VACHEL LINDSAY's ATIIENS of AMERICA by Charles E Webb
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3 forgOlten. Only a few remain, relics of tions to modem problems? Or should VACHEL LINDSAY'S ATIIENS OF AMERICA long-standing American malady, first by ille in the 1830s? Tocquevil1e eoncluded virtually indifferent to the past. Does Charles E Webb !ational obsession with progre.,'i.~? As the poet Vaehel Lindsay It appears rather obvious that the city approaehed Emporia, Kansas, on his 1912 founders' initial purpose was to develop a walking tour of rural America he paused commercial ccnter in the fertile untapped to write in his journal, "Emporia, the region near the confluence of the Neosho Athens of America, is just ahead ..."! and COllonwood Rivers in east-central Reflection upon Lindsay's journal notation, Kansas. Sclection of the name Emporia - and the era when iL was written, may the plural form of the Latin emporium (a cause one to speculClte about the factors trading place) -- offers the first clue as to which had transpired between the timc the their intent. Further evidence of their city was founded in 1857, and the date of motive may be recognized in the names Lindsay'S first visit in 1912, to merit this assigned to the town's primary streets. The spontaneous accolade.(Fig. 1) main thoroughfare was designated Commercial Street, while others bore such names as Market, Merchant and Exchange streets. Emporia's pioneers, unlike some of Lhe zealous but short- sighted town builders of the era, seem to have been practical people with a vision of long range urban growth.2 They were apparently aware of a prineiple of urban geography rclaLing to the need for cities to become "multi-functional" places in order to grow and achieve permanence. While they developed the land and water resources of the area, a parallel effort was made to promote transportation, communication FIg. I ,,<,,,, Vacbel Lindsay. Mr. Lind.ar referred lD Emporia as the •Alhens of America: (CouneJY and education. Also detectable during this \Villiarn Allen \\'bile LlbraC)', Normaliana Colleclion.) early period was an awareness of the This paper is an allempt to identify importance of the arts and entertainment some of the factors that may have led to in maintaining a viable well rounded the noteworthy Lurn-of-the-ccntury community. reputation enjoyed by Emporia. Transportation arteries to facilitate Commerce, transportation, communication the flow of commerce and stimulate and education will each be briefly further economic development were examined from a geographer's perspective. deemed essential by the town's founders. The major portion of the paper will, On July 21, ]857, just five months after however, focus on selected events at The the lown began, the local "Railroad Kansas State Normal School that typify iLS Committee" met with Kansas railroad contribution to the community's reputation pioneer Cyrus K Holiday to discuss during the early decades of the 20th strategies for bringing rail service ti, century. Emporia.3 Altbough trade and travel wcre 4 primarily Jjmited to wagon lraffic and a accompanied the railways into to'oVIl. hack line for the nen twelve years, railway During the lme 19th century, the flrst city service became available in 1869. On telephone company had beeome Deeember 22, 1869, the Missouri, Kansas, operational. Although Emporia had no and Texas Railroad arrived, and by the commercial radio station at the lime of 14th of September of the following year Lindsay's arrival. it was less than ten years lhe firsl Atehioon, Topeka and Santa Fe later that a licensed radio broadcast was track reached the ei!y.4 Before the end of originated from the Normal SchooL On the 19th eentury, virtually all of America the 13lh of April 1922, a live performance had beeome accessible by rail. by renowned opem Slar Claire Dux was Al the lime of Vachel Lindsay's first transmitted [rom AJbert Taylor Hall on visit, had he chosen 10 do so, he cQuld the campus of Kansas State Normal have traveled by (rain. Even allCJ\ll'ing for Sehool.s a laek of funds for a ticket, he might have Education rankell high among the fol!(NlIed the example of fellow poet Carl priorities of the early settlers. The first Sandburg who, in 1897, made the firs! of edition of the town's newspaper in June of his many trips 10 the City as a "habel" 1857 carried an advertisement seeking a aboard a freight lrain:\ sehool teacher.9 Mary J. Watson opened Two other transportation related Emporia's first sehool on October 14. items may be worthy of note. At the lime 1858.10 Ten ycars !ater, there were 29 of Mr. Linds.1y's visit, local businessman public schools in session in the eountYY "Mit" Wilhite was in the proces.~ of for brief periods during the late 19th sueeessfully eonvineing representatives of century, such specialized learning facilities the national government thal the proposed as a .