LATER TEEN AGE AND EARLY TWENTIES - Part 3 - Finding the Right One

As we move on with the "As I Was" story by Alfred Moehlmann, it appears that he has outgrown the pranks of the previous section. He continues:

"It was around this time that I made a trip to Indianapolis to see my father for a few days. Ind’pls was one of the biggest interurban centers in the world.  This was the time that the hobble skirt came into vogue with the fair sex.  Dad and I were at Shelby and Prospect street and many of the interurban cars stopped here.  There was a young lady that wanted to get on the car that went to Franklin.  With the tight fitting hobble skirt, try as she did, she couldn’t reach the high first step & finally the conductor had to lift her to the first step.  A lot of laughs & guffaws by the onlookers.  It was a rarity to see a womans “calf” in public."

At this point in the story I had to stop reading and look up "hobble skirt". For a fashion trend to have made such an imprint to be included in Alfred's memoir seemed out of character. But after seeing it, I understand. The fashion was created by a French couturier named Paul Poirter. The skirt of the dress was so narrow that it resulted in a "geisha" like walk, requiring the wearer to take tiny steps. Some employers prohibited the fashion in the work place and it even resulted in the invention of a special car for trams that was only eight inches off the ground to accommodate the fashion. The interesting thing is that at a time when women's suffrage was in the forefront, their fashion was going in the opposite direction.

 "It was around about this time that Ed Kramer and I was asked by Grace Bovenschen to play Santa Claus for her at her first school she taught – No. 6.  We went to her house several nights to get fitted up with the costumes.  The whole family got in on the project.  Will, Mrs. Bovenschen and the girls – I think Will was the most enthused of all.  Ed was heavy set and was ideal for Old Santa and I was Santa’s wife.  To make the Red Coat and other accessories, the cap, the britches and even the mask was quite a chore for the girls and their mother but they made a fine outfit.  It wasn’t hard to fit me up with a dress & mask.  One thing I can well remember was the big shawl of Mrs. Bovenschen.  No. 6 was about 2 miles and Will had old Fred (a contrary old horse) hitched to the buggy – we put on our costumes, loaded the “treat” in the buggy and started off.  Old Fred didn’t like our costumes to well and did quite a bit of snorting but the trip went on with out incident.  I guess we carried out our assignment in good fashion.  On one even knew who we were. The next year we played the same role for Grace at Plum Branch No. 7 school.  We also had the same roll at our church.  I can’t remember who the minister was at that time, but he didn’t approve of it and after the treats were distributed and we were in the basement changing our clothes he bent his fury on the congregation with a tongue lashing.

 Sometime after Esta Parker broke up, I started going with Edith Kauble.  I was introduced to her by Dola Stiner, who Ed Kramer was going with and later married.  There was something going on at the Park (now Humphreys Park) one Sunday afternoon and while at the old pump getting a drink of water, Ed, Dola & Edith came over and it was only a short while untill we got “chummy.”  Her parents were standing on the outside circle ready to go home for they wanted to go to Olive Branch Church that night.  Some how I asked her for a date and she had to consult Mama.  It was OK if we went to church.  It was a case again of going with a girl too long.  She had all her dreams made up that we would get married.  Along about his time Helen (who I will call Mom from now on) was going with Sheldon Goodman.   For some reason at that time I felt like she was the Gal for me.  Yet there was the social barrier.  It seemed to me though that if Sheldon was good enough surely I would have some small chance.  My folks at home didn’t like Edith and they made life unpleasant for me.  That wasn’t the real reason for us breaking up.  First I wasn’t ready to settle down – I didn’t have a steady job – I had very little money – but most of all I didn’t think we were meant for each other.  I saw my parents home broken up; I wanted to make sure it would not happen to mine.

 Shortly after Edith and I broke up, Sheldon and Mom broke up.  It was quite a surprise to me for they had been going together for a long time and from all outside appearances they seemed to be heading for the alter.  Sheldon was one of my best friends and I sort of hated to make my bid but I was sure if I hesitated too long some other young swain would step in.  I don’t know how I made my first date, if by letter, phone or just called but I do remember we went to a chatauqua that was in progress at Linton on the N.E. corner of B & North Main st. (Dr. Tomaks office site now).  I knew this was the girl for me so I started planning for the future.  I couldn’t see any future in Linton unless being a coal miner and didn’t want that.  

Once again I had to stop and find out what a Chautauqua was all about.. Wikipedia to the rescue. and then I found the two articles from 1921, several years after the chautauqua Alfred mentioned, showing how the trend continued in Linton.

Chautauqua (/ʃəˈtɔːkwə/ shə-taw-kwə) describes an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Named after Chautaugua Lake where the first was held, Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. A Chautauqua Assembly brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day Former US President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is "the most American thing in America"

 

Again, Alfred's ex-girlfriend got married shortly after their break up, Edith marrying Eskel Beasley in August of 1917.  But finally Alfred has found his girl. In thinking about his future, he knows he doesn't want the life of a coal miner, so what is he going to do?