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UNivERsmy 

PENNSYI\5\NIA. 
LIBRARIES 


THE    PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN    SOCIETY. 


HENRY    HARBAUGH. 

B.     OCTOBER    28.     1817.  D.     DECEMBER    28.     1867. 

WAYNESBORO.    PA. 


penn8i2lvania*(3ecman  2)ialect 
Mrftings  anb  tbeir  Mriters 


A  Paper  Prepared  at  the  Request 
OF  THE  Pennsylvania-German  Society 


BY 


HARRY  HESS  REICHARD,  Ph.D. 

Member  of  the  Modern  Language  Association  of  America;  Member  of  the  New 

Jersey  Modern  Language  Teachers'  Association;  Member  of  the 

Pennsylvania-German  Society;  Teacher  of  German  in 

the  Atlantic  City,  New  Jersey,  High  School 


LANCASTER,   PA. 
1918 


Copyrighted  1918 

BY  THE 

^nnetlvaniacOerman  Societt. 


PRESS  OF 

THE  NEW  ERA  PRINTING  COMPANY 

LANCASTER,  PA. 


T    T    T    T 


o 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Acknowledgment vii 

Foreword  ix 

Introduction i 

I.  Not  a  History  of  the  Literary  Activity  of  the  Ger- 
mans of  Pennsylvania 13 

n.  Raison  d'etre — ^What  This  Work  Is  and  Why.  ...  20 

III.  What  the  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Is 25 

IV.  What  Pennsylvania  German  Is  Not 27 

V.  Why  There  Is  a  Dialect  Literature 28 

VI.  The     Range     of     Pennsylvania-German     Dialect 
Poetry  and  the  Types  of  Pennsylvania-German 

Dialect-Writing 37 

VII.  A  Word  about  the  Arrangement 45 

The  Earlier  Period  and  Writers  No  Longer  Living 46 

1.  Miller,  Louis   46 

2.  Rondthaler,  Emanuel 49 

3.  Harbaugh,  Henry,  Best  Known,  Most  Popular.  ...  54 

4.  Rauch,  Edward  H.,  the  Old  Nestor 74 

5.  Wollenweber,  Ludwig  A.,  a  Pennsylvania-German 

by  Preference    loo 

6.  Fisher,  Henry  L.,  the  Poetic  Chronicler  of  Com- 

munity and  Home  Life 105 

iii 


iv  Table  of  Contents. 

Page. 

7.  Home,  Abraham  R.,  the  Educator ii8 

8.  Rupp,  Israel  D.,  the  Antiquarian 129 

9.  B runner,  David  B.,  Newspaper  Writer,  Occasional 

Poems 131 

10.  Grumbine,  Lee  Light,  Editor,  Poet 137 

11.  Mays,  George,  Occasional  Poems 150 

12.  Shuler,  Henry  A.,  Editor 155 

13.  Miller,  Daniel,  Newspaper  Writer,  Collector 158 

14.  Hoffman,   Walter  J.,   Scientist,   Compiler  of   Dic- 

tionary      162 

15.  Zimmerman,  Thomas  C,  Translator 164 

16.  Hermany,  Edward,  Satirist 178 

17.  Dissinger,     Moses,     The     Pennsylvania     German 

"  Billy  "  Sunday   180 

The  Later  Period :  Writers  Still  Living. 

18.  Eshelman,  Edgar  M 188 

19.  Grumbine,  Ezra,  Song  Writer,  Satirist,  Dramatist.  .  192 

20.  Harter,  Thomas  H.,  "  Boonastiel  " 203 

21.  Henninger,  Milton  G.,  Songster  and  Prophet 210 

22.  Keller,  Eli,  a  Writer  of  Great  Charm — "  Der  Kalen- 

nermann "    216 

23.  Lins,    James    C,    Newspaper   Writer,    Dictionary- 

maker   221 

24.  Meyer,  Henry    225 

25.  Miller,    Harvey   M.    ("Solly   Hulsbuck"),    Some- 

what after  the  Manner  of  Walt  Mason 229 

26.  More,  Charles  C,  Story  Writer 241 

27.  Newhard,  Elwood  L.,  the  Singer 254 

28.  Rhoads,  Thomas  J.  B.,  Occasional  Poetry 267 

29.  Stump,  Adam,  Occasional  Poetry 269 


Table  of  Contents.  v 


Page. 


30.  Weitzel,  Louisa,  One  of  the  Few  Women  Writers. .  275 

31.  Wuchter,  Astor  C,  One  of  the  Most  Voluminous  of 

Living  Poets 279 

32.  Ziegler,  Charles  C,  The  Poet  Laureate 285 

Conclusions    313 

Bibliography  of  Newspapers,  Magazines,  Reviews,  Books  and 

Other  Publications  cited   321 

Bibliography  For  Writers  Not  Specially  Treated 333 

Index  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Literature 336 

Abbreviations   Used    336 

1.  Poetry   338 

2.  Prose   372 

3.  Dictionaries  and  Word  Lists  396 

4.  A  Partial  List  of  Newspapers  Now,  or  at  One  Time, 

Publishers  of  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Selec- 
tions     398 


TO  DR.  SAMUEL  P.  HEILMAN. 

♦irT  is  eminently  due  him  here  to  say  in  this  open  way 
■■  and  in  a  dedicatory  sense  that  the  inception  of  this 
work  is  entirely  due  to  my  friend  and  fellow-member  of 
the  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Dr.  S.  P.  Heilman, 
formerly  of  Heilman  Dale,  Lebanon  County,  now  of  Leb- 
anon, Pa. 

Furthermore,  during  the  period  of  its  preparation  Dr. 
Heilman  unceasingly  gave  the  project  his  strongest  sup- 
port, in  many  ways  promoted  its  progress,  was  a  source 
of  inspiration  to  the  writer  all  through,  and  but  for  the 
fact  that  he  tided  it  over  certain  critical  periods,  the  work 
might  never  have  reached  completion.  Whatever  merit 
the  Society  may  mete  the  writer  of  this  work,  his  own 
tribute  to  his  friend  and  co-worker  is  clear  and  explicit. 

To  enumerate  those  who  have  generously  furnished  in- 
formation would  be  to  name  almost  everybody  whose  name 
appears  herein,  or  some  member  of  their  families.  This 
opportunity  is  taken  to  express  to  them  all  sincere  grati- 
tude. 

Editor  and  Compiler. 


Vll 


FOREWORD. 

HT  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Society  held  at  Norris- 
town,  November  2,  19 16,  the  following  report  was 
submitted,  and  as  in  it  is  recited  the  inception,  progress 
and  completion  of  this  work  it  is  placed  here  as  a  fitting 
foreword. 

To  THE  Pennsylvania-German  Society  : 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society,  held  at  Lancaster, 
November  5,  1908,  Dr.  S.  P.  Heilman  offered  a  resolu- 
tion, which  was  adopted,  providing  for  the  appointment 
of  a  Committee  of  the  Society  to  compile  a  bibliography 
of  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Literature.  (Page  22, 
Vol.  XIX.) 

No  further  action  was  taken  as  to  this  matter,  so  far 
as  the  Society  was  concerned,  until  the  meeting  at  York, 
October  14,  19 10,  where  and  when  a  Committee  was  named 
to  undertake  the  compilation  ordered  in  the  resolution 
adopted  at  Lancaster  two  years  previously.  This  Com- 
mittee consisted  of  S.  P.  Heilman,  M.D.,  Heilman  Dale, 
Pa.;  Rev.  A.  Stapleton,  D.D.,  Williamsport,  Pa.;  Daniel 
Miller,  Reading,  Pa.;  Prof.  L.  Oscar  Kuhns,  Ph.D., 
Middletown,  Conn.;  Prof.  Harry  H.  Reichard,  Ph.D., 
State  College,  Pa.;  Rev.  John  Baer  Stoudt,  Northampton, 
Pa.,  and  Edwin  C.  Jellett,  Germantown,  Pa.  (P.  26, 
Vol.  XXL)      Two  of  these  appointees,  namely,  Rev.  Dr. 

ix 


X  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Stapleton  and  Daniel  Miller,  have  since  then  departed 
this  life. 

The  Committee  agreed  that  Prof.  Reichard  should  act 
as  editor  for  the  Committee,  as  he  had  already  given  the 
matter  of  a  bibliography  of  Pennsylvania-German  Litera- 
ture considerable  study  and  had  also  gathered  much  ma- 
terial along  that  line. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  held  at  Harrisburg,  Oc- 
tober 20,  191 1,  a  first  report  as  to  the  progress  made  on 
the  bibliography  was  submitted  by  your  Committee,  and 
manuscript  matter,  compiled  to  the  extent  of  about  400 
pages,  was  laid  before  the  Society.  In  illustration  of  the 
textual  content  of  said  manuscript  Prof.  Reichard  also 
read  to  the  Society  the  chapter  on  Charles  Calvin  Ziegler, 
one  of  the  many  Pennsylvania-German  poets  portrayed  in 
the  bibliography.  The  action  then  was  referring  the  sub- 
mitted manuscript  to  Rev.  Dr.  Schmauk  for  his  review  and 
report  to  the  Society's  Executive  Committee. 

On  September  5,  19 12,  a  conference  on  the  part  of  Prof. 
Reichard,  editor,  and  Dr.  Heilman,  chairman,  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Bibliography,  was  held  at  Lebanon  with  Dr. 
Schmaulc,  at  which  time  the  latter  in  a  general  way  signi- 
fied his  approval  of  the  Index  matter  as  far  as  it  had  then 
been  compiled,  but  suggested  the  insertion  of  an  introduc- 
tory chapter  with  particular  relation  to  the  writings  of  Pas- 
torius,  Falckner,  John  Peter  Miller,  Conrad  Weiser,  Con- 
rad Beisel,  Bishops  Kammerhof  and  Spangenberg,  Boehm, 
Muhlenberg,  Sower,  and  others  of  the  pre-  and  post-revo- 
lutionary period  as  the  fountain  heads  of  a  Pennsylvania- 
German  Literature. 

Reports  of  progress  on  the  Index  project  were  made  by 
the  Committee  on  Index  at  the  meetings  of  the  Society 
held  at  Riegelsville,  October  4,  19 12,  and  at  Philadelphia, 
October  17,  1913. 


Foreword. 


XI 


At  a  meeting  held  In  Reading,  June  24,  19 15,  at- 
tended by  Drs,  Schmauk,  Sachse,  and  Nead,  Rev.  Mr. 
Stoudt,  Prof.  Relchard  and  Dr.  Hellman,  this  Introduc- 
tory chapter  drawn  up  along  lines  suggested  by  Dr. 
Schmauk,  September  5,  19 12,  was  submitted  by  Prof. 
Relchard,  gone  over  by  those  present  at  the  meeting,  a  few 
changes  made  as  to  minor  points,  the  suggestions  of  Dr. 
Sachse  commended  to  Prof.  Relchard,  and  then  an  under- 
standing arrived  at  that  the  Index  matter  shall  appear  in 
Vol.  26  or  27  of  the  Society's  publications.  At  the  same 
meeting  the  Index  title  was  changed  from  an  Index  of 
Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Literature  to  Pennsylvania- 
German  Dialect  Writings  and  Their  Writers. 

This  In  brief  Is  a  hurried  review  of  this  Index  project, 
from  the  time  of  Its  inception  at  Lancaster  eight  years 
ago  to  the  present  time,  and  may  be  taken  as  a  final  report 
from  your  Committee  on  Index,  appointed  six  years  ago. 
The  Index  manuscript  is  ready,  and  awaits  the  call  of 
your  Publication  Committee. 

Your  Committee  cannot  close  Its  report  without  con- 
gratulating the  Society  on  Its  acquisition  In  this  Index  of 
something  that  will  add  so  materially  to  its  other  valuable 
publications,  and  without  expressing  its  deep  appreciation 
of  the  long,  arduous  and  masterly  work  done  by  the  Com- 
mittee's editor,  Prof.  Relchard,  in  compiling  the  Index 
material,  an  accomplishment  for  which  the  Society  can 
well  be  profoundly  grateful. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

S.  P.  Heilman, 
Jno.  Baer  Stoudt, 
Of  the  Index  Committee. 

NORRISTOWN,  Pa., 

November  2,  1916. 


.  INTRODUCTION. 

I.  Not  a  History  of  the  Literary  Activity  of  the 
Germans  of  Pennsylvania. 

'^'HE  present  work  does  not  concern  itself  with  the  llt- 
^^  erary  activity  of  the  German  settlers  of  Pennsyl- 
vania which  found  expression  in  the  literary  language  of 
their  native  land,  the  High  German  language,  nor  yet 
with  their  productions  in  the  language  of  their  adopted 
country — the  English  language. 

Ellis  Paxon  Oberholzer  in  his  "  Literary  Philadelphia  " 
says:  "  It  has  not  been  fair  in  the  past,  nor  is  it  just  to-day, 
to  leave  out  of  account  the  intellectual  activity  of  the  Ger- 
mans who  so  soon  followed  the  Quakers  to  Pennsylvania. 
Through  the  industrious  research  of  patient  antiquarians 
like  Pennypacker,  Sachse  and  Seidensticker  justice  is  be- 
ing done  to  their  memory.  They  spoke,  wrote  and  printed 
in  another,  and  a  despised  language.  Indeed,  many  were 
fluent  masters  of  several  languages  as  well  as  of  their  own, 
the  German.  They  were  the  flower  of  the  Continental 
universities,  wherefore  they  were  not  understood  by  the 
English  colonists,  for  the  most  part  men  of  less  erudition." 

The  very  first  German  immigrant  to  Pennsylvania, 
Francis  Daniel  Pastorius,  who  landed  at  Philadelphia  on 
August  20,  1683,  ^  f^w  weeks  before  the  first  shipload  of 

13 


14  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

German  Colonists,  seems  to  have  felt  that  in  accepting 
citizenship  in  William  Penn's  colony  it  was  incumbent  on 
him  and  his  people  to  learn  the  language  of  the  colony, 
and  in  1697  he  published  "A  New  Primer,  or  Methodical 
Directions  to  attain  the  true  spelling,  reading  and  writing 
of  English  " — the  first  book  of  its  kind  in  America. 

A  similar  thought  must  have  been  in  the  mind  of 
Johannes  Kelpius,  the  leader  of  the  Mystics,  who  settled 
on  the  Wissahickon,  for  one  of  the  two  MS.  volumes 
which  he  left  contains  a  number  of  hymns  with  the  musical 
score.  The  hymns  are  in  German  and  English,  and  on 
opposite  pages.  Kelpius  was  educated  at  the  University 
of  Altdorf,  and  arrived  in  Philadelphia  in  1694;  he  died 
in  1708.  The  other  MS.  volume  he  left  is  a  Latin  diary 
and  copies  of  his  letters  to  members  of  his  faith  in  Europe. 

Much  of  the  history  of  the  intellectual  activity  of  the 
Germans  of  Pennsylvania  during  the  eighteenth  century 
can  be  summed  up  in  the  history  of  the  Sauer  press, 
founded  1739.  In  illustration  of  the  fact  above  stated  it 
is  to  be  noted  that  Sauer  published  in  175 1  an  English 
German  Grammar  of  287  pages  and  that  the  same  was 
reprinted  in  1762  and  again  in  1772.  A  complete  list, 
as  at  present  known,  of  the  publications  of  the  Sauer  press 
between  the  years  1739  and  1797  is  to  be  found  in  Flory's 
"Literary  Activity  of  the  Baptist  Brethren,"  and  among 
the  372  works  issued  (newspapers  and  magazines  are 
counted  as  one  for  each  year  of  issue)  there  is  a  consid- 
erable number  in  the  English  language. 

In  line  with  the  same  movement  G.  H.  E.  Muhlenberg 
published  in  18 12  at  Lancaster  a  German-English  and 
English-German  Dictionary. 

In  order  to  illustrate  the  nature  of  the  writings  of  the 
early  German  settlers  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  language  of 


Pennsylvania'Gertnan  Dialect  Writings.  15 

their  native  land,  a  few  illustrations  will  be  briefly  cited. 
The  facts  are  gleaned  for  the  most  part  from  the  writings 
of  Hausmann,  Seipt,  Flory,  Pennypacker,  Seidensticker, 
Sachse  and  Learned. 

Of  Francis  Daniel  Pastorius,  the  German  Pioneer  and 
founder  of  Germantown,  Learned  says:  "In  spite  of  the 
untoward  condition  of  his  lot,  he  became  the  most  many- 
sided  literary  man  in  America,  far  outclassing  Cotton 
Mather,  his  famous  Puritan  contemporary  in  the  Bay  Col- 
ony. The  range  of  his  activity  has  scarcely  found  a 
parallel  in  America  from  that  day  to  this."  He  had 
studied  at  the  Universities  of  Altdorf,  Basel,  Strassburg, 
and  Jena,  and  was  thoroughly  versed  in  Greek,  Latin, 
German,  French,  Italian,  Dutch,  and  English.  From 
1664  there  are  extant  two  of  his  letters,  one  to  his  parents 
and  another  to  friends,  containing  "Sichere  Nachricht 
aus  Amerika  wegen  der  Landschaft  Pennsylvania."  In 
1688  he,  with  three  fellow  colonists,  presented  to  the 
Quaker  meeting  the  first  formal  protest  in  America  against 
slavery.  If  he  was  not  the  author  (the  style  indicates 
that  he  was)  one  of  the  other  Pennsylvania  Germans  was, 
or  in  all  probability  all  four  who  signed  the  document 
shared  in  the  authorship.  His  Primer  on  the  study  of 
English,  published  in  1697,  has  already  been  mentioned. 
In  the  same  year  there  appeared  in  Germany,  as  an  Ap- 
pendix to  a  work  published  by  his  father:  "  Kurtze  Geo- 
graphische  Beschreibung  der  letztmals  erfundene  Ameri- 
kanischen  Landschaft  Pennsylvania  mit  angehenckten 
einigen  notablen  Begebenheiten  und  Bericht  Schreiben  an 
dessen  Herrn  Vattern,  Patrioten  und  Freunde."  In  1700, 
this  was  published  as  a  separate  volume  of  132  pages — 
"Umstandige  Beschreibung."  This  was  still  further  en- 
larged in  the  second  edition  of  1704.      Finally,  so  as  not 


i6  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

to  rehearse  at  too  great  length  what  has  been  said  else- 
where, there  is  his  large  folio  MS.  "The  Beehive."  To 
quote  once  more  from  Learned:  "  It  is  safe  to  say,  that  of 
all  the  original  Pennsylvania-German  documents  repre- 
senting European  culture  in  the  colonial  period,  the  most 
interesting  and  extensive  is  the  unicum,  the  folio  MS.  left 
by  Francis  Daniel  Pastorius,  the  Pennsylvania  Pilgrim, 
the  founder  of  Germantown.  This  document,  containing 
Pastorius'  Beehive  or  bee  stock,  is  the  Magna  Charta  of 
German  culture  in  colonial  America  and  a  veritable  specu- 
lum scientiariim  of  the  seventeenth  century — the  first 
American  Encyclopedia,  antedating  the  epoch  of  the 
French  encyclopedists.     Whittier  writes: 

At  evening  while  his  wife  puts  on  her  look 
Of  love's  endurance,  from  its  niche  he  took 
The  written  pages  of  his  ponderous  book 
And  read  In  half  the  languages  of  man 
His  **  Rusca  Apium  "  which  with  bees  began 
And  through  the  gamut  of  creation  ran. 

Heinrich  Koster,  another  of  the  band  of  Wissahickon 
Mystics,  educated  at  Breslau,  published,  in  the  course  of 
a  religious  controversy,  a  Latin  thesis,  being  the  first  Latin 
book  written  in  Pennsylvania;  because  Pennsylvania  had 
no  printer  then,  he  tried  to  have  it  published  in  New  York 
but  Bradford  declined  for  want  of  a  proof  reader  to  do 
the  work  Intelligently;  It  was  finally  published  1702,  in 
LIppe-Detmold.  During  the  same  controversy  appeared 
"  Ein  Bericht  an  alle  Bekenner  und  Schriftsteller,"  1696  or 
1697,  published  for  him  in  New  York,  the  first  German 
work  written  and  printed  in  America. 

The  most  important  work  of  Daniel  Falckner,  and  one 
of  the  most  important  books  for  the  history  of  conditions 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  ly 

in  early  Pennsylvania,  is  "  Curieuse  Nachricht  von  Penn- 
sylvania in  Nord  Amerika  "  (the  original,  and  a  transla- 
tion by  Julius  F.  Sachse,  Litt.D.,  are  in  the  Proceedings 
OF  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society). 

Religion  having  been  the  impelling  factor  in  the  col- 
onization of  the  State,  it  was  natural  that  if  there  was  any 
literature,  its  cast  would  be  in  the  main  religious.     In 
1728   Conrad  Beisel,  of  the  Ephrata   Community,  pub- 
lished "Das  Biichlein  vom  Sabbath,"  in  1728  "Ein  Ehe- 
biichlein,"  and  also  on  Franklin's  press  "  Gottliche  Liebes 
und  Lobes  Gethone,"  these  as  hymns;  in  1732  and  1736 
two  other  volumes  of  hymns.     In  the  Chronicon  Ephre- 
tense  we  read  "  Ein  heiliger  Trieb,  um  Theil  zu  haben  an 
dem  Grossen  Lieder-Vorrath  welcher  die  Erweckten  in 
Deutschland  haben  ans  Licht  gebracht,  hat  die  Einsamen 
bewegt  eine  Sammlung  gedachter  Lieder  zu  unternehmen, 
welche  auch  damals  daselbst  in  der  hernach  so  beriihmten 
Hochdeutschen  Buch  Druckerey  unter  dem  Titel,  '  Zioni- 
tischer  Weyrauchshugel'   ist  ans  Licht  getreten."     The 
"Weyrauchshiigel"  consists  of  654  hymns  with  an  ap- 
pendix of  37  more,  published  in  1739  by  the  new  press  of 
Christopher  Sauer.     In  1747,  1755,  1756   (2  volumes), 
and  in  1776  other  hymn  books  appeared  from  the  Eph- 
rata Press,  most  of  these  latter  were  by  Beissel.     Speak- 
ing of  some  of  these  hymns  written  on  the  walls  of  the 
chambers  in  the  Sisters  House  at  Ephrata,   Hausmann 
says :  "  These  Alexandrines  are  equal  if  not  superior  to  any 
hymns  written  abroad  in  the  eighteenth  century." 

In  173 1  Sauer  published  "Eine  Ernstliche  Ermahnung 
an  Junge  und  Alte" — and  the  same  year  began  "Der 
Hoch  Deutsch  Amerikanische  Kalendar."  Two  poems 
are  also  known  to  have  been  issued  from  this  press  in  the 
same  year.    In  1739  also  came:  "Ein  A,  B,  C,  und  Buch- 


1 8  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

stabierbuch,"  and  the  newspaper,  Der  Hoch  Deutsch 
Pennsylvanische  Geschicht  Schreiber.  In  1741  from  the 
pen  of  Sauer:  "Eine  Betrachtung  des  Lasters  der  Trun- 
kenheit " — showing  the  Pennsylvania  German's  early  in- 
terest in  temperance.  In  1744:  "  Verschiedene  Alte  und 
Neuere  Geschichten  von  Erscheinungen  von  Geister." 
This  book  of  ghost  stories  was  reprinted  in  1748,  1755  and 
1792.  In  1755:  "Hochst  notige  Warnung  und  Erinne- 
rung  an  die  freye  Einwohner  der  Provintz  Pennsylvania  " 
— a  political  address  by  Sauer. 

Christopher  Dock,  a  Mennonite,  wrote  hymns,  some  of 
which  are  still  used,  and  in  1770  Sauer  published  his  "  Ein- 
faltige  und  grundlich  abgefasste  Schulordnung,"  the  first 
work  on  pedagogy  in  this  country  in  any  language.  Full 
treatment  of  Dock  is  to  be  found  in  the  writings  of  Sachse, 
Pennypacker  and  Brumbaugh. 

The  English  Grammar  of  175 1  has  been  mentioned. 
From  1764  to  1772  was  published  the  GeistUches  Maga- 
zine, one  of  the  first  magazines  of  any  kind  to  appear  in 
the  colonies.  In  1770:  "Ein  Ross  Artzney  Biichlein," 
200  pages,  was  published. 

The  greater  part  of  the  publications  of  the  Sauer  press 
naturally  were  religious  or  moral  treatises — the  number 
includes  the  three  famous  quarto  Bibles,  Sauer's  greatest 
triumph,  seven  New  Testament  printings,  several  books  of 
the  Psalms  and  one  Children's  Bible.  He  published 
hymn  books  for  the  Dunker,  Lutheran,  Reformed,  Men- 
nonite, Schwenkfelder  and  Moravian  churches,  for  the 
Ephrata  Community  and  several  undenominational  hymn 
books.  Not  all  of  these  contained  new  or  American  prod- 
ucts but  many  of  them  did;  nor  should  the  work  of  the 
translators  be  passed  over:  George  Whitfield's  sermons 
were  issued  in  German,  also  Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress," 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  19 

before  ever  an  English  edition  was  published  in  this 
country.  The  above  summary  is  intended  merely  to  give 
some  idea  as  to  the  variety  of  the  productions  of  the 
German  writers.  Politics,  botany,  medicine,  poetry,  re- 
ligion, pedagogy,  hymnology,  school  texts,  astronomy, 
music,  temperance — these  are  some  of  the  subjects  that 
engaged  their  attention.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  Sower 
firm  has  continued  to  be  an  influence  in  the  book  world  to 
this  day. 

Hausmann  has  counted  twenty-seven  hymn  writers  to 
1800,  but  the  number  is  much  larger,  as  more  recent  in- 
vestigators have  shown,  A.  A.  Seipt  having  added  eight 
names  from  the  Schwenkfelders,  none  of  whom  were 
known  to  Hausmann,  all  but  one  before  1800.  Zinzen- 
dorf,  the  most  prolific  of  the  Moravian  writers,  composed 
over  2,000  hymns  before  his  return  to  Europe,  and  of 
these  Bishop  Spangenberg  wrote:  "Nowhere  else  have 
been  composed  such  beautiful  and  edifying  hymns  for 
shepherds,  ploughers,  threshers,  reapers,  spinners,  knitters, 
weavers  and  others.  They  would  fill  a  whole  farmer's 
hymn  book." 

To  the  works  of  the  early  colonial  period  must  be  added 
such  important  historical  documents  as  Pastor  Muhlen- 
berg's letters  to  the  orphanage  at  Halle,  the  now  famous 
"  Hallesche  Nachrichten,"  Bishop  Cammerhof's  "  Letters 
and  Diary,"  and  John  Philip  Boehm's  "  Reports  to  the 
Coetus  of  the  Reformed  Church  In  Holland."  The 
translation  and  publication  by  the  monks  at  Ephrata  of 
the  "  Martyrer  Spiegel,"  a  massive  folio,  was  itself  a 
monumental  achievement,  not  to  mention  all  the  other  pro- 
ductions of  the  Ephrata  cloister.  There  were  also  other 
German  presses  in  Pennsylvania,  at  one  time  more  Ger- 
man presses  than  English. 


20  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

To  investigate  the  number  and  the  nature  of  the  writ- 
ings of  these  people  in  the  language  of  their  Fatherland 
would  be  a  fruitful  subject  of  study,  no  less  than  a  similar 
study  of  their  literary  productions  in  the  English  lan- 
guage. The  present  work  has  nothing  to  do  with  either 
of  these  subjects. 

It  is  not  a  history  of  the  literary  activity  of  the  Penn- 
vania  Germans;  it  does  not  concern  itself  with  anything 
that  they  have  written  in  German  or  in  English. 

II.  What  this  Work  is,  and  Why. 

The  present  writer  was  encouraged  to  undertake  this 
study  partly  because  of  words  like  these  from  so  eminent 
an  authority  as  Rev.  John  S.  Stahr,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
late  President  of  Franklin  and  Marshall  College:  "Art, 
science  and  all  the  varied  interests  which  pertain  to  the 
national  life  at  large  are  expressed  in  the  literary  language, 
but  those  peculiar  and  to  some  extent  deeper  traits  which 
find  expression  in  the  domestic  life  and  the  daily  walk  and 
conversation  of  the  people  are  naturally  clothed  in  the 
form  of  a  dialect.  The  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  in 
this  way  effectively  expresses  the  simplicity,  honesty,  inno- 
cence, pathos  and  beauty  of  the  daily  life  of  these  people 
and  the  experiences  which  they  have  made  as  part  of  their 
history.  There  is  certainly  room,  therefore,  for  the  study 
of  such  literature  as  they  have  produced  on  this  plane." 

And  again:  "If  Josh  Billings  and  Hans  Breitmann 
with  their  corrupt  and  mongrel  English  serve  to  amuse 
and  are  said  to  be  not  without  merit  by  persons  who  ought 
to  be  critics — If  these  productions,  the  language  and  or- 
thography of  which  are  very  often  made  up  to  serve  a 
purpose,  may  exhibit  certain  phases  of  American  life,  and 
thus  have  some  literary  value,  how  much  more  is  this  the 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  21 

case  with  our  Pennsylvania-German  poems.  Here  every 
word  to  a  Pennsylvania  German  is  a  sound  from  home, 
every  description  a  vivid  picture,  every  expression  strikes 
a  chord  in  the  soul  that  thrills  every  nerve,  and  the  echoes 
of  which  haunt  the  spirit  after  the  sound  itself  has  died 
away." 

This  more  comprehensive  study  was  undertaken  be- 
cause, although  the  writers  of  the  dialect  are  often  alluded 
to,  and  frequently  in  these  days  spoken  of  in  commenda- 
tory terms,  yet  not  one  of  these  works  gives  the  reader 
any  idea  of  the  body  of  these  productions,  how  vast  it  Is, 
how  complete  its  descriptions  of  Pennsylvania-German  life, 
or  how  many  the  writers  who  have  tried  their  hands  at 
turning  a  rhyme. 

To  note  a  few  representative  works  where  these  dialect 
writers  and  their  writings  have  been  briefly  described  : 
Oscar  Kuhns.     "  German  and  Swiss  Settlements  in  Penn- 
sylvania," Chapter  V,  p.   121  ff. — only  three  poets 
are  briefly  discussed,  a  fourth  is  mentioned  in  a  foot- 
note; and  one  prose  writer. 
Karl  Knortz.     "  Streifziige  auf  dem  Gebiete  Amerikani- 
scher  Volkskunde,"  p.  76  ff.  speaks  of  only  two  poets; 
and  in  his  "Geschichte  der  Nord  Amerikanischen 
Litteratur,"  Vol.  II,  p.  190  ff.,  three  writers  are  men- 
tioned. 
Julius  Goebel.     "Das  Deutschthum  in  den  Vereinigten 
Staaten  von  Nord  Amerika  "  refers  to  one  poet,  p.  30. 
The  collection  *'  Deutsch  in  Amerika  "  edited  by  Dr.  G. 
U.  Zimmerman,  Chicago,  describes  three  writers,  pp. 
xlv  and  245  ff. 
Georg  von  Bosse.     "  Das  Deutsche  Element  in  den  Ve- 
reinigten Staaten,"  p.  436,  mentions  one  writer  and 
one  volume  of  collected  poems. 


22  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Albert  Bernhardt  Faust.  "The  German  Element  in  the 
United  States"  discusses  two  poets,  Vol.  II,  p.  340; 
and  gives  a  somewhat  fuller  list  in  the  bibliography. 

In  the  case  of  the  works  above  cited,  it  is  invariably  the 
same  authors  that  are  discussed.  In  all  about  half  a  dozen 
different  writers  are  mentioned.  Professor  Faust,  in  the 
latest  authoritative  work  that  mentions  the  literature,  is 
able  to  give  less  than  two  pages  to  it,  but  says  it  is  "  re- 
freshing and  historically  valuable."  If  this  be  true  it 
ought  to  be  worth  while  to  have  a  more  extended  knowl- 
edge of  it. 

"  In  poetry,"  says  Kuhns,  "  much  more  of  a  higher  sort 
has  been  written,  generally,  however,  in  the  form  of  trans- 
lations from  the  English,  and  occasional  poetry  appearing 
for  the  most  part  in  newspapers  or  recited  on  festive  occa- 
sions." The  fact  that  for  a  short  time  a  magazine  was 
published  in  the  dialect  does  not  seem  to  be  known  to  any 
one  that  has  written  about  the  dialect  literature  (cf. 
Rauch).  An  Almanac  in  the  dialect  (see  Keller)  is  men- 
tioned in  the  "  Americana-Germanica  " ;  another  one  (see 
Schuler)  has  been  found.  The  prose  written  in  the  form 
of  weekly  letters  to  a  large  number  of  newspapers  has  a 
value  and  an  interest  that  has  never  received  its  due  ap- 
preciation (cf.  Grumbine,  H.  Miller,  Harter,  Rauch,  Zim- 
merman, Lins,  D.  Brunner). 

Moreover  the  present  writer  has  for  many  years  been 
a  collector  and  believes  that  he  has  in  his  possession,  or 
has  seen,  all  the  books  that  have  ever  been  written  in  the 
dialect.  He  has  also  collected  poems  of  the  kind  men- 
tioned by  Kuhns,  and  now  has  a  very  large  number  in  his 
collection  (some  of  these  have  never  appeared  in  print)  ; 
and,  therefore,  believes  that  he  can  give,  or  has  given,  a 
much  fuller  and  more  comprehensive  view  than  has  ever 
appeared  heretofore. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  23 

In  the  third  place  by  a  more  detailed  Investigation  of 
the  circumstances  connected  with  the  productions  of  any 
individual  writer,  It  is  believed  that  a  means  has  been  found 
to  mediate  between  widely  divergent  views.  For  instance, 
Karl  Knortz,  In  discussing  Fischer,  one  of  the  two  poets 
mentioned  by  him,  says:  "EIner  der  neuesten  Beltrager 
zur  Pennsylvanlsch-deutschen  LItteratur  .  .  .  bildet,  um 
es  kurz  und  bundig  zu  sagen  das  allertraurigste  Erzeugnis 
derselben."  "  Der  Verfasser  der  noch  nicht  einmal  seine 
sogenannte  '  Muttersprache '  kennt,  steht  mit  den  Regeln 
der  DIchtkunst  auf  gespanntem  Fusse,"  and  then  goes  on 
to  show  that  the  book  has  no  legitimate  excuse  to  justify 
its  existence.  It  Is  of  the  same  man  and  the  same  book 
that  Dr.  Zimmerman  In  his  collection,  "  Deutsch  in  Ame- 
rlka,"  says:  "Von  Natur  mit  gesundem  Humor  begabt, 
schrieb  er  viele  Gedichte  und  Sklzzen  in  Pennsylvanisch- 
deutscher  Mundart,  das  AUtagsleben  der  Deutschen  In 
Pennsylvanlen  meisterhaft  schildernd."  And  again  this 
same  man  and  this  same  work  is  referred  to  by  Prof. 
Faust  when  he  says :  "  The  two  most  prominent  poets,  for 
such  a  title  may  be  bestowed  upon  them,"  and  when  he 
says:  "This  poetical  literature  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
mans Is  one  of  the  few  original  notes  in  American  lyrical 
poetry." 

To  cite  another  instance  of  widely  divergent  critical 
views:  In  the  "  Friedensbote,"  published  at  Allentown, 
Pennsylvania,  a  Pennsylvania  German  writes  a  letter  in 
the  dialect,  apropos  of  the  book  to  be  Issued  on  and  in 
the  dialect  by  Dr.  Home,  then  principal  of  The  Key- 
stone State  Normal  School  at  Kutztown,  Pennsylvania. 
After  discussing  the  ancestry  of  the  dialect,  he  proceeds 
to  consider  the  books  that  have  been  written  in  the 
dialect,  with  a  view  to  giving  the  prospective  author  ad- 


24  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

vice  as  to  what  errors  of  former  writers  he  must  avoid. 
The  particular  paragraph  that  I  have  at  present  in  mind  I 
give  in  the  original  dialect:  "  Nau,  wann  du  dra'  gehst  for 
sel  Buch  schrelwe  los  des  verhenkert  Englisch  Kauder- 
welsch  haus  wo  gar  net  in  unser  Sproch  g'hort.  Ich  arge 
mich  allemol  schwarz  un  bio  wann  so  dumm  stoff  gedruckt 
un  in  die  Welt  g'schlckt  werd  wo  Pennsylvanlsch  deitsch 
sei  soil,  awer  lauter  geloga  is.  'S  is  uns  vorlaschtert  wo 
mirs  net  verdient  hen.  Un  wann  del  Buch  mol  fertig  is 
un's  kummt  mir  unner  die  Finger  un  's  Is  so  'n  elendiger 
Wisch  wie  kerzUch  eener  in  Fildelfi  raus  kunime  is,  dann 
ufgebasst — for  dann  verhechel  ich  dich  dass  du  aussehnst 
wie  verhudelt  Schwingwerk,  un  die  Leut  dich  for'n  Spuks 
awgucke." 

"  Schinnerhannes  vom  Calmushlwel." 

The  above  is  the  opinion  expressed  by  a  Pennsylvania 
German  editor,  of  a  book  published  In  Philadelphia,  "  Ge- 
malde  aus  dem  Pennsylvanlschen  Volksleben;  Schllderun- 
gen  und  Aufsatze  In  poetlscher  und  prosalscher  Form  in 
Mundart  und  Ausdruckswelse  der  Deutsch  Pennsylvanier," 
von  Ludwig  August  Wollenweber,  Schafer  und  KoradI, 
Philadelphia  und  Leipzig,  1869.  The  same  work  that  Is 
called  " 'N  elendiger  WIsch"  is  referred  to  by  Karl  Knortz 
as  "ein  wertvolles  Werkchen,"  and  then  he  tells  us  that 
here  we  may  expect  the  truth,  for  the  author  was  himself 
one  of  these  people,  etc. 

The  present  writer  has  tried  to  ferret  out  the  reasons 
for  these  differences  of  opinion,  and  errors  of  fact  have 
been  corrected.  Adverse  criticism  has  too  frequently 
come  from  persons  who  do  not  understand  the  dialect  or 
who  have  measured  dialect  literature  by  the  canons  of 
higher  forms  of  literature;  favorable  criticism  too  fre- 
quently from  over-zealous  defenders  of  the  dialect. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  25 

By  gathering  more  facts  than  were  at  the  disposal  of 
the  above  critics,  and  by  searching  into  the  motives  that 
induced  these  writers  to  produce  their  works,  and  by  judg- 
ing them  in  their  own  sphere  as  dialect  writings,  and  not 
by  imparing  them  with  classical  writings  of  a  written 
language,  but  rather  with  writings  in  the  various  dialects 
of  Germany,  he  has  sought  in  the  proper  places  to  mediate 
between  divergent  opinions  and  attempted  to  arrive  at  a 
true  conclusion. 

Ill:  What  the  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  is. 
The  settlers  of  Pennsylvania  that  came  to  be  known  as 
Pennsylvania  Germans  came  chiefly  from  the  valley  of  the 
Upper  Rhine,  the  Palatinate  and  Switzerland.    The  books 
they  brought  with  them  and  those  that  in  the  colony  were 
printed  were  High  German;  the  language  of  their  churches 
and  their  schools  was  High  German;  but  in  the  home,  in 
their  simple  dealings  with  each  other  they  used  the  dialects 
of  their  native  districts,  the  Lower  Franconian  and  Ale- 
mannic  dialects,  and  out  of  these  two  basic  forms  there  de- 
veloped in  Pennsylvania  an  almost  homogeneous  dialect, 
in  which,  however,  the  former  predominated.     As  time 
went  on  and  occasion  required,  a  large  number  of  Eng- 
lish words  were  pressed  into  service,  though  they  were 
always  subjected  to  dialect  inflections  and  constructions. 
Objects  for  which  there  was  no  name  in  their  speech  re- 
ceived the  English  name.     The  people  no  longer  had  any 
connection  with  the  Fatherland  except  in  matters  of  re- 
ligion,  and  gradually  acquired  the  English  language  or 
such  parts  of  it  as  their  needs  required.     With  the  acqui- 
sition of  English  it  came  about  that  the  people  never  hesi- 
tated to  draw  upon  an  English  word  when  speaking  the 
dialect  and  memory  failed  or  a  suitable  dialect  or  High 


26  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

German  word  was  missing,  or  an  English  word  served 
the  purpose  better.  The  entire  terminology  of  the  law, 
at  least  so  far  as  they  needed  it,  was  adopted  into  the 
dialect.  This  became  so  common  that  Dr.  Henry  Muh- 
lenberg and  B.  J.  Schipper  in  their  German-English  Eng- 
lish-German Dictionary,  Lancaster,  1812,  say  that  it  often 
happens  that  without  special  reflection  or  consulting  a  dic- 
tionary the  people  are  no  longer  certain  whether  they  are 
using  an  English  or  a  German  word. 

"  Durch  den  bestandigen  Umgang  mit  den  EngHschen, 
kommen  wir  so  in  die  Gewohnheit  hier  und  da  ein  Eng- 
lisches  Wort  im  Gesprache  zu  gebrauchen  das  wir  (ohne 
besonderes  Nachdenken  oder  ein  Worterbuch),  oft  nicht 
wissen  ob  es  Englisch  oder  Deutsch  ist."  And  in  an  Ap- 
pendix they  give  a  large  number  of  such  words — "  Solche 
Worte  die  wir  Deutsche  thells  wegen  dem  haufigen  Ge- 
brauch  der  EngHschen  Sprache,  theils  notgedrungen  um 
neue  Gegenstande  zu  benennen  so  zu  sagen,  in  unsere  Mut- 
tersprache  aufgenommen  haben."  A  few  of  these  words 
in  the  form  in  which  they  appear  in  the  Dictionary  are 
here  added.  Arbitrehschen  (arbitration),  Bahl  (bail), 
Dschodsch  (judge),  Kautoback  (Kau — German,  chewing 
tobacco),  Minsspie  (mince  pie),  Serdschant  (sergeant), 
Schmidtschop  (Schmidt — German,  blacksmith  shop),  Eln- 
fensen  (ein — German,  to  fence  in),  Skalp  (scalp).  Vendue 
(a  public  sale),  Quilten  (to  quilt). 

At  its  best — or  worst — the  Pennsylvania-German  dialect 
Includes  all  of  the  original  dialect  vocabulary,  a  large  num- 
ber of  words  from  High  German,  especially  religious  and 
biblical,  and  all  of  the  English  language  known  or  needed. 
Wusstman  has  correctly  said  "  Der  Mann  aus  dem  Volke 
weIss  In  den  melsten  Fallen  gar  nicht,  dasz  er  Fremdwor- 
ter  gebraucht. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  27 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  scholar  and  the  philolo- 
gist the  best  answer  to  "  What  is  Pennsylvania  German  " 
is  Prof.  M.  D.  Learned's  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect, 
Baltimore,  1889. 

IV.  What  Pennsylvania  German  is  Not. 

Not  long  since  a  well-educated  young  lady  in  New  York 
inquired  of  one  of  her  friends,  a  lawyer,  whether  he  him- 
self could  speak  that  peculiar  dialect  of  his  ancestors. 
When  he  assured  her  that  he  still  had  that  accomplish- 
ment, she  requested  that  he  give  evidence  of  his  ability 
along  those  lines.  When  he  very  glibly  proceeded  to  do  so, 
he  found  himself  promptly  cut  short  with  the  suggestion 
that  he  was  trying  to  hoodwink  her.  She  knew  exactly 
what  she  wanted,  and  began  to  illustrate  by  examples  like 
the  following:  "Did  you  hear  Lizzie,  Abe  Snyder's  wife, 
she  died  fur  him  last  night,  and  her  only  sick  a  week  yet? 
Ach,  reely  did  she  though  ?  Yes,  and  her  so  well  always 
and  him  so  sickly  that  way  all  the  time,  don't  it  now  beat 
all?"  or  "Here  is  a  algebray,  I  am  going  to  college,  I 
must  know  many  things  that  I  never  yet  heard  of  in  this 
world  and  you  are  to  learn  me."  "A  teacher  ought  to  be 
English  but  he  Is  very  Germaner  than  the  scholars." 
"Would  you  spill  the  salt  yet,  you  put  a  hex  on  every- 
thing." "  Well,  I  must  say  it  don't  look  wery  nice  of  you 
to  talk  down  on  us  and  you  living  here  with  us."  "  Firstly 
I  want  you  to  please  git  me  a  Lancaster  lawyer  to  come  out 
here  as  soon  as  you  otherwise  kin." 

It  may  be  that  some  people  talk  this  way;  to  discuss 
that  does  not  lie  within  the  province  of  this  paper;  it  is 
enough  to  say  that  it  is  not  Pennsylvania-German  dialect. 


28  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

V.  Why  there  is  a  Dialect  Literature. 

The  rustic  at  home  pokes  fun  at  the  fine  phrases  of  the 
urbanite,  while  the  city  man  ridicules  the  language  of  the 
peasant.  The  city  man,  however,  seems  to  have  more  of 
authority  and  the  countryman  is  usually  on  the  defensive. 
This  relation  subsists  also  between  the  language  and  the 
dialect,  as  soon  as  a  more  or  less  standardized  language 
is  evolved  out  of  kindred  dialects. 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  when  the  aristocratic  court  poetry 
gave  way  to  writers  representing  the  Middle  Class  spirit, 
Hugo  von  Trimmer  in  his  poem  "  Der  Renner"  thus 
apologizes  for  his  dialect: 

Ein  ieglich  mensche  sprlchet  gem 
Die  sprache,  bi  der  er  ist  erzogen ; 
Sint  miniu  wort  ein  teil  gebogen 
Gen  Franken,  nieman  daz  si  zorn, 
Wan  ich  von  Franken  bin  geborn. 

It  matters  not  what  dialect  or  what  period  we  examine, 
the  results  are  the  same;  thus  in  a  little  volume,  "  Marsch 
und  Geest:  Gedichte  in  niederdeutscher  Mundart"  von 
Franz  Poppe,  Oldenburg,  1879,  we  may  read  on  the  first 
page: 

Se  saen,  wi  Noorddiitschen 

Verstunnen  kin  Gesang 

An'n  Rhiin  un  an  de  Donau, 

Dar  harr  de  Sprak  blot  Klang. 

Dat  het  us  lang  verdraten 
Dat  se  us  so  veracht't 
As  harr'n  se't  Recht  torn  Singen 
Far  sick  alleenig  pacht't. 

Even  Goethe  had  to  defend  himself  against  the  charge 
that  his  speech  was  colored  by  South  German  dialect.     To 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  29 

this  he  replied:  "Jede  Provinz  liebt  ihren  Dialekt;  denn 
er  ist  doch  eigentlich  das  Element  in  welchem  die  Seele 
ihren  Atem  schopft." 

In  different  parts  of  the  world,  dialects  have  the  same 
reproaches  hurled  at  them,  have  the  same  prejudices  to 
contend  with.  Out  of  pure  self-defense  they  have  sought 
adequate  expression.  The  spirit  thus  arouses  itself  in  one 
of  two  ways :  in  the  one  case  men  of  poetic  bent,  often  men 
who  have  already  written  poetry  in  a  recognized  literary 
idiom,  now  at  last,  either  of  their  own  motion  or  by  re- 
quest, essay  the  rhythms  of  their  native  speech  and  bring 
forth  their  productions  with  a  defiant  "  There  now,  stand 
corrected";  on  the  other  hand,  men  will  burst  out  with 
declarations  of  their  affections  for  their  despised  tongue 
and  in  their  very  passion  create  poems.  What  is  true  of 
dialect  writing  in  general  finds  its  exemplification  in  the 
Pennsylvania  German. 

Rondthaler  wrote  his  first  poem  to  prove  a  point  (see 
Rondthaler).  Harbaugh,  who  had  already  published 
English  verse,  required  urging  before  he  ventured  to  write 
dialect  and  even  then  published  at  first  timidly,  without 
affixing  his  name.  J.  Max  Hark  wrote  "En  Hondfull 
Farsh "  as  an  experiment  and  with  those  poems  rested 
his  case  (see  Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-Ger- 
man Society,  Vol.  X.).  Lee  Light  Grumbine  began  in 
the  same  way,  and  was  encouraged  to  do  more  work  of  the 
same  kind.  Col.  Thos.  Zimmerman,  after  very  sucessfully 
translating  a  great  deal  of  German  into  English,  was  per- 
suaded to  translate  Scotch,  English  and  Irish  ballads  into 
Pennsylvania  German.  AUof  these  men  enjoyed  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance with  literature;  all  could  frame  their  thoughts 
as  readily  in  Pennsylvania  German  as  in  English.  All  had 
written  English  poetry  or  rendered  translations  into  Eng- 


30  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

lish.  To  the  last  three  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society 
had  said  in  effect,  "  Why  not  speak  for  and  in  the  dialect  ?  " 
and  this  they  proceeded  to  do,  the  last  two  continuing  the 
work  after  the  success  of  their  first  experiments  (see  the 
respective  chapters — L.  L.  Grumbine,  Zimmerman). 

To  the  second  class  belong  such  poems  as  that  of  wor- 
shipful adoration  of  his  mother  tongue  by  Adam  Stump, 
of  which  the  last  stanza  runs  thus: 

O  sanfte,  deire  Muttersproch ! 

Wie  Hunnig  fliesst  sie  darrich  mei  Sinne! 

Un  wann  ich  mol  im  Himmel  hoch 

Mei  scheene  Heemet  duh  gewinne 

Dann  heer  ich  dort  zu  meinem  Wohl 

En  Mutterwort — ^ja,  ah  ebmol. 

Or  the  word  of  Ziegler,  confident  of  its  powers : 

Will  ich  recht  ve'stannig  schwetze 
Eppes  ausennanner  setze — 
A,  B,  C,  un  eens,  zwee,  drei, 
So  dass  jeder  commoner  Mann 
Klar  un  deitlich  sehne  kann 
Well  'as  Gold  is  un  wel  Blei, 
Nem  ich  gute  deitsche  Warte, 
Weis  un  schwarzi,  weech  un  harte 
Noh  vollbringt  die  Sach  sich  glei. 

Or  again  the  vigorous  words  of  Dr.  Keller : 

Ich  schwetz  in  der  deitsche  Sproch 
Lieb  sie  ah  un  halt  sie  hoch; 
Sie  is  ah  ken  Nevekind 
Das  mer  in  de  Hecke  find — 
Sie  kummt  her  fum  schone  Rhei 
Wu  sie  Trauwe  hen  un  Wei! 


Pennsylvania'German  Dialect  Writings.  31 

This    incentive    to   write    finds    Its   parallel    again    in 
Europe;  listen  once  more  to  Franz  Poppe: 

Us'  Sprak  is  as  us'  Heiden 
Urspriingelk  noch  un  free 
Us  Sprak  is  deep  un  machtig 
Un  prachtig  as  de  See.  .  .  . 
Min  Modersprak,  wu  klingst  du 
So  sot  un  doch  so  stark! 
Wo  leew'  ich  di  van  Harten 
Du  Land  vull  Kraft  un  Mark! 

For  the  earliest  example  in  print  of  what  purports  to 
be  a  specimen  of  the  dialect  we  must  undoubtedly  have  re- 
course to  Johann  David  Schopf's  "Travels"  (1783- 
1784),  published  at  Erlangen  In  1788  and  reprinted  In 
Radlof's  "  Mustersaal  aller  teutschen  Mundarten,"  Bonn, 
1822,  Vol.  II,  p.  361;  but  the  man  does  not  exist  who 
would  acknowledge  this  as  his  dialect,  or  who  would  recog- 
nize it  as  a  native  idiom  at  all.  Professor  Haldemann, 
who  cited  the  same  passage  in  his  "  Pennsylvania  Dutch," 
agrees  In  regarding  It  as  nothing  other  than  a  sportive 
example  and  a  spurious  joke. 

In  FIrmlnich,  "  Germanlens  Volkerstlmmen,"  Vol.  Ill, 
p.  445,  Berlin,  1854,  there  Is  another  longer  specimen 
which  was  taken  from  a  Pennsylvania  newspaper. 

The  earliest  example  in  print  of  writing  In  the  dialect 
by  such  as  also  spoke  It  must  be  sought  in  the  early  news- 
papers of  Eastern  Pennsylvania.  Der  Deutsche  in  Ame- 
rika  of  1 841  contained  many  rhymed  compositions.  In 
1846,  advertising  doggerels  appeared  in  the  Allentown 
Friedenshote.  One  after  another  the  newspapers  took  up 
the  matter,  publishing  short  prose  or  verse  selections; 
their  readers  wanted  it;  except  In  familiar  intercourse  with 
each  other  the  rural  population  of  eastern  Pennsylvania 


32  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

was  obliged  to  use  one  or  the  other  of  two  foreign  lan- 
guages; in  business  chiefly,  and  in  law  entirely,  It  was  the 
English;  In  their  religious  and  intellectual  life  It  was  the 
High  German;  accordingly  they  seem  to  have  welcomed 
almost  anything  that  was  in  the  language  of  their  daily 
speech;  they  seem  to  have  felt  a  void  because  their  speech 
was  only  something  to  be  heard  and  not  also  something  that 
could  be  seen.  And  then,  when  In  many  papers  they  could 
see  their  speech  In  print  every  week,  there  manifested  Itself 
a  more  ambitious  desire  to  see  their  speech  between  the 
covers  of  a  book.  The  story  In  the  Introduction  to  Wol- 
lenweber's  "  Gemalde  aus  dem  Pennsylvanlschen  Volks- 
leben  "  fairly  represents  the  feeling  of  the  dialect-speaking 
Pennsylvania-German  population. 

Ich  war  nie  uf  de  Gedanke  komme  das  Buch  zu  schreiwe,  aber 
do  war  ich  das  Friihjohr  uf  dem  grosse  Felse  bei  Allentaun,  un 
hab  uf  dem  wunnerbar  schone  Platz,  wo  mer  viele  Meile  welt  die 
schone  Berge  un  das  vun  Gott  so  gesegnete  Land  sehne  kann. 

Un  wie  Ich  do  so  gestanne,  un  die  Natur  so  bewunnert  hab, 
das  mei  Herz  ganz  weeg  geworre,  un's  Wasser  mer  schier  in  die 
Auge  komme  ischt,  da  kommt  uf  e  mol  en  alter  Mann  dorch  die 
Hecke  un  stellt  sich  grad  nebe  mich  un  frogt  mich,  wIe  ich  die 
Ansicht  do  gleiche  that.  Sehr  gut,  geb  ich  ihm  zur  Antwort. 
Well,  sagt  er,  ich  wohne  a  paar  Meile  von  do,  un  komme  wanns 
Wetter  scho  Ischt,  schier  alle  Monat  uf  de  Felse,  un  wann  Ich 
dann  mich  so  recht  satt  gesehne  hab,  do  geht  mei  Herz  uf,  un  ich 
mehn  ich  war  im  rechte  Tempel  Gottes,  und  dank  dem  guten 
Vater  un  Schopfer  mit  ganzem  Herze,  dass  er  uns  e  so  schon's  un 
gut's  Land  gegebe  hot.  Un  wann  ich  von  meiner  Bergras  wieder 
hem  humm,  bin  ich  ganz  vergniigt,  un  predig  meiner  Fraa  un 
KInner,  wie  scho  als  Gott  die  Welt  gemacht  hot,  un  wie  mer  ihm 
dafiir  danke  soUte. 

Nau  hab  ich  schon  dran  gedenkt,  wenn  e  mol  e  Bucherhandler 
dran  gehn  dat,  un  dat  e  Buch  drucke  losse,  wo  mer  in  uns're  egene 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  33 

Sproch,  iiber  unser  Land  un  Volk  lese  konnte,  un  nenebei  a  so 
gespassige  Stiickelchen  nei  bringe,  wie  sie  manchmol  im  Doyle- 
stouner  Morgenstern  un  im  Express  stehn,  un  wie  sie  die  Johre 
zuriick  im  Kutztowner  Neutralist  gestanne  hen,  das  em  der  Bauch 
vor  Lache  gewackelt  hot,  un  ich  bin  schur  davon  alle  meine  Noch- 
bore  date  so  e  Buch  kafe,  un  der  Buchhandler  dat  net  schlecht  dabei 
ausmache  und  sich  noch  Dank  dazu  verdiene. 

Well,  sagt  ich  zu  dem  Alten,  ich  geh  morge  niiber  noch  Phila- 
delphia, wo  ich  die  Buchhandler  Schafer  und  Koradi  kenn  und 
ich  will  mit  ihne  von  Eurem  Vorschlage  schwatz'e,  vielleicht  gehn 
se  dran,  un  losse  so  a  Buch  drucke,  un  bis  mer  dann  wieder  e  mol 
uf  dem  Felse  zusamme  kumme  ischts  Buch  vielleicht  fertig.  Awer 
Drubel  wards  koste,  dann  unser  Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch  ischt  hart 
zu  schreiwe,  un  mancher  verenglischt  es  so,  dass  mer  gar  nimme 
draus  kumme  kann.  Doch  denk  ich  wann  a  hier  un  da  a  Mistak 
im  Buch  gemacht  werd,  warre  die  Leut  es  net  so  hart  ufnehme, 
sischt  jo  es  erscht  Probestiick,  e  Buch  in  Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch. 
Nau,  sagte  der  Alte,  wann  du  sell  sewege  bringst  un  e  Peddler 
kommt  mit  dem  Buch  in  unsere  Gegend,  do  wett  ich  ens  gege  zwe, 
dass  er  all  verkauft  wo  er  hot;  und  dass  er  geschwind  mit  fertig 
werd,  will  ich  ihm  mei  bester  Gaul  gebe  for  rum  zu  reite. 

Der  alte  Mann  driickte  mir  die  Hand  und  sagte,  very  well. 
Ich  war  aber  noch  net  satt  genunk  iiber  die  Scho  Gegend  zu  gucke, 
un  es  war  schier  Nacht  wie  ich  hem  kumme  bin. — Dem  alte  Mann 
sei  Geschwatz  ischt  mir  die  ganze  Nacht  dorch  de  Kop  gegange, 
un  nachste  Morge  bin  ich  noch  Philadelphia  un  well  mei  Geschaft 
a  bald  gesettelt  war,  hab  ich  dem  Buchhandler  dem  alten  Mann 
von  Lecha  County  sei  Wunsch  gesagt,  un  sie  ware  a  gleich  redy 
for  die  Sach'  un  nau  werd  bald  das  Buch  iiberall  rum  gehn,  wanns 
nur  a  gefallt,  das  dat  dem  Schreiwer  en  arge  Freud  mache,  un  er 
dat  uf  sei  Pennsylvanier  un  sei  Pennsylvanien  noch  stolzer  werre 
wie  er  jetzt  schun  ischt. 

The  same  forces  which  called  these  first  newspaper  ar- 
ticles and  this  first  book  into  existence  continued  to  operate 
and  to  a  certain  extant  are  still  operative.     In  a  recently 
3 


34  I'he  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

published  book,  entitled  "  Boonastiel,  Pennsylvania 
Dutch,"  by  Thomas  Harter,  the  author  expresses  himself 
thus  in  the  preface :  "  The  articles  contained  In  this  volume 
were  published  from  time  to  time  in  the  Middleburgh  Post 
(Pa.)  of  which  I  was  editor  until  1894,  and  since  then  in 
the  Keystone  Gazette,  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  under  the  heading 

*  Brief   Fum   Hawsa   Barrick,'    addressed   to    myself   as 

*  Liewer  Kernal  Harder '  and  signed  '  Gottlieb  Boonas- 
tiel.' At  first  they  were  written  only  for  personal  amuse- 
ment, and  appeared  only  occasionally,  but  I  soon  found 
them  so  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  my  paper  that  in 
order  to  keep  up  its  circulation  I  was  compelled  to  write 
every  week  and  now  have  a  great  number  of  letters  on 
file,  out  of  which  I  have  selected  the  substance  that  com- 
poses this  volume." 

A  number  of  other  persons,  correctly  gauging  this  de- 
sire of  the  people  to  see  their  dialect  in  book  form,  have 
issued  collections  of  their  own  writings  or  of  those  of  a 
number  of  authors.  These  books  have  never  been  a  drug 
on  the  market  and  to  my  certain  knowledge  several  other 
writers  have  frequently  been  urged  by  their  friends  to  pub- 
lish, but  have  not  yet  consented  to  do  so. 

A  book  in  the  dialect  naturally  will  obtain  only  a  small 
circulation  outside  of  the  district  where  the  dialect  is 
spoken.  It  is  none  the  less  valuable,  for  if  the  book  is 
written  by  one  of  these  people,  and  for  them,  and  for  the 
most  part  about  them,  and  accepted  with  satisfaction  by 
these  people,  we  may  be  reasonably  certain  that  we  have 
either  a  flattering  idealization  of  them  or  at  least  a  faithful 
portrait  and  not  a  caricature.  It  may  be  noted,  in  illustra- 
tion of  this  point,  that  Mrs.  Helen  Riemensnyder  Martin's 
novels  are  not  among  the  most  popular  works  in  the  dis- 
trict about  which  she  writes,  and  for  the  obvious  reason 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialed  Writings.  35 

that  she  always  selects  one  of  the  worst  types  it  is  possible 
to  find  and  sets  him  off  against  a  very  high  type  from  some 
other  part  of  the  country,  as  for  example  a  low-type  Penn- 
sylvania German  against  a  high-type  New  Englander. 

"  Ein  Bauer  der  seine  Sprache  frei  und  sicher  spricht,  ist 
ein  Mann,  er  bringt  uns  den  Hauch  einer  eigenen  Welt, 
seine  Weltanschauung  mit;  so  hart  sie  sein  mag-  er  kommt 
nie  an  uns  heran  ohne  Erquickung  der  Seele,"  says  Klaus 
Groth.  That  a  number  of  writers,  by  responding  to  the 
desire  of  the  people  to  have  something  in  their  own  speech, 
have  succeeded  in  giving  us  the  "Weltanschauung"  of  the 
body  of  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  will  be  shown  by  the 
words  with  which  they  have  been  greeted  by  their  own 
people  and  the  success  which  has  attended  their  endeavors 
as  authors.  Almost  every  chapter  will  bear  evidence  to 
this  fact. 

Once  the  current  was  fairly  under  way,  and  the  columns 
of  the  newspapers  open,  many  came  forward  with  efforts 
that  might  otherwise  never  have  found  their  way  into  print. 

The  establishment  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Maga- 
zine some  years  ago,  affording  a  reasonably  large  audience 
of  interested  readers,  has  been  instrumental  in  bringing 
forward  a  number  of  new  singers,  and  from  a  Pennsyl- 
vania poetess  the  call  has  gone  out : 

Wu  sin  die  deitsche  Dichter 
Sie  sin  verschwunne  all 
Wu  sin  die  grosse  Lichter 
In  unsere  Ruhmeshall 
Heraus,  heraus  Reimreiser, 
Wu  sin  ihr  all  versteckt 
Ihr  sin  jo  die  Wegweiser 
Die  Schoheit  uferweckt. 


36  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Another  small  class  of  books  may  be  mentioned  as  owing 
their  existence  to  a  very  real  necessity;  it  is  stated  thus  in 
preface  to  the  second  edition  of  Home's  "  Pennsylvania 
German  Manual,"  1895:  "The  great  problem  pre- 
sented for  solution  is  how  shall  600,000  to  800,000  in- 
habitants of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  to  say  nothing  of  those 
of  other  parts  of  our  own  State  and  of  other  States,  to 
whom  English  is  as  much  a  dead  language  as  Latin  and 
Greek,  acquire  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  English  to  enable 
them  to  use  that  language  intelligently."  As  a  guide  to 
the  study  of  English  the  manual,  which  includes  a  guide 
to  pronunciation,  a  select  reader,  and  a  dictionary,  was  sub- 
mitted to  the  public  for  use  in  schools  and  families.  The 
book  was  first  published  in  1875  ^^^  ^  fourth  edition  has 
made  its  appearance. 

The  earlier  writers  wrote  to  show  that  it  was  possible 
to  use  the  dialect  for  literary  expression,  to  satisfy  the  de- 
sire among  the  people  for  stories  in  their  daily  speech,  to 
teach  those  who  dealt  with  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  in 
business  the  elements  of  their  speech  and  to  use  the  dialect 
as  a  means  of  teaching  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  the  Eng- 
lish language. 

Of  subsequent  writers  some  wrote  because  others  had 
written  before  them — inspiration;  where  possible  the  rea- 
sons have  been  ferreted  out  in  the  case  of  each  individual 
writer  and  in  each  chapter  noted;  a  large  number,  how- 
ever, have  had  no  other  reason  for  writing  than  the  Sanger 
of  Goethe,  and  have  asked  no  other  reward  than  that  one 
did: 

Ich  singe  wie  der  Vogel  singt 

Der  in  den  Zweigen  wohnet 

Das  Lied  das  aus  der  Kehle  dringt 

1st  Lohn  der  reichlich  lohnet. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  37 

VI.  The  Range  of  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect 
Poetry  and  the  Types  of  Dialect  Writing. 

Wide  is  the  range  of  literary  forms  that  our  dialect 
writers  have  cultivated.     In  verse  there  is  much  narrative 
and  descriptive  poetry,  considerable  that  is  truly  lyrical 
(in  the  modern  sense) ,  and  some  selections  that  have  had  a 
wide  popularity  as  songs   (see  L.  Miller,  E.  Grumbine, 
Henninger).      A  number  of  sonnets  have  been  written 
(Hark,  Ziegler),  and  just  as  in  the  more  serious  litera- 
tures, a  claim  has  been  set  up  by  one  writer  to  have  written 
and  first  sonnet  in  the  dialect  (Hark,  Proceedings  P,  G. 
S.,  Vol.  X.).     This  claim  has  been  disproved  (see  article 
on  Ziegler).     Ziegler,  in  humorous  vein,  has  even  written 
a  sonnet  on  the  sonnet  as  a  literary  form.     There  is  a  great 
deal  of  occasional  poetry,  this  usually  was  intended  to  be 
read  at  the  reunions  of  families,  the  gathering  of  former 
students  of  a  school,  for  birthdays,  to  celebrate  the  com- 
ing of  the  New  Year,  one  for  a  College  Class  Day  (Hen- 
ninger) ,  one  to  settle  a  factional  fight  in  a  church  (Koplln) , 
and  at  least  three  "In  Memorlam  " — Welser:  Zum  An- 
denken  an  Dr.  H.  H.;  Gruber:  Zum  Andenken  an  L.  L. 
G. ;  the  latter  full  of  snatches  from  Grumblne's  own  verse 
skillfully    woven    into    the    poem,    and    finally    Ziegler's 
"An  Melne  Mutter."     All  are  good;  the  latter  actually 
takes  Tennyson  for  his  model  and  In  some  places  para- 
phrases, and  very  successfully,  parts  of  that  poem.     Of  the 
latter  it  can  be  said  that  never  has  a  dialect  writer  set 
himself  so  lofty  a  model  and  then  approached  the  same 
so  nearly  In  form  and  feeling  as  has  Ziegler. 

The  poetics  of  dialect  literature  has  never  been  written, 
but  here  and  there  we  may  gather  some  of  the  laws  that 
will  be  incorporated  in  it.  Karl  Weinhold  in  an  essay 
"Ueber   Deutsche   Dialekt   Forschung,"   when   speaking 


38  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

of  the  new  life  that  entered  Dialekt  DIchtung  through 
Hebel,  adds  "Viele  meinten  es  ihm  nachtun  zu  konnen, 
allein  nur  einer  unter  den  zahlreichen  DIalektdichtern  hat 
errelcht  was  er  wollte."  In  accounting  for  this  he  says 
"  Er  hat  nicht  wie  die  anderen  Landschaftliche  Laute  und 
Worte  Zusammengeleimt  sondern  das  Fuhlen,  Denken 
und  Sprechen  des  Volkes  GliickUch  wieder  erschafen. 
Das  ist  das  Einzige  iind  Hochste  mas  diese  Literarische 
Gattung  leisten  kann,  alles  andere  ist  leere  Spreu  und  eitle 
Tandelei. 

If  now  we  examine  the  titles  of  their  poems,  we  find  that 
the  Pennsylvania-German  writers  have  treated  almost 
without  exception  themes  that  lie  near  to  the  "  Denken 
und  Fuhlen  of  the  Volk." 

They  have  lingered  long  and  lovingly  around  the  old 
homestead,  "Unser  alty  Heemet"  (Rauch,  Meyer, 
Gruber),  literally  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave  and  the 
new  home  beyond  the  grave.  From  the  time  the  joyous 
cry  goes  up  "it's  a  boy" — "En  Buwele  is  es"  (Keller) 
to  the  graveyard,  "  Der  alt  Kerchhof  "  (Weitzel),  where 
mother  sleeps — "Die  Mammi  schlofft"  (Stump)  and  to 
the  heavenly  home,  "Es  himmlisch  Heemweh"   (Bahn). 

Boyish  pranks  find  their  gleeful  narrators;  the  catching 
of  the  fabled  bird  or  beast,  "  Die  elfatritsche  Jagt"  (J.  J. 
B. ) ,  teasing  the  old  buck,  "  Der  alt  Schof bok  "  ( DeLong) , 
sneaking  into  mother's  pantry,  "Der  Tschellyschlecker " 
(More),  the  forfeits  the  boy  pays  when  mother  comes 
with  the  shingle,  "Der  Mammi  ihre  Schindel"  (tranla- 
tion,  Schuler) ,  childhood's  pastimes,  such  as  making  chest- 
nut whistles  when  in  the  springtime  the  sap  begins  to  flow, 
"Keschts  Peifa"  (Keller),  boys'  work  on  the  farm,  pick- 
ing stones  in  the  fields  newly  cleared  for  cultivation,  oh 
how  the  boys  hated  the  job,  "  Der  Bu  am  Schteeleesa  " 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  39 

(Stump) ,  and  there  were  some  who  "  played  off  "  when  the 
boss  was  not  watching,  as  Dinkey's  hired  man,  "  Em  Din- 
key sei  Knecht"  (Wuchter). 

There  are  dozens  devoted  with  loving  tenderness  to 
the  country  school.  This  point  need  not  be  enlarged  upon 
farther  than  to  say  that  Harbaugh's  Old  Schoolhouse  by 
the  Creek,  "  Das  alt  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick,"  was  the  in- 
spiration of  the  entire  body  of  poetic  literature  in  the  dia- 
lect. 

Every  kind  of  work  has  its  singer,  haymaking,  "  Hoyet 
undErndt"  (Mays),  flax  culture,  "Flaxbaue"  (Keller), 
a  veritable  little  epic  of  toil  in  ten  short  cantos ;  many  have 
described  the  old-fashioned  applebutter  bee,  of  which  it  is 
hard  to  say  whether  it  was  work  or  sport,  "  Latwerk- 
koche"  (Grumbine,  Fischer,  etc.). 

On  Saturday  evening,  when  the  work  of  the  week  is 
over  the  young  will  gather  at  singing  school,  "  Die  Sing- 
schule  "  (Henninger),  on  Sundays  at  the  old  church,  "  Die 
alt  Kerch"  (Reinecke),  in  the  fall  everybody  gathers  at 
the  fair,  "An  der  Fair"  (Hark). 

The  seasons  are  sung;  one  writer  (Bahn)  celebrates 
them  all;  what  joy  there  is  in  winter,  "Hurrah  fer  der 
Winter"  (Wuchter),  and  its  sports,  coasting,  " Es  Glatt 
Eis  Fahre"  (Keller).  There  is  also  a  melancholy  side 
to  the  ice  storm  that  breaks  the  trees,  "  Es  Glatt  Eis " 
(Bahn),  yet  who  does  not  welcome  the  snow,  "Der 
Schnee !  "  (Wuchter) .  But  when  the  cruel  winter  is  over 
everybody  rejoices  in  the  merry  springtime,  "  Es  Friih- 
johr  is  do  un  alles  is  fro"  (Mays),  while  another  is  glad 
for  the  opportunity  to  work — " Im  Summer"  (Wollen- 
weber).  Autumn,  "Schpotjohr"  (Leisenring),  too,  has 
its  poet. 

The  festal  seasons  of  the  year  have  not  been  forgotten, 


40  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

a  birthday,  "En  Geburtsdawg "  (Witmer)  ;  the  Fourth 
of  July,  "Der  Viert"  (Grumblne,  Miller);  Christmas 
eve,  "Die  Nacht  vor  der  Chrischdawg"  (translation, 
Zimmerman,  Miller);  New  Year's  Day,  "Neujohr" 
(Weitzel)  ;  Shrovetide,  "  Fahsnacht"  (Wuchter)  ;  a  Mo- 
ravian Eastermorning,  "En  Herrenhoodter  Oschtre- 
morja"  (Hark);  Santa  Claus,  "Der  Belsnickel,"  "Das 
Krischkindel "   (Harbaugh). 

The  delight  of  those  who  have  lived  near  to  nature's 
heart  is  not  only  in  the  phenomena  of  nature  but  also  in 
her  creatures;  the  birds  have  called  forth  rhyme,  the 
whippoorwill,  "Der  Wipperwill"  (Fischer)  ;  the  peewee, 
"Der  Pihwie"  (Harbaugh,  Wuchter);  the  birdhouse, 
"Es  neu  Vogelhaus"  (Eshelman)  ;  the  robin,  "Die  Am- 
schel "  (Hark,  Weitzel)  ;  a  hen  and  her  chicks,  "  En  Gluck 
voU  Beeplin"  (Grumbine,  E.)  ;  likewise  the  trees,  the  old 
willow,  "  Der  alt  Weidebaam  "  (Bahn)  ;  under  the  spread- 
ing chestnut  tree,  "Unnich  'em  alte  Keschdabaam" 
(Hark);  the  chestnut  tree,  "Der  Keschdabaam"  (Kel- 
ler); the  woods,  "Der  Busch"  (Weitzel,  Stump);  in 
Brush  Valley,  "  Im  Heckedahl"  (Meyer). 

By  no  means  of  least  importance  are  the  rhymed  char- 
acter sketches,  a  character,  "En  Character"  (Weitzel); 
the  old  schoolmaster,  "Der  alt  School  meeschter" 
(Fischer);  the  braggart,  "Der  Prahlhans"  (Grumbine, 
E.)  ;  our  Henry,  "Unser  Henny"  (Hark)  ;  Jacky,  "Der 
Jockel"  (Keller);  the  clown,  "Der  Hansworscht" 
(Mays);  the  beggar,  "Der  Bettelmon "  (Minnich)  ;  a 
plain  man,  "  En  simpler  Mon  "  (Ziegler)  ;  the  miser,  "  En 
Geitz  "  (Wuchter)  ;  the  old  charcoal  burner,  "  Der  alt 
Kohlebrenner  "  (Mays)  ;  the  washerwoman,  "  Die  Wasch- 
fraa"  (Keller)  ;  the  toper,  "  Mei  arme  Bee"  (Grumbine, 
L.  L.)  ;  the  fisher,  "Der  alt  Fischermon"  (Gruber). 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings,  41 

Finally,  although  this  does  not  exhaust  the  categories, 
nor  the  titles  that  could  be  cited  under  each,  but  is  in- 
tended merely  to  illustrate  the  rule  which  forms  the  sub- 
ject of  this  chapter,  we  end  as  we  began,  with  the  old 
homestead;  it  has  been  ransacked  from  the  topmost  floor, 
"Uf'm  owerschte  Speicher"  (Stein),  "  Der  alt  Garrett" 
(Brunner);  the  bedroom,  "Die  Schlofschtub "  (Har- 
baugh)  ;  the  old  hearth,  "  Der  alt  Feuerheerd"  (Har- 
baugh)  ;  the  old  arm  chair,  "  Der  alt  Schockelschtuhl " 
(Bahn)  ;  a  quilt,  "Juscht  en  Deppich"  (Eshelman)  ; 
every  nook  and  every  object  to  which  the  memory  fondly 
clings  has  been  glorified  in  song. 

