One Township's Yesterdays Chapter XLIII  

The Turn of the Century

"Ring out the old, ring in the new." ... Alfred Tennyson

A NEW CENTURY dawned. The last sun of an Old Century had set. A new age was beginning. New ideas were taking form. People assumed a looking-forward attitude. Things of the past became "old fashioned." Things of the present were "up-to-date." The world, very consciously, was "making progress." Almost everything had to be new to be acceptable; old things were taboo.

Union Township, at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, felt this "urge" to become modern. Evidences of the new trend were to be found on all sides. The Nineteenth Century was gone, ended, a matter of the past. The New Century was at hand, demanding a different sort of pace. Union Township was not dilatory in accepting the new order.

The turn of the century was known to many as the "Fill de siecle," meaning literally the end of the century, especially the Nineteenth Century. An Indiana author, BOOTH TARKINGTON, ably describes this rather unique and bizarre period of American history in his book, "The World Does Move." He depicts a fascinating era, from an Indiana viewpoint, and a great deal of his story applies quite truthfully to conditions as existing in Union Township.

Tarkington says that "never did an epoch more placidly believe itself the last word than did the `fin de siecle' and every country newspaper glibly used that phrase, so sophisticated was our whole nation in those days. The `fin de siecle' was the last word in scientific achievement, in modern inventions, in literature and the fine arts, in good taste, in luxury, in elegance, in extravagance, in dress, in cleverness and in the art of being blase."

It would be hopeless to attempt a thorough survey of this period for a history of Union Township. Too much happened in those early days of the New Century. A few glimpses may suffice.

Those were the days of the "new speed mania." The bicycle speeders were beginning to meet, sometimes unsuccessfully, the competition of the "one lunged" auto speeders. Horse racing was still in vogue, also rubber-tired buggies, family carriages, phaetons, dogcarts and runabouts, vying with the gas-buggy for the rights of the road.

Women cyclists began wearing bloomers and gaiters. Other forms of feminine dress became a bit more daring, somewhat radical. The changes were stirring up quite a furor in certain circles. During the first five years of the New Century, the advance was rapid. In the summer of '05, it was said: "The shirt-waist man and the net-waist girl go hand in hand today . . . go rollicking down the way." That was in Culver. Clothes were growing fewer and thinner. Speculators were asking: "Then what?" City shops were full of openwork stockings. Times were becoming scandalous. The shirt-waist was bad enough, but then appeared the wasp-waist, too. That was the limit.

At the beginning of the century, the men were wearing derby hats. Some of them wore silk hats. But, when he took his coat off and went about in a shirt-waist, then man at last became a subject to be talked about . . . over tea and wafers, no doubt.

"Teas" and afternoon calls were the rage. Hostesses were as busy as hens with Teddy Rooseveltian broods. The round of affairs and events was nearly "killing." The pace was awful, by day and by night. There was no end of entertaining and being entertained. Those were jolly times. The improved phonograph, no longer a mere "talking machine," was working over-time. The evening breezes were filled with the tinkle of mandolins and guitars on summer verandas, the twanging of banjos, and the singing of "coon songs" and "Mandalay" Music drifted over the lake from the cottages along its shores and from the boats on its surface. And, in the midst, of it all, somewhere along Maxinkuckee's strand, Riley, the people's great poet of that romantic period, was composing verses about the, _ gleaming and glorified lake."

"The green below and the blue above, Heigh, young hearts and the hopes thereof - - Kate in the hammock and Tom sprawled on The sward - - like a lover's picture drawn By the lucky dog himself, with Kate To moon o'er his shoulder and meditate On a fat old purse or a lank young love _ The green below and the blue above."

How difficult it is to leave the first few years of the Twentieth Century! But other periods are calling, and time and space will not permit much tarrying. Just a few more glimpses before we go, little intimate views, around the lake, in town, here and there in the township, during those early years of the Twentieth Century. Contemporary views, quoted:

"A galaxy of twenty-seven young ladies of Kewanna spent last Saturday at the lake (Maxinkuckee). They appeared to enjoy themselves-so did some other people."

Some young men gave a hay ride party and supper to their lady friends, around the lake. (August, 1904).

The Long Point Card Club was active (Summer, '04).

"A bunch of gypsies were in Culver and raked in a lot of money telling fortunes." (July, 01).

A Culver business man of that period, "still doing business at the same old stand," recalls (in 1934) the carrying of lanterns through the streets by individuals and groups of individuals, on their way to and from parties and other social events. The town was dark, except on moonlight nights. More light, however, was beginning to appear with the "fin de siecle." Witness an item, dated May 26, 1904: "EPHRAIM POOR has out two incandescent lights in his shop . . . and now he has one of the best lighted shops to be found ." EPHRAIM POOR was the proprietor of the Culver barber shop.

"The farmers have been going in for some of the luxuries of life, too, particularly in the way of rubber-tired buggies and carriages." They bought up the sponge or took to the byways.