The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-02-20
THE NAME YANKEE"
Assumed BY Many But Belonging to
New England.

Boston will take note, not too sympn-
thetically, of the New York Herald's
protest against a Philadelphia Ledger
correspondents description of the new
Republican party leader in the New
Jersey legislature as "a fankee"--be-
cause che was born in Boston, "Of
course he is Yankee says the
Herald $50 is the correspondent Of
the Ledger; SO are we all of us; we
are quite satisfied to be Yankees, and
quite satisfied with this our Yankee
land, New England may feel Hat
tered at the disposition OF the rest OF
the United States to take over the
time -honored designation Of New hing
landers. We are delicately BATTERED,
but by one Of their own number, when
DR.. Holmes spoke Of the whole United
States as "the universal Yankee ma
tion.' But DIR. Holmes did not really
assume, in this use of the word that
all Americans were going to call them.
selves Yankees or that they would
have a right to do so. The context
shows that the idea which he sought
10 convey was that the history, the in
stitutions, the enterprise and the brain
of New England had so profoundly al
fected the rest of the United States
that in that s)nse the country had be
come universal Yankee nation.
This was in truth very far from being
an actual extension OF the proud desig-
nation to all other Americans. Holmes
himself, as well as Lowell and other
New England writers, used the word
Yankee" to describe the peculiar hui
man product of New England, and If
he had understood what the phrase
was actually to let us in for, in the
way of loss Of our peculiar designa-
ton, it is scarcely probable that he
would ever have put it forth.
1t is not be denied, of course, that
the signifcation Of the word has I'M
dcrgone steady extension since
Holmes wrote. In the Civil war, the
Confederates, in scorn of the men OF
the north who had at last followed the
lead Of New England in the war
fought for the Union, called all the
Union soldiers Yankees. That was as
much as to say that New England had
annexed the rest of the country. The
northern soldiers were not altogether
displeased with the designation. They
accepted il. Then foreigners began call
ing all Americans Yankees. They meant
the phrase in contempt, but the true
Yankee was in such high estimation in
this country that the contempt became
an honor. Last OF all, it became the
custom 10 call the American sol
diers in the World war "Yanks." That
seemed TO clinch the whole matter. and
broadly it indeed justifes the New
York Herald's claim that all Ameri
cans Of the United States are Yankees.
Is il too late, therefore, for New
Englanders TO attempt to reclaim the
word a. in some sense, and an honor
able sense, their peculiar designation!
We think not, and at all events we
hope not. There is still virtue in the
ancient word as applied to New Eng
landcrs since. II, in Illinois or Mon
tana, a man is described by his neigh
bors a. Yankee" everyone knows
what il meant. II he were not New
Englander. what use would there be in
applying the special name 10 himf In
the dictionari no matter what ex-
tensions they may presently bestow
upon the word, the primary and all
important definition Of yankee" is "a
person born or living in New Eng
land What else i a "Yankeeism"
but a New England locutioni What
else j. a New Highlander still called. to
point him of from his ccunirynen who
are 20 unfortunate a. 70 be born vest
Of the York state line or Lake Cham
plain, but Yankee The term i our
hirthright We are bonored when 9th
ers eek to share IL. but we are not yet
ready to sign a quit-claim deed 70 H.
II i New Engiand's still.-Boston
Transcript.