If  the  poems  themselves  be  examined  it  will  be  found 
that  these  writers  have  not  only  recreated  the  thought  and 
feeling  of  the  Volk,  but  that  they  come  safely  also  under 
the  third  requirement  as  set  down  in  Weinhold's  rule — 
they  have  remained  faithful  to  the  language  of  the  Volk. 

At  times  the  writers  have  transgressed  the  rules,  and  in 
consequence  have  not  been  wholly  successful  in  their  under- 
taking; in  this  class  it  has  always  seemed  to  the  present 
writer  should  be  included  Lee  L.  Grumbine's  translation  of 
the  Ancient  Mariner,  the  theme  not  being  adapted  to 
dialect  treatment;  his  other  translations  are  truer  reflexes 
of  the  Volk  mind.  On  the  other  hand  Bryant's  "  Thana- 
topsis"  has  been  translated  by  Ziegler  with  wonderful 
fidelity  to  the  thought  into  a  language  smooth  and  rhyth- 
mical, so  that  in  words  and  in  structure  it  remains,  as  the 
language  of  true  poetry  often  does,  strangely  near  the  lan- 
guage of  daily  speech. 

Parody  has  a  number  of  illustrations,  as  in  Gruber's 
"  Die  Letscht  Maud  Muller  ";  E.  Grumbine's  "  Die  Mary 
un  ihr  Hundley,"  among  others.  There  is  more  that 
might  be  called  reminiscent  of  the  other  writers — H.  Mil- 


42  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

ler's  "Bells"  after  Tennyson,  Ziegler's  "  Schneckehaus " 
after  Holmes'  "The  Chambered  Nautilus";  Fischer  is 
full  of  Burns;  in  one  case  he  is  thinking  of  Longfellow's 
"  Under  a  Spreading  Tree  " ;  E.  Grumbine's  "  Der  Alt 
Busch  Doctor"  is  after  a  poem  by  Will  Carleton;  Ziegler 
has  one  that  recalls  Horace's  "Exegi  Monumentum." 
Others  have  borrowed  from  earlier  dialect  writers  as 
Mays,  and  others  from  Harbaugh,  or  Harbaugh  (per- 
haps) from  Hebel. 

In  the  field  of  translation,  the  ground  that  has  been 
covered  is  vast,  the  authors  that  have  been  drawn  on  are 
many.  J.  Baer  Stoudt  has  rendered  Longfellow's  "The 
Rainy  Day,"  a  number  have  tried  "  The  Psalm  of  Life," 
while  Ziegler  has  rendered  several  others  from  Longfel- 
low as  well  as  Bryant's  "Thanatopsis."  L.  L.  Grumbine 
has  gone  to  John  Vance  Cheney  and  rendered  all  of  Cole- 
ridge's "Ye  Ancient  Manner,"  Zimmerman  has  one  from 
greek  anthology,  Rauch  from  Hamlet,  and  from  Poe. 
Dialect  has  been  turned  into  dialect,  several  writers  turn- 
ing Suabian  into  Pennsylvania  German;  Schuler,  a  ballad 
after  Breitman,  "  Ven  der  angry  passions  gaddering,"  into 
the  Pennsylvania  German.  Likewise,  several  have  come 
from  Irish  and  Scotch  originals,  notably,  "Auld  Robin 
Gray"  and  "The  Bairnies  Cuddle  Doon  at  Nicht"  (Zim- 
merman) ;  finally,  and  not  least,  Elwood  Newhard  has  ren- 
dered parts  of  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's  Comic  Opera  "  Pina- 
fore," travelled  over  Pennsylvania  with  a  company  and 
sung  these  parts  in  the  dialect,  meeting  with  great  success. 

It  must  be  remarked  in  passing  that  amongst  the  Penn- 
sylvania Germans  there  are  known  in  dialect  form  a  great 
many  rhymes,  riddles  and  weather  rules  in  metrical  form. 
Their  origin  is  like  Topsy's — "They  just  growed,"  or  as 
Theodor  Storm  says  "  Sie  werden  gar  nicht  gemacht,  sic 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  43 

wachsen,  sie  fallen  aus  der  Luft,  sle  fliegen  iiber  Land  wie 
Mariengarn,  hierhln  und  dorthin  und  werden  an  tausend 
Stellen  zugleich  gesungen."  J.  Baer  Stoudt  has  collected 
these  and  published  them  in  the  Proceedings  of  The 
Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  XXIII. 

The  bulk  of  the  prose  has  been  in  the  form  of  news- 
paper letters  (Rauch,  D.  Miller,  H.  Miller,  Wollenweber, 
Harter,  etc.).  While  these  are,  in  the  main,  humorous, 
we  get  snatches  of  other  forms  here  and  there.  Book 
reviews  occur,  such  as  Leisenring  on  Wollenweber's  book 
(see  p.  24).  The  present  writer  has  in  his  possession  a 
letter  in  the  dialect  by  a  professor  at  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary at  Lancaster  commending  a  young  pastor  for  a 
dialect  poem  he  has  written  in  the  interests  of  peace  in  a 
factional  church.  Home  advertises  Ziegler's  book  in  a 
broadside  to  prospective  buyers.  A  bit  of  brief  Biogra- 
phy— Conrad  Gehring's  "  Lives  of  the  German  Governors 
of  Pennsylvania " — has  appeared  in  Home's  Manual, 
while  Joseph  Warner  has  published  a  "  Comic  History  of 
the  United  States,"  modeled  on  a  book  of  similar  title  in 
English.  Two  dramolets  were  written  and  also  played  in 
many  a  crossroads  schoolhouse  (see  Rauch,  E.  Grumbine) . 

Several  other  types  of  composition,  though  not  in  print, 
must  be  mentioned  here: 

Sermons. — Many  preachers  no  doubt  used,  instead  of 
German,  a  language  closely  approximating  the  dialect,  but 
there  is  one  that  stands  in  a  class  by  himself — Moses  Dis- 
singer,  "  The  '  Billy '  Sunday  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
mans." Some  of  his  stories,  his  figures  of  speech,  his 
striking  illustrations,  have  appeared  in  print,  many  more 
are  still  vivid  in  the  minds  of  those  who  had  the  oppor- 
tunity to  hear  him  preach. 

Lectures. — At  least  one  Pennsylvania  German,  Rauch, 


44  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

had  a  set  lecture  with  which  he  travelled;  a  part  of  this 
is  reprinted  in  one  of  the  earlier  volumes  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania-German Society's  Proceedings.  In  addition  to 
delivering  this  lecture  he  also  read  his  own  and  from  Har- 
baugh's  poems. 

'Letters. — These  have  been  referred  to  above ;  others  are 
mentioned  in  the  article  on  Harter.  In  gathering  the 
material  for  this  work,  the  present  writer  found  that  in 
soliciting  information  he  could  get  nearer  to  his  corre- 
spondents if  a  few  paragraphs  were  written  in  the  dialect. 
The  Pennsylvania-German  writers  had  been  so  much  mis- 
understood that  they  seemed  to  open  their  hearts  in  a 
different  way  when  made  to  realize  that  the  writer  not 
only  knew  and  used  their  dialect  but  understood  their  point 
of  view  and  appreciated  their  feelings. 

Political  Speeches. — The  politicians  early  learned  to 
know  the  value  of  the  dialect  as  a  means  of  approach  to 
the  voters.  Many  are  the  names  that  might  be  cited  here 
and  under  this  rubric  would  be  included  the  speeches  of 
the  Hon.  W.  H.  Sowden,  of  Allentown,  although  he,  their 
author,  was  a  native  of  Cornwall,  England.  (For  notes 
on  the  dialect  in  the  Courts  see  article  on  Rauch.  Com- 
pare also  footnote  to  President  Fackenthal's  address  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XXIV,  p.  ii.) 

After  Dinner  Speeches  and  Addresses. — Henninger  was 
perhaps  the  prince  of  those  in  the  list.  Henry  Houck, 
too,  will  long  be  remembered  for  his  efforts  along  this  line. 
See  also  Dr.  N.  C.  Schaeffer  on  Henry  Harbaugh  in  In- 
troduction to  Lynn  Harbaugh's  life  of  Henry  Harbaugh. 

Almanacs. — At  least  two  almanacs  appeared  entirely 
in  the  dialect;  of  one  of  these  Eli  Keller  was  the  editor 
and  compiler,  H.  A.  Schuler  of  the  other.  They  both 
came  from  the  Friedensbote  Press,  Allentown. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  45 

VII.  A  Word  about  the  Arrangement. 

The  problem  of  arrangement  presented  many  difficul- 
ties. There  were  clearly  a  number  of  writers  that  be- 
longed to  the  founders  of  the  literature.  Among  these 
are  Harbaugh,  Rauch,  Fischer  and  Home.  At  the  same 
time  Eli  Keller,  who  published  some  of  his  best  poems  in 
Rauch's  almost  forgotten  "  Pennsylvania  Dutchman,"  is 
still  producing  good  poems;  the  life  of  Ezra  Grumbine 
also  covers  almost  the  entire  period.  Milton  Hennlnger 
produces  a  poem  at  intervals  of  almost  a  score  of  years. 
Home,  who  belongs  to  the  earlier  writers,  continued  to 
revise  and  reprint  his  book,  and  it  has  even  had  a  number 
of  editions  since  his  death,  revised  by  his  son. 

Since  the  treatment  has  been  in  the  main  biographic,  the 
course  taken  has  been  to  group  together  certain  writers  as 
of  The  Earlier  Period,  including  amongst  these  the  con- 
sideration of  all  writers  no  longer  living.  Those  grouped 
in  The  Later  Period,  comprising  writers  still  living,  have 
been  arranged  in  alphabetical  order.  For  convenience 
some  have  been  characterized  by  a  line  or  a  phrase.  Of 
those  not  so  characterized  some  are  so  well  known  as  not 
to  need  it,  in  the  case  of  others  It  has  been  possible  to  sum 
up  their  work  in  the  manner  indicated,  that  is,  by  a  line  or  a 
phrase. 

It  Is  also  proper  to  add  that  no  effort  has  here  been 
made  to  construct  a  phonetic  alphabet  to  be  adhered  to 
throughout,  or  to  invent  a  uniform  system  of  spelling  the 
dialect.  The  writers  do  not  agree  on  this  point;  indeed 
they  often  quarreled  with  each  other  about  it.  It,  there- 
fore, seemed  best  to  the  editor  and  compiler,  with  a  view  of 
affording  the  widest  representation,  to  leave  the  quoted 
parts  In  exactly  the  dialect  setting  and  spelling  In  which 
they  were  put  by  the  writers  themselves. 


THE  EARLIER  PERIOD  AND  WRITERS  NO 
LONGER  LIVING. 

I.   Louis  Miller. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Amerikanische  Volkskundc.    Karl  Knortz,  Leipzig. 

Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  XII. 

Short  Sketch  of  the  Pennsylvania  Germans.     H.  L.  Fisher,  Chicago,  111. 

Antedating  Rondthaler  usually  accounted  the  first  to 
have  essayed  dialect  verse  is  another  Pennsylvania-Ger- 
man poet  whose  poems  were,  however,  in  all  probability 
not  in  print  at  so  early  a  date.  Louis  Miller  was  born  the 
son  of  a  school  teacher,  at  York,  Pa.,  December  3,  1795 ; 
he  became  a  carpenter  and  later  a  builder,  and  is  said  to 
have  gained  credit  and  distinction  as  such;  he  was  a  man 
of  ready  wit,  and  of  a  culture  unusual  for  his  time  and  in 
his  community.  This  fund  of  information  he  acquired  by 
diligent  self-instruction  and  by  one  very  extensive  trip 
through  Europe.  Besides  this  he  was  a  talented  cartoonist 
and  caricaturist,  as  is  shown  by  two  volumes  of  his  sketches 
still  extant.  So  far  I  possess  only  one  of  his  poems;  it  is 
a  driver's  song  which  was  said  to  have  had  a  goodly  share 
of  popularity  in  the  days  when  the  German  farmers  of 
southern  Pennsylvania  used  to  convey  the  products  of  their 
farms  and  distilleries  to  market  in  Baltimore  in  their  great 
Conestoga  wagons. 

46 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings,  47 

Nooch  Baltimore  geht  unser  Fuhr 

Mit  dem  bedeckte  Waage ; 

Der  Turnpike  zeigt  uns  die  Geschpur, 

Die  Gaul  sin  gut  beschlaage. 

En  guter  Schluck,  Gliick  zu  der  Reiss, 

Der  Dramm,  der  steigt  un  fallt  im  Preis — 

So  bloose  die  Posauner — 

Hot,  Schimmel,  hot!  ei,  Brauner! 

Mer  fahre  bis  zum  Blauen  Ball, 
En  deutscher  Wirt,  ein  guter  Schtall — 
Der  Eirisch  isch  Schalk  Jauner — 
Hot,  Schimmel,  hot!  ei,  Brauner! 
Do  schteht  'n  Berg,  dort  ligt  'n  Dahl, 
Un  's  Zollhaus  gegeniiwer; 
Es  singt  en  Lerch,  es  pfeift  'n  Schtaar ; 
"  Die  Freiheit  isch  uns  liewer." 

Es  regert  sehr,  der  Pelz  wert  nass, 

Mer  steige  aus  dem  Waage, 

Un  ziege  aus  dem  kleene  Pass, 

Was  taugt  fiir  unsere  Maage; 

Seenscht  net  das,  nau,  schun  schpreier  geht? 

Mer  bleiwe  net  dahinde, 

Un  wer  das  Fuhrwerk  recht  verschteht, 

Losst  sich  net  lodisch  finde. 

Den  Dramm,  den  hen  mer  jetz  verkauft, 

Un  's  Gelt  isch  in  der  Tasche ; 

Jetz  fahre  mer  vergniigt  zu  Haus, 

Und  lere's  in  die  Kaschte; 

En  guter  Schluck!    Gliick  bu  der  Reiss! 

Der  Dramm,  der  schteigt  un  fallt  im  Preiss! — 

So  bloose  de  Posauner — 

Hot,  Schimmel!  hot,  ei  Brauner! 


48  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Jetz  henmer  schun  en  gute  Loth 

Von  alle  Sorte  Waare, 

Die  woUn  mer  jetz  heemzus  graad 

Auf s  schmaale  Eck  hi  fahre. 

Der  Fuhrloh  zaalt  des  Zehrgeld  zrvick, 

En  guter  Schluck,  zu  allem  Glick, 

Mir  sin  ke  Schalke  Jauner! 

Hot,  Schimmel!  hot,  ei  Brauner! 


2.   Emanuel  Rondthaler. 

BiBLIOCaiAPHY   AND    OTHER   SOURCES   OF   INFORMATION. 

Correspondence  with  members  of  his  family. 

Life  of  Harbaugh.    Linn  Harbaugh,  Philadelphia,  1900.  > 

Life  of  Philip  Schaff.     D.  S.  SchaflF,  New  York,  1897. 

Nazareth  Hall  and  Its  Reunions.    Reichel,  Philadelphia,  1869. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  I,  2,  18. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  VII,  3,  121. 

The  song  for  which  the  claim  has  been  made  that  it  is 
the  earliest  known  poem  in  the  dialect  was  entitled 
"Abendlied,"  when,  in  August,  1849,  it  first  appeared  in 
the  Deutscher  Kirchenfreund,  published  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Philip  Schaff.  Up  to  1857,  Dr.  Schaff  declined  to  reveal 
the  identity  of  the  author,  but  shortly  thereafter  attributed 
its  authorship  to  Rev.  Edward  Rondthaler,  Sr.,  a  Mo- 
ravian missionary  and  minister  who  was  for  a  time  tutor 
and  subsequently  principal  of  the  famous  Moravian 
school,  Nazareth  Hall,  Nazareth,  Pa.,  and  who  died  in 

1855. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  this  school  in  1769,  a  book  was  prepared  by 
William  C.  Reichel,  "  Nazareth  Hall  and  Its  Reunions," 
Lippincott,  Philadelphia,  1869,  in  which  our  poem  is  in- 
cluded in  an  appendix,  but  under  the  title  "Morgets  un 
Owets"  and  with  a  slightly  modified  orthography;  we  are 
there  informed  that  the  author  was  Rev.  Emanuel  Rond- 
4  49 


50  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

thaler,  a  brother  of  the  above  named,  who  had  also  been  a 
teacher  in  the  same  Institution,  and  who  died  in  1848. 
This  last  statement  is  confirmed  by  Bishop  Edward  Rond- 
thaler,  of  Winston-Salem,  N.  C,  a  son  of  the  former,  and 
by  Miss  Elizabeth  Rondthaler,  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  a 
daughter  of  the  latter,  from  whom  also  comes  the  state- 
ment that  it  was  written  by  her  father  about  1835  when 
he  was  twenty  years  old,  because  he  desired  to  prove  as 
above  stated  that  the  Pennsylvania  German,  so  generally 
despised,  could  be  used  to  express  poetic  and  refined  sen- 
timent. A  consideration  of  certain  phenomena  of  nature, 
and  particularly  of  the  morning  bringing  favorable  omens 
as  compared  with  those  of  evening,  leads  our  divine  to 
note  in  general  the  mutability  of  human  fortune,  on  which 
follows  the  comforting  reflection  that  "up  yonder"  what 
is  fair  in  the  morning  will  be  no  less  so  at  eventide  if  there 
be  an  eventide  there  at  all.  Hereupon  the  poet  bursts 
into  an  expression  of  passionate  longing  for  that  blest 
abode,  and  calls  upon  his  friends  not  to  grieve  for  him 
when  he  is  laid  in  the  tomb  and  enters  the  realms  where 
there  is  no  change.  (Cf.  for  subject  matter  I.  Thess., 
IV,  13.) 

Prof.  Reichel  in  his  introductory  remarks  declared  it  as 
his  belief  "  that  it  is  one  of  the  first  attempts  to  render  that 
mongrel  dialect  the  vehicle  of  poetic  thought  and  diction." 
He  commends  the  poem  for  the  touching  appeal  it  makes 
to  the  finer  feelings  of  our  nature  and  the  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian faith  and  hope  with  which  it  is  imbued.  The  pro- 
fessor adds  a  translation  into  English  in  a  different  meter 
which  is,  in  reality,  more  in  the  nature  of  a  paraphrase. 

As  to  the  "mongrel  dialect,"  it  is  interesting  to  note 
that  of  the  162  words  in  the  poem,  only  two  are  English. 

Reichel's  version  betrays  an  effort  made  by  means  of 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  51 

the  orthography  to  accentuate  the  difference  between  the 
pronunciation  of  the  dialect  and  the  High  German.  While 
a  few  of  his  changes  might  meet  with  acceptance,  his  ver- 
sion is  not  on  the  whole  successful,  and  at  least  one  change 
is  made  in  gender  which  violates  present  usage  in  that  same 
county,  as  well  as  the  High  German. 

Abendlied. 

Margets  schelnt  die  Sun  so  scho 

Owets  geht  der  gehl  Mond  uf, 
Margets  kit  der  Dau  im  Klee, 

Owets  tritt  mer  drucke  druf. 

1  ~  Margets  singe  all  die  Vogel, 

Owets  greischt  die  Loabkrot  arg. 
Margets  gloppt  mer  mit  der  Flegel, 
Owets  leit  mer  schun  im  Sarg. 

Alles  dut  sich  annern  do, 

Nix  bleibt  immer  so  wie  now. 
Was  ei'm  Freed  macht,  bleibt  net  so, 

Werd  gar  arg  bald  hart  un  rau. 

Drowe  werd  es  anners  sein, 

Dart,  wo's  now  so  blow  aussicht ;  \ 

Dart  is  Margets  alles  feih, 

Dart  is  Owets  alles  Licht. 

Margets  is  dart  Freed  die  Fiill : 

Owets  is  es  au  noch  so, 
Margets  is  em's  Herz  so  still, 

Owets  is  mer  au  noch  froh. 

Ach !  wie  dut  me  doch  gelischte 

Nach  der  blowe  Wohnung  dart; 
Dart  mit  alle  gute  Chrischte, 

Freed  zu  habe,  Ruh  alsfort. 

Wann  sie  mi  in's  Grab  nein  trage, 
Greint  net,  denn  ich  hab's  so  scho: 


52  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Wann  sie  es  des  Owets  sage 
Denkt — bei  ihm  is  sell  all  anes ! 

1849.     Deutscher  Kirchenfreundj  Aug. 

MORGETS  UND  OWETS. 

Morgets  scheint  die  Sun  so  scho, 

Owets  geht  der  gehl  Mond  uf, 
Morgets  leit  der  Dau  im  Gla 

Owets  drett  mer  drucke  druf. 

Morgets  singe  all  die  Feggle, 

Owets  greyscht  der  Lawb-krott  arg, 

Morgets  gloppt  mer  mit  der  Fleggle, 
Owets  leit  mer  sho  im  Sarg. 

Alles  dut  sich  ennere  do, 

Nix  bleibt  immer  so  wie  nau; 
Wos'  em  Frad  macht,  bleibt  nett  so, 

Werd  gar  arg  bald  harrt  un  rau — 

Drowe  werd  es  anners  sein, 

Dart  wo  nau  so  bio  aussicht, 
Dart  is  Morgets  alles  fein. 

Dart  is  Owets  alles  Licht. 

Morgets  is  dart  Frad  die  Fill, 

Owets  is  es  o  noch  so ; 
Morgets  is  ems  Herz  so  still ; 

Owets  is  mer  o  noch  fro. 

Ach !  wie  dut  mer  doch  gelischte, 

Nach  der  blo'e  Woning  dart ; 
Dart  mit  alle  gute  Christe 

Frad  zu  have — Roo  als  fort. 

Wann  sie  mich  ins  Grab  nei  drage, 
Greint  nett — denn  ich  habs  so  scho — 

Wann  sie — "Ess  is  Owet!" — sige — 
Denkt — bei  ihm  is  sell,  "  allone." 

Nazareth  Hall  and  Its  Reunions,  1869. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  53 

MoRGETS  UND  OwETS.     (Translation.) 

In  the  morning  the  sun  shines  cheerful  and  bright, 
In  the  evening  the  yellow  moon's  splendor  is  shed : 

In  the  morning  the  clover's  with  dew  all  bedight, 
In  the  evening  its  blossoms  are  dry  to  the  tread. 

In  the  morning  the  birds  sing  in  unison  sweet, 
In  the  evening  the  frog  cries  prophetic  and  loud ; 

In  the  morning  we  toil  to  the  flail's  dull  beat, 
In  the  evening  we  lie  in  our  coffin  and  shroud. 

Here  on  earth  there  is  nothing  exempt  from  rude  change — 
Naught  abiding,  continuing  always  the  same; 

What  pleases  is  passing — is  past,  oh  how  strange ! 
And  the  joy  that  so  mocked  us  is  followed  by  pain. 

But  above  'twill  be  different  I  very  well  know — 

Up  yonder  where  all  is  so  calm  and  so  blue ! 
In  the  morning  there  objects  will  be  all  aglow. 

In  the  evening  aglow  too  with  Heaven's  own  hue. 

In  the  morning  up  yonder  our  cup  will  be  filled, 

In  the  evening  its  draught  will  not  yet  have  been  drained, 

In  the  morning  our  hearts  will  divinely  be  stilled, 
In  the  evening  ecstatic  with  bliss  here  unnamed. 

And  oh,  how  I  long,  how  I  yearn  to  be  there. 

Up  yonder  where  all  is  so  calm  and  so  blue, 
With  the  spirit  of  perfected  just  ones  to  share 

Through  Eternity's  ages  joy  and  peace  ever  new. 

And  when  to  my  grave  I  shall  slowly  be  borne, 

Oh  weep  and  lament  not,  for  I  am  so  blest! 
And  when  "  it  is  evening  "  you'll  say  or,  "  'tis  morn  " — 

Remember  for  me  there  is  nothing  but  rest ! 

This  is  the  translation  of  Rondthaler's  "Abendlled" 
made  by  Prof.  William  C.  Reichel,  Pennsylvania  German, 
May,  1906. 


i^uiii  lW^^^■^'^''^l^^H<^u^ll^|M^kll^^^|^.|^^^^^||^i^l^^^^ll^^^l^^lW^^  ii«l^i|iii^nii  muihh fiuj^iuun 


3.   Henry  Harbaugh. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Life  of  Harbaugh,     Lynn  Harbaugh,  Philadelphia,  1900. 

Harbaugh's  Harfe.     Bausman,  Philadelphia,   1870.     Introduction. 

Allcmania.     Bonn,  Vol.  II,  p.  240. 

Harbaugh.     P.  C.  Croll,  Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  V,  2,  51. 

Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook.    Rauch,  Mauch  Chunk,  1879. 

The  Penn  Monthly,  Philadelphia,  Vol.  I,  p.  28. 

National  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography,  New  York,  1904,  Vol.  12. 

The   German   Element   in   The    United    States.     Faust,   Boston    and   New 

York,  1909. 
Geschichte  der  Nordamerikanischen  Litteratur.     Knortz,  Berlin,  1891. 
Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  VII,  4,  178. 
Life  of  Philip  Schaff.    D.  S.  Schaff,  New  York. 
The  Guardian,  Lancaster. 
The  Independent,  June,  1880:  Dr.  Steiner. 
Pennsylvania-German   Manual.     Home,   1875. 
Annals  of  Harbaugh  Family,  Chambersburg,  1861. 
Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society.    Vol.  XVIII.    U.  S. 

Koons. 
Deutsche  Pionier,  Cincinnati,  Vol.  15,  377. 
Dialekt  Dichtung  in  Amerika.     H.  H.  Fick. 

German  and  Swiss  Settlements  in  Pennsylvania.     Kuhns,  New  York. 
Transactions  American  Philological  Association,  Vol.  I,  80. 
Deutsch  in  Amerika.     Zimmermann,  Chicago. 
Das  Deutsche  Element  in  den  Ver.  Staaten.     Von  Bosse,  p.  436. 
Das  Deutschtum  in  den  Ver.  Staaten.     Goebel,  p.  30. 
Auswanderung  u.  Koloniegrundung  der  Pfalzer.     Haberle,  Heidelberg. 
Geschichte  der  Schwabischen  Dialekt  Dichtung.     Holder,  Heilbronn,  1896. 
Amerikanische  Volkskunde.    Knortz,  Leipzig. 
Reformed  Church  Messenger. 

54 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  cc 

Die  Alte  Zeit.     Mann,  Philadelphia. 

Blessed  Memory  (The)  of  Henry  Harbaugh.    Jos.  Dubbs,  D.D    P  G    Vol 
X,  I,  I.  •     •.        . 

Henry  Harbaugh  is  well  known ;  Pennsylvania-German 
literature  has  often  been  interpreted  to  mean  little  else 
than  Harbaugh's  Harfe,  the  volume  of  his  collected  dia- 
lect poems.  His  name  is  mentioned  by  every  one  who  has 
spoken  or  written  of  Pennsylvania-German  literature; 
moreover  an  excellent  Life  has  been  written  by  his  son, 
Lynn  Harbaugh,  and  published  by  the  Reformed  Church 
Publication  Board,  Philadelphia,  1900,  and  few  new  facts 
could  be  added  to  the  material  presented  In  that  work. 
The  biography,  however,  has  distinctly  the  tone  of  being 
written  for  those  who  knew  him  as  a  pastor  and  a  theo- 
logian and  the  reader  would  little  suspect  his  real  rank  as 
a  dialect  poet  from  the  half  dozen  pages  devoted  to  this 
side  of  his  career.  It  is  rather  as  the  beloved  shepherd 
of  the  flock,  the  careful  church  historian  or  the  learned 
professor  of  theology  that  he  appears,  and  his  life  work  is 
in  large  measure  covered  by  these  terms.  Yet  his  dialect 
productions  mark  the  crest  of  a  wave  of  influence  that  was 
set  in  motion  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century 
in  a  little  secluded  valley  of  the  southern  Black  Forest  by 
John  Peter  Hebel,  through  the  publication  of  a  small 
volume  of  poems  In  the  Alemannic  dialect,  a  wave  of  in- 
fluence which  in  time  spread  over  the  whole  of  Germany. 

"  Die  Anregungen  zur  Nachfolge  zu  verfolgen,"  says 
Hebel's  biographer  in  the  Allgemeine  Deutsche  Biogra- 
phic, "und  zu  fragen  wer  sich  hat  durch  Hebel's  Vorgang 
und  leuchtendes  Beispiel  begelstern  lassen  auf  dem  Gebiet 
deutscher  Zunge,  von  der  Schweiz  bis  zum  norddeutschen 
Plattland,  seiner  dichterschen  Muse  das  Gewand  des  Dla- 
lekts  umzulegen,  1st  nicht  dieses  Orts."     If  the  writer  had 


56  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

ever  undertaken  this  task,  he  would  have  found  It  neces- 
sary to  extend  the  geographical  limits  set  and  to  add  "  und 
sogar  iiber  das  Meer  nach  Amerika." 

Henry  Harbaugh  was  born  near  Waynesboro,  Pa.,  Oc- 
tober 28,  1 8 17;  his  ancestors  had  come  from  Switzerland 
and  were  tillers  of  the  soil;  at  nineteen  he  left  the  farm 
and  his  home.  In  order  to  have  a  freer  hand  in  working 
out  his  future.  After  four  years  of  life  In  Ohio,  carpen- 
tering, going  to  school  and  teaching  school,  he  was  able  to 
return  and  enter  Marshall  College,  Mercersburg,  Pa.; 
three  years  he  spent  in  Preparatory  School,  College  and 
Theological  Seminary,  then.  In  1843,  served  successively 
three  congregations  as  pastor,  at  Lewisburg,  Lancaster 
and  Lebanon,  Pa.,  until  1863,  when  he  became  professor 
of  didactic  and  practical  theology  at  the  Seminary  of  The 
Reformed  Church  at  Mercersburg.  During  the  later 
periods,  from  1843  ^o  ^^^  death,  he  founded  and  edited 
The  Guardian,  a  monthly  magazine,  contributed  fre- 
quently to  the  Mercersburg  Review  (editor,  1867  to  his 
death),  wrote  numerous  books  chiefly  on  theological  and 
biblical  subjects,  biography,  poetry,  addresses,  lectures 
(unpublished)  and  articles  for  encyclopedias.  Decem- 
ber 28,  1867,  in  the  midst  of  his  labors,  he  ended  this  life. 

On  January  9,  1868,  his  friend  Dr.  Philip  Schaff  wrote 
in  the  Christian  World,  among  other  things  as  follows: 
"  As  the  poet  in  the  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  he  stands 
alone.  If  we  except  an  isolated  attempt  made  before, 
namely,  the  touching  evening  hymn,  *  Margets  scheint  die 
sun  so  schee,'  written  by  a  Moravian  minister,  the  late 
Rev.  Mr.  Rondthaler,  and  published  in  ( Schaff 's)  Kir- 
chenfreund  in  1849.  I  ^''^t  directed  his  attention  to  this 
piece  of  poetry  and  suggested  to  him  the  desirableness  of 
immortalizing  the  Pennsylvania  German  In  song  before  It 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings,  57 

dies  out  as  the  Alemannian  dialect  has  been  immortalized 
by  Hebel.  He  took  up  the  hint  and  wrote  his  '  Schulhaus 
an  der  Krick'  which  he  modestly  submitted  to  me  and 
which,  when  published  in  several  newspapers,  produced 
quite  a  sensation  among  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  and 
found  its  way  even  to  Germany.  The  *  Heemweh '  and 
other  pieces  followed  from  time  to  time  and  were  received 
with  equal  favor.  These  poems  can,  of  course,  be  fully 
appreciated  only  in  Pennsylvania ;  but  in  originality,  humor 
and  genuine  Volkston  they  are  almost  equal  to  the  cele- 
brated Alemannian  poems  of  Hebel.  They  are  pervaded 
moreover  by  a  healthy  moral  and  religious  feeling." 

Schaff's  opinion  of  Harbaugh's  capacity  for  writing 
poetry  had  been  expressed  upon  the  occasion  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  Harbaugh's  first  volume  of  English  poems 
thus:  "The  appearance  of  a  volume  of  poems  by  H.  Har- 
baugh  was  to  us  simply  a  question  of  time.  It  had  to  come 
sooner  or  later  by  an  unavoidable  necessity.  The  bird 
will  sing  and  the  poet  will  write."  Singing,  speaking, 
thinking  and  writing  did  fill  the  circle  of  his  life.  The 
bent  of  his  mind  from  childhood  foredoomed  him  to  be  a 
poet.  How  else  could  the  farmer  boy  on  a  trip  to  a 
neighboring  sawmill  have  been  more  interested  in  the 
Legend  of  Mount  Misery  than  in  the  proper  loading  of 
logs  upon  the  wagon;  why  else  should  the  flight  of  birds 
have  for  him  such  a  solemn  mystical  meaning;  why  should 
there  have  been  to  him  majesty  in  the  forest  and  not  mere 
trees  for  lumber;  would  the  real  farmer  boy  have  stolen 
off  to  the  hills  with  a  well-thumbed  book  to  read  and  medi- 
tate? Who  else  would  have  thought  of  becoming  a  miller 
because  when  the  hopper  is  filled  and  the  waterwheel  is 
set  in  motion  the  miller  has  time  to  read  and  study,  and 
not  rather  time  to  play  at  cards  with  the  idlers  that  gath- 


58  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

ered  from  the  neighborhood?  When  we  think  of  him  as 
keeping  a  notebook  almost  from  the  time  that  he  could 
write,  privately  schooling  himself,  writing  letters,  essays, 
addresses  (and  on  occasion  delivering  them),  and  with  It 
all,  always  singing  and  teaching  others  to  sing — we  have 
a  picture  not  only  of  the  youth  but  a  sure  token  of  the 
man  that  he  was  to  become. 

Some  of  his  English  poems  have  been  very  widely  read 
and  give  promise  of  continuing  to  live,  especially  "The 
Mystic  Weaver"  and  "Through  Death  to  Life";  of  his 
spiritual  songs,  several  are  being  used  in  the  church  services 
of  his  own  church,  The  Reformed  Church  in  The  United 
States,  and  at  least  one,  "  Jesus,  I  live  to  Thee,"  has  taken 
Its  place  In  the  Protestant  Episcopal,  Methodist,  Baptist 
and  Presbyterian  Hymnals  and  in  a  number  of  other  col- 
lections. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  chapter  of  the  biography,  Lynn 
Harbaugh  says :  "  Much  of  it  all — the  downfallings  and 
uprisings,  the  smiles  and  tears,  and  aught  else  that  goes  to 
make  up  the  lights  and  shadows  of  an  eventful  life — may 
be  rounded  out  from  the  diary  of  one's  own  experience,  for 
the  old  world  wags  much  the  same  for  all,  and  life's  story 
is  an  old  one."  In  these  words  we  can  explain  the  popu- 
larity of  Harbaugh's  dialect  poetry.  He  has  chronicled 
these  downfallings  and  uprisings,  these  smiles  and  tears, 
these  lights  and  shadows,  and  their  appeal  Is  universal  be- 
cause these  experiences  may  be  rounded  out  In  the  diaries 
of  the  lives  of  so  many  of  those  who  have  heard  or  read 
his  lines,  of  those  for  whom  they  were  written. 

In  "Das  alt  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick"  the  speaker,  a 
person  who  had  gotten  tired  of  home,  has  gone  "  owwe 
naus " — out  west,  as  we  would  say — and  after  twenty 
years  of  fortune-chasing  has  come  back  to  proclaim  that 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  59 

there's  nought  but  humbug  "owwe  draus,"  that  brown- 
stone  fronts  and  boundless  wealth  are  not  to  be  compared 
in  value  with  the  little  old  schoolhouse  near  his  father's 
house,  before  which  he  stands.  As  he  stands  and  looks 
and  thinks  he  finds  all  still  as  of  yore,  the  babbling  brook, 
the  alder  bushes  by  it,  the  little  fishes  in  it;  the  white  oak 
at  the  schoolhouse  door,  the  grape  vines  twining  over  it  and 
the  swallow's  nest  at  the  gable.  All  is  so  realistic,  it  cannot 
be  but  that  he  is  back  again  in  his  youth,  his  joyous  laughter 
affirms  it,  but  tears  flow  the  while  he  laughs,  denying  it; 
thus  he  continues  through  the  many  descriptive  stanzas 
that  follow;  sometimes  in  the  present  tense  things  are  and 
again  in  the  past  they  were;  we  get  a  complete  picture  of 
the  old-time  schoolmaster,  the  architecture  and  furnishing 
of  the  schoolroom,  the  seating  of  the  pupils,  the  discipline 
of  the  teacher,  the  games  on  the  playground,  schoolday 
flirtations,  tricks  played  upon  the  teacher.  So  vivid  does 
the  narrator  make  it  all  that  he  is  suddenly  brought  to 
himself  with  the  question,  where  are  those  pupils  now? 
Facing  actuality  once  more  he  is  again  torn  with  the  con- 
flicting emotions — joy  at  being  in  its  presence  and  the  de- 
sire to  weep  for  the  past  that  is  no  more;  finally  he  bids 
good  bye  to  the  old  schoolhouse,  pleading  with  those  who 
still  live  there  to  take  good  care  of  it  at  all  times. 

Ulysses  S.  Koons  has  written :  "  What  tenderness,  what 
pathos  and  humor  pervade  this  poem  in  its  picturing  of 
the  humble  schoolhouse  of  long  ago !  We  do  not  wonder 
that  this  poem  has  always  been  a  great  favorite."  And 
speaking  of  the  lines : 

Die  kleene  Mad  hen  Ring  geschpielt 

Uf  sellem  Wassum  da; 
Wann  grose  Mad  sin  in  der  Ring — 
'S  is  doch  en  wunnervolles  Ding — 

Sin  grose  Buwe  ah! 


6o  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Die  Grose  hen  die  Grose  'taggt, 

Die  Kleene  all  vermisst! 
Wie  sin  se  g'schprunge  ab  un  uf 
Wer  g'wunne  hot,  verloss  dich  druf, 

Hut  dichdiglich  gekisst! 

he  adds :  "  If  universality  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of 
genius  these  lines  must  be  considered  a  masterpiece,  for 
where  on  earth  has  there  ever  been  a  schoolhouse  where 
this  ring  kissing  game  of  joyous  memory  has  not  been 
played  precisely  as  set  forth  by  our  poet." 

But  the  present  writer  says  there  is  universality  in  every 
line  and  every  thought.  What  family  was  there,  or  is 
there,  that  did  not  have  its  dissatisfied  boy  who  must  needs 
seek  his  fortune  abroad  ?  What  tender-hearted  mother  or 
stern  father  but  has  doubted  whether  their  dear  one,  in 
spite  of  material  things  that  may  have  come  to  him,  is 
quite  as  well  off  as  he  would  be  at  home,  and,  therefore, 
gives  ready  assent  to  the  sentiment  that  there's  nought 
but  humbug  "  owwe  draus."  The  present  writer  recalls 
the  occasion  when  he  was  very  young,  a  new  schoolhouse 
near  his  home  replaced  an  older  one,  and  the  new  one  was 
being  dedicated  by  a  Sunday  School  which  made  use  of  the 
building  on  Sundays;  a  very  old  man  was  one  of  the 
speakers;  there  were  addresses  in  English  and  addresses  in 
German,  all  of  which  he  has  forgotten,  if  he  ever  under- 
stood them;  the  old  man  had  finished  his  address  in  Ger- 
man and  had  taken  his  seat  when  he  suddenly  jumped  up 
and  said  "  Oh,  ich  het  schier  gar  vergesse — Helt  is  es 
exactly  zwanzig  jahr"  and  recited  the  whole  poem  to  the 
end,  amid  the  smiles  and  winks  of  the  younger  men  and 
the  deep  sighing  and  even  tears  of  the  older  men  and 
women,  and  so  true,  so  realistic  did  it  all  seem  that  he  did 
not  know  until  years  later  that  the  old  man  had  not  spoken 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  6i 

of  himself  and  been  describing  the  schoolhouse  that  had 
stood  on  that  very  spot  in  years  gone  by;  and  yet  the 
schoolhouse  of  Harbaugh  and  the  one  where  this  oc- 
curred were  as  far  apart  as  the  most  eastern  and  the  most 
western  counties  of  German  Pennsylvania. 

He  gives  us  a  picture  not  only  of  a  schoolhouse,  and  of 
bygone  days,  not  only  a  portrayal  of  man's  inwardness  and 
its  expression,  but  of  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  the 
people  of  whom  and  for  whom  he  writes.  "  Er  war," 
says  Benjamin  Bausman,  "obschon  er  beinahe  ausschiess- 
lich  in  Englischer  Sprache  schrieb,  von  Haus  aus  ein  so- 
genannter  Deutsch  Pennsylvanier.  In  seinem  vaterlichen 
Haus  wurde  Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch  gesprochen.  Den 
eigenthiimlichen  Geist  dieses  Volkes  saugte  er  von  seiner 
friihesten  Kindheit  ein.  Er  liebte  dessen  Gebrauche, 
dessen  kindlichen  Sinn  und  dessen  schlichte  Frommigkeit, 
und  fiihlte  sich  nirgende  so  wohl  zu  Haus  als  in/  den  Fa- 
milien  und  grossen  Kirchen  Ost-Pennsylvaniens."  Then 
follows  this  very  significant  sentence:  "  Bei  seinen  Besuchen 
unter  diesem  Volk  bemiihte  er  sich  jedesmal,  etwas  aus 
dessen  geschichtlichem  Leben  zu  sammeln,  und  aufzube- 
wahren."  To  this  people  he  brought  in  his  poems  re- 
flexes of  their  better  selves  in  youth  and  in  old  age,  in 
deepest  sorrow  or  greatest  joy,  when  sunk  in  dark  de- 
spair, when  buoyed  up  by  a  confident  trust  in  the  Master's 
promises  :  it  was  no  wonder,  as  Ficksays,  quoting  Bausman, 
"  dass  das  Volk  sein  Gemiitvollen  Gedichte  an  den  Feu- 
erherden  las,  und  dariiber  weinte  und  lachte."  It  is  no 
wonder  that  the  volume  of  his  poems  lies  alongside  of  the 
Family  Bible,  as  Karl  Knortz  tells  us  it  does;  it  is  small 
wonder  if  it  were  true  as  he  too  tells  us  that  they  can  re- 
peat "Das  alt  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick"  from  memory 
better  than  their  confession  of  faith. 


62  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

During  the  years  1861  and  1862  most  of  his  poems 
were  published  in  the  Guardian;  in  January,  1861,  "  Der 
Regeboja"  without  comment;  in  August,  "Das  alt  Schul- 
haus  an  der  Krick,"  with  a  half  apologetic  explanatory 
note  by  the  editor,  and  no  indication  of  authorship;  in 
November,  "Haemweh,"  one  of  his  best,  still  anonymous; 
in  February,  1862,  to  "  Lah  Business" — a  poem  of  which 
Dr.  Dubbs  has  written  that  "  it  is  so  much  inferior  to  his 
other  productions  as  hardly  to  appear  to  be  from  the  same 
hand" — was  first  added  "By  the  editor."  From  this 
time  the  poems  appear  almost  every  month  "  By  the  edi- 
tor" for  about  a  year,  when  his  activity  along  this  line 
ceased  under  pressure  of  his  new  duties  as  professor  of 
theology.  Nor  was  it  granted  him  during  his  busy  life 
to  fulfil  the  wishes  of  his  friends  that  he  publish  a  collec- 
tion of  his  poems.  Immediately  after  his  death  Dr.  Pas- 
savant,  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Schaff, 
in  which  he  declared  that  he  felt  "Haemweh"  to  be  the 
equal  of  Goldsmith's  "  Deserted  Village,"  urged  upon  him 
to  undertake  the  work.  By  Dr.  Schaff  it  was  in  turn  re- 
ferred to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin  Bausman,  under  whose 
editorship  the  "  Harfe  "  appeared — a  collection  of  fifteen 
dialect  poems  with  the  author's  own  English  version  of  four 
of  them ;  it  is  illustrated  also  with  woodcuts  of  "  Das  alt 
Schulhaus  an  der  Krick,"  "Die  alt  Miehl"  and  "Haem- 
weh  " ;  also  a  portrait  of  the  author.  There  is  a  Vorrede 
and  a  biographical  sketch  by  the  editor,  and  an  In 
Memoriam — in  the  dialect — "  einen  riihrenden  poetischen 
Nachruf,"  says  Dr.  Fick — by  a  descendant  of  the  old 
Pennsylvania-German  Indian  agent,  the  Rev.  Conrad  Z. 
Weiser. 

"  Es  sind  meistervolle  Genrebilder,"  says  Fick,  "  wenn  er  des 
alten  Feuerherdes,  der  Schlafstube,  der  alten  Miihle  gedenkt,  oder 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  63 

wenn  er  erzahlt  wie  er  von  seiner  Mutter  beim  Fortgehen  aus  dem 
Elternhause  abschied  und  sie  weinend  auf  der  Veranda  stehend, 
ihm  nachblickte." 

Writers  on  the  history  of  music  tell  us  that  before  a 
certain  pedal  arrangement  was  perfected  for  the  harp  it 
was  not  practical  for  the  performer  to  play  all  the  keys. 
In  the  last  poem  referred  to  above,  "  Haemweh,"  Har- 
baugh's  Harfe  had  all  the  improvements  in  rapid  succes- 
sion, running  the  whole  range  of  tonal  coloring.  The 
poem  begins  with  the  simple  calm  suggestion,  unreasoned 
and  ununderstood,  that  he  ought  to  go  to  see  the  old 
homestead,  an  annual  thought.  It  grips  him,  however, 
and  he  sets  out,  and  now  it  drives  him  faster  and  faster, 
until  as  he  nears  the  top  of  the  last  hill  that  hides  it  from 
his  view  the  joy  of  anticipation  rises  to  such  heights  that 
he  must  literally  leap  into  the  air  to  speed  his  first  glimpses. 
More  slowly  now,  but  still  in  rapid  panorama  the  familiar 
scenes  of  childhood  pass  until  he  reaches  the  gate  where 
his  heartbroken  mother  waved  him  his  last  farewell,  here 
he  touches  the  very  depths  of  grief.  The  light  of  the 
veranda  brings  thoughts  of  his  father  gone,  but  he  had 
lived  to  see  the  day  when  he  could  give  his  hearty  approval 
to  the  course  his  son  had  pursued.  He  now  stands  before 
the  door.     Shall  he  step  inside? 

Es  is  wol  alles  voll  inside 
Und  doch  is  alles  leer. 

Full  and  yet  empty,  the  contrast  of  these  two  lines  are 
the  contrast  of  the  whole  poem.  His  joy  was  like  a 
glorious  sunburst  but  the  grief-stricken  outcry  like  a  crash 
of  thunder  in  the  darkness  of  the  storm.  Over  it  all  the 
rainbow  of  hope  rises  once  more,  and,  resigned,  he  goes 
back  to  the  tasks  of  this  world  until  it  be  the  will  of  God 
to  call  him  home. 


64  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

That  rainbow  still  stands  over  Harbaugh's  tomb,  for 
on  one  side  of  the  marble  monument  that  marks  the  spot 
where  Harbaugh  sleeps  are  cut  the  words  from  "  Haem- 
weh" 

O  wann's  net  vor  der  Himmel  war 

Mit  seiner  scheene  Rub, 

Dann  war  m'r's  do  schun  lang  verleedt, 

Ich  wisst  net,  was  zu  dhu. 

Doch  Hoffnung  leichtet  meinen  Weg 

Der  ewigen  Heemet  zu." 

And  from  the  same  poem,  these  lines  on  the  other  side : 

Dort  find  m'r,  was  m'r  do  verliert 
Und  b'halt's  in  Ewigkeit; 
Dort  lewe  unsre  Dodte  all, 
In  Licht  und  ew'ger  Freid. 

"Der  Pihwie"  is  a  dialogue  between  a  farmer  and  the 
Peewee — harbinger  of  spring.  In  the  Guardian,  Dr.  J. 
H.  Dubbs  says  that  this,  though  otherwise  a  fine  poem,  has 
a  strong,  though  undesigned,  resemblance  to  Rebel's  "  Der 
Storch."  This  seems  to  have  been  an  unfortunate  expres- 
sion; it  is  quoted  in  Lynn  Harbaugh's  Biography  and  in 
his  essay.  He  has  even  been  constrained  to  add  there  was 
nothing  like  servile  imitation  or  outright  plagiarism. 

Such  words  would  have  been  unnecessary  if  the  two 
poems  had  ever  been  printed  side  by  side.  Harbaugh  had 
been  a  boy  for  whom  the  birds  sang;  he  had  no  doubt,  be- 
fore he  knew  what  poetry  was,  said  "  Ei  Pihwie  bischt 
zerick."  It  is  a  method  of  welcome  common  to  all 
peoples  for  the  bird  of  spring.  Another  Pennsylvania- 
German  poet  has  treated  the  same  subject  in  the  same  way, 
often  in  the  same  phrases.  If  that  part  of  Hebel's  poem 
be  omitted  in  which  he  talks  with  the  stork  on  the  war  and 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  65 

the  return  of  peace  we  are  on  common  ground  In  all  three 
poems.  There  is  no  other  way  of  treatment — there  are 
no  other  things  to  say.  It  must  be  dialogue,  and  what 
can  you  say  except  "  Welcome  "  ?  what  discuss  except  "  the 
weather"?  are  you  sure  the  winter  is  over,  summer  will 
now  surely  come;  his  nest — show  him  a  place,  invite  him 
to  proper  materials  for  building  it;  his  food — what  he 
may  have,  or  you  may  tease  him  about  what  he  steals. 
Harbaugh  had  studied  Hebel,  and  in  this  way  may  have 
received  the  suggestion  of  writing  a  poetic  welcome  to  the 
bird  that  to  him  as  a  boy  had  heralded  the  advent  of 
spring.     The  rest  was  Inevitable. 

The  narrow  range  of  theme  for  dialect  writers,  the 
similarity  of  the  ways  of  thinking  the  world  over  will 
lead  us  not  to  be  surprised  if  we  find,  but  surprised  if  we 
do  not  find,  such  similarity. 

O  heert,  ihr  llewe  Leit,  was  sin  des  Zeite 
Dass  unser  eens  noch  erlewe  muss! 

sings  Harbaugh,  1862. 

Die  Welt  werd  annerscht,  un  die  Leit 
'S  giebt  ganz  en  anner  Wese. — 
Des  was  e  Zeit  ihr  liewe  Leut 
'S  werd  ke  me  so  gebore 

says  Karl  August  Woll,  Heidelberg,  1901. 

In  "  Busch  un  Stadel,"  Harbaugh  makes  the  country- 
man go  to  town  and  reason  why  he  does  not  like  it  there. 
In  a  poem  with  the  same  title  H.  C.  Wilhelmi  has  made 
the  countryman  describe  the  supercilious  attitude  of  the 
city  man  when  he  comes  to  the  country  and  in  mock  irony 
makes  him  say: 

Wie  traurig  ist  das  Factum  doch 
Dass  solch  viel  Volk  unwissend  noch. 


66  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

In  "Das  alt  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick"  Harbaugh  says, 
comparing  the  rest  of  the  world  with  home: 

Ich  sag  ihm  awer  vome  naus 
Es  is  all  humbug  owwe  draus. 

A  Hollander  who  has  migrated  to  America  writes  of  his 
home: 

Hew  up  de  ganze  Welt  nix  sehn 

Wat  di  to  gliken  war. 

We  have  seen  how  in  "Haemweh,"  Harbaugh  says: 

Ich  wees  net  was  die  Ursach  is 
Wees  net,  warum  ich's  dhu ; 
'N  jedes  Johr  mach  ich  der  Weg 
Der  alte  Heemet  zu. 

A  Platt-Dutchman  from  Bremen,  Gustav  Halthusen,  does 
not  actually  make  such  a  journey,  but  fain  would  do  so: 

Siih  Friind,  mi  will  de  Heimath 
Noch  gar  nich  ut  den  Sinn 
So  ol  Ik  ok  all  worden 
So  lang  ik  wek  ok  bin 

Un  is  en  Frohjahr  weller 
Mai  kamen  up  de  Eer 
Dan  trekket  de  Gedanken 
Noch  jiimmer  oewert  Meer. 

The  dialect  writers  are  a  close  fraternity,  and  must 
often  be  expected  to  express  identical  thoughts  in  all  but 
identical  terms. 

In  the  biography  we  are  told  that  Dr.  Harbaugh  loved 
childhood  and  children;  that  it  was  his  delight  to  watch 
them  at  play  and  to  cherish  their  sayings  in  his  heart. 
He  was  particularly  skilful  in  addressing  little  children, 
telling  them  stories — Christmas  stories,  stories  sometimes 
of  his  own  invention.     This  side  of  his  nature  also  re- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  67 

celved  recognition,  found  expression  not  only  incidentally 
as  in  "Das  alt  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick"  but  in  separate 
poems  like  "Will  widder  Buwele  sein,"  "Das  Krisch- 
kindel,"  "  Der  Belsnickel." 

Dr.  Nathan  C.  Schaeffer,  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction of  Pennsylvania,  has  said  of  Dr.  Harbaugh: 
"He  was  a  typical  Pennsylvania  German.  The  dialect 
and  its  range  of  ideas  he  acquired  at  his  mother's  knee  and 
from  the  companions  of  his  childhood  and  youth.  His 
powers  of  work  and  his  love  of  fun  were  developed  under 
the  tutelage  of  the  old  farm  and  under  the  influence  of  its 
customs,  traditions,  and  forms  of  speech.  He  was  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  the  homes  and  habits,  the  social  and 
religious  life  of  the  Pennsylvanians  of  German  ancestry. 
He  knew  their  merits,  foibles  and  shortcomings,  their 
peculiar  ways  and  superstitions,  their  highest  hopes  and 
noblest  emotions.  He  admired  their  frankness  and  sim- 
plicity, their  thrift  and  industry,  their  honesty  and  in- 
tegrity. He  shared  their  fondness  for  good  meals,  their 
sense  of  humor,  their  hatred  of  every  form  of  sham  and 
humbug.  He  summed  up  in  his  personality  and  exempli- 
fied in  his  life  the  best  characteristics  of  these  people." 
To  this  excellent  characterization  it  might  be  added  that 
the  few  dialect  poems  he  wrote  are  an  epitome  of  the 
manners  and  customs,  the  life  and  thought  of  these  Penn- 
sylvanians. 

What  can  be  said  of  his  poems  may  fairly  be  counted  as 
characteristic  of  the  best  that  has  been  written  in  the 
dialect.  The  last  mentioned  poem,  "  Der  Belsnickel," 
was  cited  by  the  Philadelphia  Demokrat  to  show  that  the 
dialect  does  not  or  need  not,  if  it  stays  in  proper  bounds, 
adopt  many  English  expressions.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
poem  on  the  harvest  field  attributed  to  Harbaugh,  though 


68  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

not  printed  in  his  Guardian  and  not  in  the  collected  poems, 
is  so  full  of  slangy  English  expressions  dragged  in  to 
rhyme  with  German  words  that  it  might  easily  stand 
alongside  of  those  that  give  most  offense  from  this  point 
of  view. 

There  is  another  poem  which  he  published  in  the 
Guardian  in  August,  1862,  as  "  By  the  editor,"  which  was 
not  taken  into  the  Harfe;  it  is  short — 12  lines — is  entitled 
"  Das  Union  Arch,"  majestic,  beautiful  and  firm  it  stands; 
'tis  treason  to  lay  hands  upon  it  to  tear  it  asunder;  it  will 
stand  many  an  assault,  nor  will  it  be  rent,  for  Lincoln  is 
its  guardian. 

Das  Union  Arch. 

Sehnst  du  sell  arch  von  vierundreissig  ste? 

Un  wescht  du  was  sell  bedeuta  dut? 
Es  stellt  die  Union  vor,  gar  griesHch  schoe, 

Der  Keystone  in  der  Mitt  steht  fescht  un  gut. 

Sell  Arch  loss  sei !  -ke  single  Ste  reg  a ; 

Dort  mus  es  steh  bis  Alles  geht  zu  nix 
Wan  eppes  legt  sei  Treason  Hand  dort  dra 

Don  schiest  mir  wie  en  Hund  mit  Minnie  's  Bix! 

Sell  Arch  is  vesht  cement  mit  hertzen  Blut; 

Es  stant  en  barter  Rebel  sturm,  I'll  bet; 
"  Verreist's !  "  kreisht  aus  die  gans  Sesession  Brut — 

Der  Lincoln  watcht  sie  close  un  losst  sie  net. 

Schaff  had  suggested  that  the  dialect  was  dying  out, 
Harbaugh  accepted  this  view.  August  Sauer  in  the  In- 
troduction to  "  Die  deutsche  Sacular  Dichtungen  an  der 
Wende  des  18  u.  19  Jahrhunderts "  says:  "  Wenn  das 
Leben  des  Menschen  sich  dem  Ende  neigt  so  treten  die 
Ereignisse  seiner  friihesten  Jugend  am  starkesten  in  seinem 
Gedachtnisse  hervor."  In  "  Geron,  der  Adelige  "  Wie- 
land  has  said  the  same  thing  thus : 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  69 

Das  Alter  fst  geschwatzig,  wie  ihr  wisst, 
Es  liebt  zu  reden  von  den  guten  Zeiten 
Die  nicht  mehr  sind,  in  denen  es,  als  wie 
In  einem  Traum  allein  noch  lebt. 

As  the  dying  swan,  of  which  Harbaugh  wrote  else- 
where, the  dialect  in  Harbaugh's  hands  sang  of  the  "  old," 
six  of  the  fifteen  titles  have  the  word  old — "Das  alt 
Schulhaus,"  "  Der  ait  Feuerheerd,"  or  in  contrast  new — 
"  Die  neie  Sort  Dschentleleit,"  or  some  suggestion  of  com- 
parison of  past  and  present — *'  Will  widder  Buwele  sei," 
three  others  in  the  first  stanza,  two  in  the  first  line  betray 
the  same  theme.  In  ''  Die  Schlofstub  "  he  says :  "  Als 
Pilger  geh  ich  widder  hin.  Ins  Haus  wo  ich  gebore  bin." 
In  "  Das  Krischkindel " :  "  Oh  du  Hewer  Kindheeds  krisch- 
dag,"  and  in  "Haemweh":  '"N  jedes  Johr  mach  ich  der 
Weg,  der  Alte  Heemet  zu." 

In  thus  picturing  the  old  and  the  new  Harbaugh  has 
touched  Pennsylvania-German  life  at  so  many  points  that 
those  who  came  after  him  were  almost  under  the  necessity 
of  paying  tribute  to  him  by  taking  the  same  title  and  treat- 
ing It  differently.  Solly  Holsbuck,  "  Will  widder  Buwele 
sei";  Wuchter,  "Der  Pihwie  " — varying  the  title  slightly 
and  giving  us  a  different  angle;  Brunner,  "Wie  mer  Glae 
wara  ";  Bahn,  "  'S  HImmllsch  Haemweh";  Flick,  "  'S  alt 
Schulhaus  am  Weg,"  by  taking  a  line  or  a  thought  and 
developing  It  as  a  separate  poem,  or  by  something  suggested 
as  additional  material  in  completing  an  exhibit;  Brunner, 
"Der  alt  Garret";  DeLong,  "Die  Gute  alte  Zelta"; 
Daniel,  "Zelt  und  Leut  annere  sich";  Gerhart,  "Die  alt 
Famllle  Uhr";  Gruber,  " 'N  Schoenie  alte  Hemath"; 
Hark,  "Der  aide  Karchhof  uf'm  Barg";  Horn,  "Der 
alte  Grabmacher  " ;  Fischer,  "  Das  alt  Marlkhaus  " ;  Craig, 
"  Die  alt  Kettebrlck." 


yo  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Henry  L.  Fischer,  quoting  Goethe's  lines  "  Von  Miitter- 
chen  die  Frohnatur,  Die  Lust  zum  Fabulieren,"  as  apply- 
ing to  himself,  means  to  tell  us  that  he  Is  not  only  figura- 
tively of  Harbaugh's  school,  but  that  he  is  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  the  same  Jost  Harbaugh  from  whom  both 
Henry  Harbaugh  and  the  poetess  Rachel  Bahn  were  de- 
scended. 

A  couplet  from  George  Mays : 

In  sellem  schane  Deitsche  Schtick 
Das  alte  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick 

reveals  to  us  that  writer's  ideal;  when  Henry  Meyer  for 
a  Family  Reunion  writes : 

Heit  kumme  mer  noch  emol  z'rick 
Ans  alte  Blockhaus  an  der  Krick 
Der  Platz  wu  unset  Heemet  war 
Shun  langer  z'rick  wie  sechzig  Johr, 

we  see  not  only  how  well  he  knew  his  Harbaugh,  but  also 
how  closely,  at  least  in  this  stanza,  he  has  imitated  him. 

E.  H.  Ranch,  contemporary  of  Harbaugh  and  master 
of  another  form  of  dialect  writing,  could  not  forbear  at- 
tempting a  metrical  composition,  "  Die  alte  Heemet," 
the  title  of  which  is  reminiscent  of  Harbaugh,  and  which 
in  every  one  of  its  prosy  lines  reeks  with  Harbaugh's 
thoughts  and  words  with  none  of  his  skill  in  handling  them. 

In  the  chapters  Harvey  Miller  and  Charles  C.  Ziegler 
it  is  shown  how  these  two  writers  were  drawn  under  the 
spell,  the  former  by  reciting,  the  latter  by  hearing  recited 
In  school  on  a  Friday  afternoon,  Harbaugh's  "  Das  alt 
Schulhaus  an  der  Krick."  Ziegler's  beautiful  lyric, 
"  Draus  un  Daheem,"  from  which  his  book  takes  its  name, 
might  be  called  an  expansion  and  elaboration  of  the  idea 
of  the  third  stanza  of  "  Das  alt  Schulhaus." 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  71 

In  this  way  do  all  of  the  writers  in  the  dialect — some  by 
word  of  mouth,  some  by  the  evidence  of  their  works,  some 
by  both — show  how  they  have  come  under  the  influence  of 
Henry  Harbaugh,  the  Pennsylvania-German  Hebel.  The 
Pennsylvania-German  Hebel  because  he  stands  at  the  foun- 
tain head  of  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  literature  as 
Hebel  does  to  Modern  German  Dialect  literature,  because 
he  was  a  careful  student  and  close  follower  of  Hebel. 
(In  an  article  in  "Hours  at  Home,"  on  Burns,  October  i, 
1866,  this  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  writer  brings  to- 
gether the  names  of  the  two  great  dialect  writers  of  Ger- 
many and  Scotland,  "Hebel  the  German  Burns."  Karl 
Knortz,  Nord.  Am.  Lit,  Bd.  II,  s.  190,  has  found  an  ad- 
ditional bond  besides  that  of  being  dialect  writers:  "Er 
fand  wie  Robert  Burns  bei  seinen  landlichen  Arbeiten 
immer  noch  Zeit  und  Miisse  genug,  seinen  wahrend  weni- 
ger  Wintermonate  Genossenen  Schulunterricht  durch  be- 
harrlichen  Selbstunterricht  fortzupflanzen.  Beim  Pfliigen 
las  er  bestandig  und  ging  nie  aus  ohne  ein  Buch  in  der 
Tasche  zu  haben.") 

He  deserves  to  be  called  the  Pennsylvania-German 
Hebel  because  he  has  been  so  recognized  at  home  and 
abroad.  Dr.  Pick,  of  Cincinnati,  says:  "Es  ist  gewiss 
nicht  zu  viel  gesagt  wenn  man  Harbaugh  den  Hebel  Ame- 
rikas  nennt."  In  Germany,  in  1875,  ^^  was  hailed  as 
"Ein  Pennsylvanisch  deutscher  Hebel"  by  that  devoted 
student  of  German  dialects,  Anton  Birlinger,  of  Bonn  Uni- 
versity, in  his  Alemannia,  Vol.  II,  p.  240. 

One  more  point  should  be  briefly  discussed  before  leav- 
ing this  writer — his  use  of  the  dialect,  and  of  the  English 
and  German  languages — because  in  this  too  he  is  typical  of 
the  Germans  of  Pennsylvania.  The  language  of  his  boy- 
hood home  was  the  dialect,  of  his  early  school  days  Eng- 


72  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

lish ;  in  youth  he  gave  himself  a  severe  schooling  to  acquire 
a  ready  English;  when  preparing  for  the  ministry  the 
claim  of  German  made  itself  felt  and  he  again  set  himself 
to  preparing  himself  properly.  This  he  did  by  reading, 
by  translating  and  by  becoming  a  member  of  a  college 
debating  society  using  the  German  language.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  society  were  unsparing  in  their  criticism  of 
each  other  and  Henry  Harbaugh  was  often  sternly  called 
to  order  for  his  tendency  to  drift  into  the  use  of  the  dialect. 
All  his  life  he  worked  among  people  using  the  dialect,  all 
his  life  he  had  to  preach  English  and  German;  in  the 
preparation  of  his  works  on  Church  history  and  on  theo- 
logical subjects  he  had  constantly  to  use  German  sources 
and  authorities.  Yet  it  was  always  an  effort  to  preach 
German  and  always  a  rehef  to  resort  to  English.  Even 
in  his  sermons  this  characteristic  Pennsylvania-German 
trait  cropped  out — "  once  in  a  while  his  sermon  was  made 
singularly  emphatic  by  a  little  hesitation  and  then  the  intro- 
duction of  a  broad,  crisp  Anglo-Saxon  word  in  place  of  the 
German  one  that  could  not  be  recalled." 

He  must  be  included  in  the  list  of  Pennsylvania-German 
dialect  orators;  he  must  have  delivered  many  speeches 
and  addresses  in  the  dialect  from  his  college  days  on,  when 
he  was  criticized,  to  a  famous  one  the  year  before  he  died 
at  an  alumni  banquet  of  Franklin  and  Marshall  College  at 
Lancaster.  Thirty-three  years  afterwards  Dr.  Nathan  C. 
Schaeffer,  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  was  present  as  a  student  on  the  occasion,  writes : 
"  Its  humor  and  delivery  made  a  deeper  impression  than 
the  oratory  of  all  the  eminent  men  at  home  and  abroad 
whom  I  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  hear  at  banquets, 
in  the  pulpit  or  from  the  rostrum."  As  if  he  had  said  too 
much,  he  then  adds:  "This  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  73 

the  speech  was  delivered  in  the  dialect  of  my  boyhood;" 
but  later  on  he  adds:  "The  impression  made  by  his  enu- 
meration of  the  contributors  (the  subject  of  the  toast  was 
The  Mercersburg  Review)  and  by  his  description  of  the 
work  it  accomplished  before  it  was  suspended  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  the  Review  was  revived  and  under  dif- 
ferent names  its  publication  has  been  continued  to  the 
present  time."  In  his  hands  the  dialect  was  a  noble  and 
forceful  instrument,  whether  used  for  prose  or  verse. 

The  prayer  of  the  editor,  Benjamin  Bausman,  "  Mochte 
die  lieben  Leser  bitten  '  die  Harf e '  nicht  an  die  Weiden 
zu  hangen,  sondern  recht  oft  ihre  schonen  Klange  im 
Kreise  der  Familie  ertonen  zu  lassen,"  seems  to  have  been 
heard  and  answered,  for  as  this  chapter  is  written  The  Re- 
formed Church  Publication  Board  is  announcing  in  the 
papers  of  eastern  Pennsylvania  a  new  printing  of  Har- 
baugh's"Harfe." 


4-  Edward  Henry  Rauch. 

Bibliography. 

AlHbone's  Dictionary  of  Authors.     Supplement.     1891- 

Canton,  Ohio  Repository  and  Republican,  Canton,  Ohio. 

Carbon  County  Democrat,  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa. 

College  News,  Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

Early  English  Pronunciation.     Ellis,  London,  1869. 

Father  Abraham,  Reading,  Pa.,  1864. 

Father  Abraham,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  i86€i 

Geschichte  der  Nordamerikanischen  Litteratur.    Karl  Knortz,  Berlin,  1891. 

History  of  Carbon  and  Lehigh  Counties.    Matthews  and  Hungerford,  1884. 

London  Saturday  Globe,  August  18,  18186. 

Lebanon  News,  Lebanon,  Pa. 

National  Baptist. 

New  York  Deutsche  Blaetter. 

Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook,  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa.,  1879. 

Philadelphia  Press,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  HL 

Reading  Times  and  Dispatch,  Reading,  Pa. 

Rip  Van  Winkle,  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa.,  1883. 

The  Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  1873. 

In  Col.  Edward  Henry  Rauch  were  centered  a  cease- 
less activity,  a  wonderful  initiative  and  an  untiring  energy 
that  meant  more  for  the  growth  of  Pennsylvania-German 
literature  than  any  other  individual  group  of  forces.  To 
trace  in  detail  his  movements  in  Pennsylvania  would  be 
too  long  a  story,  yet  they  must  be  passed  in  rapid  review, 
in  order  that  we  may  be  able  to  understand  his  relations 
to  the  people  of  the  State.     He  was  born  in  Lititz,  Pa., 

74 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  75 

July  19,  1820,  grandson  of  Johann  Heinrich  Rauch,  who 
had  come  from  Koln  In  1769. 

Presently  we  find  Mr.  Rauch  in  politics,  as  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  Prothonotary  at  Lancaster,  1845;  then  three 
years  later,  1847,  Deputy  Register  of  Wills;  again  three 
years  later  entering  journalism,  and  under  the  leadership 
of  Thaddeus  Stevens  editing  and  managing  two  anti-slav- 
ery Whig  papers — the  Independent  Whig  and  the  Inland 
Daily;  in  1854  on  his  own  account  going  to  Bethlehem 
and  starting  the  Lehigh  Valley  Times,  which  he  sold  in 
1857  and  purchased  the  Maiich  Chunk  Gazette,  to  which 
he  added  in  1859  a  German  paper — the  Carbon  Adler. 

In  1859,  he  became  transcribing  clerk  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature and  in  1 860-1 862,  chief  clerk,  although  he  ac- 
cepted this  office  only  on  condition  that  he  should  have 
leave  to  go  with  the  company  he  had  raised  for  the  war. 
Three  years  he  was  at  the  front,  when,  on  being  discharged 
because  of  physical  disability,  he  started  the  Father  Abra- 
ham at  Reading,  Pa. — a  militant  campaign  sheet  in  a 
county  of  doubtful  loyalty.  Next  he  became  city  editor 
of  the  Reading  Eagle;  in  1868  we  find  him  once  more  in 
Lancaster,  a  second  time  founding  a  Father  Abraham. 

With  Colonel  McClure  he  was  one  of  the  Greeley  cam- 
paign managers  in  1872,  four  years  after  he  published  the 
Uncle  Samuel  in  the  Tilden  Campaign;  in  1878  political 
conditions  invited  him  once  more  to  Mauch  Chunk  where 
he  founded  the  Carbon  County  Democrat,  and  was  soon 
able  to  absorb  his  rival,  whereupon  he  settled  down  to  the 
end  of  his  days.  He  died  September  8,  1902,  in  Mauch 
Chunk,  in  which  place  his  son  Is  still  conducting  the  same 
paper. 

Among  minor  accomplishments  Mr.  Rauch  had  the 
ability  to  simulate  almost  any  handwriting  or  to  reproduce 


76  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

any  signature.  This  led  him  to  study  the  subject  until  he 
became  an  expert,  and  as  such,  during  a  period  of  almost 
fifty  years,  he  was  called  into  the  courts  of  many  states  in 
cases  involving  disputed  handwriting. 

But  this  military  and  civil  tribune  was  withal  a  dialect 
writer.  Already  in  his  first  Father  Abraham  there  ap- 
peared an  occasional  short  selection  in  dialect,  but  those 
were  times  of  too  terrible  earnestness  for  such  work;  but 
later,  in  1868,  with  the  advent  of  the  second  Father  Abra- 
ham, contributions  in  the  dialect  over  the  signature  of  "Pit 
Schweff elbrenner  fum  Schliffeltown "  became  a  regular 
feature. 

Karl  Knortz  has  referred  to  these  selections  as  "Hu- 
moristisch  sein  sollende  Briefe";  a  commentary  on  this 
reader's  capacity  to  appreciate  humor,  for  five  years  later 
the  author  of  the  letters  could  speak  of  them  as  follows: 
"  Our  first  regular  productions  in  Pennsylvania  Dutch  ap- 
peared in  the  Father  Abraham  campaign  paper  over  the 
signature,  '  Pit  Schweffelbrenner.'  They  contributed  more 
to  the  remarkable  popularity  of  that  paper  than  anything 
else  it  contained,  and  the  circulation  increased  rapidly,  not 
only  in  Pennsylvania  but  also  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Maryland,  Wisconsin  and  other  States."  A  bit  of  pre- 
sumably disinterested  opinion  is  the  following:  While 
these  letters  were  running  in  the  Father  Abraham,  the 
Philadelphia  Press  published  a  translation  of  one  of  the 
letters  for  the  benefit  of  its  readers  and  prefaced  the  pro- 
duction by  the  following  statement : 

Pennsylvania  Dutch. 

We  give  below  a  first  class  specimen  of  that  unique  literature, 
which  has  within  a  few  years  become  intensely  popular,  and  which 
carries  with  it  a  quaint  logic  often  more  convincing  than  harder 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  yy 

facts  wrapped  in  satin  ornaments.  Everyone  has  read  with  delight 
the  celebrated  Bigelow  papers,  which  gave  point  and  pungency  to 
thoughts  that  the  language  of  the  forum  or  the  parlor  would  have 
suffered  to  lie  dormant.  The  shrewd  observations  of  Naseby  have 
not  only  immortalized  the  man,  but  have  answered  a  purpose  which 
no  other  literature  could  have  met.  Thousands  of  dogmas  are 
presented  which  no  argument  can  banish,  simply  because  they 
cannot  be  reached  by  argument.  They  can  be  pushed  aside  by  a 
comparison,  exploded  by  a  joke,  vaporized  by  a  burlesque,  or  the 
victimized  party  may  be  made  ashamed  of  himself  by  seeing  how 
ridiculous  his  neighbor  appears,  who  carries  out  the  doctrines  he 
so  gladly  entertains  and  so  blindly  believes.  Great  good  then, 
may  be  done  by  the  adoption  of  such  a  literature.  Why,  it  is  hard 
to  tell,  but  the  fact  is  true,  as  every  one  will  admit. 

The  East  has  thrown  its  patois  into  the  books  of  James  Russell 
Lowell,  under  the  signature  of  Hosea  Biglow,  and  no  one  regrets 
their  perusal.  The  Southwestern  form  of  speech  and  method  of 
argument  has  been  incorporated  in  side-splitting  letters  by  Pe- 
troleum V.  Naseby.  The  Pennsylvania  Dutch  is  a  language  pecu- 
liarly susceptible  to  similar  use.  Mr.  Rauch,  editor  of  Father 
Abraham,  a  spirited  campaign  sheet,  published  in  Lancaster,  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  rounding  this  language,  or  rather  this  compound 
of  English  and  German  languages,  into  effective  and  popular  can- 
vassing logic.  His  success  has  been  complete,  and  the  letters  of 
Pit  Schweffelbrenner,  from  Schliffeltown,  have  created  a  sensation 
if  not  as  widespread,  as  intense  as  those  from  the  "  Confederate 
Crossroads  which  is  in  the  Stait  of  Kentucky."  The  translation 
we  append  is  merely  to  give  the  substance  of  the  original.  It 
conveys  no  idea  of  the  peculiar  and  inimitable  merits  of  the  Ger- 
man version,  which  consists  more  in  the  manner  of  saying  it  than 
in  what  is  said.  (From  The  Pennsylvania  Dutchman ,  Vol.  I,  No. 
ii  1873.  January.) 

