New-York tribune., 1906-06-09
NEW:YORK DAILY TRIBUNE SATURDAY. JUNE 9 1906

progenitor OF the Yankee girl in her ability to take
care of herself"
How widespread and significant was the
Huguenot influence in America is. brought to
our attention by the author in his chapters re-
iating to the French Protestants of New Eng
land, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina
and Virginia. Names such as Faneuil Revere.
Lispenard. Marquand. Freneau. Thoreau, De-
Lancey. Boudinot. Girard. Bayard Huger. LIE
Conte. Prioeau, Marion are familiar in his
tory. and many of them in contemporary affairs.
MANY more names, like the Mullins of Gull
lduiHe Moilnes. have become so AmericaniZed as
~ obscure their Gallo origin and to render the
proportion of the French among the colonists
less apparent than it really was 1t is not diff
cult TO see in name like Bone derivation from
the French Bohon when our attention has once
been called to it, but it certainly is not obvious
Buck. from lie Buc; Cockle from Cokele; Dew
fall. from Duval; Longfellow from Longueyille:
Tiffany. from Tiphaine are but few examples
lowed their names. as well their interests to
be assimilated with the country of their qdop-
ton. Peter Stuyvesant's wife was Huguenot,
and so was Isaac Betho, from whom Bedlows
Island takes its name. appropriately the site Of
Frances gift to America of Liberty Enlighten-
ing the World
Seeking for an adequate reason why the
tent of Huguenot immigration to New England
has not been more generally recognized. the
author finds it in the circumstance that the
French refugees went there from motives
much like those which inspired the earlier set
tiers that these strangers did not, on arriving,
exhibit the strong contrast with their English
predecessors which appeared on the entry of
French exiles into other parts of the country"
They were, moreover, not strangers to each
other for when the little congregation from
Scrooby sought refuge in Holland they found
Leyden full of Frenchmen' who had fed thther
for similar religious reasons in one particu-
lar they differed radically, and that favored the
loss of recognition by the Huguenots. The Eng
lsh were fearful lest they should lose their
English name and tongue; while the French
seemed Indifferent to their native speech. and
were ready to translate their names into equiva-
lent Dutch or English. according to the pre-
dominant population of the community in which
they happened to be. They soon merged into
New Englanders." In this readiness to be alb
sorbed by the people with whom they had cast
their lot Mr.. Fosdick finds explanation of the
Yankee character, much more lively, keen
and enterprising than that of the typical Briton.
The facility and adaptabty which characterized
the Huguenot emigrants was a factor of great
to work out the whole scheme of American gov
was predominantIy EngIish-a life of remarkable
vigor, strength and genius. But the Englishman.
after several years on American soil. longer
an Englishman but Eng!ishman Americanized.
He had been changed into a radically different and
superior man. - In producing this change climate
and environment had their effects the Colonial life
wrought out its disciplinary and modifying
suits But the change in character, efficiency,
genius and power was too deep and radical to be
explained in this way. II can be understood only
BY remembering that q continuous stream Of
French life was poured into the larger English
current, sweetening and purifying its waters and
making them more healthy and life-givng. This
commingling of two powerful nations produced
race OF men that neither France England could
possibly have produced had either been the sole
possessor OF American soil. 1t needed both Hugue-
not and Englshman to make the American.
Mr.. Fosdick. however, tempers his enthusi-
asm little further on by admitting that Amer
icas debt to France is not likely TO be fully
recognized, so deep below the surface does it
reach