The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-01-15
The American Type.

In an interesting article in the Cur
rent, ". A. Crohut SAYS:
Why i il that Americans least,
New Workers h3Ta lately fallen to
mimicking whatever i English. | cam
not divine. \ few wears ago. Anglo
phohia prevailed here. and whatever
was English vas carefully. perhaps too
carefully avoided. Eut that tendency
passed with the last generation.
The ariStocrdts of New Iork-those
who can live without work because
their unfashionable grandfathers grub
bed d-ape the English aristOcracy as
nearly as they can. Their youths are
expected to marry no girl unless her
father can make Il substantial settle
ment' of regular annuity, English
fashion. Our swell mimic wears his
hat in the elevator because the English
do. and he is trying to learn to call
that vehicle lift" When he goes
out in carriage he never speaks of
going to ride but of "9Oing to
drive" though as matter of fact he
does ride, and (if he have a coachman)
does not drive.
Half of our young men in our swell
dom part their hair in the middle, wear
English clothes, initiate English man
ners, use English slang, cultivate En-
glish infections of speech. Meet these
youths in society and you shall hear
them allude to the NASTY weather" (or,
rather, the ''nawsty weather, the
''beastlv walking" and the ''deucedly
clever actor" They call their panta-
looms trousers. their vests, ''weskuts,"
and some of them allude to the ladies'
gowns" They are trying to be En-
glish ali over.
1t is not necessary. 1t is scarcely be-
coming. No American can have tray-
eled in England without learning that
its people are no whit superior to ours
in bearing or in speech. Moreover.
their feeling of complacency often de-
prives them of the power of changing
for the better-that is, of learning.
The nation that does not progress ret
rogrades. England is insular and pro-
yincial. America is continental and
cosmopolitan. Englishmen seldom
change except by forgetting. Ameri-
cans, during 4 century, have added hum
dreds of needful words to the language
What we ought to do is, not to drop
good words because the English do not
Use them, but to hold on to them. to
fill up the awkward chinks of the COM
mon tongue. .
Our language is sadly in need of new
words. to describe new things, new re-
lations, new tendencies of thought; and
the refined slang and common speech
of the United States constitute the chief
fountain of its enrichment. Mr.. Ros-
well Smith of the Century Company,
tells ME. and I am glad to learn it, that
the new dictionary will contain some
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new
words. notably American:smS and pro-
vincialisms which, by their usefulness,
have vindicated their right. This is an
example Of courage and discernment as
well as public spirit.
1t will not answer for Englishmen to
object that Il new word cannot be ad-
mittcd as proper till they see fit to adopt
it. That day is gone by forever. They
are Outntmbered, and have ceased to
be the official custodians OF the common
tGn@ue. \ majority of all English
speaking people are now on the West
crn Continent; in another generation
three-quartcrS of them will be here; and
to our progressive scholars and expert
philologists is allotted the task of
hcncefOrth guarding, improving, REIN
forcing aud lertiliZing the language till
ii shall make It's triumphant way
around the world and become adapted
to the needs of all races of men.