Interesting  in  this  connection  is  a  notice  In  the  work 
"Early  English  Pronunciation,"  by  Prof.  Alexander  J. 
Ellis.     If  we  recall  that  some  of  these  early  letters  were 


78  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

issued  as  a  small  pamphlet,  the  quotation  is  self-explana- 
tory. "While  I  was  engaged  with  the  third  part  of  my 
'Early  English  Pronunciation,'  Professor  Haldeman  sent 
me  a  reprint  of  some  humorous  letters  by  Rauch,  entitled 
'Pennsylvania  Deitsch:  De  Campaign  Breefa  fum  Pit 
Schweffelbrenner.'  Perceiving  at  once  the  analogy  be- 
tween this  debased  German  with  English  intermixture  and 
Chaucer's  debased  Anglo  Saxon  with  Norman  intermix- 
ture, I  requested  and  obtained  such  further  information 
as  enabled  me  to  give  an  account  of  this  singular  modern 
reproduction  of  the  manner  in  which  our  English  language 
itself  was  built  up,  and  insert  it  in  the  Introduction  to  my 
chapter  to  Chaucer's  pronunciation." 

In  1873  another  enterprise  that  Rauch  had  had  under 
consideration  for  a  number  of  years  saw  its  beginning  with 
the  issuing  in  January,  1873,  of  the  first  number  of  The 
Pennsylvania  Dutchman — a  monthly  magazine.  This 
first  number  contained  the  publisher's  announcement  in 
parallel  columns  of  English  and  Pennsylvania  German 
(this  will  be  included  in  entirety  elsewhere  with  the  con- 
tents of  all  the  known  numbers  of  the  magazine  and  speci- 
mens of  the  articles  mentioned)  ;  familiar  sayings  in  simi- 
lar parallel  columns;  a  poem  by  Tobias  Witmer  together 
with  a  translation  into  English  by  Professor  Haldeman, 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania;  a  poem  by  Rauch  him- 
self, evidently  in  the  manner  of  Harbaugh  and  entitled 
"Unser  Alte  Heemet";  a  Pennsylvania-German  letter; 
the  first  of  Rauch's  Shakespeare  translations;  a  number  of 
pages  of  English  short  stories  and  poems,  followed  by  the 
first  installment  of  the  author's  Pennsylvania-German  Dic- 
tionary with  this  interesting  note :  "  We  are  confident  that 
before  the  first  of  January,  1874,  every  reader  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Dutchman  by  simply  studying  this  part  of 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  79 

the  publication  together  with  the  pages  of  familiar  sayings 
will  be  able  to  reap  substantial  benefits  and  use  the  lan- 
guage for  practical  business  purposes." 

That  the  language  was  necessary  for  business  purposes 
will  seem  evident  by  the  parallel  column  advertisements 
in  which  lawyers  and  merchants  assure  their  readers  that 
they  speak  "  Deitsch  so  goot  dos  English." 

Apropos  of  the  use  of  dialect  for  business  purposes,  it 
might  be  remarked  that  as  recently  as  1905  a  candidate 
for  judge  in  a  county  in  which  his  party  was  in  overwhelm- 
ing majority  was  defeated  because,  though  he  had  been 
long  a  resident  of  the  county,  he  had  not  thought  it  worth 
while  to  learn  the  dialect.  Lest  this  cause  any  surprise, 
I  call  attention  to  the  remarkable  parallelism  between  the 
argument  used  by  the  organ  of  the  party  that  opposed  him 
and  the  statement  made  by  Jos.  Grimmer  in  the  Strass- 
burger  Post  of  September  19,  1905,  the  very  same  year. 
The  paper  said:  "The  question  whether  the  judicial  can- 
didate can  or  cannot  speak  Pennsylvania  German  is  a  vital 
issue  in  this  campaign,  and  it  in  no  way  reflects  upon  the 
intelligence  of  any  public  man  to  be  able  to  do  business 
in  a  language  that  has  been  spoken  from  the  earliest  his- 
tory of  the  county.  On  the  other  hand  it  is  important 
that  the  man  who  sits  upon  the  Bench  to  administer  justice 
with  an  even  hand  shall  be  conversant  with  the  dialect  of  a 
large  majority  of  the  people  and  which  does  not  always 
admit  of  a  strict  interpretation."  What  Grimmer  said 
in  his  article  I  can  only  report  at  second  hand,  but  the  Zeit- 
schrift  tiir  Deutsche  Mundarten,  19 10,  I,  52  ff.,  says: 
"  Die  Mundart  in  ihrer  Stellung  zum  offentlichen  Leben 
erortert  eine  Auslassung  von  Grimmer  der  die  Notwen- 
digkeit  dass  der  Richter  die  Mundart  der  Gegend  in  der 
er  seines  Amtes  waltet  wo  nicht  beherrsche  so  doch  ver- 
stehe,  an  gut  gewahlten  Beispielen  erlautert." 


8o  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  cite 
from  a  newspaper  of  1907.  "Three  different  kinds  of 
German  were  spoken  recently  in  court  at  Harrisburg.  A 
witness  spoke  High  German,  Judge  Thomas  Capp  spoke 
the  Pennsylvania  Dutch  of  Lebanon  County,  and  Senator 
John  E.  Fox,  the  defendant's  counsel,  spoke  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch  of  Dauphin  County."  I  have  myself  heard 
a  lawyer  review  in  the  dialect  before  the  jury,  testimony 
that  had  been  given  in  the  dialect,  at  such  length  that  the 
judge  stopped  him  to  inquire  whether  he  purposed  to  give 
his  entire  plea  in  the  dialect.  Curiously  enough,  the 
lawyer  in  question  was  a  native  of  Cornwall,  England, 
but  he  at  least  appreciated  what  Rauch  implied,  that  a 
knowledge  of  the  dialect  was  a  business  necessity. 

But  to  return  to  the  Pennsylvania-Dutch  magazine. 
After  the  Dictionary  there  followed  strangely  enough  in 
the  first  number  of  the  magazine  "Answers  to  Corre- 
spondents," and  then  a  page  of  editorials.  "  Here  is  rich- 
ness for  you  "  is  the  way  a  Mt.  Joy  paper  expressed  itself 
over  this  new  magazine.  The  Reformed  Church  Mes- 
senger, although  objecting  to  the  name  Dutchman,  found 
the  enterprise  "  a  commendable  one  "  and  "  hoped  it  would 
prove  a  success."  The  Canton,  Ohio,  Repository  said: 
"Mr.  Rauch  is  best  known  to  our  readers  under  the  title 
of  Pit  Schweffelbrenner;  he  has  done  more  to  popularize 
this  amusing  dialect  than  any  man  in  America,"  while  the 
following  is  from  the  New  York  Deutsche  Blatter:  "  In 
Lancaster  erscheint  jetzt  ein  neues  Magazin — Der  Penn- 
sylvania Dutchman — es  ist  Teils  Englisch  und  Teils  in 
dem  eigentiimlichen  Pennsylvania  Deutsche  Dialect  ge- 
schrieben  und  fiihrt  nicht  bloss  die  Sprache  sondern  die 
Sitten  vor,  welche  sich  unter  den  deutschen  Ansiedlern  im 
Innern  des  Staats  erhalten  haben.     Die  Zeitschrift  wird 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  8i 

ohne  Zweifel  sowohl  hier  als  in  Europa  das  Interesse  der 
Phllologen  erregen."  This  last  prophecy  can  hardly  be 
said  to  have  come  true,  for  that  this  magazine  had  ever 
existed  seems  to  have  been  completely  forgotten,  nor  is  it 
anywhere  mentioned. 

Three  issues  of  the  Magazine  have  I  seen;  it  must 
have  survived  a  little  longer,  if  the  Deutsche  Pionier  of 
Cincinnati  is  correct  in  citing  from  it  material  that  does 
not  appear  In  these  first  three  numbers.  At  the  most,  Its 
life  was  no  doubt  a  short  one.  On  the  editorial  page  of 
the  first  number  Rauch  had  said:  "It  is  the  only  publica- 
tion of  its  kind,  but  that  it  will  be  the  last  one  we  do  not 
believe."  In  this  he  was  correct,  for  the  Pennsylvania- 
German  Magazine,  now  in  Its  twelfth  volume,  although 
operating  along  entirely  different  lines,  may  be  counted  as 
its  logical  successor.  Another  magazine  though  of  a 
very  different  character  "Sam  Schmalzgsicht "  was  pub- 
lished In  AUentown  for  a  brief  period. 

Rauch's  next  undertaking  was  in  the  shape  of  a  book; 
according  to  the  Supplement  to  AUibone's  Dictionary  of 
Authors,  Vol.  II,  p.  1891,  a  first  venture,  entitled  "Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  Instructor,"  Lancaster,  Pa.,  1877,  i6mo, 
followed  by  a  second,  "  Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook,  a 
Book  for  Instruction,"  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1880,  i8mo. 
These  publications  have  thus  far  eluded  my  search,  but  a 
book  under  the  latter  title  was  published  at  Mauch  Chunk, 
1879.  This  contains  an  English-Pennsylvania  German 
Preface  from  which  I  cite  the  opening  paragraph. 
"About  im  yohr  1870,  hob  ich  my  mind  uf  gamaucht  for'n 
booch  shrelva  un  publisha  fun  Pennsylvania  Deitsh  in  Eng- 
lish, un  English  in  Pennsylvania  Deitsh,  mit  der  obsicht  for 
practical  un  profitllche  Instructions  gevva,  abbordlch  for 
bisness  menner  os  in  pletz  woona  fun  Pennsylvania  Deitsh 

6 


82  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

schwetzende  Leit  un  aw  for  die  feela  daussende  fun  Penn- 
sylvania boova  un  maid  os  in  de  Englisha  shoola  gane  un 
doch  sheer  nix  schwetza  derhame  un  in  der  nochberschaft 
OS  Pennsylvania  Deitsh." 

The  first  part  of  the  book  consists  of  his  English-Penn- 
sylvania German  and  Pennsylvania  German-English  Dic- 
tionary, then  follow  several  general  chapters  on  the  use 
of  words  and  practical  exercises,  reminding  one  of  the 
first  aids  to  those  landing  on  foreign  shores,  handed  out 
by  trans-Atlantic  steamship  companies,  together  with 
special  chapters  entitled:  "Bisness  G'schwetz."  The  first 
of  these  conversations  is  "Der  Boochshtore" — a  talk  be- 
tween the  Booch  hondler  and  a  customer,  in  which  we  learn 
how  fast  Rauch's  Handbook  is  selling.  Clothing  store, 
drugstore,  doctor,  drygoods,  furniture  store,  hotel  and 
lawyer  are  the  subjects  of  the  succeeding  conversations. 
A  brief  history  of  the  dialect  literature  up  to  that  time 
follows,  with  illustrative  examples,  including  the  author's 
own  Shakespeare  translations,  a  translation  of  Luke  XV, 
of  Matthew,  VII,  13-20,  and  of  The  Lord's  Prayer.  A 
chapter  illustrating  Professor  Witmer's  ideas  on  spelling 
reform  and  a  few  recent  Pit  Schweffelbrenner  letters  con- 
clude the  volume. 

Rauch  referred  slightingly,  p.  209,  to  Col.  Zimmer- 
man's Pennsylvania-German  work,  and  Zimmerman  in  his 
turn  published  a  merciless  review  of  his  critic's  book  in  the 
Reading  Times  and  Dispatch;  Rauch's  controversy  with 
those  who  did  not  spell  as  he  did  was  perennial,  and  Zim- 
merman continued  to  pile  up  evidence  of  Rauch  contra- 
dicting Rauch  in  spelling,  until  all  eastern  Pennsylvania 
was  convulsed.  Rauch  strove  in  letters  to  all  the  papers 
that  reprinted  Zimmerman's  review  to  defend  himself, 
and  as  Zimmerman  was  content  with  his  first  article,  the 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  83 

controversy  went  no  farther.  Rauch's  contention  was, 
that  inasmuch  as  English  was  the  language  that  Penn- 
sylvania Germans  studied  in  the  schools,  and  that  inas- 
much as  they  and  not  people  trained  in  German  were  ex- 
pected to  read  Pennsylvania  German,  it  ought  to  be  spelled 
according  to  the  rules  of  English  orthography.  Profes- 
sor Haldeman  once  wrote  him,  saying  that  in  order  to 
read  what  Rauch  wrote,  a  German  had  first  to  learn  to  read 
English,  to  which  Rauch  replied,  "very  true";  that  that 
was  what  Pennsylvania  Germans  did  in  the  schools,  where- 
as if  they  wanted  to  read  what  some  others  wrote,  then 
Pennsylvania  Germans  would  first  have  to  learn  High 
German. 

Since  many  disagreed  with  Rauch,  not  only  on  this  point 
but  also  on  the  propriety  of  calling  the  dialect  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch,  he  proposed  at  one  time  that  those  who 
spelled  after  the  German  fashion  should  be  styled  Penn- 
sylvania German  and  those  who  used  the  English  orthog- 
raphy should  follow  him  and  call  themselves  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch.  This  initial  controversy  as  to  how  the 
dialect  should  be  spelled  involved  constantly  widening 
circles  among  the  Pennsylvania  Germans,  nor  was  it  con- 
fined wholly  to  them;  Karl  Knortz,  a  German,  has  made 
his  contribution,  as  well  as  a  writer  in  the  London  Satur- 
day Globe.  The  latter,  while  conceding  that  Rauch  was 
a  very  popular  writer  and  the  author  of  a  Dictionary,  dis- 
approves nevertheless  of  his  "  Phonography,"  which  he 
characterizes  as  a  very  inaccurate  and  misleading  method 
of  spelling  one  language  according  to  the  standard  of  an- 
other. 

The  last  word  in  the  controversy,  at  least  from  the  scien- 
tific point  of  view,  will  be  the  publication  of  the  Dictionary 
by  Professors  Learned  and  Fogel,  who  are  using  a  good 


84  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

phonetic  alphabet,  but  among  the  folk  the  strife  will  doubt- 
less continue,  until  the  last  writer  in  the  dialect  has  uttered 
his  last  word,  spelled  as  he  and  a  kind  Providence  wills. 

Rauch's  apparent  coldness  to  Zimmerman  in  this  book 
seems  strange  in  view  of  his  tone  towards  him  two  years 
before.  The  former  passage  I  include  here  as  a  specimen 
of  the  dialect  when  it  essays  literary  criticism: 

ScHLiFFELTowN,  Jonuawr  I,  1877 
Mister  Drooker:  Ich  winsh  deer  un  all  dine  freind  en  rale  olt 
fashioned  neies  Yohr.  De  Wuch  hut  mel  olter  freind  Zimmer- 
man, der  Editor  fum  Readinger  Times  un  Dispatch  en  copy  fun 
seiner  Tseiting  mit  a  Pennsylvania  Deitsh  shtickly  drin  g'schickt. 
Es  is  'n  Ivversetzung  fun  a  English  shtickly  un  ich  muss  sawga 
OS  der  Mr.  Zimmerman  es  ardlich  ferdeihenkert  goot  gadu  hut. 
Des  explained  now  olles  wo  oil  de  fiela  sorta  shpeelsauch  un  tsucker 
sauch  her  cooma.  Now  whil  der  Z-  so  bully  goot  is  om  shticker 
shreiwa  set  er  sich  aw  draw  macha  for  'n  New  Yohr's  leedly. 

Another  form  of  activity  in  which  this  busy  man  en- 
gaged is  indicated  by  the  following  notices  culled  from 
the  columns  of  The  Pennsylvania  Dutchman.  "The  edi- 
tor of  the  Dutchman  will  deliver  a  lecture  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Millerstown  (Lehigh  County)  Lecture  As- 
sociation, on  Saturday  evening,  March  15,  1873,  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  language  on  the  subject  of  '  Alte  un 
Neie  Zelte.'  He  will  also  read  Rev.  Dr.  Harbaugh's 
*  Das  Alt  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick '  and  several  other  popu- 
lar productions,  including  '  De  alt  Heemet '  and  '  De 
Pennsylvania  Millitz.' "  (Incidentally  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  this  Millerstown  is  the  same  as  the  town  where 
some  of  Elsie  Singmaster's  stories — published  in  the  Cen- 
tury magazine, — are  localized;  the  town  is  now  Macungie, 
though  still  locally  known  as  Millerstown.)  This  lecture 
he  frequently  repeated  before  other  audiences,  and  notably 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  85 

before  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society  (which  he  wanted 
named  Pennsylvania-Dutch  Society)  at  one  of  its  earlier 
meetings.  The  discourse  is  in  part  reprinted  in  one  of 
the  early  volumes  of  the  Proceedings  of  that  organi- 
zation. 

Finally,  in  1883,  Rauch  published  a  Pennsylvania- 
Dutch  Rip  Van  Winkle;  a  romantic  drama  in  two  acts, 
translated  from  the  original  with  variations.  In  the  ap- 
pendix to  this  essay  I  give  the  characters  of  the  play,  the 
costumery  as  prescribed  by  the  author  and  an  outline  of 
the  skit.  Home  writes  of  it  in  Matthews  and  Hunger- 
ford's  "History  of  Carbon  and  Lehigh  Counties": 
"  Rauch's  Dutch  Rip  Van  Winkle  is  a  very  happy  transla- 
tion and  dramatization  of  Irving's  story,  the  scene  being 
changed  from  the  Catskill  to  the  Blue  Mountains  to  give 
it  a  locale  in  keeping  with  the  language  in  which  it  is  ren- 
dered." I  will  add  that  in  one  remarkable  instance  our 
author  has  forgotten  himself.  In  Scene  III  of  the  Sec- 
ond Act,  when  Rip  returns  to  the  town  of  his  nativity,  a 
town  no  more  but  a  populous  settlement,  George  III  no 
longer  swinging  on  the  tavern  sign,  but  George  Washing- 
ton instead,  he  also  sees  the  harbor  filled  with  ships !  But 
perhaps  he  meant  the  harbor  of  Mauch  Chunk  on  the 
Lehigh  River! 

The  dramolet  is  well  adapted  to  local  townhalls  where 
it  was  intended  to  be  and  was  performed.  It  is  boisterous 
and  tumultuous,  but  we  do  not  expect  anything  altogether 
refined  in  the  home  of  the  old  sot  Rip,  nor  in  a  play  which, 
as  far  as  the  First  Act  is  concerned,  might  well  be  con- 
strued as  a  horrible  example  to  illustrate  a  temperance 
lecture. 

The  language  of  the  romantic  parts,  of  Rip's  dealing 
with  the  spirits  of  the  mountains,  is  interesting  as  an  illus- 


86  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

tration  of  what  form  the  dialect  takes  on,  in  the  hands  of 
a  man  who  never  hesitates  for  a  word;  if  he  finds  it  not 
in  the  dialect  vocabulary,  he  reaches  over  and  fetches  one 
out  of  the  English;  indeed,  Rauch  worked  on  this  prin- 
ciple all  his  life,  and  it  must  not  be  denied  that  this  is  the 
way  a  large  number  of  Pennsylvania  Germans  are  doing 
all  the  time. 

One  more  word  about  his  influence:  Kuhns  calls  him 
the  Nestor  of  all  those  who  have  tried  their  hand  at  com- 
position in  the  dialect,  and  of  his  influence  on  subsequent 
writers  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Sometimes  the  acknowl- 
edgment comes  incidentally,  as  when  a  writer  in  the  Spirit 
of  Berks,  speaking  of  Zimmerman's  poetry,  says  "  Er  kann 
em  Pit  Schweffelbrenner  die  Auge  zu  schreiwe,"  but 
quickly  adds :  "  Wanns  awer  ans  Breefa  schreiwe  geht  dann 
is  der  Schweffelbrenner  als  noch  der  Bully  Kerl."  Some- 
times the  acknowledgment  comes  indirectly  as  when  some- 
body signs  himself  "  Em  Pit  Schweffelbrenner  sei  Cousin  " 
and  sometimes  it  comes  frankly  and  freely  as  in  the  case  of 
Harter  (Boonastiel)  in  a  private  letter  I  received  from 
him. 

Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Vol.  I,  No.  I,  January^  1873, 

PAGE   I. 

Prospectus : 

Der  Pennsylvania  Dutchman  is  net  yuscht  intend  for  laecherlich 
un  popular  lehsa  shtuff  for  oily  de  unser  Pennsylvanisch  Deitsch — 
de  mixture  fun  Deitsch  un  English — ferstehn,  awer  aw  for  use- 
fully un  profitlichy  instruction  for  oily  de  druf  ous  sin  bekannt  tsu 
waerra  mit  der  sproch,  un  aw  mit  em  geisht,  character  un  hond- 
lungs  fun  unserm  fleisicha,  ehrlicha  un  tsahlreicha  folk  in  all  de 
Middle  un  Westliche  Shtaate. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  87 

Der  title,  Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  hen  mer  select  noch  dem  das 
mer  feel  drivver  considered  hen,  un  net  ohna  a  wennich  tzweifel 
derwaega,  weil  mer  wissa  dass  a  dehl  Deitsha  leit  uf  der  mistaken 
notion  sin  das  an  '*  Dutchman  "  g'hehsa  waerra  waer  disrespectful 
awer  sell  is  an  mistake.  Un  weil  unser  Pennsylvanisch  Deitsch 
sproch  iwerall  bekonnt  is  alls  Pennsylvania  Dutch  wun's  shun 
wohr  is  das  es  Deitsh  is,  un  net  Dutch  odder  Hollendish — awer 
an  g'mix  fun  Deitsh  un  English,  sin  mer  g'satisfied  dos  mer  net 
besser  du  kenna  dos  fore  's  public  tsu  gae  unner  'em  plaina  title 
wo  mer  select  hen.  Un  wann  mer  considera  was  waerklich  der 
allgemeina  character  fun  de  Pennsylvania  Deitsha  is,  donn  feela 
mer  dos  mer  specially  gooty  reason  hen  shtoltz  tsu  sei  dos  mer 
selwer  tsu  dem  same  folk  g'hehra,  un  das  mer  mit  recht  de  hoff- 
nung  hen  ehra  getreier  diener  tsu  sei  in  unser  neie  editorial  aerwet 
de  fore  uns  is. 

Es  is  unser  obsicht  freind  tsu  treata  mit  a  liberal  supply  fun 
neia  articles,  shtories,  breefa,  poetry,  etc.  in  dere  pure  Pennsylvania 
Deitsh  sproch  g'schrivva  unner  der  Aenglish  rule  for  shpella,  so 
dos  aw  oily  leit  es  lehsa  kenna.  Mer  hen  aw  im  sin  iwersetzung 
tsu  gevva  fun  kortzy  shticker,  un  mer  hen  aw  an  Pennsylvania 
Deitsh  Dictionary  aw  g'fonga  wo  mer  expecta  tsu  drucke  in  buch 
form.  Awer  um  die  yetziche  publication  recht  interesting  tsu 
mache  hen  mer  conclude  aw  tsu  fonga,  un  in  yeder  nummer  an 
dehl  fum  Dictionary  tsu  publisha.     Awer  es  is  yusht  an  awfong. 

Mer  assura  aw  all  unser  freind  dos  gor  nix  ersheina  soil  in  dem 
publication  dos  net  entirely  frei  is  fun  indecency,  odder  im  ger- 
ingshta  unmorawlish  sei  konn. 

Ea  copy,  ea  yohr     .         .         .         .  $1.50 

5   copies    "       "       .         .         .         .  7-00 

Tsea  «      «      "       .         ,         .         .  13.00. 

Ehntzelly  copies  20  c,  un  sin  tsu  ferkawfa  bei  oily  News  Dealers. 

E.  H.  Rauch,  Lancaster,  Pa. 


88 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


Page  2. 

A  Bright  Star  Quenched. 
Under  this  caption  the  Phila. 
Press  of  Nov.  30  contained  a 
highly  appropriate  and  ably 
written  editorial,  evidently  from 
the  pen  of  Col.  Forney  on  the 
death  of  Horace  Greeley  from 
w^hich  we  extract. 

One  of  the  rarest  characters 
in  history  is  suddenly  dropped 
from  the  ranks  of  men. 


An  Heller  Shtam  Ousgonga. 
Unner  dem  heading  finna  mer 
in  der  Phila.  Press  fum  30th 
Nov.  an  iwerous  schicklich  un 
goot  g'shriwa  editorial — wohr- 
sheinlich  fum  Col.  Forney 
seiner  fedder  fun  weaga  'm 
Horace  Greeley  seim  doht,  fun 
wellam  mer  a  paar  lines  copya: 

Ehns  fun  de  rahrste  char- 
acters in  unser  g'schicht  is  uf 
amohl  gedropt  fun  mensha 
ranks. 


(Etc.  almost  to  end  of  page  2.) 
Familiar  Sayings. 


I  wish  you  a  Happy  New 
Year. 

What  business  are  you  driv- 
ing now? 

The  Assembly  will  meet  in  a 
few  days. 

A  good  man  is  kinder  to  his 
enemy  than  a  bad  man  to  his 
friend. 

Carpets  are  bought  by  the 
yard  and  worn  out  by  the  feet. 

A  man  suffering  from  influ- 
enza was  asked  by  a  lady  what 
he  used  for  his  cold.  He 
answered  "  Five  handkerchiefs 
every  day." 


Ich  winsh  der  an  glick-seh- 
lich  Neies  Yohr. 

Waes  for  bisness  treibsht 
olla  weil? 

De  Semly  kummt  tsomma  in 
a  paar  dog. 

An  guter  mon  is  besser  tsu 
seim  feind  dass  an  schlechter 
mon  tsu  seim  freind. 

Carpets  kawft  mer  by  der 
yard  un  weard  se  ous  mit  em 
fuss. 

An  mon  daer  der  schnuppa 
g'hot  hut  is  g'froked  warre  by 
a  lady  wass  er  braucht  fer  sei 
kalt.  Sei  ontwart  war  "  Finf 
shnupdicher  oily  dog." 


Etc.,  to  middle  of  page  4. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  89 

Rest  of  page  4. 

De  Freschlin  The  Frogs. 

by  Tobias  Witmer.  Trans,  by  S.  S.   Haldeman. 

Page  5. 

Unser  Olty  Hehmet — Poem  by  E.  H.  Rauch  (almost  a 
column). 

Fum  Jonny  Blitsfinger:  Dunnerstown,  Dec.  15,  1872. 

Mr.  Dutchman  Drucker,  Dare  Sir: — ^Weil  ich  un  du  olty  be- 
kannte  sin,  un  wie  ich  ous  g'funna  hob  des  du  im  sin  husht  eppes 
neies  tsu  publisha,  in  goot  alt  Pennsylvania  Deitsh  so  dos  unser 
ehns  es  aw  lehsa  un  fershtea  konn,  hob  ich  grawd  amohl  my  mind 
uf  g'macht  der  en  breef  zu  shreiva. 

Etc.,  to  end  of  page  6. 
Page  7. 

Shakespeare  in  Pennsylvania — page  7  and  part  of  page  8.  Rest 
of  page  8. 

Der   Freedmans   Bureau.      For'n    gooty   Fraw   choosa.     The 
puzzled  Dutchman. 
Page  9. 

Select  Reading.  A  poem,  Christmas  Tide,  by  Rev.  H.  Hast- 
ings Weld.  Justice — from  the  Christian  Union.  To  page  ii. 
25  cents — through  page  12.  The  Green  Spot — The  Nation — 
How  to  Amuse  Children — Arthur's  Magazine — middle  of  page 
14.  Anecdote  of  Luther,  Mrs.  M.  O.  Johnson. 
Page  15. 

The    Loaf    of    Bread.     Watching    One's    Self.      Poison    for 
Children. 
Page  16. 

Original  Articles.     Pure  German  in  Pennsylvania.     Lititz. 

Anno  Domini  1973 — a  dialogue. 
Page  19. 

The  first  Railroad.     Ephrata. 
Page  20. 

Lancaster. 


90  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Page  21. 

Kris  Krinkle.     Der  Easel  (in  dialect). 
Page  22. 

Miscellaneous  Reading.     Meade  at  Gettysburg,  a  Pennsylvania 
soldier  to  his  son.     A  German  story. 
Page  23. 

The     slanderous     tongue.     From     the     Christian     Advocate. 
Letter  of  recommendation. 
Page  24. 

Thaddeus     Stevens     Monument.      Cured     of     Romance.     A 
singular  incident. 
Page  25. 

The  House  and  Farm. 
Page  26. 

Dutch  Grovernors.     Wit  and  Humor. 
Page  29. 

English  and  Pennsylvania  Dutch  Dictionary.  We  are  confident 
that  before  the  first  of  January,  1874,  every  reader  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Dutchman  by  simply  studying  this  part  of  the  publication, 
together  with  the  pages  of  Familiar  Savings  will  be  able  to  reap 
substantial  benefits,  and  use  the  language  for  practical  business 
purposes. 
Page  30. 

Answers  to  Correspondents. 

The  popular  Pit  Schweffelbrenner  letters  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Dutchman  written  by  the  editor  of  the  Dutchman  will  continue 
to  appear  as  heretofore  in  the  Father  Abraham  newspaper  for 
which,  under  existing  conditions  they  are  expressly  written. 
Page  31. 

Editorials.  The  purpose  of  the  publication.  On  the  spelling 
Haldeman  to  Pit.  "  In  order  to  read  your  Dutch  a  German  must 
first  learn  to  read  English,"  "  very  true."  Review  of  book  and 
article  by  S.  S.  Haldeman.  Our  first  regular  production  in 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  appeared  in  the  Father  Abraham  campaign 
paper  in  1868  over  the  signature  Pit  Schweffelbrenner.  They 
contributed  more  to  the  remarkable  popularity  of  that  paper  than 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  91 

anything  else  it  contained  and  the  circulation  increased  very 
rapidly  not  only  in  Pennsylvania,  but  also  in  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Maryland,  Wisconsin  and  other  states.  Our  present 
enterprise  has  been  under  consideration  for  over  two  years  and 
from  all  we  can  learn  and  from  words  of  encouragement  by  a 
number  of  highly  esteemed  friends  including  gentlemen  of  learn- 
ing and  position  in  the  community  we  cannot  and  do  not  doubt 
our  entire  success.  It  is  the  only  publication  of  this  kind,  but 
that  it  will  be  the  last  one  we  do  not  believe." 
Page  32. 

Where  spoken.     Prof.  Haldeman  on  Bellsnickle.     From  Phila- 
delphia Press. 

Advertisements. 

Inside  first  page.     Singer  Sewing  Machines.     Jos.  Barton's  Old 
Southern  Hat  and  Cap  Store. 

Inside  last  page.     Bookbinding.     Wylie  and  Griest.     Confec- 
tions. 

John  Seltzer  Eng.  Attorney  at  Law 

Pennsylvania  Deitsh  Lawyer 
Deitsh  so  goot  dos  English. 

Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Vol.  I,  No.  2. 

1.  Familiar  Sayings. 

2.  Extract  from  a  poem  by  Tobias  Witmer.     Translated  by  S. 

S.  Haldeman. 

3.  We  feel  lenger?     Ehns  fun  de  grossy  froga  dos  bol  amohl'a 

Amerikanisha  folk  ontwarta  muss  is  we  feel  lenger  de  rings 
fun  deeb  corruption ists  un  adventurers  in  politics  erlawb- 
niss  hawa  solla  de  greashty  responsible  offices  im  lond  tsu 
filla. 

4.  De  Pennsylvania  Millitz.     E.  H.  Rauch. 

5.  Uf  Unser  Side.     Translation  of  article  from  January  number 

of  Educator  by  A.  R.  Home. 

6.  Was  is  Millich? 

7.  Key  to  sounds  of  the  vowels  in   Pennsylvania   German  by 


92  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Tobias  Witmer.     (He  refers  to  Haldeman's  system  as  a 
complete  one.) 

8.  Love  Letter  an  mei  Anni — Peter  Steineel. 

9,  Letter  from  Jonny  BHtzfonger. 

10.  En  shtickly  Hoch  Deitsh.     (Ode  on  das  Schwein.) 

11.  Uvva  nous  gonga.     (How  slow  trains  go.) 

12.  Der  Process. 

13.  Unser  Klehny  Jokes. 

14.  Select  Reading. 

15.  Original  Articles — Lititz. 

16.  Tobias  Witmer,  474  Main  Street,  BufFalo,  N.  Y.,  in  praise 

of  the  undertaking.     He  follows  the  German  method  of 
pronunciation. 

17.  Lexicon. 

18.  Answers  to  Correspondents. 

ig.  Editorials.  College  Days  of  February,  1873,  contains  an  edi- 
torial by  W.  U.  Hensel  on  Pennsylvania  Dutch  and  an 
extract  from  Professor  Schaefifer's  speech  at  the  Lehigh 
County  Institute.  Reformed  Church  Messenger:  "The 
enterprise  of  Rauch  is  a  commendable  one  and  it  will  afford 
us  pleasure  to  find  it  proving  a  success,"  etc.  They  object 
to  the  name.  Rauch  defends  it.  Haldeman  approves  his 
naming. 

20.  Ourselves.  "  Here  is  richness  for  you,"  Mt.  Joy  Herald. 
"  Unser  Olty  Hehmet "  reminds  one  very  much  of  Dr. 
Harbaugh's  "  'S  alt  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick."  "  E.  H. 
Rauch  is  best  known  to  our  readers  under  the  title  of  Pit 
Schweffelbrenner.  He  has  done  more  to  popularize  this 
amusing  dialect  than  any  other  man  in  America."  (Can- 
ton, Ohio  Repository  and  Republican.)  "Judging  from 
its  first  number  it  should  commend  itself  to  all  who  are 
fond  of  those  staid  and  sober  people  who  form  a  large 
portion  of  the  population  of  our  interior  counties." 
{National  Baptist.)  Note  the  usefulness  to  those  learn- 
ing the  language.     "  In  Lancaster  erscheint  jetzt  ein  neues 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  93 

Magazin — Der  Pennsylvania  Dutchman — es  1st  tells  Eng- 
lish teils  in  dem  eigenthiimlichen  Pennsylvania  Deutsche 
dialect  geschrieben  und  fuehrt  uns  nicht  bios  die  Sprache 
sondern  die  Sitten  vor,  welche  sich  unter  den  deutschen 
Ansiedlern  im  Innern  des  Staats  erhalten  haben.  Die 
Zeitschrift  wird  ohne  Zweifel  sowohl  hier  als  in  Europa 
das  Interesse  der  Philologen  erregen."  {New  York 
Deutsche  Blaetter.) 

Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Vol.  I,  No.  3. 

1.  Familiar  Sayings.     English  and  Translation. 

2.  "Meaha  mit  der  Deitsha  Sense"  by  Eli  Keller.     Criticism. 

3.  Letter  in  praise  of  the  Magazine  and  in  the  letter  a  poem  on 

"  De  Deutsche  Baura  un  de  Morrick  Leit." 

4.  For  der  Simple  Weg.     (Spelling.) 

5.  Unser  Klehner  Omnibus. 

6.  Der  Shnae. — Tobias  Witmer. 

7.  An  Temperance  Lecture. 

8.  De  Beera  Wella  Net  Folia. 

9.  Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son.     Miss  L.  A.  Ash,  Myerstown, 

Pa. 

10.  Der  Himmel  Uft  Eerda.     Tobias  Witmer. 

11.  Open  Letter  to  Editor  on  Dialects.     L  D.  Rupp. 

12.  Pennsylvania  German.     A.  R.  Home. 

13.  Seeking  One's  Vocation.      (A  story.) 

14.  Scandal  in  Congress. 

15.  Society  and  Scandal. 

16.  Local  Option. 

17.  Popular  Proverbs. 

18.  Signs  and  Omens. 

19.  Wit  and  Humor. 

20.  Origin  of  a  Fashion. 

21.  Billing's  Advice  to  Joe. 

22.  Use  Your  Life  Well. 

23.  Curious  Epitaphs. 


94  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

24.  A  Quaint  Essay  on  Dogs. 

25.  Our  Table  Drawer. 

Rip  van  Winkle. 

Act  I,  1763. 

Rip  van  Winkle A  Dutchman 

Knickerbocker A  Schoolmaster 

Derrick  von  Slaus The  Squire 

Hermann  von  Slaus His  Son 

Nicholas  Vedder    Friend  to  Rip 

Clausen    Friend  to  Rip 

Rory  van  Clump   A  Landlord 

GustafEe A  Young  Man 

Dame  van  Winkle Rip's  Wife 

Alice    Rip's  Sister 

Lorena Rip's  Daughter 

Swaggerino   "j 

Ganderkin      [■ Spirits  of  the  Blue  Mountains 

Icken  J 

Act  II,  after  a  lapse  of  20  years,  supposed  to  occur  between  the 
First  and  Second  Acts. 

Rip  van  Winkle — The  Dreamer 

Hermann  van  Slaus 

Seth  Slough 

Knickerbocker 

The  Judge 

Gustaffe 

Rip  van  Winkle,  Jr. 

First  Villager 

Second  Villager 

Alice  Knickerbocker 

Lorena 

Costumes. 

Rip — (i)   A  deerskin  coat  and  belt,  full  brown  breeches,  deer- 
skin gaiters,  cap.     (2)  Same,  but  much  worn  and  ragged. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  95 

Knickerbocker — (i)    Brown  square  cut  coat,  vest  and  breeches, 

shoes  and  buckles.     (2)  Black  coat,  breeches,  hose,  etc. 
Derrick — Square  cut  coat,  full  breeches,  black  silk  hose,  shoes, 

buckles,  powder. 
Hermann — (i)   Ibid.     (2)   Black  frock  coat,  tight  pants,  boots 

and  tassels. 
Vedder 

Clausen   Dark  square-cut  coats,  vests,  breeches,  etc. 

Rory 

GustafFe — Blue  jacket,  white  pants,  shoes, 

Seth  Slough — Gray  coat,  striped  vest,  large  gray  pants. 

Judge — Full  suit  of  black. 

Young  Rip — ^A  dress  similar  to  Rip's  first  dress. 

Dame — Short  gown  and  quilted  petticoat,  cap. 

Alice — (i)  Bodice  with  half  skirt,  figured  petticoat.     (2)  Brown 

satin  bodice  and  skirt,  etc. 
Lorena — Act    I.     Child.     Act   II.     White   muslin    dress,    black 

ribbon  belt,  etc. 
L.R.       SEL.       SER.       UEL.       UER.       C.       L.C.       R.C. 

TEL.      TER.      CD.      DR.      D.L.      UDL.      U.D.R. 
Reader  on  stage  facing  audience. 

Village  Inn. 
Act.  I.     Scene  I.     Chorus. 

Vedder,  Knickerbocker  and  Rory  talk  with  the  landlord. 
Where  is  Rip?  Knickerbocker  determined  to  wed  Rip's  sister. 
Mrs.  Rip  evidently  opposed.     Knickerbocker  knows. 

Alice  and  Lorena  come.  Music.  They  have  delayed  because 
Alice  wanted  to  see  Knickerbocker.  Kjiickerbocker  turns  up — 
would  call.  Lorena  volunteers  a  way  in  which  he  can  see  Alice. 
Knickerbocker  says  he  cares  no  longer  for  Dame  van  Winkle.  At 
that  moment  she  is  calling  Alice  from  outside.  They  leave 
hastily.  Rory  and  Vedder  comment  on  the  old  woman.  Where 
is  Rip?  Rip  appears  from  a  hunting  trip.  Has  sworn  off.  Is 
persuaded  to  "  take  one."     Talk  turns  to  Rip's  inability  to  manage 


96  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

his  wife.  Rip  refuses  to  take  a  drink  to  keep  his  oath.  Having 
shown  he  can  control  himself  he  takes  one!  Rip  sings  a  song. 
Mrs.  Rip  is  heard  outside.  Rip  gets  under  table  with  a  bottle. 
Music.  Mrs.  Rip  enters  with  a  stick — chases  them.  Upsets  table 
and  discovers  Rip.  She  gets  him  by  the  ear  and  would  know  what 
he  has  been  doing.  Hares — ducks — the  bull — she  leads  him  home 
by  the  ear  and  beats  him. 

Scene  II.     A  Plain  Chamber  in  First  Grooves. 

Derrick  complains  about  his  spendthrift  lawyer  son.  The  son 
is  heard  outside.  He  has  a  plan.  Rip's  sister  made  a  will  in 
favor  of  Alice.  He  proposes  to  get  a  paper  too  from  Rip  to  wed 
Alice  when  she  is  of  age  to  marry  him  and  then  get  the  money  in 
advance.  Rip's  rent  is  due  and  they  decide  to  try  it.  Son  says 
of  course  a  lawyer  must  not  have  too  much  conscience. 

Scene  III.     Rip's  Cottage. 

Knickerbocker  enters  and  Alice  comes  soliloquizing  how  she 
loves  him;  he  catches  her  in  his  arms.  Mrs.  Rip  is  heard  outside. 
Knickerbocker  is  concealed  in  clothes  hamper.  Music.  Mrs.  Rip 
and  Rip  come;  she  would  know  where  is  the  game,  the  money 
for  the  rent,  then  she  turns  on  Alice,  who  she  says  has  done 
nothing.  Rip  begs  for  a  drink.  Alice  and  Mrs.  Rip  withdraw, 
then  Rip  proceeds  to  cupboard.  Music. — Rip  steps  on  Knicker- 
bocker, who  yells;  Rip  falls,  upsetting  dishes.  Knickerbocker 
rushes  out  into  a  chair.  Alice  throws  cloak  over  him.  Mrs.  Rip 
enters.  The  Devil  has  been  in  the  cupboard.  She  raves,  falls 
into  a  half  faint  in  a  chair.  Asks  Alice  to  get  bottle  from  her 
pocket.  Rip  and  Mrs.  Rip  drink.  Alice  tries  to  get  Knicker- 
bocker off,  but  he  retreats  again.  Alice  announces  Squire's  com- 
ing. Rip  would  to  bed  but  is  compelled  to  meet  the  Squire  while 
Mrs.  Rip  goes  calling.  Alice  is  excused.  Rip  tells  how  honest  a 
man  he  is.  Squire  would  talk  of  other  things.  They  make  the 
contract,  but  Rip  may  withdraw  in  twenty  years  and  one  day. 
"  Still  du  Hex."     Rip  is  to  live  free  of  rent.     A  bottle  is  always 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  97 

to  be  at  Rory's  for  Rip.  He  goes  at  once.  Knickerbocker  would 
escape,  but  Mrs.  Rip  approaches.  To  put  on  the  pedlar  woman's 
dress.  Mrs.  Rip  comes.  She  discovers  Rip's  identity.  She  goes 
after  him  with  the  broom  and  he  goes  out  through  the  window. 

Scene  IV. 

Half  dark,  a  front  wood.  Gun  heard.  Rip  enters.  He  has 
missed  his  aim.  Decides  not  to  go  home.  Tomorrow  a  new  rule. 
No  drinking.  Dead  pause.  Noise  like  rolling  of  cannon  balls. 
Discordant  laughter.  Rip  wakes  and  sits  up  astonished.  Some- 
body calls  Rip.  Music.  Swaggerino.  Grotesque  dwarf  with 
large  cask.  Music.  Swaggerino  asks  Rip  to  help  him  up  the 
mountain  with  it.     Cask  is  put  on  Rip's  shoulder. 

Scene  V. 

Dark.  The  Sleepy  Hollow  in  the  bosom  of  the  mountains 
occupying  the  extreme  of  the  stage.  Stunted  trees.  Rocks. 
Moon.  Entrance  to  an  abyss.  Music. — Grotesque  Dutch  figures 
with  enormous  masked  heads  and  lofty  tapering  hats,  playing  cards, 
Dutch  pins,  battledore  and  shuttlecocks.  Most  of  them  seated  on 
rocks,  smoking  and  drinking.  Heit  is  unser  firedawg.  Fooftzich 
yohr  is  unser  zeit  im  barrick  doh,  un  luss  uns  all  now  looshtich  si." 
What  penalty,  if  any,  has  detained  their  brother.  Spirits  take 
immovable  attitude.  Rip  amazed.  Music.  Figures  advance  and 
stare.  Swaggerino  taps  cask  and  asks  Rip  to  hand  around.  Rip 
is  pleased,  believes  they  are  witches.  Drinks.  Music.  Gro- 
tesque dance.  Rip  drinks,  dances,  reels,  sinks.  Dance  stops. 
Music.     Curtain  slowly  descends. 

Act  11.     Scene  I. 

Last  of  Act  I  repeated,  but  in  the  distance  a  richly  cultivated 
country.  The  bramble  by  Rip's  side  is  a  tree.  Rip's  gun  has 
only  a  rusty  barrel  left.  Bird  music.  Rip  asleep.  Awakes.  Had 
a  good  time  but  is  stiff.     The  fellows  stole  his  gun!     Sees  the 

7 


98  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

tree.     Not  sure  whether  he  is  asleep  or  awake.     Old  woman  will 
tell.     Music.     He  starts. 

Scene  II. 

Well  furnished  apartment  in  the  house  of  Knickerbocker. 
Lorena  soliloquizes  on  her  sad  lot.  Must  give  up  all  if  she  does 
not  wed  a  man  she  does  not  like.  Knickerbocker  and  Alice  enter. 
Are  surprised  to  find  Lorena.  Note  her  trouble.  Lorena  is  en- 
couraged to  hope.  She  would  marry  Gustaffe  only.  His  ship  is 
coming  and  he  will  come.  Sophia  enters,  announcing  the  lawyer. 
Knickerbocker  is  going  to  take  care  of  him.  They  withdraw. 
Lawyer  insists  on  carrying  out  the  terms.  Knickerbocker  says  that 
Rip  was  not  capable,  as  he  knows.  They  get  rid  of  him,  but 
trouble  is  feared.  Alice  and  Knickerbocker  see  a  fine  young  man 
come.     Gustaffe  rushes  in. 

Scene  III. 

Town  of  Rip's  nativity,  instead  of  village,  a  populous  settle- 
ment. No  longer  George  HI  but  George  Washington.  Harbor 
filled  with  ships.  Seth  Slough.  Temperance  election  is  over. 
Hello,  who  is  this  old  fellow?  Music.  Villagers  enter  laughing. 
Where  is  he  ?  Can  they  talk  German  ?  Who  is  your  barber  ?  Is 
advised  to  go  home.  Rip  is  dead  twenty  years.  "  I'm  sorry. 
Rip."  Seth  gives  him  a  drink.  Rip's  wife  is  dead.  Are  you  a 
Democrat  or  Republican?  Tory!  Music.  They  hurry  him  off. 
Gustaffe  arrives.  Cowards.  What's  your  name?  Rip  van 
Winkle.  Have  you  a  daughter  Lorena?  Do  you  remember  a 
paper?     Come  with  me. 

Scene  IV. 

Knickerbocker's  House.  Knickerbocker  elected  to  Assembly. 
Enter  Herman  (lawyer)  ;  wants  to  have  the  matter  settled. 
Gustaffe  enters.     Hurra  for  Knickerbocker. 

Last  Scene. 

Court  House.  Judges  seated.  Knickerbocker  asked  to  bring 
Alice.     Paper  is  read.     Who  can  testify?     Herman  says  Knicker- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  99 

bocker  knows  and  will  say  so,  if  honest.  How  was  the  contract 
drawn?  Herman  explains.  Lorena  refuses  him.  Judge  says 
contract  must  be  carried  out.  Knickerbocker  appeals.  Gustaffe 
enters.  Rip  van  Winkle!  If  this  is  Rip,  Herman  wants  to  know 
where  he  has  been.  "  Last  night  I  went " — Judge  would  jail 
him.  Nobody  seems  to  recognize  him.  Did  you  forget  how  to 
save  your  life?  Herman  demanded  justice.  Judge  says  if  he  is 
Rip  he  ought  to  have  a  paper.  He  fumbles — finds  it.  Judge 
decides  it  is  all  right.     All  shout  and  shake  hands. 

Herman — Ous  g'shpeeld,  ufgused,  obgawickeld! 
Gustaffe — Mach  plotz,  's  kint  will  nochamol  sei  dawdy  sana. 
Gus  and  Lorena,  Alice  and  Knickerbocker.     Who  is  this?     Ei, 
bruder ! 


5-  LuDwiG  August  Wollenweber. 

Bibliography. 

Der  Deutsche  Plonier,  Cincinnati,  Vol.  I,  p.  87;  Vol.  V,  p.  66. 

Dialekt  Dichtung.     Hermann  Fick. 

Gemalde  aus  dem  Pennsylvanischen  Volksleben.  Wollenweber,  Philadel- 
phia und  Leipzig,  1869. 

Geschichte  der  Schwabischen  Dialekt  Dichtung.  August  Holder,  Heil- 
bronn,  1896. 

National  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography,  The. 

Pennsylvania  Dutch.    Phoebe  Gibbons,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  IH,  4,  192. 

Publications  of  the  Deutsche  Pionier  Verein,  Philadelphia. 

Records  of  the  Berks  County  Historical  Society. 

Few  of  the  later  Immigrants  from  Germany  have  been 
able  to  conform  their  language  even  approximately  to 
the  compound  dialect  which  formed  itself  as  the  speech 
of  the  descendants  of  the  pre-Revolutionary  German 
settlers  of  Pennsylvania,  who,  according  to  the  fiat  of  the 
Pennsylvania-German  Society,  were  the  true  Pennsylvania 
Germans;  to  state  the  truth,  fewer  yet  of  those  who  came 
over  later  wished  even  to  be  classed  with  or  cared  to  claim 
to  be  Pennsylvania  Germans.  Gen.  Louis  Wagner  and 
certain  others,  afterwards  prominent  in  the  work  of  Ger- 
man-American Societies,  did  at  one  time  hope  to  have  the 
Pennsylvania-German  Society  established  on  a  broader 
basis,  but  subsequently  accepted  gracefully  the  ruling  of  the 
Society's  founders. 

100 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  loi 

One  of  those  who  did  come  later,  who  thought  he  had 
learned  their  speech,  who  protested  he  was  a  Pennsylvania 
German,  who  wrote  in  what  he  called  their  dialect,  was 
Ludwig  August  Wollenweber.  Born  at  Ixheim,  near 
Zwelbriicken,  Rheinpfalz,  Dec.  5,  1807,  he  early  lost  his 
parents,  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  hope  of  a  university 
education,  and  became  a  printer.  In  1832  he  was  em- 
ployed on  the  Deutsche  Tribune  in  Hamburg,  a  paper 
which  was  shortly  afterwards  suppressed  by  the  German 
Diet,  and  Wollenweber  fled  to  America  via  France  and 
Holland,  to  escape  persecution  for  his  connection  with 
anti-government  movements. 

After  arriving  in  Philadelphia,  he  travelled  through  the 
state  on  foot,  then  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  worked 
on  Wesselhoft's  journal.  Die  Freipost,  himself  established 
Der  Freimiitige,  and  ended  by  purchasing  The  Philadel- 
phia Democrat.  In  1853,  he  retired  from  the  newspaper 
business  and  shortly  afterwards  from  all  but  literary  labors, 
removing  first  to  Lebanon,  and  later  to  Reading,  Pa., 
where  he  died  in  1888. 

He  wrote  chiefly  in  the  literary  (High)  German,  but 
for  the  most  part  on  subjects  pertaining  to  the  early  his- 
tory of  Pennsylvania.  "  Gila,  das  Indianer  Madchen, 
oder  die  wiedergefundenen  deutschen  Kinder  unter  den  In- 
dianern,"  "  Freuden  und  Leiden  im  Amerika,  oder  die 
Lateiner  am  Schuylkill  Canal"  (plays),  "Gen.  Peter 
Muhlenberg,"  "  Sprache,  Sitten  und  Gebrauche  der 
Deutsch  Pennsylvanier,"  "  Aus  Berks  County's  Schwerster 
Zeit,"  "  Die  drei  Graber  auf  dem  Riethen  Kirchhof," 
"  Die  erste  Miihle  am  Miihlbach,"  are  among  his  chief 
works.  In  what  he  calls  the  "  Mundart  und  Ausdrucks- 
weise  der  Deutsch  Pennsylvanier"  he  wrote  "  Gemalde 
aus  dem  Pennsylvanischen  Volksleben."     The  genesis  of 


I02  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

this  book  has  already  been  told  (see  p.  32,  Introduction), 
also  a  Pennsylvania-German  opinion  of  the  same  (see  p. 
24,  Introduction). 

"  Daraus  kann  man  das  deutsch  Pennsylvanische  Leben  schon 
kennen  lernen,  denn  der  inzwischen  verstorbene  Verfasser  behorte 
dem  Stamme  selber  an  und  konnte  sich  daher  mit  grosser  Berecht- 
igung  der  Aufgabe  unterziehen,  lebensgetreue  Schilderungen  aus 
alien  Phasen  des  Volkslebens  zu  entwerfen,"  says  Karl  Knortz. 
"  Das  Biichlein  enthalt  derbe  Heiratsantrage,  Gesprache  aus  dem 
Farmerleben,  Sagen,  Geistergeschichten,  Klagen  iiber  die  Allmacht 
der  demoralisierenden  Mode,  verzeihliche  Sehnsuchtsblicke  nach 
der  guten  alten  Zeit,  wo  die  Buwe  noch  keine  *  teite '  Hosen  und 
*  Standups '  un  die  Mad  keine  bauschigen  *  Hupps '  batten  und 
'  gehle  Brustspells  '  ansteckten," 

That  Wollenweber  succeeded  in  passing  for  a  Penn- 
sylvania German  was  no  doubt  due  to  his  poem : 

Ich  bin  e  Pennsylvanier 

Druff  bin  ich  stolz  und  froh. 

Das  Land  is  scho,  die  Leut  sin  nett 

Bei  Tschinks:  ich  mach  schier  en'ge  Wett, 

'S  biets  ke  Land  der  Welt. 

His  long  and  intimate  association  with  the  people  of 
the  state  did  indeed  enable  him  to  give  a  true  account  of 
their  life,  but  why  Knortz  should  find  Wollenweber's 
"  Sehnsuchtsblicke  nach  den  guten  alten  Zeiten  "  verzeih- 
lich,  while  damning  the  same  when  coming  from  a  real 
Pennsylvania  German  (see  Fischer),  remains  unexplained. 
Dr.  H.  H.  Fick — Die  Deutsch  Amerlkanlsche  Dialekt 
Dichtung  (following  Deutsch  Amerlkanlsche  Dichtung) 
— thus  records  his  opinion  of  the  chief  merit  of  this  "  eifri- 
gen  Beschiitzer  und  Lobredner  des  Deutsch  Pennsylvania." 
"  Konnen  seine  Schriftstellerischen  Arbeiten  sich  auch  nicht 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  103 

mit  denen  Harbaugh's  messen,  so  zeugen  sie  doch  von 
cinem  redlichen  Streben  Im  Volke  Biederkeit  und  Geslttung 
wachzuerhalten.  Fast  seine  sammtlichen  schriftstelleri- 
schen  Arbeiten  lassen  diese  Tendenz  durchblicken  und  in 
seinem  humanisierenden  Einflusse  haben  wir  auch  das 
Hauptverdienst  des  ausgezeichneten  Mannes  zu  suchen." 
As  to  his  language,  it  resembles  that  which  many  an- 
other High-German-speaking  native  of  Germany  con- 
structed in  trying  to  speak  the  dialect,  and,  as  is  usual  in 
such  cases,  it  is  full  of  reminiscences  of  High  German  and 
remains  on  the  whole  remote  from  the  actual  language  of 
the  people.  Many  natives  of  England  and  Ireland  that 
I  have  known,  unembarrassed  as  they  were  by  a  knowl- 
edge of  High  German,  have  not  only  acquired  the  dialect, 
but  have  reached  a  comparative  degree  of  naturalness  and 
ease  in  its  use,  which  seems  denied  to  the  imported  High 
German.  It  is  true  that  in  those  days  (1869)  German 
newspapers  were  more  common  than  now,  German  preach- 
ing more  general,  circumstances  which  affected  the  vocabu- 
lary atavistically,  as  it  were.  The  same  differentiation 
may  be  observed  at  the  present  day;  the  grandmothers  of 
the  children  now  growing  up  retained  in  their  vocabulary 
many  words  that  to  the  young  folks  seem  to  smack  of  the 
High  German  and  in  place  of  which  they  now  use  an  Eng- 
lish word.  In  all  such  cases  the  vocabulary  in  its  inflec- 
tions bears  the  characteristic  marks  of  the  dialect  and  not 
of  High  German.  A  constantly  recurring  uncertainty  in 
WoUenweber's  inflections  is  clear  enough  proof  of  the 
struggle  within.  Now  he  says  "Ich  bin  ge  komme,"  and 
now  as  in  the  dialect  "  Ich  bin  kumme,"  at  times  he  uses 
English  words  and  forgets  that  the  dialect  treats  an  Eng- 
lish verb  as  though  it  were  German;  accordingly,  in  in- 
cautious moments  he  says  "satisfiet";  at  another  time  he 


I04  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

remembers  and  amends  it  into  "g'satisfied,"  or  even  ven- 
tures to  the  extreme  of  "  ge-satisfied." 

Farms  and  Farmhaus,  words  I  have  frequently  heard 
in  Germany  and  seen  in  High-German  newspapers,  he 
uses  about  as  frequently  as  Bauerei  and  Bauerehaus,  which 
are  the  only  words  I  have  ever  heard  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
says  "Schon  Obst"  and  "  Scho  Obst"  within  a  half  a 
dozen  lines  of  each  other;  similarly  wir  alternates  with 
mir  and  mer;  the  infinitive  ending  with  n  and  without  n; 
hat  and  hot;  sometimes  he  writes  habe,  then  hawe,  hent, 
haben  and  hen,  as  plural  forms  of  the  auxiliary  verb.  He 
uses  erzdhle  more  frequently  than  verzahle.  Von  inter- 
changes with  vum,  fum. 

In  gemesen  he  drops  the  n  as  in  the  strong  participles, 
instead  of  treating  it  as  weak,  geivest.  These  are  a  few 
examples  that  could  be  increased  ad  libitum,  of  his  striving 
to  write  the  dialect  as  spoken,  and  his  inability  to  disso- 
ciate it  from  the  High  German. 

Still  he  loved  the  people  and  their  dialect,  and  they 
were  glad  for  his  book;  he  was  probably  the  only  one  of 
the  later  immigrants  who  deliberately  wanted  to  be  counted 
as  a  Pennsylvania  German,  and  tried  to  speak  and  write 
or  thought  he  was  speaking  and  writing  their  idiom. 


THE    PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN    SOCIETY. 


^^^^^^^^.^r^^c^ 


6.  Henry  Lee  Fisher. 


Bibliography. 

Annals  of  the  Harbaugh  Family.     Henry  Harbaugh,  Chambersburg,  1861. 

Der  Deutsche  Pionier,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Deutsch  in  Amerika.    G.  U.  Zimmermann,  Chicago,  111. 

German  and  Swiss  Settlements  of  Pennsylvania.    Oscar  Kuhns,  New  York. 

Geschichte  der  Nordamerikanischen  Litteratur.    Karl  Knortz,  Berlin,  1&91. 

Geschichte  der  Schwabischen  Dialektdichtung.  August  Holder,  Hcilbronn, 
1896. 

Independent,  New  York,  June  20,  1880.     Dr.  L.  Steiner. 

Kurzweil  un  Zeitvertreib,  York,  1882,  2d  edition,  1896. 

Pennsylvania  Dutch.     Mrs.  Phoebe  Gibbons,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  VII,  4,  178. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  XI,  i,  2  f.    Dr.  Betz. 

Pennsylvania-German  Dialect.     M.  D.  Learned,  Baltimore,  1889. 

Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Societyj  Vol.  Ill,  156. 

'S  Alt  Marik  Haus  Mittes  in  D'r  Stadt,  York,  1879. 

The  German  Element  in  the  United  States.  Albert  Bernhardt  Faust,  Bos- 
ton and  New  York. 

York  County  Historical  Society  Publications,  York,  Pa. 

Henry  Lee  Fisher  was  born  1822,  in  a  part  of  Franklin 
County,  Pennsylvania,  called  the  Dutch  Settlement.  In 
those  days  life  was  in  many  respects  more  primitive  than 
now;  and  before  Fisher  died  in  1909  he  had  witnessed 
many  changes  in  the  manner  of  living  and  the  ways  of 
thinking  of  even  so  conservative  a  people  as  the  Germans 
of   Pennsylvania.     When   past  middle   age,   he   wrote   a 

105 


io6  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

book  in  which  he  described  things  as  they  had  been :  how 
in  his  youth  father  and  mother,  if  well  to  do,  saddled  their 
animals  and  rode  on  horseback  to  church,  where  now 
several  automobiles  are  lined  up  on  Sunday  morning.  The 
stage  coach  made  its  trips  through  the  valleys  at  intervals 
during  the  week,  where  now  express  trains  speed  along 
several  times  a  day.  In  the  harvest  field  the  farmers  bent 
over  the  sickle  for  weeks,  where  now  the  self-binding  har- 
vester accomplishes  everything  in  a  few  days;  in  winter 
they  threshed  with  flail  and  horses,  where  now  the  steam 
thresher  does  the  work  before  the  grain  leaves  the  field. 
In  the  days  of  his  youth  the  shoemaker  and  tailor  still 
went  their  rounds  to  make  shoes  and  clothes  for  the  fam- 
ily from  leather  often  tanned  in  their  own  or  a  community 
tannery,  and  from  wool  and  flax  raised  and  prepared  on 
the  home  farm.  The  young  folk  gathered  at  a  neighbor's 
house  in  the  evening  to  play  their  simple  g^mes,  or  as- 
sembled at  a  nearby  schoolhouse  for  Singschule,  etc., 
where  now  for  the  most  part  they  board  a  trolley  and  find 
their  amusement  in  the  town. 

As  a  boy  Fisher  attended  school  at  that  schoolhouse — 
as  he  was  fond  of  telling — which  was  later  immortalized 
as  "  Das  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick."  On  the  title  page  of 
his  first  book  in  the  dialect  he  printed  the  well  known  line, 

Vom  Miitterchen  die  Frohnatur,  und  Lust  zu  fabuliren, 

by  which  he  intended  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  on 
his  mother's  side  he  was  descended  from  that  same  Joost 
Herbach  who  was  the  great  grandfather  of  two  other 
dialect  poets — Henry  Harbaugh  and  Rachel  Bahn.  In 
his  young  days,  the  sons  of  Pennsylvania  Germans  were  ex- 
pected by  their  kin  to  take  up  some  of  the  yet  unoccupied 
land  and  follow  in  the  same  peaceful  and  honorable  occu- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  107 

pation  as  those  before  them — namely  agriculture — and  not 
to  follow  any  of  the  learned  professions.  These,  with 
the  exception  of  the  ministry,  were  generally  looked  upon 
with  distrust,  or  at  any  rate  with  suspicion.  Our  youth 
did  not  share  these  prejudices,  and  what  with  working  on 
the  farm  and  attending  the  public  schools,  he  prepared 
himself  to  become  a  teacher.  After  several  years  of 
teaching  in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  he  took  up  the  study 
of  law  and  in  1849  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Chambers- 
burg.  Like  many  others  at  that  time,  he  felt  the  lure  of 
the  West,  but  was  dissuaded  from  carrying  out  his  adven- 
turous plan,  and  upon  the  advice  of  the  same  friends 
settled  in  York,  Pa.,  in  1853,  where  for  half  a  century  he 
continued  active  in  his  profession,  and  achieved  distinc- 
tion. 

York  was  an  historic  town,  was  for  a  time  the  seat  of 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  when  the  Continental  Congress  had  to  flee 
from  Philadelphia  upon  the  approach  of  the  British.  In 
more  than  one  old  town  of  Pennsylvania  are  still  to  be 
seen  the  traces  of  the  first  municipal  architecture  in  the 
way  of  a  public  square  in  the  center  of  the  town  and  in  the 
middle  of  the  square  a  circle,  on  which  originally  stood 
the  Court  House.  This  selection  and  laying  out  of  town 
sites  goes  back  as  a  rule  to  the  first  charters  granted  di- 
rectly by  William  Penn  or  by  his  sons  John  and  Richard. 
These  squares  and  circles  became  the  center  of  public  busi- 
ness, and  around  them  were  grouped  the  offices  of  all  the 
functionaries  of  the  government,  of  the  officeholders  and 
the  justices  and  the  lawyers.  When  the  proprietaries 
similarly  granted  to  these  towns  the  privilege  of  holding 
a  public  market,  wares  were  usually  displayed  on  the  pave- 
ment surrounding  the  circle  in  the  Center  Square.     In  one 


io8  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Pennsylvania  city  of  considerable  size,  this  is  still  the  only 
public  market. 

In  York,  the  Court  House  stood  not  in  the  center  of  the 
Square,  but  along  the  side,  and  consequently  there  grew  up 
in  course  of  time  a  row  of  market  stalls  and  sheds  and 
shambles  right  through  the  center  of  the  block  and  also 
along  the  sides  of  the  street.  Through  these  busy  haunts 
of  men,  Fisher  passed  daily  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
whether  he  courted  the  muse,  or,  as  he  himself  said,  was 
possessed  by  a  muse,  snatches  of  rhyme  were  continually 
taking  form  and  shape  as  he  went  in  and  out  to  his  office 
and  back,  and  to  and  from  the  Court  House. 

In  1875  he  was  confined  to  his  room  with  an  illness  and 
during  this  time  he  gave  his  rhymes  permanent  form.  He 
must  have  derived  pleasure  from  this  work,  for,  on  pub- 
lishing it  later  he  declared:  "Oebs  mer  net  au  e  bitzli 
grothen  isch,  wereder  scho  finde.  Hene  numme  halb  so 
vil  Vergniige  bym  Lese  asz  i  g'spiirt  ha  bym  mache,  so 
wirds  so  schlecht  nit  ausfalle  sy."  And  because  every- 
body was  making  Centennial  objects,  resurrecting  antiques, 
and  also  labelling  reproductions  "  Centennial,"  in  antici- 
pation of  the  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  American  Inde- 
pendence, he  kept  on  rhyming  on  half  a  hundred  things  in 
and  around  the  old  Market  House  in  the  middle  of  the 
town  until  a  Centennial  poem  had  taken  shape,  in  number 
of  stanzas  one  hundred.  Even  the  slenderest  bond  of 
unity  is  lacking  to  the  poem,  save  that  each  stanza  is  sug- 
gested by  something  about  that  spot,  and  that  they  nearly 
all  end  in  the  refrain  "Am  Marik  Haus  Mittes  in  D'r 
Stadt,"  or  some  variation  of  it.  Many  bits  of  local  lore, 
many  thrusts  at  local  politics,  many  a  picture  of  a  rare  old 
character  has  he  preserved  in  these  verses  which  gain, 
when  considered  as  single  stanzas  or  at  most  in   small 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  109 

groups  of  stanzas,  but  which  are  entirely  inadequate  as 
parts  of  a  longer  poem.  It  must  be  said,  however,  that 
they  were  not  intended  for  the  public  eye,  although  he 
was  urged  to  publish  them  by  some  friends  to  whom  he 
had  read  them  in  private. 

But  he  did  not  stop  musing  when  he  had  finished  these 
hundred  stanzas.  His  mind  takes  a  bolder  flight,  and  in 
fancy  he  wanders  with  a  companion  to  visit  the  old  place. 
In  the  key  of  Byron's 

'Tis  sweet  to  hear  the  watch  dog's  honest  bark, 
Bay  deepmouthed  welcome  as  we  draw  near  home. 

he  begins  thus : 

Horrich!  horscht  du  net?  der  Wasser  gautzt, 

Er  seen'd  uns  dorich  de  Bam ; 

Er  hockt  im  Hoof,  dort  for'm  Haus, 

Un  gautzt  uns  welcome  heem. 

Then  he  dreams  himself  back  again  into  boyhood,  and 
from  Plumsach  and  Blindemeisel  and  all  the  other  joyous 
games  of  childhood  onward,  there  are  few  experiences  in 
the  life  of  those  people  that  do  not  pass  in  review  until  the 
time  when  he  goes 

Mei  alte  Heemet  seehne ; 

Doch  guckts  gar  nimme  wies  als  hot 

Die  alte  Bekannte  sin  all  fort, 

Mei  Age  sin  voll  draene; 

Ich  ruuf  un  froog  "Wu  sin  sie  all?" 

Der  Schall  antwort  "  Wu  sin  sie  all?" 

E  dehl  sin  weit  fort  Owenaus, 

Weit,  weit  fum  alte  Heerd; 

E  paar  so  alte  sin  noch  do, 

Un  die  sin  krumm  un  schop  un  groh, 


no  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Un  feel  sin  in  der  Erd, 

Ihr  alter  un  ah  wie  sie  heese, 

Kannscht  uf  de  Schtee  im  Kerch  Hoof  leese. 

It  is  in  these  verses  that  he  is  at  his  best;  they  have 
been  read  and  reread  and  printed  times  without  number. 
Karl  Knortz,  in  his  "  Geschichte  der  Nordamerikanischen 
Litteratur"  rejects  the  whole  book  in  terms  that  are  only 
less  bitter  than  the  condemnation  which  Karl  Knortz's 
own  poetry  has  received  in  a  recent  Chicago  dissertation. 
Knortz  says:  "  Einer  der  traurigsten  Beitrage  zur  Penn- 
sylvanisch  deutschen  Litteratur  fiihrt  den  Titel  '  'S  Alt 
Marik  Haus  Mittes  in  D'r  Stadt  un  die  Alte  Zeite'  En 
Centennial  Poem  in  Pennsylvanisch  deutsch,  bei  H.  J. 
(?)  Fisher,  York,  Pa.  1879.  Der  Verfasser,  der  noch 
nicht  einmal  seine  sogenannte  Muttersprache  kennt,  steht 
mit  den  Regeln  der  DIchtkunst  auf  sehr  gespanntem  Fusse 
und  dass  er  wie  er  sagt,  seine  Verse  nur  zum  Zeitvertreib, 
als  ihm  ein  hartnackiger  Rheumatismus  an  das  Zimmer 
fesselte,  schrieb,  entschuldigt  wenigstens  die  Veroffent- 
lichung  derselben  nicht." 

The  dishonesty  of  Knortz  deserves  to  be  noticed  in  this 
connection ;  he  had  evidently  read  the  introduction,  but  he 
chose  to  suppress  that  part  of  it  in  which  the  author  tells 
how  the  book  was  not  intended  for  publication ;  how  that 
friends  who  had  heard  him  read  in  private  had  invited  him 
to  read  at  the  York  County  Teachers'  Institute,  and  how 
only  after  the  contents  had  become  semi-public  property 
had  he  consented  to  publish  the  book  and  then  only  with  a 
full  realization  of  its  imperfections.  The  fact  that  those 
who  succeeded  in  persuading  him  to  take  this  step  did  not 
have  Knortz's  literary  estimates  must  not  be  laid  alto- 
gether to  the  author's  charge.  If  Knortz  had  read  the 
introduction  to  Fisher's  next  book  which  was  issued  nine 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  iii 

years  before  Knortz's  own  "  Geschlchte,"  he  might  have 
read  in  reference  to  the  first  one :  '*  Es  erfreut  mich  zu 
wisse  dass  en  Buch  das  gute  Worte  grigt  hut  fon  so  Leit 
wie — Longfellow,  Steiner,  Haldeman,  Zimmerman,  Stahr, 
Kriegs  Secretary  Ramsay  un  noch  hunnert  annere  net  gans 
wertlos  sei  kan." 

But  to  cite  further:  "  Er  schildert  in  diesem  obendrein 
auch  noch  mit  schauderhaften  Illustrationen  verunzierten 
Buche  das  alte  und  neue  Leben  und  Treiben  seines  Vater- 
stadchens,  York,  und  verselt  unzusammenhangend  iiber 
Moden,  Scheerenschleifer,  Landstreicher,  Friedensrichter, 
und  aberglaubische  Gebrauche."  This,  as  I  have  indi- 
cated above,  refers  of  course  only  to  the  first  part  of  the 
book.  The  rest,  which  has  to  do  with  the  second  part, 
shows  by  its  whole  tenor,  as  clearly  as  possible,  how  faith- 
fully the  author  has  portrayed  a  certain  period  in  the  life 
of  the  people.  *'  Natiirlich  lobt  er  dabei  wie  jeder  bejahrte 
Bauer,  die  gute  alte  Zeit  in  der  es  noch  kein  Prozesse  gab, 
man  nichts  von  Temperance  wusste  und  die  Sohne  und 
Tochter  noch  den  Lohn  fiir  Knechte  und  Magde  erspar- 
ten.  Ja,  in  der  guten  alten  Zeit,  da  nahm  man  noch  den 
Mann  beim  Wort  und  den  Ochsen  beim  Horn.  Da  gab 
es  keine  Kartoffelkafer  und  Versicherungsgesellschafiften 
und  nur  hochst  selten  brannte  einmal  eine  Scheune  ab. 
Die  beste  Bank  war  damals  ein  alter  Strumpf  und  dieselbe 
war  viel  sicherer  als  alles  jetzigen  Geldschranke  mit  ihren 
gepriesenen  Patentschlossern.  Da  nahmen  noch  Nadel  und 
Fingerhut  die  Stelle  der  Nahmaschinen  ein  und  die  einzige 
Zeitungen  dies  es  gab,  war  der  hundertjahrige  Kalen- 
der.  Da  batten  die  Madchen  noch  den  schonen  Glauben 
dass  der  Teufel  im  Kornfeld  versteckt  sei,  weshalb  sie  sich 
stets  einen  schonen  kraftigen  Burschen  wahlten  wenn  sie 
darin   zu   arbeiten  hatten.     Da   setzte  man  am   Freitag 


112  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

keine  Hinkel  und  deshalb  hat  auch  damals  n'le  eins  den 
'  Pipser  grigt.'  " 

Knortz's  utter  inability  to  understand  the  book  is  shown 
by  this  last  sentence :  "  Diese  alte  Buschbauernheit  ist  nun 
langst  vorbei  (Mr.  Fisher  was  only  too  well  aware  of 
this)  und  wir  glauben  auch  nicht  dass  es  der  Poesie  Fisher's 
je  gelingen  wird  das  entschwundene  Paradies  zuriick  zu 
zaubern,"  a  statement  with  which  Fisher  would  have  been 
in  hearty  accord,  nor  would  he  have  wished  to  call  it  back 
had  he  been  able,  but  that  he  described  it  faithfully  few 
will  deny. 

Dr.  G.  U.  Zimmermann,  in  his  "  Deutsch  in  Amerika," 
says:  "Der  bedeutendste  Dichter  dieses  Dialectes  aber 
war  Heinrich  Harbaugh,  dessen  Dichtungen  insgesammt 
eine  Frische  und  Urspriinglichkeit  athmen,  wie  man  sich 
origineller  kaum  denken  kann ;  dabei  giebt  sich  ein  reiches 
Gemiith  mit  feinem  Humor  kund.  Getrost  diirfen  wir 
ihn  neben  Karl  von  Holtei  stellen,"  and  he  adds  of  our 
author — "Ebenso  naturwahr  schildert  uns  Heinrich  L. 
Fisher  das  Leben  der  Deutschen  in  Pennsylvanien  in  dieser 
Mundart:  nur  geht  ihm  das  tiefe  Gemiith  Harbaugh's  ab," 
and  in  another  place  the  same  author  says  of  Fisher :  "  Von 
Natur  mit  gesundem  Humor  begabt  schrieb  er  viele  Ge- 
dichte  und  Skizzen  in  Pennsylvanisch-deutscher  Mundart, 
das  Alltagsleben  der  Deutschen  in  Pennsylvanien  meister- 
haft  schildernd." 

