The Vidette-Messenger Centennial EditionThe 1936 special edition celebrating Porter County's centennial year . . . .
The following article has been transcribed from the August 18, 1936, issue of The Vidette-Messenger, published in Valparaiso, Indiana. This particular special edition focuses on Porter County's centennial celebration and contains a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time.
Return to the index of articles from The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial special edition.
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso,
Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Section 4, Page 21.
"Now Is the Time To Blow Your Horns for 'Old Valpo'"; It's a City All Who
Call Home May Well Honor
By JOHN M. MAVITY
Former Publisher of The Daily Vidette and First President of The
Vidette-Messenger Company.
Pursuant to a request from the editor of THE VIDETTE-MESSENGER, I submit the
following rambling remarks covering one-half of the one hundred year of the life
of our beloved city.
In the space of the twenty-six years I was a part of the civic life of
Valparaiso, there was one failing of which I was to my knowledge never charged
-- namely, exploiting the comings and goings of the Mavity family. Therefore, I
am sure the personal narrations of this paper will be forgotten or overlooked by
my friends in Porter County.
Near by the time of the Century Celebration of the city's life, the Mavity's
reached the half century mark in their marital relations.
In the collections of greetings on this occasion was one portraying a horse and
buggy, representative of the mode of travel in the olden days. Our friend,
however to make the representation complete should have written under this
picture: "Apologies to Franklin and Jimmy."
The writer first came to Valparaiso early March 1880. I arrived on the Grand
Trunk train about 10:00 o'clock at night. It was pouring rain and upon inquiry
at the station I was told to follow the street to the left to its end and I
could see the College buildings. I started on the way carrying one of the
valises of that day. The receptacle being about as large as a small trunk. There
were but few sidewalks and these few were board walks. Some of them were two
planks nailed on cross ties with a choice specimen of mud and slush in the space
between the boards.
I managed to get down to water Street (now Brown Avenue) and there the water was
running some two or three feet deep. I back tracked to more solid ground and
after about half an hour arrived at the College Building. A man carrying a
lantern came along and I asked him about a place to stay for the night. He
replied that he was returning from a check-up of the rooming houses and had
found not vacancies. However he was in a short time going over to two places he
had failed to visit. He told me to follow him into the office where I could wait
until he came back. I followed him into the office and found H. B. Brown
President at one desk and Miss Neva Axe, secretary, at another. Both desks still
being loaded with the routine business of the day and now eleven o'clock at
night.
I gave my name was told to wait till the man with the lantern returned, and that
he would guide me to a room for the night. To return at 7:00 o'clock in the
morning and I would be assigned to my permanent room for the term.
The man with the lantern returned to report that there was not a vacant room on
the Hill and that I would have to go downtown to find a place. He also stated
that he would take Miss Axe out to her conveyance to go for the night and then
he would light me to Main street and I could find my way downtown. After the
lantern man and Miss Axe left the room, Mr. Brown looked up from his tasks and I
concluded that he discerned from my appearance that I was not hankering for
another trudge carrying the valise and battling with the rain and mud. So he
told me I could occupy the sofa in the office for the night -- so the lantern
man was notified I would stay. Mr. Brown turned out the lights except the one
over his desk and told me to arrange the pillows on the sofa to suit myself and
hoped I would sleep well. He then went back to his desk and to work at hand.
Despite the fatigue from an all-day's travel on the train and the tramp from the
Grand Trunk I could not sleep, being attracted by what seemed the never-ceasing
energy of the man at the desk. About one o'clock he retired to his private room.
At 4:00 o'clock the next morning, I was awakened by a flash of light and I saw
Mr. Brown at his desk again. At 5:00 o'clock he left to go to a class.
Before the second term of school was over, I was called home by the serious
illness of my mother. During the vacation I was offered a position of janitor at
Franklin College, with the chance to work my way through school. I accepted the
offer and did not return to Valparaiso.
In September, 1903, I purchased the Daily Vidette and in October the same year,
my family joined me and we have made out home here ever since. In getting back
to Valparaiso, I found a good many people I had known in school days. These
friends were mostly the same as twenty years before save the appearance of
silver threads in the hair and the ease with which some of the girls had cut off
the years from their ages. That is, they were from two to four years older than
I in the school days but now from two to four years younger.
