The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-14
--e~I-e-
WANTED-A NEW UNCLE SAM.
One That VIII Represent Instead of
BurIesqueing the Nation.

From the Chicago Times-Herald.
During the last few months when illus
trations of the queens jubilee have been
so many and so prominent in English and
American publications, the caricature OF
Uncle Sam has grown particularly ia
miliar to our eyes. The origin of the
carlcature is not known; but the oldest
man living can hardly remember when it
was not substantially what it is to-day.
No national caricature-not even John
Bull, against which. the English have Of
ten protested-has ever been in some re,
spects quite so extravagant. 1t is diff
cult to imagine how the idea of such
figure could have been conceived to repre-
sent this country.
The face and features of Uncle Sam, or
Brother Jonathan, are highly intelligent,
even good-looking, indicative of firmness,
sagacity, discernment, coolness-all strik-
ing ethnic traits. But the aquiline nose
is not common with us, rather the excep-
ton. Our faces, indeed, resemble, in the
main, the Grecian type more than those
of the English, French, German, Italian
or any other European nation. The Thin,
tall, angular figure is closely allied to ours,
especially as it was in an earlier genera
ton. Since the civil war we have ae-
crease In material means and our general
prosperity. We are still, however,
slender people,, especially compared with
the people of the old world, not as rule
growing stout even after middle age, as
is general over there.
The attire of Uncle Sam is wholly anom-
alous. Unprecedented, in any quarter of
civilization or barbarism. No human crea-
ture has ever worn such extraordinary
clothes I'm a single suit-a bell-crowned
hat, a claw-hammer coat, short in the
skirt, long in the tails and eccentral waist
coast, much abbrevated,a profusely ruffied
shirt, shrunken trousers, with very long
straps, fastened under od-fashioned We'll
lington boots Of antique pattern. The
shirt collar Is razor-bladed In shape com.
ing up to the ears and above an enor-
nous, wildly dsordered necktle OF gor-
geous colors. This costume must have
been borrowed from the stage yankee,
so popular In the first half Of the cen-
tury but long since passed into oblivion.
lie was purely "A concoction OF the brain,
never having been seen In the remotest
corner Of New England, the native habitat
OF the prlmeval yankee. lt seems impos-
sible that he could ever have drawn
crowded houses in all the big towns Of
the republic, having had no model In life
or literature, ana unquostionably not saw
oring In the slightest OF the IDEAL Ger
talnly Uncle Sam H. dressed very similar
~ 10 the departed comedians OF a bygOne
epoch. The property-rooms OF that day
have turned 10 dust; but portions Of their
contents might be reproduced from pic
torial illustrations OF our contemporaries
The physical and raimental Uncle Sam is
as nothing compared with his lingual part,
which is particularly offensive to every in
tellgent educated American IN the land.
What a strange glbberish Is put into bis
mouth IL IL supposed to be English; but
this Is Hupposable only because IL can be
comprehended by those capable OF UNDER
standing and speaking the English tongue.
His speech IL a vulgar sort Of dialect that
has never been uttered any where on the
globe. 10 consists OF a complete perver-
sion OF the photography, pronunciation.
enunclation, employment OF our mother
tongue. a compete misuse OF all its terms.
ldioms. principles. n subversion OF the us
uhl form into what assumes once 20 have
been, but never has been, the yernacu.ar