Oscar  Kuhns  in  his  "  German  and  Swiss  Settlements  of 
Pennsylvania  "  recognized  the  work  as  the  "  picture  of  the 
life  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  farmer  fifty  years  ago, 
describing  among  other  things  old  customs,  superstitions, 
work  in  the  fields  and  house,  planting,  harvesting,  thresh- 
ing, beating  hemp  and  spinning  flax;  the  joys,  toils  and 
pleasures  of  the  farmer's  life — butcherings,  butterboilings, 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  113 

huskings  and  quilting  parties."  His  next  statement,  that 
the  volumes  contain  in  the  main  only  imitations  of  Ger- 
man originals  or  translations  from  English  and  especially 
American  poetry,  must  be  amended  so  as  to  read  that  this 
applies  only  to  the  author's  second  volume,  "  Kurzweil  un 
Zeitvertreib,"  and  only  to  a  very  small  extent  to  the  volume 
at  present  under  consideration. 

A  short  time  after  the  publication  of  this  volume.  Dr. 
L.  H.  Steiner,  of  Frederick,  Md.,  contributed  an  article 
to  the  Independent  of  New  York,  which  may  be  taken  as 
the  conservative  Pennsylvania-German  estimate  of  the 
book:  "Along  with  the  disappearance  of  the  dialect," 
says  Steiner,  "  the  manners  and  customs  of  those  who  em- 
ployed them  are  also  dying  out.  Surely  historic  pride 
should  struggle  to  preserve  a  faithful  record  of  these  as 
of  a  people  who  have  contributed  so  much  to  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  Keystone  state  and  whose  children  have  made 
their  homes  in  Maryland  and  Ohio  abodes  of  manly  and 
womanly  virtues.  Such  a  record  could  only  be  made  In 
the  dialect  ordinarily  employed  by  them.  It  would  seem 
in  English  as  awkward  as  even  the  best  translations  from 
the  Greek  and  Roman  writers  always  do  to  a  careful 
student.  To  meet  such  a  want,  H.  L.  Fisher,  a  member 
of  the  York  County  Bar,  has  recently  made  quite  a  notable 
contribution.  Living  in  a  town  which  was  honored  for 
a  few  months  in  1777  as  a  place  of  meeting  of  the  Amer- 
ican Congress,  he  has  endeavored  to  collect  the  historical 
reminiscences  of  York  and  to  enshrine  those  of  the  Old 
Market  House  along  with  the  customs  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Germans." 

"While  Fisher  nowhere  shows  the  tender  poetic  fire 
that  pervaded  the  genial  Harbaugh's  lines  yet  his  descrip- 
tive powers  are  unusually  accurate  in  seizing  the  minute 

8 


114  ^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

peculiarities  of  the  Pennsylvania  customs  and  his  verses  are 
very  valuable  as  embodying  detailed  accounts  of  the  simple, 
honest  ways  of  the  Pennsylvania  Germans.  A  vein  of 
humor  moreover  pervades  his  lines  that  makes  them  very 
acceptable."  (This  Is  the  point  that  Knortz  missed  en- 
tirely.) "He  has  seized  the  serio-comic  rather  than  the 
pathetic  side  of  the  life  he  undertakes  to  portray,  which 
does  not  detract  from  the  value  of  his  work.  He  has  also 
called  upon  the  pencil  of  the  artist  in  his  task,  and  over 
one  hundred  woodcuts.  Illustrative  of  domestic  habits, 
manners  and  customs  have  been  Incorporated  Into  the 
book,  which,  If  not  Indicative  of  high  art,  are  nevertheless 
exceedingly  interesting  as  faithful  delineations  of  scenes 
described  by  the  author  In  the  text.  Fisher  gives  a  re- 
liable account  of  the  home  life  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
mans which  will  be  read  with  Interest  by  the  lovers  of  the 
curious  as  well  as  the  student." 

The  latest  recognition  the  author  has  received  is  con- 
tained In  Faust's  prize  book  on  "The  German  Element  in 
the  United  States."  According  to  Faust,  "  The  two  most 
prominent  poets,  for  such  a  title  may  be  bestowed  upon 
them,  who  wrote  in  Pennsylvania  Dutch  are  Henry  Har- 
baugh  and  Henry  L.  Fisher."  We  may  not  be  ready  to 
agree  with  his  statement  that  these  are  the  two  most 
prominent  poets  (Faust  is  evidently  not  acquainted  with 
Ziegler's  work,  though  he  mentions  his  name  in  the  Gen- 
eral Bibliography)  but  every  one  qualified  to  judge  will 
agree  with  him  In  maintaining  their  right  to  be  considered 
poets.  Faust  also  accepts  the  book  as  an  authentic  ac- 
count of  conditions  that  once  existed  and  adds:  "This 
poetical  literature  of  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  is  one  of 
the  few  original  notes  in  American  lyrical  poetry." 

Fisher's    second   book,    "  Kurzwell    un  ^  Zeltvertreib," 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  PFritin^s.  115 

York,  1882,  consists  almost  entirely  of  translations  and 
adaptations  of  English  and  American  poetry  and  of  Ger- 
man dialect  writers.  Of  the  latter,  Hebel,  Nadler,  and 
Felner  are  drawn  upon  most  extensively.  His  first  selec- 
tion 

Dort  unner  'm  alte  Keschte  Baam 
Dort  war  der  alt  Schmidt  Schop 

is  full  of  reminiscences  of  Longfellow.  Bryant,  too,  has 
been  rendered  into  the  dialect.  Except  for  the  few  poems 
of  his  own  in  which  he  deals  with  the  natural  scenery  of 
places  near  his  home,  or  where,  as  in  "Hesse  Dhal,"  he 
tells  the  story  of  a  stockade  in  which  Hessian  prisoners 
were  kept,  or  when  he  takes  a  drive  into  "  Backmult  Val- 
ley," the  poems  have  nothing  distinctively  Pennsylvania 
German.  The  language  is  of  course  the  one  exception, 
but  even  here  he  gets  into  trouble,  where  the  Alemannian, 
Swabian  or  Palatinate  will  not  yield  him  a  corresponding 
Pennsylvania-German  rhyme.  His  renderings  of  the 
German  dialect  poets  are,  however,  not  confined  to  trans- 
lation. Many  of  them  are  adaptations  and  not  infre- 
quently he  expands  them  or  adds  to  them  ideas  of  his  own. 
Several  of  them  are  printed  as  of  the  German  dialect  in 
which  they  were  written.  This  book  appeared  in  a  second 
edition  In  1895. 

Ludwig  Eichrodt  in  his  "  Rheinschwabisch-Gedichte  In 
Mittelbadischer  Sprechweise"  says  In  the  Schluss  Rheim 
"  Druckfehler  glaw  e  sen  net  drin,  sonsch  gabts  noch  e 
Verzalchnuss."  This  our  author  could  not  say  of  his 
book;  he  has  given  us  his  "Verzalchnuss"  in  quatrains: 

In  neechster  Zeil,  graad  unnedra 

Es  fierte  Wort  leest  Schwarz 
Dort  mach  en  e  noch  hinnedra 

Sunscht  fall't  die  Zeil  zu  karz. 


Ii6  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

On  the  misprints  he  says : 

Druckfehler,  die  ferderwes  Buch, 
Wiescht  sin  sie  ohne  Zweifel 
Was  badds  em  wann  mer  drivver  flucht! 
Mer  gebt  die  Schuld  dem  Deufel. 

Eichrodt  had  said  similarly: 

Un  wo  urn's  Lewe  net  der  Spass,  odar  z'varstehn  isch  letz  gar 
Do  denkt,  *s  isch  am  end  e  Dail  Le^fehler  vomme  Setzar. 

This  sketch  would  not  be  complete  without  mention  of 
a  poem  which  Fisher  did  not  include  in  the  collection,  not- 
withstanding it  is  by  no  means  one  of  the  worst;  it  is  his 
translation  of  Poe's  "  Raven  "  into  the  meters  of  the  orig- 
inal. The  most  obvious  fault  of  the  translation  is  a  too 
frequent  wandering  from  the  exact  sense  of  the  original; 
its  greatest  virtues  are  a  certain  rude  vigor  and  a  surpris- 
ing skill  in  reproducing  the  rhythm. 

Un  so  wie  ich  mir  erinner 
Wars  so  ahfangs  in  em  Winter 
Un  en  jede  gliihend  Zinder 
Macht  sei  Geischtli  uf  em  Floor, 
Un  ich  hob  gewinscht  's  war  Morge 
Awer  do  war  nix  zu  borge 

Aus  de  Bicher — nix  as  Sorge 
Sorge  fer  de  lieb  Lenore 
Ach  dass  sie  noch  bei  mir  war 
Engel  hen  sie  gnennt  Lenore 
Do  genennt  doch  Nimmermehr. 

Falsch  Propheet,  du,  ohne  Zweifel, 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings,  117 

Unglicks  Fogel  oder  Deifel 
Mich  zu  ketzere  un  zu  quale 
Wu  der  Deifel  kummscht  du  her? 
Warum  duscht  du  mich  besuche 
Was  huscht  du  bei  mir  zu  suche 
Wit  mich  in  die  Hell  verfluche 
Mit  deim  ewig  Nimmermehr? 


7-  Abraham  R.  Horne. 


Bibliography. 

Beginner's  Book  in  French.     Sophie  Doriot,  Boston,  i886u 

Correspondence  and  interviews  with  members  of  his  family. 

Der  Deutsche  Pionier,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Vol.  VII,  p.  i6i. 

Matthews  and  Hungerford's  History  of  Carbon  and  Lehigh  Counties,  1884. 

National  Educator,  Allentown,  Pa.,  January,  1903. 

New  York  Journal,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Pennsylvania-German    Manual,   Kutztown,   Pa.,    1875;    Allentown,    1895; 

Allentown,  1905  and  1910. 
Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  II,  p.  46;  Vol. 

Ill,  p.  161. 
Prominent  Pennsylvanians,  Vol.  I. 
Reading  Eagle,  Reading,  Pa. 
The  Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  1873. 

In  November,  19 lo,  there  appeared  at  Allentown,  Penn- 
sylvania, "  'M  Horn  sel  Pennsylfawnish  Deitsh  Buch,  's 
fert  mol  un  feel  farbes'rd."  This  book,  which  is  a  sort  of 
Raritaten-Kasten,  gives  evidence,  nevertheless,  of  a  far 
more  serious  purpose  than  any  of  the  other  works  in  the 
dialect;  this  purpose  we  may  better  understand  after  see- 
ing who  the  author  was.  Abraham  Reeser  Horne  was 
born  in  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  on  March  24,  1834;  his  ances- 
tors, who  were  of  the  Mennonite  faith,  had  emigrated 
from  Germany  and  had  purchased  land  from  John  and 
Thomas  Penn  early  in  the  eighteenth  century.  His  own 
religious  tendency  manifested  itself  early  in  life,  when  at 
eight  years  of  age  he  is  said  to  have  preached  to  the  fowls 

118 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  119 

of  the  barnyard  what  he  remembered  of  the  sermons  he 
•heard,  and  perhaps  some  things  he  had  not  heard.  At 
the  same  age  he  had  made  sufficient  progress  in  his  studies 
to  await  eagerly  the  postrider  who  once  a  week  distributed 
the  county  papers  throughout  the  country. 

When  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he  began  to  teach  school 
and  at  twenty  he  was  principal  of  the  schools  of  Bethle- 
hem, Pa.  At  this  time  he  entered  Pennsylvania  College 
at  Gettysburg,  teaching  vacation  school  to  raise  funds  to 
complete  his  course.  Upon  graduation  he  established  in 
1854,  at  Quakertown,  Pa.,  the  Bucks  County  Normal  and 
Classical  Institute.  Starting  with  three  students,  at  the 
end  of  his  five  years'  work  here  he  was  employing  fifteen 
teachers  to  instruct  the  ever-increasing  number  of  students. 
This  school  was  virtually  the  forerunner  of  the  normal- 
school  system  of  Pennsylvania,  there  being  at  that  time  no 
other  school  in  the  state  that  was  conducted  so  nearly 
along  the  lines  subsequently  followed  by  the  normal 
schools. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  he  founded  a  school 
journal,  which,  under  various  names,  but  best  known  by 
its  last,  The  National  Educator,  he  continued  to  publish  as 
long  as  he  lived.  It  was  during  this  same  time  that  he 
was  ordained  a  Lutheran  minister  and  served  a  number  of 
congregations  as  pastor.  In  1865,  he  went  to  Williams- 
port  as  pastor  to  several  Lutheran  congregations  there, 
and  two  years  later  became  city  superintendent  of  schools 
at  Williamsport.  It  was  here  that  he  was  associated  with 
Frank  Thompson,  late  president  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road, who  was  a  director  of  the  schools.  After  five  years 
( 1 867-1 872)  of  successful  labor,  he  was  called  to  the 
principalship  of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Kutztown,  Pa. 
After  five  years  (187 2-1 877)   in  this  position  he  organ- 


I20  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

ized  and  directed  the  Normal  and  Preparatory  Department 
of  Muhlenberg  College,  Allentown,  Pa.,  also  for  a  period 
of  five  years  (1877-1882). 

The  foregoing  account  does  not  by  any  means  include 
all  the  activities  of  the  life  of  the  man  who,  even  when 
almost  seventy,  was  popularly  known  as  AUentown's  busiest 
man.  In  addition  to  his  work  as  preacher,  as  teacher  and 
as  editor,  he  wrote  frequently  for  magazines,  newspapers 
and  educational  journals;  as  a  lecturer  and  instructor  at 
teachers'  institutes  he  was  always  in  demand,  not  only  in 
Pennsylvania  but  in  neighboring  states  and  through  the 
South,  where  he  made  four  extensive  lecture  tours,  after 
he  had  given  up  his  work  as  a  teacher  in  1882.  It  was 
after  one  of  these  trips  that  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
University  of  Texas,  but  declined  the  position.  During 
these  trips  he  was  also  correspondent  of  Philadelphia 
papers. 

A  lover  of  nature,  he  knew  all  the  wild  flowers,  and  as  a 
help  to  students  who  wished  to  be  introduced  to  these  de- 
lights he  published  his  first  "  Handbook  of  Botany."  As  an 
aid  to  teachers,  in  the  art  of  self-help,  he  published  his 
"  Easy  experiments  in  chemistry  and  kindred  subjects."  Be- 
lieving that  if  persons  took  care  of  themselves  as  he  did 
their  health  would  equal  his  own,  he  published  his  "  Com- 
mon Sense  Health  Notes."  He  was  a  member  of  many 
societies  and  prepared  and  read  many  papers  before  them, 
among  others  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  The  Penn- 
sylvania-German Society.  In  1898  he  was  appointed  by 
the  governor  to  be  the  state  educational  commissioner  to 
the  Omaha  Exposition.  Late  in  life,  he  planned,  organ- 
ized and  became  president  of  a  railroad  company  and  built 
a  railroad.  He  also  published  the  "  Memoirs  of  Rev. 
Joshua  Yeager,"  a  noted  preacher  of  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  121 

A  Pennsylvania  German  by  birth,  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  at  a  time  and  in  a  place  where  the  dialect  only  was 
spoken,  principal  of  a  normal  school  which  is  notorious 
for  the  percentage  of  Pennsylvania  Germans  among  its 
students,  he  appreciated,  as  few  had  done,  the  difficulty 
these  students  had  to  contend  with  in  getting  an  English 
education.  Indeed,  the  original  object  of  his  paper  was 
"  to  supply  a  long-felt  want  in  education  among  the  Penn- 
sylvania Germans,  namely  an  organ  for  the  schools  and 
parents  of  the  German  section  of  the  state,  specially  de- 
voted to  their  interests."  During  his  first  twenty-five 
years  as  a  teacher  he  had  become  convinced,  as  he  tells 
us  in  his  Manual  published  in  1875,  that  the  system  of 
education  generally  pursued  among  this  people  admitted 
of  very  great  improvement,  as  far  as  it  pertained  to  lan- 
guage instruction.  In  thinking  and  reasoning,  as  for  in- 
stance in  mathematics,  he  found  the  Pennsylvania  Germans 
not  only  the  equals  but  superior  to  many  of  English  an- 
cestry; but  where  there  was  required  readiness  of  expres- 
sion he  found  them  greatly  handicapped  by  their  inability 
to  use  the  English  language. 

The  great  problem  presented  for  solution,  is  how  shall  six  to 
eight  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  to 
say  nothing  of  those  of  other  parts  of  our  own  state  and  of  other 
states,  to  whom  English  is  as  much  a  dead  language  as  Latin 
and  Greek,  acquire  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  English  to  enable 
them  to  use  the  language  intelligently?  .  .  .  To  render  such 
assistance  to  those  who  speak  Pennsylvania  German  only  as  will 
enable  them  to  acquire  the  more  readily  the  two  most  important 
modern  languages,  English  and  German,  has  induced  us  to  pre- 
pare this  Manual. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  he  sa)^  to  teach  English  and  Ger- 
man; this  idea  was  not  a  new  one  with  him;  in  an  article 


122  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

in  the  Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Vol.  I,  No.  3,  1873,  which 
discusses,  among  other  things,  to  what  extent  the  German 
language  should  be  taught  by  the  side  of  English  and  in 
what  manner  this  should  be  done,  he  had  already  recom- 
mended Pennsylvania  German  for  Pennsylvania-German 
pupils  and  High  German  for  European  Germans  as  the 
first  language  of  instruction.  For  those  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  speak  Pennsylvania  German  he  recommended 
the  use  of  articles  in  "pure  Pennsylvania  German"  (!) 
in  newspapers  and  especially  Harbaugh's  poems  to  teach 
pronunciation,  translation,  construction  and  simple  gram- 
matical forms.  Then,  turning  to  the  question  of  English, 
he  says  every  child  attending  the  schools  should  receive  a 
sufficient  knowledge  of  English  to  be  able  to  hold  intelli- 
gent conversation  and  conduct  correspondence  in  this  lan- 
guage ;  two  thirds  of  our  Pennsylvania  German  pupils  fail 
to  do  this  at  present;  having  shown  how,  according  to  true 
pedagogical  principles,  the  teacher  must  pass  from  the 
known  to  the  unknown,  he  goes  on  to  demonstrate  how 
corresponding  words  and  sounds  in  English  and  Pennsyl- 
vania German  should  be  made  the  basis  of  exercises  in 
pronunciation.  Finally,  some  book  in  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
man like  Harbaugh's  "  Harfe "  or  Rauch's  "  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch  Handbook"  should  be  placed  in  the  pupil's 
hands.  In  the  same  number  of  The  Dutchman  there  ap- 
peared an  editorial  commending  the  scheme. 

Filled  with  these  ideas.  Home  began,  while  principal  of 
the  normal  school,  the  collection  of  material  for  a  book 
which  should  be  more  adapted  to  school  work  along  the 
lines  of  his  articles  than  either  Harbaugh's  "Harfe"  or 
Rauch's  "Handbook."  The  first  part  of  the  book,  in- 
tended to  be  the  basis  for  the  correct  pronunciation  of 
English,  takes  up  seriatim  the  sounds  supposed  to  be  most 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  123 

difficult  to  acquire  with  rules  for  pronunciation.  Exer- 
cises for  practice  are  appended,  of  which  such  sentences  as 
"  He  that  refuseth  thriftlessness  and  rejoiceth  in  thorough 
thinking  thrives"  and  "What  whim  led  White  Whitney 
to  whittle,  whisper,  whistle  and  whimper  near  the  wharf 
where  a  whale  wheeled  and  whirled?"  may  stand  as 
examples.  Those  who  were  in  his  classrooms  bear  testi- 
mony to  the  rigorous  drills  he  used  to  subject  them  to  at 
this  time  whenever  he  caught  them  mispronouncing  Eng- 
lish; meanwhile  the  news  got  abroad  that  the  professor 
was  preparing  a  book;  it  was  being  noised  about  in  the 
newspapers.  The  following  letter  in  the  dialect  contrib- 
uted to  the  Allentown  Friedensbote  by  Edward  D.  Leisen- 
ring  about  the  professor  and  his  forthcoming  book  I  in- 
clude here  partly  for  general  reasons,  but  also  because  it 
contains  the  views  of  Mr.  Leisenring,  who  deserves  to  be 
heard  on  the  vexed  question :  What  is  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
man? Incidentally  it  contains  a  criticism  of  Wollen- 
weber's  "  Gemalde  aus  dem  Pennsylvanisch  Deutschen 
Volksleben,"  which  had  appeared  a  short  time  before,  and 
also  of  the  poems  of  Harbaugh;  besides  all  this  it  is  a 
specimen  of  a  dialect  newspaper  letter,  such  as  the  latter 
becomes  when  it  discusses  serious  things  in  a  serious  vein. 

'N  Brief  an  der  Hochwerdig  Prof.  Horne  von  der  Kutz- 

TAUNER  NORMALSCHUL. 

Hochwerdiger  Professor:  Ich  hab  schon  viel  von  d'r  gelese  im 
Friedensbote  un  annere  Zeidinge,  un  g'sehne,  dass  du  dich  bis  uf 
die  neunt  Haut  wehre  dhust  for  unser  schone  Pennsylvania 
Deutsche  Sprach  ufzuhalte,  dass  sie  net  unnerdriickt  un  vernicht 
sott  werre  von  dene  Englishe  kerls,  wo  doch  net  English  kenne 
un  leeber  Gott,  ah  kenn  Deutsch.  'S  hot  mich  werklich  geplasirt, 
dass  so'n  gelernter  Kerl,  wie  du  eener  hist,  unser  Part  nemmt. 
Ich  bin  'n  Pfalzer,  mei  Grossdadi  is  aus  der  Palz  riiwer  kumme, 


124  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

un  dleweil  die  gelernte  Leut  behaupten,  der  Grossdadi  dhat  als- 
fort  widder  im  Enkel  raus  kumme,  do  bin  ich  dennoch  mei  gross- 
dadi selwert,  wo  von  der  Palz  riiwer  kumme  is.  Uf  sell  bin  ich 
stolz,  vonwege  er  war'n  schmarter  Mann. 

Was  ich  awer  eegentlich  hab  sage  wolle  is  des  "  Ich  hab  in 
der  Zeidung  gelese,  du  dhatst  mit  dem  Gedanke  umgeh,  'n  Buch 
un  'n  Dickschonary  iiwer  Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch  rauszugewe. 
Weest  was — so  'n  Buch  dhat  'n  die  Leit  do  in  Pennsylvania  un 
sunst  iiwerall  wo  die  Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch  Sprach  schwatze 
gewiss  arg  gleiche,  un  die  Nallyann  is  recht  in  die  Hoh  g'huppst 
for  Freede  wie  ich  sell  Stiickel  in  der  Zeidung  vorgelese  hab. 
Awer  sag  ich  zu  der  Nallyann,  wo  mir  oweds  beinanner  g'sotze 
hen,  wie  sie  beim  FettUcht  'n  paar  Blacke  uf  eens  von  de  Buwe 
sei'  Hoseknie  genaht  hot.  Nellyann,  sag  ich,  denkst  seller  Pro- 
fessor wees  was  er  unnernemmt?  Nau,  du  bist  'n  dorch  un 
dorch  Pennsylvanisch  Weibsmensch  alle  zoll  von  d'r.  Glaabst 
so'n  Buch  konnt  zuwege  gschriwe  werre,  dass  m'r  sich  net  schamme 
brauch  mitt?  Well,  sagt  sie,  weil  sie  ihre  schone  braune  Aage 
uwer  der  Disch  zum'r  riiwer  g'schmisse  hot,  sagt  sie,  ich  glaab 
wol'  net  dass  es  der  ufgeblose,  hochmiidig  Hannewackel  drunne  im 
Wanzedhal  dhu'  konnt,  was  seller  Professor  dhu  kann  wees  ich 
net,  awer  sell  wees  ich,  dass  wann  mei  Hannes  so'n  Leming  hatt, 
dass  er  's  dhu  konnt.  Guck,  wer  so'n  Fraa  hot,  lebt  noch  so  long, 
sagt  der  Sirach  in  der  Biwel,  un  sel  hot  mich  ufgeweckt,  dass  ich 
d'r  den  do  Brief  schreiwe  dhu. 

Ich  bin,  denk  ich  net  ganz  so  g'scheidt  wie  die  Nellyann  meent 
awer  wann  du  sell  Buch  schreiwe  wit,  mocht  ich  d'r  eppes  von 
Adveis  gewe,  vonwege  weil  ich  selwert  'n  Pennsylvanier  un  noch 
newebei  'n  Palzer  bin  wie  ich  d'r  bewisse  hab.  Nau  die  Palzer 
Sprooch  un  die  Pennsylvanisch  Sprooch  sauwer  g'schwetzt,  sin 
eens,  un  is  schier  keen  Unnershied  dazwische.  Les  mol  "  Froh- 
lich  Pfalz,  Gott  erhalts"  (Nadler)  noh  geh  ufs  Land  un  geb  gut 
acht  wie  di  Leut  schwatze;  was  die  Buwe  un  die  Mad  zu  nanner 
sage  an  der  Singschul,  vor'm  Schulhaus  wann's  dunkel  is :  was  die 
Baure  sage  von  de  Gaul,  vom  Rinsvieh,  von  de  Sau,  vom  Weeze, 
vom  Welshkom  un  vom  Hai ;  was  un  wie  die  Weibsleut  mitnanner 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  125 

dischkurire  iiwer  allerhand  Sache,  die  juscht  sie  alleen  a'belange, 
un  du  werscht  bal  erfahre,  was  Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch  is.  Do 
sin  viel  von  dene  kerls  wo's  prowirt  hen,  die  meene,  wann  sie 
recht  hunsgeschmee  schlecht  Hoch  Deutsch  schreiwe  un  ferchter- 
lich  viel  Englische  worte  drunner  dhate,  sell  war  Pennsylvanisch, 
un  so  narrische  Deutsche,  wo's  net  besser  verstehen,  spend  'ne  dann 
grosse  Lorbeere  for  "  dieses  Gottliche  Verhunzen  der  so  edlen 
deutschen  Sprache."  Vor  selle,  hochwerdiger  Professor,  mocht  ich 
dich  gewarnt  hawe. 

'S  kann  gewiss  niemand  hoherer  Respect  hawe  vor  selle  Lieder, 
wo  der  Parre  Harbach  g'schriwe  hot,  wie  ich.  Ich  wees,  wie's'm 
urn's  Herz  war,  wie'r  alsemol  selle  Lieder  g'schriwe  hot — dotlich 
weech,  heemwehrig.  Herzweh  noch  de  unschuldige  Kinnerjohre 
un  bei  so  Gelegenheite  hot  noch  eppes  von  owerunner  aus  der 
annere  Welt  uf'n  gewerkt — so  dass  m'r  viel  von  seine  Lieder  die 
Poesie  gewiss  net  ablegle  kann;  awer  die  Sproch,  well  ich  will 
nicks  driiwer  sage — just,  wo  in're  Schrift  oder  in'me  Lied  so 
viel  Englisch  wie  Palzich  oder  Deutsch  vorkummt,  is  net  Penn- 
sylvanisch Deutsch. 

Nau  wann  du  dra'  gehst,  for  sel  Buch  zu  schreiwe  los  des 
verhenkert  Englisch  Kauderwelsch  haus,  wo  gar  net  in  unser 
Sproch  g'hore  dhut.  Ich  arger  mich  allemol  schwarz  und  bio, 
wann  so  dumm  stoff  gedruckt  un  in  die  Welt  g'schickt  werd  wo 
Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch  sei  sol,  awer  lauter  geloge  is.  'S  is  uns 
verlaschtert  wo  m'r's  net  verdient  hen.  Un  wann  dei  Buch  mol 
fertig  is,  un  's  kummt  mir  unner  die  Finger  un  's  is  so'n  elendiger 
Wisch  wie  kerzlich  wieder  eener  im  Fildelfi  raus  kumme  is,  dann 
ufgebasst  for  dann  verhechel  ich  dich,  dass  du  aussehnst  wie  ver- 
hudelt  Schwingwerk,  un  die  Leut  dich  for'n  Spuk  a'gucke. 

SCHINNERHANNES  VOM  CaLMUSHUWEL. 

Horne  found  it  impossible  to  get  his  promised  publica- 
tion ready  by  Christmas  of  1875,  but  the  students  were 
so  eager  to  have  the  book  to  take  with  them  during  the 
holidays  to  canvass  for  Its  sale,  that  a  number  of  specimen 
copies  In  the  form  of  agents'  samples  were  struck  off  for 


126  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

their  use ;  of  these  I  possess  a  mutilated  copy.  When  the 
book  appeared,  the  second  part  was  entitled  Pennsylvania- 
German  Literature,  consisting  first  of  directions  for  the 
use  of  the  exercises,  a  phonetic  key,  and  then  a  long  series 
of  object-lesson  pictures,  serious,  humorous  and  comic, 
each  supplied  with  a  title  in  English,  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
man and  High  German. 

This  part  of  the  book  (as  well  as  the  first  part)  finds  a 
certain  pedagogical  justification  and  example.  Ten  years 
later  (1886)  the  firm  of  Ginn  and  Company  published 
"The  Beginner's  French  Book"  by  Sophia  Doriot  "with 
Humorous  Illustrations."  In  the  author's  Introduction 
she  says :  "  Experience  has  taught  me  further  that  children 
as  a  rule  are  rather  hard  to  please  and  not  very  willing  to 
submit  to  arduous  and  humdrum  work;  it  is  necessary  to 
amuse  them.  ...  I  also  rely  on  pictures  which  have  been 
made  as  humorous  as  possible.  .  .  .  Children  who  do  not 
know  how  to  read  should  be  taught  the  words  and  expres- 
sions contained  in  each  lesson  by  means  of  pointing  to  the 
different  parts  of  the  picture."  In  fact,  her  entire  Intro- 
duction might  be  bodily  transferred  to  our  Pennsylvania- 
German  book;  this  evidently  belonged  to  the  pedagogy  of 
the  time. 

Next  follow  proverbs,  riddles,  rhymes,  anecdotes,  de- 
scriptions of  old  customs  by  the  author;  lives  of  distin- 
guished Pennsylvania  Germans,  especially  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania-German governors  and  of  the  state  superintendent 
of  education,  by  Conrad  Gehring  of  the  Kutztown  Jour- 
nal; and  finally  selections  from  dialect  poets.  The  third 
part  contained  a  brief  grammar,  a  dictionary  of  Pennsyl- 
vania-German words  with  their  English  and  High-German 
equivalents.  As  a  guide  to  the  study  of  English  and  Ger- 
man, the  book  was  submitted  to  the  pubhc  for  use  in 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  127 

schools  and  families  (vide  Introduction).  The  editor  of 
the  Reading  Eagle  had  attacked  Home's  scheme,  when 
first  he  had  proposed  to  introduce  the  dialect  into  the 
schools;  Rauch  of  Lancaster  championed  Home  in  an 
editorial,  in  which  he  said  he  supposed  the  professor  would 
attend  to  the  fellow,  and  then  encourages  him  thus:  "  Du 
'm  mohl  sei  dicker  dum-cup  t'zurecht  setza." 

I  have  inquired  of  those  who  ought  to  know  whether 
the  book  ever  got  into  the  schools;  the  result  is  disappoint- 
ing, save  this  from  a  letter  from  David  S.  Keck,  of  Kutz- 
town,  who  was  superintendent  of  the  schools  in  Berks 
County  in  those  days;  he  says:  "I  occasionally  found  a 
copy  on  the  teacher's  desk,  the  teacher  sometimes  consulted 
it  to  get  the  English  names  of  common  objects."  (Letter 
of  February  13,  191 1.)  The  situation  which  the  book 
was  intended  to  meet  seems  to  have  been  generally  recog- 
nized as  actually  existing,  for  on  the  appearance  of  the 
book,  the  New  York  Journal  said:  "Prof.  Home,  be- 
kanntlich  einer  der  unermiidlichsten  Verfechter  des 
Deutschtums  in  Amerika,  gibt  ein  Lesebuch.  Dies  Buch 
wird  einem  lang  gefiihlten  Bediirfnisse  abhelfen,  da  dann 
Pennsylvanisch  Deutsche  Kinder  das  Englisch  nicht  bios 
lesen  sondem  auch  verstehen  lernen  konnen.  Ein  solches 
Werk  ist  nicht  bios  wunschenswerth  sondern  gar  unter  den 
jetzigen  Verhaltnissen  zum  dringenden  Bediirfnisse  ge- 
worden."  It  is  of  course  possible  that  almost  all  of  this 
was  read  out  of  the  Introduction  by  the  reviewer,  but  it 
was  in  turn  quoted  by  the  Deutsche  Pionier  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

After  the  Manual  had  been  ten  years  out  of  print,  a 
second  edition  was  issued  in  1896  with  numerous  additions 
to  all  three  parts,  with  the  addition  of  a  supplement  com- 
prising an  English  Dictionary  with  the  Pennsylvania-Ger- 


128  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

man  equivalent.  The  author  had  dropped  the  word  Ger- 
man from  his  preface  and  has  in  mind  only  a  Manual  for 
the  acquiring  of  English.  He  says  further  that  although 
the  necessity  for  such  a  work  might  be  supposed  to  exist 
no  longer,  yet  experience  and  observation  show  that  in 
Pennsylvania-German  districts  on  the  very  eve  of  the  twen- 
tieth century,  what  was  said  in  the  preface  in  1875  may 
be  again  repeated.  In  referring  to  the  second  edition 
The  Pennsylvania  German  calls  it  "  a  book  that  has  for 
years  been  a  standard  among  those  having  to  do  with  the 
mastery  of  the  dialect  or  the  English  education  of  the 
children  who  speak  this  tongue."  In  response  to  a  wide 
public  demand,  Mr.  Home's  son  was  induced  to  issue  a 
third  edition  in  1905 :  it  has  again  been  enlarged  in  every 
part  and  purports  no  longer  merely  to  serve  as  a  guide 
book  for  the  study  of  English,  but  also  to  show  how  the 
Pennsylvania  German  is  spoken  and  written ;  an  indication 
that  the  book  is  on  the  way  to  become  a  historical  docu- 
ment and  will  presently  show  how  Pennsylvania  German 
was  spoken.  In  November,  19 10,  as  stated  at  the  outset, 
the  Manual  was  issued  "  Es  fert  mol  un  feel  ferbessered." 
Such  is  the  history  of  one  of  the  most  popular  Pennsyl- 
vania-German books  by  one  of  the  most  widely  known 
Pennsylvania  Germans,  one  who,  wherever  he  was,  was 
fond  of  applying  Wollenweber's  lines  to  himself : 

Ich  bin  'n  Pennsylfawni  Deitscher 
Druf  bin  ich  shtuls  un  fro. 


8.  Israel  Daniel  Rupp. 

Bibliography. 
Egle,  W.  H.,  in  The  Historical  Magazine  February,  1871. 
R.  in  the  Deutsche  Pionier,  Vol.  X,  p.  200. 

Ringwalt,  Mrs.  Jessie  C,  in  the  Deutsche  Pionier,  Vol.  VI,  p.  351. 
Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  VII,  1,  i.    P.  C.  Croll. 

The  name  of  the  author  of  "  Thirty  Thousand  Names 
of  German  and  other  Immigrants  to  Pennsylvania"  is 
known  to  all  students  of  early  history,  as  is  also  his  re- 
markable series  of  county  histories  which  has  become  the 
storehouse  whence  all  later  writers  have  drawn.  Bio- 
graphical sketches  of  him  have  appeared  in  the  Historical 
Magazine,  February,  1871,  by  his  friend  Dr.  Egle;  in 
Der  Deutsche  Pionier,  1874,  p.  351,  a  translation  of  an 
English  paper  by  Mrs.  Jessie  C.  Ringwalt;  in  Der  Deutsche 
Pionier,  1878,  p.  200,  by  some  one  who  signs  himself  R. 
(Rattermann,  H.  A.?);  in  the  Pennsylvania  Magazine, 
January,  1891,  by  the  late  Professor  Seidensticker,  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania;  and  in  the  Pennsylvania-Ger- 
man Magazine,  January,  1906,  by  Rev.  P.  C.  Croll. 

While  no  new  material  on  Rupp  has  been  discovered,  it 
is  due  to  his  memory  to  recall  here  how  he  went  through 
Pennsylvania  with  a  horse  and  wagon  and  a  load  of  books 
to  sell,  while  gathering  information  from  house  to  house; 
how  he  went  from  town  to  town  teaching  school,  either 
obtaining  a  position  or  starting  new  schools,  in  places 
9  129 


130  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

where  there  were  records  to  be  searched  while  he  later,  as 
Itinerant  life-insurance  agent,  travelled  for  nineteen  years 
through  Pennsylvania,  all  the  while  picking  up  the  ma- 
terial out  of  which  his  famous  works  were  evolved, 

A  master  of  many  languages  and  a  student  of  language 
as  well  as  of  history,  he  found  time  to  scrutinize  the  dia- 
lects of  Germany,  and  frequently  wrote  for  magazines,  ar- 
ticles in  which  he  compared  these  several  dialects  of  Ger- 
many with  the  Pennsylvania  German.  Such  a  one  is  a 
dialect  article  in  the  Deutsche  Pionier:  "En  kurze 
G'schicht  von  meim  Grosvater  Johann  Jonas  Rupp ; "  two 
other  articles  he  wrote  for  the  same  magazine  are  en- 
titled "Eppes  uber  Pennsylvania  Deutsch"  and  "  Eppes 
Wege  de  deutsche  Baure ! " 

In  1 87 1  Dr.  Egle  wrote  of  him:  "There  (in  Philadel- 
phia) he  still  resides,  pursuing  his  vocation,  laying  up 
treasures  of  history  for  the  great  work  of  his  life,  'An 
Original  Fireside  History  of  German  and  Swiss  Immi- 
grants in  Pennsylvania  from  1688  to  1775.'  It  is  nearly 
completed  and  it  is  hoped  that  Mr.  Rupp  will  soon  give  it 
to  the  public  who  have  been  on  the  lookout  for  the  work 
for  so  many  years." 

In  1873,  in  an  article  sent  to  Rauch's  Pennsylvania 
Dutchman,  he  said  himself  of  the  chapter  on  Pan  Patois  of 
Pennsylvania  German  that  was  to  appear  in  the  above  men- 
tioned volume:  "I  have  for  nearly  fifty  years  been  study- 
ing the  Pan  Patois,  Kauderwelsch  spoken  in  Pennsylvania. 
I  have  in  my  budget  a  varied  collection  of  German  phrases, 
words,  idiomatic  sentences,  written  by  myself  as  pro- 
nounced in  different  counties  in  Pennsylvania,  noted  care- 
fully in  the  dialect  variations."  In  1878,  when  he  died, 
the  work  which  would  no  doubt  vie  with  all  his  other  col- 
lections and  compilations  in  value,  had  not  yet  been  pub- 
lished, nor  has  it  to  this  time  seen  the  light  of  day. 


9-   David  B.  Brunner. 


Bibliography. 

Biographical  History  of  Berks  County.     Morton  L.  Montgomery,  Chicago, 

111.,  1909. 
Pennsylvania  German,  Lititz,  Pa.,  Vol.  VII,  4,  178'. 
Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  IV,  p.  159. 
Publications  of  the  Berks  County  Historical  Society,  Reading,  Pa. 
Personal  interviews  with  his  friends. 

David  B.  Brunner,  of  Reading,  Pa.,  wrote  a  small 
number  of  so-called  "Xenien,"  rhymed  proverbs,  apho- 
risms, Bauraspriiche,  to  which  he  signed  himself  "  Goethe 
von  Berks,"  i.  e.,  from  Berks  County. 

Wer  sucht  for'n  rechter  barter  Job 
Der  geh  un  wart  sich  selwer  ab. 

Ihr  misst  net  immer  vorna  dra  sei 

Un  alfert  im  a  Schuss; 
En  bllnde  Sau  finnt  ah  ebmol 

En  Eachel  odder  'n  Nuss. 

Wann  en  Mann  en  Hinkel  schtehlt, 

Dann  sperren  sie  en  ei' 
Doch  wann  er  dausent  Daler  schtehlt 

Geht  er  gewehnlich  frei. 

A  thorough  search  of  the  files  of  the  Reading  Adler 
(established  1796),  for  which  he  wrote  frequently,  would 
yield  a  large  number  of  these. 

131 


132  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Widely  different  in  character  is  a  poem  by  Brunner  con- 
tained in  Home's  "  Pennsylvania  German  Manual,"  en- 
titled "  Der  Washington  un  si  Bile."  The  familiar  cherry- 
tree  story  is  rehearsed;  George's  father  is  portrayed  as  a 
thrifty  Pennsylvania-German  farmer,  who  had  seen  to  it 
that  his  estate  had  its  due  share  of  cherry  trees  growing 
all  about.  George,  who  was  a  good  boy — "wann  er  als 
bei  seim  pap  war" — was  tempted  by  the  ripe  red  fruit; 
his  prudence  is  praised  in  not  electing  to  climb  the  tree; 
suppose  he  had  fallen  and  crushed  out  his  young  life — 

Now  won  des  ding  so  ghappened  het 

Un  sis  uns  goot  geglickt 
Don  hetta  mir  silawa  ken 

United  States  do  grickt. 

George's  father  discovers  the  deed,  and  to  the  question 
why  he  cut  down  the  tree  with  his  little  hatchet,  George  re- 
plies with  the  countryman's  joke — because  he  could  not 
find  the  axe.  Half  in  jest  and  half  yielding  to  the  tempta- 
tion to  point  a  moral  the  selection  ends 

Der  George  hut  net  viel  chansa  g'hot 

Eer  grosse  Buwe  het. 
Der  George  hut  gor  net  leaya  kenna, 

Ihr  kennt,  doot  ov  ver  net. 

Daniel  Miller's  collection  of  Pennsylvania  German 
contains  five  selections  in  verse  by  Brunner. 

I.  "Wann  ich  juscht  en  Bauer  war" — in  praise  of 
country  life : 

O!  wann  ich  juscht  en  Bauer  war, 

Un  hatt  en  gut  Stiick  Land 
Dann  hatt  ich  ah  mei  Sack  voll  Geld, 

Un  ah  noch  in  der  Hand. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  TFritings.  133 

In  rapid  survey  are  passed  In  review  all  the  arguments 
that  used  to  be  brought  forward  by  the  affirmative,  when 
in  the  old  days  was  discussed  in  "  Speakin-school "  the  ques- 
tion: "Resolved:  That  country  life  is  preferable  to  city 
life."     Not  until  we  have  read  the  last  four  lines  of  the 


poem 


O!  wann  ich  juscht  en  Bauer  war, 

Wann's  ah  juscht  dauere  deht 
Bis  dass  's  gut  Sach  gesse  is 

Un's  an  die  Erwet  geht! 

do  we  realize  that  this  is  a  satire;  that  our  author  Is  sport- 
ing with  us  and  with  his  subject;  that  he  has,  in  his  humble 
way,  contributed  to  a  type  of  literature  as  old  as  litera- 
ture itself. 

2.  "Bezahlt  euer  Parre"  narrates  how  a  witty  parson 
moved  a  wealthy  though  delinquent  congregation  to  meet 
its  financial  obligations,  and  ends  with  a  merry  explanation 
of  the  similar  phenomenon,  that  a  preacher  also  cannot 
live  without  pay. 

3.  "En  gross  Misverstandniss " — 

Die  scho  un  lacherlich  G'schicht, 

So  duhn  viel  sie  heese, 
Hab  ich  in  meiner  Kerche  Zeltung 

Sechs  Johr  zuriick  gelese. 

Wahrscheinlich  is  die  G'schicht  ah  wahr, 

So  hot  sie  mir  geguckt, 
Sunst  hatte  unser  Parre  sie 

Sei  lebdag  net  gedruckt. 

The  "  Misverstandniss "  is  great  enough  to  arouse  the 
keenest  expectation,  while  the  disillusionment  is  invariably 
followed  by  a  burst  of  laughter,  for  in  the  main  it  is  true 
that  the  Pennsylvania  German  loves  a  joke  on  the 
"  Parre." 


134  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

4.  "Die  Grundsau" — after  considering  this  creature 
and  all  her  ways  and  all  her  claims,  and  all  her  influence, 
he  finds  that  we  have  to  do  with  a  thorough  humbug,  and 
that 

Exactly  wie  die  Grundsau  is, 

So  duht  ihr  Manner  finne; 
Auswennig  sin  sie  Gentelleut 

Un  humbugs  sin  sie  inne. 

This  gives  Brunner  occasion  to  consider  the  ways  of  vari- 
ous kinds  of  sharpers  that  are  neither  what  they  seem,  nor 
what  they  claim  to  be;  und 

Nau  geb  ich  euch  en  guter  Roth 

Un  den  du  ich  euch  schenke, 
Wann  ihr  so  humbugs  als  ahtrefft, 

Duht  an  die  Grundsau  denke. 

5.  "  Der  alt  un  der  jung  Krebs"  tells  of  an  old  cray- 
fish (perhaps  better  translate  it  by  the  slang  term  "lob- 
ster") that  chid  his  offspring  for  swimming  "  hinnersch- 
fodderscht " ;  but  the  saucy  youngster  replies  that  he  has 
learned  it  from  his  father. 

Es  is  ihr  wisst  en  alte  Ruhl, 

Dass  schier  gar  all  de  Soh 
Grad  duhne  was  der  Vatter  duht, 

Un  juscht  en  bissel  meh. 

By  a  number  of  salient  examples  our  author  shows  that 
fathers  and  mothers  must  not  expect  to  forbid  their  sons 
and  daughters  the  follies  they  themselves  are  guilty  of, 
with  any  prospect  of  their  being  obeyed. 

In  "Der  Dan  Webster  un  Sei  Sens"  he  treats  another 
well-known  tale  after  the  manner  of  the  George  Washing- 
ton story.     Dan  is  a  Pennsylvania-German  boy  who  has 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  135 

gone  to  college  and  comes  back  having  forgotten  how  to 
work,  prefers  to  talk  English  and  would  rather  sit  in  the 
shade  than  do  anything  else.  This  is  a  favorite  theme  of 
our  writers;  Daniel  Miller  has  a  prose  version  of  this  same 
story:  the  effect  of  the  first  year  of  college  life  on  the 
farmer  boys  has  received  the  attention  of  a  number  of 
writers — one  notable  selection  having  been  prepared  by 
T.  H.  Harter  (Boonastiel,  q.v.)  at  the  instance  and  to 
the  complete  satisfaction  of  a  former  president  of  The 
Pennsylvania  State  College. 

Brunner  wrote  also  occasional  prose  letters  for  the 
papers,  notably  in  his  campaign  for  Congress;  during  this 
time  he  had  his  own  letters  appear  in  numerous  county 
papers,  but  over  the  signature  of  those  who  ordinarily  con- 
tributed dialect  productions  to  the  respective  papers. 

It  is  time  to  consider  briefly  what  manner  of  man  this 
strange  handicraftsman  of  literature  was.  David  B. 
Brunner  was  fifth  in  line  of  descent  from  Peter  Brunner, 
who  emigrated  from  the  Palatinate  about  1736.  The 
subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  in  Amity  Township,  Berks 
County,  Pennsylvania,  March  7,  1835;  he  attended  the 
public  schools  until  twelve  years  old  and  then  followed 
the  carpenter's  trade  with  his  father  till  he  was  nineteen, 
meantime  continuing  his  attendance  at  school  during  the 
winter  months.  He  taught  school  three  years  and  pre- 
pared himself  for  Dickinson  College,  which  he  entered 
in  1852,  graduating  in  1856;  he  conducted  the  Reading 
Classical  School  until  1869,  whereupon  he  was  elected  Su- 
perintendent of  the  schools  of  Berks  County.  After 
serving  two  terms,  he  founded  the  Reading  Academy  of 
Sciences  and  the  Reading  Business  College;  in  1880  he  be- 
came superintendent  of  the  city  schools  of  Reading  and 
from  1888  on  served  two  terms  in  Congress. 


136 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


Brunner  was  interested  in  archaeology,  and  published 
works  on  the  Indians  of  Berks  County  and  of  the  state; 
in  the  domain  of  microscopy  and  mineralogy,  his  studies 
on  the  minerals  of  his  country  having  been  incorporated  into 
the  publications  of  the  Second  Geological  Survey  of  Penn- 
sylvania. He  died  on  the  29th  of  November,  1903.  His 
dialect  writing  was  an  incident  and  a  diversion  in  a  busy 
life.  His  prose  letters  will  be  found  chiefly  in  the  files 
of  the  Reading  Adler, 


10.  Lee  Light  Grumbine. 

Bibliography. 
Allentown  Daily  City  Item. 
Bethlehem  Times. 

Biographical  History  of  Lebanon  County,  Chicago,  1904.. 
Der  Alt  Dengelstock.     Grumbine,  Lebanon,  1903. 
Harrisburg  Star  Independent. 
Lancaster  New  Era. 

Lebanon  County  Historical  Society,  Vol.  I,  No.  11. 
Lebanon  Courier. 
Lebanon  Evening  Report. 

Lee  Light  Grumbine.     P.  C.  Croll  in  Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  V,  p.  145. 
Letters  in  the  possession  of  S.  P.  Heilman,  M.D. 

National  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography,  New  York,  1894,  Vol.  V. 
National  Educator,  Allentown,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.    V,    2,    9^.    "  Der    Dengelstock." 
Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  VII,  4,  17181. 
Philadelphia  Inquirer. 
Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania-Germak  Society,  Vol.  IV,  169;  Vol. 

XIV,   55. 
Publications  of  the  Lebanon  County  Historical  Society,  Vol.  Ill,  3. 
Transactions  of  the  American  Philological  Association. 

Lee  Light  Grumbine  was  born  in  Fredericksburg,  Leba- 
non County,  Pennsylvania,  July  25,  1858.  The  ancestry 
of  his  family  is  discussed  in  the  article  on  his  brother 
Dr.  Ezra  Grumbine  (q.v.)  where  also  it  has  been  noted 
that  "  to  scribble  and  to  rhyme  runs  in  the  family."  Lee 
Light  Grumbine  possessed  another  talent  that  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  best  dialect  writers  according  to  a  writer 
in  the  Forum    (Vol.   XIV,   Dec,    1892,   p.   470)    who 

137 


138  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

says:  "  Recalling  Col.  R.  M.  Johnston's  dialectic  sketches 
with  his  own  presentation  of  them  from  the  platform,  the 
writer  notes  a  fact  that  seems  to  obtain  among  all  true 
dialect  writers,  namely,  that  they  are  also  endowed  with 
native  histrionic  capabilities.  Hear  as  well  as  read  Twain, 
Cable,  Johnston,  Page,  Smith  and  all  the  list,  with  barely 
an  exception." 

In  the  public  schools  and  at  Palatinate  College  Grum- 
bine  gave  evidence  of  his  ability  along  this  line,  and  when 
a  student  at  the  Wesleyan  University,  Connecticut,  he 
began  giving  public  elocutionary  entertainments,  and  this, 
with  lecturing  and  teachers'  institute  work,  he  kept  up  as  a 
diversion  during  his  lifetime. 

When  he  had  graduated  from  Wesleyan  University, 
Conn.,  In  1881,  he  took  up  teaching,  but  began  the  study 
of  law  at  the  same  time,  and  three  years  later  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  the  courts  of  Lebanon  County,  and 
in  1887  to  practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Penn- 
sylvania ;  for  a  time  he  was  the  law  partner  of  the  late  Gen. 
Gobin.  In  1886  he  was  appointed  instructor  of  elocution 
at  Cornell  University,  but  never  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  position;  in  1889  he  was  principal  of  the  School  of 
Oratory  at  the  Silver  Lake  (New  York)  Chautauqua. 

In  1889  he  became  the  founder  and  editor  of  the  Leba- 
non Daily  Report,  which  he  conducted  along  independent 
lines,  making  it  the  organ  of  reform  movements,  and  the 
dread  of  evildoers  and  machine  politicians.  In  politics 
a  Prohibitionist,  he  held  a  high  place  in  the  councils  of  his 
party,  both  in  the  state  and  in  the  nation,  and  as  a  platform 
orator  and  as  candidate  he  made  many  a  vigorous  fight 
for  a  forlorn  hope. 

Grumbine  was  also  one  of  the  prime  movers  In  the  or- 
ganization   of    The    Pennsylvania    Chautauqua    at    Mt. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings .  139 

Gretna,  Pa. ;  a  member  of  the  Lebanon  County  Historical 
Society;  a  member  of  the  American  Philological  Associa- 
tion, for  which  he  prepared  several  papers  on  the  results 
of  his  study  of  the  provincialisms  of  the  English  speech 
of  eastern  Pennsylvania  which  have  their  origins  in  Ger- 
man idioms  and  expressions.  He  was  one  of  the  founders, 
and  during  his  life,  vice-president  and  director  of  the 
Lebanon  Trust  Company. 

It  was  his  paper.  The  Lebanon  Daily  Report,  that  first 
suggested  in  December,  1890,  and  January,  1891,  the  or- 
ganization of  a  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  and  when 
other  papers  quickly  seconded  the  idea,  it  led  to  the  or- 
ganization of  that  Society  early  in  the  same  year  (1891). 
At  its  first  regular  meeting,  after  the  organization  Oc- 
tober 14,  1 89 1,  he  read  an  English  poem  entitled  "The 
Marriage  of  the  Muse"  in  twenty-one  twelve-verse 
stanzas.     He  calls  for 

The  happy  bard,  the  poet  and  seer, 
Whose  voice,  with  its  tuneful  charm,  will  make  men  hear, 
As  he  tells,  in  stately  epic  or  lyric  story, 
Of  a  quiet  and  simple  folk,  of  their  trials  and  glory — 
As  he  sings  with  wisdom  and  grace  and  musical  measure, 
To  their  children's  glad  delight,  or  a  busy  world's  pleasure 
The  sterling  virtues  of  that  brother  band, 
"  The  sorrowing  exiles  from  the  Fatherland, 
Leaving  their  homes  in  Kriesheim's  bowers  of  vine, 
And  the  blue  beauty  of  their  glorious  Rhine, 
To  seek  amid  their  solemn  depths  of  wood 
Freedom  from  man  and  holy  peace  with  God." 

The  last  five  lines  are  an  incorporation  of  verses  from 
Whittier's  "  Pennsylvania  Pilgrim." 


140  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

A  timid  youth, 

Who  only  knows  to  speak  with  simple  truth 
His  love, 

Appears  as  suitor  to  the  Muse; 
after  explaining 

who  dares  by  such  a  bold  demand 
Persistent,  sue  the  Muse's  heart  and  hand? 

the  poet  proceeds  to  tell  of  the  noble  ancestry  of  the  youth, 
and  finally  makes  bold  to  reveal  his  name — it  is  The  Penn- 
sylvania-German Society.  His  petition  is  evidently  heard, 
for  the  successful  organization  of  the  Society  is  celebrated 
as  the  "Nuptial  Feast"  and  the  hope  is  expressed  that 

From  this  holy  union  there  may  spring 

A  progeny  of  poets,  that  will  sing. 

The  praises  of  those  hero  souls  who  came, 

In  search  of  neither  Fortune  nor  of  Fame, 

From  Alpine  slopes  and  banks  of  castled  Rhine, 

To  land  where  Liberty's  fair  sun  would  shine. 

The  second  and  third  parts  of  this  poem  are  entitled 
respectively  "Their  Dowry"  and  "Our  Heritage." 

Grumbine  remained  an  active  member  of  the  Society 
until  his  death  in  1904;  at  that  time  he  had  in  course  of 
preparation  a  history  of  the  Mennonites,  which  he  was 
writing  for  the  Association.  In  1901  he  presented  a 
paper  to  the  Society,  "An  essay  on  the  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
man dialect:  a  study  of  its  status  as  a  spoken  dialect  and 
form  of  literary  expression,  with  reference  to  its  capabili- 
ties and  limitations,  and  lines  illustrating  the  same,"  also 
undertaken  at  the  request  of  the  Society.  In  part  it  con- 
tains good  poetics,  as  when  he  says : 

The  Pennsylvania  German  occupies  a  unique  place  among  the 
tongues  of  Babel  and  their  derivations.     It  is  like  a  provincial 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  141 

rustic  youth,  strong  in  the  vigor  of  athletic  young  manhood,  lusty 
in  the  spirit  of  adventure  and  joviality,  schooled  in  self-reliance, 
honesty  and  industry,  trained  in  all  the  domestic  virtues,  love  of 
home,  of  work,  of  kin  and  of  God,  but  not  used  to  the  courtliness 
of  state,  unskilled  in  the  hoUowness  of  vain  compliment,  untutored 
in  the  frippery  and  polish  of  artificial  society,  unacquainted  with 
the  insincerity  and  diplomacy  of  the  wider  world,  removed  from 
kith  and  kin,  and  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  among  strangers 
and  new  surroundings.  The  feelings  and  sentiments  of  its  own 
provincial  home  life  it  can  express  with  a  force  and  beauty,  a 
directness,  a  tenderness  and  humor  all  its  own,  but  in  the  more 
cosmopolitan  relations  it  is  awkward  and  wholly  inadequate,  prob- 
ably because  as  soon  as  the  Pennsylvania-German  individual  strikes 
out  into  the  larger  world  of  human  endeavor,  beyond  the  modest 
and  circumscribed  limits  of  his  provincial  sphere,  to  the  extent 
that  he  becomes  a  cosmopolitan  in  taste,  in  education  or  culture  or 
achievement  he  discards  the  provincial  for  the  national;  he  loses 
the  marks  of  his  native  racial  and  linguistic  individuality ;  in  short, 
loses  himself  in  the  great  mass  of  national  commonplace.  He  dis- 
cards the  mother  tongue  and  adopts  the  ruling  speech,  the  English. 

Or  again  when  he  says : 

A  foul  tongue  cannot  express  a  pure  mind,  even  though  a 
corrupt  mind  may  at  times  clothe  itself  in  fair  language.  The 
artist,  the  poet,  the  writer,  the  musician,  each  expresses  his  thought, 
his  life,  his  inner  self;  and  what  the  vocabulary  is  to  the  indi- 
vidual that  the  dialect  is  to  the  community,  and  the  language  to 
the  nation.  If  the  people  as  a  people  are  concerned  with  the 
heroic  affairs  of  human  activity — with  statecraft  and  commerce, 
with  science  and  art,  with  schemes  of  metaphysics  and  education, 
with  the  pomp  of  wealth  and  the  parade  and  pageantry  of  artistoc- 
racy,  with  the  stilted  ceremonials  of  society  and  the  outward 
formalities  of  religion — their  language  will  be  stately,  courtly, 
scholarly,  classical,  majestic  and  sometimes  hollow  and  insincere. 
The  stormy  passions  of  the  soul,  the  machinations  of  ambition,  the 


142  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

intrigues  of  politics,  the  plottings  of  hatred  and  revenge,  and  the 
cruelties  of  persecution  can  only  be  portrayed  upon  the  large  theater 
of  the  world,  where  are  played  the  dramas  of  statecraft,  and  where 
great  events  and  movements  mark  the  onward  march  of  history 
from  epoch  to  epoch.  For  these  the  language  and  life  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Germans  furnish  neither  example,  opportunity,  nor 
means  of  expression.  It  were  ludicrous  to  try  to  write  an  epic 
poem  in  the  dialect  of  a  provincial  community  whose  interests  do 
not  go  beyond  "  the  daily  task,  the  common  round  "  of  its  simple 
life.  Cathedrals  are  not  built  upon  the  plan  or  out  of  the  ma- 
terials of  which  dwellings  are  constructed,  and  yet  while  the 
cathedral  with  its  noble  proportions,  its  majestic  arches  and  softly 
colored  light, 

Where  through  the  longdrawn  aisle  and  fretted  vault 
The  pealing  anthem  swells  the  note  of  praise 

may  help  to  lift  the  devout  spirit's  aspirations  toward  the  Infinite 
God,  it  is  the  pure  and  simple  life  in  the  happy  homes  of  the  plain 
and  virtuous  people,  no  matter  how  humble  the  architecture  or  how 
modest  the  comforts,  where  the  Muse  of  poesy  loves  to  come  a 
lingering  guest.  Here  are  cultivated  the  tender  sentiments  of  the 
fireside,  affection,  kindness,  filial  love  and  obedience,  paternal  solici- 
tude, generosity,  unselfishness.  Here  dwell  the  domestic  virtues — 
truth,  sincerity,  charity,  confidence,  candor,  devotion,  chastity. 
Here,  too,  is  religion's  real  altar,  where  piety,  reverence  and  holi- 
ness are  not  the  formal  profession  of  the  lips,  or  the  ceremonial 
and  perfunctory  offices  of  the  priest,  but  the  true  expression  of  the 
heart  in  daily  right  living.  Sportive  humor  plays  its  mirthful  part, 
songs  of  contentment  and  the  rippling  laughter  of  childhood  enliven 
the  labors  of  happy  industry.  These  are  some  of  the  sweet  notes 
in  the  joyous  minstrelsy  which  rises  to  Heaven  when  the  poet  sings 
of  the  Pennsylvania-German  life  and  people.  The  common  range 
of  everyday  human  experience,  human  activities,  human  feelings 
and  failings,  these  are  the  domain  and  these  the  materials  and 
opportunity  for  the  Pennsylvania-German  poet;  and  if  he  cannot 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  143 

produce  the  heroic  measures  of  the  music  drama  with  its  grand 
world  chorus  of  immortals,  or  the  stately  epic  with  its  mighty 
epoch  making  movements  of  nations  and  of  gods,  he  can  at  least, 
on  the  sweet-toned  lyre  of  his  provincial  dialect,  play  simple  pastoral 
songs  and  melodies. 

Grumbine  is  not  unfamiliar  with  some  of  the  dialect 
poets  of  Germany  and  it  is  to  be  noted  that  not  all  the 
poems  that  accompany  the  essay  were  written  to  Illustrate 
the  essay,  some  having  appeared  earlier,  nor  can  It  be  said 
that  he  has  touched  upon  all  the  phases  that  his  Introduc- 
tion points  out  as  possibilities  for  the  dialect  poet.  Ac- 
companying the  essay  Is  a  brief  prefatory  note,  explaining 
the  basis  of  several  poems  as  well  as  furnishing  a  sort  of 
psychological  self-analysis  of  the  author's  moods  and  an 
explanation  of  his  alms.  I  Include  this  In  Its  entirety,  so 
that  anyone  who  cares  may  have  the  opportunity  of  decid- 
ing for  himself  In  how  far  he  has  succeeded  or  failed  In  his 
endeavors. 

It  may  be  said  in  a  general  way  that  everything  here  written  is 
founded  on  actual  fact  or  incident  within  the  writer's  observation. 
The  verses  are  pictures  from  Nature.  Take  for  example  those 
on  a  country  Sabbath  Mom — "  Sonntag  Morgeds  an  der  Ziegel 
Kerch."  If  I  had  the  hands  of  an  artist  and  could  translate  the  lines 
into  the  language  of  pictorial  art  almost  every  verse  would  make 
a  complete  picture  which  each  one  of  you  and  every  Pennsylvania 
German  would  recognize  as  a  glimpse  into  the  mirror  of  his  own 
life.  And  yet  I  may  say  that  the  whole  poem  was  suggested  by 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson's  "  A  Lowden  Sabbath  Morn,"  of  parts  of 
which  it  is  a  more  or  less  liberal  translation  adapted  to  the  condi- 
tions of  Pennsylvania-German  country  life.  "  Elendig "  is  an 
almost  literally  true  narrative  of  an  actual  incident,  but  even  if  it 
were  not  it  is  absolutely  true  to  the  pathetic  fact  in  life  that  when 
we  are  becoming  physically  infirm  we  speak  of  it  ourselves  in  the 


144  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

hope  of  dieting  comfort  from  our  friends  and  the  assurance  that 
things  are  not  as  bad  as  we  think;  but  we  do  not  like  it  when 
others  mention  the  fact,  and  we  invariably  resent  it  when  our 
friends  take  us  at  our  word.  The  several  translations  further 
serve  to  illustrate  what  has  been  stated  in  reference  to  the  limita- 
tions and  capabilities  of  the  dialect.  Whittier's  "  Barbara 
Frietchie  "  and  John  Vance  Cheney's  "  Kitchen  Clock  "  show  how 
readily  the  themes  and  incidents  of  provincial,  pastoral  or  personal 
everyday  life  lend  themselves  to  dialect  treatment;  while  on  the 
other  hand  the  more  dignified  philosophical  or  moral  theme  of 
Longfellow's  "  Psalm  of  Life  "  could  not  be  rendered  into  Penn- 
sylvania German  without  the  effect  of  burlesqueing  it,  but  calls  for 
the  statelier  measures  of  a  more  classical  German. 

"  Mei  Arme  Be,"  with  a  mixture  of  satire,  humor  and 
pathos,  paints  a  very  common  character  familiar  to  us  all — 
the  village  toper — who  makes  every  ridiculous  pretext  an 
excuse  for  his  indulgence,  blames  everything  but  himself 
for  his  weakness,  and  who  protests  up  to  the  day  that  he 
dies  of  delirium  tremens,  that  "  he  can  drink  or  let  it 
alone." 

"Der  Schumacher"  is  another  character  common  to 
every  village  and  suggests  his  various  brothers  in  the  guild 
of  handicraftsmen  who  would  furnish  subjects  for  simi- 
lar treatment — Der  Weber,  Der  Schmled,  Der  Wagner 
and  others.  "  Der  VIert  July  "  is  a  somewhat  Ill-natured 
portrayal  of  the  national  holiday  and  the  painful,  senseless, 
wasteful  and  almost  Intolerable  way  in  which  It  has  come 
to  be  celebrated  In  our  cities.  It  was  written  while  still 
smarting  under  the  tortures  which  the  "  Glorious  Fourth  " 
entails  upon  the  sensitive  nerves  of  a  suffering  people. 

Lest  the  lines  under  the  title  "  Ich  war  Jurymann  "  might  be 
thought  to  contain  expressions  unnecessarily  emphatic,  or  inelegant 
perhaps,  it  is  mentioned  that  the  poem  was  suggested  and  is  based 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  145 

upon  the  following  true  incident,  beyond  the  statement  of  which  I 
have  nothing  to  add  in  justification  or  apology:  There  lived  where 
I  spent  my  childhood  a  little  old  man,  who  in  the  happy  days  before 
individualism  in  industrial  life  was  entirely  crushed  out  by  the 
spirit  of  combination  in  our  commercial  evolution,  earned  a  liveli- 
hood in  the  pursuit  of  his  chosen  handicraft — that  of  a  tailor.  He 
lived  in  the  country  several  miles  back  of  my  native  village  and 
the  demands  of  fashionable  society  made  no  heavy  draft  upon  his 
artistic  powers,  it  may  be  assumed;  but  he  lived  a  contented  and 
useful  life  contriving  wonderful  garments  for  youthful  rural  swains 
to  court  and  get  married  in,  which  were  ever  afterwards  preserved 
from  the  ravages  and  corruption  of  "moth  and  rust"  with  scru- 
pulous care  and  never  worn  again  except  upon  some  occasion  of 
equal  state.  In  those  days  it  was  a  particularly  shiftless  and  im- 
provident lout  unworthy  the  name  or  the  station  of  a  householder 
who  did  not  preserve  his  "  Hochzig-kle'der "  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  when  they  might  fulfil  the  last  important  function  in  their 
and  their  owner's  career,  namely  that  of  shroud.  It  happened  by 
rare  chance  that  the  under  or  deputy  sheriff  stopped  at  his  house 
one  day  to  his  infinite  astonishment  and  satisfaction  with  a  sum- 
mons to  do  jury  duty  at  the  County  Court  ten  or  twelve  miles 
distant.  This  was  such  an  unusual  event  in  the  old  man's  life, 
never  having  happened  before,  and  withal  invested  him  with  such 
dignity  and  importance  in  his  own  eyes  that  he  straightway  cele- 
brated the  event  with  one  of  his  mild  sprees  in  which  he  was  wont 
to  indulge  upon  every  occasion  of  excessive  feeling,  and  he  devoted 
that  entire  day  to  little  excursions  between  the  bottle  in  the  cup- 
board and  his  other  duties,  strutting  about  meanwhile  with  infinite 
self-satisfaction  before  the  proud  gaze  of  his  admiring  spouse  and 
giving  vent  to  the  contemplation  of  his  sudden  greatness  in  the 
oft  repeated  exclamation :  "  Bin  ich  awer  net  e'n  donnerwetterser 
Jurymann ! "  In  after  years  when  I  became  more  familiar  with 
the  scenes,  the  characters  and  the  methods  of  courts  of  justice  my- 
self this  remark  was  often  recalled  and  as  often  served  to  give 
suitable  expression  to  my  own  estimate,  not  only  of  jurors,  but  of 


146  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

various  other  important  functionaries  that  figure  there,  as  well  as 
the  sort  of  justice  that,  in  the  language  of  the  Irishman,  is  "  dis- 
pensed with  "  upon  occasion. 

'"S  Latwerg  Koche"  and  "  Der  Alt  Dengelstock"  are  two 
other  pictures  of  the  happy  contentment  and  peaceful  domestic 
simplicity  of  rustic  Pennsylvania-German  home  life,  which  every 
one  who  has  ever  seen  or  known  it  will  recognize  as  coincident  with 
his  own  experience  or  observation.  I  had  just  enough  of  both  to 
qualify  me  "  to  speak  by  the  card  "  on  the  subjects  depicted,  to  wit: 
the  boiling  of  applebutter  at  the  particularly  eventful  moment  when 
it  is  finished  as  described  in  the  lines: 

"  Er  is  gar :  du  kannst  's  net  besser  trei¥e ; 
Henk  der  Kessel  ab,  un'  schoepp's  in  die  HoeiiEe ; 
Was  muss  der  kle'  Joe  doch  die  Zung  'raus  strecke, 
Fiir  der  Loeffel  un'  der  Riihrer  ab  zuschlecke." 

And  equally  of  that  second  occasion  in  the  hayfield  where  the 
very  spot  can  be  pointed  out  that  will  be  forever  linked  with  the 
feeling  and  the  situation  suggested  by  the  other  lines: 

"  Dort  hoert  m'r  laute  stimme, 

Die  Buwe  sin  am  schwimme, 
Im  Damm  wird  gebotzelt  un'  gekrische; 

Un'  dort  drunne  im  Krickle, 

Im  Loch  un'  er'm  Briickli, 
Wahrhaftig  sin  sie  a'  am  fische!" 

Whoever  has  seen  a  Pennsylvania-German  home  on  a  prosperous 
eastern-Pennsylvania  farm  has  seen  the  most  perfect  and  idyllic 
picture  of  contentment,  of  manly  independence,  of  plenty,  of  com- 
fort, of  good  cheer,  of  peace  of  body  and  of  mind  that  is  to  be 
seen  anywhere  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

Grumbine  clearly  had  the  feeling  that  he  was  contradict- 
ing his  own  principles  when  he  undertook  the  translation 
of  Coleridge's  "Ancient  Mariner"  Into  the  dialect,  though 
he  defends  himself  by  stating  that  the  original  In  the  sIm- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  147 

plicity  of  Its  character,  its  language,  its  plan  and  its  teach- 
ing, is  consonant  with  the  simplest  life  and  therefore  ad- 
mits of  adequate  expression  even  under  the  limitations  of 
a  provincial  dialect.  Hon.  G.  F.  Ferdinand  Ritschl,  im- 
perial German  consul  at  Philadelphia,  who  was  present 
when  the  poem  was  read,  expressed  his  surprise  at  the 
adaptability  of  the  dialect  to  a  subject  like  the  "Ancient 
Mariner" — a  criticism  that  might  easily  be  made  by  one 
who  did  not  know  that  the  dialect  had  no  perfect  tense,  no 
genitive  case,  that  when  lacking  a  word  in  the  dialect  it 
prefers  as  a  rule  an  English  one  to  a  German  one.  These 
facts,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  the  German  consul  was  not 
acquainted  with. 

When  Grumbine  himself  says  that  he  has  constantly 
kept  in  mind  that  he  is  writing  in  a  German  dialect  for  a 
German-  rather  than  an  English-speaking  constituency, 
and  has  discarded  English  words  to  a  much  larger  extent 
than  an  ordinary  Pennsylvania-German  conversation,  he 
admits  that  he  has  created  an  artificial  language,  which, 
while  It  may  be  Intelligible  to  native-born  Germans,  as  he 
says.  Is  however  not  the  language  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
mans. In  the  matter  of  language,  we  must  heartily  agree 
with  the  Philadelphia  Inquirer,  which  at  the  time  of  the 
publication  of  the  essay  and  the  poems  in  book  form  said: 
"The  fact  remains  that  his  dialect  Is  very  different  from 
that  of  current  publications  such  as  the  fugitive  pieces 
which  papers  published  in  Pennsylvania-German  com- 
munities occasionally  give  their  readers — such  as  for  ex- 
ample the  "Old  Schulmashter "  letters  printed  weekly  In 
the  Daily  News  of  his  own  city  of  Lebanon,  Pa.  Does 
it  not  seem  likely  that  the  latter,  being  In  the  common 
speech  of  the  people,  represent  the  real  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
man?" 


148  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

His  original  poems  deserve  higher  praise  than  his  trans- 
lations; the  degree  in  which  they  appeal  to  Pennsylvania 
Germans  far  away  from  the  old  roof  tree  is  illustrated  in 
a  letter  from  Rev.  Francis  T.  Hoover,  a  former  Berks 
Countian,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Lock- 
port,  N.  Y.,  and  author  of  "  Enemies  in  the  Rear,"  etc. 
*'  I  am  free  to  say  that  few  things  could  have  given  me 
more  pleasure.  My  copy  of  the  Pennsylvania  German 
came  with  the  same  mail,  and  so  I've  spent  two  whole  even- 
ings and  part  of  the  nights  reading  the  vernacular  of  my 
old  Berks  County  home. 

"  Last  evening,  I  read  among  other  pieces,  '  Ich  war 
Jurymann.'  To  say  I  laughed  is  putting  it  a  trifle  mildly. 
But  say !  How  did  that  '  donnerwetterser  Jurymann ' 
ever  hear  of  the  gentle  "  keusch  Portia  ?  "  Good !  Only  a 
lawyer — one  who  knew  all  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  '  donner- 
wetters  Gericht ' — could  have  produced  '  Ich  war  Jury- 
mann.' 

"  Then  I  read  '  Der  alt  Dengelstock '  and  when  I  read 
the  stanza  '  'S  Dengel  lied  hat  g'shtoppt '  a  feeling  of 
sadness  came  over  me,  for  the  picture  of  my  old  father, 
mowing  in  the  meadow  in  front  of  the  house,  came  up  be- 
fore my  vision,  and  I  was  carried  to  the  grave  at  '  Eck 
Kerch'  where  he  has  slept  since  1864. 

"  Next  comes  '  'S  Latwerg  Koche '  and  I  confess  that 
when  the  eye  took  in  the  words, 

Ach !  wie  schnell  vergeht  die  Jugend's  Zeit ! 
Gut  nacht,  zu'm  Latwerg  koche: 

a  feeling  of  "  he'm-weh  "  took  possession  of  me  for  a  time. 

"  You  have  done  a  splendid  piece  of  work  and  though 

not  presuming  to  be  an  expert  in  the  dialect,  I  believe  your 

work  equals  that  of  Dr.  Harbaugh  in  this  department  of 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  149 

literature.  Indeed  you  have  tested  and  proved  the  capa- 
bilities of  Pennsylvania  German  more  fully  than  the  bard 
of  Mercersburg." 