In recalling the incidents of Valparaiso life during the past fifty years, it is
the natural thing for me to remember best those incidents connected with the
life which I was a part. Of the ninety-four years of the Vidette's existence, I
was the owner twenty-six years, a period longer than any other ownerships. When
I took charge of the paper, the circulation was less than 200 with a payroll of
$35.00 per week, while at the time of my retirement in 1929, the payroll was in
excess of $500 per week and the subscription list approached the 4,000 mark.
These twenty-six years cover a little more than one-fourth of the century we are
celebrating. I was privileged to record during this time the comings and goings
of our people, their hopes and aspirations. These records as a whole are of a
nature reflecting credit upon the community and in which we may all feel proud.
Valparaiso had had no superior and few equal in the sterling qualities that
provide the ideal environment of the typical American city of the first class. I
could use columns of space to record the many phases of a cross-section of the
Porter County people. However, the limitations of this paper gives room for but
one.
We have in this county a specimen of that rarest product of the "Genus-Homo", a
perfect man. A subscriber came into the office one morning in a belligerent mood
and told the girl at the desk he wanted to see the boss. When I appeared he
began a tirade of abuse and said, "He wanted his paper stopped and his money
back." After he had become less violent in his language, it was found that his
ire had been aroused by the receipt of a statement for back subscription for his
paper which had been paid for only a few days before, for a whole year. We got
the subscription list and found that the girl sending out the list of those in
arrears had sent a statement in this man's name that should have been sent to
another man of the same name, which account appeared in the next column on the
list. I showed the complain a person in the course of years establishes a sort
of standing reputation among the citizens within its environs. The status must
be endured whether it is good or bad.
I located in Valparaiso because I was of the opinion at the time that it was a
city having no superior as a place to rear a family, and but few equals. This
opinion has been verified by thirty-three years of residence.
As is common knowledge since my retirement from business, with Mrs. Mavity, I
have traveled over a considerable section of our country and found that
Valparaiso is known in practically every city and hamlet, and is recognized by
all as a city of the highest type.
I met a young man recently who asked what likely occurred but he would not be
mollified so I gave him back his money. Then I asked him if he ever made a
mistake. He emphatically replied that he never had and that mistakes were
altogether unnecessary. I then and there decided that I had discovered a rare
specimen of humanity. I then asked the disgruntled man if he was married. He
answered, "Yes". When he turned to leave I told him I would be under lasting
obligation to him if he would bring his wife into the office some day as I would
like to see how a woman looked who had a husband who had never made a mistake.
The sequel: The man came back to the office within a few days and started the
paper again, explaining that his wife could not get along without it.
In conclusion, as the preachers say, I might ask the question: Has Valparaiso as
a community, so conducted itself that it is worthy to be continued as a civic
center? I answer emphatically, without a single mental reservation. The answer
is "Yes". The community as was born in Valparaiso and who was disgusted with his
birthplace, using quite strong language in expressing his ideas about the city,
I asked him why he continued to live here. He replied that he was going to leave
as soon as he could arrange to do so. I told him that walking was good, but if
he did not want to walk I would buy him a ticket to any city within a radius of
one hundred miles that he name providing he left and never came back again. For
Valparaiso has no place for a citizen of his kind. He has not accepted the
offer, although no date of limitation was set for its acceptance.
Now is the time while the Centennial spirit is abroad to get out your horns and
exhaust yourself blowing an overwhelming blast that what few hammers may be here
will fall from listless hands and a restless tide of human energy will start us
on a second century of greater importance than the one now drawing to a close.
I came very near forgetting about the phrase recited above "In conclusion" --
but I guess I got by about as soon as the average minister after all.
One the whole, Valparaiso has no apologies to make for its First Century and I
have no doubt but the Second Century will be a worthy successor to the first.
A hip-hip and a hurrah! for old Valpo!
[Note: Some
paragraphs in this column appear to be out of order.]
Article transcribed by Steven R. Shook