Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 294, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1910 — HOOSIERS IN CHICAGO HOLD ANNUAL BANQUET. [ARTICLE]

HOOSIERS IN CHICAGO HOLD ANNUAL BANQUET.

Indiana Sons Prominent in Big City Held Feetfest and Talkfest at the Congress HoteL “The winds of heaven never fanned, The circling sunlight never spanned, The borders of a fairer land Than our own Indiana.” If any prominent Indiana man thought he could say something funny 'he had a chance Saturday night when the Indiana Society of Chicago, of which William B. Austin, formerly of Rensselaer, is a prominent meipber, held its annual banquet. \ It was held at the Congress hotel. If you don’t know anything about the Congress, we will state that it is no place for a man looking for a lunch counter. Gathered at the banquet board were many men who can remember a few years ago when they lived in the backwoods some place in Indiana, and who now own a dress suit and are trying to keepHt out of soak. They all get together each year and act as though -they thought all the rest were as successful as they pretended to be.

Nothing serious is expected to be said and if it is, some one starts a loud guffaw. One speaker even went so far as to say he was not a humorist and this fact was so evident that his acknowledgement started a big uproar and about half the banqueters spilled a mouthful of soup. George Ade had prepared a special book for the occasion entitled, “I Knew Him When .” A dash like that always looks suspicious and George gave it a worse meaning than ever before, SHe told about some of the early stunts of prominent guests and even went so far as to have reproduced photographs of the long ago, showing the unsophisticated youths who have grown into such prominence that they have the annual privilege of paying $5 per plate at the society’s banquet. Whatever Ade does is funny and his book kept up the merriment that would haye lagged occasionally without the Brook Joker. Kin Hubbard, who tries to have Abe Martin say two funny things every day, and makes a success part of the time, was present and told about Abe Martin’s neighbors, and the charitable feasters were good enough to laugh at him also. Kin told some inside jokes about Hez Pach, Constable Plum, Miss Tawney Apple and thereat, that .they never dreamed had leaked out.

One fellow said there were a lot of people who went to Chicago, made good, and then went back to the old home to find that about every one tljere had done better than themselves.

The Hoosier is a great being to start on, and usually gets to the place that he wants to go to, even if it isn’t any better than Chicago. And when ypu sit him down to a $5 banquet board he generally laughs $4.50 worth and breaks even on the’ deal. If- nothing serious happens, this same bunch of Hoosiers will get together again next year and laugh at the funny and near-funny things that happen. It’s a great care-dispeller and we would all enjoy it if we were big enough to have a dress sifit and a $5 bill at the same time.