Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-05-11
YANKEE DOODLE.
HISTORICAL FACTS IN REGARD To
The ANCIENT TUNE.


At recent meeting of the Historic Geps.
illogical society DIR. George II. Moore ~
New York, was introduced to read an ESSAY
en- 1.-The Origin of Yankee DOODLE The
tuDe, he said, is familiar all over the known
world, and the phrase Yankee Doodle ison
the lips one time or another of all English
speaking people; but of the origin of if feu,
people know anything.
In considering the question it is manifoc+
that there are two elements in it, one heinz
the meaning and derivation of the w.
Yankee, and the other of the song and tuno
One explanation given of the word yanLo'
dates back as far as 17l3, when there was a.
farmer living at Cambridge named Jonatbar,
Hastings He was a familiar acouaintaroo
OF the college students of that period, and n
was reputed that he invented the word
AT any rate he used it constantly in tho
presence OF students and others as an adyerb
to signify high degree of excellence-for
example, "a Yankee good horse,n "Yankee
good cider" This use, it is said, the students
adopted, and after leaving college spread the
knowledge OF it in places near and distant
ItS llrst appearance on record, so far as the
essaylst knew, is of date IT'S, when an adj
vertisement appeared of the sale of the effects
of an English gentleman in Morpeth. Eng
land. One item of the list was, cone negro.
named Yankee" Many plausible suqges,
lions have been made, some in earnest and
some apparently i'll frolicsome spirit. that
the word is of Indian origin. BY some it has
been traced to the Cherokee Indians and NV
others to those of New England. Among
those who manifest sincerity in this way the
essayist mentioned the author of a history of
the Moravian missionaries in 1878, writer
in the North American Review about the
same time, and of more recent date, Dr.
Trumbull, the philologist.
The theory is that Yankee is an attemnt
OF the Indians to pronounce the word Eng
Iish." The essayist held that these are mis-
taken judgments on the case and that the
writers have been misled by a resemblance.
ZEAL or fancied, in the sound of certain In,
dian words. He held it to be impossible TO
believe that the word is of Indian origin.
when it is considered that mono of the early
accounts of the dealing of White men with
Indians, from the Fifteenth century forward.
make any mention of it. Neither Capt
John Smith, nor the father of New England.
nor Roger Williams, nor John Eliot, nor
Hutchinson, nor Belknap ever appear to
have heard of such a suggestion
The eSsaylst found perfectly Ineligible
and natural explanation of the origin and
primary significance of the word in the
Dutch word, of which the substantive form is
"janker' and the form of the verb ''jankenn
The meaning of the verb is to grumble, to
snarl, to quarrel, to scold; the meaning of
the noun is u bowler, a crier, a weeper, a
barker. As used it is expressive of contempt,
derision, or objurgation. To call man a
barker or bowler is equivalent or is exactly
the same as to call him a dog, and in almost
all languages and among all nations such an
appellation is one of disparagement and
abuse
The essayist gives a luminous account of
the rlvalries, lealousies, controversies, and
clashings which occurred in early times be-
tween the Dutch settlers of New Netherlands
and the English who inhabited New England
and had any occasion to deal with the Dutch
in any form. The feeling of antagonism and
contempt for the English colonists continued
long after the territory of New Netherlands
bad come under English dominion, and, the
essayist added, that to this day in some of
hhe families of New York of ancient Dutch
origin, the Yankee is regarded with feeling
at least of distrlst.
The word tanker" and other words de-
rived from it are not, the essayist said any
part of the language of refinement among
the Dutch. The primary word is a low word,
used by the mob; it is slang of rather vile
sort. A gentleman might think himself JUS
tilted in using it under great provocation, or
amid very exciting circumstances, but it
would not be ordinarily part of his speech.
Various facts were given in the essay going
TO show that in its early use, whether by the
Dutch or others, including the English at
home, the word Yankee was expressive of
contempt. Accordingly it came very natur-
ally into service when, upon the occasion of
the assembling of an army near Albany for
q campaign against the French and Indians,
the New England contingent of troops APP
peared, and the New York troops and British
regulars felt disposed to ridicule these New
Englanders.
AS the essayist described the New England
troops they We're indeed a ridiculous lot so
far as looks went. A little later, when they
bore the brunt of battle and struck the en-
amy his deadlest blows, that appearance did
not cling to them. But they came to the
rendezvous without uniforms, wearing all
sorts of outer garments, dyed of various
hues. They were comparable only to the
army of FalstafP as to outside appearances.
/ DIR. Richard Shuckburgh, then resident in
Albany and later in New York, gave voice
TO the camp feeling of contempt for the New
England contingent. He composed certain
verses of derision and adapted the air known
| in England as FISHERS Jig" This tune was
printed in England for the first time. so far
rs known, in 1850. The verses of the original
song are now unknown, but there can be no
doubt that they were the merest doggerel.
They have been superseded and their sue
cessors have been superseded by others of
various merit, more than 700 in all, it is
said. But there is no particular set which
can be called distinctively the song Of
''Yankee Doodle"
The word Yankee was nickname of de-
rision for New Highlander long before the
revolution. The tune and the original words
antedate that period, and they were intended
for ridicule. 1t is not probable that in the
Continental armies the tune was ever popu-
lar one with the troops. A collection of fife
music used in that army does not contain it..
1t was a time of British origin, and for a long
while played only by British bands. When
the Second brigade marched out of Boston
on the day of the battle of Lexington to the