USA > Indiana > A popular history of Indiana : with an introduction > Part 7
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luxury they had, however, which excites our envy, and that was unadulterated maple-sugar and syrup. Stoves were unknown, the huge fireplace serving the purpose of both heat- ing and cooking. A few indulged in the extra convenience of what was called a Dutch oven, which has never been equaled by any invention for baking bread, pies and cakes.
The children of the backwoodsmen never wore stockings or shoes, except in the severest winter weather. They usually slept in the garret, which they reached by means of a ladder, and so well ventilated were these sleeping apartments that the children often watched from their beds the stars in the heavens through the chinks in the roof.
The new-comer found in the settlements more French and Indians than Americans. A number of log cabins grouped together formed a town. Even the governor's mansion was a log cabin. It was not many years, however, before an occa- sional brick house appeared, as brick kilns were among the first manufacturing concerns established.
Ex-Secretary McCulloch says in his interesting autobio- graphical work, "Men and Measures of Half a Century," when referring to one of these cabins-the home of Major Samuel Lewis of Fort Wayne: "It was a double log cabin, the latch-string of which was always out, a cabin which was rendered charming in summer by the beauty and odors of the honeysuckle and climbing roses which covered its walls, and in winter by the cheerful blaze in its ample fireplace."
Cozy comfort was indeed found in many of these rustic homes. After the large Pennsylvania wagons found their way
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1
PENNSYLVANIA WAGONS.
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across the mountains and into the valley, and supplanted the pack-horses for carrying goods, "store furniture" was intro- duced in the settlements. Solid mahogony stands and tables were not unknown, and ingrain carpets covered the floors of the more pretentious parlors.
The mail was carried on horseback. Judge Samuel Hanna of' Fort Wayne, afterward one of the most prominent men in the state, was among those who acted in the capacity of mail- carrier. The postage on a letter was twenty cents and envel- opes were unknown. Letters were folded and sealed together with sealing-wax. Some writer has said that social life had then its golden period. "It was never more free from the deceptions, hollow appearances, and evils of an older country." Many of the most prominent families in the political and social life of the state to-day were among the leaders then. There were, of course, no theatres or operas to attend, but dancing was a favorite amusement, and "balls" were given, to which the prominent people from all over the state were invited. Young ladies would send "east to Dayton or Cincinnati " for the dresses to be worn on these occasions, and the couples who carried off the honors of the evening were those who "led off," or "opened the ball." A quilting was a popular social pastime. At these affairs the invited lady guests worked faithfully all day on the quilt, vying with each other in the dexterous use of the needle. A toothsome dinner was always served on these occasions by the hostess. The "men folk " joined .the circle in the evening, when refreshments were served and dancing and other social amusements were engaged in.
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The most striking feature of the ladies' dress was the puffs worn at the top of the sleeves, which were so large that a small-sized pillow-the kind used at that time -- was frequently stuffed into each to make it stand out and up. The hair was combed straight back from the forehead, the more fashionable wear- ing a bunch of false curls on either side. The dresses were very short-waisted, and were always cut low in the neck, a cape, or "inside handkerchief," being indis- pensible for completing the toilet. The long, black- A LADY OF PIONEER DAYS. lace veils fell over the face, and reached almost to the knees. The muffs carried were so large that one could almost make a lap-robe out of the fur con- tained in them.
When the beau of the period made his appearance on notable occasions his costume was not unlike that of the society young man of to-day, only he was made even more irresistible by the addition of the fine cambric ruffled shirt bosom and handsomely brocaded vest, features of evening dress in which most pride was taken.
It is difficult to reconcile the way the children were then dressed with the tradition that our fathers and mothers
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possessed a remarkable share of good, sound sense. The warm, high-neck, long-sleeve underclothing, now considered so indis- pensable throughout the cold season to a child's health and com- fort, was then unknown. Besides this, the little girls' dresses were made low in the neck, and with short sleeves. To be sure, over the dress a long-sleeve gingham apron was commonly worn, a little fancy woolen sacque taking its place for dress occasions. The children of to-day should certainly develop into a more robust and healthy generation if there is any merit in current sanitary teachings.
