The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-12-14
There's Nothing the
Matter With Indiana
By MONSIGNOR FRANCIS H. GAVISK.


Rector of St. John s Catholic Church
@ ONE years ago the State of Kansas was
- departing from sane methods in its pub
lie affairs and getting some undesirable
notoriety thereby
William Allen White of the Emporia Ga
zette wrote brilliant and famous editorial
about it under The caption: "What' the Mat
ter With Kansas?"
similar question is being asked of our
State: whats the Matter with Indianal"
There is nothing the matter with Indiana
Our people just got into of those states
of mind called by the psychologists "com-
pick" Communities get that way as well as
individuals. We getting over it and are
like the man, after fit, who looks around and
asks ''What happened to mel"
To continue the smile, we have had some
violent seizures in times past like the Know
Nothing fit in the ffties, the a P. A. fit in 1892
and now the present one. But we are recover
ing and will soon be normal
We are the same good Hoosiers we were
before, proud of our State and forward look
ing in social betterment, in literature, in COM
merce and in all the things that go to make a
progressive community. The average Hoosier
SO loves his State that he lies awake of nights
fearful that some harm may come to it. We
have so many good qualities that it is not sur
prising that we also have room for a few
faults we are, perhaps, little too fond of
politics and of office holding; but that means
that we are interested in public affairs; we
have also weakness for joining things and
passing laws for reforming other folks; we are
somewhat given to hysteria over our unbound
ed fears. We are trusting people, and be-
cause of these nice blemishes in our makeup,
designing persons take advantage of us for
purposes of personal gain-the leader Of them
has recently been banished from Indianapolis
to the sandy shores of Michigan City. The
same sort Of persons appeal successfully to our
trusting natures when they unload on us gold
bricks 100 per cent oil stocks and "blue sky"
securities But over-confdence is an amiable
weakness.
There have been adherents of varied
creeds and persons of various racial stems In
Indiana long before it was a State and since.
Catholics were here first, Jews were among the
edrllcSJ IrdQtTS anu IOuB DclOTe euduClpdLlOu
came negroes were welcomed to Indiana.
Their sons and daughters are here now, loving
their native State as intensely as Others. They
are not in any great number, it is true, for
Indiana is the most homogeneous of the central
States. Less than 10 per cent of the population
Of Indiana is negro, Jewish or Catholic. Isn't
it complex Of hysteria for the 80 per cent to
he afraid of the 10 ner cent?
We pet frightened child who wakes up
with nightmare and assure it that all is well.
Some people in Indiana have been having
nightmare. Every one, when he begins to
our population have been and are now mighty
good citizens taking part with their fellows of
every creed and race in everything worth
while, that they have added to the wealth and
esteem Of Indiana and that in the wars of the
country they have enlisted, in surprisingly
great numbers, for the honor of the State and
the defense of the country Of course, every
Hoosier knows this and when he gets over his
complex he wonders what in the name Of
common sense he has been "hollering' about
There happy time, not SO very long
ago, when Indiana was nice place to live in
I'VE were neighborly, had mutual respect for
each other s opinions and we held to our
opinions very strongly-there wal good feeling