Prof.  Oscar  Kuhns,  of  the  department  of  Romance  lan- 
guages, Wesleyan  University,  too  thought  the  poems 
would  be  placed  beside  Harbaugh's  "  Harfe,"  while  Pro- 
fessor Learned,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  re- 
ferring to  "Der  Dengelstock"  (or  to  the  book  of  that 
name?)  says  it  belongs  to  classical  dialect  poetry  and 
takes  its  place  alongside  of  Hebel's,  Schandein's  or  Nad- 
ler's  best. 

In  1903  the  essay  and  poems  were  published  in  a  hand- 
some limited  (300  copies)  autograph  edition.  For  "The 
Rime  of  The  Ancient  Mariner"  Elbert  Hubbard  loaned 
the  cuts  and  head  and  tail  pieces  which  were  used  in  illus- 
trating the  beautiful  Roycroft  edition  of  the  "Ancient 
Mariner." 


II.  George  Mays. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Christ  Reformed  Church  News. 

Heidelberg  Herald. 

History  of  SchaeflFerstown.    A.  S.  Brendle,  York,  1901. 

Interviews  with  the  family. 

Lebanon  Courier  and  Report. 

Montgomery  Transcript, 

Papers  of  the  Philadelphia  County  Medical  Society. 

Philadelphia  Evening  Bulletin. 

Philadelphia  Public  Ledger. 

Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

George  Mays,  who  was  born  of  Pennsylvania-German 
parents,  at  Schaefferstown,  Pa.,  July  5,  1836,  could  not 
talk  English  before  he  learned  it  in  the  public  schools. 
At  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  he  completed  a  course 
in  medicine  in  1861;  entered  the  army  as  surgeon;  later 
practised  his  profession  at  Lititz  until  1871,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Philadelphia,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in 
1909. 

Almost  every  year  after  coming  to  Philadelphia  he  re- 
turned to  old  Schaefferstown  for  the  summer,  and  his 
greatest  delight  was  to  drive  over  all  the  familiar  roads 
of  the  adjoining  country. 

According  to  his  intimate  friend.  Dr.  Stretch,  of  Phila- 
delphia, his  dialect  productions  were  written  not  so  much 
for  their  poetic  beauty  as  carefully  to  preserve  in  phonetic 

150 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  151 

form  a  language  which  he  felt  sure  would  soon  be  extinct, 
Insisting  that  much  that  was  being  published  In  the  Penn- 
sylvania-German Magazine  and  elsewhere  was  not  Penn- 
sylvania German  at  all  but  only  a  mixture  of  English  and 
German  with  a  sprinkling  of  the  dialect.  The  poems 
were  written  primarily  for  himself  and  his  friends.  Some 
of  the  later  ones  found  their  way  into  Daniel  Miller's  Col- 
lection and  others  Into  the  columns  of  the  Pennsylvania- 
German  Magazine.  Nine  such  productions  were  known; 
a  few  more  finished  or  partly  finished  I  found  among  his 
effects. 

Only  poetic  In  form,  as  he  insisted,  they  yet  give  us 
touches  that  other  writers  have  passed  by — while,  for  in- 
stance, writers  have  described  the  parties  and  pastimes  of 
Pennsylvania-German  rural  life,  it  Is  nowhere  else  that  I 
find  a  party  of  the  following  kind  referred  to. 

En  Schpinning  Party  finsht  du  oft 
Wu  gar  net  denksht,  ganz  unverhoft 
Un  wann  du  ergends  besuche  wit 
Heest  gleich,  nem  ah  dei  Spinnrad  mit. 

An  unserm  Haus  in  seller  Zeit 
Do  sammle  oft  die  Nochbers  Leut 
Mit'm  Spinnrad  dort  zu  spinne 
Un  dabei  Plasier  zu  finne. 

Dort  hen  sle  g'schpunne  un  gelacht 
Stories  verzahlt  un  spuchte  gemacht 
Wie  oft  hab  ich  dort  zugeguckt 
Un  was  es  gebt  mit  Luste  geschluckt. 

His  attitude  toward  a  possible  reading  public  is  clearly 
shown  in  the  lines  with  which  he  began  one  tale : 

Die  Schtory  de  ich  hier  beitrag, 

Is'n  wohri  G'schicht  so  g'wiss  ich  sawg 


152  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Wen  schon  ehns  denkt  ich  moch  si  uf 
Ken  dier  eich  sure  ferlussa  druf. 

Truz  dem  es  is  en  alte  G'schicht 
So  mehn  ich  doch  sis  unser  Pflicht 
Solche  soche  fohr  zu  stelle, 
For  de  leit  wo's  lehse  welle. 

In  many  of  his  verses  he  thus  goes  back  to  memories  of 
long  ago  and  places  of  local  interest.  As  with  so  many 
of  the  Pennsylvania-German  writers,  the  churchyard  and 
the  tolling  of  the  bell  make  strange  appeals.  In  one  se- 
lection he  celebrates  the  waterworks  of  Schaefferstown — 

Das  aller  erscht  Werk,  vun  dem 
Mer  lese,  is  in  Bethlehem; 
Dann  kummt  wie  ich  hier  bemark 
Das  Schafferstadtel  Wasserwerk. 

Ich  hab  des  net  vum  Horesage 

Drum  kannst  du  mir  es  herzlich  glaabe 

Der  alte  Charter  weist  es  plahn 

Das  Jedermann  kann  heut  noch  sehn. 

Interesting  are  the  verses  found  among  his  effects  in 
which  he  tells  why  some  Pennsylvania  Germans  opposed 
the  Free  School  Law.  The  poem  was  never  completed; 
I  have  it  in  three  different  forms,  each  with  some  new 
stanzas;  but  what  was  to  be  its  final  form  we  can  not 
exactly  determine. 

That  the  Germans  were  not  as  a  body  opposed  to  free 
schools  any  more  than  the  Quakers,  notwithstanding  many 
of  both  classes  for  various  reasons  were  opposed  to  the 
law  of  1834,  is  well  known  (cf.  Dr.  Shimmel's  article, 
Pennsylvania  German.  The  Quakers  opposed  the  propo- 
sition because,  having  schools  for  themselves,  they  were 
averse  to  supporting  schools  for  others;  the  Germans  be- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  153 

cause  the  law  was  enacted  in  accordance  with  a  recom- 
mendation in  the  Constitution  whereby  a  law  should  be 
enacted  to  establish  schools  where  the  poor  might  be 
taught  gratis  and  they  had  none  of  that  class  amongst 
themselves. 

Other  reasons  of  some  Germans  are  given  by  Dr.  Mays : 

Will  ich  bei  der  Woret  bleiwe 
Muss  ich  eich  au  des  noch  schreiwe 
'S  waar  net  de  Ormut  bei  de  Leit 
Dos  Schule  raar  mocht  selle  Zeit. 

Sie  wisse  os  de  frei  Schul  law 
Die  greift  yo  ihre  Geldsock  au 
In  fact  's  war  nix  os  ihre  Geld 
Os  selli  Leit  so  long  z'rick  held. 

Sell  Gsets  mocht  unser  Toxbill  gross 
Un  benefit  die  Schtatleit  bios 
Kauft  uns  ken  Blotz  net  mol  en  Gaul 
Und  mocht  yusht  unser  Kinner  foul. 

So  waar's  bi  feeli  Baure's  Gschwetz 
So  hen  si  g'fuchte  geges  G'setz 
Un  moncher  glaubt  er  wert  gedrickt 
So  bol  mer  mohl  de  freischul  krickt. 

(Hort  hen  sie  g'fuchte  geges  Gsetz 
Un  feel  de  mehne  es  ware  letz 
Sich  en  Laming  au  zu  schoffe 
Weil  es  debt  Foulenser  moche) 

Onri  glauwe  oni  Zweifel 
01  de  Leming  kumt  fum  Teifel 
Un  der  wo'n  Dorsht  for  Bicher  hut 
Wert  efters  shendlich  ausgeschput. 


154 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


Our  author  did  not  agree  with  these  notions,  as  several 
other  discarded  or  not  yet  incorporated  stanzas  show — 

Uf  der  Bauerei  zu  schoffe 

Un  de  Erwet  leicht  zu  moche 

Doh  helft  uns  net  des  Schulgesets — 

Sel  waar  of  course  en  dummes  g'schwetz. 

'S  gebt  heit  noch  Leit  de  bases  letz 
Un  schteibere  sich  cm  Schulg'setz 
Doch  wons  net  fer  de  Schullaw  wehr 
Kemt  moncher  net  so  schmart  do  hehr. 

Two  lines  from  one  of  these  poems : 

In  sellem  shane  Deitsche  Schticlc 
Des  alte  Schulhaus  an  der  Krick 

are  interesting  as  showing  that  to  this  writer  too  Dr.  Har- 
baugh  stood  as  a  model  and  ideal.  One  of  Dr.  Mays' 
best  and  most  sustained  pieces  is  his  picture  "  Der  Olt 
Mon." 


12.  H.  A.  Shuler. 


Bibliography. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  IX,  3,  991  S.    By  H.  W.  Kriebel. 
Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  XVII,  p.  5^. 
Town  and  Country,  Pennsburg,  Pa. 
Weltbote,  Allentown,  Pa. 

Henry  A.  Shuler,  born  July  12,  1850,  in  Upper  Mil- 
ford,  Lehigh  County,  Pa.,  was  a  strange  character;  an 
unusually  precocious  boy.  There  are  copybooks  still  ex- 
tant containing  expressions  in  German,  English,  Latin, 
Greek,  Hebrew  and  French,  which  he  copied  at  the  age 
of  nine  years.  Early  in  life  he  began  painfully  detailed 
accounts  of  his  doings,  of  his  incomes  and  expenditures,  of 
his  thoughts  and  musings  on  his  doings,  of  outgoes  and 
expenditures;  all  this  he  rewrote  after  new  ponderings 
and  meditations.     All  this  material  we  possess. 

For  eleven  years  (i 870-1 881)  he  taught  school,  then 
became  editor  of  the  Friedensbote,  Allentown,  Pa.,  until 
1893,  and  from  that  time  to  1903,  conducted  the  Welt- 
bote, Allentown,  Pa.  In  1906  he  assumed  the  editorship 
of  the  Pennsylvania  German,  which  position  he  held  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  January  14,  1908.  For  a  fuller  ac- 
count of  his  life,  see  Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  IX, 
March,  1908,  99  f. 

As  a  writer  of  Pennsylvania  German  he  contributed  oc- 

155 


156  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

casional  letters  to  all  the  papers  he  edited,  occasionally  a 
poem  and  some  spirited  translations;  in  the  dialect  he  gave 
a  third  lease  of  popularity  to  the  rhymes  "  When  the  angry 
passions  gathering  in  my  mother's  face  I  see,"  which  had 
their  second  vogue  in  the  Hans  Breitman  form.  For 
Home's  Manual,  3d  edition,  he  wrote  a  chapter  on  "  Zee- 
chaglawa  un  Braucherei"  and  in  1904  during  his  tem- 
porary retirement  he  compiled  for  the  Boten  Druckerei 
"Unser  Pennsylvanisch  Deitscher  Kalenner"  for  the  year 
1905 — the  second  almanac  ever  issued  in  the  dialect. 

The  "  Kalenner  "  contains  an  introduction  which  explains 
the  appearance  of  another  almanac  amid  the  multitude 
of  those  already  existing;  he  intended  it  for  the  thousands 
of  Pennsylvania  Germans  who  love  the  beautiful  old 
speech  and  hold  it  in  esteem.  He  guarantees  the  accuracy 
of  his  reckoning — "  Mer  stehn  dafor  dass  sie  recht  is — 
dass  die  Daga  grad  so  long  sin,  dass  der  Moond  grad  so 
sei  G'sicht  weist  un  versteckelt,  dass  die  Sterne  grad  so 
laafa  un  die  Finschternisse  grad  so  kumma  wies  dart  steht." 
For  each  month  he  has  a  Geburtsdag  Kalenner  as  well  as 
an  essay.  "Was  no's  iwrig  Geles  a'geht  dart  hen  mer's 
bescht  for  eich  rausgsucht.  Rezepta  wu  mer  sich  druf 
verlossa  kann;  Baurasprich  wu  aushalta;  stories  wu  in- 
teresting sin  un  wu  mer  lacha  kann  driwer  bis  em  der 
Bauch  weh  dut,  un  viel  annera  Sacha."  Among  the  merry 
tales  are  a  number  of  specimens  which  will  find  their  place 
in  the  anecdote  book  long  projected  by  the  Pennsylvania- 
German  Society. 

"Nau  hot  der  Kalenner  Mann  sei  kleene  Spietsch  ge- 
macht.  Er  prowirt  eich  all  zu  pliesa  un  hoft,  ihr  nemmt 
sei  Kalenner  so  gut  uf  dass  er's  neekscht  Johr  widder 
kumma  darf  un  alia  Johr  bis  er  so  alt  werd  wie  der 
Redingtauner.     'S  war  jo  a  Schand,  wann  unser  Leit  net 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  157 

ihr  egener  Kalenner  ufhalta  kennte."  But  no  continua- 
tion has  ever  appeared. 

Noteworthy  was  Shuler's  contribution  to  the  contro- 
versy as  to  how  the  dialect  should  be  spelled:  "  Mer 
schwetza  Deitsch  wie  mer's  vun  der  Mammi  un  vum  Dadi 
gelernt  hen,  un  mer  schreiwa'a  ah  Deitsch,  dass  mer's  arnd- 
lich  lesa  kann,  des  heest;  mer  schpella's  uf  de  deitscha 
Weg,  wie  sich's  g'heert." 

The  Pennsylvania-German  Magazine  spoke  of  the  Al- 
manac as  follows:  "It  has  come  to  this,  that  our  people 
want  even  their  weather  prognostications  and  signs  of  the 
Zodiac  told  in  Pennsylvania  German,  and  so  the  Weltbote 
office  has  supplied  the  want.  There  will  be  more  consul- 
tation of  it  in  certain  parts  than  of  the  Church  or  cosmo- 
politan newspaper  Almanacs." 


13-  Daniel  Miller. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Biographical  History  of  Berks  County. 

Das  Deutsche  Element  in  den  Vereinigten  Staaten.    Von  Bosse,  p.  436. 

Interviews  and  Correspondence. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  I. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  V,  i,  46. 

Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Reformed  Church  Record. 

"Jede  Amerikanische  Zeitung  ist  froh,  wenn  sie  unter  ihren 
Mitarbeitern  ein  Individuum  besitzt,  das  mit  der  Gabe  behaftet 
ist,  zur  rechten  Zeit  einen  witzigen  Artikel  vom  Stapel  lassen  zu 
konnen.  Humoristische  Skizzen  sind  natiirlich  der  Lesewelt  viel 
Heber  als  Ausziige  aus  langweiligen  Predigten  und  wir  sind  der 
Letzte  der  sie  deshalb  tadeln  will.  Das  Leben  hat  leider  so  viele 
ernste  Seiten  dass  man  jeden  wilkommen  heissen  sollte,  der  einem 
die  Biirde  des  Daseins  erleichtert." 

With  these  words  Karl  Knortz  introduces  his  chapter 
on  American  Newspaper  Humorists.  What  Peregrine 
Pickle,  Bob  Burdette,  Orpheus  C.  Kerr,  Petroleum  V. 
Naseby,  Max  Adeler  and  others,  who  became  national 
characters,  were  to  the  great  metropolitan  papers,  this  the 
Pennsylvania-German-dialect  humorists  were  to  the  coun- 
try weeklies,  and  the  best  of  them  became  at  least  as  widely 
influential  as  the  dialect  was  known. 

A  case  illustrating  the  commercial  importance  of  these 
letters  is  that  of  Mr.  Daniel  Miller,  Reading,  Pa.  In 
1869,  he  came  from  Lebanon  to  Reading,  a  young  printer 

158 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  159 

twenty-six  years  old,  and  established  a  German  newspaper; 
a  journal  with  Republican  principles  in  a  county,  where, 
as  the  story  goes,  the  farmers  are  still  voting  for  Andrew 
Jackson.  For  forty  years,  or  until,  upon  his  retirement 
from  business,  it  was  suspended,  this  was  an  influential  sheet 
and  gathered  among  its  readers  many  outside  the  German 
Republican  pale  of  that  and  the  adjoining  counties.  The 
editor  credits  a  large  number  of  these  readers  to  the  dialect 
letter,  which  without  missing  a  number  was  contained  in 
it,  under  the  caption  "  Humoristisch."  Mr.  Miller  took 
pains  to  emphasize  that  his  compositions  tried  to  differen- 
tiate themselves  from  the  general  run  of  such  compositions. 
He  seems  to  have  had  in  mind  something  which  Josh 
Billings  somewhere  expresses  thus:  "Don't  be  a  clown  if 
you  can  help  it ;  people  don't  respect  ennything  mutch  thet 
they  kan  only  laff  at,"  or  again  a  reminiscence  of  a  thought 
as  expressed  by  the  Oldenburg  dialect  poet: 

Low  jo  nich,  du  kunnst  de  Leeder 
So  schiiddeln  ut  de  man, 
As  mannig  Pap  sin  Predigt; 
Dat  geit  men  nich  so  gan. 

Indeed,  more  than  one  name  might  be  cited  of  such  as 
confessed  that  they  composed  while  setting  up  the  type. 
It  is  true,  such  do  not  call  for  further  consideration,  but 
for  completeness'  sake  they  may  be  included  in  the  list  of 
those  who  "  also  wrote." 

Upon  my  request  to  have  it  indicated  what  Mr.  Miller 
considered  representative  selections,  he  presented  me  with 
two:  Conversation  between  Father  and  Mother  on  a 
Proper  Trade  for  their  Son,  1869,  and  another  written  in 
1 870 — purporting  to  be  a  conversation  between  two  Demo- 
crats on  politics.     Here  is  opened  up  another  question — 


i6o  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

the  political  influence  of  the  dialect  writings;  this  can, 
however,  be  more  appropriately  discussed  in  connection 
with  another  name.  (See  Rauch.)  These  two  selections 
were  among  his  earlier  compositions.  He  also  gave  me  a 
number  of  his  very  latest — which  opened  a  new  field  in  the 
dialect  literature. 

Mr.  Miller  was  a  delegate  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 
the  United  States  to  the  World's  Missionary  Conference 
in  Scotland,  in  June,  1910.  After  the  conference  and  in 
company  with  his  son,  he  traveled  in  Europe  for  four 
months.  Every  week  from  the  time  when  he  left  New 
York  until  his  return  he  had  one  or  two  lengthy  letters  in 
The  Reformed  Church  Record,  and  every  now  and  then  one 
of  these  was  in  the  dialect;  thus  there  Is  one  from  Zurich, 
one  from  Rome.  His  English  letters  are  bald  presenta- 
tions of  the  facts  of  his  journey,  a  chronicle  of  progress 
with  the  assistance  of  Baedecker,  but  his  dialect  letters  are 
written  in  a  distinctly  quaint  and  simple  language,  style, 
and  manner  of  one  who  knows  how  the  "  Volk  "  thinks  and 
feels,  and  are  interspersed  with  many  a  shrewd  satirico- 
didactic  observation  on  life  at  home  and  abroad. 

The  paper,  "The  Reformed  Church  Record"  just  men- 
tioned, was  also  founded  by  Mr.  Miller,  twenty-four  years 
ago,  and  in  it  have  appeared  many  articles  in  the  dialect 
by  himself  and  others.  The  frequency  of  these  had  in- 
creased as  Mr.  Miller  had  gradually  resigned  the  business 
of  his  publishing  house  to  others.  This  paper  and  the 
Pennsylvania-German  Magazine  may  be  said  to  be  the 
only  two  publications  now  furnishing  dialect  material,  that 
have  a  more  than  local  reading  public.  Among  other 
things,  Mr.  Miller  wrote  for  this  paper  brief  biograph- 
ical sketches  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  governors  of 
Pennsylvania  which  have  been  reprinted  in  his  book  of 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  i6i 

selected  prose  and  verse.  For  this  book,  he  wrote  almost 
all  the  prose  portions  himself  as  also  he  did  for  a  similar 
collection  published  in  1903  and  now  in  its  second  edition; 
among  the  few  in  this  first  volume  not  written  by  him  are 
an  address  by  Dr.  N.  C.  Schaeffer,  for  the  last  twenty 
years  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  Pennsylvania, 
delivered  at  a  reunion  of  the  Schaeffer  family,  and  a  brief 
historical  sketch  by  the  late  Professor  Dubbs,  of  Lancas- 
ter, Pa.  The  book  has  an  English  introduction  by  Rev. 
John  S.  Stahr,  D.D.,  late  president  of  Franklin  and  Mar- 
shall College,  a  man  who  can  speak  with  authority  on  the 
subject  and  who  assures  us  that  while  the  selections  are 
of  unequal  value,  they  afford,  better  than  anything  else,  an 
insight  into  the  life  and  character  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
mans, their  simplicity,  their  humor,  their  shrewd  common 
sense,  and  their  deep  feeling  and  piety. 

The  second  volume  follows  in  part  the  plan  of  the 
former  work,  in  that  it  contains  selected  poems  by  various 
authors  and  prose  articles  by  Mr.  Miller;  in  part  it  is 
clearly  influenced  by  Home's  Manual  because  the  Penn- 
sylvania-German governors  had  already  made  their  ap- 
pearance there,  in  brief  sketches  by  Conrad  Gehring;  also 
in  that  it  contains  a  collection  of  sayings  and  proverbs, 
and  a  brief  list  of  differences  of  vocabulary  within  the  dia- 
lect but  with  no  attempt  to  localize  them. 

Daniel  Miller  died  in  Reading,  July  30,  19 13. 


II 


14.  Walter  James  Hoffman. 

Bibliography. 

Journal  of  American  Folklore,  Vol.  I  and  Vol.  III. 
Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  IV,  171. 
Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  Vol.  XXVI  and  Vol. 
XXXII. 


Walter  James  Hoffman  was  born  at  Weidasville,  Le- 
high County,  Pennsylvania,  May  30,  1846.  Only  the 
main  lines  of  his  busy  life  can  be  pointed  out.  He  became 
a  physician,  served  in  the  German  army  during  the  Franco- 
Prussian  war;  and  was  honored  with  an  iron  medal  with 
the  ribbon  of  non-combatants  awarded  only  to  worthy  sur- 
geons and  Knights  of  St.  John. 

On  his  return  to  this  country,  he  was  attached  to  an  ex- 
ploring expedition  of  the  United  States  army  into  Nevada 
and  Arizona  in  1871 ;  this  gave  the  final  turn  to  his  life, 
and  his  subsequent  appointments  were  determined  solely 
by  the  opportunity  to  make  new  studies  of  the  Indian 
tribes.  From  the  organization  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnol- 
ogy in  1877  he  was  associated  with  it.  As  an  illustration 
of  his  activity,  the  fact  is  interesting  that  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1884,  he  travelled  11,000  miles  among  the  In- 
dians in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  United  States  and 
in  British  Columbia.      The  publications  of  the  Bureau 

162 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  163 

bear  abundant  testimony  to  the  work  he  did  in  anthropol- 
ogy. His  talent  in  painting,  drawing  and  carving  served 
him  in  good  stead  in  the  study  of  pictographic  writing. 
He  was  the  first  white  man  to  be  initiated  into  the  secret 
rites  of  the  Grand  Medicine  Society  of  the  Ojibways  of 
Minnesota. 

During  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  he  invented  a  bullet- 
extractor  which  was  recommended  by  many  scientific  insti- 
tutions and  adopted  by  the  government  of  Turkey.  He 
was  also  a  musician  and  a  linguist.  He  was  a  contributing 
member  of  many  learned  societies  and  an  honorary 
member  of  many  more;  many  foreign  countries  have  hon- 
ored him  with  medals  and  orders.  From  1897  until  his 
death  two  years  later,  he  was  United  States  Consul  at 
Mannheim,  Germany,  another  appointment  to  enable  him 
to  carry  on  research  work. 

His  first  suggestion  of  studying  his  native  dialect  came 
to  him  while  serving  under  Wilhelm  I,  with  the  Prussian 
Army  around  Metz,  in  which  position  the  opportunity 
was  given  him  of  hearing  many  of  the  dialects  of  South 
Germany;  with  these  from  the  very  beginning  he  seemed 
to  feel  at  home.  The  fruitful  results  of  this  stimulus  are 
exhibited  in  two  articles  on  tales  and  proverbs  in  the 
dialect  with  English  translations  in  the  second  volume  of 
the  Journal  of  American  Folk  Lore;  an  article  on  folk 
medicine  in  Volume  26  of  the  American  Philosophical  So- 
ciety, in  the  same  volume  grammatical  notes  and  a  vocabu- 
lary of  over  5,000  words,  and  in  the  3 2d  volume  of  the 
same  publication  an  article  in  the  dialect  entitled  "  G'schicht 
fun  da  Alta  Tsaita  in  Pensilfani." 


15-  Col.  Thomas  C.  Zimmerman. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Berlin  Times,  Berlin,   Germany. 

Biographical  Annals  of  Berks  County,  Chicago,  1909. 

Carbon   County  Democrat. 

German  American  Annals. 

History  of  Berks  County,  Montgomery,  Philadelphia,  iii6'. 

New  York  Staats  Zeitung. 

Olla  Podrida,  Book  Notice.    Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  IV,  269. 

Olla  Podrida,  Reading,  Pa.,  1893. 

Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook,  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  IV,  2,  2169;  Vol.  VII,  4,  178'. 

Personal  Interviews  and  Correspondence. 

Philadelphia  Record. 

Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  Ill,  188. 

Scranton  Tribune. 

Spirit  of  Berks. 

The  Lutheran. 

Wilkesbarre  Record. 

In  every  enumeration  of  Pennsylvania-German  writers 
the  name  of  Col.  Thomas  C.  Zimmerman  would  demand 
worthy  mention,  as  that  of  the  translator  of  song  from 
many  lands,  and  as  the  author  of  some  dialect  prose.  But 
upon  those  Pennsylvania  Germans  whose  reading  is  con- 
fined chiefly  to  literature  in  English,  Zimmerman  has  a 
special  claim.     These  he  made  acquainted,  through  excel- 

164 


THE    PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN    SOCIETY. 


COL.    THOMAS    C.    ZIMMERMAN. 

B.     LEBANON     COUNTY.    PA.  .JANUARY    23,     1838. 
D.     READING.    PA..    NOVEMBER    3,     1914. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  165 

lent  translations,  with  what  is  best  in  German  lyric  song, 
and  thus  restored  and  interpreted  to  them  the  choicest 
literary  treasures  of  the  stock  from  which  they  sprung. 
In  this  respect  Zimmerman  occupies  a  position  absolutely 
unique  among  Pennsylvania-German  writers. 

For  many  years  he  carried  out  a  consistent  policy  of 
publishing  in  the  papers  he  edited,  in  parallel  columns, 
German  lyrics  and  his  own  excellent  translations  of  the 
same.  For  this  reason  a  fuller  account  of  his  career  is 
here  demanded,  and,  inasmuch  as  no  more  appreciative 
one  could  well  be  written  than  that  from  the  pen  of  Mor- 
ton L.  Montgomery,  Esq.,  in  "Historical  and  Biographical 
Annals  of  Berks  County,"  I  have  made  an  abstract  of  his 
article.  The  briefer  portion,  beginning  with  p.  171,  which 
deals  with  his  work  in  dialect  literature  is  my  own. 

Thomas  C.  Zimmerman  was  born  in  Lebanon  County, 
Pa.,  January  23,  1838.  The  only  academic  education  he 
ever  enjoyed  was  the  public-school  training  he  received 
during  the  years  of  his  boyhood  in  Lebanon  County. 
Thus  he  never  had  the  advantages  of  a  classical  education, 
and  deserves  accordingly  the  higher  praise  for  making 
such  notable  use  of  his  talents  and  opportunities.  When 
thirteen  years  of  age  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  printing 
trade  in  the  newspaper  establishment  of  the  Lebanon 
Courier.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  term  of  service  he 
went  to  Philadelphia  and  worked  on  the  Philadelphia  In- 
quirer for  a  brief  interval,  until  January  8,  1856,  when 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  Berks  and  Schuylkill  Journal 
in  Reading,  Pa.,  as  a  journeyman  printer.  In  1859  Zim- 
merman moved  to  Columbia,  S.  C,  where  he  worked  as 
compositor  on  the  State  Laws  in  the  printing  establishment 
of  Dr.  Robert  Gibbs,  who  afterwards  became  Surgeon 
General  of  the  Confederate  Army.      In  March,    i860. 


i66  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Zimmerman  returned  to  Reading,  as  the  anti-Northern 
sentiment  had  become  so  intense  that  his  life  was  endan- 
gered. 

Here  he  again  entered  the  employ  of  the  Reading  Times 
and  the  Berks  and  Schuylkill  Journal  and  gradually  rose 
to  the  position  of  editor,  and  co-proprietor.  This  paper 
— the  Reading  Times — is  one  of  the  foremost  journals  in 
the  state  and  exerts  a  potent  Influence  upon  the  moral  and 
material  development  of  its  city,  being  held,  furthermore, 
in  high  estimation  among  political  leaders  in  the  state  and 
at  Washington. 

A  brother  editor  said  of  him:  "He  has  a  genuine  taste 
for  literature,  poetry,  and  the  fine  arts  as  many  of  his 
articles  attest.  He  is  one  of  the  ablest  writers  in  the  com- 
monwealth." One  of  his  most  widely  published  and 
copied  productions  was  a  sketch  of  his  visit  to  the  Luray 
Caverns  in  Virginia.  On  returning  home  he  chose  this 
theme  for  an  editorial  in  his  paper.  It  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Cave  Company;  the  merits  of  this  inspiration  of 
the  moment  were  so  appreciated  by  them  that  they  caused 
upwards  of  60,000  copies  to  be  published  in  pamphlet 
form  for  general  circulation.  The  newspapers  of  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  copied  this  article  and  the  favor  resulted  in  a 
request  that  Zimmerman  visit  Alabama  and  write  up  the 
undeveloped  resources  of  that  state. 

Very  early  in  life  our  author  began  to  read  poetry  for 
the  intellectual  pleasure  and  profit  it  afforded  him,  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  had  already  made  considerable 
progress  in  a  carefully  systematized  perusal  of  the  whole 
line  of  English  poets  or  of  as  many  as  lay  within  his  reach. 
The  instinct  of  the  translator  asserted  itself  in  marvelous 
maturity  when  he  began  to  make  this  one  of  the  prominent 
features  of  the  Reading  Times.     Hundreds  of  translations 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  167 

from  the  German  classics  into  English  appeared  from 
time  to  time;  the  Saturday  issue  of  the  paper  invariably 
containing  a  translation  into  English  of  some  German 
poem,  the  original  and  translation  appearing  close  to- 
gether in  parallel  columns. 

One  of  his  most  noted  translations  from  the  German, 
The  Prussian  National  Battle  Hymn,  appeared  in  the 
Berlin  Times  and  was  favorably  noted.  To  the  reception 
which  his  translation  of  Luther's  "  Ein  Feste  Burg  "  won 
I  cannot  do  justice  here.  The  Westliche  Post,  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  a  few  weeks  after  its  publication  said  of  it:  "So 
beautiful  is  the  translation  that  there  is  already  talk  of  sub- 
stituting it  for  the  present  version  in  English  Lutheran 
Hymn  Books." 

His  translation  of  Schiller's  "Song  of  the  Bell"  met 
with  even  more  favor.  Prof.  Marion  D.  Learned,  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  said  of  it:  "A  masterful 
hand  is  visible  in  all  the  translations.  It  is  perhaps  safe 
to  say  that  Schiller's  '  Song  of  the  Bell '  is  the  most  diffi- 
cult lyrical  poem  in  the  German  language  to  render  into 
English,  with  the  corresponding  meters.  Your  version 
seems  to  me  to  excel  all  other  English  translations  of  the 
poem,  both  in  spirit  and  in  rhythm.  Especially  striking  in 
point  of  movement  is  your  happy  use  of  the  English  par- 
ticiple in  reproducing  Schiller's  feminine  rhymes.  Your 
version,  however,  while  closely  adhering  to  the  form  of 
the  original  maintains  at  the  same  time  dignity  and  clear- 
ness of  expression  which  translators  often  sacrifice  to  meet 
the  demands  of  rhythm.  Your  poetic  instinct  has  fur- 
nished you  the  key  to  this  masterpiece  of  German  song." 

The  New  York  World  says :  "  Mr,  Zimmerman's  ren- 
dering of  Schiller's  '  Song  of  the  Bell '  is  a  triumph  of  the 
translator's  art,  and  recalls  the  work  of  Bayard  Taylor." 


l68  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

The  New  York  Herald  says:  "Mr.  Zimmerman  has 
placed  his  name  in  the  category  of  famous  litterateurs  by 
a  very  creditable  translation  of  Schiller's  '  Song  of  the 
Bell.' " 

The  following  ably  written  criticism  is  from  the  pen 
of  J.  B.  Ker,  who,  while  a  resident  of  Scotland,  once  stood 
for  Parliament. 

To  CoL.  T.  C.  Zimmerman. 

Sir:  Having  read  and  studied  your  noble  translation  of  Schiller's 
"  Song  of  the  Bell,"  I  have  been  forcibly  impressed  by  the  music 
of  the  poem.  In  estimating  the  value  of  the  translations  of  the 
great  German  poems  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  the  weight 
which  the  literary  and  critical  consciousness  of  Germany  attached 
to  the  ancient  classical  canons  of  poetry.  There  is  no  question 
here  as  to  whether  the  ancients  were  right.  The  point  for  us  is 
that  their  Influence  was  loyally  acknowledged  as  of  high  authority 
during  the  Augustan  age  of  German  Literature.  Proof  of  this 
can  be  found  in  Goethe  as  distinctly  as  it  superabundantly  ap- 
pears in  Lessing's  famous  dramatic  notes,  w^here  the  poetic  dicta  of 
Aristotle  are  treated  with  profound  respect.  In  the  study  of 
Aristotle's  work  on  the  poetic,  nothing  is  perhaps  more  striking 
than  his  dictum  that  poetry  is  imitation  with  the  explanation  or 
enlargement  so  aptly  given  by  Pope  In  the  words 

'TIs  not  enough,  no  harshness  gives  offence, 
The  sound  must  seem  or  echo  to  the  sense. 

Now,  knowing  the  German  recognition  of  the  law  and  ac- 
knowledging its  realization  in  the  works  of  the  leading  Teutonic 
poets,  one  of  the  crucial  tests  of  a  translation  of  a  great  German 
poem  is,  Does  the  language  into  which  the  original  is  rendered 
form  an  echo  to  the  sense?  It  seems  to  me  that  one  of  the 
strongest  points  in  your  translation  of  the  "  Bell  "  is  that  the  words 
which  you  have  selected  and  gathered  have  sounds,  which  like  the 
music  of  a  skilful  musical  composer,  convey  a  signification  inde- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  169 

pendent  of  their  meaning.  Not  to  protract  the  remarks  unduly, 
few  words  could  more  appropriately  refer  to  the  music  of  strong 
and  distant  bells  than  your  rendering — 

That  from  the  metal's  unmixed  founding 
Clear  and  full  may  the  bell  be  sounding. 

Very  slight  poetic  capacity  must  admit  the  music  of  these  words 
as  eminently  happy  in  the  "  Song  of  the  Bell."  The  echo  to  the 
sense  is  also  striking  in  the  sound  of  the  word  symbols  in  many 
places  throughout  the  rendering  where  the  poet  describes  the  occur- 
rences conceived  in  connection  with  the  bell's  imagined  history. 
Speaking  of  the  vision  of  love, 

O,  that  they  would  be  never  ending 
These  vernal  days  with  lovelight  blending, 

the  way  in  which  the  penult  of  the  word  ending  conveys  the  idea 
of  finality,  while  the  affix  of  the  present  participle  yet  prolongs 
the  word  as  though  loth  to  let  it  depart,  is  a  beautiful  and  enviable 
realization  of  the  Aristotelian  rule,  a  prolongation  of  the  words 
which  express  doubly  a  prolongation  of  desire.  The  four  lines 
reading 

Blind  raging,  like  the  thunder's  crashing, 

It  burst  its  fractured  bed  of  earth. 

As  if  from  out  hell's  jaws  fierce  flashing 

It  spewed  its  flaming  ruin  forth 

have  a  vehement  strength  and  a  rough  and  even  painful  and 
horrid  sound  which  apply  with  singular  propriety  to  the  horrible 
images  by  which  the  poet  presents  the  catastrophe  to  our  quickened 
apprehensions. 

In  1903  Zimmerman  published  a  collection  of  his  ad- 
dresses, sketches  of  out-door  life,  translations  and  original 
poems  in  two  volumes  entitled  "  Olla  Podrida."  These 
volumes  were  received  with  great  favor  and  almost  the 
entire  edition  was  sold  within  a  month,  a  number  of  the 
public  libraries  having  become  purchasers. 


I/O  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Mr.  Zimmerman  was  also  the  author  of  the  official 
Hymn  for  Reading's  Sesquicentennial,  sung  by  a  chorus 
of  500  voices  on  Penn  Common,  June  7,  1898;  of  the 
Hymn  for  Berks  County's  Sesquicentennial,  March  11, 
1902,  and  of  the  Memorial  Hymn  sung  at  the  dedication 
of  the  McKinley  Monument  in  the  City  Park,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  one  of  the  largest  audiences  ever  assembled  in 
Reading. 

One  of  the  proudest  achievements  of  Zimmerman's 
journalistic  career  was  the  erection  of  a  monument  to 
Stephen  C.  Foster  at  his  home  in  Pittsburgh,  which,  accord- 
ing to  Pittsburgh  papers,  had  its  real  inception  in  an  edi- 
torial prepared  by  Zimmerman  for  the  Reading  Times 
after  a  visit  to  that  city,  during  which  he  found  no  me- 
morial to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  world's  greatest 
writer  of  negro  melodies.  The  editorial  was  republished 
in  the  Pittsburgh  Press,  and  endorsed  by  that  paper,  which 
also  started  a  fund  to  provide  a  suitable  memorial  and 
called  on  the  public  for  popular  subscriptions,  the  ultimate 
result  of  which  is  seen  in  the  statue  which  now  adorns 
Highland  Park  in  that  city. 

Several  years  ago,  the  Pittsburgh  Times,  in  a  personal  no- 
tice of  Zimmerman's  visit  to  that  Park,  said:  "Out  at 
Highland  Park  yesterday  passersby  noticed  a  handsome, 
military-looking  gentleman  making  a  minute  study  of 
Stephen  C.  Foster's  statue.  Every  feature  of  this  artis- 
tic bit  of  sculpture,  from  Foster's  splendid  face  to  Uncle 
Ned  and  the  broken  string  of  his  banjo,  was  examined  with 
affectionate  interest.  The  man  was  Col.  Thomas  C.  Zim- 
merman, editor  of  the  Reading  {Pa.)  Times,  and  the 
statue  was  the  fruition  of  his  fondest  wish.  Col.  Zim- 
merman has  been  for  many  years  one  of  the  staunchest  ad- 
mirers of  Foster's  imperishable  songs  and  melodies;   16 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  171 

years  ago,  while  in  Pittsburgh,  he  visited  the  late  Maj.  E.  A. 
Montooth;  he  asked  the  latter  to  show  him  the  monu- 
ment to  Foster,  and  was  painfully  surprised  to  discover 
that  no  such  memorial  existed.  Shortly  after  his  return  to 
Reading  he  wrote  an  editorial  for  his  paper  calling  the  at- 
tention of  the  world  in  general  and  Pittsburgh  in  particu- 
lar to  the  neglect  of  Foster's  memory." 

After  having  translated  many  German  poems  into  Eng- 
lish Zimmerman  came  out  in  the  fall  of  1876  with  a 
translation  in  the  dialect  of  Charles  C.  Moore's  "The 
Night  Before  Christmas."  This  at  once  caught  the  fancy 
of  the  press  and  brought  him  letters  from  distinguished 
men  in  public  life  as  well  as  from  philologists,  urging  him 
to  continue  to  test  the  compass  and  flexibility  of  the  dialect 
for  metrical  expression.  Among  the  former  were  Hon. 
Andrew  D.  White,  ambassador  to  Germany,  Gen.  Simon 
Cameron,  of  Lincoln's  Cabinet,  and  P.  F.  Rothermel,  the 
celebrated  painter,  himself  a  Pennsylvania  German;  and 
of  the  latter  class  Prof.  S.  S.  Haldemann  and  Prof.  M.  D. 
Learned  among  others. 

The  local  newspapers  as  a  rule  expressed  their  appre- 
ciation of  the  work  by  articles  in  the  dialect  of  which,  as 
examples  of  literary  criticism  in  the  dialect,  I  include  a 
few  specimens  here.  First  the  one  from  Rauch,  the 
leader  of  Pennsylvania-German  writers  at  this  time,  in 
which  he  also  cites  another  paper  of  this  period: 

Rauch's  Carbon  County  Democrat — 

Der  Tom  Zimmerman,  seller  os  die  Times  und  Dispatch  rous  gebt 
in  Reading  is  'n  ordliche  gooty  bond  for  English  poetry  shticker 
ivversetza  in  Pennsylvanisch  Deitsch  un  doh  Is  en  shtick  os  im 
"Spirit  of  Berks"  g'stonna  hut  der  weaga:  'Unser  older  freind 
Zimmerman  aver  fun  der  Dimes  und  Tispatch  drooker  conn  fer- 
hoftlich    Englische    leder    in    Pennsylvanisch    Deitsch    gons    goot 


172  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

ivversetza.  According  zu  unser  malning  coomt  ar  net  feel  hinner 
der  badauerta  Porra  Harbaugh,  un  wann  mer  de  wohret  sawga 
missa,  ar  conn,  wann  mer  schwetza  weaga  wass  mer  poetry  haisst, 
'm  Pit  Schweffelbrenner  si  awga  zu  schreiwa.  Mer  missa  ower 
explaina  uf m  Pit  si  side  os  ar  sich  nemohls  ous  gevva  hut  for  'n 
leeder  schreiwer  tzu  si.  Wann's  awer  ons  breefa  schreiwa  commt 
don  is  der  Schweffelbrenner  als  noch  der  bully  kerl ! ' 

For  selly  notice  dut  der  Zimmerman  seim  nochber  orrick  shae 
donka  un  weil  ar  der  Pit  acknowledged  os  der  "  bully  "  Deitsch 
breefa  schreiwer  wella  mer  don  aw  donk  shae  sawga. 

A  second  one  by  Rauch  urges  our  author  to  follow  up 
his  Christmas  poem  by  a  New  Year's  poem : 

ScHLiFFLETOWN,  Yonuawr  der  i,  1877. 
Mister  Drooker:  Ich  winsch  deer  un  all  dina  freind  en  rale  olt 
fashiondes  glicklich  Neies  Yohr.  De  wuch  hut  mei  olter  freind 
Zimmerman  der  editor  fum  Redinger  Times  und  Dispatch  en  copy 
fun  seiner  Tzeitung  g'schickt  mit  ma  Pennsylvania  Deitsch  shtickly 
drin.  Es  is  'n  ivversetzung  fun  en  Englisha  shtick,  un  ich  muss 
sawga  OS  der  Mr.  Zimmerman  es  ardlich  ferdeihenkert  goot  gadu 
hut.  Des  explained  now  olles  wo  all  die  feela  sorta  shpeelsauch 
un  tzuckersauch  bar  cooma.  Now,  while  der  Zimmerman  so 
bully  goot  is  om  shticker  shreiwa  set  ar  sich  aw  draw  macha  for 
'n  Nei  Yohr's  Leedly. 

A  third  done  by  an  unknown  writer  (In  an  undated  clip- 
ping from  an  unidentified  newspaper  of  apparently  the 
year  1877)  confesses  to  the  encouragement  received  to 
take  up  similar  work,  and  Incidentally  rehearses  some  of 
the  difficulties  and  discouragements  that  stood  in  the  way 
of  the  beginnings  of  dialect  literature,  particularly  in  the 
decade  preceding  1850: 

For  about  finf  un  zwanzig  bis  dreissig  yohr  zuriick  hen  mir 
alsemol  prowirt  Reime  zu  schreiwe  in  Pennsylvanisch  Deitsch: 
awer  des  einbildisch  Menschesshtofft  hot  just  driiwer  gespott  so 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  173 

dass  mer  uns  endlich  selwer  mit  g'schamt  hen  un  unser  Harf  an  die 
Weide  g'hangt  hen. 

Die  Reimen  mogen  noch  Ginne  geh-  es  bezahlt  besser  in  Cash  un 
Ehr,  Sau  zu  masten  un  speck  un  bohne  zu  rasen  as  so  Reimen  zu 
schreiwe'  hen  mer  gedenkt.  In  spaterer  Zeit  hen  annere  Manner 
die  Sach  ahgenommen,  un  so  gut  gemacht  dass  sie  respektable 
worre  is,  un  do  is  apartig  ehner  Zimmerman  in  Reading,  ehner  von 
de  beste  English  editors  in  der  State,  kerzlich  in  selly  Biissniss 
gange  un  scheint  so  gut  auszumachen  dass  er  uns  uf  die  Noschen 
bringt  es  ah  nochemol  zu  prowiren  wann  mir's  ah  net  so  gut 
thun  konne  as  der  Harbaugh,  der  Zimmerman  un  so  Kerls  so 
brauchen  mir  uns  doch  net  schamme  mit  der  Cumpanie.  Mer 
hen  en  Reime  g'funne  im  Englische  "Telescope"  un  machen  en 
Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch  stiickle  iiber  sell  Pattern.  Nau  horch 
e'mol." 

Again  in  December,  1896,  "Der  Alt  Schulmaeschter " 
(Jos.  H.  Light)  in  his  letter  in  the  Lebanon  News  repub- 
lished the  poem  "  Di  Nacht  vor  de  Krischdag,  wann  der 
Belsnickrl  als  sei  appearance  macht,  en  sehr  scha  posllch 
Gadicht  dos  mei  freind  der  Kurnel  Zimmerman  iwwersetzt 
hut,  er  huts  ah  firstrate  gaduh,  des  waer  nau  eppes  for  de 
Buwa  un  Maed  ouswennich  zu  larne." 

With  the  encouragement  of  the  philologians  and  at  the 
request  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Zimmerman 
continued  his  experiments,  making  selections  from  the 
Scotch,  Irish,  English,  and  German  and  from  the  Greek 
anthology;  embracing  many  moods,  humorous,  pathetic, 
didactic,  as  well  as  poems  of  love.  The  author  tells  us 
that  he  has  endeavored  not  only  to  reproduce  the  rhythm 
of  the  originals  but  to  leave  their  idiomatic  expressions 
intact  and  as  a  result  "  has  been  handicapped  in  not  being 
able  to  invest  his  work  with  creations  of  his  own  fancy 
through  which  he  might  have  gained  a  more  compre- 


174  ^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

henslve  diction  and  with  it  a  wider  latitude  of  expression." 
Another  poem  he  translated,  "  The  Bonnie  George 
Campbell,"  has  been  turned  and  returned  many  times — 
William  Motherwell  partly  compiled  and  partly  wTOte  it 
for  his  collection  "  Minstrelsy  Ancient  and  Modern," 
1827;  O.  L.  B.  Wolff  translated  it  into  German;  Long- 
fellow made  the  German  version  the  basis  of  his  own  and 
this  was  used  by  our  author.     I  cite  the  second  stanza. 

Out  came  his  mother  Raus  kummt  sei  Mutter — 

Weeping  so  sadly;  Weine'd  so  herzlich; 

Out  came  his  beauteous  bride  Raus  kummt  sei  schone  Fraa 

Weeping  so  madly.  Weine'd  so  schmerzlich. 

All  saddled,  all  bridled  All  g'sattled  ge'zammt 

Home  came  the  saddle,  Heem  kummt  der  Sattel 

But  he  nevermore.  Doch  er  nimmermehr. 

Here  is  a  stanza  from  "Auld  Robin  Gray." 

He  hadna  been  gane  a  week  but  only  twa 

When  my  father  brake  his  arm  and  our  cow  was  stown  awa' 

My  mither  she  fell  sick  and  my  Jamie  at  the  sea, 

And  auld  Robin  Gray  came  a  courting  me. 

Er  war  net  'n  Woch  aweck  'xcept  juscht  en  paar. 
Wan  mei  Fatter  brecht  sei  Arm  und  die  Kuh  g'schtole  war, 
Mei  Mutter  sie  wart  krank,  und  mei  Dschimmy's  uf  em  See, 
Un  mich  zu  karassiere  kummt  der  Alt  Robin  Grey. 

Or  still  another  song: 

The  bairnie's  cuddle  doon  at  nicht 

Wi  muckle  faucht  and  din 
"  O  try  and  sleep,  ye  waukrife  rogues, 

Your  father's  coming  in." 
They  never  heerd  a  vi^ord  I  speak, 

I  try  to  gie  a  froon; 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  175 

My  aye  I  hap  them  up,  an'  cry, 
Oh  bairnies,  cuddle  doon. 

Die  Kinner  Hge  hie  des  nachts 

Mit  Jacht  und  Fechterei; 
"  Browier  und  schloft,  ihr  wackrich  Schelm 

Euer  Fater  kummt  jetzt  rei." 
Sie  hor'e  net  'n  Wort's  ich  sag 

Ich  guck  jetzt  bos  an  sie. 
Doch  rief  ich  immer  uf  und  schrei, 

"  Oh,  Kinner,  legt  eich  hie." 

Or,  finally  from  the  Greek  anthology; 

My  Mopsa  is  little  and  my  Mopsa  is  brown 
But  her  cheek  is  as  soft  as  the  peach's  soft  down, 
And  for  blushing  no  rose  can  come  near  her, 
In  short,  she  has  woven  such  nets  round  my  heart. 
That  I  ne'er  from  my  dear  little  Mopsa  can  part, — 
Unless  I  can  find  one  that's  dearer. 

My  Mopsy  is  brau,  un  mei  Mopsy  is  klee, 
Wie  die  Woll  fun  de  Persching,  ihr  Backe  so  scho 
Un  for  blushe,  ke  Ros  gebt't  's  frisher  is: 
En  Net  hot  sie  g'wove  so  ganz  um  meim  Herz, 
Ich  kann  fon  mei  Mopsy  nimme  geh  unne  Schmerz, 
Except  eane  fin  ich  das  besser  is. 

Other  translations  that  might  be  mentioned  are  "  Baby 
Mine,"  "  The  Road  to  Slumberland,"  George  P.  Morris's 
"When  Other  Friends  are  Round  Thee  "  and  Barr^^  Corn- 
wall's "  Sing,  Maiden  Sing." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  he  is  at  his  best  in  songs  that 
are  the  expression  of  the  deep  yet  simple  feelings  of  the 
heart  and  that  his  translations  of  Oliver  Goldsmith's 
"Elegy  on  the  Death  of  a  Mad  Dog"  or  the  anonymous 
"  John  Jenkin's  Sermon  "  or  the  "  New  Casabianca  "  have 


176  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

brought  forth  many  turns  which  Pennsylvania  Germans 
would  call  artificialities  of  their  speech.  Some  fifteen  of 
such  translations  were  included  by  the  author  in  his  book 
"  011a  Podrida,"  in  a  review  of  which  work  in  German- 
American  Annals,  Professor  Learned,  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  recognized  Zimmerman  as  belonging  to 
the  school  of  Harbaugh  and  Fischer. 

Edmund  Clarence  Stedman,  speaking  of  these  transla- 
tions, said:  "Your  metrical  renderings  of  English  verse 
into  the  local  German  vernacular  are  unique.  They  have 
a  special  value  not  only  of  philological  but  of  curious 
poetic  craftsmanship.  I  like  your  sense  of  the  worth  of 
what  is  right  at  hand,  and  though  still  fresh  is  likely  to 
pass  away  in  time,  and  of  which  I  may  say  '  pars  magna 
fuisti.'  I  don't  suppose  my  old  friend  Leland — peace  to 
his  wanderings — knew  Pennsylvania  German  well  enough 
to  have  written  in  it.  If  so,  he  is  the  only  man  who  could 
have  trolled  it  forth  so  racily  " — from  a  private  letter. 
(In  this  he  shows  he  knows  whereof  he  speaks — at  any 
rate  he  does  not  make  the  mistake  often  made  even  by  such 
as  the  Atlantic  Monthly  of  taking  Leland's  own  language 
for  Pennsylvania  German.) 

Other  of  Zimmerman's  translations  are  scattered 
through  the  files  of  the  Reading  Times  and  Dispatch,  as 
are  also  his  infrequent  articles  in  prose — of  which  the  most 
famous  are  the  letters  purporting  to  pass  between  "Wil- 
helm "  (The  Kaiser)  and  "  Mei  leewi  Grosmommy" 
(Queen  Victoria),  in  which  he  rebukes  her  for  allowing 
herself  to  be  under  the  influence  of  Salisbury  in  the  matter 
of  the  Boer  War,  censures  "Uncle  Wales"  (Prince  Ed- 
ward of  Wales)  for  his  gambling  proclivities,  and  threat- 
ens that  he  may  have  to  take  a  hand  in  the  war  himself. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  177 

In  due  time  Victoria  replies  to  "  Mei  leewer  Billy"  in 
regretful  and  conciliatory  tone.  These  letters  were  widely 
copied  by  the  press,  taken  up  into  several  anthologies 
(Home's  and  Miller's)  and  presumably  represented 
Pennsylvania-German  editorial  (and  perhaps  popular) 
opinion  at  the  time  of  the  Boer  War. 


1 6.  Edward  Hermany. 

Sources  of  Information. 
Correspondence  with  a  member  of  his  family. 

In  1895  there  died  in  the  town  where  he  was  born — 
Jacksonville,  Lehigh  County,  Pa. — a  curious,  eccentric, 
old  bachelor  schoolmaster,  Edward  Hermany;  his  life  cov- 
ered almost  the  entire  nineteenth  century,  and  during  this 
time  he  lived  much  to  himself  and  kept  his  doings  to  him- 
self. 

Up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  no  human  being  seems  to 
have  known  that  he  had  done  any  work  of  the  kind  that 
his  effects  showed — for  among  the  possessions  were  found 
a  collection  of  over  5,000  verses  in  Pennsylvania  German, 
in  many  of  which  he  has  described,  often  with  an  almost 
brutal  frankness,  characters  only  odder  than  himself.  My 
informant  (a  member  of  the  family)  tells  me  that  be- 
cause of  this  it  is  perhaps  well  these  poems  have  been  with- 
held from  publication  for  upwards  of  a  generation;  the 
twenty-four  poems  in  the  collection  seem  to  have  been 
written  between  i860  and  1872. 

His  brother  Charles,  engineer  of  the  celebrated  water- 
works of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  took  charge  of  the  manu- 
scripts, intending  to  publish  them;  he  had  written  an  In- 

178 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  179 

troduction  on  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  and  on  the  poems 
of  his  brother  when  death  came  to  him  too  and  the  manu- 
script again  found  its  way  back  to  Jacksonville,  Pa.,  into 
the  hands  of  another  brother. 

The  poems  seem  to  take  in  the  complete  round  of  life, 
the  first  one  is  a  metrical  preface — Furnahahr — the  last 
one — Lebensmiide — between  them  are  "  Der  Dorraday  ihr 
Huchdsich,"  "Die  Yuggeles  Leicht."  "Swerd  evva  so 
sy  sulla  "  is  probably  not  as  optimistic  as  it  looks.  Of  his 
sketches,  *'  Die  Olid  Bluddshawl  "  which  may  be  rendered 
The  Old  Bald-headed  Wench,  "  Der  Olid  Knucha  Fritz," 
"D'r  Porra  Tiddle"  are  probably  characteristic.  "  D'r 
Schtodd  Ongle  im  Boosh"  is  a  familiar  subject.  "Wie 
die  Ollda  noch  d'r  'Hyo  sin "  records  a  chapter  in  the 
early  migration  to  the  West.  Another  subject  that  lent 
itself  to  his  satire  he  portrayed  in  "  Kerch  un  Shoodl- 
metsch."  In  more  genial  vein  he  writes  "  Foon  d'r 
Hoyet,"  "Fon  d'r  Ahrn,"  "Foon  Lodwerk  Kucha,"  all 
well-worn  subjects  of  the  dialect  writers. 


1 7-   Moses  Dissinger. 

Bibliography. 

Stetzel.    A  Brief  Biography  of  Moses  Dissinger. 
Miller.    Pennsylvania   German. 

It  is  not  exactly  accurate  to  include  Moses  Dissinger 
among  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  writers,  for  he  could 
not  write  at  all  until  well  advanced  in  years  and  even 
then  he  did  not  write;  but  he  made  use  of  the  dialect  in  a 
manner  so  peculiarly  his  own,  that  many  of  his  utterances 
have  found  their  way  into  print.  Moreover  there  was 
something  so  distinctly  Dissingeresque  about  the  stories, 
the  figures  of  speech,  the  apt  illustrations,  the  phrases 
and  words  that  fell  from  his  lips,  that  they  became  an  oral 
tradition  among  those  who  heard  him  and  this  tradition 
alone  would  deserve  brief  mention. 

Dissinger  was  a  preacher  and  presumably  not  the  only 
one  that  used  the  dialect  for  his  purposes,  but  he  is  the 
only  one  so  remembered.  He  belonged  to  a  religious  or- 
ganization which  believed  in  noisy  revival  meetings  of  a 
type  that  even  in  his  day  shocked  those  of  other  churches 
who  took  a  more  staid  and  dignified  attitude  toward  their 
religion.  The  people  of  his  denomination  were  designated 
by  the  rather  uncomplimentary  term  of  "Strawler"  and 

1 80 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  i8i 

of  the  revivalist  preachers  of  his  sect  he  was  confessedly 
the  most  boisterous.  "  Ihr  krechst  do  rum  wie  so  en  alte 
Set  Mihlraeder,  wann  net  genunk  Wasser  do  is,  for  sie 
recht  azutreiwa  "  are  the  words  with  which  he  sought  to 
rouse  a  prayer  meeting  to  a  more  adequate  expression  of 
the  emotions  which  they  felt  or  which  he  thought  they 
ought  to  feel. 

Members  of  his  own  church  have  felt  constrained  to 
apologize  for  his  manner  by  calling  It  ''pioneer  work  in 
destroying  the  power  of  sin  and  the  Devil,"  to  confess  that 
those  of  his  "  sermons,  more  free  from  humorous  and  rude 
expressions  were  the  best  and  the  most  effective"  and  to 
express  their  belief  "  that  he  might  have  accomplished  more 
if  he  had  moderated  his  manner  of  speaking,  making  it 
more  modest  and  more  conformable  to  the  sacred  cause 
of  the  gospel." 

Moses  DIssinger  was  born  March  17,  1824,  at  Schaef- 
ferstown,  Lebanon  County,  Pa.,  and  lived  a  wild  and  tur- 
bulent youth.  His  eccentricities  were  marked  In  earliest 
boyhood;  being  sent  to  bring  the  cows  from  the  pasture, 
when  they  did  not  promptly  start  for  home  after  he  had 
opened  the  bars,  he  raced  after  them  into  the  field,  jumped 
on  the  back  of  the  hindmost  one,  waved  his  arms,  danced 
and  shouted  until  they  were  all  in  mad  gallop,  whereupon 
he  leaped  down  to  the  ground  and  proceeded  home  as 
though  nothing  had  happened.  The  next  time  they  came 
at  his  call  and  "Wie  mer  sie  zlegt,  so  hot  mer  sie,"  one  of 
his  favorite  maxims,  was  his  comment. 

Similar  freakish  feats  of  horsemanship  are  related  of 
the  youngster.  Tall  In  stature,  strong  in  body,  and  with 
a  superabundance  of  animal  spirits,  he  was  always  to  be 
found  where  a  frolic  was  celebrated,  where  there  was 
dancing  and  noise,  where  cards  were  played,  where  the 


1 82  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

strong  whiskey  flowed  and  the  biggest  bully  offered  op- 
portunity for  a  fight.  When  at  midnight  fierce  whoops 
were  heard  or  the  rattle  of  a  stick  drawn  along  the  paling 
fences  roused  the  villagers  from  their  slumbers,  they 
would  turn  over  in  their  beds  and  with  a  condoning  "Es 
is  widder  der  Mose,"  return  to  their  sleep. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  when  Mose  went  with  the  rest  of 
the  rowdies  to  a  "Strawler"  meeting  and  "got  religion," 
folks  shook  their  heads  and  sagely  advised  a  withholding 
of  judgment  until  after  the  next  frolic.  The  doubters, 
however,  were  doomed  to  disappointment.  Even  his 
work  with  pick  and  shovel  now  was  interspersed  with  loud 
calls  upon  the  Divine  Power  for  grace.  His  conversion 
having  become  complete,  he  at  once  manifested  a  desire 
for,  and  felt  the  necessity  of,  a  closer  acquaintance  with 
the  Holy  Book  although  he  could  at  this  time,  when 
eighteen  years  old,  neither  read  nor  write.  With  his  ac- 
customed vigor  he  applied  himself  to  the  task  of  learning 
his  letters  and  in  the  course  of  time  acquired  considerable 
proficiency  in  German.  He  now  diligently  studied  his 
Bible  and  committed  large  portions  of  it  to  memory. 

In  rapid  succession  he  became  exhorter,  class  worker, 
local  preacher  and,  finally,  a  regularly  licensed  minister 
working  under  the  direction  of  the  East  Pennsylvania  Con- 
ference of  the  Evangelical  Association;  from  1854  to  1879 
he  worked  in  many  circuits  of  eastern  Pennsylvania.  His 
followers  professed  to  see  something  akin  to  the  miracu- 
lous in  the  change  that  was  wrought  in  him,  and  we  may 
leave  them  undisturbed  in  this  belief,  but  in  manner  and 
method,  in  ways  and  means  the  old  Mose  remained  ever 
the  same,  only  his  aims  were  different.  As  he  had  been 
loudest  in  his  profanity,  he  was  now  loudest  in  singing 
hymns  of  praise  and  shouting  Hallelujah.     After  seven- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  183 

teen  "  battles  "  In  his  youth  with  the  bullies  of  his  native 
heath,  in  the  last  of  which  he  whipped  the  biggest  one  and 
won  that  proud  title  for  himself,  he  made  the  Devil  his 
chief  protagonist  and  never  ceased  fighting  him  while  life 
lasted. 

At  times  his  fighting  proclivities  came  him  in  good  stead, 
as  on  one  occasion  when  a  band  of  ruffians  gathered  in  the 
rear  of  the  hall  In  which  he  was  preaching  with  the  avowed 
purpose  of  breaking  up  the  meeting.  "  Horcht  amol,  ihr 
Kerls  dort  hinne,"  he  said.  "  An  eich  is  alles  Hund  was 
an  eich  is,  except  die  Haut.  Eich  fehlt  juscht  noch  en 
Hundshaut,  dann  kent  mer  sehna  was  ihr  seld.  Wann  ihr 
ken  Menschahaut  uf  eich  het,  wisst  mer  besser  was  ihr 
seid.  Awer  so  mehnt  mer  noch  Ihr  waert  Menscha.  Ich 
hab  net  gewisst  dass  es  doh  noch  so  verfluchta  Gadarener 
hot.  Ihr  seid  so  voll  Deifel  ass  der  Gadarener  war. 
Eich  will  Ich  nau  saga  was  ihr  zu  duh  het.  Ruhig  misst 
ihr  sei,  odder  ich  kumm  nunner  un  schmeiss  eich  zu  der 
DIhr  naus,  dass  ihr  die  Hels  verbrecht.  Ich  kann  en  halb 
Dutzend  so  Berstelcher,  wie  Ihr  seid,  ableddera.  Dis- 
slnger  heess  ich!  Un  wann  ihr  mir's  net  glaabt,  blelbt 
juscht  vor  der  DIhr  steh  wann  die  Versammling  aus  Is,  no 
will  ich's  eich  beweisa."  Then  followed  this  word  of 
warning  to  the  rest  of  the  gathering:  "  Es  sin  awer  ah  viel 
orndlicha  Leit  doh,  wu  kumma  sin  Gottes  Wort  zu  hera. 
Eich  will  Ich  rota,  eier  Seistell  gut  zu  verwahra ;  for  wann 
die  Deifel  mol  aus  denna  Gadarener  fahra  un  fahra  in 
eier  Sei,  so  verrecka  sie  gewiss  all." 

At  another  time  Dissinger  was  actually  called  upon  to 
lead  his  followers  against  a  gang  of  whiskey-inspired 
rowdies  who  were  Intent  on  "starting  something"  at  a 
camp  meeting.  Calling  to  his  men  to  follow,  with  his 
huge  strength  he  seized  In  turn  and  slammed  to  the  ground 


184  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

the  first  three  he  met,  by  which  time  the  rest  were  beating 
a  hasty  retreat. 

There  was  something  about  him  that  seemed  to  privilege 
him,  to  enable  him  to  do  what  others  dared  not.  Even 
the  dogs  that  in  youth  he  teased  to  maddening  fury, 
wagged  their  tails  and  became  calm,  when  he  came  out 
from  his  hiding  place  and  walked  up  to  them.  Thus  the 
sinner  to  whom  he  gave  a  tongue  lashing  seldom  became 
his  enemy  or  bore  him  a  grudge.  In  this  way  he  obtained 
a  wide  hearing.  Endowed  with  an  unusual  degree  of 
native  shrewdness  and  a  rare  talent  for  creating  homely 
figures  and  making  ingenious  comparisons,  his  sermons 
were  not  soon  forgotten.  The  withering  scorn,  the  bitter 
sarcasm,  even  the  kindly  humor  of  his  language  which  was 
too  often  brutal  in  its  frankness  and  directness,  sometimes 
even  coarse,  brought  the  curious  as  well  as  the  devout  to 
swell  his  audience.  No  one  ever  doubted  his  terrible  and 
terrifying  earnestness.  His  words  were  fairly  burnt  into 
the  minds  of  his  auditors.  Country  Solons  around  the 
stove  at  the  crossroads  store  still  rehearse  his  sayings. 
Preachers  visiting  among  the  country  folk  still  give  point 
to  many  a  story  with  "  Wie  der  Dissinger  als  gsawt  hot." 
It  were  worth  while  to  make  a  collection  of  these  stories 
before  the  generation  that  heard  this  peculiar  Man  of 
God  passes  away. 

"  Sehnt  juscht  amol  die  Sauflodel  ah,"  he  was  wont  to 
begin.  And  if  his  theories  about  regeneration  and  ex- 
perience are  correct,  he  had  a  distinct  advantage  over 
many  another  when  preaching  on  this  subject.  "  Die  hot 
der  Deifel  so  erschrecklich  verhaust,  dass  mer  meent  sie 
kenta  ihr  Lebdag  nimme  zurecht  gebrocht  werra.  Viel 
davun  hen  net  juscht  ihr  Menschlich  Ehrgefihl  fortg'soflfa, 
so  dass  sie  alles  Schlechte  un  Dreckige  duh  kenna,  was  der 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  185 

dreckig  Helldeifel  hawa  will  dass  sle  duh  solla,  ohne  dass 
sie  sich  schaemma;  awer  sie  hen  ah  noch  ihra  Verstand 
versoffa.  Es  is  jo  bal  nix  meh  do  an  ihna,  was  zum  a 
rechta  Mensch  g'heert.  Der  Deifel  hot  sie  jo  ganz  zu 
seina  Schuhbutzerlumpa  g'macht  un  en  grosser  Dehl  vun 
ihna  hen  bal  Leib  un  Seel  versoffa,  un  so  saufa  sie  fort  bis 
der  Deifel  sie  in  die  Hell  nunner  holt,  wu  all  die  Sauflodel 
hikumma.  Nau  guckt  sie  juscht  amol  recht  ah,  wie  sie 
auswennig  aussehna.  Sie  hawa  Nasa  wie  rota  Pefferkep, 
Ohra  wie  Fastnacht  kucha,  Beich  wie  Fesser,  un  macha 
G'sichter  wie  die  Fichs  wann  sie  Weschpa  fressa.  Un  bei 
all  dem  werd  immer  noch  druf  los  g'soffa,  un  sie  springa 
noch  der  Drambuttel  wie  die  Bullfreschuf  die  rota  Lumpa. 
Wann  mer  net  wisst  dass  Jesus  Christus  so  niedertrachtige 
Menscha  wie  die  sin  schun  agenomma  het  um  noch  recht- 
schaffna  Menscha  aus  ihne  g'macht  het,  so  kennt  mer  ken 
Hoffnung  hawa  dass  so  Versoffna  Dramratta  vom  Sauf- 
deifel  erloest  kennta  werra.  Awer  Jesus  Christus  hot 
Gnada  erworwa  for  alia  Sinder,  un  doh  sin  ah  die  wu  im 
Schlamm  der  Sinde  ganz  dief  versunka  sin  net  aus- 
g'schlossa.  Darch  die  Kraft  des  Evangeliums  kann  der 
verdarwenscht  Sauflodel  errett  werra  un  Kraft  bekomma, 
dass  er  im  a  Strom  Dram,  der  ihm  bis  ans  Maul  geht, 
schwimma  kennt,  ohna  dass  er  Luscht  het,  davun  zu 
drinka;  un  wanns  ihm  der  Deifel  ah  abieta  deet  so  kennt 
er  darch  die  Gnadenkraft  des  Evangeliums  dem  Deifel 
wiedersteh,  un  kenn  Saufdeifel  in  der  Hell  kennt  ihn  zu 
dem  verfluchta  Dramsaufa  zwinga.  Darum  bekehrt  eich, 
Jesus  Christus  kann  eich  helfa." 

Denunciation  of  wickedness  and  exhortation  to  better 
living  were  indeed  his  forte.  But  elemental  in  nature 
as  he  was,  he  played  on  every  chord  in  the  human  or- 
ganism.    He  so  moved  his  congregation  that  often  among 


1 86  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

hundreds  of  hearers  there  was  not  a  dry  eye,  and  though 
little  inclined  to  give  vent  to  his  own  feelings  in  this  way, 
he  sometimes  melted  to  tears  when  his  powerful  words 
brought  forth  loud  "  Amens  "  and  shouts  of  praise  amongst 
his  followers,  or  bitter  crying  amongst  the  penitent. 

Like  his  Master  he  brought  not  peace  but  a  sword  where 
he  saw  need  of  a  fight,  like  Him  he  was  meek  and  lowly, 
arrogating  no  credit  to  himself,  ascribing  all  his  achieve- 
ments to  his  God. 

During  the  Civil  War  he  preached  a  number  of  war 
sermons,  and  from  a  description  that  has  come  down  to  us 
we  get  a  characteristic  picture  of  this  fighting  parson.  He 
had  been  asked  to  assist,  the  first  sermon  was  to  be  short, 
and  then  he  was  to  have  his  chance.  While  the  first 
speaker  was  talking  about  free  government  and  the  duties 
of  citizenship,  Dissinger  at  first  sat  motionless;  then  some- 
thing was  said  of  the  injustice  of  slavery  and  a  tremor  was 
seen  to  pass  over  his  body;  as  the  preacher  went  on  his 
feet  began  to  shuffle  backward  and  forward  with  increas- 
ing rapidity  and  violence — a  veritable  warhorse  like  Job's 
who  "paweth  in  the  valley  when  he  smelleth  the  battle 
afar  off  " — until  the  preacher,  seeing  what  was  happening 
and  realizing  that  Mose  was  now  fully  primed,  closed  his 
speech,  whereupon  Dissinger  jumped  up,  clapping  his 
hands  and  shouting  "  God  be  thanked  for  the  truth,"  and 
delivered  a  most  stirring  speech. 

He  undoubtedly  rendered  the  national  cause  a  great 
service  by  exposing  and  condemning  on  every  suitable  occa- 
sion disloyalty  and  treason  of  Northerners  and  the  wicked- 
ness of  those  that  sympathize  with  slavery.  His  feeling 
was  so  intense  and  his  language  so  violent  that  now,  when 
the  occasion  of  its  use  has  passed  by  and  North  and  South 
are  happily  reunited,  it  does  not  seem  wise  to  repeat  what 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  187 

he  said,  though  in  its  day  it  served  its  purpose  and  appar- 
ently did  it  well. 

From  1879  until  his  death  in  1883,  he  served  under  the 
Kansas  Conference  of  the  Evangelical  Association  in 
Douglas  County,  Kansas.  Toward  the  end  of  his  days, 
he  was  told  that  his  friends  in  the  East  had  expressed  a 
desire  to  see  him,  whereupon  true  to  himself  and  his  faith, 
he  is  reported  to  have  said  "  Dann  misse  sie  noch  Kansas 
kumma  odder  sich  bereit  macha  for  der  Himmel." 

A  tradition  said  that  he  had  been  preaching  to  the  In- 
dians and  had  been  murdered  by  them,  but  this  was  prob- 
ably only  an  attempt  by  those  who  had  been  under  his 
lash  to  mete  out  to  him  after  his  death  a  very  unpoetic 
justice. 


THE  LATER  PERIOD :  WRITERS  STILL  LIVING. 


1 8.  Edgar  M.  Eshelman. 

Sources  of  Information. 
Correspondence. 
Pennsylvania-German  Magazine. 

"  Saw  a  copy  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Magazine 
at  the  home  of  a  friend,  borrowed  it,  read  it,  had  many 
pleasant  memories  suggested  by  it  and  desired  to  say  a 
few  good  things  about  them  out  of  love  and  respect  for 
our  people  " — this  is  the  story  of  how  another  Pennsyl- 
vania German  who  had  wandered  away  from  the  old  settle- 
ments came  to  give  us  a  number  of  selections  in  verse. 

Edgar  Moyer  Eshelman  was  born  at  Topton,  Berks 
County,  Pa.,  July  14,  1872,  of  stock  that  had  come  to  this 
country  before  the  Revolution.  His  youth  was  spent  in 
the  Pennsylvania-German  region  of  the  state,  but  having 
become  a  bookbinder,  his  interests  took  him  away,  and 
after  undertaking  work  in  various  cities,  and  service  in  the 
Hospital  Corps  during  the  Spanish-American  War,  he 
located  at  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  is  employed  in 
the  Government  Printing  Office. 

" 'S  Neu  Fogel  Haus"  he  wrote  because  he  wished  to 
be  classed  as  a  lover  of  birds;  "  My  Alty  Geik"  celebrates 

188 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  189 

the  favorite  musical  instrument  of  the  family,  his  father 
having  been  teacher  of  the  violin — "  'S  Alt  Schwimloch  " 
may  be  compared  with  similar  poetic  treatment  of  the 
same  class  of  themes,  by  James  Whitcomb  Riley  and 
others;  "  Schnitzpei "  celebrates  a  dish  "his  mother  used 
to  make  "  and  which  only  Pennsylvania  Germans  can  pre- 
pare to  suit  his  taste — 

Ich  wees  en  Madel — gleicht  mich  gut, 

Sie  wohnt  net  welt  aweck, 
Sie  is  ah  herrlich,  schmart  un  gut 

Un  siess  wie  Zuckergschleck 
Doch  meind — eb  sie  mich  heira  dut 

Es  kann  net  annerscht  sei — 
Do  muss  sie  backe  kenna — heerscht  ? 

En  rechter  guter  Schnitz  Pei. 

In  lively  fashion  he  tells  the  story  of  "  Der  Ferlora 
Gaul,"  a  new  version  of  the  "  absentminded  professor" 
but  this  time  based  on  fact: 

Hoscht  du  schun  g'heert  vum  Jakey  Schmitt, 

Vergesslich,  bees  un  grob? 
"  Wu  is  mei  Brill  ?  "  kreischt  er,  sucht  rum 

Un — hot  sie  uf'm  Kop! 

Villeicht  hoscht  ah  die  Schtory  g'heert 

Vum  Jake  seim  weissa  Gaul. 
Hoscht  net?     Dann  harch.     Ich  sag  der's  gam — 

Leit  wissa's  iwerall. 

