St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-05-15
USE OF THE WORD CLEVER.

USE OF THE WORD CLEVER.
new Il CSn1 q ~ oyAenvMoos with
Kindly ana Honest.
The English meaning Of the WORD
"clever" i given in the dictionaries .
dexterous, skillful, ingenious. In the
United States It Il, in some parts Of
the country, used in the sense Of well
disposed, kind, honest" There can be
no doubt that we obtained the WORD
from England and with the meaning II
has always had in that country. It =
I significant fact that the English mean
ing II used and accepted in the Oldest
parts Of our country and prevails IN
parts Of our country farthest and most
rapidly advancing in the circumstances
we express by the word civilization.
We can readily see how, in this coun-
try, we came to change the meaning and
why now we are gradually going back
to its original significance. In the early
settlement OF America, and In the set
Element of what we know 10 the new
portions Of the United States, 1t hap-
pened through the absence Of means to
hire assistance that the custom grew
of neighbors helping each other. 1t
was q common thing for new settler
to have ''house raising" From apple
parings and bed cuttings to harvest
gatherings ncighbors far and near came
in to lend 4 helping hand and made the
occasion social as well AZ industrial.
In the ''help gatherings" those who
came in showed different degrees Of
skill and also different degrees Of alac-
rity and willingness, for there was no
compensation beyond the social enjoy
ment that accompanied the work. One
would naturally imagine how the help
ing neighbors became noted in greater
or less degree for "cleverness" in the
English sense.
1t is easy to see how the "clever" man
more easily attended to his own affairs
and had more time to devote to the
assistance Of his new neighbors. And
this very "cleverness" which gave him
more leisure was naturally conducive
to the cheerful and willing disposition
that usually accompanies the satisfac-
tory condition Of ones own affairs.
Then, too. there Is the natural DISPOSE.
ton that makes persons more or less
well disposed and kind and honest in
the sense Of kindly and fair-mindedness.
Under such conditions Of life in q new
country just beginning to build itself
up It might easily happen to come about
that such word as ''clever" came to
mean not only '.dexterous, slkillful and
Ingenious" but also "well disposed.
kind and honest" and when people I'M
der such primitive conditions spoke Of
"clever" person they referred to moral
and social qualities as well As to intel
lectual and manual ability.
But a. parts Of the country became
older and more settled and there was
an increase Of population and wealth,
there came means for securing assist.
ance without calling on ''kind, well-dis-
posed and honest" neighbors for vol
untary help and we can zee the word
"cleverness" a. applied to neighborly
qualities gradually going into disuse.
And now It il noticeable that in Bos-
ton, New York and other old eastern
cities and throughout the older settle
ments Of the country the word "clever'
is used in its original English sense
while the nearer we approach the new
ly-settled parts Of the country we find
clever used with its mixed local
meaning. It IL not unusual to heat
in these new places man spoken Of
N "clever" who il neither Intellectually
or mechanically ingenious, but simply
'well-disposed and obliging." And. on
the contrary, in other and more ad-
vanced communities we hear Of man
who II neither kind nor willing spoken
of N ''clever." because he II 80 ''skillful
end Ingenious"
Many English words that have 4
meaning in the United States ilifleren,
from that commonly used in England
have been in the same way affected BY
local conditions and circumstances. but
rs these become more and more like the
conditions existing in the older country
We find the meaning in the use Of the
word going back to its original signih.
canoe. There are many persons who give
little study to the uses. meanings and his.
tory Of words and often these new mean.
fngs are set down by them as servile
imitation of the English. but to the
student Of words these changes show
the strength and pliability Of our Ian
guage. as well as the steady progress Of
our own country In the advancement Of
better and more mature conditions
Philadelphia Times.
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