The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-01
ACTION FOR THEIR MONEY
SUNDAY ExCURSIONIsTs LIKE TO
NIBBLE AT CITY LIFE.
The Miracle of Assimilation That
Takes Place Weekly-Where They
Go and What They Do.

What becomes OF the excursionists? is a
question that people ask themselves fire.
quently. Where do the thousands of coun-
try folk and the thousands of small towns
men and villagers that come to Indianapolis
every Sunday on the cheap excursions lose
themselves? How do they manage to as
simulate themselves with the city popuia-
ton so that their presence is brought to
mind only occasionally when, perhaps, a
group with grips or lunch baskets is
seen on a street corner? 1t is a fact that
from 10000 to 10000 are carried to the city
every Sunday by the railroads that run
through the rural districts of the State,
but the temporary although actual increase
to population is hardly noticed.
AS matter of fact it would surprise
many to know that very many of the visi-
tors never get off Illinois street From the
Union Station to Ohio street there are at
fractions along that thoroughfare so ia
Iniliar TO city people that they have ceased
to have more than perfunctory interest.
There are several places where graphic
phones. monographs and all sorts of talk
ing machines do a thriving business; where
deep bass and strident tenor voices sound
brassily out of the intricacies Of compli-
Gated bits of machinery but these things
are so ordinary, SO matter-of-fact to city
people that they are forgotten except when
tnelT existence Is reCdlle0 ny a particular
blsre of counterfeited voice or a snatch of
RIP Van Wrinkle Was Lucky Man." or
Josephine, My Jo." To the tourists from
the country these things are not common.
More than most things, perhaps they rep
resent city life, the fascinating, noisy, ac-
tual expression of life that is as differ
ent from their own as the crash of sound
along Washington street of busy after
noon is unlike the soporific atmosphere of
the main street of Hodson's Corners or
Ferndale. These places are crowded every
Sunday afternoon by the Sunday excursion
lists. There are few shooting galleries
which seem to exert an attraction too strong
to be resisted. Bantering and Dragging the
country visitors fill these places shooting at
white, plate-like targets or firing at i'm
possible rabbits and deer that leap and
bound dizzily in and out of sight. Not in
frequently nave patrons OF Sunday excur-
sions been known to spend hours i'm the
nois street any Sunday afternoon will con-
vince anybody that the open doors along
the thoroughfare draw in a good share of
the weekly visitors.
VISITING RELATIVES.
Very many of them. too have relatives
in Indianapolis. This city is said to be the
result of the depopulation Of Indiana
towns. Whenever young mar. or young
girl for that matter. begins 10 have am
bi'ions above clerking in Cy Smiths gen.
eral store, or of assisting in Miss Blivens's
diately comes to Indianapolis i'm search
OF Job. Usually there is one TO be found
This process OF the Capitalization of the
ambitious has been going for genera
tions: and as a result almost everybod out
In the State has son or a daughter or an
uncle or an aunt or a grandfather or a
grandmother or a sister-in-law or some
thing of the sort to whom visits may he
paid. What more satisfactory then for
all concerned. than the running of these
cheap excursions which may be taken adj
vantage OF every week or so for practi-
cally song? Thousands of people sit
around city tables on Sundays RECALLING
their hosts with news of all the goings on in
the old family.
OF course. the parks are attractive. but
not so much so as one might think People
days IN the week have no particular hank
ering 10 look on green expanses the
seventh. The constant regarding of great
trees for all the working days does not
breed frantic desire to study arboricul-
ture on the day OF rest. People who live
in the country do not want to look at coun-
terfeits of the country, no matter how well
executed. or how skillfully wrought They
want activity for the most part They
want TO watch the rush of people along the
streets. TO smell the asphalt, to benz, thei;
necks looking at skyscrapers and IL los
sible. to hear with excitement clutcl ing at
their throats, the clangor of the patrol
wagon or IN, ambulance, or TO See the mao
heroic dash of the iremen between the
crowded sidewalks. The parks though
draw many. particularly those places where
a bill OF amdsements is provided.
Yesterday was considered q good excur-
sion day by the railroads. More than IL COO
people surged through the Union Station in
and out. and the employees had their hands
full. as usual IN answering questions and
looking after the crowd. One OF the biggest
excursion crowds was taken to Madison.
nearly $3.50 people making the trip.