CHAPTER XVI.
COMMUNISM IN INDIANA."
THE FAMOUS EXPERIMENT AT NEW HARMONIE-WHAT GEORGE RAPP AND HIS PARTY OF GERMAN EMIGRANTS ACCOMPLISHED IN TWENTY-ONE YEARS- ADVENT OF THE OWENS-ROBERT OWEN PUTS HIS PHILANTHROPIC THEORIES IN PRACTICE-A QUEER LITTLE COMMUNITY AND ITS BRIEF BUT INSTRUC- TIVE HISTORY:
Among the early settlements of Indiana was one in the southern part of the state, well deserving of a chapter by itself because of its peculiar character.
As early as 1813 George Rapp, an ecclesiastic, or preacher, with a party of German emigrants, purchased 30,000 acres near the lower Wabash river, about fifteen miles from the town of Mt. Vernon on the Ohio. Here they built a vil- lage of about 160 houses, and began in a characteristically industrious way to cultivate the ground around them. They established their little community in accordance with the teach- ings and examples of the early Christians, as they understood them.
There was no " mine " nor "thine, " but all things were "held in common." There was no marrying or giving in marriage, as they believed in and practiced celibacy. It was, in fact, a miniature monarchy, the leader, Rapp, having abso- lute power, his word being law. The little town was called
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Harmonie, as the inhabitants were supposed to dwell in perfect agreement with each other.
For twenty-one years this singular little community con- tinued to live under the rules and conditions established by its founders. Financially the experiment was a success, for at the time of the immigration to this country, their property only averaged twenty-five dollars a person, while in 1825 each inhabitant was worth two thousand dollars. At this time the wealth of Indiana, outside of this community, was estimated to average one hundred and fifty dollars to each inhabitant. But in other respects the undertaking proved a failure. The con- tentment and satisfaction anticipated were not realized.
In Glasgow, Scotland, there was living in these years a manufacturer by the name of Robert Owen, who was deeply interested in solving the problem, then, as now, a pressing one, of the relations between capital and labor. He had a large reputa- tion as a philanthropist, and had adopted many beneficent meas- ures for the comfort and welfare of the employes in his extensive mills. So renowned became That Sale Owen. these mills at New Lanark, on account of the reformatory meas- ures thus introduced, that they were daily visited by travel- ers from all parts of Great Britain, including even members of the royal family. To Robert Owen, in the winter of 1825,
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came an agent, offering this large tract of land in southern Indiana, including the village already built. The price at which it was offered was $200,000.
Robert Owen's brain was full of theories, which he believed, if carried out, would settle the vexed labor problem, and place society on a basis of " equality and fraternity." His greatest ambition was for a " vast theatre on which to try his plans of social reform." Feeling that the possession of this property in a new land would afford him the long desired opportunity, he made the purchase and at once came to Indiana. His son, Robert Daie Owen, who needs no introduc tion to the people of our state, as he afterward became famous as an author, scientist and statesman, joined him in IS26. The son, then a young man, was favorably impressed with the New World, finding many things to admire in the natural scenery, and much to enjoy in the way of romantic adventure. The village, which was named by his father New Harmonie, he describes as picturesque and "literally embowered in trees, rows of black locusts marking the street lines." Most of the houses were made of logs, although the thrifty Germans had built a few of brick. They had also built a church, a steam mill and a woolen factory.
Upon Robert Owen's arrival at the scene of his new phi- lanthropic experiment, the people were organized into a co-op- erative association. An executive committee was appointed whose duty it was " to estimate the value of each person's serv- ices and give all persons employed respectively credit for the amount, to be drawn out by them in produce or store goods."