Schmitt,  inspired  by  the  notion  that  he  had  left  his 
horse  in  town,  goes  to  the  barn,  saddles  his  horse  and,  gal- 
loping down  the  pike,  draws  up  before  the  hotel  porch. 

"  Woh !  "  ruft  der  Jake.     "  Ich  sag  der,  woh ! " 
So  geht  'm  Schmitt  sei  Maul; 


190  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

"  Hen  ihr  nix  g'sehna,  Buwa,  vun 
Meim  alta  weissa  Gaul?" 

Jetzt  hen  sie  g'lacht !     Deel  falla  um 

Un  schtehna  net  grad  uf. 
Sie  gehn  schier  doot — dann  kresicht  mol  Eens; 

"EI,  Jake,  du  hokscht  jo  druf!" 

The  best  of  his  serious  poems  "Juscht  en  Deppich" 
he  has  written  to  eulogize  one  of  the  loveliest  of  grand- 
mothers of  the  old-fashioned  kind.  "The  favorite  pas- 
time of  her  later  years  was  the  piecing  of  quilts  of  various 
well-known  designs;  it  was  a  labor  of  love — all  of  her 
large  '  f reundschaft '  have  one  or  more  of  her  homemade 
quilts,  the  making  of  which  consumed  many  precious  hours. 
Nowadays  it  is  considered  a  waste  of  time.  It  is  a  relief 
to  recall  her  simple  ways,  manners,  dress,  in  contrast  with 
modern  showy  artificial  life.  Her  needs  were  few.  Con- 
tentment was  her  lot;  her  life  was  one  of  Christian  woman- 
hood and  I  shall  always  cherish  her  memory." 

'S  is  juscht  en  commoner  Deppich — seh! 
En  Quilt  alt  Fashion — awer  schee. 
Was  scheckig  guckt's!     Die  Patches  fei' 
Die  scheina  Schpotjohrsbletter  zu  sei. 
Hoscht  du  die  Scheeheet  schun  betracht 
Vun  so  ma  Deppich,  heemgemacht? 

So  scheena  Placka,  gross  un  klee' 
Die  Farwa  all  in  Roia  schteh ; 
Drei — un  viereckig,  lang  und  karz, 
En  jeder  grad  am  rechta  Platz. 
Alles  in  Ordnung  zamma  g'neht; 
Juscht  druf  zu  gucka  is  en  Freed. 

Sie  hot  als  Nama  for  sie  g'hat; 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  191 

Do  is  en  grosses  "  Eechablatt " 
En  "  Sunnadeppich  "  lang  un  breet — 
Paar  dausent  Patches  zamma  g'neht, 
So  darrich  nanner  geht  der  do, 
Sel  is  der  "  Ewig  Jager  "  no. 

En  "  Bettelmann  "  is  ah  dabei, 
Un  seller  soil  "Log  Cabin"  sei; 
En  "  Siwaschtern  "  gar  wunnerschee, 
En  "  Gansfuss  "  un  en  "  Backaschtee  " 
Sie  hot  gemacht  en  hunnert  schier; 
Des  war  der  Grandmam  ihr  Plessier. 

Sie  hot  net  juscht  an  sich  gedenkt; 

Die  ganz  Freindschaft  hot  sie  beschenkt. 

Wer  in  die  Freindschaft  kumme  is, 

Der  muss  en  Deppich  hawa  gewiss. 

Die  Grandmam  sagt:  "  'S  kummt  handig  nei' 

Die  Kinner  missa  warem  sei'." 

Sie  schafft  die  Schtunna  fleissig  weg; 

En  nitzlich  Lewa,  hocher  Zweck. 

Guck  mol  ihr  G'sicht,  wie  fromm  un  mild — 

Nau,  is  sel  net  en  scheenes  Bild  ? 

O,  halt  in  Ehr  un  Dankbarkeit 

So  guta,  fleissige,  alt-fashioned  Leit ! 

Jetzt  is  die  Grandmam  nimmie  doh ; 
Sacht  schloft  sie  unner  'm  Himmelsblo. 
Ihr  Hand  sin  nau  zur  Ruh  gebracht, 
Ihr  letschter  Deppich  hot  sie  g'macht. 
Ihr  Lewa  christlich,  herrlich,  siess — 
So  'n  Seel,  die  geht  in's  Paradies. 


19-  Dr.  Ezra  Grumbine. 


Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Biographical  History  of  Lebanon  County,  Chicago,  1904. 

Correspondence  with  Dr.  Grumbine. 

Die  Inshurance  Bissness.    Dramolet.    Lebanon.     No  date. 

Interviews   with   his   friends. 

Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  158. 

Publications  of  The  Lebanon  County  Historical  Society. 

Newspaper  clippings. 

Stories  of  Old  Stumpstown,  Lebanon,  Pa.,  1910. 

Dr.  Ezra  Grumbine  is  of  the  fifth  generation  in  line  of 
descent  from  Leonhart  Krumbein,  who  came  to  this 
country  In  1754  from  the  Palatinate  and  settled  in  Leba- 
non County — or  what  is  now  Lebanon  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  that  same  county  several  branches  of  the  fam- 
ily have  continued  to  reside  until  the  present  time. 

Dr.  Ezra  Grumbine,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  Fredericksburg  on  February  i,  1845,  ^^^  except 
for  the  time  spent  in  the  study  of  medicine  and  eight 
months'  sojourn  in  England,  France  and  Germany  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  county.  For  this  reason  and  es- 
pecially because  as  a  general  practitioner  of  medicine  he 
has  never  failed  to  give  his  services  cheerfully  to  the  un- 
fortunate who  were  suffering  with  bodily  ailments,  and 
because  he  has  never  allowed  his  own  comfort  or  con- 
venience to  count  when  any  one  thought  that  he  could  be 

192 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  193 

of  help  to  them,  he  is  loved  and  honored  by  his  fellow 
citizens.  Indeed,  the  only  negative  note  that  has  ever 
been  heard  from  him  in  cases  where  his  professional  aid 
has  been  desired,  has  been  in  the  shape  of  some  verses  on 
the  intolerable  condition  of  the  roads  which  he  was  obliged 
to  travel. 

Both  horse  and  cart  in  every  mile, 
Are  splashed  from  mane  to  tire, 
And  the  driver  utters  words  of  guile 
As  the  wheels  swish  through  the  mire. 

And  when  the  darkness  settles  down 
Upon  the  sodden  earth 
The  trav'ler  asks  with  scowl  and  frown 
"  Is  life  the  living  worth?  " 

His  early  education  he  received  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  village,  at  the  Lebanon  Valley  Institute,  Ann- 
ville,  and  at  Dickinson  Seminary,  Williamsport.  After 
this  he  taught  school,  read  medicine  and  finally  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  as  a  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine in  1868.  Besides  taking  a  lively  interest  in  his  pro- 
fession, being  a  member  of  the  County  and  State  Medical 
Societies  and  standing  in  the  forefront  of  successful  prac- 
titioners, he  has  found  time  to  evince  his  capacity  for  busi- 
ness by  organizing  a  bank  and  under  his  presidency — an 
office  which  he  still  holds — making  it  one  of  the  strongest 
financial  institutions  of  the  Lebanon  Valley. 

"To  rhyme  and  to  scribble" — these  are  his  words — 
are  his  pastimes  and  for  these  he  modestly  offers  the  ex- 
cuse that  "  it  runs  in  the  family."  His  great  grandfather, 
Peter  Fuehrer,  wrote  verses  in  German;  his  brother  Lee 
Light  Grumbine  wrote  a  book  of  Pennsylvania-German 
poems;  while  his  son,  Harvey  Carson  Grumbine,  profes- 

13 


194  ^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

sor  of  English  at  the  University  of  Wooster,  Ohio,  has 
published  a  small  volume  of  poetry.  Dr.  Grumbine's  own 
efforts  began  when  he  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age 
with  amatory  verses  for  his  fellow  pupils  in  school.  Among 
the  earliest  of  his  dialect  poems  is  one  "  Ich  wot  ich  waer 
en  Bauer  "  which,  like  Henninger's  later  song  "  Des  Fahra 
in  der  Train  "  was  written  to  the  tune  of  "  Michael  Schnei- 
der's Party."  Grumbine's  poem  has  been  sung  to  the  ac- 
companiment of  the  parlor  organ  at  social  gatherings  on 
the  Swatara,  on  the  Quittaphilla  and  on  the  Tulpehocken. 
Others  of  his  compositions  have  been  recited  at  rural  spell- 
ing schools,  and  debating  societies  all  over  eastern  Penn- 
sylvania. It  appears  also  in  the  papers  of  other  counties 
than  his  own — in  the  Reading  Times,  in  the  Mauch  Chunk 
Democrat,  etc.;  Rauch  (Pit  Schweffelbrenner)  pro- 
nounced his  " 'S  Unnersht  'S  Eversht  Landt"  a  "gem." 
More  than  one  of  his  productions  have  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  metropolitan  press,  including  the  Philadel- 
phia Inquirer  and  the  New  York  Recorder,  which  latter 
published  his  "Klag-lied"  with  three  English  versions. 

Before  the  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  of  which  or- 
ganization he  was  one  of  the  founders,  he  read  a  poem — 
"Der  Prahlhans" — facetiously  named  "An  epic  of  1 8 12." 
It  tells  the  story,  based  on  fact,  of  a  certain  well-known 
character  who,  when  forces  were  being  raised  for  the  de- 
fense of  Baltimore  during  the  War  of  18 12,  aimed  single- 
handed  to  put  the  entire  British  army  to  rout,  but  before 
he  got  within  a  hundred  miles  of  the  enemy  decided  it  was 
safer  at  home. 

As  to  the  quality  of  his  verse,  he  has  disarmed  criticism 
by  the  story  he  tells  of  the  thirty-cent  machine  he  bought 
on  which  he  turns  it  out.  Yet  his  modesty  at  this  point 
must  not  be  taken  too  seriously — he  does  not  venture  be- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  195 

yond  the  proper  range  of  subjects  for  dialect  verse  and 
there  is  little  that  could  be  designated  artificial.  The  fol- 
lowing stanza  for  instance,  from  "  En  Gluck  voll  Bieplin  " 
— in  which  a  Pennsylvania-German  boy  goes  to  see  the 
newly  hatched  chicks,  copies  only  nature : 

Gluck  Gluck,  Gluck  Gluck !  du  Hewer  Grund ! 

Was  biescht  du  doch  so  bees! 
Efaltigs  dhier!     Ich  hab  jo  gar 

Nix  gega  dich,  Gott  weess! 

Much  of  his  verse  is  parody — but  not  always  pure 
parody.  His  "  Mary  and  Her  Little  Lamb  "  is  a  satire 
on  some  facts  in  our  educational  system.  Others  are  ver- 
sions, either  translations  as  of  Nadler's  "  'S  bott  alles  nix  " 
or  approaching  translations  as  Ralph  Hoyt's  "A  World 
for  Sale  "  which  he  has  rendered  in  masterful  style. 

O,  yes!     O,  yes!     Now  harcht  amol, 

Un  kommt  jetz  bei,  ihr  liewe  Leit, 
Ihr  all  wu  wolfel  kawfa  wollt 

Kommt  bei,  for  do  is  Fendu  heit! 
Die  Welt  is  "  uf  "  mit  Schlechts  un  Goots, 

Der  Groyer  nemmt  ke  falsch  Gabut, 
Die  Welt  muss  fort,  sie  werdt  ferkawft, 

Mit  Gliick  un  Elendt,  Ehr  un  Schpott! 

One  of  his  tenderest  poems,  "  Der  Alt  Busch  Doktor," 
suggested  by  one  of  Will  Carleton's,  might  be  interpreted 
as  a  sort  of  commentary  on  his  own  life.  Even  here,  at 
this  saddest  of  scenes,  the  funeral  of  the  good  old  doctor 
who  has  helped  so  many,  and  was  always  willing,  his 
playful  satire  crops  out  in  at  least  one  stanza — 

Aer  cured  en  moncher  Patient 
Un  stellt  ihn  richtig  haer, — 
Don  wor's  yo  "  Gottes  Wille  " 


196  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Un  der  Herr  der  grickt  de  Ehr! 
Is  'n  Gronkes  awer  g'schtorwa 
Un  der  Doat  gawinnt  der  Fecht 
Don  blamed  mer  evva  der  Dokter 
Un  shellt  ihn  dumm  un  schlecht. 

A  Republican  by  party  allegiance,  he  did  not  fail  to  see 
the  humorous  contrast  between  "  Teddy's  "  great  noise  be- 
fore, and  his  great  silence  after  the  last  election  and  he  has 
incorporated  his  thoughts  in  two  poems  "  Before "  and 
"After"  in  the  meter  of  Longfellow's  "Excelsior."  It 
should  be  mentioned  that  in  his  "  Stories  of  Old  Stumps- 
town"  (Lebanon  County  Historical  Society  Publications, 
Vol.  V,  No.  5)  he  has  preserved  some  Pennsylvania-Ger- 
man political  rhymes  from  the  time  when  Buchanan  was 
running  for  the  presidency. 

As  one  of  the  organizers  and  an  enthusiastic  member 
of  The  Lebanon  County  Historical  Society,  he  has  pre- 
pared for  its  publications  a  monograph  on  the  "  Folklore 
and  Superstitious  Beliefs  of  Lebanon  County"  (Vol.  Ill, 
No.  9).  As  a  trusted  physician  he  has  had  rare  oppor- 
tunities to  get  close  to  the  "  Volk"  and  to  learn  what  they 
believe  in  their  heart.  In  this  same  monograph  he  has  a 
collection  of  proverbs  and  sayings,  containing  a  number 
that  have  been  nowhere  else  recorded;  and  some  counting- 
out  rhymes. 

Yet  perhaps  his  most  Important  work  as  a  writer  is  that 
in  which  he  has  engaged  for  the  last  fifteen  years — the 
writing  of  the  letters — first  for  the  Lebanon  Report  (at 
one  time  owned  by  his  brother  Lee  Light  Grumbine)  and 
later  upon  the  death  of  "  Der  Alt  Schulmeeschter  "  (J.  J. 
Light)  for  the  Lebanon  Daily  and  Semimeekly  News 
(widely  copied  by  other  papers)  over  the  signature  Hon. 
Wendell  Kitzmiller;  in  these  letters  he  has  been  engaged 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  197 

for  the  most  part  in  laughing  out  of  existence  the  follies 
and  foibles  of  his  fellow  men,  "  Ridens  dicere  verum," 
laughingly  telling  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  the  truth. 
And  although  this  laughter  is  generally  that  of  the  genial 
satirist,  he  can  occasionally  be  sharp  and  cutting  when  he 
thinks  there  is  sufficient  provocation. 

There  follow  a  few  extracts  culled  from  his  letters  which 
may  be  considered  characteristic.  He  advises  all,  but 
politicians  in  particular;  "  Schtail,  note  braucht  nimme 
schaffe,  un  so  long  as  d'uf  en  lawfuller  waig  schtailsht, 
kummscht  aw  net  in  die  Jail." 

He  is  of  course  speaking  out  of  his  own  experience  when 
on  one  occasion  he  writes  of  a  strange  case  of  illness  of  a 
little  child,  that  baffled  all  the  doctors  of  a  certain  species. 
"  Un  dael  sawga  nuch  gawr  es  waer  ferhext.  Sie  hen 
schun  aentsigebbes  gabroveert  awver  as  will  olles  nix  botta. 
Im  aerschta  blotz  hen  se  mul  die  oldt  Duckter  Betz  g'hot, 
un  de  hut  olles  gedu  was  sie  gewisst  hut.  Sie  hut  em  ge- 
braucht  for  die  Schweining  mul  for's  aerscht,  un  note  hut 
sie  don  gebraucht  om  Mond  wie  er  om  zunemma  war 
awver  do  war  nix.     Des  glae  is  evva  als  weniger  worra." 

He  has  this  comment  on  those  who  at  religious  camp- 
meetings  rise  to  make  confession :  "  Es  is  a  wenig  en  kitz- 
lich  ding  so  for  da  bakonnta  uf  tzu  schtea  in  ra  Christ- 
licha  Fersomlung  un  en  loud  gebait  moche  fore  Leit  as 
aem  sei  bisness  schtraich  auswennich  wissa."  He  offers 
the  above  as  a  playful  excuse  for  not  himself  having  made 
a  public  profession.  But  genuine  wrath  intervenes,  when 
he  threatens  to  withdraw  from  the  Hardshell  Church  and 
start  one  of  his  own  and  become  himself  its  preacher  and 
treasurer.  He  complains  that  although  it  was  for  no  less 
reason  than  a  failure  of  crops  and  failure  of  a  bank  in 
which  he  had  money  that  he  could  not  make  his  annual 


198  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

contribution,  yet  he  was  from  that  time  on  "  Der  Oldt 
Kitzmiller"  and  "Der  fersuffa  Kitzmiller"  "Now  so 
long  as  ich  bully  gut  bezahlt  hob  won  sie  rum  sin  for  col- 
lecta  do  waescht  war  ich  der  '  Bruder  Kitzmiller ' ;  des  war 
Bruder  hie  un  Bruder  haer,  un  won  ich  ah  don  un  won  uf 
en  souf  spree  bin  komma, — do  is  nix  g'sawd  worra,  so 
long  as  ich  tzu  da  dootzend  un  drei  dinga  batzawlt  hob 
as  mir  de  awga  iwer  g'luffa  sin."  He  makes  merry  at 
the  expense  of  the  preachers  and  their  attempts  to  explain 
difficult  passages  of  Scripture. 

His  contribution  to  academic  lore  may  fitly  close  the 
series  of  illustrations.  Along  with  satire  on  extravagan- 
cies in  religious  practice,  this  may  be  said  to  constitute,  for 
the  folk  of  which  we  are  writing,  the  higher  criticism  of 
social  conditions.  The  Pennsylvania  Germans  sent  their 
sons  in  great  numbers  to  college.  When  these  not  in- 
frequently, at  the  end  of  the  year,  came  back  with  long 
hair  and  Idyllic  notions  of  loafing  under  shady  trees  while 
father  and  mother,  and  younger  brothers  and  sisters  did 
the  work,  but  were  ever  ready  with  suggestions  as  to  how 
things  should  be  done,  and  were  full  of  superficial  knowl- 
edge of  the  causes  of  things  and  ever  willing  to  air  the 
same,  the  satirist  had  a  proper  subject  for  work.  There 
are  extant  no  end  of  stories  of  farmer  boys  who  thus 
came  home  and  had  not  only  forgotten  to  work,  but  had 
even  forgotten  the  name  of  the  commonest  tools  and  Imple- 
ments, etc.  While  these  conditions  prevailed  perhaps  to 
an  equal  degree  in  other  American  rural  communities,  yet 
there  is  this  difference,  the  Pennsylvania-German  satirist 
stayed  at  home  and  labored  among  his  own  people,  and 
so  his  satire  strikes  home. 

He  heads  his  article  as  follows:  "Wendell  Kitzmiller 
goes  on  the  new  trolley  road  from  Lebanon  to  Schaeffers- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  199 

town."  It  was  a  balky  car — a  college  man  explains  ohms, 
volts,  microbes  and  feverbugs.  (This  will  at  the  same 
time  show  where  the  dialect  stands  in  relation  to  a  scien- 
tific and  technical  vocabulary.)  Suddenly  the  car  stopped. 
"Es  het  aw  nemond  ous  g'funna  was  de  oor'sach  war  fun 
der  balkerei  won  net  'n  dakolletschter  Karl  druf  waer 
g'west  uf  'm  car.  Well,  henyah,  aer  hut  g'sawd,  secht 
er  '  So  weit  as  ich  saena  konn  sin's  die — entwedders  de 
ohms  odder  de  volts '  '  Was  sin  sell '  hut  'n  oldter  Schaeff  er- 
schtedtler  Shoolmaeschter  g'frogt  os  uf'm  hameweg  war 
fum  a  Deestrick  Institoot.  '  Wy  de  ohms  un  de  volts  sin 
dinga  os  uf  de  same  waeg  schoffa.  Waescht  sie  kumme 
in  die  wires  nei  oUagabut,  un  dort  shpeela  sie  der  Deifel 
monnich  mol.  Note  gebts  was  mer  en  resistance  haest, 
ebbes  as  es  ding  fershtuppt,  uf'n  waeg  as  we'n  lot  ohla  die 
Schnitzkrick  Wasserpeifa  ferschtuppt  hen,  saen  dir?  Of 
course  die  ohms  sin  net  so  gross  as  wie  en  ohl  awver  sie 
gucka  schier  so,  juscht  feel  glenner  sO'  selle  waeg.  Sie  sin 
so  gla  as  wie  Mikrobes,  die  glaene  Keffer,  die  fever  bugs, 
waescht,  woos  titefut  fever  mache  un  newmony  un  en 
g'schleer  (uf  em  Baertzel)  un  so.  Of  course,  ich  selwer 
hob  nie  kenny  g'saena.  M'r  kon  sie  net  saena  oony  so 
'n  rohr,  en  tellyscope  oder  nitroschope,  wie  m'r  secht. 
Ich  waes  die  hocha  wordta  nimmy  recht.  Ich  hob  so  es 
menscht  football  g'shteert.'  *Un  is  sell  now  die  oorsach' 
hut  der  Chim  Kichman  g'frogt.  'Wy  sell  is  orrig  in- 
teresting so  ebbes  tsu  wissa.     Well  now.'  " 

Even  in  the  latest  social  discussions,  Grumbine's  play- 
fully serious  note  may  be  heard.  The  present  writer  re- 
calls an  incident  of  last  summer,  when  certain  classes  were 
very  anxious  to  know  whether  the  daughter  of  one  of  our 
ex-Presidents  indulged  in  cigarettes.  In  answer  our  author 
presented  us  with  an  amusing  skit  of  a  Woman's  Club 


200  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Meeting  embodying  resolutions  offered  by  the  pros  and 
the  cons  in  favor  of  and  against  twenty-cent  women's  clubs 
minding  their  own  and  other  people's  business. 

His  true  catholicity  of  opinion  appears  in  sayings  like 
that  to  Sara  Jane,  "  Mer  kon  ebmols  lerna  even  fun 
Schtadtleit,  un  even  fun  Leit  wu  mer  mehnt  sin  nuch 
dummer  wie  die  Hawsa  Barricker."  His  writings  are  a 
faithful  reflex  of  opinions  he  has  found  to  prevail,  of  be- 
liefs and  customs  he  knows  thoroughly,  and  from  this 
homely  philosophy  might  be  culled  many  a  proverb  and 
old  saw  which  he  has  all  unconsciously  interwoven  into  his 
stories  without  even  having  incorporated  them  in  the  col- 
lection he  has  made.  He  has  frequently  been  urged  by 
his  friends  to  publish  a  collection  of  his  letters  in  book 
form,  as  several  other  writers  of  such  literature  have  done, 
but  he  still  stands  aloof. 

Finally,  he  has  written  a  little  play,  "  Die  Inshurance 
Business,"  that  has  been  on  the  boards  in  many  a  town 
hall  or  crossroads  schoolhouse. 

A  winter  evening  scene  in  a  country  farm  house  pre- 
sents the  old  farmer,  plaiting  a  corn  husk  mat  and  dis- 
cussing the  price  of  farm  products  and  the  disposal  of  the 
receipts  of  the  day's  sale.  Mother  wants  them  for  a  new 
dress  for  the  daughter  who  has  a  beau,  the  sons  insist  they 
need  new  books  for  school — a  neighbor — one  who  has  a 
mortgage  on  their  farm — drops  in  and  the  old  folks  agree 
that  the  old  times  were  best,  when  in  the  schools  all  learned 
reading,  while  those  who  wanted  to  study  writing  and 
arithmetic  could  do  so  with  no  consequent  humiliation  for 
those  who  stopped  at  reading.  In  those  days  whiskey 
was  cheap  and  there  was  no  talk  of  putting  it  away  by  vote. 
Granny  has  a  heavy  cold  and  talks  chiefly  about  her  health. 
One  by  one,  Granny  and  the  youngsters  are  packed  off  to 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         201 

bed,  the  neighbor  delivers  his  message  that  he  must  have 
money  or  he  will  foreclose,  and  leaves  just  in  time  for 
Sally  to  receive  her  beau,  a  clerk  in  the  store,  who  comes 
when  the  shop  closes. 

The  insurance  scamp  persuades  the  farmer  to  insure 
Granny,  the  agent  paying  the  dues,  taking  a  judgment  note 
on  the  farmer,  the  profits  to  be  divided.  Meanwhile  they 
change  Granny's  baptismal  certificate  so  as  to  be  able  to 
establish  her  eligibility. 

Two  years  have  passed,  the  insurance  agent  needing 
more  and  more  dues  to  meet  assessments,  the  farmer  loth 
to  drop  his  policies  and  thus  to  lose  what  he  has  paid  in. 
They  agree  to  give  Granny  something  that  will  put  her  to 
sleep.  The  farmer,  long  in  a  frame  of  mind  that  has 
caused  the  neighbors  to  remark,  goes  to  store  for  rat 
poison;  the  clerk  gives  him  plaster-of-Paris  instead  and  at 
night  hastens  to  tell  his  suspicions  to  his  sweetheart,  who 
objects  that  Granny  is  too  old  to  be  insured;  they  look  up 
the  certificate  and  discover  the  forgery. 

In  the  final  scene  these  two  enter  the  sitting  room,  as 
the  agent  pours  the  powder  into  the  hoarhound  tea  Granny 
takes  each  evening;  one  of  the  boys  has  a  cold  and  decides 
he  wants  some  of  Granny's  tea  and  drinks  of  it  before  the 
father  can  stop  him.  Father  raves  because  he  thinks  his 
son  is  poisoned.  The  clerk  relieves  the  situation  by  ex- 
plaining that  it  is  harmless  stuff ;  then  at  the  point  of  his 
pistol  he  recovers  the  policies,  tears  them  up,  bids  the 
agent  leave  the  country  nor  return  on  pain  of  being  in- 
dicted for  attempted  murder,  then  announces  that  he  has 
received  an  inheritance  that  will  enable  him  to  pay  off  the 
mortgage  and  that  he  and  Sally  will,  with  the  father's 
consent,  relieve  him  of  the  cares  of  life  by  themselves  tak- 
ing over  the  farm.  While  Granny  pours  her  blessings 
over  the  couple  the  curtain  falls. 


202  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Thus  ends  what  is  the  only  origittal  play  in  the  dialect, 
one  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  near-tragic  element  of 
the  plot — which  I  am  inclined  to  doubt — is,  from  beginning 
to  end,  replete  with  pictures  from  the  life  of  the  folk,  the 
faithfulness  of  which  no  one  who  knows  a  Pennsylvania- 
German  farmhouse  would  presume  to  deny. 

As  this  volume  is  going  to  press  Dr.  Grumbine  has  is- 
sued a  volume  entitled  "  Der  Prahlhans  "  about  one  half 
of  which  consists  of  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  selec- 
tions. The  present  writer  has  not  yet  had  an  opportunity 
to  see  the  work.  The  following  paragraph  is  taken  from 
an  advertising  circular  that  has  come  into  his  hands. 

"  DER  KAISER  UN  DER  TEUFEL." 

This  is  the  title  of  one  of  the  eighty-four  longer  and 
shorter  poems  contained  in  Dr.  E.  Grumbine's  new  book, 
"  DER  PRAHL-HANS,"  just  issued  from  the  press.  It 
is  written  partly  in  the  Pennsylvania  German  dialect 
(Wendell  Kitzmiller's  vernacular),  and  partly  in  English, 
and  it  comprises  poems  of  sentiment,  of  humor  and  of  hate 
for  the  Kaiser  of  Prussia. 


tMm 


20.  Thomas  H.  Harter. 


Sources  of  Information. 
Correspondence. 

Pennsylvania-German  Magazine. 
Boonastiel,  Harter,  1904.  and  I90(S. 
Keystone  Gazette. 
Middleburgh  Post. 

Just  as  in  the  last  generation,  Peregrine  Pickle,  Petro- 
leum V.  Naseby,  Max  Adeler  and  others,  and  in  our  own 
day  George  Ade  and  Mr.  Dooley  first  wrote  sicetches  for 
their  respective  newspapers,  next  were  paid  the  compli- 
ment of  being  copied  by  other  papers  and  finally  were  en- 
couraged to  issue  their  productions  in  book  form — so  did 
a  number  of  Pennsylvania-German  writers  come  to  be 
publishers  of  works  in  the  dialect.  One  such  Pennsyl- 
vania-German dialect  writer  is  Thomas  H.  Harter,  of 
Bellefonte,  Center  County,  Pa.,  and  his  book,  "  Boonas- 
tiel," named  from  "Gottlieb  Boonastiel"  the  pseudonym 
of  the  author,  is  about  to  appear  in  its  third  edition,  two 
editions  of  3,000  copies  each  of  the  years  1904  and  1906 
having  been  sold. 

In  addition  to  this,  the  entire  book  is  appearing,  letter 
by  letter,  in  Harter's  paper,  the  Keystone  Gazette,  since 
June  of  this  year,  the  author  having  yielded  to  the  pres- 
sure of  his  readers,  who,  if  they  could  not  have  new  letters, 

203 


204  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

wanted  the  old  ones  over  again,  many  of  which,  having 
been  written  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  are  really  new  to 
those  of  his  readers  who  do  not  possess  the  book.  Be- 
sides this,  no  less  than  twenty-five  newspapers  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  Ohio,  having  wished  to  give  their  readers  the 
same  articles,  entered  into  negotiations  with  the  author 
for  copyright  privileges — to  all  of  which  Harter  has  given 
the  same  free  of  charge,  while  as  many  more  papers, 
cutting  off  the  head  and  tail  to  disguise  them  and  escape  de- 
tection, are  publishing  the  same  clandestinely  without  the 
consent  of  the  author. 

This  popularity  of  the  work  is,  of  course,  due  to  the 
complete  inside  knowledge,  which  the  author  possesses,  of 
the  character  of  the  people  whose  peculiarities  and  eccen- 
tricities he  describes;  how  he  comes  by  this  knowledge  is 
apparent;  he  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Aaronsburg,  Cen- 
ter County,  Pa.,  May  28,  1854,  the  eleventh  child  of  a 
family  of  eight  boys  and  four  girls.  Until  fifteen  years 
of  age,  he  worked  on  the  farm ;  up  to  the  age  of  twelve  he 
could  neither  speak  nor  understand  English;  when  he  was 
fifteen  his  father  moved  to  the  small  town  and  then  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  attended  school  in  winter  and  was 
sent  to  work  on  the  farm  during  the  summer. 

Sent  to  Ohio  to  learn  the  tanner's  trade,  he  saved 
enough  money  to  enable  him  to  attend  the  Smithville, 
Ohio,  Normal  School  for  two  terms.  After  this  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  1872  and  learned  the  printer's  trade 
in  the  office  of  the  Center  Hall  Reporter;  it  was  during 
this  time  that  he  read  all  of  Shakespeare  with  his  mother, 
translating  it  into  the  dialect  for  her  as  he  proceeded. 
Two  terms  at  an  Academy  (Spring  Mills)  and  then  in 
1876,  May  I,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  started  out  for 
himself  as  editor  and  owner  of  the  Nevada   {Ohio)  En- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         205 

terprise,  which  he  conducted  for  seven  years,  whereupon 
he  purchased  the  Middleburgh  Post  in  1882. 

As  editor  of  a  county  paper  in  Pennsylvania  he  nat- 
urally knew  of  the  Pit  Schweff  elbrenner  letters  which  Rauch 
had  made  famous;  he  began  to  look  over  these  letters  in 
his  exchanges,  and  to  hand  out  some  of  his  own  "  fun 
and  filosophy  "  in  the  shape  of  occasional  letters  under  the 
heading  of  "Brief  Fum  Hawsa  Barrick"  addressed  to 
himself  as  "Liever  Kernal  Harder"  and  signed  "  Gottlieb 
Boonastiel." 

He  had  reckoned  without  his  host:  his  readers  clamored 
to  have  them  regularly  and  threatened  to  drop  off  his  sub- 
scription list  unless  he  acceded  to  their  requests.  When, 
after  twelve  years,  he  sold  his  paper  and  bought  the  Key- 
stone Gazette,  at  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  he  continued  the  letters. 
In  1904  he  made  a  selection  from  his  large  collection  and 
issued  them  in  book  form;  as  intimated  above  he  is  no 
longer  writing  new  articles,  and  he  gives  me  two  reasons : 
that  he  has  no  time,  and  that  he  is  pumped  out  of  original 
ideas;  those  who  know  him,  however,  are  not  ready  to 
admit  that  the  well  spring  of  humor  whence  these  letters 
sprung  has  run  dry;  the  fact  is  that  what  with  his  business 
and  political  interests,  serving  as  postmaster  of  his  city, 
hunting  big  game,  and  attending  to  his  numerous  interests, 
his  time  is  fully  occupied  and  he  need  not  write  new  letters, 
for,  to  the  present  generation  of  his  readers  who  do  not 
possess  his  book  the  old  letters  are  really  new — a  proof 
at  the  same  time  that  his  productions  are  filled  with  a 
freshness  that  does  not  at  once  grow  old. 

The  criticism  has  often  been  made  that  many  (criticism 
has  usually  said  all)  of  the  newspaper  letters  in  the  dialect 
were  characterized  by  a  certain  tendency  toward  the  vulgar 
or  the  profane  and  catered  to  a  depraved  taste.     The  time 


2o6  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

has  come  for  a  distinction  between  letters  and  letters,  and 
of  those  which,  and  deservedly,  will  survive  is  this  volume 
of  mild  satire.  Privileged  to  tell  plain  and  disagreeable 
truths  to  his  own  people,  and  being  guaranteed  an  audience 
because  he  continued  to  love  them  even  when  he  chastened 
them,  he  has  already  accomplished  the  two  purposes  he 
avows  in  the  preface  to  his  book :  ( i )  To  assist  in  per- 
petuating the  memory  of  the  Pennsylvania  Germans,  and 
(2)  by  the  combination  of  fun  and  philosophy,  charac- 
teristic of  the  language,  to  correct  the  wrong  and  strengthen 
the  right,  to  stimulate  noble  thought  and  action  and  lead 
to  honor,  happiness  and  success. 

This,  however,  must  not  make  us  forget  the  other  side 
of  the  book,  the  joy  of  reminiscence  it  gives  to  large 
numbers  of  Pennsylvania  Germans  who  have  left  the 
farm  for  service  in  other  fields.  In  this  connection  three 
letters  received  by  Harter  may  be  cited:  the  sincerity  of 
their  tone  can  hardly  be  denied;  they  produce  the  con- 
viction that  they  were  written  because  the  writers  had  a 
certain  feeling  about  the  book  which  they  were  impelled  to 
communicate  to  the  author.  The  first  one  reads :  "  It  is 
an  undoubted  fact  that  when  two  or  three  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  assemble  together  socially,  they  can  get  more  fun 
to  the  square  inch  reading  your  '  Boonastiel '  than  any 
other  book  published  in  America.  Many  of  your  pieces 
carry  me  back  to  my  boyhood  days,  to  the  old  farm  in 
Somerset  County,  and  forcibly  recall  the  old  fashions  and 
peculiar  expressions  and  phrases  which  I  had  not  heard  for 
the  last  forty-five  years.  You  bring  them  back  into  life 
with  the  old  familiar  sound  and  jingle.  It  seems  mar- 
velous that  you  can  weave  them  all  into  your  stories  and 
spell  them  that  any  one  can  pronounce  them.  You  cer- 
tainly deserve  great  credit  for  thus  preserving  our  mother 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  207 

tongue  and  perpetuating  the  memory  of  our  sturdy  an- 
cestry." This  is  from  a  letter  from  H.  J.  Miller,  an  at- 
torney in  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

The  next  comes  from  Washington:  "To  say  that  I  am 
delighted  would  not  express  one  tenth  of  my  admiration 
and  appreciation  of  the  work.  In  perusing  its  pages  so 
full  of  genuine  humor  and  expressed  in  the  true  vernacu- 
lar of  the  old-fashioned  farmer,  I  can  scarcely  realize  that 
a  generation  has  come  and  gone  the  way  of  all  the  living 
since  I  was  familiar  with  this  peculiar  dialect.  Well  do 
I  remember  the  time  when  I  did  not  know  the  English 
name  of  that  handy  little  tool — nogel  bore  (gimlet)  — 
used  by  my  father  in  plying  the  cooper's  trade ;  hence  you 
can  very  readily  perceive  the  tender  chord  of  memory 
your  book  has  so  fondly  touched.  It  recalls  to  memory 
the  joyful  days  of  youth  and  the  happy  years  spent  on  the 
old  farm  after  the  manner  of  the  good  old  song  in  Den- 
man  Thompson's  impressive  play  "  The  Old  Homestead  " : 

Take  me  back  to  the  days  when  the  old  red  cradle  rocked, 

In  the  sunshine  of  years  that  have  fled, 
To  the  good  old  trusty  days  when  the  door  was  never  locked, 

And  we  judged  our  neighbor's  truth  by  what  he  said. 

This  was  written  April  22,  1905,  by  Samuel  Beight,  then 
First  Assistant  Postmaster  General  of  the  United  States. 
The  third  is  from  a  former  neighbor  of  my  own.  After 
saying  of  the  book  "  It  touches  more  phases  of  life  among 
the  Pennsylvania  Germans  than  any  collection  that  I  have 
seen,"  he  goes  on  to  say:  "  Geshter  Owet  bin  ich  aw  mohl 
draw  kumme  dei  buch  zu  lese  un  hob  gelocht  bis  mer  der 
bauch  wae  gedoo  hut.  Du  conshts  gawiss  net  ferlaigla 
dos  du  uff  der  bowerei  uff  gabrocht  bisht  worra.  Anich 
ebber  dare  shriva  konn  fum  barfoosich  boo  dos  shpote 


2o8  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

yohrs  de  glle  holt  won  olles  wise  is  mit  rife  un  joompt 
g'schwint  hee  woo  der  gowl  gelaega  hut  fer  si  fees  tsu 
waerma,  dare  wore  shunt  dabei."  It  is  by  Marcus  B. 
Lambert,  teacher  of  German  in  the  Boys'  High  School  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

By  admitting  at  the  outset,  what  he  says  some  avow  of 
him,  "Ich  ware  net  recht  g'scheit"  Harter  gains  for 
himself  the  privileges  of  the  old-time  Court  fool,  of 
speaking  the  truth  with  impunity.  In  this  way  he  does 
not  bring  down  upon  himself  the  wrath  of  good  country 
women  as  Washington  Irving  is  said  to  have  done  in  the 
case  of  the  good  Dutch  Dames  of  New  York,  by  his  de- 
scription of  their  manner  of  housekeeping. 

By  attributing  the  sins  of  the  party  to  which  the  author 
and  his  newspaper  did  not  belong  to  his  own  party,  he 
avoided  arousing  political  animosities. 

Christian  Science — Der  Christian  Science  Duckter; 
Woman  Suffrage — De  Weibsleit  in  Politics;  Prohibition; 
Social  Science;  Die  Schuld  Os  Leit  awrum  sin;  Fashions; 
Die  Unverstennicha  Fashions;  these  are  among  the  sub- 
jects of  his  reflections,  all  phases  of  human  life  come  under 
his  consideration — from  an  article  De  Menscha  un  de 
Monkeys,  through  all  the  experiences  of  boyhood  and 
girlhood,  until  the  question  comes  up  "Wie  kann  ich's 
besht  Laewa  maucha "  then  presently  he  goes  "  Kares- 
seera  "  and  then  arise  the  questions  "  Ware  suU  ich  Hira," 
"  Ware  sull  de  Priscilla  Hire  "  and  so  on  through  marriage 
(Onera  Huchtzich)  to  death  (Onera  Leicht)  and  the 
grave  (Uf  em  Karrichhofe). 

Sometimes  he  tells  an  old  tale — "  Rip  van  Winkle" — 
or  gives  us  a  new  version  of  an  old  one — "  Der  Busch 
Hoond  un  der  City  Hoond"  or  "Der  Asel  in  der  Giles 
Howd."     One,  the  "  De  College  Boova"  (referred  to  in 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         209 

the  article  on  E.  Grumblne),  was  written  at  the  request 
of  the  late  President  Atherton  of  The  Pennsylvania  State 
College,  and  the  finished  article  so  pleased  Mr.  Atherton 
that  he  requested  to  have  it  translated  into  English  for  the 
benefit  of  young  graduates.  With  his  pen,  Harter  has 
drawn  years  ago  the  same  lines,  illustrating  and  exaggerat- 
ing some  phases  of  college  life,  which  have  of  late  years 
become  a  favorite  of  the  colored  poster  artist. 

Harter  has  also  made  his  contribution  to  the  question 
of  spelling  the  dialect  in  which  he  follows  Rauch  in  the 
main.  "  When  I  attempt  to  read  some  of  the  pyrotechnic 
spelling  adopted  by  some  of  our  writers  I  am  impressed 
with  the  belief  that  their  effort  is  not  so  much  meant  to 
make  themselves  understood  as  it  is  to  create  the  im- 
pression that  besides  being  able  to  write  English  and  speak 
Pennsylvania  Dutch,  they  are  also  High  German  scholars." 


14 


21.  Milton  C.  Henninger. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information, 

Matthews  and  Hungerford.    History  of  Carbon  and  Lehigh  Counties. 
Smull's  Legislative  Handbook  of  Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  II.     Daniel  Miller,  Reading,  Pa. 
Personal  interviews  and  correspondence. 

In  the  spring  of  1874  the  senior  class  of  Muhlenberg 
College  elected  Milton  C.  Henninger  to  recite  a  Pennsyl- 
vania-German poem  at  its  class-day  exercises :  he  elected  to 
compose  one  himself,  and  this  production,  happily  adapted 
as  it  is  to  the  tune  of  Michael  Schneider's  Party,  soon 
became,  as  it  has  continued  to  be,  the  most  popular  song 
ever  written  in  the  dialect. 

From  the  windows  of  his  room  at  college  were  visible 
for  a  stretch  of  about  a  mile  the  tracks  of  two  railroads 
on  either  side  of  the  Lehigh  River  and  the  two  stations  at 
Allentown ;  the  time  schedule  on  each  road  brought  a  pas- 
senger train  in  at  the  precise  moment,  4:30  in  the  after- 
noon, when  the  students  were  returning  from  their  last 
hour's  recitation,  and  they  presently  perceived  or  thought 
they  were  witnessing  a  race  taking  place  before  their  eyes 
each  day;  and  so  it  came  that  they  often  watched  which 
train  should  win  that  day  by  getting  into  the  station  first. 
In  this  fashion  Henninger  came  by  his  subject — Des  Fahre 
in  der  Train,  or  the  delights  of  travelling  by  steam,  and 

210 


THE    PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN    SOCIETY. 


OLIVER    S.    HENNINGER. 


B.     ZIONSVILLE. 
D.     ALLENTOWN. 


PA.  ,    JULY    15.    1859. 
PA.  .    JANUARY    5 .    1910. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         211 

into  the  picture  he  wove  some  reminiscences  of  his  child- 
hood days  when  a  railroad  was  built  past  his  home,  an 
event  notable  enough  for  a  farmer  boy,  and  Henninger 
himself  sprang  from  the  glebe,  having  been  born  on  a  farm 
near  Emaus,  Pa.,  April  22,  185 1. 

Subsequently  the  author  of  our  song  had  worked  in  a 
blacksmith's  shop,  attended  the  public  schools,  the  Free- 
land  Seminary  and  the  State  Normal  School  at  Kutztown, 
and  had  taught  school  even  before  his  college  days.  The 
year  after  the  composition  of  the  song  in  question  he  was 
instructor  in  Muhlenberg  College,  Allentown,  and  read 
law.  In  1876  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar;  two  years  after 
this  he  was  elected  district  attorney,  and  in  1882  State 
Senator,  an  office  for  which  he  was  returned  for  a  period  of 
twelve  years,  three  full  terms. 

The  opening  stanzas  of  this  poem  run  as  follows: 

Sis  olles  hendich  eigericht 

In  unsera  gute  zeit, 
Mer  brauch  sich  gor  net  bloga  meh 

Unless  mer  is  net  gscheit. 
Der  schteam  dut  olles  fer  die  leit 

Sel  is  juscht  wos  ich  maen 
Un  won  mer  aergets  he  gae  will 

Don  fawrt  mer  in  der  train. 

Swar  net  so  gut  in  olter  zeit 

Sel  waes  ich  forna  nous, 
Des  mocht  f  rleicht  die  olta  baes 

Doch  sag  ich's  frei  heraus. 
Sie  sin  galuffa  ol  de  weg 

Fun  finf  bis  fufzig  mile 
'N  pawr  die  eppes  reicher  warn 

Sin  ganga  uf  de  geil. 


212  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

So  war  der  schteil  in  oltr  zeit, 

'S  lawfa  war  ken  schond, 
Wos  is  mer  ols  do  he  gadopped, 

Sel  is  eich  gut  bakond. 
'S  is  nimma  so  in  unsera  zeit 

'S  fahrt  jeder  won  er  kon 
Und  waer  gor  nimme  lawfa  dut 

Der  is  der  gentlemon. 

And  so  on  through  nine  more  stanzas  in  which  he  de- 
scribes the  iron  horse,  tells  of  the  numerous  classes  of 
people  one  sees  in  the  train,  describes  the  disadvantages  of 
travel  in  this  fashion,  especially  the  danger  of  accidents, 
but  finally  again  decides  in  favor  of  the  steam: 

So  gaet  des  fawra  in  der  train, 

Ich  haes  es  orrig  schae, 
Mer  grickt  ken  kopweh  fun  de  hitz 

Un  aw  ken  schteifa  bae,  etc. 

There  is  no  schoolhouse  in  German  Pennsylvania,  in 
which  this  poem  has  not  been  sung  at  an  entertainment  or 
at  a  meeting  of  "  speaking  school,"  the  boys  of  a  dozen 
colleges  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  have  sung  it  in  glee ;  many 
years  after  its  composition  the  author,  when  state  senator, 
travelled  in  northwestern  Pennsylvania  and  heard  it  sung 
by  logging  trains  in  the  lumber  regions  of  the  state;  it  has 
even  been  intimated  that  the  composition  has  been  ren- 
dered by  church  choirs,  and  the  name  of  at  least  one 
church  was  whispered  where  it  was  so  sung,  but  be  the 
truth  of  the  matter  what  it  may,  one  would  rather  think 
this  an  "  ortsneckerei,"  aimed  at  some  out-of-the-way 
settlement. 

More  than  ordinary  attention  is  due  to  this  song  for  a 
double  reason :  not  only  did  the  theme  kindle  the  imagina- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings,         213 

tion  of  a  Pennsylvania-German  writer  who  communicated 
his  enthusiasm  to  Pennsylvania  Germans  In  general,  but 
also  the  subject  itself  has  In  like  manner  appealed  to  dia- 
lect writers  and  their  readers  at  all  times;  the  following 
instances  which  date  back  a  generation  earlier  than  ours 
may  be  noted : 

Unterredung  eines  oberschwabischen  Bauern  mit  seinem  Pferd, 
welches  Hans  heisst,  betreffend  die  Eisenbahnangelehenheit.  Von 
Wilhelm  Wickel.     Selbstverlag.  1843.  8.  8S. 

Der  Vespertrunk  im  schwarzen  Adler  zu  Klatschausen  oder- 
Hans  Jorg  Peter  und  Frieder  im  Gesprach  iiber  die  Wiirtem- 
bergischen  Eisenbahnangelegenheiten.  Schwabische  Dorfszene  von 
Jakob  Daiss  und  Karl  Siegbert,  genannt  Barbarossa.  Boblingen, 
J.  G.  F.  Landbeck  1843.  8  10  S. 

Motto:  Bald  braucht  mer  koine  Rossle  mai, 
Koin  Waga  und  koin  Schlitta! 
Jatzt  spannt  mer  Dampf  in  d'  Kessel  ei, 

Und  so  werds  fiirscha  g'ritta! 

Very  like  our  song. 

Die  Eisenbahnfrage  im  Knittelversen,  besprochen  zwischen 
einem  Schullehrer,  einem  Barbier  und  zwei  Bauern,  die  im  Rossle 
am  runden  Tische  saszen.     Teutlingen,  J.  J.  Beck  1843  8  15  S. 

Der  Bauer  auf  der  Eisenbahn.  Ein  heiteres  Gedicht  in 
schwabischer  Mundart  von  einem  Filderbauern.  (Pseudonyme, 
Verfasser:  Blasius  Sturmwind)  Stuttgart,  zu  haben  bei  C. 
Hetschel.  8  8  S. 

Die  Ankunft  des  ersten  Neckardampsschiffbootes  in  Heilbronn 
in  Dezember  1841.  Von  Wilhelm  Wickel.  Stuttgart.  (Selbst- 
verlag) 8  16  S. 

From  Frederlch  RIchter  a  similar  strain  may  be  cited: 

Moi,  uf  der  Eisebah 
Do  goht  es  schnell  viira, 


214  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Und  ma  sitzt  prachtig  drauf, 
Do  hot  es  jo  sein  lauf. 

Koine  Ross  spannt  ma  na 
Uf  dener  Eisebah ; 
'S  Fuier  isch,  was  es  treibt, 
Das  ma  net  sitza  bleibt. 

Das  isch  a  wissenschaft 
Hot  iich  der  Dampf  a  Kraft 
Ruf  uf  dia  Eisabah. 
Do  geht  es  schnell  fiira. 

Some  passages  from  the  famous  German  song  "  Der 
Goisbock  an  der  Eisebah"  might  likewise  be  compared. 
While  our  writer,  as  shown  above,  is  not  afraid  to  remind 
the  old  folks  that  some  things  are  better  now  than  in  the 
olden  times,  yet  he  does  not  wholly  approve  of  the  pleas- 
ures of  these  days,  notably  not  those  which  are  now  sought 
in  the  city;  this  Is  shown  in  a  subsequent  song  "  Die  Sing- 
schul  Im  Lond." 

Die  junga  leit  in  unsra  zeit 

Hen  arrig  feel  plessier 
Die  Meed  die  danza  dag  un  nacht 

Die  Buwa  drinke  bier. 
Es  karta  schpiela  macht  viel  Gschpass 

Uns  flirta  mit  de  Meed 

Des  is  de  Fun  vun  City  leit 

Die  heesa  sie  first  rate. 

For  mei  Deel  ich  geh  net  mit  nei. 

Geb  mir  die  Land  Singschul. 
Dart  geht  mer  hie  fer  scheena  Gschpass 

Un  folHgt  aw  der  rule, 

continuing,  he  describes  the  old  Institution,  and  thereupon 
concludes  with 

Die  Singschula  im  Lond  sag  ich 
Die  sin  mei  greeschta  Freed 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         215 

So  long  OS  die  noch  ghalte  warn 

Is  's  mir  got  net  verleed. 
Un  won  ich  schterb,  verlost  eich  druf, 

Dann  werds  der  welt  bekond, 
Das  ich  mei  Geld  un  olles  geb 

Fer  Singschula  im  Lond. 

Henninger  has  written  a  number  of  other  poems  (see 
Index)  and  more  are  to  be  expected.  In  a  recent  private 
communication  he  announces  that  If  the  muse  has  not 
entirely  deserted  him  we  may  soon  have  a  new  poem  from 
him,  entitled  "  'S  Macht  Nix  Ous." 

At  the  celebration  of  the  looth  Anniversary  of  Amer- 
ican Independence  at  Kutztown,  Pa.,  Henninger  read  a 
poem  "  En  Hunnert  Yohr  Zuriick,"  which  Is  full  of  his 
characteristic  notes,  love  of  the  past,  qualified  dissatisfac- 
tion with  the  present,  and  a  hopeful  confidence  in  the 
future.  The  last  two  stanzas  prophesy  concerning  the 
most  modern  of  modern  things — navigation  of  the  air. 

Mer  hen  so  viel  Fortschritt  gemacht, 

Im  letschte  hunnert  Yohr, 
Un  dass  mer  so  fortmache  duhn, 

Sell  hot  gewiss  ken  G'fohr; 
Ball  fahra  mer  in  die  klore  Luft 

Bis  in  die  Wolke  nei; 
Un  wann  sel  wenig  kommon  ward, 

Dann  bleibt  es  net  dabei. 

Mer  welle  als  noch  mehner  duh, 

Ich  waes  net  alles  was ; 
Ich  sag  euch  nau,  ihr  liewa  Leit, 

Es  is  mer  shuhr  ken  Spass ; 
En  hunnert  Yohr  ins  Zukunft  nei 

Weisst  un'sre  Republic 
So  viel  dass  wie  mer  g'sehne  hen 

Seit  hunnert  Yohr  Zuriick. 


22.  Eli  Keller. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Deutscher  Kirchenfreund,  1814.81-18150. 

Friedensbote,  Allentown,  Pa. 

Hausfreund. 

Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania  German. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  VII,  4,  178. 

Personal  interview. 

Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  VII,  4581. 

Unser  Pennsylvanisch  Deutscher  Kalenner,  1895. 

Rev.  Dr.  Eli  Keller,  of  Allentown,  was  a  merry  farmer 
boy  who  became  a  preacher,  and  has  remained  the  latter, 
with  certain  characteristics  of  the  former,  to  this  day;  born 
in  Northampton  County,  near  Nazareth,  in  1825,  before 
Pennsylvania  had  a  free  school  system,  his  chances  for  an 
education  were  small;  by  the  time  the  system  came,  how- 
ever, he  had  made  sufficient  progress  in  his  studies  to  teach 
a  country  school  for  several  years;  after  this  he  attended 
Marshall  College,  at  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  moved  with  the 
College  to  Lancaster  when  it  was  united  with  Franklin 
College,  and  afterwards  returned  to  the  Seminary  at  Mer- 
cersburg to  complete  his  theological  studies.  At  Lan- 
caster he  made  the  acquaintance  and  formed  a  lifelong 
friendship  with  Henry  Harbaugh,  who  had,  however,  at 
that  time  not  yet  developed  into  a  dialect  writer. 

216 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         217 

His  ministerial  work  began  In  Ohio,  in  1856.  At  first 
he  preached  in  English  and  German,  but  in  Ohio  the  Ger- 
man sermon  fell  Into  partial  disuse  sooner  than  in  Pennsyl- 
vania; during  the  last  part  of  his  eighteen  years'  stay  In 
Ohio  he  was  required  to  preach  In  English  only  and  with 
this  he  began  to  long  for  the  old  home  surroundings;  In 
1874  the  way  was  opened  to  him  to  come  back  and  from 
that  time  until  his  retirement  In  1901  (twenty-seven  years) 
he  ministered  to  two,  three  and  finally  four  congregations, 
himself  superadding  the  work  involved  In  the  two  addi- 
tional congregations.  Thus  he  frequently  had  to  drive 
twenty-five  miles  on  a  single  Sunday  to  meet  three  congre- 
gations. But  these  labors,  his  outdoor  life  and  his  asso- 
ciation with  the  people  he  loved  have  kept  him  young  In 
spirit  even  as  the  years  advanced. 

Many  of  his  poems  are,  therefore,  sermonettes,  pictures 
from  nature  with  the  lesson  the  preacher  draws  from  it. 
Such  an  one  is  the  example  already  known  to  Professor 
Learned  when  he  was  studying  the  phonology  of  the 
dialect;  It  is  entitled  "  Der  Keschtabaam " ;  in  13  four- 
verse  stanzas  of  acatalectic  iambic  lines  of  seven  beats  he 
expresses  his  delight  in  the  beauties  of  the  tree,  not  so 
early  to  bloom  as  the  willow  or  maple,  not  so  speedy  to 
bring  forth  Its  fruits  as  the  cherry,  the  umbrageous  chest- 
nut tree,  which,  even  after  the  nut  Is  fully  ripe,  must  wait 
for  the  "  Keschta  Schtarm  "  to  put  It  within  our  reach. 

Der  Keschtabaam  vun  alle  Beem  halt  ich  mer  fer  der  schenscht, 
Wann  du  net  ah  so  denka  kannscht,  glaab  ich  net  dass  du'n 

kennscht. 
Mit  seina  Blatter,  Bliet,  un  Frucht  is  er  net  in  der  Eil 
Was  ebbes  rechtes  werra  will,  nemmt  immer'n  gute  Weil. 

When  the  tree  at  last  Is  covered  with  its  fragrant  golden 
tassels  about  which  bees  In  swarms  gather, 


2i8  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

'S  is  en  Genuss,  gewiss  ich  leb,  for  Aage,  Nas  un  Ohr, 
Nix  kennt  mer  schenner,  besser  sei  im  gansa  liewa  yohr. 

He  who  with  patience  has  waited  for  the  "  Keschta 
Schtarm"  will  have  no  trouble  in  getting  the  ruddy  fruit: 

Geduld  is  doch  en  grosse  Sach,  sie  schpart  uns  Not  un  Mih 
Wer  ohne  sie  sei  Click  versucht,  der  finn't  's  doch  werklich  nie." 

The  lessons  are  endless : 

Guck  mol  so'n  Boll  genauer  ah,  wie  wunnerbarlich  schee! 

Inwennig  zart  wie  Kisse  schtofft  auswennig  Schtachle,  zah, 
Was  is  des  doch  en  unnerschied,  beinanner  ah  so  dicht, 
'S  gebt  viel  zu  lerna  iwwerall,  vum  beschta  unnerricht. 

Nor  does  he  forget  the  carefree  time  when  he  played  in 
its  shade,  weaving  belt  and  wreath  of  the  leaves  and 
flowers : 

Ich  schteck  mer  Blatter  an  die  Bruscht,  un  Blimmcher  uf  der 

Hut 
Un  denk  dabei  in  siesser  Luscht,  Was  haw  ich's  doch  so  gut." 

In  another  poem  he  describes  his  sallying  out,  a  boy  in 
the  springtime,  to  find  the  slender  shoot  of  the  chestnut 
tree  just  when  the  sap  begins  to  rise  to  make  "  Keschta 
Peiffe." 

Was  peifEt  doch  nau  des  ding  so  schee ! 

Ken  Orgel  kennt  yo  schenner  geh; 

Tut,  ta-ta,  te  te,  ti  ti,  ti 

Des  biet  die  Vegel  un  die — Kiih 

Ya  Keschta  Peiffe  fer  ihr  Geld 

Bieten  alle  peiffe  in  der  Welt. 

"  Mer  wolla  FIscha  Geh,"  "  Es  Glatt  Els  Fahre  "  are 
others  in  which  he  revels  In  the  pastimes  of  youth.  Only 
one  who  has  had  the  experience  of  a  boy  for  the  first  time 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         219 

Initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the  uses  of  the  German 
scythe  can  make  his  verses  bob  up  and  down  in  onomato- 
poetic  glee  as  Keller  does  in  "  'S  Mehe  mit  der  Deitsche 
Sens." 

In  so're  schone  zeit 
Werd  ehm  's  Herz  recht  wait 
Die  arme  stadtle  Leut 
Die  wisse  nix  vun  Freud 
Now  schwenkt  euer  Sense, 
Un  loss  sle  glanze, 
To  whit,  to  what 
To  whit,  to  what,  to  whate 
Ihr  macht's  first  rate 
To  whit,  to  what 
Gut  gewetzt  is  halb  gemeht. 

His  abounding  joy  in  life  he  frequently  gave  utterance 
to  on  festival  occasions,  to  his  people,  as  in 

Der  Chrishdag  is  der  herrlichscht  daag 
Im  liewa  longa  Johr; 
Mei  Glaawa  is  ken  leeri  Saag 
Juscht  fer  en  kinnisch  Ohr. 

Der  Chrischdag  macht  mich  immer  jung, 

Un  fiillt  mich  ganz  mit  Freed 

Er  nemmt  mers  Klaga  vun  der  Zung 

Un  heelt  mei  Herze-leed. 
Dann  bin  ich  widder  jung  un  klee 
Wie  ich  vor  lang  gewest 
Mei  Herz  werd  weiss  wie  Chrischdag's  schnee, 
Mei  Leeb  die  allerbescht. 

He  no  doubt  had  many  an  opportunity  to  practise  in  his 
broad  field  of  labor — as  he  also  had  in  his  own  family — 
before  he  put  into  rhyme — 

'N  Buwli  is's,  gans  aus're  annere  Welt 
Wer  hets  gedenkt  das  so  was  war  bestellt ! 


220  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Ken  Strumpche  ah,  ken  Hemmshe,  un  ken  Keppche  net, 

Ja  streck  dich  mol!     Wiinscht  gel  das  dich  der  Guguck  het? 

Ei  was'n  G'sicht,  un  was'n  grosse  schtimm ! 

Du  denkscht,  ich  reib  zu  hart,  un  mach's  zu  schlimm 

So  muss's  sei,  ich  hab  so  Erwet  gut  gelernt 

Mit  so  bissche  Gschpass  werd  mer  net  grad  verzernt. 

Guck,  Mutter,  guck!  do  bring  ich  deer  en  Mann 
So  klee,  un  schee  as  mer  juscht  denke  kann! 

For  a  Pennsylvania-German  Kalenner  which  he  edited 
in  1885  he  wrote  a  longer  poem  in  ten  parts  entitled  "  Vum 
Flachsbaue."  This  is  a  veritable  epic  on  the  raising  of 
flax  in  ten  short  cantos.  This  poem  ought  properly  be 
illustrated  with  drawings  of  tools  and  implements  found 
nowadays  only  on  grandfather's  garrett  or  in  the  museums 
for,  with  flax-raising  entirely  out  of  vogue  in  German 
Pennsylvania,  or,  where  it  is  still  raised,  by  means  of 
modern  appliances,  such  terms  as  Flachs  Britsch,  Hechle, 
Brech,  etc.,  are,  to  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  of  today, 
words  of  a  time  that  is  past. 

A  number  of  Dr.  Keller's  poems  are  included  in  the 
collection  published  by  Daniel  Miller,  Reading,  Pa. 
Some  others,  as  well  as  several  prose  tales,  are  to  be  found 
in  the  Allentown  Friedenshote.  In  his  younger  days  he 
wrote  for  the  Deutsche  Pionier;  but  much  of  what  I  have 
presented  and  other  material  noted  in  the  Bibliography 
and  not  further  described  has  come  direct  from  his  own 
manuscript  notebook  and  has  never  been  published.  In 
addition  to  this  staple  of  his  production,  he  has  written 
occasional  poems  in  English,  as  well  as  in  High  German, 
including  hymns,  epilogues,  and  prologues  for  Christmas 
and  Easter  festivals,  birthdays  and  anniversaries,  and  one 
curious  composition  in  which  alternate  couplets  of  Eng- 
lish and  Pennsylvania  German  rhyme  with  each  other. 


23.  James  C.  Lins. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Rural  Press,  Kerapton,  Pa. 
Rural  Press,  Reading,  Pa. 
Common  Sense  Dictionary  of  Pennsylvania  German,  Reading,  Pa.,  1887, 

1895. 
Personal  correspondence  and  interviews. 

A  man  who  will  have  to  be  considered  when  a  complete 
statement  is  made  of  those  who  wrote  Pennsylvania-Ger- 
man newspaper  letters  is  James  C.  Lins  of  Reading,  Pa. 
To  the  Kempton  Rural  Press,  later  called  the  Reading 
Press,  when  he  moved  his  printing  office  to  Reading,  he 
contributed  letters,  over  the  signature  "  Sam  Klsselmoyer 
fun  Wohlhaver  Schtedel."  Very  many  of  these  letters 
are  distinctly  political  and  do  not  take  the  trouble  to  in- 
troduce fictitious  names;  the  only  reason  why  they  did  not 
appear  on  the  editorial  page  (he  was  himself  owner  and 
editor)  Is  because  of  the  greater  license  allowed  to  this 
letter  column. 

August  Reiff  says  in  his  "  Schwabische  Gedichte  " : 

So  Nochb'r  wie  meine,  geits  gwiss  koine  maih 

Wie  die  anand  schimpfet ;  und  doch  tuets  koim  waih ! 

Anander  seggiere,  dees  tent  se  am  gernschte, 

Und  doch  hent  se  nie  no'  en  Streit  ghet,  en  ernschte ; 

Am  Spottle  und  Stichle  do  hent  se  a  Freud, 
Wenn  oiner  em  andre  sei  Moining  reacht  sait. 
221 


222  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

When  the  Introduction  of  the  free  delivery  of  rural  mail 
gradually  forced  the  weekly  newspapers  out  of  the  field 
he  ceased  to  be  an  editor  and  continued  to  be  a  printer;  but 
meantime  he  had  been  active  in  another  related  field  of 
work.  In  1887  he  issued  a  Word  List,  containing  "  nearly 
all  the  Pennsylvania-German  words  in  common  use,"  under 
the  title  "  Common-Sense  Pennsylvania  German,"  this  be- 
ing a  list  of  German  and  English  words  in  the  form  in 
which  they  are  used  by  those  speaking  the  dialect,  with 
their  English  equivalents.  At  first  sight,  this  publication 
is  disappointing;  nearly  half  of  the  preface  is  taken  word 
for  word  from  Home's  Manual,  published  twelve  years 
before;  furthermore,  the  contents  of  Home's  Dictionary 
are  jumbled  and  the  words  are  made  to  conform  to  a  dif- 
ferent spelling.  But  despite  these  shortcomings,  Lins's 
publication  is  not  lacking  in  original  work,  for  his  list 
comprises  9,613  words  as  compared  with  Home's  5,522, 
increased  by  several  hundred  additional  in  the  second 
edition.  This  great  difference  in  bulk  is  partly  due  to  a 
peculiar  limitation  in  the  language  horizon  of  many  Penn- 
sylvania Germans;  such  might  be  perfectly  familiar  with 
words  like  bodderashun,  demagrawd,  raishta — whereas 
they  did  not,  when  they  were  in  search  of  the  English 
equivalent  syllable  or  word,  know  that  it  was  spelled  both-, 
-crat,  roast,  in  English.  Lins  has  accordingly  included 
many  such  words  in  his  List.  The  result  amounts  to  pre- 
cisely what  he  says  in  the  Preface,  that  desiring  to  help  the 
Pennsylvania  German  who  is  studying  English,  he  has  in- 
troduced a  great  many  English  words  in  the  dialect  form, 
whereas  Home,  according  to  M.  D.  Learned's  counting, 
gives  only  176  English  words. 

That  there  was  in  those  days  a  real  search  for  English 
words  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  children  in  one  of  their 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  223 

games  at  school  wrote  on  their  slates  a  list  of  words  they 
used  at  home,  and  the  contest  turned  upon  who  could  in  a 
given  time  think  of  the  greatest  number  of  English  equiva- 
lents; one  of  the  favorite  questions  thrown  into  the  school 
question  box  was  in  the  form  of  a  list  of  hard  German 
words,  the  requirement  being  made  that  the  scholar  to 
whom  it  was  referred  was  to  furnish  the  English  equiva- 
lents. 

The  younger  generation  would  not  have  been  willing  to 
expose  an  ignorance  such  as  did  an  old  farmer  In  a  story 
told  in  "Skizzen  aus  dem  Lecha  Thai" — "J.  S.  Hess, 
Esq.,  erzahlt  in  einer  geschlchtlichen  Skizze  von  Nieder 
Saucon  Township,  dass  elnmal  ein  deutscher  Bauer  mit 
Latwerge  nach  Easton  gekommen  sei.  Als  ihn  die  Stad- 
leute  nach  dem  Prelse  von  Applebutter  fragten  schiittelte 
er  den  Kopf  indem  er  nich  wusste,  was  sic  wollten,  bis  ihm 
ein  Bekannter  erklarte  dass  sie  Latwerg  melnten.  '  Was  ' 
sagt  er  '  Latwerg-Applebutter,  Applebutter-Latwerg,  was 
en  Sproch !  Wann  sie  Latwerg  gewollt  hen,  for  was  hen 
sie  net  Latwerg  g'sat  I "  A  younger  man  under  such  cir- 
cumstances would  have  been  apt  to  take  refuge  in  a  Dic- 
tionary. 

Even  to  the  present  day  the  oldest  inhabitants  delight  in 
requiring,  especially  of  those  who  have  been  away  to 
school,  the  English  equivalent  of  some  common  utensil  or 
tool. 

It  is  not  by  the  introduction  of  English  words  alone  that 
the  disparity  in  numbers  between  Home  and  Lins  is  to 
be  explained.  The  latter  has  swelled  the  sum  total  by  the 
introduction  of  compound  words,  and  of  what  are  not 
properly  words  but  phrases;  "moul-nel-henka,"  for  in- 
stance, is  not  a  word  but  an  idiom;  it  must  be  said,  how- 
ever, that  the  book  Is  not  less  valuable  for  these  additions. 


224 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


Finally  Mr.  Lins  records  many  words  that  had  not  ap- 
peared in  any  previous  compilation — on  a  small  page  of 
62  words,  I  find  four  such  new  words — moshy,  mosserich, 
mowlgrisht,  mowlish.  I  have  called  the  whole  production 
a  Word  List  rather  than  a  Dictionary;  there  is  no  attempt 
to  give  the  pronunciation  of  words — he  says  in  his  intro- 
duction that  he  follows  the  English  method  of  spelling  be- 
cause that  is  used  in  the  schools,  he  does  not  indicate  parts 
of  speech,  etc.  He  avows  of  his  book  that  "  Its  aim  is 
not  money,  and  its  object  is  not  praise"  and  that  it  was 
not  superfluous  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  1895  a  second 
edition  was  called  for  and  this  also  is  now  sold  out. 


24-  Henry  Meyer. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Correspondence. 

Genealogy  of  the  Meyer  Family. 

Sraull's  Legislative  Handbook. 

Henry  Meyer,  of  Rebersburg,  Pennsylvania,  was  born 
December  8,  1840,  in  Center  County,  Pa.  He  learned 
the  miller's  trade,  went  to  the  war  and,  having  lost  a  hand 
there,  was  obliged  to  find  a  different  way  of  making  a 
living.  For  several  years  he  taught  and  studied,  completing 
a  course  at  the  Keystone  State  Normal  School  at  Kutz- 
town  in  1869.  Next  he  taught  in  the  Center  County  Nor- 
mal School,  and  in  1875  and  again  in  1878  he  was  elected 
superintendent  of  the  schools  of  the  county,  and  in  1882 
a  member  of  the  State  Legislature. 

He  is  the  author  of  a  genealogy  of  the  Meyer  family, 
and  for  a  family  reunion  he  wrote  a  poem  "  Die  Alt 
Heemet";  the  first  stanza  suggests  Harbaugh: 

Heit  kumme  mer  noch  emol  z'rick 
Ans  alt  Blockhaus  nachst  an  der  Krick 
Der  Platz  wu  unser  Heemet  war 
Schun  langer  z'rick  wie  sechzig  Yohr. 

In  reminiscential  mood  he  leads  his  hearers  up  to  a  high 
mountain  overlooking  the  Brush  Valley,  and  points  out 
all  the  scenes  of  their  youthful  pleasures,  the  old  school- 
house,  the  sugar  camp  (he  seems  to  be  the  only  Pennsyl- 
15  225 


226  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

vanla-German  writer  who  has  included  this  among  his 
descriptions),  the  swimming  hole,  the  crossroads  store, 
the  neighbor  whose  apple  orchard  the  boys  used  to  visit; 
at  the  close  he  turns  their  glance  to  the  cemetery  below, 
where  many  of  their  friends  already  lie  and  where  soon 
they  too  will  find  eternal  rest. 

In  "  Der  Alt  Scharnschtee  "  he  describes  an  old-fash- 
ioned log  house — 

Der  alte  Schamstee  war  im  Haus 
Vum  Keller  nuf  bis  owa  naus 
Grad  Mitta  drin,  wie'n  schtarka  fort 
Im  Wind  un  Schtarm  en  gut  Support 

Am  Winter  Owet  was  en  Freed 
Do  hen  die  Buwa  un  die  Meed 
Die  Eltra  un  vielleicht  der  Schquier 
Im  weita  Ring  dart  g'hockt  am  Feier. 

Then  he  goes  on  to  describe  the  winter  evening  pas- 
times, the  coming  of  the  chimney  sweep,  and  borrowing 
fire  of  the  neighbors  when  the  rains  came  down  the  chim- 
ney too  heavily : 

Gebreicha  vun  da  alta  Johre 
Sin  viel  nau  leeder  ganz  verlora. 

Die  Freind  wu  als  urns  Feier  dart 
Rum  g'hockt  hen  sin  ah  bal  all  fart 
Die  Schee  alt  Zeit  is  ewig  hi 
Doch  ihr  gedachtniss  bleibt  mir  grie. 

He  strikes  a  note  that  is  entirely  unknown  elsewhere  in 
Pennsylvania-German  writing,  when  he  takes  his  Maud 
a-walking  in  the  meadow  where  the  violets  blow,  or  they 
seek  the  shady  places  by  the  streams,  and  look  into  each 
other's  eyes  and  see  things  they  are  too  timid  to  tell,  or 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         227 

when,  to  shun  the  bumblebee,  she  buries  her  face  on  his 
shoulder  and  then : 

Ach  ihre  Leftse  sin  so  wohr 
Gedufte  wilde  Rose  gleich 
Un  nergets — woo  sin  sie  in  G'fohr 
So  oft  as  wie  in  sellem  Deich. 

Die  Maud  hut  Backe  roht  wie  Blut 
Un  hut  en  schtimm  wie'n  Nachtigall 
Un  ihre  Kisses  wees  ich  gut 
Sin  Honig  sees  im  Heckedahl. 

Such  subjects  are  not  on  the  tongue  of  Pennsylvania 
Germans,  and  Meyer  stands  alone  in  having  even  referred 
to  them,  not  to  speak  of  having  given  them  explicit  treat- 
ment. Even  when  he  taught  "  Mei  Schtettel  Schul"  he 
had  a  sweetheart  'mongst  the  pupils : 

Es  kumme  uft  in  mei  Gemeet 
Juscht  wie  en  alt  bekanntes  Lied 
Dehl  G'schichte  wu  mol  g'schene  sin 
In  meine  Schul  am  Schtettel  drin. 

Ich  winsch  ich  kennt  in  scheene  Dichte 
Verzehle  selle  alte  g'schichte 
Un  kennt  ah  kalle  noch  emol 
Die  Roll  vun  selle  Schuler  all. 

But  Katie  would  no  longer  answer  to  the  roll,  her  seat 
would  be  empty,  Katie  to  whom  his  eye  would  ever  wander 
(and  it  seems  she  reciprocated  his  feelings)  : 

Un  wann  ich  als  en  Blick  hab  g'schtohle 
Sie  war  jo  schuhr  en  z'rick  zu  hole. 

Katie  often  broke  his  rules : 

Un  awer  'n  Bllck  vun  ihra  Ahge 
Halt  mich  vun  beese  Worte  sage. 


228 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


En  Fashion  newig  mich  zu  sitze 

Hen  g'hatt  die  grosse  Meed,  die  Knitze 

Un  bettle  dass  ich  helfe  debt 

Ihr  Sums  zu  rechla  uf  de  Schleht. 

When  Katie  came  it  took  him  twice  as  long  to  show  her 
how.     But : 

Es  roht  und  golde  Meepel  Laub 
Bedeckt  schun  oft  ihr  greenes  Graab 
Un  wann  ich  dort  so  traurig  schteh 
Schelnt's  mir  ich  wer  net  ganz  alle. 


25-  Harvey  Miller  (Solly  Hulsbuck). 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 
Center  County  Democrat,  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  June  28,  1908. 
Der  Boyertown  Bauer,  April  171,  1907. 
Harrisburg  Star  Independent,  August  26,  1907. 
Old  Penn,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  October  5,  1907. 
Personal  Correspondence. 
Reading  Times,  January  14,  1907. 

