The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-24
Pennsylvania Dutch
The Significant Use of This Tongue in
the Bechtel Trial

The Significant Use of This Tongue in
the Bechtel Trial
The revelations Of the Bechtel trial
must be nauseating to any well-regu-
lated mind, but in the midst of the
filthy, debased and squalid conditions
which they reveal are one or two sig
nifcant facts which are worth atten-
ton. 1t is to be noted that much of
the testimony has been given in what
is called Pennsylvania Dutch" a
German dialect commonly used IN Ger
tain parts of Pennsylvania, and that
no interpreter was needed at these
times. the judge. the jury, and the
spectators being quite familiar with
this patois. The people who use this
lapguage are, Of course, not Dutch.
but German, descendants for the most
part of Germans who have been set
tied in the State for something like
two hundred wears. Other German
immigrants readily adopt this medium,
of communication and not infrequent-
ly. as in the case of the Bechtel fam
lily, it is used in the home life instead
Of English.
The knowledge of both German
and English. or both French and Eng
lish, or both Polish and English, by
the children Of any family, is not bad
in itself. The fluency with which
vell-born people N Europe often
speak three or four languages Is due
to the habit of speaking them in child
hood with relatives, servants and gov
enesses. But there are objections to
that kind of thing as 1t exists III
America.
The continued use of German as the
household language, for three or -four
generations, as in the case Of the
Pennsylvania farmers. tends to isola-
ton from the world, non-comprehen-
son of its affairs, and a conservatism.
which might as well be called pig
headed. 1t is possible for families of
position and education to live in this
country and not speak English at
home, because they are brought into
contact with friends and acquain-
tances with whom they do speak 1t,
and in whose society they keep in
touch with the life of the country.
Bat, generally speaking, for the fol-
eign immigrant there is only one way
to progress. and that Is to learn Eng
lish, and learn it thoroughly. 1t is all
right to retain the knowledge OF Ger
man. to become familiar with the ira
dirions and literature of Germany
and keep all the beautiful and signiii-
cant German customs, and to this end
il is desirable, where there is a large
German population, to have German
taught in tie higher schools; bui
when debased form of that language
takes tie place of English, because of
mental laziness and lack of intelli-
eenee, the results are not desirable.
There are colonies of Germans III
Pennsylvania which are made up OF
German peasants in practically tht
same social and moral ana intellectual
condition in which their ancestors
were two or three centuries ago. They
are able to grasp only a few American
ideas. and the American customs
which they have adopted are not, as a
rule, improving. Perhaps the thor
cugh teaching Of English in these
colonies. and a system of compulsory
education. would not have improved
this condition, but the chances arr
that it would. There Is heaven enough
in almost any lump of humanity IL
start it rising il the other condition.
are favorable, but, to carry out the
metaphor, no bread will rise wher
placed tco far from the fire Some OF
our foreign citizens are too near tn,
Icenters of civilization, and too mucf
fermentation is the result; some arr
off in corner by themselves, and thu
result is degcneracy of another sort.
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