The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-10-19
HARbOR IS
FIGHTING
FOR HONOR
Continued from Page ID

is the only other aspirant at the pres
ent time. The delegates will remain |
for the session this morning. which will |
conclude the convention. The election |
of officers and the decision as to the |
next meeting place will be part of the |
program this morning.
Leroy E. Snyder, secretary of the In |
dianapolis Trade Association. urged co :
operation between Indiana cities and |
towns and advanced as his reason tho |
fact that Indiana municipalities are |
each required to face and solve many |
problems that are common. His paper |
was the hit of the convention. 1t is as
follows:
work. In the last few years much |
cheap sentiment and commonplace
thinking has been let loose upon the
public under the pretext that 1t pertains
to cooperation" But the word stands
for an idea, and this ideal, or 1 should
better say idea, is that which today
anfmates and directs the most promis-
Ing effort of those who are working for
the public good in all quarters of the
globe. | feel that this subject, as it
relates to US of Indiana. and to tho
welfare of Indiana cities. means untold
good for the future of our state. If
may. in some degree, come close to
tellin what l feel. shall be satisfied.
Three weeks ago, on the OCCASION of
the visit of representatives of the In
dianapolis Trade Association to TT
Wayne, your own Colonel Foster told
us that Indiana is just now beginning
| to outgrow its provincialisn That is
a statement which must be true If the
| things hope for are to be accom-
| nj ha
Federation. If 1 did not believe that 1t
lis true, 1 should not have the courage
| to plan, even in my mind. for the ac-
| complishment of anything in Indiana
through cooperation.
! No, provincialism in the sense In which
the word is used. does not apply alone
to that Ignorance of metropolitan
methods on the part of the resident OF
tie rural districts-the "provinces"-|
which the word originally signified, but
| 1t implies a self-sufficiency. a SNUG
self-satisfaction, that is the more OBJ
noxious the higher in the social or in
tellectual scale the community may be
| that holds to it. The insularity of Eng
1 land or of Manhattan island might breed
| a provincialism much worse in its effect
on the progress of culture, trade and
commerce than the provincialism OF the
baekwoods or of the broad frontiers of
| a new country.
| 1t was inevitable that In the growth
of our State from a wilderness. the iso-
lation of pioneer life involved should
engender narrowness of outlook in
many ways. 1t was, If the expression
may be used. a kind of communal egot-
ism that developed; pride in ones own
| things. and by the same token, a sort
of contempt for the things of others,
that placed between different communf-
ties effectual bar in the way of
mutual understanding. respect and help
fulness.
The man who has lived in one coun-
try all his life, who has seldom or never
left 1t to see what the rest of the world
might be about, is very apt to feel that
his own section has the best farm land,
grows the best corn and wheat. the
most luscious fruits and the choicest
vegetable. and has the clearest brooks
and the most picturesque rivers and
landscapes. in the Who'll country. or
mayhap In the whole world BY
natural mental transition, this pride of
local possessions and material things is
transformed into an inordinate conceit
about local personages, in fact. into an
Exaggerated notion of the qualities of
character and the capabilities of all
who compose the local community.
other communities. one feels, have citi-
zens 80 different. don't you know" so
peculiar, and altogether no so good. nor
so wise. mot quite just the same sort
of folks that are in fact.
Harry Leon Wilson, in his entertain
ing and Stimulating novel. THE Seeker"
says that there was certain primitive
Brazilian tribe in whose language the
o1e
the word for Others which was mot
we." meant also evil Il suppose" says
Mr.. wilson's character who is dwelling
on this significant fact, our own
tongue is but elaboration of that
simple bit of human nature-a training
of polite vines and towering shrubs
over the crude lines of it,
!. Now there is no doubt that we had
leven a disproportionate share of this
kind of provincialism in Indiana and.
of course much of 1t still survives. But
it was largely due to the distances, in
time and space, that separated different
communities; to the lack of easy means
of communication; to the inability of
the primitive Hoosier. for lack of time
and means. to travel, to visit other COM
munities and cities, even to get ac-
, quainted with towns reasonably close
| by, except perhaps, on certain rare anu
holiday occasions. Then, inded, he got
such a feeting glimpse. such an imper-
feet impression of his neighbors in an
other city or town. that he returned to
his home more than ever convinced of
the other mans peeuliarities. his queer
straits and habits and more firmly i'm
lpressed with his own superiority in
numberless ways.
: The social and economic expression of
} this mental condition was fierce
rivalry and competition between all
/ sections, all cities. OF the State. in all
interests, In social activities and sports.
/ and especially in business and politics.
There was a time, and that SO far
lsince, when It seemed almost as though
South Bend would have heard of a
, great cataclysm Of Nature that had de-
tstroyed Terre Haute or Loansport in j