~maJl business college and a new federal highway linking the eoasL~ conservatory of music werc also operated (U.S. 50) should pass through Emporia.6 in Ihe City. Also in the year 1912, the city was Afler narrowly failing in its bid 10 celebrating the flrst anniversary of its acquire the University of Kansas, Emporia electric streetcar system. was selected by [he state legislature in The communication tradition of 1863 as the site for The Kansas State Emporia is almost as old as the city itself. Normal School. On Fcbruary 15, 1865, The Emporia Town Company was K.S.N. began classes wilh an initial founded on February 20, 1857, and 75 enrollment of only 18 studenls. 12 The days later the flrst edition of the local College of EmIX>ria, a denominational neWlipaper was printed. Preston Plumb's liberal arts college affiliatcd Vrith the Knnws News, Vo1. 1, No.1, June 6, 1857, Pre~byterian Church, enrolled its first began an er3 of uninterrupted neVr':s that students in November of ISS3, hecoming has continued to the present. Throughout EmIX>ria's second institulion of higher much of the late 19th and early 20th learning.u centuric.s, the city had twO competing Thc twO eoUeges were loc.ateu on the dailies, the Emporia Daily Republican and same street, less than a mile apart. Both 7 the Emporia Gazelle. The lallcc institutions atta~ned national recognition newspaper, William Allen White's Emporia for the quality of their academic programs Gazette, had already achieved naUonal and each provided many educational and recognition by the time of Lindsay's visit. c'Jltural opportunities for the community. Eleetronie eommunication had its Although the "teachers" and "preachel1i," beginning locally when telegraph wires as they were often referred to by the local ·. • , 5 press, were fierce rivals on the athletic geographic regions of the United States, as mpanied the railways into town. fields they frequenLly cooperated 10 bring well as several foreign nations. the late 19th cenllJr)', the flcst city in, to Emporia cultural events seldom UniverSity presideo'~ came from )booe company had become available in ather small cities in the places as divergcnt as the Universities of ational. Although Emporia had no nation's hcartland. Exemplifying these joint Washington, Iowa and Mainc. David Star merciaI radio 5Lation at tbe Lime of efforts during the early 1900s was the Jordan, Presidenl of Stanford University, 1say'5 arrival, il v.'3S less than ten years co-sponsarroip of performances by thc who leCl.ured and oonducted seminars , that a licensed radio broadcast W<JS New Yark Symphony OrchestraY during lbe summer of 1922, exemplified nated from the Normal School. On Educational institutions emcrgcd as this scholarly group. IS 13th of April 1922, 8 live performance major assets for Emporia and undD\lbtcdly Public school officials camc from cnowoed opera star Claire Dull' was had a stabilizing effect on the community. backgrounds as vartcd as the city of lmilled fmm Albert Taylor Hall on The education function, with its associated Chicago, the state of California, and the campus of Kansas SLate Normal naLion of Australia. The addrcSoS of J.H. t activilies, may well have had the greatest lOl. influence on Mr. Lindsay'S perception of Hughes , Inspector of Schools For Education ranked high among Lhe Emporia as the "Athens of America." Canada, on July 17, 1906, was indicmlve ~ulers. rilie5 of the early The first The Kansas State Normal School of the international input. 16 on of the [O'NIl', ne~paper in June of evolved inlo Emporia's mQ.\t enduring Bryon W. King and Anna E. George r carried an advertisement seeking a 9 eemer for higher education. In 19"'..3, the were two examples of education innovators 01 teacher. Mary J. WalsOn opened Normal School became Kansas State of the period. Mr. King, an elocutionist, xxia's first school on October 14, Teachers Collcge and in 1977, its name was a nationally recognized authority on t'O Ten years later, there were 29 was changed to Emporia State University. training for the speeCh handicapped. Anoa ic x:hools in session in the cQuntyY Although the school had grown and E. Georgc, whose lecture serics began brief periexls during the late 19th expandcd its mission, the contribution it June 20, 1914, was America's first ury, Iluch specialized learning facilities made \Q the educational and cultural life Montesorri stuoent and the translator of a small business college and a of Emporia during its sixty ycars as K.S.N. Madame Montesorri's teaching system into ervatory of music were also operated should not be overlooked. English. J7 Ie city. The fol1C1Wing account of cvcnts on Hundreds of notable scholars were After narrowly failing in its bid to the K.S.N.