The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-01-25
Drnn Ii

as to the origin OF the term "Hoosier."
JAMES WHITCoMB RILEY said recently that
1t was his opinion that it was q corruption,
or rather an evoluted form, of the phrase
"Who's there?" reply which was invari-
ably echoed back from the farmhouse In
reply TO the "helIo" of the traveller who
had stopped to inquire the way or seek
other information when country homes
were few and far between in Indiana. An
old Louisvillian offers another theory,
and one which he believes to be correct
1T was in the autumn of 1926"
said the old citizen to a Courier
Journal reporter. during the first
work on the Louisville & Portland
canal, and men from ell parts OF the
country were employed on the enterprise.
The Indianans, however, we're more
numerous than those from any other state.
there being probably two or three hun
dred of them, and they were inclined to be
somewhat ciannish. Indiana was young
and undeveloped state in those days, and
her representatives here were altogethe
an ungainly crowd, being viewed by their
III dDOub Nuo eAul0 liRnb
that the city man regards the mountain
eer. A Louisville man with an eye to
business made il a point to be near the
works at the dinner hour with a supply
of edibles, and among those he dis
pensed was large loaf of sweet bread. an
article in which the majority of the In
disnians invariably invested. The name
of this bread pedder, az he might be
called, was HOosIER and from his iovial
manner and wsggish air be was very
popular. The men from Indiana, how
ever. were his best patrons, and the novel
sight of large number of them, each
munchinR q roll of HoosIER's bread, was
too much for the humor of the Kentuck-
ians, who applied to them indiscrimln-
ately the nickname Hoosiers. Their fell
low laborers took up the term. and soon
all Indianians on the works were known
as Hoosiers, and from there it spread
throughout the country"
Whatever the origin of the term
whether in its early use it had q signifi-
canoe of hospitality and welcome as the
poetic fancy of RILEY would have il, or
whether, as the Louisville patriarch would
suggest, il possessed flavor of ginger
bread and was symbolic oil uncouth bOor-
isnness-its use ought to be abandoned by
every seIf-respecting and patriotic citizen
OF Indiana.
Consciously or unconsciously. the coun-
try at large has come to apply the epithet
as term of contempt. much as if it had
accepted the Louisville mans word as to
It's origin. Locally we of Indiana have
come to regard the appellation with toler-
alton, possibly on occasions with something
akin to pride; but there is not Travelled
member of the community whose blood
has not boiled at times at the use made OF
the word in other sections OF this broad
land
That Indiana has suffered from the
designation OF her people as "Hoosiers'
there can be no doubt. Foreigners and
those from remote portions OF our own
land, who have not had the opportunity
of knowing the people of Indiana as they
actually are, have come 10 look upon
them askance, because they are called
"Hoosiers," and because wherever they
have been the word "Hoosier" has been
understood to % almost Synonymous with
'lOut"
There is only one way to avoid this in
justice and that is for Indianians on
every and all occasions to discountenance
the use OF the word and to refuse to re-
gard it as a proper designation for the
people of their state Let writer's and
speakers cease to refer to distinguished
citizens as "HOosier statesmen" "Hoosier
poets, "Hoosier orators" etc, and at
every opportunity offered protest against
the barbarism. In time the term will
cease to be applied to Indisnians in gem
eral and will either drop into disuse alto
gsther or be applied only in the sense in
which IL is understood everywhere ex-
cept in this state, viz: As conveying the
idea of stupidity and vugarity.
There is no method of getting rid of the
word. If deeds and examples could have
given TO the word digniied or elevated
significance it would have been a noble
terntoday. Indiana has furnished leaders in
all the walks of life ;she has given to history
warriors, statesmen, jurists, poets, novel
lists, historians, painters, musicians, sculp-
tors and divines; her sons have been
leaders of men; but with all this she has
not been able to give to the word
'Hoosier" an even respectable signif.
canoe. There is but one thing now for
Indiana to do; that is to rspudiate the
name. No earnest effort, no great accom-
plishment, no mastery bluding can save
il from reproach. Therefore drop it and
drop ii hard. Follow the example oil
Missouri. Years ago her natives were
known as "Pukes." But today the man
who would cali a MissouriAn "Puks'
would take his life in his hands. TIKI
SENTINEL's advice TO Indianians would be
IF a man calls you a Hoosier, shoot him
on the spot. Make the use of the term
not only odious but dangerous aud the
more dangerous the better"
o