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But very soon after the arrival of Robert Dale Owen, the Har- monites, on advice of the elder Owen, formed themselves into a community of equality, in which all property was to be held in common. The new constitution provided that "all members according to their ages, not according to the natural value of their services, were to be furnished, as near as could be, with similar food, clothing and education, and as soon as practicable, live in similar houses, and in all respects be accommodated alike." The real estate was to be held in perpetual trust for the use of the community. The power of making laws was given to the assembly, which consisted of all the adult mem- bers of the community. Three evenings each week the inhab- itants were to meet together, devoting one evening to the dis- cussion of " subjects connected with the welfare of the society, another to a vocal and instrumental concert, and another to a public ball." All who wished to become members were admitted, without regard to character or intelligence, and herein, as Robert Dale Owen afterward thought, lay one of the causes of failure. The community naturally attracted curious and eccentric people; but men of scientific and literary ability were also found in the strange little village. M. Lesseur lived at the place many years, and Thomas Say prepared his handsome work on American Entomology in New Harmonie, dying there in 1834.
One of the first pursuits in which Robert Dale Owen engaged was that of teaching school, and one of the first things he did was to abolish flogging, of which he afterward spoke as a " degraded relic of barbarism, then countenanced in England.
IO
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alike in army, navy, and some of the most accredited semina- ries " Among the young people there was a pleasant, whole- some freedom. They called each other by their Christian names and lived together as brothers and sisters.
But the existence of the community as a co-operative asso- ciation, based on the principles of equality in all things, was destined to be brief. In a little over a year its death knell was sounded, the experiment being abandoned as a failure.
That this was the result is not strange, for, as Robert Dale Owen said, when reviewing the enterprise many years afterward, "no industrial experiment can succeed which pro- poses equal remuneration to all men-the diligent and the dila- tory, the skilled artisan and the common laborer, the genius and the drudge."
This undertaking proved a disastrous one to Robert Owen, his losses amounting to about two hundred thousand dollars. After its collapse he paid every farthing of the debts incurred by the community, including some in which it was involved by rascals, for which he was neither legally nor morally respon- sible. To aid him in the work of liquidation his two sons transferred to him their interest in the mills at Glasgow, in con- sideration of which the father conveved to them property in Indiana valued at thirty thousand dollars. He returned to Scotland, but never ceased to advocate his pet theories, nor to make experiments, appearing in Liverpool at the Social Science association as enthusiastic as ever in their behalf in 1858, which was the year of his death.
CHAPTER XVII.
FROM JENNINGS TO WRIGHT.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE STATE UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION-A SUC- CESSION OF STRONG GOVERNORS -PERIODS OF RAPID GROWTH AND SHARP REACTION -- BEGINNINGS OF THE FREE SCHOOL SYSTEM-THE ERA OF INTER- NAL IMPROVEMENTS -- HOW INDIANA LOST HER CREDIT AND HOW SHE RE- GAINED IT.
The first election in the State of Indiana was held in August, 1816. Jonathan Jennings was elected governor over Thomas Posey. The total vote for governor was 9,145, of which Jennings received 5,211. Christopher Harrison was elected lieutenant-governor, and William Hendricks repre- sentative in Congress. A legislature, composed of ten senators and twenty-nine representatives, was also elected. The first general assembly convened at Corydon, November 4, 1816. John Paul was chosen president pro tem of the senate, and Isaac Blackford was made speaker of the house of representatives. Three days after the assembling of the legislature the governor and lieutenant governor were inducted into office. Governor Jennings in his inaugural address out- lined a wise and statesman-like policy for the new government. On December II, by a joint resolution of Congress, Indiana was formally admitted into the Union as a state. James Noble and Walter Taylor were elected United States sena-
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tors; Robert A. New, secretary of state; William H. Lilly, auditor of public accounts, and Daniel C. Lane, treasurer of state. The general assembly, after a busy and profitable session, adjourned January 3, 1817.
For several years after the admission of Indiana as a state she enjoyed a fair measure of prosperity. The estab- lishment of the state government, the restoration of peace with Great Britain, and the disappearance of Indian troubles, gave a powerful impetus to immigration, and the settlement of the state proceeded rapidly. The free white population increased from 63,897 in December, 1815, to 147,178 when the census was taken in 1820. "The inhabitants of the new state," says Dillon, "began to open new farms, to found new settlements, to plant new orchards, to erect school-houses and churches, to build hamlets and towns, and to engage, with some degree of ardor, in the various peaceful pursuits of civilized life. A sense of security pervaded the minds of the people. The hostile Indian tribes, having been overpowered, humbled and impoverished. no longer excited the fears of the pioneer settlers, who dwelt in safety in their plain log-cabin homes, and cultivated their small fields without the protec- tion of armed sentinels. The numerous temporary forts and block houses, which were no longer required as places of refuge for the pioneers, were either converted into dwelling- houses or suffered to fall into ruins."
