New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-19
THE AMERICAN dNGLOHANId.
From The Springfield Republican.

Is there no remedy for III II among tho people
of England should sud denly spread n servie imita-
ton OF American speech, dress aud custOBis-taklng
good ard bad alike and the bad prIncpally-cuti-
vaed Englishmen would be apt 10 speak Of it ~
beastly rot" But although Americans speak
English, il il not that sort of English 30 the pros
cnt fashionable anglomania which has all but
turned the brains OF would he ladies' OF society and
their followers, may lie truthfuhy and III pure
English SPOKEN OF rs vulgar, silly ard uupatIi0tlc
craze.
Let us cxtoI and buy American carriages that are
light. easy and graceful, aud a0apted To our roads,
our horses aud our climate, rather than to import
English carriages that are heavy and ugly: Why
do people make themselves uncomfortable and
ludcrOus by chIrnir z abcu. in village cartSf Can
anything DO more ridiculous than big man in
village cart III tifthaNe Yet ii is seen every day,
and many times day. If it had been IN American
fashion. the people who use them now wonld suffer
any thng short of a martyrlom equal to driving in
one OF these denominations Iather than to follow the
fashion Then. after the manner Oi the English
prize fighter every lank youth, with arms like
ppe-stoms. suaggers up the street with his elbows
at right angles To his body.-eXcept when he for
gets himself for moment and drops his arms INTO
their natural position with sigh OF relief. Then
because the haw haw " Enghshman says " it's 80
ca ldish, you know Americans copy the yugarty;
when they should slmplify their speech and speak
pure English by saying ll-hrcd instead Then,
too, becadse he talks always of the p!ay"-we
must never say. have been to the theatre -
WHEN expression is quite rs good English as the
other ana tho one is custer AIRY among lis. the other
not so. Then because tho English natives arc so
stupid that they will not have check system for
~,
OF brass checks. but bTahsses they find
plenty of geese ready TO follow their lead, wheI to
the uninitated American mind brahsses" would
mean n pair of andirOns and Il fender Then hay-
ing the misfortune to live in IN atmosphere OF fog
they seldom have wholly good day, and go when
thcy come over here and see brign5 days such a.
they never dreamed Oi, they remark pltronzingly,
" It's not harf bard day and presume 10 laugh
at us for saying. 1t IS lovely day" AL, .hetc
goes that American lovely yOu Know" IL Isn't
good form.'-what is good form F'-in society to
introduce people IN England and 80 true pOtenoss
IL 10 be pushed to tho wall, and We aro to meet
with cold fr5idity and TO he thoroughly urcom-
Portable, and MAKE everyone about us equally 80
because it's English
Travellers abroad and the newspapers are having
notably bad influence III ono especial way.-and
that ls III trying to change Il nomenclature which
belongs 70 iS 10y right of birth to which ls rs
fOlegn to us ~ frcnch would he. Forty years ago.
when steam came into use IN both nations. we were
practically foreigners to one another. Ga each side
of the ocean natural gUt % terms became Moor
porated into the language, and belong where they
are, because the sauo terms convey no ideas If
transplanted IN In Gland railroads are railways
the rails are the metals the switch is 81 mt
cars coaches engineers are drivers. liremcn are
stokers. c0nductois are Cnarls baggage IS luggage
all equally COOL terms and equally good Engllsh
but our terms are az foreign To them rs theirs to
us. what would b. Thought IN England II any
English. 60rn person 81 UulG use American terms
They would be sconed at. Then let Americans he
scoiled at also when they ATTEMPT 10 change
nomenclature which IS all right rs 1T stands, and
which would be all Greek to common people II
changed. Why confuse and embaras5 everybody
for whom tho language Is natlc,-what we call the
mother tOngue.-by this silly introduction OF tor
elgn terms Why should a Pullman car be called n
coach, which il resembles more than II Wheel
barrow
Let us DO rroud to say, Yes. am an American.
and Pm proud ~ say So" when travel ing abroad.
nsteau OF being ashamed Of it. and trying 10 sneak
along under cover Ot English bearshness, ana Eng
lsh slang,-as English subjects instead OF American
sovereiRns- English people perhaps feel Obliged to
be aggrcssYcis national because their country is
such very small che, ana because America IS such
n large one, and they may be swallowed
up: and it In tho toughest thing in life to lose ones
individual grip. Let us sympathiZe with them and
indulge them and teach thDm better manners when
they come 0 America to take OIL their hats when
they pass lady in hotel corridor or NEE. her III
an elevator instead of hat on head, and hands in
British brooches pockets to give her long stare as
is their usual custom. Let tea h them the first
principles about America, that we do not ali wear
blankets and wampum. That is no cXaggeratiOn
4 while ago an American girl at school Ia England
was asked by companion of her own agc-hfteen
years: = All. what kind of dresses do Won wear IN
America y The American girl rcpl ed. looking
down at her own lashlOndbly made dress, Why
this was made IN AnieTica-whaO dld you suppose
we wore p The English girl could only stare IN
amaZement. What American child is 80 ignorant Of
England Let teach them that beastly and
"narsty" beastly and nasty words, ana let us
feel proud of the CleN Gland girl who to Oscar
Wilde. when he said: " Oh, don't you think nice
is a narsiy word y replied: " DO you think nasty
ia a nice word ~ That girl patriotic. and 1t
would he very pleasant change If Il few more
people would follow her example.