Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-26

questions on such occasions. AS IL Is
now. we are In the midst Of war with
a foreign foe, and men Of air sections are
mixed up in the camps and the bands are
playing Yankee Doodle" and Dixie
marching Through Georgia." and John
Browns Body" and Hang JEFF. Davis.
and everybody is stepping to the music
Of these inspiring national airs, ana
wearing the same uniform and whoOplnS
up i'm the cause of freedom and inde-
pendence" for a neighbOring State that
Il in the throes Of secession, so 10 speak.
II is not, therefore favorable time Tor
saying all that IL N ones mind and hurt
ing other peoples feelings by accident,
or otherwise
We have. therefore. nothing to say on
the merits of the question which our
Yankee contemporary and fellow-patriot,
the Journal, discusses so interestingly.
Some things IL says are true through ana
through. and we cannot emphasize them
TOO strongly Some OF the others, we
ASS. for the reasons indicated. And as
the rest, we have only two or three
aid remarks TO offer by way Of gentle
correction.
In the first place, then, we do not UNI
derstaud that the name Yankee neces-
sarily suggests to people in this part Of
the country, "a lean, lank person, with
stride" We regard, for instance, the
Hon. Mr. Hoar, and the Hon. Thomas
Reed, and the Hon. Mr. Lodge as typical
Yankees" and certainly they are not
lean and lank persons with turkey like
necks, and such exceptions might be null
tiplied by the thousand. So that the
physical appearance of the person really
has no part in determining the application
Of the term. 1t is perfectly well under
stood, In short, that d Yankee may be-
fat, roly-poly person as well as a stringy
one ana it is fact we believe. that il
IS generally recognized that the sleek.
round type now largely prevails. The
pictures OF Uncle Sam do not "ht' the
popular idea Of New England Yankee
at all II fits rather the idea Of the
Western Yankee, the "hoosier" Yankee,
OF a generation ago and is regarded as
a composite representation OF the former
eastern and western types, OF which Mr.
Lincoln was a faithful example, and
which is now becoming somewhat rare
even In the West.
Nor &c we think It IS wholly true that
IT is "as Yankees" that we are all
known abroad" and that lin Europe a
Yankee means an American" without re-
gard 10 the part OF the country he comes
from. Doubtless the less intelligent
classes OF Europeans, who know little
OF america" Itself, and less OF its peo-
pies and political divisions, and know
North and South America as one country.
regard all visitors from this Continent
as Yankees" just as many uniformed
people in this country still regard all
Germans as "Dutchmen." and all Afri-
cans as negroes" but certainly no
educated Englishman, ScOtchman, Irish
man, German, Frenchman, or other we'll
informed European would fail TO recog-
nize the distinction between "a southern
err" at least, and a Yankee, and as a
matter OF fact, the distinction is gene
rally recognized and freely commented
on by such foreigners, both when they
are visiting this country and when they
encounter Americans" abroad. The
Spaniards. II is true. know us all as "Pig
Yankees" but they intend the term as
one OF reproach, and they are very
ignorant people. as rule. on all mat
tiers and questions pertaining 10 our COM
position and character as a nation.
Finally. II may be conceded. that II Is
the sturdy New England idea, or the body
OF them. that has made this nation
what lit is in most OF its present and
national aspects. IL may be conceded,
too, that the northern section OF the ma
ton Is pretty thoroughly Yankeelzed.
The New England type has certainly
Impressed itself on the rest Of the ma