Reformed  Church  Record,  Reading,  Pa.,  January  17,  1907. 
Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  VII,  6,  328;  Vol.  VIII,  4,  192. 
Works: 

Pennsylvania-German  Poems  Elizabethville,  Pa.,  1906. 

Pennsylvania-German  Stories,  Elizabethville,  Pa.,  1907. 

Pennsylvania-German  Poems,  II. 

Poems  of  Childhood,  Elizabethville,  Pa.,  1908. 

Harmonies  of  the  Heart,  Elizabethville,  Pa.     No  date. 

Solly  Hulsbuck — the  pseudonym  under  which  Harvey 
M.  Miller  of  Elizabethville,  Dauphin  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, sends  out  his  literary  productions — bids  fair  to  be- 
come the  most  voluminous  writer  in  the  dialect,  Harter 
having  ceased  producing  and  Grumbine,  and  Rauch's  con- 
tributions never  having  been  collected.  During  the  ten 
years  since  Miller  began  writing,  he  has  issued  in  book 
form  Pennsylvania-German  Poems  in  two  editions  ( 1906) , 
each  of  which  required  a  second  printing  within  six  months 
after  first  publication;  Pennsylvania-German  Stories  in 
prose  and  verse  (1907),  a  second  volume  was  issued  later. 
The   last   mentioned  constitutes   a  book   of  nearly   two 

229 


230  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

hundred  pages.  Each  of  these  books  has  exceeded  in  size 
the  one  preceding  it,  and  as  Mr.  Miller  is  still  a  compara- 
tively young  man — he  was  born  at  Elizabethville,  Pa.,  in 
1 87 1 — and  as  there  seems  to  be  no  decrease  in  the  demand 
for  his  work,  a  large  production  may  still  be  expected 
from  him. 

In  ancestry  he  is  of  Wiirtemberg  stock  on  his  father's 
side,  while  on  the  mother's  side  he  traces  his  descent  from 
German  and  English  stock,  the  latter  in  direct  line  from 
the  family  of  Mary  Ball,  the  wife  of  Augustine  Washing- 
ton and  the  mother  of  George  Washington. 

The  dialect  was  the  only  spoken  language  he  knew  when 
he  entered  school  at  ten  years  of  age,  for  though  he  read 
English  as  taught  at  home,  he  did  not  understand  English 
when  addressed  by  the  teacher.  It  was  the  dialect  poems 
also,  especially  those  of  Harbaugh,  that  were  his  favorite 
recitations  at  school  on  Friday  afternoons.  The  fre- 
quency with  which  he  recited  these  and  the  consequent 
fluency  he  acquired  obtained  for  him  invitations  to  recite 
also  before  the  pupils  of  the  high  school.  This  was  his 
nearest  approach  to  the  high  school.  The  tones  of  Har- 
baugh struck  a  responsive  chord  in  his  own  heart,  and 
presently  thoughts  akin  to  those  began  trooping  through 
his  own  brain  and  urged  him  to  give  them  tuneful  form. 
He  has  told  me  how,  at  dead  of  night,  he  often  wakes  up 
with  the  substance  of  a  poem  ringing  through  his  brain,  and 
how  he  cannot  sleep  until  he  gets  up  and  has  committed  it 
to  paper. 

His  first  productions  were  nevertheless  in  English,  and 
the  very  first  ones  he  published  are  contained  in  an  artistic 
little  volume  entitled  "Harmonies  of  the  Heart"  which 
is  literally  the  work  of  his  own  and  his  wife's  hands,  even 
to  setting  the  type,  printing,  sewing,  binding  and  embel- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         231 

lishlng — for  above  all  other  things,  poet  in  English  and 
the  dialect,  writer  of  prose  in  the  dialect,  writer  on  sub- 
jects connected  with  local  history  (he  has  contributed  sev- 
eral series  to  the  home  paper  The  Elizabethville  Echo  and 
to  several  papers  in  Harrisburg) ,  business  man  and  secre- 
tary of  the  local  board  of  trade — above  all  this,  he  is  an 
artistic  printer  and  a  maker  of  artistic  books.  This  first 
book  brought  him  unsolicited  letters  of  praise,  among 
others  from  Dr.  Marden,  of  Success  Magazine,  and  Dr. 
Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

His  first  work  in  the  dialect  he  announced  as  a  volume 
of  Pennsylvania-Dutch  Poems  on  a  wide  range  of  subjects 
bearing  on  the  daily  experiences  and  philosophies  of  "  our 
folk."  In  the  second  impression  he  changed  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  to  Pennsylvania  German,  whereupon  the  Pennsyl- 
vania-German Magazine,  and  all  those  who  are  sensitive 
on  this  point  applauded.  The  book  is  professedly  humor- 
ous and  the  reviewer  in  the  Pennsylvania-German  Maga- 
zine assured  his  readers  it  was  "just  the  thing  to  drive 
away  the  blues,"  as  in  a  private  letter  the  editor  speaks  of 
having  read  it  to  his  wife,  "who  laughed  until  the  tears 
came."  There  are  some  of  course  who  have  "  laughed 
at  it "  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  said  of  it  what  Hans 
Breitman  puts  down  as  the  criticism  of  his  first  book  by 
"  a  Boston  Shap  "— 

Dough  he  maket  de  beoples  laughen 
Boot  dot  vas  only  all. 

Hans  Breitman's  reply,  put  Into  the  mouth  of  a  Dutch- 
man, is  equally  appropriate  here: 

Twas  like  the  saying  dat  Heine 
Haf  no  witz  in  good  or  bad 
Boot  he  only  kept  saying  witty  dings 
To  make  beoples  peliefe  he  had. 


232  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Indeed  our  author's  wit  Is  generally  as  spontaneous  and 
free  as  it  was  when  as  a  boy  he  had  been  compelled  to 
listen  to  a  long  and  tedious  sermon  by  a  new  parson  and 
at  the  end,  when  the  preacher  closed  the  book,  he  inquired 
"  Hut  aer  now  sell  gros  buch  darch  g'lasa  ?  "  Mr.  Miller 
has  at  times  anticipated  the  latest  witticisms  in  our  metro- 
politan humorous  journals.  The  present  writer  was  ex- 
amining the  files  of  papers  published  some  ten  years  ago, 
containing  some  articles  by  Mr.  Miller.  The  same  even- 
ing he  purchased  a  copy  of  the  latest  number  of  Life 
and  was  amused  to  find  in  it  cartoons  for  which  the  Penn- 
sylvania German  he  had  been  reading  might  have  fur- 
nished the  text.  The  identity  extended  even  to  the  figures 
of  speech  and  the  same  sort  of  things  were  held  up  to  ridi- 
cule. 

"  Literature,"  says  George  E.  Woodberry,  "  is  an  art 
of  expression,  the  material  it  employs  is  experience  .  .  . 
it  endeavors  to  represent  experience  through  the  medium  of 
language  and  bring  it  home  to  the  understanding  of  the 
reader.  It  is  obvious  that  literature  makes  its  appeal  to 
the  individual  and  is  intelligible  only  so  far  as  the  indi- 
vidual is  able  to  comprehend  its  language  and  interpret 
the  experience  imbedded  there."  It  is  because  our  author 
has  in  satiric,  humorous  vein  portrayed  that  which  ap- 
peals to  all  who  know  Pennsylvania  Germandom  that  he 
is  popular.  For  instance,  in  every  district  where  his  book 
was  read  people  recognized  their  own  Billy  Bloseroar, 
who  goes  down  to  the  crossroads  store,  day  in  and  day 
out,  crosses  one  leg  over  the  other  and  with  a  long  face 
declares  he  has  never  had  a  show  at  all. 

"  Yah  "  sagt  er  "  grawd  fer  zwanzich  yohr 

Bin  ich  do  alle  dawg  am  schtore, 
Un  ward  geduldich  far  en  chance, 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         233 

Joe  Hustler  iss  now  sel  net  wohr — ? 

"Jah,"  sagt  der  Joe 

"  Du  huscht  ken  show 
Du  warscht  success  aw  net  bakondt 
Wan's  maul  juscht  schofscht  un  net  die  hondt." 

"  Di  hussa  sitz  is  blendy  proof, 

Dass  du  ken  chance  huscht  in  der  Weldt, 
Du  bischt  farflommt  gaduldich,  yah, 
Gaduld  iss  ken  exchange  far  Geld," 
So  sagt  der  Joe 
"  Du  huscht  ken  show, 
Except  am  loafa  dawg  un  nacht " 
No  hen  die  loafers  all  gelacht. 

Wherever  this  selection  has  been  read,  people  have 
named  the  character  described;  this  spells  universality,  at 
least  in  so  far  as  this  word  may  be  used  at  all  when  a  com- 
paratively small  number  of  people  make  up  the  world  he 
describes.  This  is  why  Mr.  Miller's  selections  in  prose 
and  verse  have  been  copied  by  the  papers  in  every  dialect- 
speaking  county  in  the  state — over  fifty  of  them.  Under 
date  of  June  27,  1908,  the  Center  Democrat,  of  Bellefonte, 
Pa.,  wrote:  "We  find  that  our  people  greatly  appreciate 
reading  these  selections  and  as  our  supply  Is  about  ex- 
hausted we  should  like  to  hear  If  you  have  anything  more 
to  offer."  April  17,  1907,  Hon.  Chas.  B.  Spatz,  editor 
of  the  Berks  County  Democrat  and  Der  Boyertown  Bauer, 
said:  "  Have  been  a  great  admirer  of  your  work  and  have 
used  selections  frequently  In  our  columns.  We  are  more 
than  anxious  to  read  all  you  write."  In  book  form  they 
have  found  their  way  as  far  south  as  Texas,  west  as  far 
as  Nevada,  north  to  Canada,  and  east  to  New  Hampshire; 
In  fact,  wherever  Pennsylvania  Germans  have  gone. 

His  verses  "  Augawanet", 


234  T"^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Es  war  amohl  en  certain  kolb 

Dos  rum  gsucht  hut  far  ufenholt. 

Un  dorrich  bush  und  hecka  rum 

Hut's  kolb  en  pawd  gemocht  gons  grum, 

have  a  wider  application  than  Pennsylvania  German;  as  he 
goes  on  and  tells  how  that  crooked  path  became  in  turn  a 
dog's  trail  and  a  cow's  path,  a  foot  path  for  pedestrians 
who  swore  about  it  but  did  not  make  a  straight  one,  then 
a  lane,  a  village  built  around  it,  there  arise  before  our  eyes 
pictures  of  large  cities  which  are  no  sooner  visited  by  great 
fires  or  earthquakes  than  they  begin  to  plan  to  simplify  a 
system  of  narrow  crooked  streets.  His  own  application, 
to  be  sure,  is  more  general : 

In  dere  weldt  dun'  blendy  leit, 
Im  olda  waig  fort  doppa  heit. 

Grawd  we  far  oldars,  shrift  un  sproch 
Un  a  kolb  macht  ma  onner  noch. 

It  should  be  added  that  this  poem  is  an  adaptation 
from  the  English. 

The  Star  Independent,  Harrisburg,  has  already  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  his  thoughts  are  not  confined  to 
those  who  ordinarily  express  themselves  in  Pennsylvania 
German,  but  have  elements  that  are  universal. 

The  amusement  which  the  present  writer  has  seen  play 
on  the  features  of  parson  and  flock  on  the  occasion  of  the 
reading  of  the  poem  beginning 

Won  der  Porra  coomt 

Waerdt  rum  gejumpt 
De  euchre  deck  waerdt  g'schwindt  ferbrennt 
Es  hymnbuch  un  es  Teshtament 
Obg'schtawbt  un  uf  der  dish  garennt, 

Won  der  Porra  coomt 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  235 

has  indicated  all  too  plainly  that  the  author  had  known 
whereof  he  had  written. 

Another  type  he  is  fond  of  taking  off  is  the  man  who  Is 
always  ailing  during  the  busy  season  of  the  year,  but 
always  recovers  by  the  time  the  picnic  season  comes 
around.  He  laughs  at  those  who  are  the  easy  marks  of 
the  "garrulous  but  shrewd  and  persistent  '  BIcher  Agent' 
who  plays  so  successfully  with  the  vanity  of  his  would-be 
customer."  This  poem  in  particular  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  Richard  Helbig,  of  the  Lenox  Library,  New  York 
City,  and  from  him  I  have  quoted  almost  all  of  the  above 
sentence. 

Of  the  dissatisfied  farmer  he  concludes  a  short  poem 
thus: 

Wun's  immer  dawler  waetza  ware 

Un  het  ken  toxa  un  egshpense 

Don  ware  de  geld  kischt  nemohls  lare 

Und  Bowera  hetta  aw  en  chance. 

In  1650  an  unknown  poet  in  Augsburg  wrote  in  similar 
strain : 

Das  Bauer  werck  ist  nix  mehr  wert 

Der  Handel  hat  sich  bald  verkehrt, 

Ist  nix  dabei  als  Miih  und  Gschwar, 

Wolt,  das  der  Teuffel  ein  Bauer  war. 

Other  points  of  similarity  might  be  pointed  out;  thus  do 
the  satirists  through  all  the  ages  find  it  necessary  to  ham- 
mer on  the  same  old  failings  of  humanity. 

On  the  other  hand,  our  author  is  full  of  real  joy  in  the 
beauties  of  nature,  whether  she  manifest  herself  in  the 
blooming  of  the  flowers,  the  waving  of  the  golden  grain, 
the  singing  of  the  birds,  the  patter  of  children's  footsteps 
or  the  prattle  of  their  voices,  but  he  has  no  patience  with 


236  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

the  thoughtless  " back-to-the-country  movement"  of  those 
who  think  they  may  enjoy  its  bounties  without  paying  the 
proper  price. 

Wie  sees  is  doch  die  summer  tseit 

Es  Paradies  fum  yor! 
En  Himmel's  bild  fer  ola  leit 

Wu  awga  hen  dafor. 

Wos  pikters  salt  met  uf  de  bame 

Mer  kent  net  won  mer  wut 
Sel'r  Rambo  farba  naksht  so  sha 

Sel  war  de  bond  fun  Got. 

O,  mei  hartz  klupt  dos  es  brumd 
Now,  wun's  free  yohr  wid'r  kumt. 

Ich  sa  es  nuch,  mei  lewas  kint 

Un's  dut  mer  laed  im  hartz 
Bin  shoor  in  Paradies  er  findt 

Ken  hung'r,  pein  un  schmartz 
Doch  war's  mer  leeb  un  grosa  lusht 

Un  O!    Got  wase  we  fro 
Het  ich  mei  bebeli  uf  da  brusht 

War  juscht  mei  engli  doh! 

Oh,  de  tswa  klana  shu-  supposin  ich  het 

Sie  nimma  um  ufa  do 
Un  ken  kleene  fees  im  trundle  bet 

Wie  bid'r  war's  lava  demo! 

He  extemporizes  in  masterful  variations  on  the  general 
theme  of 

Die  weldt  is  nimme  we  se  wore 
En  hunnert  yohr  zurick. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         237 

1810. 

Der  Bower  nemt  sei  Beev'l  uf 
Un  las'd  ols  owets  ous  em  Buch 
De  fraw  hukt  bei  un  singt  en  shdick 
Un  So'  un  Duchd'r  singa  mit 

Recht  orndlich. 
1910. 

Der  Bower  grikt  Fildelfy  "  news  " 
Full  marderei  fun  kup  zu  foos, 
De  Beev'l  's  shtawwich  uva  druf 
De  fraw  gookt  fashion  bicher  uf 
De  duchd'r  shbeeld  de  drumb'l  boks 
Mit  weisa  hend  we  gips  un  woks 
Der  So  we  in  de  city  blets 
Shmoh'd  lawda  neg'l  cigarets 

Gons  shondlich. 

Yet  he  is  not  a  laudator  temporis  acti  to  the  extent  of 
wishing  the  good  old  days  back;  he  Is  no  pessimist,  he 
would  merely  sound  a  warning: 

Ei,  wps  en  hunnert  yor  duch  mocht 
Farenaring  we  dawg  un  nacht 
Bei  Bower  un  bei  ola  leit. 

Mer  winsht's  aw  nimma  we's  mol  wor 
Duch  man'd  mer's  is  a  bis'l  g'for — 
Leit  werra  in  a  hunnert  yohr 
Tzu  weldlich  un  zu  Gotlos  g'sheit. 

One  of  Mr.  Miller's  very  best  poems  was  no  doubt  sug- 
gested by  Tennyson's  "  Ring  Out  Wild  Bells  " : 

Ring'd,  bella  ring'd. 
Far  fraed  uf's  Nei  Yohr  he 
Far  bessra  dawga  forna  drous 
Un  freindlicher  we  de; 


238  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society, 

Far  man'r  leeb  und  wennich'r  shond 
Far  weinch'r  shdreid  un  mae  farshtond 
Un  darch  aweck  en  besser  lond 
Ring'd,  bella  ring'd. 

Dol'd  bella  dol'd 

Ous  la'd  far'n  moncha  seeza  shtund 
Wu  forhar  unser  war 
Ous  sorya  fer  ferlawra  zeit 
Far  ni'dra  driks  un  klan'r  shbeit 
Un  folshhad  g'shwisha  chentlelelt 
Dol'd,  bella  dol'd. 

Ring'd  bella  ring'd 
Kaling  a  ling,  ka  long 
Ringt's  olt  Yohr  nous  mit  sorg  und  lad 
Uns  Nei  Yohr  rei  mit  g'sung. 
Ring'd  far  en  Shtondhoft  menlichkad 
Rind'd  loud  mit  lushd  und  fraed 
Far  freeda  und  garechtichkaed 
Ring'd,  bella  ring'd. 

Likewise  in  parody  he  has  given  many  happy  renderings. 
I  have  not  yet  spoken  of  the  philosophy  he  develops  for 
himself;  how  amid  complaints  of  too  much  of  this  and 
too  much  of  that,  in  our  complex  life, 

Nix  in  der  welt  dos  guter  farshtond 
Kann  alles  darrich  mocha. 

He  dilates  on  the  pleasures  to  be  drawn  from  a  corncob 
pipe — Mei  alte  Krutza  Pife;  on  the  beauty  of  accepting 
things  as  they  come,  Mer  Nemts  we's  kumt — and  finally 
locates  Heaven  itself: 

Dale  schwetza  fum  Himmel  we  en  lond  wide  aweck 

En  blotz  das  ner  nix  waes  derfun, 
Wu  die  leit  all  gechanged  sin  fun  juscht  cumner  dreck 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         239 

Un  sin  Engel  und  fliega  dart  rum. 
Si'e  sawga  sis  arriyets  ivver'm  say 

En  mechtiger  lunger  weg  fart, 
Wu  niemond  sich  kenna  kon  bis  mer  schier  denkt 

Die  Leit  sin  all  foreigners  dart. 

So  mochts  net  feel  aus  ware  schwetzt  odder  sucht 

Far  die  awich  und  sees  harlichkeit 
Der  Himmel  is  net  im  Geography  Buch 

Ovver  naigscht  bei  em  Hartz  vun  de  Leit 
Wun  mer  breederlich  lebt  wie  die  Schrift  sagt  mer  set 

Iss  mer  harlich  und  alles  geht  gude 
Un  won  em  de  g'sundheit  derno  aw  net  fehlt 

Iss  der  Himmel  grawd  unnich  em  Hut. 

In  his  prose  selections  he  usually  writes  on  some  timely 
subject — politics,  flying  machines,  woman  suffrage,  the 
comet;  on  abstract  subjects^ — pride,  church-going,  but, 
whatever  the  subject,  he  as  a  rule  sends  the  truth  straight 
home,  making  an  appeal  direct  to  his  own  people,  who 
accept  well-merited  rebuke  in  good  grace  because  admin- 
istered by  one  of  their  own  number  and  because  the  sar- 
castic comment  Is  mingled  with  such  playful  humor  that 
It  Is  often  difficult  to  tell  whether  the  writer  is  In  earnest 
or  only  making  game. 

On  certain  questions  that  have  become  the  subject  of 
great  national  agitation,  the  dialect  writers  are  working 
hand  In  hand  with  the  great  metropolitan  papers.  To 
mention  but  one  example — on  a  sane  celebration  of  the 
Fourth  of  July,  To  a  number  of  poems  on  this  subject 
in  my  possession,  our  author  has  an  essay  In  prose.  An- 
other of  this  writer's  subjects  Illustrates  how  the  dialect 
adapts  Itself  to  modern  English  slang — Die  Nei  Runzel  Im 
Schpella.  When  he  applies  to  the  dictionary  that  they 
propose  making,   he  is  In   danger  of  getting  such  stuff 


240 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


palmed  off  on  him  as  government  reports  tell  him  he  is 
really  getting  at  the  store  nowadays  when  he  imagines  he 
is  purchasing  pure  groceries — a  wonderful  mixture  of  un- 
mentionable stuff  "Ovver  ich  denk  die  nei  Runzel  im 
Shpella  wart  gae  wie  fiel  onnera  so  narheita." 

The  present  writer  asked  him  what  had  been  the  mov- 
ing cause  in  leading  him  to  do  this  sort  of  work,  and  he 
modestly  phrased  it  thus:  "My  purpose  in  writing  has 
been  chiefly  to  meet  a  local  demand  for  such  literature, 
which  demand  seems  to  have  been  created  after  it  became 
known  that  new  matter  of  the  kind  could  be  manufactured 
at  home.  The  first  selections  were  written  out  of  a  spirit  of 
humor,  impulsively,  and  when  the  editor  asked  for  more, 
the  mill  was  kept  running."  M.  D.  Learned  has  referred 
to  Miller's  work  as  a  valuable  contribution  to  Pennsyl- 
vania-German literature. 


m 

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26.   Charles  C.  More. 

Bibliography. 
Allentown  Friedensbote. 
Allentown  Weltbote. 
Pennsylvania-German  Magazine. 
Correspondence. 

A  literature  may  be  produced  or  a  literary  work  come 
into  existence  which  owes  very  little  if  anything  to  other 
writings  or  writers  of  the  same  or  preceding  times  but,  as 
Kipling  says, 

When  'Omer  smote  his  blooming  lyre 
E'd  heard  men  sing  by  land  and  sea, 

and  for  that  reason,  no  doubt,  he  is  Homer  and  not  one 
of  the  forgotten  ones  who  "  sang  by  land  and  sea."  As  a 
general  rule,  if  the  writer  has  the  power  of  assimilation, 
the  wider,  the  broader  and  the  deeper  his  acquaintance  with 
other  writers  and  other  literatures,  the  better  it  will  be 
for  his  own.  And  if  he  be  a  writer  of  dialect  an  ac- 
quaintance with  other  dialects  and  dialect  writers  operates 
in  the  same  way.  Now  the  writers  of  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
man, many  of  them,  did  have  some  such  acquaintance; 
Harbaugh  was  a  student  of  the  South  German  Hebel  and 
also  of  the  Scotch  Burns,  Fischer  had  particularly  studied 
i6  241 


242  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Schandein  and  translated  a  number  of  Nadler's  poems, 
Wuchter  had  lived  abroad  and  knew  German  dialects  as 
well  as  a  number  of  the  dialects  of  the  French  language, 
but  in  many  instances  the  dialect  literature  of  Pennsyl- 
vania shows  a  lack  of  originality  and  an  imitative  quality 
that  are  due  to  a  shallow  knowledge.  A  smattering  of 
the  rules  of  English  versification  and  a  desire,  with  not 
always  a  capacity,  for  rhyming  are  often  the  too  thin 
excuse  for  making  a  poem.  In  prose  it  Is  especially  clear 
that  many  newspaper  writers,  who,  to  be  sure,  never  al- 
lowed their  real  names  to  be  coupled  with  the  names  under 
which  they  wrote — were  but  poor  Imitators  of  Rauch. 

Charles  C.  More  had  opportunities  that  were  not  vouch- 
safed to  any  other  writer  of  Pennsylvania  German,  and  he 
did  not  fail  to  take  advantage  of  them.  He  was  born  in 
AUentown  In  1851;  his  paternal  ancestor  had  come  from 
Alsace  Lorraine,  on  his  mother's  side  they  were  from 
Switzerland.  Her  father,  Jacob  Blumer,  familiarly  known 
as  Father  Blumer,  was  the  second  Reformed  preacher  at 
AUentown,  and  It  was  during  his  Incumbency  as  pastor 
there  that  the  "  Liberty  Bell "  was  buried  under  the  floor 
of  his  church  to  save  it  from  the  hands  of  the  British,  who 
occupied  Philadelphia. 

At  AUentown  More  attended  the  public  schools,  and 
later  the  Seminary,  where  he  studied  Latin  under  Hon. 
Jeremiah  S,  Hess.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to 
Europe  and  studied  in  Berlin  and  taught  German  and 
French  In  Geneva,  Switzerland,  and  In  England,  remaining 
In  Europe  nine  years.  In  1876  he  returned  to  America, 
but  the  same  year  went  back  to  Europe  again  and  was  ap- 
pointed clerk  of  the  American  legation  at  Berlin,  then 
under  Bayard  Taylor,  and  remained  ten  years.  On  his 
second  return  to  America  he  entered  upon  the  editorial 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  243 

staff  of  the  Weltbote  and  Friedenshote  at  Allentown  and 
remained  fourteen  years,  after  which  he  entered  the  service 
of  the  Victor  Talking  Machine  Company  in  the  capacity 
of  translator,  and  is  still  employed  there. 

While  in  Europe  he  had  become  familiar  with  different 
German  and  French  dialects;  these  he  was  wont  to  com- 
pare with  his  own  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  and  as 
he  did  so  he  became  convinced  that  it  had  as  good  a  right 
to  be  as  the  best  of  them ;  he  felt  it  ought  to  have  its  Fritz 
Reuters,  its  Klaus  Groths,  its  Berthold  Auerbachs  or  Her- 
mann Nadlers.  With  Berthold  Auerbach  he  was  per- 
sonally acquainted  and  he  believed  that  Pennsylvania 
might  have  such  dialect  writers  if  as  honest  and  as  patriotic 
an  effort  were  made  to  foster  the  dialect  as  dialect  writers 
were  fostered  abroad.  It  was  with  thoughts  like  these  in 
mind  that  he  began  in  a  desultory  way  to  write  dialect 
stories  for  the  Friedenshote.  Among  a  large  number  of 
contributions  to  that  paper  may  be  mentioned  "  Vergewe," 
"Unser  Kongressman,"  "Weil  sie  Nachbare  warn,"  and 
"Wie  Krieg  gemacht  werd."  From  the  start  his  news- 
paper stories  were  different  from  the  common  lot  of  such 
writings.  Of  the  latter  he  said:  "  Our  dialect  is  deserving 
of  a  better  fate  than  to  be  bandied  about  in  buffoonish 
attempts  at  humor  with  an  aimless  motive  and  a  doubtful 
tendency,"  and  he  cites  H.  A.  Schuler  (elsewhere  treated 
in  this  volume)  who  was  at  that  time  employed  in  the 
offices  of  the  Weltbote  as  agreeing  with  him  on  this  point. 
After  the  latter  took  editorial  charge  of  the  Pennsylvania- 
German  Magazine  More  began  to  give  more  serious  at- 
tention to  his  dialect  stories,  even  deferring  to  the  editor 
in  the  matter  of  spelling,  though  he  often  differed  with 
him.  More's  stories  are  not  newspaper  letters  but  genu- 
ine "Short  Stories"  in  the  technical  sense;  in  this  sense 


244  ^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

More  is  the  first  and  only  story  writer  the  Pennsylvania- 
German  dialect  has,  but  his  productions  have  a  quality 
that  at  once  puts  their  author  among  the  best  of  those 
who  have  tried  their  hand  at  dialect. 

"  Der  Wiescht  Mann  vun  der  Flett" — The  Ugly  Man 
of  the  Lowlands — was  published  in  the  Pennsylvania-Ger- 
man Magazine.  "Die  Flett"  is  the  name  given  to  a 
level  stretch  of  land  in  Lower  Macungie,  Lehigh  County, 
Pa.,  in  which  large  quantities  of  iron  ore  were  mined  thirty 
or  forty  years  ago.  It  was  a  mere  coincidence  that  the 
man's  name  was  Wiescht,  but  he  was  possibly  as  ugly  in 
appearance  as  it  was  possible  for  a  man  to  be,  but  he  had 
the  kindness  of  heart  which  nature  often  grants  to  such 
creatures  by  way  of  compensation.  In  addition  to  all  the 
rest  he  had  been  attacked  by  smallpox  and  left  with  fear- 
ful pockmarks.  He  worked  in  the  ore  mines  and  was 
teased  about  his  appearance  as  never  man  was.  But  all 
that  he  would  reply  was :  "  Yes,  fellows,  my  face  may  not 
be  goodlooking  but  it  has  cost  me  much,  perhaps  more 
than  life  itself  is  worth,"  and  with  that  would  return  to 
his  work,  and  he  could  work  as  no  other,  and  as  only  a 
man  who  had  wicked  or  sad  thoughts  to  drive  away  would 
work.  Charges  were  made  that  he  was  trying  to  "  make 
up  "  to  the  boss,  but  he  lived  this  down,  for  he  was  as 
uncommunicative  to  the  latter  as  to  his  fellow  workers. 
At  even  when  the  rest  of  the  miners  sat  about  and  chatted 
he  was  busy  about  his  hut  or  locked  up  in  it  and  reading. 
One  day  the  boss  brought  a  lad  to  the  mines,  a  boy  who 
had  come  to  the  neighborhood  with  a  band  of  gypsies,  and 
put  him  to  work  by  Wiescht's  side  to  drive  a  cart,  and 
quartered  him  in  Wiescht's  cabin — Fred  Schmerger.  But 
Wiescht  paid  no  attention  until  one  day  the  boy  came  back 
with  his  cart  singing  as  a  boy  would,  in  a  clear  tone,  an 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  245 

old  familiar  song,  whereupon  Wiescht  started  up,  his  eyes 
bulged  from  their  sockets,  his  red  face  became  redder,  as 
he  looked  at  the  lad,  then  he  reeled  and  clutched  at  his 
heart.  His  fellows  ran  to  his  assistance,  but  quickly  re- 
covering his  composure  he  went  back  to  his  shovel  and 
worked  harder  and  faster  than  he  had  ever  done  before, 
if  such  a  thing  were  possible.  As  to  the  meaning  of  it  all, 
his  companions  were  no  wiser  than  before  except  to  note 
the  change  that  came  over  Wiescht.  From  that  day  on 
he  was  all  attention  to  the  boy;  he  taught  him  his  letters 
in  the  evening  by  lamplight,  he  bought  him  clothes,  he 
planned  to  give  him  an  education,  to  send  him  away  to 
school. 

Toward  the  miners  he  too  became  different,  talked  with 
them,  told  them  of  his  plans,  even  became  friendly  to  an 
Italian  that  worked  in  his  gang,  at  times  burst  out 
singing  with  a  voice  that  was  only  more  ugly  than  his  ugly 
face — then  one  day,  the  boy  backed  in  his  cart  and  in- 
advertently backed  it  over  the  Italian's  foot;  flying  into  a 
passion  the  Italian  drew  a  knife  and  attacked  the  boy. 
Wiescht  threw  himself  between  the  boy  and  the  knife  and 
in  saving  the  boy's  life,  gave  up  his  own.  When  the  boy 
was  sufficiently  calmed  to  tell  his  tale  it  was  learned  that 
the  boy's  mother  and  Wiescht  had  been  engaged  but  when 
she  saw  his  face  as  the  smallpox  had  left  it,  she  took  back 
her  plighted  word.  Wiescht  became  a  wanderer  and 
finally  landed  at  the  mines.  She  married  one  Schmerger, 
the  lad's  father.  The  boy  ran  away  from  home  with  a 
band  of  gypsies  and  finally,  tiring  of  that  existence,  came 
to  the  mines,  where  the  boss  received  him  and  quartered 
him  with  Wiescht.  The  song  of  the  lad  was  the  voice  of 
Wiescht's  sweetheart,  and  when  he  looked  on  him  more 
he  saw  the  features  of  her  face.     For  the  sake  of  her  who 


246  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

had  not  been  true  to  him,  WIescht  devoted  himself  to  the 
boy,  making  for  him  even  the  great  sacrifice,  giving  his 
life  for  him. 

This  is  the  slender  thread  of  More's  story,  a  plot  with 
which  we  may  not  quarrel,  for  it  is  a  true  story.  In  the 
case  of  a  true  story  we  can  only  find  fault  with  him  who 
tells  it,  if  he  selected  one  to  tell  which  does  not  have  in  it 
elements  that  make  it  interesting,  and  it,  therefore,  does 
not  differ  from  any  sort  of  fact  as  a  newspaper  might 
chronicle  it,  or  again,  if  in  the  telling  he  did  not  embellish 
it  with  such  characteristics  as  would  permit  us  to  name  the 
product  literature,  and  our  author  did  so  adorn  it.  It  is 
almost  impossible  to  make  illustrative  selections  of  More's 
writings.  The  simplicity  and  the  purity  of  his  dialect  is 
of  a  uniformly  high  order,  there  is  only  a  minute  percent- 
age of  English  words,  and  yet  in  the  hands  of  More  it  is 
not  merely  a  means  for  narrating  events.  There  is  nar- 
rative, but  there  is  also  description,  now  of  the  rustic  and 
again  of  the  purely  poetic  type;  there  is  philosophizing, 
there  is  pathos,  there  is  humor.  The  whole  story  moves 
with  its  changing  colors  in  a  way  that  satisfies  the  rules  of 
the  "Short  Story"  writing  game.  And  the  author  has 
put  his  imagination  into  it,  for  the  searcher  after  exact 
facts  of  the  life  of  Nathan  Kebler,  of  Jackson  Center, 
Lehigh  County,  Pa.,  will  find  it  slightly  different  from  the 
above  sketch;  yet  our  story  is  almost  true  to  Goethe's 
canon:  "Alles  Erlebtes  aber  nicht  wie  es  erlebt  wurde." 
"  Ich  hab  juscht  gedenkt  es  debt  sche  so  sounde,"  is  the 
author's  excuse  for  the  license  he  has  taken. 

Note  this  bit  of  rustic  description,  the  homely  figures 
that  belong  to  genuine  dialect : 

Er  war  en  derrer,  langer  Mann  mit  arrig  grossa  Hand  und 
ferchtcrlicha  Fiess.     Sei  magerer,  knochiger  Kop  hot  am  a  dinna, 


■  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         247 

langa  Hals  schier  grad  vun  da  Schultera  naus  g'schtanna,  wie  en 
Knartza  am  a  Fenzarigel.  Sei  Backaknocha  hen  sich  rausg'schowa 
wie  die  Hifta  am  a  derra  Gaul,  un  sei  Backa  ware  ei'g'falla  wie 
an  ra  Geig.  Sei  Maul  hot  schier  bis  an  sei  flabbige  Ohra  gereecht ; 
sei  Haut  was  so  brau  wir  en  g'schmokter  Schunka,  so  runzlig  wie 
en  gederrte  Quitt  un  so  voll  Parplamohler  as  en  Sib  is  mit  Lecher. 
Awer  sei  Nas  erscht!  Wie  die  Nadur  a'g'fanga  hot,  sei  Nas  zu 
macha,  hot  sie  wul  ah  net  gewisst  wann  ufzuherra.  War  des 
awer'n  Kolwa,  un  dazu  war  sie  noch  feierrot!  Sie  hot  em  grad 
gemahnt  an  en  grosser  Fingerhut,  mit  Lewer  gedeckt;" 

and  then  this  philosophy: 

Es  is  awer  kee  Mensch  alliwer  wiescht,  juscht  so  wennig  wie  er 
alliwer  schee  is.  Die  Nadur  gebt  uns  Menscha  immer  ebbes  mit 
for  sei  Ding  gleich  zu  macha.  Ma  wieschta  Mensch  gebt  sie 
gemeenerhand  en  gut  Herz  un  ma  scheena  Mensch  alsemol  en 
Herz  as  net  juscht  so  gut  is.  Viel  wieschta  Leit  hen  oft  ebbes  an 
sich,  as  sie  viel  schenner  gucka  macht  wie's  schenscht  G'sicht  sie 
gucka  macha  kennt.  Viel  scheena  Leit  hen  alsemol  Wege  an 
sich,  as  sie  wieschter  gucka  macha  as  der  alt  Harry.  So  war's 
juscht  beim  Johann  Wiescht.  Er  hot  en  paar  Aage  g'hot  as  so 
trei,  sanft  un  gutmietig  in  die  Welt  nei  geguckt  hut,  do  hot  mer 
seller  Feierkolwa  vun  ra  Naus  ganz  vergessa.  Mer  hot  gemeent, 
mer  deet  ma  kleena  Kind  in  die  Aage  gucka;  's  Herz  is  em  dabei 
weech  warre,  un  mer  het  en  gleicha  kenna  wie  sei  eegner  B  ruder 
odder  beschter  Freind — wann  er  em  gelosst  het!  Sei  Aage  hen 
awer  immer  so  traurig  un  betriebt  gaguckt  as  wann  sie  sich  uf  en 
Art  wie  schamma  deeta,  zu  so  ma  wieschta  G'sicht  zu  g'heera. 

Mark  these  words  full  of  pathos : 

Ja,  Ja,  Buwa !  Mei  G'sicht  is  wul  net  schee,  awer  es  hot  mich 
viel  gekoscht,  arrig  viel.  Es  hot  gewiss  meh  gekoscht  as  mei  ganz 
Lewe  wert  is,  gewiss  es  hot,  viel,  viel  meh.  Dann  is  er  widder 
an  die  Erwet  un  hot  g'scheppt  un  gegrubbt  as  wie  wann  er  arrig 
beesa  un  traurige  Gedanka  vertreiwa  wot.  Mer  hot's  em  a'g'sehna, 
dass  ebbes  in  seinra  Bruscht  schafft  as  wie  en  Bump,  un  darnoh  sin 


248  The  Pennsylvania-Gerfnan  Society. 

als  paar  Treena  an  seinra  langa  Nas  runner  geloffa  uf  die  Grund- 
sholla.     Awer  dann  hot  er  erscht  recht  g'schafft! 

And  this  ascent  to  real  poetry : 

So  is  der  Summer  verganga.  'S  Schpotjohr  hot  die  Blatter 
brau  g'farbt;  der  kalt  Wind  hot  sie  vun  da  Beem  gerissa  un 
rumher  g'schtreet. 

But  no  other  quahty  lends  so  much  to  giving  the  story 
value,  nothing  gives  so  much  credit  to  the  author  as  the 
sustained  excellence  of  the  dialect,  which,  whatever  mood 
it  has  as  to  color,  is  always  no  more  and  no  less  than  the 
Pennsylvania-German  dialect,  simple  and  pure. 

In  an  entirely  different  vein  he  has  written  "  En 
wieschter  Draam." 

Geschter  war  ich  noch  g'sund  un  munter,  heit  lei  ich  do  un  bin 
doot!  Ich  hab  immer  gemeent,  wann  mer  mol  doot  war  dann 
deet  mer  nix  meh  vun  sich  wissa;  awer  do  lei  ich,  bin  doot  un 
wees  es,  un  kann  es  doch  net  helfa.  Alsemol  meen  ich,  ich  war 
juscht  schei'  doot  un  deet  bal  widder  zu  mer  kumma ;  noh  is  mer's 
als  widder  as  wann  mei  Geischt  iwwer  mer  Schwewe  deet  un  deet 
mich  recht  draurig  a'gucka,  weil  mer  so  g'schwind  vun  nanner 
missa.  .  .  .  Was  ich  awer  gar  net  begreifa  kann  is  das  ich  nau 
alles  viel  besser  sehn  un  versteh  as  wie  ich  noch  gelebt  hab.  Ich 
kann  jo  grad  in  die  Menscha  nei  sehna  un  ihra  Gedanka  lesa.  Do 
is  mei  Frah  .  .  .  un  dann  der  Coroner  un  die  Tschury.  .  .  .  Nau 
kummt  der  Undertaker.  .  .  .  Die  Nochbera.  .  .  . 

The  thoughts  of  all  of  these  he  turns  over  in  half  playful 
fashion.  On  the  edge  of  the  grave  the  coffin  turns  turtle 
and  falls — "Bums!  Was  g'happent  is?  Ei  du  bischt 
aus'm  Bett  g'falla,"  says  his  wife.  "Noch  dem  soil  sie 
mer  awer  ken  Lewer  meh  brota  for  Supper! " 

"Es  Wash  Heller's  ihra  Grischdagszug"  and  "Der 
Hexedoktor  "  are  two  others  that  run  the  whole  gamut  of 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  249 

family  joys  and  sorrows,  in  both  of  which  happiness  prop- 
erly triumphs  in  the  end. 

The  last  one  to  be  mentioned  here,  and  probably  his  mas- 
terpiece, "  Die  Kutztown  Mail,"  is  a  sort  of  German 
"Evangeline"  with  its  last  scenes  staged  in  "  Drexler 
Schtattel" — "Es  war  im  Johr  1858  as  die  Mag  in  en 
gleenes  Blockhaus  gezoge  is  as  von  der  Union  Kerrich 
iwwer  die  Schtross  gestanne  hot.  Sellemols  hot  noch  en 
schoner  Busch  um  sel  Hausel  gschtanne  un  der  Weg  noch 
Kutztown  is  zwische  der  Kerch  un  sellem  Busch  vorbei 
gange  wie  heut  noch." 

The  man  who  moved  her  and  her  belongings  into  the 
house  did  not  get  much  information  out  of  her  as  to  her 
previous  history,  and  curious  neighbors  who  tried  to  draw 
her  out  got  a  sharp  answer  and  no  satisfaction.  "  Die  alt 
deitsch  Mag  wie  die  Leit  sie  gheesa  hen  hot  juscht  ee 
Freed  uf  der  Welt  ghat — der  Union  Kerrichhof." 

Wann  sie  net  im  Busch  ghockt  hot  un  hot  geleesa  un  gedromt, 
dann  war  sie  im  Kerrichhof  un  hot  an  da  Grewer  rum  gschaflft — 
un  ah  gedromt,  odder  iwer  die  Leit  gscholta,  as  ihra  Dodta  vergessa 
un  vernachlesige.  "  Sis  arrig,"  hot  sie  als  for  sich  hiegebrummt 
wie's  hergeht  uf  da  Welt.  Do  heila  die  Menscha  un  dowa,  wann 
ebber  schterbt,  un  da  meh  as  sie  heila,  da  gschwinter  weschen  die 
Dhreena's  Adenka  aus  em  Sinn — grad  wien  Schtarm,  da  wieschter 
as  er  dobt  da  gschwinter  is  er  vorbei!  Des  do  sin  awer  nau  mel 
Dodta,  un  ich  vergess  sie  net,  awer  Bluma  blanz  ich  ihna,  un  ich 
mach  den  Kerrichhof  so  schee,  as  es  en  Freed  is,  zu  schterwa  un  do 
begrawa  sel;  un  wann  ich  dann  ah  mel  Ruh  findt,  dann  geh  ich 
zu  Ihna  schlofa,  un  dann  bllehen  die  Blume  ah  for  mich;  un  ebbes 
secht  mer,  dann  falla  ah  von  da  Bletter  uf  sei  Grab. 

Then  she  would  draw  a  little  picture  on  a  gold  chain 
from  her  bosom,  and  a  few  tears  would  roll  down  her 
cheeks  and  she  would  sit  and  dream  until  disturbed  by  the 


250  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

approach  of  the  Kutztown  mail  "  Fer  die  Mag  hut  juscht 
ee  Druvvel  g'hat — die  Kutztown  Mail."  The  driver  of 
this  coach  was  Ignatz  Martin,  a  person  "luschtig  wie's 
eener  gewa  hot,  so  lang  as  er  um  Leit  rum  war..  War  er 
awer  allee  so  hot  er  oft  da  Kop  henka  lossa  un  hot  Seifzer 
ausgschtossa  as  en  arrig  schweres  Herz  verrota  hen." 
And  he  too  would  at  times  draw  a  picture  from  some- 
where in  the  region  of  his  heart  and  gaze  at  it  long  and 
gloomily,  then  suddenly  stick  it  away  again  and  begin  to 
whistle  or  sing  as  though  afraid  to  be  sad. 

Now  the  end  of  our  story  is  clear  or  pretty  nearly 
clear;  and  so  it  soon  is  with  most  stories,  we  no  longer 
need  to  turn  to  the  last  chapter  to  find  out  what  the  end 
will  be,  and  so  it  has  become  the  artist's  task  to  keep  us 
interested  not  by  the  end  itself  but  by  the  method  of 
reaching  that  end.  Nor  are  we  disappointed  in  our  story 
teller  here. 

It  so  happened  that  Mag  felt  a  particular  aversion  to 
the  fish  horn  that  Natz  blew,  and  also  that  he  soon  learned 
of  this  and  blew  it  all  the  louder  as  he  approached  her 
house.  Now  one  day,  late  in  summer,  she  had  prepared 
herself  to  teach  the  scoundrel  manners;  and  when  she 
heard  him  approach  she  rushed  to  the  street  brandishing 
a  little  club,  and  shaking  her  fists  at  the  coach  that  was 
coming  nearer,  when  suddenly  she  became  very  tired  and 
sank  down  on  a  bank  neath  a  rose  bush,  as  though  she 
would  choke ;  then  a  mist  formed  before  her  eyes  and  out  of 
the  mist  a  hand  seemed  to  show  her  pictures  out  of  the  past. 
She  saw  herself  a  school  lass,  blue-eyed,  rosy  cheeked, 
happy;  then  she  saw  another  picture  of  a  green  field  with 
flowers  growing  all  around  and  a  young  fellow  with  a  stu- 
dent's cap  who  has  just  adorned  her  hair  with  flowers  and 
demanded  a  kiss  and  a  race  through  the  fields,  the  capture 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         251 

and  the  delivery  of  the  not  unwelcome  kiss ;  then  another 
happy  one  and  she  saw  a  betrothed  pair  and  she  put  out 
her  hand  as  though  she  would  grasp  it,  then  followed  a 
dark  one  in  which  there  was  disturbance  in  the  land  and 
people  talked  much  about  Equality,  Liberty  and  Frater- 
nity. In  the  name  of  that  Equality  people  persecuted 
each  other;  they  drove  each  other  out  of  the  country  in  the 
name  of  that  Liberty  and  in  the  name  of  that  Fraternity 
they  shot  each  other  and  over  it  all  they  wrote  Civiliza- 
tion, but  the  v/orld  calls  it  the  Revolution  of  1848.  Then 
followed  another  picture  of  darkness  and  she  stood  by  the 
side  of  a  young  man  and  dressed  him  in  women's  clothes 
and  said  goodbye,  for  he  had  stood  up  for  the  people,  but 
the  government  had  been  stronger.  In  another  dark 
night  she  herself  starts  after  him  to  America  to  find  him, 
and  also  to  save  herself,  for  she  had  aided  a  Revolutionist. 
Now  a  long  dark  road  stretched  out  before  her,  ever  one 
face  is  before  her,  leading  her  hither  and  thither  until  at 
last  she  sees  herself  only  a  shadow,  and,  too  tired  to  move 
further,  she  sinks  down,  her  eyes  still  fixed  on  that  coun- 
tenance, then  her  head  droops  on  her  breast  and  the  white 
hand  out  of  the  mist  smooths  out  the  wrinkles  from  her 
brow  and  removes  the  melancholy  look  which  grief  and 
unsatisfied  longing  had  put  into  her  eyes. 

Da  Wind  hot  paar  Rosabletter  runner  gebrocht  un  hot  sie  uf 
ihra  Schulter  gelegt,  un  die  letschta  Schtrahla  von  da  Owedsunn 
hen  die  Farb  ufgfanga  un  hen  sie  uf  ihra  Backa  gdhu  un  hen  sie 
so  schee  un  herrlich  un  zufridda  gucka  macha,  wie  sellemols,  wie  er 
sie  gfrogt  hot,  eb  sie  sei  wer  un  gepischpert  "  Ewig  dei!  "  Un  wie 
sie  nanner  ihra  Picters  gewa  un  ewiga  Drei  gschwora  hen." 

While  the  pictures  were  passing  before  her  eyes  the 
coach  had  rapidly  come  up  and  Natz  was  ready  to  have 
his  fun  with  Mag,  cracks  the  whip,  gives  a  shout,  blows 


252  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

the  horn  that  the  woods  reecho  the  sound,  for  he  sees  her 
sitting  ahead  prepared  to  give  him  a  warm  reception.  But 
as  they  go  flying  by,  a  doctor  who  is  a  passenger  calls  on 
Natz  to  stop — "  Do  is  ebbes  letz."  He  makes  an  exam- 
ination and  pronounces  her  dead.  They  carry  her  into 
the  house  and  a  picture  falls  from  her  neck.  On  a  dresser 
they  find  a  bundle  of  papers  and  because  they  seem  to  be 
written  in  German  they  are  passed  on  to  Natz.  He  opens 
and  the  first  that  comes  into  his  hand  is  a  printed  card 

Ignatius  Michael  Martin 

und 

Margaretha  Johanna  Reitz 

Verlobte 

Freiburg  in  Baden,   den   lyten  September  1847. 

and  with  a  "  Barmherziger  Gott,  finde  ich  meine  Gretel 
so "  he  reels,  staggers  to  the  porch,  falls  and  is  dead. 
The  papers,  when  finally  read,  told  briefly  her  story,  in- 
cluding the  long  years  of  fruitless  search  for  each  other  in 
America  as  they  had  promised  each  other  and  how  she  had 
finally  purchased  a  lot  in  this  cemetery  in  the  hope  that 
there  in  a  forgotten  grave  she  might  find  the  rest  not 
vouchsafed  her  in  life.  She  had  further  expressed  the 
conviction  that  her  Ignatz  would  find  her  there  and  then 
they  would  be  together  in  the  grave.  "  Sie  hen  die  Zwee 
neewich  nanner  begrawa,  un  so  hot  die  Mag  doch  recht 
ghat  wie  sie  geprophezeit  hot:  '  Dann  falla  fun  da  Blatter 
ah  uf  sei  Grab.'  " 

To  have  written  such  a  story  and  in  the  purest,  truest 
dialect  is  its  own  argument  and  ought  effectually  to  satisfy 
all  who  doubt  the  capacity  of  the  dialect  or  the  ability  of 
its  writers.  More  has  said  that  dialect  stories  can  be 
written  which  hold  the  mirror  up  to  Nature,  and  we  need 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         253 

not  stoop  to  vulgarisms  to  attract  attention,  for  the  dialect 
combines  that  much  vaunted  Irish  wit  with  the  good  old 
homely  German  humor;  we  need  only  be  imbued  with  an 
honest  pride  in  our  ancestry  and  their  language,  and  then 
the  dialect  will  live  by  its  own  momentum.  More  has 
done  more  than  an  ordinary  man's  share  to  make  it  live. 

He  has  also  written  poetry;  in  a  few  poems  he  chron- 
icles witty  incidents  out  of  child  life,  "  Der  Tschelly- 
schlecker"  and  "Unschuldig  G'schtrofft."  In  probably 
his  best  one,  entitled:  "Die  Schatta  uf  der  Krick,"  he 
writes: 

An  der  Lecha  haw  ich  g'sotza 

Un  in  die  Wella  g'schaut. 
Um  mich  rum  hen  Vegel  g'sunga 

Un  Neschter  sich  gebaut. 
Ihra  Schatta,  wie  die  Wolka 

Sin  g'schwumma  uf  der  Kirck, 
Dann  in  weiter  Fern  verschwunna; 
Doch  ihr  Lied,  des  blieb  zurick. 

Then  after  several  stanzas  of  musing  he  questions: 

Wie  werd  es  dann  mit  mir  mol  geh, 

Wann  ich  ah  nimme  bin 
Wann  ich  muss  heemwarts  wandra 

Ins  Schattaland  weithin? 
Werd  ah  mei  Bild  so  schwewa 

Dann  versinka  aus'm  Blick? 
Der  Dood,  der  dann  mei  Schmerz  fartnemmt, 

Losst  er  mei  Lied  zurick? 

To  which  unanimously  ought  to  be  given  the  comforting 
answer,  yes.  More,  your  songs  will  live,  but  your  stories 
have  a  stronger  claim  and  deserve  to  live  longer  even  than 
your  songs. 


27-    Elwood  L.  Newhard. 

Bibliography. 
Home's  Manual. 
Allentown  Chronicle. 
Reading  Herald. 
Philadelphia  Inquirer. 
Pittsburg  Dispatch. 
Lancaster  New  Era. 
Lebanon  News. 
Allentown  Call. 
Correspondence  and  Interviews. 
Libretto  of  Pennsylvania-German  Pinafore. 

On  May  25,  1878,  the  Opera  Comique  In  London  saw 
the  premiere  of  the  second  one  of  the  Gilbert  and  Sullivan 
Light  Operas  that  was  destined  to  have  a  wide  popular- 
ity, "H.  M.  S.  Pinafore."  It  had  a  straight  run  of  994 
nights  in  London  before  the  public  ceased  to  be  amused. 
On  the  25th  of  November,  1878,  it  was  sung  at  the  Bos- 
ton Museum  and  in  January,  1879,  in  New  York.  In 
the  autumn  of  1879  it  had  its  first  authorized  production 
in  New  York,  the  authors  themselves  coming  from  London 
to  assist  in  the  direction,  and  on  December  i  it  was  sung 
in  the  Fifth  Avenue  Theater.  It  took  the  popular  fancy 
in  America  as  it  had  done  in  England  and  year  after  year 
company  after  company  went  on  the  road  to  sing  it,  but 
even  this  was  not  enough  to  satisfy  lovers  of  light  song. 

254 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  255 

Musical  directors  with  dramatic  talent,  or  a  musical  direc- 
tor accompanied  by  a  person  who  was  skilfull  in  develop- 
ing latent  histrionic  talent,  travelled  about  the  country 
organizing  and  training  local  companies  for  home  pro- 
ductions. The  vogue  was  nation-wide  and  in  San  Fran- 
cisco "H.  M.  S.  Pinafore"  was  burlesqued  as  "His  Mud 
Scow  Pinafore,"  and  this  too  had  its  share  of  the  glory  as 
produced  by  the  San  Francisco  Minstrels.  Moreover,  the 
favor  the  opera  enjoyed  was  not  of  the  fleeting  kind.  Re- 
peatedly it  has  been  revived  and  that  too  by  such  distin- 
guished leaders  as  Maurice  Grau  and  Henry  Savage  in 
1908  and  the  Schuberts  in  191 1. 

It  remained  for  Alfred  Charles  Moss  and  Elwood  L. 
Newhard,  of  Allentown,  to  translate  almost  all  of  it  into 
the  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  as:  " H.  M.  S.  Pinafore, 
oder  Das  Maedle  und  ihr  Sailor  Kerl "  and  to  produce  it 
with  such  success  that  all  of  eastern  Pennsylvania  wanted 
to  hear  it,  that  Elwood  L.  Newhard,  who  assumed  the 
role  and  created  the  character  of  Sir  Joseph  Porter, 
K.C.B.,  the  Dutch  Admiral,  entered  the  professional  field 
in  other  light  operas  under  the  management  of  Moss, 
that  later  Messrs.  Aschbach  and  Alexander,  theater  man- 
agers of  Allentown,  put  a  professional  company  on  the 
road  to  sing  Pennsylvania-Dutch  "  Pinafore "  with  El- 
wood L.  Newhard  in  the  role  that  he  had  created.  The 
latter  carried  it  into  practically  every  theater  city  of  the 
state  with  unvarying  success.  Newhard  has  sung  the  part 
of  Sir  Joe  as  an  amateur  and  as  a  professional,  with  local 
companies  and  with  travelling  companies  both  amateur 
and  professional,  more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty  times, 
and  the  several  songs  at  public  and  private  gatherings  and 
at  local  entertainments  for  charitable  purposes  numberless 
times. 


256  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

The  translation  was  a  collaboration,  but  of  a  peculiar 
kind;  Moss  was  a  musician,  a  composer  and  director,  and 
while  he  understood  the  dialect  he  did  not  speak  It;  on  the 
other  hand  Newhard  was  a  Pennsylvania  German  whose 
ancestors  had  come  from  Germany  almost  fifty  years  be- 
fore the  Revolution,  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
dialect,  was  a  singer  and  had  had  considerable  experience 
as  a  stage  manager.  Moss's  chief  Interest  was  in  getting 
singable  lines.  Night  after  night  did  Moss  and  New- 
hard  sit  together  trying  out  this  phrase  and  that,  one 
method  and  another,  of  rendering  the  songs  of  "  Pina- 
fore," always  seeking  the  expression  that  they  could  sing 
best  without  being  too  scrupulous  about  how  literal  it  was; 
they  did  not  hesitate  sometimes  to  say  the  exact  opposite 
of  the  original  where  an  opportunity  offered  to  make  a 
joke  but  they  did  not  deviate  from  the  main  theme,  and 
their  translation  easily  admitted  of  having  the  libretto 
printed  in  parallel  columns  with  the  original  English  ver- 
sion. In  order  to  get  the  point  of  view  of  the  translators 
it  is  necessary  to  remember  that  they  called  their  work 
a  burlesque  translation,  and  to  note  that  their  object  was 
to  give  their  audience  the  songs  of  the  opera  in  Pennsyl- 
vania German,  and  good  fun  in  the  dialogue.  The  dia- 
logue was  translated  largely  for,  and  probably  mostly  by, 
Newhard  himself. 

A  brief  sketch  of  Elwood  L.  Newhard  Is  necessary  here 
in  order  to  understand  better  the  manner  of  the  transla- 
tion. 

Elwood  L.  Newhard,  who  was  born  in  Allentown  in 
1858,  was  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  three  Newhard 
brothers  who  came  to  this  country  from  Rotterdam  in  the 
ship  St.  Andrew  In  1737;  and  on  September  26  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  before  John  Logan,  president  of  the 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         257 

colony.  They  had  come  from  Zweibriicken,  where  an 
earlier  ancestor,  who  had  been  armorer  to  the  Emperor 
Frederick  Barbarossa,  had  received  an  estate  from  that 
ruler. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Allentown,  learned,  and  for  a  time  followed, 
the  trade  of  cigarmaker,  but  his  youthful  ability  as  a  con- 
tortionist and  trapeze  performer,  his  ability  as  a  joke- 
smith  and  a  funmaker  soon  led  him  toward  the  profession 
that  devotes  itself  to  affording  entertainment  and  amuse- 
ment to  others.  As  a  mere  boy  he  joined  Stone  and  Mur- 
ray's circus,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  Monroe  and  Willing's 
Minstrels  and  later  organized  and  travelled  with  Stevens' 
Minstrels.  Returning  to  Allentown  in  1880,  he  became 
the  next  year  proprietor  of  the  Snyder  House,  in  1883 
produced  "Pinafore,"  the  next  year  entered  upon  his 
career  as  an  actor  and  light  opera  singer,  became  manager 
of  the  Fountain  Hill  Opera  House,  South  Bethlehem,  and 
with  G.  C.  Aschbach,  of  Allentown,  manager  of  the  East- 
ern Pennsylvania  Circuit;  subsequently  he  became  an  ad- 
vertising agent  of  the  Jersey  Central  Railroad;  entering 
politics,  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Courts  when  Lehigh 
County  for  the  first  time  in  its  history  elected  a  complete 
Republican  county  ticket. 

Since  the  close  of  his  professional  career  there  has  not 
been  a  single  year  that  he  has  not  appeared  in  minstrel, 
vaudeville  or  other  local  entertainment  for  the  benefit  of 
some  lodge,  or  church,  but  most  frequently  for  the  relief 
of  the  poor.  It  is  said  that  in  proportion  to  his  means 
he  has  given — having  raised  by  entertainment — more 
money  than  any  other  person  in  the  city.  On  such  occa- 
sions he  appears  as  endman  in  popular  darkey  songs  or  as 
"our  own  Dutch  Comedian"  in  Hans  Breitmann  Ballads, 

17 


258  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

or  better  yet  Pennsylvania-German  "  Pinafore  "  selections, 
or  In  Pennsylvania-German  parodies  of  his  own  composi- 
tions In  which  he  takes  off  local  characters  or  local  events. 
In  all  of  these  events  he  is  the  contortionist  over  again; 
when  he  rises  and  pulls  his  face  awry  or  strikes  an  atti- 
tude the  house  begins  to  titter,  and  when  he  opens  his 
mouth  to  say  something  it  usually  "  brings  down  the 
house." 

It  was  in  his  younger  days  that  the  people  began  to  ex- 
pect him  to  say  the  funny  thing  in  an  odd  way  and  to  ac- 
company It  with  the  unusual  posture  or  gesticulation.  This 
situation  must  have  been  In  mind,  at  least  subconsciously, 
when  he  and  Moss  made  their  translation. 

To  Illustrate  from  the  very  first  song  In  Pinafore : 

Mir  fahren  auf  der  meer; 
Unser  schiff  is  shay  un  shteady; 
M'r  drinken  nix  oss  beer 
Un  m'r  sinn  aw  immer  ready, 

is  not  an  exact  translation  of 

We  sail  the  ocean  blue. 

And  our  saucy  ship's  a  beauty, 

We're  sober  men  and  true,  ,    . 

And  attentive  to  our  duty, 

yet  the  first  two  lines  are  as  nearly  an  accurate  version  as 
necessary,  the  third  line  would  be  the  utterly  unexpected 
to  those  familiar  with  the  English,  and  those  who  were 
not  would  look  upon  it  as  the  traditional  thing  to  be  said 
of  a  Dutchman  and  both  would  be  surprised  by  the  way  In 
which  the  clever  translation  of  the  fourth  line  seems  to 
refer  to  the  preceding  one.  A  still  greater  surprise  was 
In  store  for  all  when  the  same  song  recurred  In  a  different 
part  of  the  opera  and  after  the  first  lines  with  slight  varia- 
tion for  rhyme : 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  259 

Mir  fahren  auf  der  say, 
Unser  schiff  is  shay  un  shteady 

there  follows  with  more  and  more  emphasis  to  the  end  of 
the  line 

M'r  drinken  nix  oss  tay 

Un  m'r  sin  aw  immer  ready. 

The  recitative  after  the  opening  chorus  is  changed  Into 
a  dialogue  which  brings  out  the  same  facts  of  the  story; 
Little  Buttercup's  aria  is  a  pretty  close  translation, 
although  for  rhyme's  sake  some  of  the  objects  she  offers 
for  sale  are  differently  arranged;  English  Toffy  and  Pol- 
ony very  properly  become  American  Taffy  and  Bologna, 
while  one  or  two  untranslatable  names  or  possibly  names 
that  would  not  fit  Into  a  line  are  very  naturally  replaced 
by  German  Schnitz  un  Kaduffla. 

In  the  dialogue  that  follows  we  discover  more  of  the 
method  of  translation.  A  long  English  speech  sometimes 
could  be  better  expressed  by  a  short  one  in  the  dialect,  and 
vice  versa,  an  English  joke  or  pseudo  ponderous  expres- 
sion often  could  not  be  turned  and  was  omitted;  on  the 
other  hand,  a  dialect  witticism  could  sometimes  be  rung  In 
where  there  was  none  In  English,  while  the  last  line  of 
the  second  dialogue  where  Buttercup  says  "  Ha  that  name, 
remorse,  remorse  "  warns  us  that  from  this  time  forth  our 
translation  will  be  macaronic,  some  of  the  spoken  parts  as 
well  as  some  of  the  songs  not  having  been  translated  at  all. 
When  the  captain  enters  and  says  "  My  gallant  crew — 
Good  Morning"  the  sailors  respond  with  "  Gude  Morya." 
When  he  sings  "I  am  the  Captain  of  the  Pinafore"  they 
respond  In  an  excellently  turned  line  "Un  'n  nummer  ains 
Cap  bisht  du  "  as  rendering  "  and  a  right  good  captain 
too."  Throughout  the  captain's  opening  song  he  sings 
altogether  In  English  while  the  responses  of  the  sailors  are 


26o  The  Petinsylvania-German  Society. 

sometimes  in  dialect  and  sometimes  in  English,  thus  the 
captain's 

You're  exceedingly  polite 
And  I  think  it  only  right 
To  return  the  compliment 

becomes  in  the  response 

Mir  sin  iveraus  polite 

Un  er  mehnt  es  wer  yusht  right 

Wen  er  uns  aw  compliment, 

while  the  last  chorus  remains  English: 

Hardly  ever  swears  a  big  big  D 

Then  give  three  cheers  and  one  cheer  more 

For  the  well-bred  captain  of  the  Pinafore. 

The  interlocution  that  follows  the  captain's  statement 
that  he  "  never  swears  a  big  big  D  " 

Sailors — ^What  never? 
Captain — No,  never! 
Sailors — What  never? 
Captain — Hardly  ever. 

and  which  is  repeated  several  times  in  the  course  of  this 
song  becomes  very  happily 

Sailors — Was  Gar  net? 
Captain — Nay,  Gar  net. 
Sailors — Was,  Gar  net? 
Captain — ^Well,  sheer  gar  net. 

The  words  with  which  the  captain  announces  Sir  Joseph 
Porter,  K.C.B.,  in  the  dialect  are  better  calculated  to  put 
emphasis  on  the  coming  of  that  exalted  personage  than 
the  words  of  the  original;  instead  of  "Now  give  three 
cheers,  I'll  lead  the  way"  he  announces  "Do  kummt  der 
Jo,  Now  geb  drei  cheers."     The  first  words  the  latter 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         261 

sings  as  introducing  himself  affixed  themselves  perma- 
nently to  Elwood  L.  Newhard  as  identifying  him  with  the 
character  to  which  he  gave  origin  "  Ich  bin  der  Kaynich 
fun  der  meer."  In  the  second  stanza  we  are  introduced 
to  still  another  feature  of  the  rendering  of  the  translation 
and  that  is  the  use  of  the  Hans  Breitmann  style  of  "  Dutch 
dialect"  when  he  sings: 

Ven  at  enker  here  I  ride 

My  buzzum  swells  mit  bride 

Und  I  snep  my  fingers  on  der  foeman's  taunts. 

Immediately  after  this  comes  the  famous  dialect  song: 

Wie  ich  als  noch  en  krutzer  war 

Hov  ich  offis  getend  for  en  lawyers  paar,  etc., 

which  is  reprinted  in  the  later  editions  of  Home's  Manual 
under  the  capdon  "  wie  der  Woody  Newhard  es  als  singt." 
At  the  same  place  is  an  illustration  showing  the  stage  set- 
ting for  the  reception  of  the  "Ruler  of  the  Queen's 
Navee,"  "  un  sei  schwester  un  sei  cousins  un  sei  aunts." 
From  this  time  on,  although  by  far  the  larger  part  of 
the  opera  is  in  the  Pennsylvania-German  dialect,  the 
audience  never  knows  when  a  speaker  may  reply  in  Eng- 
lish, when  the  chorus  may  sing  a  response  or  a  stanza  in 
English  or  when  a  solo  or  a  single  stanza  of  a  solo  may 
be  in  English,  or,  if  Sir  Joe  sings  or  speaks,  whether  it  is 
going  to  be  in  Pennsylvania  German  or  in  the  Hans  Breit- 
mann style.  Sir  Joe  is  true  to  his  character  and  never 
lapses  into  pure  English;  his  skilful  use  of  the  Hans  Breit-' 
mann  style,  and  the  use  of  exaggeration  for  the  purposes  of 
burlesque,  might  be  illustrated  by  the  way  he  renders 
"Away  with  him;  have  you  such  a  thing  as  a  dungeon  on 
board"  which  becomes  "Got  oud;  haf  you  got  such  a 
ding  as  a  benitentiary  on  board?"     The  rule  of  transla- 


262  The  P ennsylvania-German  Society. 

tions  seems  to  have  been  to  use  Pennsylvania  German  in 
all  cases  where  it  lent  itself  to  translation  and  where  it 
did  not  to  let  the  others  retain  English  but  make  Sir  Joe 
use  the  Hans  Breitmann  type.  The  translators  showed 
good  sense  in  tacitly  confessing  that  not  everything  in  the 
English  language  can  be  translated  into  the  Pennsylvania- 
German  dialect. 

But  the  highest  triumph  of  Pennsylvania-German  *'  Pina- 
fore "  was  not  so  much  its  translation  as  its  presentation. 
The  best  musical  and  dramatic  talent  of  Allentown  was 
searched  out,  and  early  in  1883  it  was  produced  and  be- 
came an  amazing  success.  Among  others,  besides  Moss 
and  Newhard,  who  contributed  to  its  success,  we  find  G.  C. 
Aschbach,  all  his  life  connected  with  the  theater  in  Allen- 
town,  who  was  manager;  A.  N.  Lindenmuth,  now  the 
well-known  photographer,  who  was  stage  artist  and  took 
the  part  of  leader  of  the  marines;  Samuel  C.  Schmucker, 
now  professor  at  the  West  Chester  State  Normal  School 
and  widely  known  as  a  lecturer.  In  the  character  of  Ralph 
Rackstraw;  Benjamin  Sadtler,  Jr.,  son  of  Professor  Sadt- 
ler,  of  Muhlenberg  College,  and  himself  later  a  dlstin- 
guised  educator,  as  Dick  Deadeye ;  while  among  the  rest  as 
well  as  among  the  sixty  members  of  the  chorus  appear 
such  names  as  Schock,  Eckert,  Shankweiler,  Hersh,  Leh, 
Pretz,  Barber,  Werley,  and  dozens  of  other  names  promi- 
nent in  the  business  and  social  life  of  the  city. 

But  the  success  of  the  production  was  not  confined  to 
Allentown;  all  eastern  Pennsylvania  wanted  to  hear  it,  and 
town  after  town  did  hear  it;  when  presented  at  South 
Bethlehem  a  high  official  of  the  Bethlehem  Steel  Com- 
pany gave  a  banquet  to  Newhard  and  his  company  "  un  sei 
schwester  un  sei  cousins  un  sei  aunts  "  and  entertained  them 
at  his  house.     It  now  became  the  custom  for  the  towns  to 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         263 

furnish  the  chorus  and  Newhard  the  company,  thus  in 
Reading  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  that  city  furnished 
the  chorus  and  the  huge  pretzel  (Reading)  filled  with 
peanuts  (Allentown),  which  was  presented  to  Newhard 
after  the  performance,  showed  how  completely  he  had 
captured  the  affections  of  the  rival  city.  At  a  testimonial 
banquet  tendered  his  company  some  time  later,  each  mem- 
ber was  presented  with  a  copy  of  the  libretto  bound  in 
Russia  leather  and  inscribed  as  follows : 

Reading,  May  18,  1883. 
In  presenting  this  libretto,  the  Philharmonic  Society,  through 
its  managers,  takes  this  method  of  showing  its  appreciation  and 
extending  its  hearty  thanks  and  well  wishes  to  the  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen  who  so  kindly  and  ably  assisted  in  the  production  of 
this  very  popular  and  pleasing  Opera  of  Pinafore  in  Pennsylvania 
German. 

May  your  ship  be  "  immer  shteady  " 
In  your  voyage  through  life's  "  say  " 
When  your  time  comes  "  alfert  ready  " 
By  drinking  "  Nix  oss  Tay." 

W.  S.  Miller 
D.  P.  ScHLOTT  F.  S.  Jacobs 

D.  C.  Clous  G.  L.  Kestner,  Jr. 

I.  Y.  Spang  A.  Snavely 

When  Newhard,  under  the  management  of  Moss,  went 
on  the  professional  stage  with  a  play,  "  Professor  Gold- 
schmidt,"  written  by  Moss  for  Newhard,  the  venture  was 
capitalized  on  the  success  of  "  Pinafore  "  and  Newhard 
was  everywhere  advertised  as  he  of  the  Dutch  Admiral 
fame,  or  as  creator  of  the  role  of  Sir  Joseph  Porter, 
K.C.B.,  in  Dutch  "  Pinafore." 

When  Moss  entered  upon  another  field  of  activity, 
Messrs.  Aschbach  and  Alexander,   theater  managers  of 


264  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Allentown,  commissioned  Newhard  to  organize  a  profes- 
sional company  to  sing  Dutch  "  Pinafore."  Newhard 
was  now  confronted  with  a  different  task,  that  of  finding 
professional  singers  who  could  be  trained  to  sing  and 
speak  in  the  dialect.  He  realized  his  difficulty  and  tells 
how,  at  least  in  several  instances,  he  found  it  easier  to 
train  English-speaking  persons  to  a  proper  use  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania-German dialect  than  persons  who  knew  High  Ger- 
man and  not  the  dialect.  It  was  probably  with  this  com- 
pany that  a  Lebanon  critic  found  fault  for  not  handling 
the  dialect  correctly.  The  newspaper  clipping  from  which 
this  information  was  culled  was  not  dated,  but  it  is  hardly 
possible  that  it  referred  to  Newhard's  local  amateurs  on 
the  occasion  when  they  were  assisted  by  a  chorus  of  Leba- 
nonites. 

On  this  professional  tour  he  travelled  as  far  as  Pitts- 
burg; also  sang  at  Altoona,  Harrisburg,  Wilkesbarre, 
Scranton,  Pittston,  Shenandoah,  and  almost  every  theatre 
city  of  Pennsylvania.  "At  last  we  are  to  see  and  hear 
that  most  amusing  of  comic  operas.  Pinafore,  rendered  in 
this  city  in  the  Pennsylvania-German  vernacular  I "  ex- 
claims the  Lancaster  New  Era  when  the  period  of  training 
the  local  chorus  was  over  and  the  date  for  its  production 
was  announced,  and  its  musical  and  dramatic  critic,  after 
he  had  almost  exhausted  the  dictionary  for  figures  of 
speech  and  invective  for  abuse  of  the  dialect  as  a  dialect, 
admitted  that  the  audience  had  been  agreeably  disap- 
pointed in  getting  more  in  the  way  of  good  music  and  good 
acting  than  it  had  expected. 

Frequently  in  the  course  of  Its  many  revivals — it  has 
been  sung  for  upwards  of  thirty  years,  the  last  time  com- 
plete in  19 10 — it  roused  local  jealousies;  thus  in  1901, 
when  the  Reading  Herald  was  considering  ways  and  means 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  265 

for  keeping  Reading  to  the  front  while  Allentown  was 
pluming  herself  on  her  Dutch  "  Pinafore,"  the  Philadel- 
phia Inquirer  sagely  remarked :  "  In  a  certain  sort  of  way 
it  may  be  all  right  for  those  Reading  fellows  who  cannot 
sing  to  allude  with  doubtful  emphasis  to  the  '  beauty  '  of  the 
recent  performance  of  '  Pinafore '  in  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
man in  Reading,  but  after  all  what  does  that  count?  The 
silver  thread  in  the  cloud  for  the  Allentonians  is  that 
they  have  given  the  opera  four  times  in  their  city  and  once 
In  Reading  and  upon  every  one  of  those  occasions  they 
were  cordially  applauded.  Meanwhile,  what  has  Read- 
ing done  in  the  musical  line  that  exceeds  Allentown's  ef- 
fort? The  Inquirer  will  be  most  happy  to  chronicle  it, 
whatever  it  was." 

An  additional  element  in  the  funmaking  and  one  which 
depends  entirely  on  the  actor  was  improvisation.  New- 
hard  was  an  adept  in  bridging  that  narrow  chasm  that 
separates  the  sublime  from  the  ridiculous.  Thus  we  are 
told  that  in  the  scene  where  the  admiral  appears  in  all  the 
stateliness  of  his  exalted  rank,  as  he  scans  the  line  of 
seamen  drawn  up  on  the  stage  to  do  him  honor,  when 
everybody  in  his  august  presence  is  waiting  with  breathless 
impatience  for  the  first  words  to  fall  from  his  lips,  he  ad- 
dressed the  favored  star,  as  he  halted  before  him  and  sa- 
luted him,  with  the  words  "  Du  huscht  Zwiwwla  gessa  " 
and  evoked  shouts  of  laughter.  Moreover  he  was  always 
well  supplied  with  local  hits  and  "  take  offs "  on  well- 
known  characters  in  the  town  where  he  was  playing,  which 
his  quick  wit  enabled  him  to  inject  into  the  dialogue  at 
opportune  places  to  the  infinite  delight  and  amusement  of 
his  audience. 

