The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1897-04-10


doubt that we obtained the word from
England and with the meaning it has
always had in that country. 1t is a
significant fact that the English mean
Ing Is used and accepted in the Oldest
parts OF our country and prevails in
parts of our country farthest and most
rapidly advanced In the circumstances
we express by the word civilization.
We can readily see how. In this
country. We came to change the mean
ing and why now we are gradually
going back to it's original significance.
In the early settlement of America,
and in the settlement Of what we know
as the new portions of the United
States. it happened through the alb
sence OF means to hire assistance that
the custom grew of neighbors helping
each other. It was a common thing
for new settler to have "house rails
Ing" From apple parings and bed
cuttings to harvest gatherings neigh
bors far and near came in and lent q
helping hand and made the occasion
social as we'll as Industrial.
In the help gatherings" those who
came in showed different degrees of
skill and also different degrees OF
alacrity and willingness, for there was
no compensation beyond the social
enjoyment that accompanied the work.
One would naturally imagine how the
helping neighbors became noted in
greater or less degree for "cleverness''
in the English sense.
It 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 neighbor.
And this very "cleverness" which gave
him more leisure was naturally con-
ducive to the cheerful and willing dis
position t:at usually accompanies tha
satisfactor, condition of ones own af.
fairs. Then. too, there is the natural
disposition that makes persons more or
less well disposed and kind and honest
in the sense Of kindly and fair minded
ness. Under such conditions Of life in
new country just beginning to build
itself up 1t might easily happen to
come about that such a word as
"clever" came to mean not only "dex-
ferrous. skillful and ingenious" but
also well disposed, kind and honest" !"
and when people under such primitive
conditions spoke of Clever person
they referred to moral and social quail
tiles as well as to Intellectual and
manual ability.
But as 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, we'll
disposed and honest" neighbors for
voluntary help and we can see the
word "cleverness' as applied to neigh
borly qualities gradually going into
iisuse.
And now it is noticeable that in Bos-
ton, New York and other old eastern
cities and throughout the older set
Elements Of the country the word
Clever is. used in its original Eng
nsh sense, while the nearer we an
proach the newly settled parts of the
country we find "clever" used with its
mixed local meaning. It is not un-
usual to hear in these new places a
man spoken of as "clever" who is
neither Intellectually nor mechanic
ally ingenious. but simply well dis
posed and obliging." And, on the con-
trary, in other and more advanced COM
munities we hear of man who is
neither kind nor willing spoken of as
CLEVER" because he is SO "skillful and
ingenious"
Many English words that have q
meaning in the United States different
from that commonly used in England
have been in the same way affected
by local conditions and circumstances.
but as these become more and more
like the conditions existing in the older
countries we find the meaning in the
useof the word going back to it's oriet-
nal Significance. There are many per-
sons who give little study to the uses,
meanings, and history of words and
often these new meanings are set
down by them as servile imitation OF
the English, but to the student OF
words the changes show the strength
and pliability of our language, as well
as the steady progress of our own coun.
try in the advancement of better and