The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-02-23
OUR ANGLOMANIACS.
ENGLAND DOES THIS, SAYS THAT OR
THINKS THE OTHER.
But What Docs It All Signify to Any
Gcod Amcricano-Let Us Follow Our
1fDrNnrs

Own Methods and Mako Our Own
Manners.
A matter that will constantly excite tho
wrath of good Americans is the perpetual
iteration of the way in which the people Of
England do this, or say that, or think tho
ether, il ccntradistinction to the way in
which we upon this side of the globe do, say
and think, as if in English methods only
were to be found the highest seat of iuds-
ment and last court of appeal. This defer
ence to English ideas has developed among
us an emasculated class of minds that does
not even think its own thoughts, achieves
only pale reflection and imitation of tho
original article, and in endeavoring to be-
como pure English succeeds in becoming
poor American. This is apparent i'll dress,
i'll manner, i'll style and action and speech;
and it creates the liability of returning Us 10
our old colonial estate, in which we shall
cease to be people of q new development of
mental. rs we have been and as We are of
material life.
Our country could hardly have been de-
signed Us perpetual colony of Great
Britain. Its geographical situation, its
isolation from the Old World, its immense
extent, Its possession of all climates, all soils
all woods, all metals. all common and all
precious things, mark it out as for a place Of
Its own, while generations have impaired 10
the descendants OF its first settlers charac-
ter of their own, and it is given to the dc
scendantS of later settlers here to iniermarry
and associate with those of longer date, aud
make themselves a homogeneous people.
There is no more reason why this peoples
civilization, then, should be on an English
than on a French, an Italian OF Il German
| model. 1t should be on none of them. It
should he American. In the course of time
it should he one grca. American people,
VARYING only with tie necessities of It's lF,l-
;i.2!>, the customs OF its tropics, the life o!
lis hills aMd plains and seashorc, as ii niav
hr, but ail on one broad sc;le and scheur oi
II ilow and loii!cr civilization possibly luam
has appeared i'll the Noil,i before
1t would seem that 1t would be wise 10 let
the manners and speech and habits of such a
people develop according 10 their own needs,
and not to attempt to enforce upon them al.
arbitrary system of another and totally dit
ierent country, climate and institution ot
caste What odds is it to the wooismen uf
the northern pennsi!;tS, To the cowboys OF
/ the southwestern pra!r!es, TO the miners ui
tie Rocky mountains and the sSerras. TO tho
planters of the mississippi levels. how En9li,
lords and ladies and scholars address tneil
visiting cards, enter their carriages. dip tlicii
spoons: And why should the girl graduate
of Nassar or Wellesley trouble herself Mil
the fancy that because she does not Use tn,
rising infection of voice mt the close OF q.
I her sentences as the Girton graduate doc,
| her education is therefore deficient and hei
resources limited.
1t is a matter of question whether The
English domestic life, pure as it is, is OF
purer quality than the German; whether The
English mental life is OF finer strain than tho
French: whether the Swcde and NORWEGIAN
are not Us manly, as genial. as true, us Tic
English; if the Italian and the Spaniard az
not of n more poetcal sort: whether, i!
short, tl!clr is any peculiar reason why til,
English behavior ard thought should h.
made our standard rather than that OF ANY
other people. We may be told that SOM
reason lies i'll the act that VIC sl,cai: til.
sane language; but when We come to con
I s:.i'r the matter OF Ian .uagc, the question be
4 comes "A still more oijcn ono. There is not
! WAo!a county iG al :.nglaud where tn" Ian
sjaEe is generally oEcn in anything AZ
.l.)lching purity: lIlere is but one wtIcrc ii l.
4 pretended that it i, spoken; thore is -
re. ion OF Il hundred square Eiles IN the hr. .
/ kingdoms nllelc II i, siIu.,en With the l)urii
( ana perfection tai, is u ii. for instance. III
/ tie state oG massachusetts,, IN our owl
1 ag..ntr. and there is neither rhIlnc nor
/ rcasrn il, tn" effort TO impose upon rs .
fore! ~ yc:'i.uc;lar. especially those portions
4 of il which have become the slang of tl!t
/ upror classes using that veriacuiar, III Whic!
"nolHensc is called rot" bad weather i,
called ''blast!y,' our own euphonious 'sWill'
/ is called "Dcg "ash," uascelliy conduct is
called nasty" and peculiar people ~,
called ''I'u:ll ones.
lsslr":s TO Us that perhaps it would he .;st
/ our own IL. ..ii.ri, sure that manners @h:-
( are gentle cleally AMI pure. and which hurt
10 ones feelings ard hinder 70 ones advan.
tu5es, can only be risiIt manners: that the
language Of Shakespeare and the Bible, which
is spoken more nearly hero than anywhere
else in the world is q good enough lan2ua q
and form of speech for us, answering all l1ui>
| poses of literature and daily life; and :ia,
| eventually the Engis if their insuar con
cait ever a!o.'s them, may wake 10 The .ucl
I That the best thing they can do is - follow
our example in a few things, if nor il all
and setting aside written speech, which is {
/ hyc.l quantity. correct their own spoi.ai
/ sg3eech by- one that more closely touches ,he
| standard Of pyeci>io than is at present
/ reached by their own vernacular. -ilar,,ll.
4 I3aZar