The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-04-17

\ONSA. States Il 10, In
NN(NU some parts OF the
~ country. used In the
sense Of well dis
posed. kind. honest" There can be no
doubt that We obtained the word from
England and with the meaning Il has
always had In that country. Il Is
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 farthost and mos;
rapidly advanced IN the circumstances
We express by the word civilization
We can readily see how, In this
country, we came 90 change the mean
Ing and why now we are gradually
going back 90 .ts original significance
ln the early settlement Of America.
and in The settlement OF what wo know
aB the new portions OF the United
States. % happened through the abb
seucc of means 90 hire assistance that
The custom grew of ue.Ehhlrs helping
each other % was o common thing
for a new settler 90 have o house raise
ing" From apple plrings and bed
qu.ltIurs 20 harvest gatherings neigh
bors far and near came in and lent
helping hand and made the occasion
social AS well us Industrial
Ia the help gatherings those who
came 90 showed different degrees OF
SKIN and also different degrees o.
alacrity and willingness. Tor 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 Tor "clcycrness'
In the English sense.
Il IS easy 10 see how the clever
man more easily attended 10 his own
affairs and had more time 20 devote
20 the assistance OF his new nelghbor.
And this very "cleycrness" which gave
him more leisure was naturally con-
duciye to the cheerful and willing dis
position that usually accompanies the
satisfactory 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 lie In
a new country Just beginning 10 build
itself mp Il might easily happen 20
come about that such a word as
Clever came 20 mean not only "dex-
ferrous, skIlliul and ingenious" but
also "woll disposed kind and honest. %
and when people under such primitive
conditions spoke OF a clever" person
they referred 10 moral and social quail
tiles as VOL as 10 Intellectual and
manual ability.
But as parts Of the country became
older and more settled aud there was
an Increase Of population and wealth,
there came means FOR securing assist.
ance without calling on kind. well
disposed and honest" uelghbors for
voluntary help and We can see the
word "cleyerness' as applied TO neigh.
borly qualities gradually going into
lisuse.
And now u Il 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.
lish sense, while the nearer We APP
Droaeh the newly settled parts OF On,
country we End "cleycr" used with Cos
mixed local meaning. Il Is not un-
usual 20 hear IN these new places a
man spoken OF as clever who 3.
neither Intellectually nor mechanic.
ally ingenious. but simply "wcu dis
posed and ohligIng" and, on the con
. trary. Ia other and more advanced com
munitics we hear oi a man who b
neither Kind nor willing spoken OF al
clever" because De is so "skll.ml an,
ingenious"
Many English words that have
meaning in the United States dincron
from that commonly used IN Englan,
have been In the same way anectc,
by local conditions and circumstances
but as these become more and NOR
like the conditions existing In the olde
countries We find the meaning In IN
useof the word going back 20 is origi
nal significance. There are many per
sons who give little study 20 the use.
meanings. and history Of words an
often these new meanings are 80
down by them as a seryile imitation q
the English. but TO the student q
words the changes show the strengt
and pllabll,y OF our language, as We
ns the steady progress Of our own cour
try in the advancement OF better an
more mature conditions.