Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 106, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 May 1914 — REMINISCENCES OF RENSSELAER [ARTICLE]

REMINISCENCES OF RENSSELAER

By Beatrice Tilton, R. H. S.

Rensselaer? Let me see, now. Seems to me I’ve heard that name somewhere. Rensselaer! Oh, I know, now. If I rememlber rightly, it’s up in northern Indiana some place. It was on some railroad, the Move-on, or something to that effect. It was on a river, too, named Flat-head. No, that wasn’t, it, either, but it was named after some Indian tribe. But it’s funny, now, I’ve never yet found that river on the map. What was Rensselaer? Say, you’re not much of a traveler, are you? It was a town, or a city, rather. At least it hadn’t got any farther than city when I left. It was an awfully little place to ibe progressing and growing, you know. My mind seems to be kinda’ hazy, but if I remember rightly, Rensselaer wasn’t much of a railroad center. Just had one road I was tellin’ you about and it was kinda’ on one side of town. They got a new depot with flowers in the yards, too, but the newness had worn off when I left and I believe they were talking some about an interurban then. Now, I just wonder if they ever got it? They had fine schools there, too. I was educated there. And I tell you, they had some teachers. Only the best ever came to Rensselaer. They were ailH young, you know, and they always bad some new ideas in their heads to spring on the rest of us. They held a council of war'every morning. Jim Warner never got any of their ideas, tho; he seemed to sorta’ be one of ’em, anyway he always bossed around in chemistry when Mr. Sharp was down stairs, and Ransom Sawin—bless his little heart! He wasn’t afraid of anything—lhe used to say, “We don’t 'have to get to work. Mr. Sharp ain’t told us to, yet.”. Say, do you know, I’d just love to go down old Van Rensselaer street and see Knapp’s livery bam —Lawrence Knapp, who was a freshman, Lawrence and Madeline, you know—and the Paris Hat Shop —that was new there then and prices were still high, and the little boys sneaking boxes from behind Duvall’s clothing store. Say, do you know, you could just find most anything back of Rensselaer stores. Why, I knew a boy once who found a box back of the fire sale with 37 blackheaded hatpins in Lt and they weren’t rusty ones, either. , Parks? Why, let me see. Yes, I believe they had two parks. One was three-cornered—Flat-iron park they called it—but nobody used it but boys to play baseball in. That’s where “Lefty” Clark—you’ve heard of him, haven’t you? Course you have—well, in that park was where “Lefty” got his first baseball training. They say that great as he Is, “Lefty” never forgets little old Rensselaer. Sends his picture back home every so often to be put in “The Evening Republican,” a nightly ledger (except Sundays and July 4th) of local markets, classified column and want ads.

Well, the other park was Milroy park; it was just real parky. Had flower beds and a monument with soldiers’ names on it They used to send visiting baloons up from there before it was a park. Nobody ever Sat in it tho. I mean-the park. Rensselaer people were all crazy after picture Shows. Yes, they had two—right across the street from each other. Every night Rex Warner and “Dode” George used to “belief ’ across the street at each other. Mr. George had the best lungs, tho. Rensselaer folks got info the movies once. Oh, didn’t I ever tell you about it? Well, they wanted the biggest, prettiest places, you see, so that’s why—Mt. Ayr? No, not them days, altho Gay Makeever and Lucy Harris always spoke of goi..g “to town” when they left R. H. S. Friday nights. Well, our town was most beautiful so they took pictures of it. Yes, Emily Thompson was in ’em. Talkin’ about towns being pretty and all that reminds me of something some of ’em started once. I forgot what they called it, but it was to beautify the city; you know, make the front yards and streets look prettier, plant pansies where there wasn’t any grass where the swing used to behind not to throw

your condensed milk cans in the alley and all that sort of .thing and to improve. There! I believe the title of what they were had improve in it someplace. I can’t seem to remember exactly. They gave a prize once for the best looking lawn and then a man won it who would have kept his yard nice whether there was a prize for it or not. That’s always the way with folks, the ones who ougiht to be affected are just the ones who won’t be. This society I was telling you about had a lot of pieturesup in the assembly room of the high school building. Once a lady sang “Spring is Coming,” and it was a snowing outside. Spring finally did get there, tho, hut I ’apect it 'had the same' kinda’ luck Santy Claus always tells you about at the Xmas tree “My airioplane broke down and I had to walk.”

Well, nobody cared for those pictures, but lots of people went for the refreshments. Oh, no, that wasn’t the time when Mr. Coe served refreshments, was it? The society didn’t flourish, tho. (Maybe it was because they didn’t serve refreshments.) The only business meeting they ever had was once when they accidentally met each other in front of Rowles & Parker’s. Weill, let’s see now. While I’m telling you about the toWn I'might well tell you about the match factory. Did Rensselaer use homemade matches, did you say? Well, now, you’d think so, wouldn’t you. But somehow or other they didn’t. I guess there wasn’t enough action in the town to cause friction enough to cause heat enough to strike the matches if there hada’ been any. Oh, yes, they used the place for something. Knocked the window lights out to keep other folks from doing it, and then rented it to “weary Willies”, provided they’d sweep and make the beds. Did it boom? Well, I should think so! Or at least, they boomed. Why, they even had land out in that direction laid out in lots, all ready for the big inflow of K population, and some people had even begun to talk about the “foreign elements,” but it must a’ been a fizzle because •nothing like that ever happened. That was a funny place—Rensselaer was—they were always agoin’ to do Something, but things always interfered to prevent. ’Course they had a court house! That town was the biggest county seat in Jasper county. Every time the Lincoln Literary Society had it’s picture taken it stood in front of the court house. Harry Parker made faces at us so we’d laugh and have on a pleasant took. They had a band there, too. They were talking of getting a cement band stand when I left. ’Spect they’ve surely got it by this time. They were great people for getting things—especially ideas.

They had a college, too. But they had to put it outside of town ’cause it was boys. Funny, but the girls in town liked that better. Mr. Sharp finally had to refuse ’em liberty permits on Wednesday. Maud Elder allways declared she could see eyes in the back of his head. I heard duster lights on Main street, too. How can you tell Main street when you see it? Well, when you see Jerry Karan er and a Traub & Selig bench every so often you know you’re on Miin street. Yes, and the Village Improvement Society, wasn't the only recreation for men either. They had three masculine —well, from the talkin’ they did they must a’ been sewclubs. One Was in front of Duvall’s clothing tftore, one in front of Nowels and the third in front of the First National Bank. Talk about women, huh!

I expect if you would visit The Opera House in Rensselaer you would find that it still had little angels painted on the walls. People always said their prayers when they went to the senior Class play, in case the building would cave in on ’em while they were there. Weill, even considerin’ everything, Rensselaer was a fine little place. I believe it was the best in the woifld. Td just fov to go back there once more and hear that old court house clock strike out 12 strokes when it was 12:15 by the face of it, and meet again people who are “jist Rensselaer folks.” »