Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-14
DECEPTIVE EPITHET.

Though Egland may sometimes De
proud OF the progress made by Anglo
Saxon America, she has more fondness
for the fair young daughter OF the en-
pire adhering to the old flag" There is
a good deal of misapprehension of facts
covered up in the very frequent use OF
the term Anglo-Saxon. England is
called Anglo-Saxon. The United States
is called Angio-saxon. Our literature
is called Anglo-Saxon, and so is our sys-
tenn of law, and that of our civilization.
A strict adherence to history would not
permit of so general and SO loose a use Of
this hyphenated falsehood.
In the first place England is not Anglo
Saxon, and has not been since the Nor
man conquest, If she was before that
time. There always was left very
large admixture of the old British stock
in all parts of the island, and
their influence was very pronounced
in the formation of the laws, literature
and other thought of the people. The
effects of the Roman occupation OF the
island were never obliterated by Angle,
Saxon or Dane. Nearly all the geo.
graphical names from London to the
Tweed, including both these words, are
British. Lincoln, Chester and all the
words ending in chester are Roman.
These influences were not confined to
typographical nomenclature.
The Norman conquest injected into
everything English very large amount
of the Galio-Roman civilization and
thought. The Normans .became the
dominant influence in the island, and
remained So The English language and
the literature. built out of it are very
largely Norman, or Gallo-Roman. The
same is true in much greater degree
of the system of English law.
Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with
their ancient British population
and methods of thought, have exercised
a most pronounced influence on England
and all her belongings. Burke, Grat-
tan, Tom Moore. Sheridan, Goldsmith,
Tyndal, and a host of Irishmen
in all periods have done much in
shaping the course OF English thought,
English law and English literature.
The same is true of the Scotch branch
OF the old Keltoi family, with their
Scott, Jeffreys, Aytoun, Kit North,
Hogg. Burns, Gladstone, and the hun
dreds OF canny men from beyond the
Tweed.
Wales has furnished long list Of
other men great in craftsmanship, lit
erature and science. The Tudor SOW
ereigns were Welsh. The Stuarts were
Scotch.
If all that is not Anglo-Saxon were
taken out of England, the right-little,
tight-little isle would find herself rather
threadbare and out at elbows.
With America it is true to an oyer
whelming degree that she is not Anglo
Saxon. All we get from England comes
subject to the great admixture noted
above, and all that is added here is very
little of the Anglo-Saxon type. If all
that is not Anglo-Saxon in its origin
were eliminated from our systems the
Great Republic would be shrunk TO very
narrow measures. This is the most
composite people that ever was gathered
into one since the world began. The
Greeks were composite race, and so
were the Latins. The English are so.
But the people of the United States
draw something from all races under
the sun. Ireland has contributed a
hundred people to our popula-
ton where England has sent one.
Germany has done the same.
Scandinavia has sent us more people
than England. Scotland or Wales would
run England hard in this respect. An d
the Irish and Scotch have greatly sur
passed the English in their influence in
America. Other people readily become
assimilated with Americans, but the
English take on an average three gen.
erations before they become half Amer
icanized.
American laws, American humor,
American thought of all forms, diverge
very widely from those of England.
Anglo-Saxon America is distinctly
misnomer.