New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-23
WHAT rs MEANT BY" DOFN E4ST"i-

NEw.ENGLANDERs UNABLE TO AGREEIN LocAT-
ING TIT DEPENDS on THE POINT OF VIEW.
Some men in downturn Office the Other dag were
reading and commenting on Tie Tribune correspond
.nt's picturesque descriptions cf scenes and incidents
Of The Lizzie Borden trial. when one tCok exception 70
the use OF the expression Down Fast as applied 10
New Tcdfcrd or its people. =" came from Massa'
chusetts,- he said land know tie term relates Only
to tho state OF Maine And | KNOW re'oito
n Iong-legged pioneer from the North Woods, WHO
preyes the value nf bis carly training by thc
sful ana rccss Of his pursuit OF the roiiihS
cart.whc.l and the breeze-boIne g:eeIbach-'l knew
that Down East means everything the otlcr sic VI
the Connecticut" Here was issue. Joined. and the
Massachusetts man started out IT once to ma al
hcrcnts to his VIEW threatening to fall back Oh ''
boots for support, II necessary. The once was hI ~
one and there proved to be- no difficulty IN securihH
New On glandrr, as presumably expert witnesses
But no twb OF these could agree IN dcihlns 1''
metcs and bounds OF Down East
One Rhode Islander said the district was CO
extensive with the Pine Tree state; another insisted
that # vas welkDown that Down casters were all
tho Yankees that dwelt beyond the rushing hoOi
Of Pawcatuck. A Vcrmonter from the shores VI
Lake Champaign denied that Ethan Alien WIS
Doyn Easter but substantially agreed with MS
friend from the Adirondncks that, wihe I'd P'op"
I'm Boston the term might mean only Mahe' every
whore outside or NcW-fipialu IL F'o"n Avn "-
six Eastern states: and the same opinion was hela
-, , r,uve ~ In. Granite state. Another man who
hammered to be available witness was is'c"''
IN with much interest and bis testimony was "eisn9
for the reason that he had been born ana r"l' "
the far East-Aof the United states ""hen l h''u
near Portland" h. said. Down L'''' -
uscd in riy ncishbcrhood. referred 10 wv
ycnnobcc REGION. Ar und the kenhep"c' VIZ
were told the words denoted the P"nob'co' co"'"'
an, IN. penobscotcrs Thought tine Maritime provinces
er, Down EAST After all. from the point oil we"
If the r,st Of the country, all New-thgiahu'r' NV
Down EaStrrS ,, nm,
a.. , m,tt.r OF fact" said another Maine man.
chasing Down East Is like running ai''r your v"
gha1ow when was Mt school in New-llampshire,
all Maine or the Eastern part Of H. was
Atorvnrd when got TO Harvard. Ne"-i'amp'"
,,,, down Fast Coming here TO New lorh az
,r,vs smoke Of all New England rs Down Ti'"
you can never get Down East in ro''Hi'lu' ~
rho poople call Eockland Down EAST hu' II YOU ~
IN Eoclland there's no Down East there. DAT i
roy. spoke Ct all New England rs Down Eau
p,,, ,rhon Won hasten there t. got look az Do""
East Won find that YOU must 50 on 10 FL va 81
Tow os everybody knows Eqstport Is t 'ho en ,Lora
Nm England ~ the jumping Gt pr pain, ouci TO
h there where ysu can stand with one ioo , ihv
and In Canad9 20 !" r p across the way in New
rnn. "r In t. John y. r. however they rprH
r. The still more remote province, ~ an ,nt away
The am"nt ra.,, " nv u.in, south or west hut that
Won can meyer get Down East oy gong AVN"
last resort it aereed to , nG"r the ' last
voice Of reason. oour'' aiM"S ra calm voice OF
o ,pn w wnS cNpectcd to issue from an EngshmmhIG
who said that his own idea oil " io~d n hr tho eyi
h p,ssio lut he would lie governed 10y ,,' ~,
d"nrc iii were willing TO h.ar hlS u"siI noars ali
none promised to acGGr mt Down East sccm,d
S %Sap p' Of Sc!in &mcc eScnaas s ar
MIR wra TO In" east Of III" speaker tut that since enr
American learned 10 rs" ii" term III ,r I'LL. inns sn
nted Win relation the place of his mrn anu ,bot
@aiion. The judge also sam IN summing up t nnt
w. " r"rsUs "Out west" which was one OF ,ns
ts Of III, judicial c,p.rcncgI IN An er ont Vest
vi,nn IA. rot 10 Chicago he learned MAJ the .'l ~
ccnd not possibly be- applied to AWNING e enId =,
3D." Nj. Jsslupi lvcr and could scarcely he n.'u -
,,cr ,Irb prnpricv 10 Anything nearer than 'oi2r'
do In colorado he told again that s3 ~ Ca
frnIa he was Informed that the term wa h'"s 1
cal which really had no mc" msn at who having
hr,rd The cari.c Of dispute said that h" could partly n
rrMn IN ,m'nn. d. sir. To e. away Down East lie
wns hurried about from Boston To POrtIanu; mui
por,Iand ~ rancor. and from Bangor T. New-Brnns
WEEK where be- was told SarcaSicall, thai ~ hhn
Nv NO. mean, reached Down Fast Yet. but that D.
m,ivn, r., Fcypt 80 each d,putant Va corvlmceh
.r,jn.t nj. Vii and was of tie same opinion snH.
rho Hay S,ate man, finding that hi, testimony hnu
rcceiy,d only Slight corrobo9on. promised to pro
dncc documentary evidence in support OF nS posi-
lion The next dnv he made his word good aS lar
~ he was able lnt to rs ehagTin the authorities b.
,,,s milo =, adduce all o. gn' him. " ne
%r,,ry prtionnrv" which the dly bcf,r was his
" .-rcot gun now rccoilcd on hlm ia TIL manner:
Down Fast. In Maine or the regions noru'r'hg
on The EASTERN "a coast of N"w.ineiand
If the man who raised the question consulted
ony other book, ~ reference IA, dld not admit II i,
but the New Yorker had made nun Uu'I r','"tr =
on his own part discovering these definitions In sup
port Of his position:
Down East: into the Eastern states /. '' N'"-
lnVi,nd flrtlct,'s Dictionary ~ AmcrlcaDNilsl
IN, true Down East l. shifting locaiy pu,'
,ny ,hc MON a. q whole. the Eastern or Nc"-ih-l'li
- ar. generally understood by the t"rm (John n
Farm. - Dictionary - AWcricanism-.)
And DE were, Dictionary Il AnerlcaWSmS mah''
d. Down F!st~ descriptive 81 IN "ntir" region, con-
,rastinc It with out West and " Down south