The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-02

iamo:
Henry Ward Beecher, Emerson Bennett,
Sarah T. Bolton, Mary Hartwell Gather
wood, Sydney Dyer, John Dillon, Jacob P.
Dunn. Mrs. John l.. Dumont, Edward Egg
gleston. John Hay, Robert u. Johnson,
Joaquin Miller Meredith Nicholson Robert
Dale Owen, Benjamin S. Parker. John
James Piatt, James Whitcomb Riley, John
Clark Ridpath, Will II. Thompson. Lewis
Wallace. Mrs Susan Elston Wallace, By
ron Forceythe Wilson. William Wesley
WoolIen.
Certainly here is a list not lacking dis
worthy names Let nee now u add Sot fo tbem
Booth Harrington, Charles Major Anna
Nicholas Caroline Brown, William Dudley
Clara Vawter. Daniel Wait Howe. Howard
s. Rudy. Millard f. Cox, and / don't
know how many more good and true quill
drivers.
But 1 had no purpose to initiate Homer's
catalogue of the ships; my turn is served
il have shown that. whether "Hoosiers"
terateurs, a lusty lot of them have success
fully assumed the responsibility. And
while / should not dare to discriminate
the temptation is great to talk about what
these writers have done, and what tide
of adverse influences set against them
while they made their way to distin-
guished recognition.
ARE NOT JEALOUS.
We "Hoosiers'' are an amiable set of peo-
pie; We do not harbor jealousies. There
/
that when Booth Tarkington's 1.-The Gen.
tleman from Indiana first appeared we
jumped on to it tooth and nail because for
sooth. Mr.. Harrington poked some carica-
ture at Indianians; but we were proud of
him, bought his book by the thousands and
made merry over its abundant success. I
mention this to show that we read as well
as write and take lively interest in OBJ
Massachusetts, was within three years of
two centuries old when Bryant wrote
''Thanatopsis:" Indiana was little more
eom n Riley wrote este' Old Glory, and scarce
ly seventy when Will II. Thompson gave to
the world his High Tide at Gettysburg"
We Hoosiers have developed more rapidly
than the Yankees! 'Ben-Hur'' came out
of Indiana less than a century after Clark
captured vincennes In the bowling wilder
ness. when Knighthood was in Flower
will compare favorably with any romance
written by New Englander within a CEN
| fury after the landing of the ''Mayhower.
| Meredith Nicholsons poems seem all the
more fresh. native and true when read
along with what the Yankee poets piped
| a hundred and forty years ago. Under
| stand that this comparison is historical,
| and not for invidious criticism. If I say
| that Miss Anna Nicholas in her wabash
| Idylls" shows more of the true art of fic-
| writer's stories before the days of Haw-
| thorne, say 1t to clinch fact in Ameri-
| can literary history. Virginia was an old
| old commonwealth when Poe was born
| Think of New York's age when Cooper
| wrote his backwoods romances-of South
| Cardinals venerable standing during the
| activity of William Gilmore Simms. Hart.
| ford was more than two hundred years ad
| vanced when Harriet Beecher Stowe made
| her home there; but Charlottesville wa:
| Is thus history talks with brutal independ
| ence in its voice. We may have SAID
| ssWho's yer?" for 'sWho is here" in the
days OF leather latch-strings and flint
/ lock rifles; but even then we ruled the lane
/ from Pennsylvania to the Mississippi and
| from the Ohio. to Canada, and were LAYING
/ the concrete foundation for the center Of
| population and civilization in America OLE
| Vincennes was but a huddle OF cabin:
/ around mission church and stockade II
| the year 1900 Now the heart OF the ma
| tion's life throbs not fifty miles from the
| beautiful new city.
Isn't IL time to change the definition o.
ssHoosier'' and remodel the tradition un
| righteously tagged thereupon? "As Indi
| ana goes so goes the Union" may yet bs
| as true in literature as in politics, Hav'
| YOU heard of our Western Association o
Writers and our Women's clubs? II yo'
| haven't you are slow. Literature Is hon
| estly and eagerly studied in Indiana, no
by way OF fad. but for love OF 1t. Educa
| ton Il with US an object rather than
| means We have the best schools in IN
| world-not universities and hoary colleges
indeed-schools for the people: democrati
| schools in which our entire population
trained TO love books We create de
| mand for all sorts of good literary wares
Our rural mail route wagons are alread,
| carrying books, magazines and nterar,
Journals TO remotest country homes w
are IN the great current. and We are happy
Wbv shali not a sHoosier'' be a poet /
1 che tIuseS null his hair.