The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-01
ANGLO-sAxoN OR WHAT


AS we hear so much about the Anglo
Saxons just now, it will be interesting
to know that the term as applied today Is
an absolute misnomer, and that strictly
speaking no modern people is entitled to
it. The original Anglo-Saxons were a
subdivision of the Saxon tribe, which
lived in the northwestern part of Ger
many, where its descendants dwell to this
day. The language of the Anglo-SaXons
differed but little from the speech of
the other Germanic tribes. During the
early centuries of the Christian era
Goths, Vandals, Saxons and Norsemen
could still understand each other readily
In the fifth and sixth centuries Anglo
SaXons, together with large numbers of
Fri5ians and Jutes. crossed the North
sea and settled in Britain They killed,
drove out, subjugated and otherwise
benevolently assimilated the native Celtic
inhabitants, and called the country Eng
land after that. The immigration con-
tinued from the various North Germanic
tribes, not only from the Saxons, but also
from the Frisians in Northern Holland
and the Jutes on the Danish peninsula.
Later on, there was strong influx from
the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic
race. These Germanic invaders assimf-
lated large part of the original Celtic
inhabitants, but the Germanic language
prevailed In one of the Icelandic sagas
of the tenth century the author states
that Norsemen had no difficulty in max
ing themselves understood at the royal
court in London. Then came the Nor
man conquest with its influx of French
words into the English vocabulary. and
its infusion of Celtic blood from France
into the already much mixed population
of the island. Thus we have a mass of
people composed of emigrants from all
the North Germanic tribes, receiving a.
large admixture of Celtic elements at
two different times; in the first place
from the original Celtic inhabitants of
the island, and in the next from the
This people was then no longer Anglo
Saxon, which, in fact, it practically never
was. 1t was a mixture of Celtic and
Germanic blood. 1t must be admitted
that this mixture had its advantages and
its strong points, very strong ones at
that, 1t combined the sturdy conserva-
tism of the Germanic nature. of which
Holland is the best modern example.
with the greater brilliancy, the active
mental and physical energy of the Celt
as exemplified in the French and irish
of today The mixture possessed the
leading characteristics of both of its
component parts, in lesser degree per
haps, but in such manner as to contain
all the elements of success. This mixture
of Celtic and Germanic blood is, however.
not at all confined to England It is
found in France, especially in the north
eastern part, in southwestern Germany
and in Belgium, but il is especially in
the United States that this Celto-Ger-
manic race is found. Aside from the
land represented this same mixed race.
the far greater part of the American
people Of today is descended from the
Celtic immigrants from Ireland Scotland,
Wales and France, and from Germanic
immigrants from Germany, Holland and
the Scandinavian countries. TO call this
mixed race AngloSaxon is a manifest
misnomer, as the original Anglo Saxon
constitutes but a very small part Of it.
The proper term would be Celto- German
or Celto-Teuton, taking German or Teu-
ton in its broader and more original sense
as applying to all the tribes ethnoIogi-
cally known as Germanic. This term
would be historically correct and free
from the odium that so many attach to
the word Anglo-Saxo