But the difficulties and embarrassments which attended upon the new government were numerous. The people were poor, and the collection of the revenue necessary for the estab-
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lishment and support of the government involved great hard- ships which were not always patiently borne. Schools were to be provided, public buildings erected, the credit of the state builded up, roads constructed and all the varied require- ments of a new commonwealth "in the wilderness" fulfilled. The responsibilities which rested upon Governor Jennings and his associates in the government were indeed heavy.
Under an act of Congress, passed in 1785, and the Ordinance of 1787, a thirty-sixth part of the lands in the North- west Territory was set aside for the support of a system of popular education. During the territorial period of Indiana the first steps were taken toward the establishment of free schools and a university, but little real progress was made in that direction. The state constitution made it the duty of the general assembly, "as soon as circumstances will permit, to provide by law for a general system of education ascend- ing in a regular gradation from township schools to a state university, wherein tuition shall be gratis, and equally open to all." Governor Jennings in his first message to the legis- lature dwelt upon the importance of establishing, at the earliest possible moment, a system of free schools. The early legislatures gave considerable attention to the subject, but it was not until 1822 that the first general school law was passed. From that time until the present moment, the educational interests of the state have been jealously guarded by the suc cessive administrations and legislatures. A sketch of their development is given in another chapter.
During Governor Jennings' administration projects of
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internal improvement were agitated, but in the then straitened condition of public finances it was impossible to undertake them.
Governor Jennings was re-elected in 1819. At the con- clusion of his second term he was chosen to Congress, where he served eight years. Defeated for a fifth term by General John Carr, he was appointed by President Jackson, in 1832, a member of an Indian commission. Ile died in 1834 on his farm near Charlestown. His last years were clouded by poverty and neglect, resulting partly from intemperate habits into which he had fallen during his residence in Washington. His remains were carried in a common farm wagon to their last resting place, followed by a few friends. He was one of the greatest men who ever lived in Indiana. The people of this state owe him a debt of gratitude and his memory last- ing honor. "The making and putting into motion the machinery of a new state requires ability of a high order. Jonathan Jennings proved himself equal to the task. The state machinery started off without impediment, and ran without friction. It did its work well, for it was guided by
a master hand.
Governor Jennings was a man of polished
manners. He was always gentle and kind to those about him. He was not an orator, but could tell what he knew in a pleasing way. He wrote well; he fought slavery to the death when it sought to fasten itself upon. Indiana territory; he helped secure for her sons and daughters the best portion of her rich and fertile lands, and yet he sleeps the long sleep without a stone to mark his resting place."
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A succession of strong men-men of intellect, force of character and rugged patriotism-followed Jonathan Jennings in the governor's chair .. The first of these was William Hendricks, a man of great ability and high character. Born in Westmoreland county, Pa., in 1783, he received a common school education, and removed to Indiana in 1814, being one of the first settlers of Madison. He was secretary of the constitutional convention of 1816, and was the sole representa- tive of Indiana in Congress from 1816 until 1822, when he resigned to take the governor's office. He found the finances of the state in a demoralized condition, and his administration was beset with many difficulties. It was, nevertheless, emi- nently successful. Before his term expired he was elected a senator in Congress, serving two terms with great distinction, and retiring in 1837. He died at Madison in IS50. He was an uncle of Vice-President Hendricks.
The unexpired term of Mr. Hen- dricks as governor was served out by Ratcliffe Boone, the lieutenant-governor, a man of mark at that time in Indiana.
