Dorchester Times: Distinguishing Between the Ins and Outs

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Distinguishing Between the Ins and Outs

Every town has them: leaders; movers and shakers; people who make things happen.

And every community has those on the other end of the spectrum -- folks who would rather bask in negativity; the nay-sayers; the "sticks in the mud," as one Times reader called them.

We realize Dorchester has both types in town. However, we are an optimistic lot and believe anyone can change their outlook, even if it takes a good nudge from friends and family members.

With this in mind, we wish to share a 2006 article published in the North Platte Telegraph. Written by former Telegraph reporter Mary Ann Koch, the piece concludes that residents in any community belong to one of two groups -- the "Ins" and the "Outs".

Read this short piece and ask yourself: Which group do I belong to?

'Separating the Ins from the Outs'

There is an easy way to tell the “Ins” from the “Outs” in a community -- any community.

The Ins are the people who spend long, hard hours working for community improvement. The Outs are the people who spend their time and energy being critical.

The Ins invest hours in meetings, organizing programs and weighing alternatives. They are usually generous in their opinions of others, knowing that anything to be done must be done with the help of others. The Outs invest in gossip, repeating rumors without regard for truth, and spreading resentment and frustration.

The Ins see a need in the community and try to do something constructive to meet that need. The Outs complain about everything the community lacks and find fault with everyone who tries to do anything about it.

The Ins get their names in the news because they are news makers. The Outs don’t get involved.

The Ins look for the best in people and believe that people do the very best they can in a given situation. The Outs are sure that everyone in the public eye is crooked and has a selfish motive for everything.

The Ins believe a person who has accumulated material wealth has worked hard and deserves that wealth. The Outs believe a wealthy person got that way in some dishonest manner or simply inherited it all.

The Ins are doers. The Outs are talkers.

The Ins are positive. The Outs are negative.

Which one are you?

6 comments:

AnonymousJuly 18, 2007 at 8:47 PM
Marvin Weber was one of Dorchester's "Ins". I regret to hear of his passing. Marvin will be missed by the Dorchester area community.
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AnonymousJuly 19, 2007 at 12:42 PM
Ed Smith was also an 'In'. His funeral was today. He had such a woodworking talent & loved to share stories with those who stopped by. He built the 2 benches in front of the school, the materials were donated in memory of Earl Moser, but Ed donated his time in building them. Ed will also be missed by Dorchester.
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AnonymousJuly 19, 2007 at 3:18 PM
I think all those who entered or rode the floats and other entries in the 4th of July parade are INS ........ also those coaching the baseball and softball teams are INS in my book.
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AnonymousJuly 19, 2007 at 5:14 PM
This is a great article. I'm printing it off and putting it on the refrigerator.
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AnonymousJuly 19, 2007 at 5:42 PM
Both Marvin Weber and Ed Smith were assets to our community. Although they will be missed, they will both be remembered for all that they contributed to our town and to many of us as individuals. My sincere condolences to their families.
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AnonymousAugust 9, 2007 at 10:53 PM
This should be the mission of this online newspaper.......separating the ins from the outs......the good apples from the bad....
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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."