Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-01-09
TIE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH.
Their Progress In This Statc-Son
Notable Characteristics.

From the New York World.
tits now liz years since tho Quaker AS
sembly of Pennsylvania ordered that mono
but English-speaking immigrants should
be the subjects of naturalization. Not
satisfied with the workings of this law the
same body provided a few years later that
every foreigner to the English government
arriving after the passage OF tho act should
pay duty of forty shillings and swear
allegiance to Great Britain and the pro-
vince. These and other measures dis
couraging the prospective immigrants who
fell within their scope were all aimed ut
the Germans, who, for somo reason or
other, seemed possessed OF wild ambition
TO land on the western shore of Delaware.
Prior to the year I727 moro than finy
thousand of them were snugly established
in tho Quaker province. In spite of Sc
we're laws more were coming by every
ship, and the followers of Penn We're
greatly disturbed In spirit at the invasion.
Strange things have come 10 pass since
then. The Quaker has vanished. There
remains nothing to tell the story of his
! former greatness hut the quaint old bury
| ing ground on Arch street and dozen
| faded shad-belly coats, heirlooms in as
many Philadelphia garrets. lie perished
| In no great tumult of arms, nor by the
| march of any pestience He was neither
| idolent nor lacking in shrewdness; he did
| not starvc TO death, nor did the Germans
| so much as crowd him. He died simply
1 ~ "
| choly warning which has not been lost
| upon his SUCCESSORS in Pennsylvania poll
| ties But tho prescribed q erman stolidly
bided his time do came, paid his duty
and stayed. lie took possession of the
| rich farms along the Susquehanna, the
Lehigh and the Juniata, and filled the
glorious valleys which lead down to the
| rivers.
He began to have things his own way,
| and when the new order was established,
.l..s. l...I
| the political power OF the great state which
| he had turned into garden whore the
gods might dwell. The most timorous
Quaker fearful of German ascendency,
could scarcely have had IA provision of the
complete triumph attained by his Teutonic
rival at the beginning of the present cen
tury. The Quaker was already little more
than memory the German the potent
fact of the social and political order. But
10! when the victor proclaimed his con-
quest 1t was in n strange tongue; he no
| longer thought nor felt as a German. The
Germany, and all its interests and family
ties, was no more To him than 1t was a.
Patrick. He had become II Pennsylvania
Dltchman.
Tho Teutonc immigrant brought with
| him to Pennsylvania only the limited
vocabulary of a German peasant nearly 200
years ago. His pronunciation of the native
tongue was often inaccurate, Of the English
worse, and the deviation from the vernacu-
lar has increased with every generation
until all semblance of the original is in
many cases lost. "Topper," meaning
hurry; " fat" forward "nooner,' under
" fattish," done or finished are u few eN
amples of many words not easily accounted
for. Neither German nor an Englishmar
would make much of croombera." Th,
former would say kartoilie, the latter
potato. But our Pennsyl ania Dutchmar
examines the tuber, and, a ter much smell
ing and tasting decides thu 1t Is berry
"lf it isn't berry YES doi eihiiker is itg'
said one of them to me the o. her day, an,
croombeera," he calls il, doubtless led &
his word, in spite of my friends eNplana
, | ton, through foggy recollection of his re
, | mote ancestors, who named II die grund
birne, the ground pear. With words de
noting hesitancy or doubt the Pennsyl
vania Dutchman is well provided tron
| over the Rhine, but when he wishes To eN
, press the idea of certainty, promptness O
| quickness of perception he is obliged to US
the language of his Anglo-Saxon neighbol
r from whom he learned about all he know
T | of these qualities.
To the same source also does he 90 70
his profanity, once he became really ugly
l But that proves nothing one way or tn
D | other. The English *, amer all, the onl
/ language in which man can swear am
get anything like satisfaction. The prover
which bids MS beware the fury of the pa
I dealing with him, Tor he is slow tn wratl
He is essentially peasant; i'll its origins
aud least offensive meaning boor. ii e Ia
d no word denoting courtesy. In good wi
/ and friendliness he abounds of the littl
:, social amenities and court grades whic
| add so much to the life of all othe
i civilized people he knows nothing. FC
d | example: Although it may be stated as
y generalization that all of them can spea
' English association with them is likely
:, prove embarrassing If you do not kno
L their language. You may be an invite
l. guest at their house, but all conversatio
:. among themselves will be in their ow
= Dutch, without translation or apologies I
II you. And they are great takers. Ii woul
II seem impossible for rudeness To 20 fu
ther; yet no otiense has been intende,
\ and they would not comprehend your II
u dignation if expressed.
IL OF course they do not neglect You, an
d | will talk much to you. But every con
ment not particularly addressed to yu
will be in their own language. They wi
argue and dispute among themselves wit
great volubility upon the subject in han,
~ but no matter how deeply you may be il
y terested in the matter YOU will have
ne guess at what they are saying. You l.,
re come indignant and feel like picking u
a | your hat and leaving, but that would be
), great mistake if ii is at all near me
III time. You will never get better dim,
OF than they serve TO the farm hands ever
ne day OF the year. Stay TO dinner or supp
y and You will forgive them everything.
> Talk about your French eooks-humbu
u Leaving out the one item of beef viii,
he they boil, roast or Try until IL Is as dry, II
and tasteless as chip, the Pennsylyau
N, Dutch women are the best cooks in Il
" world. IL the beef is unsatisfactory v,
y can nave slice of fried ham that Won