The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-03-11
The Pennsyfvania Germans as COnsid
cred by an Outsider.

cred by an Outsider.
The New York Times of WedBes
day, in an editorial reviewing Mrs
Gibbons book, SAYS: A second and
enlarged edition Of a volume entitled
Pennsylvania Dutch, has recently
been published. The work is princi
pailv composed of a number of essays
on different topics relating TO the
class Of persons indicated by this title,
and contains much valuable informa.
ton. though it does not attempt to
present a full and systematic view of
the entire subject, and indeed, that
would have been scarcely practicable
except in a book Of a good deal larger
size. The word Dutch" in the
title, is, as the author explains, en-
ployed OF account of its being popu-
larly used even by the people them
selves. The word, properly, should
he German"
Until within a few years past, the
Pennsylvania Germans were a singu.
larly isolated class of our American
population. We have spoken of the
word German" being a more appro-
pirate designation than Dutch" but
in reality they are neither Dutch or
Germans, but Americans. In fact,
it would be difficult to name any COM
munities of whom a larger proportion
have been born in this country. The
ancestors of many of them came to
our shores more than hundred, and
some of them over q hundred and
fifty years ago. There are, indeed, q
good many Germans, in the strict
sense of the word, in Pennsylvania,
and, to some extent, they mingle with
the population of which we are speak
Ing, but not very much more, we
think, than they do with other por-
tons of the people Indeed, the spo-
ken language of the Pennsylvania
Dutch" is not by any means pure
German; and it is rather an over
strained compliment TO call it even a
cialect of German. They can usual
IN understand genuine German pret-
ty well when they hear it, but their
own language is a barbarous dialect,
exceedingly limited in its vocabula-
~, and having almost no literature
whatever. 1t is now disappearing
very rapidly, and in less than half a
century there will, in all probability,
DE scarcely a trace of it.
The Pennsylvania German element
ia the population of our country has,
ia some respects, been very much un-
lerrated. This ARISES principally
rom circumstances connected with
iheir language. The most intelligent
part Of them have for generations
aeen learning English and becoming
Identified with the English-speaking
population. The greater part of the
Pennsylvania Dutch" stock has
probably thus been merged in the
general mass of the American people.
Fifty years hence this viii, no doubt
he the case with all of it, so far as
language is concerned and with all
of it in nearly every other respect.
We have no means of giving def
mite estimate of the number of persons
IN the country of the ancestry Of
which we are speaking, but it is
much larger than most people, even
in Pennsylvania imagine. One rea-
son for this is the manner in which
many of the family names have been
Anglicized Very many individuals
had, before learning English rather
indefinite ideas as TO bow their names
were spelt, and some of those that
did know desired to avoid the mis-
takes which English-speaking people
often make in attempting 10 pro-
nounce the German spelling.
The distinctive peculiarities Of the
Pennsylvania Germans have. as
would naturally be supposed. been
less obliteraied or modified bv mod
ern changes among the agricultural
class than any other. The old-fash-
ioned Pennsylvania Dutch" farmers
have generally been considered an
exceedingly ignorant set of people.
and 50 a large part oftbem were, in
regaid 10 many subjects. At the
same time there were some of the
most ignorant among them, 20 far as
books were concerned, who could,
thirty or forty years ago, have taught
the people Of New England many
things Of value in reference 10 agricul-
ture which they hardly know vet or
at any rate, which they have only
learned very recently. In no part of
the United States has farming been
carried TO greater perfection than
among some Of the most exclusively
Dutch" neigbborhoods ia Berks and
Lancaster counties. In none. proba.
bly,, strange as it may seem, has apri.
culture been conducted on more
thoroughly scientific principles. How,
with the little knowledge of books
Laat SO many of them possed. they
made out TO accomplish this, is a ques-
ilon which we are unable to an
swer.
Inc Pennsylvania Germans are
ol1en spoken of as being very fond of
money, but We see no evidence that
t9ey are on the whole any more so
nan other people. They are seldom
'ivcn to specializing and are apt to
refer hard work to prospective rise
4 values, as a means of ;ncroos;-