Indiana Authors Books

You have read of Aladdin and his wonderful lamp and of the genii who turned everything into glittering gold, and commonplace surroundings into palaces of delight.

The story I have to tell you is more wonderful than any tale of fairy or genie. It tells how an almost limitless wilderness was turned into a great and prosperous State--not in a moment's time, by the waving of a wand--but by the patient toil of thousands of brave and sturdy men and women, in a period of less than one hundred years. They were the genii who swept away the forests, made the farms, built the cities and established civilization.

The merit of this story lies in the truth of its magic, and in this it is superior to any fairy tale. There are those yet living who have witnessed much of this wonderful transformation, and it seems a fitting time, at the close of this Nineteenth Century, that the young people of Indiana should be told that all the growth, all the progress and improvement in Indiana has been made since 1800. Indeed, Indiana is one of the miracles of the closing century.

In giving this little book to you it is my sincere desire that you may derive half the pleasure in reading that I did in writing it. This is scarcely to be expected, however, for the entire year which I devoted to its preparation was a constant delight--the very happiest of my life, so in point of time, at least, I have the advantage of my readers.

If, like the heroes and heroines of the old fairy tales, I should be granted three wishes concerning this book--shall I tell you what they would be?

1st. I would create in the minds and hearts of the boys and girls of Indiana a genuine love and pride for our State; a desire to know more about her and a determination to be worthy to be called her citizens.

2d. I would teach them that in the Union of States there is none better than our own; that nowhere does the sun shine brighter, do the birds sing sweeter, nor are the flowers more fragrant page: 6[View Page 6]Switch to Image ModeCLOSE Page 6 than in Indiana; that her cities are as beautiful, her fields as fertile, her institutions as great, her people as talented as any to be found on the continent.

3d. I would teach them to love and respect the memory of the men and women, who, by toil and through hardships made Indiana what she is to-day. They were not all cultured men and women, perhaps, and some of them were uneducated, but they were brave and true, and we are indebted to them for all the advantages we enjoy.

There has long been a tendency to depreciate our own State. We have not been a boastful commonwealth; we have not exalted our own. But the time has come when the word "Hoosier" is no longer a term of ridicule, but one in which we may take pride. The time will come when like Rome of old, we may say, "Why, to be a 'Hoosier' is greater than a king."

I cannot close without acknowledging my obligation to those friends who gave me timely aid in the preparation of this book. Some of them must be nameless, but I am none the less grateful to them. Among the books that have been helpful to me I would mention J. B. Dillon's "History of Indiana"; W. H. English's "Conquest of the Northwestern Territory"; W. W. Woollen's "Biographical Sketches of Early Indiana"; J. P. Dunn's "Indiana a Redemption from Slavery"; W. H. Smith's "History of Indiana," and W. W. Thornton's "Government of the State of Indiana."

I am under a deep sense of gratitude to the Hon. William Wesley Woollen, President of Indiana Historical Society, for his great kindness and helpful advice in my work. I send this little book to meet its fate with greater courage and confidence because he has said "It is well."