HE need n
come here putting on his dog mean
ing STYLE" and Il wont be bullrag
ged around. and when surprised, :"
can't tell my head from hole in tn,
ground" They have forest expires
sion. Walking in town. they say 0
their homeward street, This is ou
hole out"
An ou.-andout Hoosier farme
r plants corn on his land twelve year
, running, leaves ploughs, harrows
reapers, and tedders in the field al
, the year round; lets his crop rot ol
/ the ground in bad seasons. Let zen
rot says he "I'll be shet II II
work without decent weather.
Mary Dean, in Lipptncotfs Mdgazin
> for Aprit