The Indianapolis journal., 1893-10-01
A HO0SIER HARVEST JUBILEE.
A Celebration Sometimes Known as al
''OId Settlers Meeting."

Homer Bassford. in Harper's Weekly.
The travelling circus is not an annual
visitor In such localities as southeastern
indiana. the Ozark regions of Missouri and
Arkansas, and eastern Kentucky. In it's
absence. the amusement-lOvipg natives
have circuses of their own. The harvest
home or jubilee of Indiana. the gander-
pulling OF eastern Kentucky, and the bar.
becues of Missouri and Arkansas take the
place of the gorgeous. glitterIng aggrega.
tion OF tented wonders.
Splendid Is the circus, but il isn't any
better than the homemade show that
comes in the full moon OF August down in
the southern part of Indiana. Sometimes
the harvest home has It's occurrence In the
latter part OF July. aud sometimes one may
be found we'll along in September or early
in October.
"When the frost is on the punkiD, and the fod-
der's In the shock"
But the real harvest home should occur
when the days and nights are warm hot
when the most inviting thing about the
grounds IS the big vinegar barrel of water
with ohunk of ice in it. and with little
bent tin cnps hanging around hy wet
strings. all "pervided by the committee on
arrangements"
IL Is not necessary to 90 down into Hoop
pole township. POsey county, to see the
harvest jnbilee in all ITS fullness. Close To
nearly every village In the southern part
OF Indiana one is held ut least once In two
or three yeare Quite frequently they are
encountered IN the northern part of the
State. The Jubilee Is advertised either by
word of mouth or by poorly executed hand
bills printed by tho Weekly Farmers Ad-
vOcate or some other organ of the agricul-
turist. A hat OF the committees always ap-
pears. OF these the committee on arrange
ments gets tho bulk of the work. IS MEM
bers must lind the grounds. sell tho privi-
leges seeure attractions, talk the jnbiles
up among the neighbors, arrange prizes
and Do sure that tue financial ends will
meet.
form of entertainment known to jubilee
manag gers was introduced. The grounds
selected were In the edge OF town: there
was IA splendid woodland with ciean short
crossing the place. and big open spot
for games and contests. This Jubilee
took place in tho full moon of August.
The barbecue was the most important {
event on the programme Six beeves and
fifteen sheep were roasted whole. Long
tables were erected. made of boards laid
upon driven stakes. Sests were made in
the Same manner with shorter supports.
Hundreds OF the visitors brought baskets
OF provisions. Let the country edi-
tOI epc6A VI LbOloo tubJ SEO6u Win lOhu y
of delcac!es. tnt none never suffered AS
did these Jubilee ia bles. At least two thou-
sand people sat down at each of the
changes. while hundreds were cOnten ted
To eat their MONDAY meal seated on the
grass.
shortly after 12 o'clock the actual enter
taiDment got under way. All morning the
members OF the important committees were
racing about. here. there and every here.
their red sashes fiying and streams OF per-
al!too-stitf shirt fronts. Before the feast
was hnlf over an announcement was made o
that the entertainment of the afternoon
WAS about to begin.
There MAS no public statement OF tho
various events of the programme, cIthOugh
1t sometimes happens that sort OF master
of ceremonies performs This duty. Before
Knew what was gong TO happen l saw
three boys and two grown men standing 1t
the base OF pole a6out thIrty-fve feet IN
height A. the top there was nailed little
bag of mOney-SlU. Wha: fortune did it
seem TO the youngsters who looked up at {
and how far awayi
One after another the contestants strova
TO climb Tn the TOD. The pole was round
SMOOTH. ana covered with grease Oc.
cesIonally a climber would get up to the
height of u dozen feet, only 10 Glide to the
ground like a fireman OH q Midnight alarm,
but in greater disorder. A yOnng. raw
bOned. baretoOted boy. Bill Shearrr. got
pllLo. tlt uus MS bOcS III l-e pOtc hDu
went 10 the top on the second trial.
a saok-race followed tho pole clim bin q.
Six boys went twenty unsteady yards.
each with a burlap about him from the
waist down. They stumbled. fell and
laughed through the performance. Next
on the programme was pig-race, in which
fifteen farmer boys ran after one fright
encd and sDredy sboat that was gaumed
from beud TO tail with soap grease The
boy who caught the animal grasped it by
the leg and frii on il. IL was hard TO say
which was the gressier.
such are some of tho amusements of a
harvest home. While the rougher sports
are In progress many of the boys and girls
indulge In May day frolics. with singing
and dancing under al rbor constructed of
twigs aud flowers L recall a horse race,
too. that occurred at tho jubilee here de-
scrIbed. lt took place on back
street of the nearby town. The
course was less than quarter of q
mile straight away, and on either aide
Tor the entire distance were gathered the
spectators. oil of whom had some sort of
acquaintance with the horses or their own
ers. The animals were ridden without sad
dies. The young fellows who rode them
wore nothing but long shirts and their
rough shoes. Such race Is worth goin q
half a thousand miles TO see. The suburb
an never developed moro excitement or o
higher grade of enthusiasm.
The harvest Jubilee seldom escapes the
political speaker. who gets before the peo
pie in the guIse of the orator OF the day
In ten minutes he announces mis- claims Tor
Office. and metsphorioaliy belabors every
other candidate Id the ad joining tow Dehips
The harvest home is usually good natured.
however. winding uD at night with
dance under the trees, with -
few lanterns and torches here and
there To aid the splendid August
moon. Country tddlers furnish the music.
The arrangement is not artistic measured
n ha
there Is genuine enjoyment to be got out OF
II. Thousands of Indiana boys and girls
scattered TO the ends of the earth. with
boys and girls OF their own. now look back
In happy remembrance of those day frolios
and night dances. when only the moon
watched as the hours sped away to the
tune of the rare old musician of the back
woods.