James B. Ray served as governor from 1825 to 1831. He was a native of Kentucky, and had served several terms in the legislature. His two administra- RATCLIFFE BOONE. tions covered a period of marvelous growth in Indiana. When he assumed the office the popula- tion of the state had reached 250,000. A year before he retired, it had grown to 343,391. During his service as gov-
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ernor the finances of the state were put upon a sounder basis, the manufacturing interests were developed, and a long forward step was taken in the march of progress. Governor Ray died in Cin- cinnati in 1848 at the age of fifty-four.
Noah Noble's two administrations as governor, extending from 1831 to 1837, marked an epoch in the history of Indiana. It was during the first year of his service that the state embarked in the construc- tion of an extensive system of internal improvements, an undertaking which was GOV. JAMES B. RAY. followed with very important results, and which eventually in- volved the state in serious financial complications. While Mr.
Noble was governor the work of digging the Wabash and Erie Canal was begun, and carried a long way toward completion; the Michigan road was constructed; the capitol was built at Indianapolis, and the first session of the legislature held therein (December, 1835); a number of railway corporations were chartered, and some of GOV. NOAH NOBLE. them began the work of construction; a controversy with Michigan over the boundary line between the states was settled in favor of Indiana; the state bank was re-organized and launched upon a successful career. There were some untoward events, also, during these six years. A general failure of crops in 1832 caused much distress. In the
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same year cholera ravaged the settlements along the Ohio, and during the Black Hawk war several invading parties entered the state from Illinois, committing serious depre- dations.
David Wallace became governor in 1837. Ile found the state deeply embarrassed by the obligations that had been incurred in the construction of internal improvements. In
IS38, when the legislature assembled, Governor Wallace declared that there had never been a period in the history of the state "that more urgently called for the exercise of all the soundest and best attributes of grave and patriotic legislators than the present." The internal improvement bonds then amounted to $3,827,000, upon which the annual interest charge was $191,350. Governor Wallace maintained GOV. DAVID WALLACE. his faith in the internal improvement policy to the end, but was compelled to leave to his successor, Samuel Bigger, a legacy of public debt which was most unwelcome. Governor Wallace was a man of strong qualities, and left his imprint upon the history of his state and country. Born in Lan-
caster county, Pa., in 1799, he came to Indiana with his family in 1817, was graduated from the West Point Academy in 1821, was professor of mathematics in that institution two years, practiced law at Brookville, and served several terms in the legislature and one term as lieutenant-governor. He went to Congress for a single term in 1840, and while a
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member of that body gave the casting vote in favor of an appropriation to develop S. F. B. Morse's magnetic telegraph, which cost him his re-election. He died in Indianapolis in 1859, having served the last three years of his life as judge of the Marion court of common pleas.
Samuel Bigger was governor from 1840 to 1843. These were dark days for Indiana. The state treasury was liter- ally bankrupted by the internal improvement schemes. The "system " embraced ten different public works, the most important being the Wabash and Erie Canal. The total length of the work projected was 1, 160 miles, of which about 140 miles had been fully completed in 1839, when operations were partially suspended. In his first message to the legislature, Governor Bigger de- GOV. SAMUEL BIGGER. clared that, while it would be impossible to carry out the works as originally contemplated, it would be ruinous to abandon them entirely. In IS41 the state defaulted in the interest on the internal improvement bonds, and her credit received a shock from which it did not entirely recover for many years. The state debt amounted to $18,469, 146. Only 281 miles of roads and canals, out of a projected total of 1.289 miles, had been completed. The amount expended had been $8, 164,528, out of an estimated cost of $19,914,424.
Governor Bigger's successor was James Whitcomb, one of the ablest men that ever filled the chief magistrate's chair
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of Indiana or any other state. He was a wise statesman and a sound political economist, and proved fully equal to the great emergency which confronted him. Ile devised and carried out measures which redeemed, so far as it was possible, the credit of the state. Under these measures the creditors eventually took the public works in settlement of their claims. Governor Whitcomb had, as a member of the state senate, in 1830 and 1833, warned the GOV. JAMES WHITCOMB. people of the consequences which would follow the internal improvement craze-consequences from which, as governor,
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