Nevertheless  there  was  a  serious  side  to  it  all  and  there 
was  always  good  music  provided,  the  costumes  were  of 


266  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

the  finest  and  many  towns  confessed  that  none  of  the 
numerous  companies  that  went  the  rounds  with  "  Pinafore  " 
in  English  had  set  the  stage  so  splendidly  as  had  New- 
hard. 

It  remains  to  show  the  hold  that  Newhard  and  his  Dutch 
Admiral  had,  especially  on  the  local  operatic  following, 
by  quoting  an  incident  from  the  Allentomn  Chronicle: 
"  The  announcement  that  when  the  Robinson  Opera  Com- 
pany came  to  town  Wood  Newhard  would  sing  Dutch 
'  Pinafore,'  created  something  of  a  sensation.  It  is  a  long 
time  since  our  citizens  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  Sir  Jo 
in  Pennsylvania  Dutch,  it  will  be  a  charming  novelty  to 
hear  that  worthy  exclaim  '  Ich  bin  der  Kaynich  fun  der 
Meer.'  Now  if  Miss  Walker  could  only  sing  '  Ich  bin 
des  schae  glae  Buttercup] a'  what  a  remarkable  treat  that 
would  be." 

The  next  week  the  company  went  on  to  another  city  but 
"  Woody  "  went  back  to  his  duties  as  Clerk  of  the  Courts. 
A  number  of  times  during  the  period  when  "  Pinafore  " 
was  most  popular,  the  Allentown  theater  manager  put 
Newhard  on  to  sing  dialect  when  an  English  company 
was  on  the  circuit;  it  was  usually  in  response  to  regrets 
expressed  at  such  times  that  not  more  of  it  was  in  the 
dialect,  that  Newhard  was  induced  frequently  to  revive  it 
with  local  amateur  assistance.  Moreover,  his  ambition  is 
not  yet  satisfied;  after  singing  it  in  so  many  cities,  he  fain 
would  take  it  to  the  metropolis  of  the  state  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  he  should  not.  All  who  enjoy  the  Gilbert 
and  Sullivan  Opera  must  with  a  good  company  also  enjoy 
this  Pennsylvania-German  version,  while  to  the  multitudes 
in  our  cities  who  came  from  the  farms  and  smaller  towns 
of  eastern  Pennsylvania  it  would  be  a  rare  treat  to  hear 
the  familiar  dialect  of  their  youth  above  the  footlights. 


28.  Thomas  J.  B.  Rhoads. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Biographical  History  of  Berks  County.     Montgomery,  Chicago,  1909. 
Onkel  Jeff's  Reminiscences  of  Youth  and  Other  Poems,  Boyertown,  1906. 
Personal  correspondence. 
Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  V,  165. 

Dr.  Thomas  J.  B.  Rhoads,  of  Boyertown,  graduated 
from  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  In  1861 
and  shortly  after  that  entered  the  army  as  assistant  sur- 
geon. After  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  his  regiment  was 
mustered  out  and  he  returned  to  Boyertown,  where  he  has 
been  engaged  In  multifarious  undertakings,  drugs,  mines, 
insurance,  banks,  real  estate,  theaters  being  his  principal 
lines;  as  local  politician  and  as  a  member  of  local  frater- 
nities he  has  held  almost  all  offices  in  the  gift  of  his  friends. 
With  all  this  he  kept  up  for  fifty  years  an  extensive  prac- 
tise as  physician. 

It  was  while  making  the  rounds  of  his  patients  and  es- 
pecially when,  as  was  not  Infrequently  the  case,  he  had  to 
take  long  drives  of  eight  to  ten  miles  at  night  that  he 
"meditated  the  thankless  muse"  with  the  result  that  two 
volumes  of  verses  of  400  pages  each  gradually  formed 
themselves.  Those  called  *'  Onkel  Jeff's  Reminiscences  of 
Youth  "  are  for  the  most  part  in  English,  although  a  num- 

267 


268  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society, 

ber  are  In  dialect,  while  sundry  of  his  dialect  poems  have 
appeared  elsewhere  since   the  publication   of  the  books 

(1905)- 

One  of  his  earliest  effusions,  "  Die  Whiskey  Buwe,"  de- 
scribes all  the  excuses  drinkers  offer  as  they  step  up  to  the 
bar  and  explain  why  they  must  have  a  drink.  In  "  Das  Alt 
Achteckig  Schulhaus "  he  compares  the  three  months' 
school  in  the  year  with  the  present  systems  of  school  all 
the  year  round  and  day  and  night,  compares  the  simple 
curriculum  with  those  in  vogue  at  present,  which  include 
everything  from  buchtabiere  to  skriweliere,  philosophiere 
and  karassiere,  with  many  other  "  iere's,"  and  concludes 

Wann  mer  denkt  die  lange  Zelte 

Wu  sie  in  die  Schule  gehne 

Vun  sex  Johr  nuf  bis  zwanzig 

Sollt  mer  doch  gewiss  ah  mehne 

Sie  sotte  bessere  Laming  hawe, 

Sotte  g'scheidt  sei  wie  die  Parre  ^ 

Oft  mols  sin  die  hochst  gelernte 

Am  End  doch  die  grosste  Narre. 

In  "  Neue  Mode  "  he  seems  to  have  a  special  incident 
in  mind,  everything  is  changed  by  fashion's  decree,  even 
the  Lord's  Prayer  has  been  supplanted: 

Die  Sache  werre  ganz  verdreht 
Der  schwarz  Gaul  ie  en  Schimmel 
Fer  Kinner  nemt's  en  neu  Gebet 
Un  bald  en  neuer  Himmel. 

Probably  his  best  is  the  descriptive  poem  "  Es  Latwerg 
Koche  fer  Alters";  here  he  tells  the  story  in  greater  detail 
than  is  to  be  found  in  poems  on  the  same  subject  by  others, 
and  also  in  smoother  meters  than  is  his  own  wont. 


29-   Adam  Stump. 


Sources  of  Information. 

Correspondence  and  interviews. 
Pennsylvania  College  (students'  publication). 
Pennsylvania-German  Magazine. 

Adam  Stump  has  been  a  preacher  In  his  native  county 
of  York,  Pa.,  for  the  last  twenty-one  years,  after  having 
been  five  years  a  missionary  to  Nebraska,  before  which  he 
preached  four  years  In  York  and  Adams  counties.  The 
first  member  of  the  Stump  family  came  to  America  In 
17  lo;  several  other  lines  of  ancestry  he  traces  to  a  period 
nearly  as  early. 

After  leaving  the  farm  In  187 1,  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
he  studied  at  York  Academy;  taught  school  for  two  years, 
then  entered  the  Pennsylvania  College  at  Gettysburg  and 
upon  graduation  took  the  course  In  the  Lutheran  Seminary 
at  the  same  place. 

His  poems  are  all  based  on  personal  experience  or  were 
written  for  some  occasion.  Everything  seems  to  him  a 
symbol,  an  emblem  of  the  perishable  In  this  world  and  a 
reminder  of  the  grave  and  the  entrance  Into  the  next 
world.  So  even  the  "  Alt  Cider  Muehl  "  which  his  grand- 
father built,  and  the  processes  of  which  he  describes,  be- 

269 


270  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

comes  a  picture  of  the  grind  of  life  where  in  the  end 
nought  is  left  but  the  "  Dreeschtr." 

Adieu,  du  alte,  Hebe  Muehl, 
Du  gebst  mlr  jetzt  en  wehes  g'fuehl, 
Die  Lust  der  Kindheit  wie  des  Laub, 
Geht  mit  dir  zu  Aesch  un  Staub. 

Ganz  vermahle, 

Bis  an  die  Schale, 

Zehrt  uns  die  Welt, 

In  unser  Zelt, 
Un  dreibt  des  Lebe  in  des  Grab. 

In  "  Es  Haemelt  em  a' "  he  goes  back  to  the  old  home 
and  passes  from  one  to  the  other  of  the  scenes  of  child- 
hood: 

Dort  steht's  alt  Haus  am  Weg, 

Dort  is  des  Kammerlie, 

Dort  is  diesselbe  Schwell; 
Es  stehne  fremme  Fuesse  druf; 
Mer  schleicht  im  Zweifel  na'. 
Es  is  wie's  war,  un  doch  net,  gel  ? 
Doch  haemelt's  em  a' 
Es  haemelt  em  a'. 

Yet  with  all  the  old  Tamiliar  faces  at  the  old  home  gone 
and  with  names  of  mother,  wife  and  child  to  greet  him  as 
he  wanders  to  the  nearby  Gottesacker,  it  almost  makes  him 
feel  as  though  the  latter  place  had  the  stronger  attractions. 

Der  Todes  Acker  blueht; 

Mer  fuehlt  net  ganz  so  frem  in  dem. 

Ja,  Mutter,  Kind  un  Fra, 
Guck  wie  mer  jetzt  die  Name  sieht! 

So  haemelt's  em  a' 

Es  haemelt  em  a'. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         271 

Die  "  MamI  Schloft "  is  a  most  tender  effort  to  persuade 
the  heart  that  she,  whose  day  was  long  and  labor  sore,  is 
now  better  off  in  the  sweet  rest  of  eternity;  but  the  recol- 
lection of  all  that  she  meant  from  earliest  childhood  on 
brings  pangs  to  the  heart.  Her  "  Feierowet "  has  come 
and  she  lies  peaceful  on  her  bed  but  for  him  she  will  wake 
no  more. 

Die  Nacht  is  doh,  die  Drauer-Nacht : 

Es  hangt  en  Flohr  uf  meinra  Dhier; 
Die  Mami  schloft !     Der  Welt  ihr  Pracht. 

Is  ganz  vergange,  sag  ich  dir! 

Ihr  Aug  hot  mich  es  erscht  erschaut, 

Erscht  haw'  ich  ihre  Stimm  erhoert; 
Uf  sie  haw'  ich  die  Welt  gebaut, 

Ihr  Lewe  war  mir  alles  wert. 

Ihr  Dawg  war  lang,  Ihr  Arwet  schwer, 

Ihr  Pilgerreis  war  hart  un  weit, 
So  mied  war  sie,  un  matt  so  sehr, 

Die  Ruh  is  siess  in  Ewigkeit. 

Doch  Feierowet  is  jo  doh, 

Die  Mami  leit  in  ihrem  Bett, 
Im  Kaemmerli  schloft  sie  recht  fro, 

Dann  week  sie  net,  oh  week  sie  net! 

M'r  sagts  net  gern:  m'r  muss  es  duh; 

Des  Herz  es  hangt  an  seinem  Gut — 
M'r  guckt  noch  ee  Mohl — ^Jetzt  mach  zu! 

Die  Draehne  nemme  mir  den  Muth! 

Ihr  Aug  is  zu,  ihr  Mund  schweigt  schtill, 

Un  kalt  is  ihra  Herzens-quell. 
Dann,  gute  Nacht!     Mach's  wie  mer  will — 

Doh  muss  mer  saga  "  Ferrawell." 


272  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

"Es  Hofdehrle"  as  it  swings  back  and  forth  sings  a 
melancholy  tale.  By  it  entered  the  joyous  bride,  merry 
children  in  their  play  passed  in  and  out,  many  friends  and 
strangers,  rich  and  poor,  were  glad  to  enter  by  it  to  the 
home  where  all  were  made  welcome,  but  presently,  one 
after  another  in  sad  procession  all  passed  out,  never  again 
to  return. 

Die  Braut,  die  Kinner  un  der  Mann, 

Die  Bluma,  's  Grass,  der  Vogelsang, 
Die  Blatter,  Summer — alles  geht  als  ann! 

So  sing  des  Dehrle  dagelang. 

Es  schwingt,  es  singt  im  Summerwind ; 

Es  werd  ah  niemohls  matt  un  mied. 
Es  weint  un  greint  wie  en  verlornes  Kind, 

Un  jetzt  wcescht  du  mei  traurig  Lied. 

Es  geht  mol  uns  en  Dehrle  zu, 

Un  gar  vielleicht  im  Aageblick. 
Noh  gehna  mer  vun  Heem,  ja,  ich  un  du, 

Un  kumma  nie,  ja  nie  zurick. 

"  Die  Muttersproch "  is  a  heaping  up  of  reasons  why 
he  does,  as  he  ought  to,  love  the  speech  that  first  he  heard 
from  his  mother's  lips: 

Wie  kenne  mir  die  Liewe  Sproch, 

So  leichtsinnig  in  Stolz  verlosse! 
Der  alte  Strom,  so  noch  un  noch. 

Is  noch  net  ganz  un  gar  verflosse. 
Mer  henke  fescht  am  alte  Stam, 
So  wie  die  Braut  am  Brautigam. 

Latin  and  Greek  are  a  rusty  old  gun,  his  mother  tongue 
is  as  bread  and  salt,  the  blossom  never  forgets  the  dew  that 
fell  upon  and  nurtured  it,  the  grape  does  not  hate  the  vine, 
a  dog  does  not  bite  his  friend, 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         273 

O  Muttersproch  du  bischt  uns  Heb! 
In  deinem  Ton  is  seliger  Trieb. 

Ja  in  der  Schockel,  in  der  Lad, 

Bleibt  unsere  liewe  Sproch  dieselwe; 

he  knows  he  will  hear  it  even  when  he  gets  to  the  other 
shore, 

Oh  sanfte  deire  Muttersproch! 

Wie  Hunnig  fliesst  sie  darch  mei  Sinne! 
Un  wan  ich  mol  imm  Himmel  hoch 
Mei  scheene  Heemet  du  gewinne, 
Dann  beer  ich  dart  zu  meinem  Wohl 
En  Mutterwort — ja,  ah  ebmol. 

"Der  Zuk"  describes  scenes  well  known  and  annually 
repeated  at  the  time  of  moving,  which  lead  our  good  pas- 
tor to  his  inevitable  conclusion 

Im  Himmel  gebts  ken  Zieges  meh, 
Des  Scheide  dort  duht  nimme  weh; 

Dort  bleibt  die  Wohnungszelt, 
Dort  geht  ken  langer  Zuk  meh  fort 
So  laest  mer  klore  in  Gottes  Wort; 
Sel  is  en  bessre  Welt. 

Only  seldom  and  for  special  occasions  does  he  allow 
that  feeling  to  get  the  upper  hand,  which  proves  to  us  that 
the  feeling  of  growing  old  is  an  illusion.  I  call  attention 
to  the  vividness  and  the  playfulness  with  which,  twenty 
years  after,  he  recalls  the  impressions  of  the  time  when 
first  he  could  say: 

Do  bin  ich  jetzt  in  Gettysberg 

Ich  war  juscht  vor  der  Facultee 
Es  hut  mer  g'fehlt  an  meine  Gnie ! 

Hab  wunners  g'maent  was  ich  aw  kann 
Bis  sie  mich  awgeguckt — ei  dann — 


274  ^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

His  struggles  with  his  courses  are  reflected  in  the  lines: 

Ich  waes  net  recht  was  sol  es  sei 
'S  haest  mit  "  Conditions  "  darf  ich  nei; 
Doch  wann  ich  mol  recht  inside  bin 
Dann,  wie  en  Glett,  bleib  ich  drin, 

and  it  seems  he  did. 

He  has  seen  a  girl  in  town,  but  hears  there  is  a  senior — 
but  remembers  seniors  will  leave;  he  learns  the  reason 
and  tells  "Warum  ich  dummer  Freshman  haes." 

Doch  Socrates  hut  ae  mohl  gsagt, 
So  hen  sie  mirs  ins  Hern  gejagt 
Des  erscht  der  Schuler  lerna  muss 
Wie  grad  as  wie  en  daube  Nuss, 
Er  gar  nix  wisse  daeht.     Geb  acht! 
Ich  hab  en  guter  Schtart  schun  gmacht! 
Ich  reib  mei  Rick  do  an  die  Wand, 
Un  reid  en  Pony  aus  Verstand, 
Dann  ess  ich  Fisch  bis  mirs  verlaed, 
Noh  waer  ich  aw  en  Graduade! 

In  a  poem  for  the  Dallastown  Reunion,  he  gets  into 
similar  vein,  but  this  is  the  exception. 

He  has  written  a  number  of  books  in  English,  and  been 
a  frequent  contributor  to  church  periodicals,  and  has  been 
known  to  express  the  wish  for  the  leisure  to  do  for  the 
Pennsylvania-German  life  and  history,  and  in  the  dialect, 
some  part  of  what  Sir  Walter  Scott  has  accomplished.  A 
similar  desire  to  have  this  done  and  the  hope  that  some- 
body would  do  it  has  been  expressed  by  Judge  Grosscup, 
of  Chicago,  himself  of  German  descent;  similar  utterances 
by  a  young  student  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  with 
a  bent  toward  writing  suggest  the  thought  that  some  day 
a  beginning  of  this  kind  may  yet  be  made. 


30.  Louisa  Weitzel. 

Sources  of  Information. 
Correspondence. 
Pennsylvania-German  Magazine. 

Louisa  A.  Weitzel,  of  Lititz,  Pa.,  is  one  of  those  Penn- 
sylvania Germans  who  took  up  writing  in  the  dialect  after 
a  medium  had  been  created  whereby  they  might  reach  an 
audience.  Even  before  she  had  finished  her  studies  at 
Sunnyside  College,  1876,  and  Linden  Hall  Seminary  in 
1880,  she  had  written  stories  and  verse  that  had  been  pub- 
lished in  "The  Moravian"  and  other  church  periodicals. 
For  these  she  has  been  writing  ever  since,  as  well  as  for  the 
Lititz,  Lancaster  and  Philadelphia  papers. 

For  a  time  she  served  as  associate  editor  of  the  Lititz 
Express,  and  while  acting  in  that  capacity,  in  1899,  began 
writing  articles  in  prose  in  the  dialect.  Shortly  after  the 
founding  of  the  Pennsylvania-German  Magazine,  she 
turned  her  attention  to  verse;  new  contributions  by  her 
have  appeared  year  by  year,  and  one  of  these  it  was  my 
privilege  to  receive  in  manuscript  (before  its  publication 
in  December,  1 9 10)  ;  it  is  an  enthusiastic  Aufruf : 

Wu  sin  die  Deitsche  Dichtcr 
Sic  sin  verschwunne  all, 

275 


276  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Wu  sin  die  grosse  Lichter 
In  unsere  Ruhmeshall. 
Heraus,  heraus  Reimreiser, 
Wu  sin  ihr  all  versteckt 
Ihr  sin  jo  die  Wegweiser 
Die  Schoheit  uferweckt. 

There  is  a  cheerfulness  and  hopefulness  in  her  lines  that 
are  in  beautiful  contrast  to  a  life  that  has  been  by  no 
means  free  from  sorrow  and  gloom. 

Ich  waes  net  was  es  New  Yohr  bringt 
Uns  gebt  ke  Mensch  das  dut. 
Doch's  Herz  sich  mit  de  Glocke  schwingt 
Un  frohlich  steigt  der  Mut. 

Kumm  her  du  frisches  junges  Yohr 
Geb  mir  dei  treue  Hand, 
Dei  Briider  ware  gut  zuvor 
Du  bischt  es  ah  im  Schtand. 

Her  poems  impress  one,  as  though  she  had  gone  out 
into  the  wood  and  laid  her  cares  on  the  lap  of  mother 
Nature,  even  as  a  child  goes  to  her  mother  to  have  her  cry 
and  then  goes  merrily  back  to  her  play: 

Es  is  so  scho  im  alte  Busch, 
Der  Bodde  grii  mit  Moss — 
Weech  sitzt  mer  uf  der  kiihle  Erd 
As  wie  im  Mutter  Shoss, 
Un  fiihlt  fun  allem  was  em  krankt 
So  gliicklich,  frei  un  los. 

It  is  a  pleasing  note  of  a  young  old  age  that  we  hear  in 
the  following  as  in  reply  to  the  repinings  so  often  indulged 
in: 

Mer  schwatze  vun  alte  Zeite, 
Un  denke  gar  net  dra' 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Huntings.         277 

Die  werd  net  alter  net  jiinger, 

Jusht  mir  werre  alt  un  gro'. 
Sie  zahlt  ihre  Johre  bei  dausend 

Die  Welt  un  werd  net  alt 
Mir  zahle  sie  juscht  bei  zwanzig, 

Un  die  vergehne  bald. 

Dal  mehne  die  Zeit  war  besser, 

In  ihre  Jugend.     Ne 
Sie  ware  jiinger,  gesunder 

Un  do  war  alles  scho. 
Jetzt  sin  sie  ausgewohre 

Jetzt  sin  sie  miid  un  satt, 
Un  die  Welt  sheint  schlimmer  wie  friiher, 

Un  liiderlich  un  matt. 

Even  the  fall,  and  the  departure  of  the  robins  recall  to 
her  only  the  joyous  season  when  they  came  and  anticipate 
its  recurrence  another  year. 

Persistent  as  she  is  in  refusing  to  look  on  the  dark  side 
herself,  she  is  aware  that  there  are  some  who  do  not  see 
much  light.  In  "En  charakter"  she  has  given  us  a  pic- 
ture of  a  species  of  individual  not  unknown  here  as  else- 
where, a  picture  which  the  detractors  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Germans  would  have  us  believe  was  fairly  representative 
of  the  whole  body  of  the  people. 

Er  shafft,  un  gratzt,  un  geitzt,  un  shpart, 

Un  blogt  sich  shpaet  un  frueh; 
Er  shpart  sich  nett,  er  shpart  ke  Leut, 

Un  shpart  ah  net  sei  Fieh. 
Ass  wie  en  Kaetzle  uf  e  Maus 

Guckt  er  uf  jeder  Cent, 
Er  wendt  un  dreht  en  sivvemol 

Bis  dass  er  aner  shpendt. 


278  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Sei  Fraw  gelt  wenlger  ass  die  Geul, 

Sei  Kinner  wie  die  Sail; 
Er  rechend  oft  sie  koshte  meh 

Un  bringe  wenniger  ei. 
Er  shickt  die  Kinner  in  die  Shul 

Wann  sie  sinn  jung  un  glee, 
Wann  ihre  Erwet  ebbes  mehnt 

Dann  darfe  sie  nimmie  geh. 

Some  of  our  latter-day  novelists  have  given  admirable 
pictures  of  such  characters,  but  only  the  perennial  recur- 
rence of  this  figure  in  literature  has  revived  the  mistaken 
notion  that  he  represents,  not  a  type,  but  the  people  itself. 

Our  writer's  plan  of  life  is  summed  up  in  her  lines: 

Hie  un  do  a  Liedle 
Hie  un  do  a  Blum 
Weil  mer  gehne  uf  un  ab 
Wege  grad  un  grum. 

Ebmols  is  es  dunkel  trub 
Regnet  alle  Dag 
Bat  es  wann  mer  brumme  dut? 
Helft  em  sei  geklag? 

In  1908  she  published  a  collection  of  her  English  poems, 
"A  Quiver  of  Arrows,"  for  which  Longfellow's  "I  shot 
an  arrow  into  the  air  "  suggested  the  title. 


31.    A.  C.  WUCHTER. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

1.  Herringshaw's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography. 

2.  Personal  Correspondence. 

To  a  remote  past,  to  nobility,  to  relationship  with  the 
Dukes  of  Orleans  the  family  to  which  Wuchter  belongs 
traces  its  ancestry.  From  Suabia  the  first  ancestor  came 
to  America  in  1749,  although  the  father  of  this  one  had 
fled  to  this  country  as  a  political  refugee  even  earlier 
under  an  assumed  name  and  has  never  been  definitely 
traced.  On  the  maternal  side  his  ancestors  came  from 
Hanover  in  1730.  Astor  Clinton  Wuchter  was  born  in 
Jacksonville,  Lehigh  County,  Pa.,  February  4,  1856; 
worked  on  the  farm  and  was  a  pupil  in  the  common  schools 
until  eighteen  years  of  age;  attended  the  Millersville  Nor- 
mal School,  taught  in  the  public  schools  1874-1878;  then 
taught  and  studied  for  three  years  in  Paris,  France;  gradu- 
ated from  the  Lutheran  Theological  Seminary,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  1885,  then  served  successively  the  congrega- 
tions at  Summit  Hill,  Pa.,  from  1 885-1 890;  Weissport, 
1 890-1 893;  Gilbert,  1 893-1 909,  as  pastor,  after  which 
he  became  professor  of  French  at  Wittenberg  College, 
Ohio.  After  one  year  in  this  position  he  went  back  to 
the  ministry  and  is  now  preaching  at  Toledo,  Ohio. 

279 


28o  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

He  began  writing  very  early;  his  published  works,  con- 
sisting for  the  most  part  of  hymns  and  religious  poems, 
original  and  translated,  appeared  chiefly  in  The  Lutheran. 
The  translations  include  renderings  from  Latin,  German 
and  French.  It  was  also  at  an  early  age  that  he  began 
producing  selections  in  the  dialect,  but  there  are  none  of 
these  extant  of  a  date  earlier  than  1894.  Wuchter's 
reasons  for  writing  in  the  dialect  deserve  mention :  "  I  saw 
many  limping  efforts,  as  I  thought,  especially  in  verse,  and 
so  I  essayed  what  I  could  do  as  to  rhythm  and  meter." 
He  finds  the  Pennsylvania  German  just  as  easy  for  him 
as  the  High  German;  and  as  the  charm  grew  upon  him, 
and  Pegasus  got  restive,  they  ventured  on  bolder  but  still 
measured  flights. 

It  is,  as  a  rule,  only  the  masters  of  any  subject  that  fully 
realize  its  difficulties:  Heine  could  say  "  Fiirwahr,  die 
Metrik  ist  rasend  schwer;  es  giebt  vielleicht  sechs  oder 
sieben  Manner  in  Deutschland,  die  ihr  Wesen  verstehen." 
A  considerable  number  of  our  dialect  writers  have  either 
never  heard  such  a  statement,  or  act  as  though  it  excused 
them  from  giving  the  subject  serious  attention;  they  have 
all  too  often  gone  merrily  a-rhyming,  without  shaping 
their  course  or  avoiding  rude  jolts  of  cross  country  roads. 
Here,  as  always,  careful  workmanship  aims  at  and  reaches 
more  than  outward  smoothness.  Thus,  in  reading  some 
of  Wuchter's  lines  we  experience  an  undefinable  pleasure 
not  elsewhere  afforded  by  the  dialect  verse.  His  highest 
success  he  has  perhaps  achieved  in  the  playful  onomato- 
poetic  lines  in  which  he  tells  the  familiar  story  of  the  hired 
boy  who  was  set  to  work  picking  stones  from  a  field,  while 
his  master  Dinkey  and  the  latter's  spouse  went  off  to  the 
village  on  business.  Now,  towards  evening  they  are  com- 
ing home,  but  are  not  yet  in  sight  of  the  place  where  the 
boy  is  working : 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         281 

Mer  sin  die  Lane  so  langsam  nuf ; 

Der  Schubkarch  hot  gegrahnt. 
No  lacht  die  Betz :  **  Sag,  bass  mol  uf ! 

Weescht  wie  mich  sell  gemahnt? 
Der  Dinkey  kummt  noch  la  ang  net 

Er  kummt  noch  net,  rah-ie — ! 
Der  Dinkey  kummt  noch  net,  I  bet, 

Er  kummt  net,  sweet  Marie!" 

Er  hut  uns  ivverdem  erblickt; 

Noh  hot  die  Betz  gelacht; 
"  Guck,  was  der  Joe  net  Eifer  krigt ! 

Heerscht  wie  der  Schubkarch  macht? 
Der  Dinkey  kummt,  der  Dinkey  kummt 

Ta-rie,  Tarie!     Tarie! 
Der  Dinkey  kummt,  'r  'rumpt,  'r  'rumpt ! 

Hurrah  for  Tshin'rel  Lee! 

His  first  productions  appeared  over  the  signature  "  Sil- 
fanus"  in  the  Allentomn  Democrat,  under  the  editorship 
of  C.  Frank  Haines  who,  although  himself  in  the  dark  as 
to  the  author,  was  convinced  that  no  such  writer  had  as  yet 
appeared  in  Pennsylvania  German.  Wuchter's  range  of 
subjects  is  also  rather  broader  than  that  of  the  average 
writer  In  the  dialect.  But  he  too  returns  to  the  central 
thought  of  these  dialect  poets  and  defends  Die  Mutter- 
sproch  in  a  poem  which  concludes : 

Drum  tzwischa  Gott  un  tzwischa  Mensch 

Was  hut  die  Schproch  tz'  duh? 
Grickt  ehner'n  schenner  Pletz'l  dert, 

Geht's  in  die  ewich  Ruh? 
Kummt  alles  aw  uf  Shibboleth 

Beim  Jordan  ivvergeh? 
Weg  mit  so  Dummheit,  ewich  week — 

Die  Muttersprooch  is  scheh, 


282  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

which  seems,  In  sentiment,  to  tally  with  the  lines  of  Suabian 
Michel  Buck: 

I  schwatz,  wia  miar  der  Schnabel  g'wachsa  ischt 
Und  wia'n  i's  ban  von  meiner  Muatar  Sproch  ghairt 
Und  glaub,  wear  seiner  Muatar  Sproch  it  aihrt, 
Dear  sei  schau'  weagadeam  koi'  reachter  Chrischt, 

He  reverts  also,  like  his  companion  poets,  to  the  old 
times,  and  describes  to  us  in  inimitable  verse  "  En  alte 
Lumpa  Party";  he  indulges  in  a  satirical  disapproval  of 
Sunday  clambakes,  and  in  his  "  Schpundaloch "  he  has 
given  a  picture  and  embodied  a  story  which  have  been 
pronounced  by  his  church  to  be  better  than  many  a  tem- 
perance lecture.  His  muse  also  has  not  scorned  "  occa- 
sional poems,"  as  the  one  on  the  30th  Anniversary  of  the 
Ordination  of  one  of  his  fellow  ministers. 

Under  the  guise  of  an  old  cobbler,  Yohli,  he  philoso- 
phizes; with  Yohli  he  makes  a  trip  (as  many  in  real  life 
have  done)  "Die  'hio  naus,"  to  visit  those  of  the  family 
who  went  west  in  the  days  when  Ohio  was  West. 

He  is  particularly  fond  of  versifying  stories  with  a 
point  to  them.  One  of  these,  "  Der  Geitz,"  he  has 
brought  with  him  from  Brittany,  another,  "  Der  Fer- 
lohra  Esel,"  is  an  Oriental  tale,  adapted  from  the  High 
German,  "  Hummingbirds  "  relates  an  incident  in  the  War 
of  18 12,  and  "Hans  und  Herrgott"  an  anecdote  of  Mar- 
tin Luther. 

At  times  he  becomes  reminiscent,  as  in  "  Kinner  Yohr," 
"  Die  Erschta  Hussa,"  even  yielding  at  times  to  the  feeling 
induced  by  the  gray  days  of  November — "Nofember- 
klawg";  but  here  as  always,  we  witness  the  triumph  of  a 
cheerful  optimism,  most  noticeable  in  his  poems  of  the 
seasons.     Such  a  one  has  a  right  to  his  joy  in  the  approach- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  283 

ing  springtime,  as  expressed  in  his  lines  of  welcome  to 
"DerPihwie": 

Ei,  guck  amohl  derta 

Der  Pihwie  is  doh! 
Er  huckt  uff  'm  Poschta 

Wos  is  'r  so  froh; 
Now  guckt  'r  mohl  nunner 

Now  guckt  'r  mohl  nuff 
Now  sing'd  'r  a  bissel 

Now  haert  'r  schun  uff. 

Ei,  Phiwie,  wo  warscht  du 

Seid  Schpote-yohr  gewest 
Warscht  fart  mit  em  Summer 

Warscht  siidlich  farraest? 
Ich  denk  derta  drunna 

Huscht's  Heemweh  recht  ghot, 
Huscht  nix  wie  gedrauert 

Warscht's  Lehwa  recht  sot. 

This  is  praised  by  Dr.  G.  W.  Sandt,  in  The  Lutheran, 
"  Genuine  poetry,  striking  an  equal,  if  not  a  higher  note, 
than  Harbaugh." 

And  again  his  delight  in  the  pleasures  of  winter  is  the 
outward  symbol  of  inward  joys : 

Hurrah  for  der  Winter,  hurrah  for  der  Schnee 
Nau  raus  mit'm  Schlitta,  un  zahl  mer  ken  zwee 

Hurrah  for  der  Winter,  der  Schlitta  muss  raus 
Was  huckt  mer  am  Offa?     Was  will  mer  im  Haus? 
Un  druf  mit  de  Bella,  sunscht  is  es  ken  G'fahr, 
Der  Winter  is  karz,  un  die  Schllttabah  rohr. 

Hurrah  for  der  Winter !     So  eppes  is  Gschpass 
Die  Meed  singa  en  Liedel,  die  Buwa  der  Bass 
Un  gehts  in  die  Schneebank  un  schmeist's  emol  um 
Gehts  drunner  un  drivver,  was  gebt  mer  dann  drum? 


284 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


While  Wuchter's  verses  prove  him  a  thorough  Penn- 
sylvania German  it  is  interesting  to  have  the  confirma- 
tion of  it  in  a  letter  of  his  own.  After  stating  that  there 
are  many  prominent  men  in  Ohio  who  still  speak  or  at 
least  are  able  to  speak  the  dialect,  he  says:  "I  am  not 
one  of  those  who  would  like  to  attend  the  funeral  of  Penn- 
sylvania German  tomorrow,  if  it  were  possible.  It  runs 
in  smoother  measures  than  many  of  the  dialects  of  the 
Fatherland.  They  do  not  asphyxiate  the  dialects  over 
there.  .  .  .  There  are  those  who  presume  to  write  about 
the  Pennsylvania  Germans,  who  are  either  totally  ignorant 
of  their  subject,  or,  what  is  worse,  renegade  Simon  Girtys, 
German  blood  in  their  veins,  but  troubled  with  Yankee  or 
'Hinglesh'  brainbunions.  They  would  not  recognize 
their  own  grandmother  speaking  Pennsylvania  German, 
should  they  happen  to  meet  her  on  the  street." 

Wuchter  is  still  in  his  prime,  and  his  successive  bits  of 
writing  are  evincing  constantly  increasing  force  and  charm. 
The  Index  will  show  that  his  pen  is  not  idle. 


32.  Charles  Calvin  Ziegler. 

Bibliography  and  Other  Sources  of  Information. 

Atlantic  Monthly. 

Bethlehem  Times,  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  September  i,  1891. 

Boston  Transcript. 

Bryant's  Thanatopsis. 

Byars,  William  Vincent.     See  New  York  World. 

Critic,  New  York,  November  21,  1891. 

Drauss  un  Deheem.    Reviewed,  Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  IV,  239. 

Drauss  un  Deheem.    Ziegler,  Leipzig. 

Emerson.    Poems. 

Pick,  H.  H.     Deutsch  Amerikanische  Dialekt  Dichtung. 

Fiskc,  John.    Dutch  and  Quaker  Colonies  in  America,  Vol.  II,  352. 

German  and  Swiss  Settlements  of  Pennsylvania.    Kuhns,  New  York. 

Goethe.    Faust  II. 

Harbaugh's  Harfe. 

Hark,  J.  Max.     Ira  Busch  wann's  Schnayd,  Pro.  P.-G.  S.,  Vol.  X. 

Hark,  J.  Max.    Wann  der  Wind  mol  iwwer  die  Schdubble  Blohsed,  Pro. 

P.-G.  S.,  Vol.  X. 
Hart,  Albert  Bushnell.    The  Pennsylvania  Germans. 
Holmes.    The  September  Gale. 
Holmes.    The  Chambered  Nautilus. 
Klopstock,  G.  E.     Die  Todten. 
Hubbard,  Elbert. 
Lang,  Andrew.    Lost  Love. 
Longfellow.    The  Snowflakes. 
Longfellow.    The  Reaper  and  the  Flowers. 
Nation,  The,  October  15,  18191. 
New  York  World,  February  n,  1895. 
Personal  correspondence. 

285 


286  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Philander  von  der  Linde.    Kein  Sonett. 

Proceedings  of  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society,  Vol.  III. 

Quill — a  publication  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa. 

Reformed  Church  Messenger.     Dubbs,  September  lo,  18191. 

Schiebeler,  Daniel.    Ein  Sonett. 

Schlegel,  August  Wilhclm.    Das  Sonett. 

Tennyson.     In  Memoriam. 

The  Democratic  Watchman,  Bellefonte,  Pa. 

"  That  Brush  Valley  should  Increase  its  celebrity  by  pro- 
ducing a  poet  confers  an  honor  upon  that  ancient  settle- 
ment which  should  not  be  lightly  regarded"  were  the 
words  of  the  Reformed  Church  Messenger,  September  10, 
1 89 1,  apropos  of  the  appearance  of  a  volume  of  Penn- 
sylvania-German poems  by  Charles  Calvin  Ziegler. 

Charles  Calvin  Ziegler  is  a  Pennsylvania  German  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Germans;  he  was  born  June  19,  1854,  at 
Rebersburg,  Pa.,  and  is  descended  from  a  family  that  came 
to  America  in  1748.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and 
also  the  Select  Schools  of  R.  M.  Magee  and  Henry  Meyer 
(see  Article)  in  his  home  town;  it  was  while,  as  a  barefoot 
boy,  he  was  attending  these  schools  that  one  of  the  "big 
boys  "  on  a  Friday  afternoon  recited  "  Das  Alt  Schulhaus 
an  der  Krick"  to  the  great  delight  of  all  the  school.  This 
was  before  Harbaugh's  book  had  been  published  and  such 
selections  were  rare,  and,  when  secured,  greatly  prized. 
About  this  time  Ziegler  and  his  brother  secured  a  prose 
copy  of  a  New  Year's  address  in  the  dialect;  this  they  hid 
away  as  a  treasure,  though  sometimes  they  recited  it  in 
school.  It  was  not  until  some  time  afterwards  that  the 
boys  were  willing  to  give  it  to  the  public  and  then  the 
older  brother  copied  it  and  sent  it  to  the  Democratic 
Watchman,  Bellefonte,  Pa. 

In  1870  Ziegler  went  to  live  with  his  brother  in  West 
Union,  Iowa.     In  1873  he  entered  the  State  University 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         287 

of  Iowa,  from  which  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  1878 
with  the  degree  of  Ph.B.  Here  it  seems  that  his  literary 
work  began :  one  of  his  teachers  recalls  with  pleasure  the 
charming  poetic  translations  from  Greek  and  Latin  which 
he  used  to  make.  According  to  the  Bethlehem  Times, 
Bethlehem,  Pa.  (September  i,  1891),  he  also  graduated 
from  the  Lawrence  Scientific  School.  For  a  few  years 
thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  near  his  old  home  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  writing  dialect  poetry  for  the  Demo- 
cratic Watchman,  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  under  the  pseudonym 
of  Carl  Schreiber. 

1 881-1882  he  spent  with  Professor  Ulrich,  of  the  Beth- 
lehem Preparatory  School,  getting  his  Greek  in  shape  for 
entering  the  junior  class  at  Harvard  College  in  the  Fall  of 
1882  and  he  graduated  from  the  arts  course  here,  magna 
cum  laude,  1884,  with  honors  in  natural  history  and  hon- 
orable mention  in  English  composition. 

His  poetry  written  at  this  time  received  high  praise  from 
his  instructor,  now  Prof.  Barrett  Wendell,  of  Harvard; 
he  also  published  some  witty  material  in  the  Lampoon,  and 
although  at  Harvard  only  two  years,  was  elected  by  his 
class  to  write  the  Class  Day  song.  Among  his  verses  of 
this  period  might  be  mentioned  one  in  High  German  for 
Washington's  Birthday,  to  be  sung  to  the  tune  "  Lauriger 
Horatius  "  : 

Briider,  sagt  warum  so  froh? 

Was  soil  es  bedeuten? 
Warum  toben  alle  so — 

Jauchzen  wie  die  Heiden? 
'S  ist  weil  unser  Washington 

Heute  war  geboren; 
Darum  stossen  alle  an — 

Saufen  wie  die  Thoren. 


288  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Unsere  Gesprach  Club  auch 

Will  dem  Georg  was  bringen; 
Speis'  und  Trank  sei  unserm  Bauch, 

Ihm  das  Lob  und  Singen. 
Dieses  Lied  dem  grossen  Mann, 

Unserm  Landesvater! 
Wer,  wie  er,  nicht  liigen  kann 

1st  ein  guter  Kater! 

The  next  year  he  was  at  the  Upper  Iowa  State  Univer- 
sity, as  instructor,  but  did  not  like  the  work;  accordingly 
he  left,  went  to  St.  Louis  and  drifted  into  business,  first 
as  clerk  of  the  Pan  Missouri  Telephone  Co.,  while  later  he 
became  connected  with  the  American  Brake  Company,  a 
Westinghouse  concern,  of  which  he  has  now  for  many 
years  been  secretary  and  treasurer.  It  was  during  that 
first  period  in  St.  Louis  when,  separated  from  all  his  kin 
and  a  stranger  in  a  large  city,  there  burst  upon  him  for  the 
first  time  in  terrible  earnestness  the  fact  that  during  the 
two  years  at  Harvard  he  had  lost  both  father  and  mother. 
From  a  heart  full,  even  to  overflowing,  with  a  species  of 
homesickness  he  began  to  work  upon  a  memorial  he 
planned  to  his  mother,  taking  for  his  model  Tennyson's 
memorial  to  his  friend  Hallam,  "  In  Memoriam."  It 
was  in  this  way  that  there  grew  up  the  poem  "  Zum  Denk- 
mal"  in  nineteen  songs.  The  first  one  carries  him  back 
to  his  graduation  day. 

Heit  graduir  ich,  un  mit  Ehr; 

Mar  maerche  rum  darch  grossi  Crowds; 

Des  is  'n  Wese — Music,  Shouts — 
A's  wann  der  B resident  do  waer. 

Ich  nem  mei  Shere  im  grosse  Show — 
Grick  mei  Diploma — "magna  cum"; 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  289 

Es  scheint  ich  bin  doch  net  so  dumm 
Wie  Dheel  vun  denne  Yankees  do. 

Un  doch — es  is  mir  allwan  heit 

Mit  all  meim  Glick;  mei  Luscht  is  klee, 
Wie  'n  Blummeschtrauss  im  grosse  See, 

Im  See  vun  meinre  Draurigkeit. 

Was  batt  die  Larning  un  die  Ehr? 

Wann  ich  nooch  meinre  Heemet  geh 

Fin  ich  ken  guti  Mammi  meh, 
Un  des  macht  now  mei  Harz  so  schwer. 

This  last  Idea  he  has  further  expanded  In  a  song,  i   (a) 
"  Larning  un  Welshelt." 

Was  batt  die  Larning?     Nix — un  viel; 

'S  depend  en  wennig  uf  dar  Kopp: 

En  mancher  eifersichtger  Dropp 
Mit  frischem  Muth  un  hochem  Ziel 

Hot's  Harn  schier  gaarli  rausgschtudirt — 

Un  was  hot's  dann  am  End  gebatt? 

Ei,  endlich  hot  ar,  bleech  un  matt, 
Sel  Krafte  ganz  veruminirt; 

Dar  Zweifel  hot  sei  Seel  verzwarnt; 

Uf  dunkli  Barrige  rum  is  er 

Wahnsinnig  gschtolpert  hi'  un  her 
Un  hot  dar  recht  Weg  net  gelarnt. 

Die  Larning  muss  verwandelt  sei 

In's  Lewe — ^juscht  wie  Brod  zu  Blut, 
Schunscht  dhut's  'm  Mensch  ganz  wennig  gut, 

Kann  gaar  noch  Schade  dhu  debei. 

Es  gebt  en  Scheeheit  vun  de  Seel, 

En  liebliche  Gerechtigkeit, 

'As  sich  verschennert  mit  de  Zeit 
Un  is  vum  wahre  Gott  'n  Dheel. 

19 


290  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Sell  is  die  haupt  Sach;  in  der  Dhaat 
Sell  is  es  eenzigscht  Ding  'as  bschteht 
Wann  Welt  un  Himmel  mol  vegeht; 

Un  sel  hot  aa  die  Mammi  g'hat. 

In  ihrem  kleene  Finger  waar 

Meh  Weisheit  vun  de  rechte  Sart 

A's  mancher  Witzkop  finne  ward 
In  all  de  Bicher  gross  un  rahr. 

In  some  of  these  songs  he  very  closely  imitates  his  model 
and  favorite  poet,  Tennyson.  In  none,  however,  has  he 
come  quite  so  close  to  Tennyson  as  In  the  tenth,  where 
will  be  seen  the  thoughts  and  In  part  a  translation  of  the 
lines  in  Cantos  49  and  50  of  "In  Memorlam": 

Be  near  me  when  my  light  is  low 

When  the  blood  creeps,  and  the  nerves  prick 

And  tingle;  and  the  heart  is  sick, 
And  all  the  wheels  of  being  slow. 

Be  near  me  when  the  sensuous  frame 
Is  racked  with  pangs  that  conquer  trust; 

Be  near  me  when  my  faith  is  dry, 

Be  near  me  when  I  fade  away, 

To  point  the  term  of  human  strife, 
And  on  the  low  dark  verge  of  life. 

The  twilight  of  eternal  day. 

Be  near  us  when  we  climb  or  fall, 

Sei  bei  mar  uf  meim  Lewespaad 

Un  hiit  mich  far  de  falsche  Schritt; 
Veloss  mich  net — ach,  geh  doch  mit! 

Noh  hot's  ken  Gfohr — noh  laaf  ich  graad. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         291 

Sei  bei  mar  wann  mei  Glaawe  schwacht 

Un  Gottes  Sache  lappich  sin; 

Wann  ich  uf  letzi  Weege  bin 
Saag  mar  wuhi'  un  schtell  mich  recht. 

Sei  bei  mar  in  de  letschte  Noth 

Wann  sich  die  Seel  vum  Karper  drennt; 
Sei  bei  mar,  nooch  'm  dunkle  End, 

Im  ewige  Daag  sei  Margeroth. 

It  is  worth  while,  in  the  case  of  the  man  who  has 
mounted  so  high  in  Pennsylvania-German  literature,  to 
note  that  in  addition  to  a  true  poet  we  have  in  Ziegler  a 
careful  and  painstaking  artist,  one  who  knows  that  crude 
material  must  be  worked  over  and  over  again,  slowly  and 
laboriously,  before  a  splendid  achievement  can  be  the  re- 
sult. For  this  reason  we  find  his  compositions  elaborated 
with  more  care  and  finished  with  a  finer  touch  than  those 
of  any  other  author  in  the  dialect.  Moreover,  Ziegler 
seems  to  possess  more  of  the  spirit  of  poetry  and  to  know 
more  about  poetic  structure  both  in  theory  and  its  illus- 
tration than  any  one  else  who  has  essayed  to  write  in  the 
dialect. 

His  former  teacher  of  Latin  at  the  State  University  of 
Iowa,  Mrs.  Currier,  was  selected  as  his  critic  and  adviser 
before  he  sent  the  poems  to  the  printers  to  be  issued  in 
book  form.  In  an  article  she  later  wrote  to  the  Quill — 
a  publication  of  the  University — she  has  revealed  to  us 
the  author's  consciousness  of  his  task.  In  this  article  she 
quotes  from  a  letter  of  Ziegler's  as  follows:  "Since  1885 
I  have  done  a  great  deal  in  my  own  dialect,  the  Pennsyl- 
vania German.  At  first  it  was  uphill  work,  the  nature  of 
the  dialect  not  seeming  to  be  adapted  to  poetical  expres- 
sion. It  is  the  language  of  farmers — of  a  people  whose 
life  is  immersed  in  material  things,  and  who  have  paid 


292  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

scarcely  any  attention  to  intellectual  abstractions.  Hence 
the  language  is  graphic  enough  but  lacks  flexibility  and  the 
aesthetic  quality.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  do  any  shad- 
ing in  it;  e.  g.,  there  is  only  one  word  schee  or  scho  (Ger. 
schon)  for  pretty,  beautiful,  fine,  nice,  superb,  gorgeous, 
etc.;  in  erotic  expressions,  it  is  difficult  to  find  anything 
poetical  enough,  etc."  In  spite  of  her  ignorance  of  the 
dialect,  it  was  not  difficult  for  her  to  recognize  the  poetic 
quality  of  these  selections,  as  we  see  from  her  following 
remark:  "Out  of  consideration  of  my  ignorance  of  the 
dialect  Mr,  Ziegler  kindly  sent  me  with  each  poem  its 
English  rendering  very  literally  done,  and  in  these,  with- 
out any  effort  at  rhyme  and  but  little  in  rhythm,  is  found 
the  true  spirit  of  poetry."  Mrs.  Currier  was  particu- 
larly pleased  with  the  eighth  song  in  "  Zum  Denkmal  " — 
"Ich  sehn  die  scheckige  dage  geh."  "The  conception  of 
the  different  days,  the  fair-seeming  ones  that  after  all 
bring  us  no  good,  the  rough  ones  that  look  angry  and  are 
our  friends,  do  we  not  all  know  them?  But  only  a  poet 
can  thus  set  them  forth." 

Another  illustration  of  Ziegler's  method  of  work  is 
found  in  his  poem  "  Es  Schneckehaus,"  which  he  devotes 
to  his  art.  The  figure  recalls  Holmes's  "  Chambered 
Nautilus " ;  without  sinking  foundations,  or  laying  off 
corners,  the  ugly  creature,  the  snail,  out  of  mire  and  slime, 
slowly  and  noiselessly,  builds  its  wondrously  beautiful 
structure,  in  which  human  ingenuity  can  find  no  imper- 
fection. Thus  works  the  poet,  but  listen  to  the  whole 
poem: 

'N  Schneckehaus!     Hoscht  schun  betracht 
Wie  wunnerschee  es  is  gemacht? 
Es  hot  ken  Fundament,  ken  Eck, 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  293 

Es  is  gebaut  aus  Schleim  und  Dreck, 
Langsam  un  net  mit  Angscht  un  Jacht. 

Die  Schneck  is  wiischt  un  ward  veracht, 
Doch  kann  'm  Mensch  sei  Geischtesmacht 
Ken  Fehler  finne  un  ken  Fleck 
Im  Schneckehaus. 

So  dhut  dar  Dichter,  langsam,  sacht — 

Wann  ar  aa  viel  ward  ausgelacht — 
Gedrei  sich  halte  an  sei'm  Zweck, 
Un  aus  Gedanke — Schleim,  wie  'n  Schneck, 

Baut  endlich  sei  Gedicht,  voU  Pracht, 
Wie  'n  Schneckehaus. 

In  1 89 1  he  had  a  small  collection  of  his  dialect  pro- 
ductions published  by  Hesse  und  Becker,  Leipzig,  under 
the  title  "  Drauss  un  Deheem."  The  book  takes  its  name 
from  the  first  poem,  in  which  the  author  reflects,  after 
years  of  experience  with  the  world,  that  the  words  of  his 
mother  were  true  when  she  used  to  remind  her  boys, 
chafing  under  the  restraints  of  home,  saying  to  them 
"Wart — drauss  is  net  deheem."  In  the  bitter  loneliness 
of  the  little  room  in  St.  Louis  where  he  spent  his  nights 
after  the  labors  of  the  day,  and  with  the  knowledge  that 
there  no  longer  was  a  home  and  a  mother  to  whom  he 
could  turn  if  he  wished  to,  he  began  to  realize  with  ter- 
rible earnestness  that  "  Drauss  is  net  Deheem." 

The  National  Educator  Company,  of  Allentown,  Pa., 
with  Dr.  Home  as  its  president,  was  the  chief  American 
sales  agent  for  this  little  book  of  poems,  and  advertised 
it  in  unique  fashion,  by  pointing  out,  in  dialect,  gems  that 
ought  to  make  the  book  appeal  to  young  men,  young 
ladies,  parents,  children : 

Buwe,  wan  d'r  en  guti  impression  uf  die  Mad  mache  wet  dann 
schenk  'ne  des  Buch.  Sei  schtiick  "  Kitzel  mich  net !  "  macht  sie 
fihle  as  wann  sie  'n  "  love  powder  "  geschluckt  hatte. 


294  ^^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Kinner!  Ehrt  eier  Eltere!  Wann  d'r  die  Mammi  llebt  dann 
ward  d'r  selli  schticker  "  Zum  Denkmal "  hoch  schatze. 

Eltere!  Wann  dir  guti  Gedanke  in  eier  Kinner  blanze  wet, 
dann  grick  'ne  des  Buch. 

Schtudente!  (AUentown  is  a  college  town)  Wann  dir  'm  Dr. 
Home  sei  Manual  un  'm  Ziegler  sei  Drauss  un  Deheem  fleissig 
leest,  dann  het  dir  ken  druwwel  mit  'm  Virgil  un  Homer." 

Well,  the  book  made  its  impression,  and  not  only  on 
Pennsylvania  Germans,  but  on  the  cosmopolitan  critics  as 
well,  as  Rev.  Joseph  H.  Dubbs,  D.D.,  Professor  of  His- 
tory in  Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  to 
whom  the  poems  were  also  submitted  before  publication 
(1887)  predicted  it  would.  "I  have  read  your  verses 
with  great  pleasure.  They  are  in  my  opinion  composi- 
tions of  a  very  superior  order  and  their  publication  cannot 
fall  to  be  alike  honorable  to  yourself  and  to  the  people 
In  whose  language  you  have  written  them.  They  will 
certainly  be  appreciated  by  all  persons  of  culture  who  are 
familiar  with  the  Pennsylvania  vernacular;  and  their  poetic 
merits  will,  I  feel  certain,  he  recognized  by  the  German 
press  of  America  and  Europe." 

Whether  the  book  was  ever  seen  In  Germany  after  the 
edition  which  was  printed  for  the  author  was  sent  to 
America  I  am  unable  to  say,  but  the  American  press  had 
nothing  but  words  of  appreciation,  and  with  these  we 
must  still  agree,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  Atlantic 
Monthly;  for  by  what  mental  processes — unless  It  was  by 
the  law  of  opposites — the  writer  In  that  magazine  "  In- 
evitably thought  of  Hans  Breitmann"  seems  hard  to  de- 
termine, for  our  author  and  Hans  Breitmann  have  nothing 
whatever  in  common.  The  Incidental  criticism  of  John 
Fiske — he  had  evidently  read  the  book,  because  he  cites 
from  It  in  "  Dutch  and  Quaker  Colonies  in  America,"  Vol. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         295 

II,  p.  352,  to  illustrate  the  nature  of  the  dialect  and  calls 
it  a  "charming  book'* — goes  far  to  make  us  forget  that 
the  above  from  the  Atlantic  Monthly  also  came  from 
Boston. 

The  Nation,  New  York,  October  15,  1891,  found  it  "  a 
most  curious  and  interesting  little  book,  which  might  well 
have  been  larger"  and  gave  from  it  as  a  specimen  to  its 
readers  a  few  stanzas  from  the  translation  of  Longfel- 
low's "The  Reaper  and  the  Flowers."  Better  yet  to  a 
Pennsylvania  German  seems  his  translation  of  Longfel- 
low's "Snowflakes,"  which  may  be  included  here  as  illus- 
trating Ziegler's  work  in  the  field  of  translation : 

Aus  de  Luft  ihrem  grosse  Schoos, 

Runner  g'schittelt  aus  de  wolkige  Falte, 
Iwwer  die  Felder  leer  un  blooss, 
Iwwer  die  Barrige,  die  grooe  alte, 
Langsam  un  sacht  un  schee 
Flattert  dar  Schnee. 

Juscht  wie  im  'me  harrliche  Gedicht 

Die  newwiiche  Gedanke  sich  vereene, 
Juscht  wie  sich  im  'me  bleeche  Gsicht 
Driibsal,  Druwwel  un  Schmarz  bekenne, 
So  macht  die  Luft  bekannt 
Ihr  Drauerschtand. 

Des  is  de  Luft  ihr  Drauer-Lied 

Langsam  in  weisse  Warte  sachtig  g'schriwwe; 
Des  is  die  Verzweiflung  vum  Gemuth 

Lang  in  ihre  Bruscht  ve'schteckt  gebliwwe — 

In  Pischpere  now  gemeldt 

Zum  Wald  un  Feld. 

The  New  York  Critic  (November  21,  1891)  found  that 
"the  language,  in  its  soft  vocallic  utterance,  bears  to  the 
High  German  much  the  same  relation  that  the  Scottish 


296  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

dialect  bears  to  the  English,  and,  like  that,  is  well  adapted 
to  poetry  of  a  plaintive  and  domestic  cast  or  to  rustic  fun 
and  satire.  To  the  latter  forms  Ziegler's  muse  seems 
little  inclined.  Most  of  his  compositions  are  of  a  pensive 
character."  To  this  we  must  now  add  that  since  that  time 
Ziegler  has  given  us  several  illustrations  of  his  jovial 
muse  somewhat  in  the  vein  of  "  Kitzel  Mich  Net  I" — 
which  is  in  his  book — of  which  the  best  are,  no  doubt,  an 
English  one  which  I  should  like  to  include  here  and  an 
inimitable  translation  of  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes's  "  The 
September  Gale,"  and  an  original  one  "  Die  Harte  Zeite." 

EXEGI   MONUMENTUM. 

Behold,  I  am  deathless!     The  scytheman 

Who  deems  that  all  flesh  is  but  grass 
Shall  find  me  a  tough  and  a  lithe  man, 

Full  of  years  as  the  sands  in  his  glass. 
But  fare  as  it  may  with  the  Ego 

And  whether  or  no  I  am  crowned, 
My  life  shall  not  fare  like  Carthago — 

Shall  not  be  brought  down  to  the  ground. 

I  have  fashioned  a  poem  sublimer 

Than  any  that  Milton  e'er  penned, 
Nor  did  the  great  German  at  Weimar 

My  latest  endeavor  transcend. 
No  more  by  the  critical  croaker 

Shall  my  work  as  unworthy  be  classed ; 
I  am  out  of  the  hole  mediocre, 

I'm  an  author  immortal  at  last! 

Not  in  books  like  the  lyrics  of  Horace, 
But  in  forms  of  the  flesh  sweet  and  rare, 

In  my  Lalages,  Lilies  and  Lauras 
Shall  my  spirit  persist  and  grow  fair. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         297 

And  to  prove  what  I  claim — for  I  know  you 

Are  anxious  for  facts  that  convince — 
Come  up  to  the  house  and  I'll  show  you 

My  poem  immortal — the  twins. 

The  September  Gale. 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 

I'm  not  a  chicken;  I  have  seen 

Full  many  a  chill  September, 
And  though  I  was  a  youngster  then, 

That  gale  I  well  remember; 
The  day  before,  my  kite-string  snapped, 

And  I,  my  kite  pursuing, 
The  wind  whisked  of¥  my  palm-leaf  hat; 

For  me  two  storms  were  brewing! 

It  came  as  quarrels  sometimes  do, 

When  married  folks  get  clashing; 
There  was  a  heavy  sigh  or  two. 

Before  the  fire  was  flashing, — 
A  little  stir  among  the  clouds, 

Before  they  rent  asunder, — 
A  little  rocking  of  the  trees. 

And  then  came  on  the  thunder. 

Lord!  how  the  ponds  and  rivers  boiled! 

They  seemed  like  bursting  craters! 
And  oaks  lay  scattered  on  the  ground 

As  if  they  were  p'taters; 
And  all  above  was  in  a  howl, 

And  all  below  a  clatter, — 
The  earth  was  like  a  frying-pan, 

Or  some  such  hissing  matter. 

It  chanced  to  be  our  washing-day. 
And  all  our  things  were  drying; 


298  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

The  storm  came  roaring  through  the  lines, 

And  set  them  all  a  flying; 
I  saw  the  shirts  and  petticoats 

Go  riding  off  like  witches; 
I  lost,  ah!  bitterly  I  wept, — 

I  lost  my  Sunday  breeches! 

I  saw  them  straddling  through  the  air, 

Alas!  too  late  to  win  them; 
I  saw  them  chase  the  clouds,  as  if 

The  devil  had  been  in  them; 
They  were  my  darlings  and  my  pride, 

My  boyhood's  only  riches, — 
"  Farewell,  farewell,"  I  faintly  cried, — 

"  My  breeches!     O  my  breeches!  " 

That  night  I  saw  them  in  my  dreams, 

How  changed  from  what  I  knew  them! 
The  dews  had  steeped  their  faded  threads. 

The  winds  had  whistled  through  them! 
I  saw  the  wide  and  ghastly  rents 

Where  demons  claws  had  torn  them ; 
A  hole  was  in  their  amplest  part, 

As  if  an  imp  had  worn  them. 

I  have  had  many  happy  years, 

And  tailors  kind  and  clever. 
But  those  young  pantaloons  have  gone 

Forever  and  forever! 
And  not  till  fate  has  cut  the  last 

Of  all  my  earthly  stitches 
This  aching  heart  shall  cease  to  mourn 

My  loved,  my  long-lost  breeches! 

Translation. 

Ich  bin  ken  Hinkel.     Hab  schun  viel 

Septembers  sehne  hausse; 
Ee'  Schtarm  waar  awwer  sonderbaar — 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         299 

Den  haer  ich  heit  noch  brausse. 
Der  Daag  devor  hot  mir  dar  Wind 

Mei  Kite  mit  fort  genumme; 
Mei  Schtroh-hut  hinne  drei, — far  mich 

Waar'n  zwetter  Schtarm  am  kumme! 

'S  waar  juscht  wie  wann'n  Fraa  browiert 

Die  Hosse  aa  'zeziege: 
Mar  haert'n  Seifzer  oder  zwee 

Ep's  Feier  aafangt  ze  fliege: — 
Die  Wolke  hen  sich  rumgedreht — 

Noh  hot  mar  Schwewwel  geroche; 
Die  Beem  hen  gschittelt  un  gegaunscht — 

Noh  is  es  losgebroche! 

Gott!  wie  es  doch  gegleppert  hot 

In  sellem  wilde  Wetter! 
Die  Beem  sin  gflogge  wie  im  Gfecht 

Vun  alte  deitsche  Getter. 
Drowwe  un  hunne  hot's  gedoobt — 

Schwarz,  rauschig,  boUerig,  blitzig; 
Die  Aerd  waar  wie  en  Brodtpann  g'west — 

Sie  waar  so  arrig  schpritzig. 

'S  waar  unser  Waschdaag;  uf  de  Lines 

Waar  schier  die  Wasch  gedrickelt; 
Dar  Wind  hot  Wasch  un  Lines  mit  fort — 

Veschattert  un  vewickelt. 
Die  Hemmer  un  die  Unnerreck 

Sin  wie  vehext  rumgschosse; 
Verlore  haw  ich — ach,  Harr  Je! 

Oh  weh ! — mei  Sundaag's  Hosse. 

Ja,  grattlig  sin  sie  darch  die  Luft — 

Zu  weit  sie  meh  ze  finne; 
Die  Wolke  sin  sie  noochgejaagt 

Als  waar  dar  Deifel  in'ne. 
"Wie  reich  un  schtolz  waar  ich  in  elch! 


300  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Now  hat  dar  mich  velosse; 
Gootbye,  gootbye !  " — so  haw'  ich  g'heilt, — 
"Mei  Hosse,  O  mei  Hosse!" 

Im  Draam  haw'  ich  sie  gsehne — ach ! 

Wie  waare  sie  verennert! 
Vun  Wind  verschlitzt,  im  Regge  gsoakt — 

Sie  waare  net  ve'schennert ! 
Aa'  g'sehne  hen  sie  juscht  a's  wann 

Die  Deifel  sie  verisse; 
'N  Loch  waar  hinne  drin — des  hot 

Far'n   Deifelsschwanz   sei   misse! 

Ich  hab  schun  gute  Schneider  ghat 

Un  viele  frohe  Johre, 
Mei  junge  Hosse  awwer  sin 

Far  ewig  mir  velore. 
Un  bis  dar  Dod  mol  pischpert,  "  Kumm, 

Du  muscht  die  Aerd  velosse !  " 
Schwaer  bleibt  mei  Harz  un  drauervoU 

Far  selli  liewe  Hosse! 

"They  (his  poems)  are  in  flowing,  harmonious  verse," 
the  New  York  Critic  goes  on,  "  embodying  gentle  and 
pleasing  sentiments.  As  a  first  attempt  (  ! !)  to  make  this 
interesting  German  American  dialect  the  vehicle  of  lit- 
erary expression,  the  book  may  be  pronounced  a  decided 
success." 

One  of  the  facts  hinted  at  In  the  above  had  been  noted 
in  the  Bethlehem  Times,  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  several  months 
earlier  (September  i,  1891),  when  it  said  "Some  of  them 
are  full  of  the  tender,  homely  sentiment,  the  lack  of  which 
In  the  verse  of  most  American  poets  Is  one  of  the  great 
misfortunes  which  come  as  a  penalty  of  straining  after 
effect."  It  Is  not  surprising  that  a  church  paper — The 
Reformed  Church  Messenger — should  find  as  among  the 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  301 

very  best,  one  entitled  "  Die  alte  Lieder,"  In  which  are 
enumerated  some  of  the  grand  old  chorals  sung  In  the 
German  churches.  Elbert  Hubbard  counted  the  book 
as  a  "valuable  addition  to  the  Roycroft  Library  of  Choice 
Things." 

Zlegler's  old  friends  at  Harvard  and  his  new  ones  of 
the  Washington  University,  St,  Louis,  expressed  equal 
delight  at  the  book.  The  paper  of  his  native  county,  for 
which  he  had  in  earlier  days  written  under  the  pseudonym 
of  Carl  Schrelber — The  Democratic  Watchman,  of  Belle- 
fonte.  Pa. — unhesitatingly  put  the  work  by  the  side  of 
Harbaugh's  "Harfe,"  and  noted  that  It  excelled  the  latter 
"  In  range  of  thought  and  power  of  expression." 

His  old  teacher,  Henry  Meyer  (himself  the  author  of 
verses  In  the  dialect;  see  article  H.  Meyer),  wrote  him  as 
follows:  "  I  turned  over  the  leaves  as  a  miser  Inspects  and 
counts  his  crock  of  gold  coins.  You  know  that  I  am  no 
literary  critic,  but  when  I  see  a  good  thing  In  Pennsyl- 
vania German  I  think  I  know  it.  And  when  a  poem  has 
the  potency  to  stir  an  audible  smile  or  move  one  to  tears 
it  certainly  possesses  the  right  ring;  and  that  Is  just  what 
happens  if  one  sits  down  and  peruses  '  Drauss  un  Deheem.' 
The  Pennsylvania  Germans,  and  especially  those  of  your 
old  home,  owe  you  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  having  added 
this  gem  to  the  few  literary  productions  in  their  mother 
tongue." 

In  another  poem  "  Dar  Rewwer  un  Ich,"  the  poet  looks 
forward  to  the  loss  of  identity  in  the  Being  of  the  great 
God,  even  as  the  river  mingles  with  and  is  lost  in  the  sea ; 
the  author,  however,  assures  me  that  he  never  entertained 
any  pantheistic  beliefs  except  such  as  seem  to  be  general 
poetic  stock;  and  in  another  poem  he  defends,  after  the 
manner  of  an  orthodox  churchman,  as  he  is  (Lutheran), 


302  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

"Es  Oltfashloned  Buch"  against  the  scorners,  and  ven- 
tures the  belief  that  it  has  enough  of  truth  for  many  a 
thousand  years. 

The  first  mentioned  poem^ — "  Dar  Rewwer  un  Ich" — 
was  translated  into  English  and  sent  to  the  New  York 
World,  February  ii,  1895,  by  William  Vincent  Byars,  a 
New  York  critic,  with  the  following  note  of  explanation: 
"  The  other  day  I  took  down  from  the  shelves  of  my 
bookcase  a  thin  volume  in  pasteboard  covers :  '  Poems  in 
Pennsylvania  German,'  by  Charles  Calvin  Ziegler,  pub- 
lished some  little  while  ago.  It  is  not  paying  Mr.  Ziegler 
too  high  compliment  to  say  that  he  is  as  true  a  poet  as  the 
very  best  of  the  contemporaneous  writers  of  verse  for 
American  periodicals.  He  takes  some  pride  in  being  the 
first  man  who  has  ever  written  a  sonnet  in  Pennsylvania 
Dutch,  and  I  think  he  is  entitled  to  the  satisfaction  he  feels 
because  of  the  exploit.  I  will  not  attempt  a  translation  of 
his  sonnets,  but  here  Is  a  version  of  one  of  his  songs,  '  The 
River  and  I '  which  may  suggest  Its  deeply  spiritual  mean- 
ing to  a  wider  circle  than  it  could  reach  in  the  original." 

For  present  purposes  it  will  be  more  to  the  point  to 
give  the  original  here  than  the  translation  and,  If  a  trite 
expression  may  be  used,  the  translation  Is  not  equal  to  the 
original. 

Dar  Rewwer  fliesst  munter  un  froh  dehi', 

Sorglos  rollt  dar  Rewwer; 
Ar  geht  sei  Gang  unne  Kummer  un  Mih, 
Ar  frogt  net  Fe'  was?     Ar  wunnert  net  Wie? 

Sorglos  rollt  dar  Rewwer. 

Un  so  wie  dar  Rewwer  geht  gehn  ich, 

(Sorglos  rollt  dar  Rewwer) 
Ar  wees  dar  Weg — nie  verliert  ar  sich — 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         303 

Un  mar  trav'le  zamme  recht  briiderlich ; 
(Sorglos  rollt  dar  Rewwer.) 

Die  Welle  lache  wie'n  luschtig  Kind, 

(Sorglos  rollt  dar  Rewwer) 
Bal  vereent,  bal  getrennt — sie  wechsle  gschwind — 
Die  Schpielsache  sin  sie  vum  wilde  Wind; 

(Sorglos  rollt  dar  Rewwer.) 

Wann  die  Schtarne  funkle  in  de  Nacht 

Ruhig  rollt  dar  Rewwer; 
Ar  schockelt  mich  ei',  ar  draagt  mich  sacht, 
Unn  ich  geb  mich  ganz  in  Gottes  Macht; 

Ruhig  rollt  dar  Rewwer. 

Hinaus  un  hinab  zum  ewige  See 

Sorglos  rollt  dar  Rewwer ; 
Ar  gebt  sich  hi'  unne  Ach  un  Weh 
Un  vergeht  im  Meer  wie'n  Flocke  Schnee; 

Sorglos  schtarbt  dar  Rewwer. 

In  connection  with  the  first  sonnet,  it  was  rather  amus- 
ing to  find  that  claims  to  priority  in  any  particular  depart- 
ment of  literature  such  as  we  frequently  meet  in  the  case 
of  those  who  play  the  game  of  literature  more  seriously, 
find  their  counterpart  among  the  writers  of  this  dialect. 
In  1900  an  honored  member  of  this  Society,  J.  Max  Hark 
(see  volume  X.),  after  an  Investigation  In  which  he  says 
he  satisfied  himself  that  there  is  no  Inherent  lack  of  capa- 
bility for  poetic  expression  In  the  Pennsylvania  German, 
set  about  composing  several  poems  In  various  poetical 
forms  and  speaks  thus  of  his  own  essay  with  the  sonnet. 
"  It  (the  sonnet)  Is  a  form  of  verse  that  perhaps  more  than 
any  other  tests  the  capabilities  of  the  dialect,  requiring  as 
it  does,  great  delicacy  of  touch  and  great  flexibility  of 
language.  So  far  as  I  know  it  had  never  before  been  at- 
tempted in  Pennsylvania  German  until  I  tried  It  in  '  Im 


304  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society, 

Bush  Vann's  Shnyad '  and  '  Wann  der  Wind  Mohl  Iwwer 
dee  Shdubble  Blohsdt.' " 

Nine  years  before  this,  however,  Ziegler's  book  had  ap- 
peared, and  in  it  a  number  of  sonnets,  in  one  of  which,  in 
its  fourteen  lines,  he  twice  claims  to  have  been  the  first  to 
write  a  sonnet  in  Pennsylvania  German,  and  it  seems,  with 
all  due  regard  to  the  member  of  this  Society  above  referred 
to,  that  Ziegler's  claim  must  be  allowed  because  of  this 
margin  of  nine  years  of  earlier  publication,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  fact  that  they  are  dated  as  having  been  composed 
even  nine  years  before  that  time.  Ziegler  thoroughly  un- 
derstands the  technique  of  this  literary  form,  and  in  the 
sonnet  referred  to  treats  his  subject  matter  playfully, 
"leimt  zusammen  "  as  Goethe  said,  until  "  Lo,  he  has  the 
first  sonnet  in  the  dialect !  "  To  a  certain  extent  it  sug- 
gests the  famous  sonnet  by  August  Wilhelm  Schlegel  on 
the  Nature  of  the  Sonnet,  because  it  touches  on  the  same 
theme  though  not  in  the  same  tone.  In  serious  vein 
Schlegel  wrote: 

Zwei  Reime  heiss'  ich  viermal  kehren  wieder, 
Un  stelle  sie,  getheilt,  in  gleiche  Reihen, 
Dass  hier  und  dort  zwei,  eingefasst  von  zweien 
Im  Doppel  Chore  schweben  auf  und  nieder. 

Dann  schlingt  des  Gleichlauts  Kette  durch  zwei  Glieder 
Sich  freier  wechselnd,  jegliches  von  dreien. 
In  solcher  Ordnung,  solcher  zahl  gedeihen 
Dei  zartesten  und  stolzesten  der  Lieder. 

Den  werd  ich  nie  mit  meinen  Zeilen  kranzen, 
Dem  eitle  Spielerei  main  Wesen  diinket, 
Und  Eigensinn  die  kiinstlichen  Gesetze. 

Doch,  wen  in  mir  geheimer  Zauber  winket 
Dem  leih'  ich  Hoheit  Fiill'  in  engern  Grenzen 
Und  reines  Ebenmaas  der  Gegensatze. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         305 
In  humorous  vein  wrote  Ziegler: 

'ES    SONNETT. 

Vor  mir  hot  niemand  en  Sonnett  noch  g'schriwwe 
In  Pennsylvanisch  Deitsch.     Ich  will's  mol  waage 
'M  Dante  un  'm  Petrarch  nooch  ze  jaage 

Bis  ich  die  Warte  zamme  hab  gedriwwe. 

Now,  'em  Sonnett  sei  lines  sin  zwee  mol  siwwe, 
Net  mehner  un  net  wenniger  kann's  vertraage ; 
Zwee  Dheel  hot's ;  's  aerscht — 'es  Octave  so  ze  saage — 

Hut  juscht  zwee  Rhymes,  die  darf  mar  net  verschiewe. 

Es  zwet  un  klenner  Dheel — Sestette  ward's  g'heese — 
Kann  zwee  Rhymes  hawwe  odder  drei,  (net  meh) 
Un  die  darf  mar  arrange  wie  mar  will. 

Es  fehle  noch  drei  Lines;  halt  dich  now  schtill — 
Ich  hab  sie  schund: — un  du  hoscht  now,  versteh, 
Es  aerscht  Sonnett  in  daere  Schprooch  gelese. 

(July,  1882.) 

When,  however,  I  found  in  the  private  collection  of 
Ziegler  under  "  Sonnets  that  I  like  "  the  two  that  follow 
by  Daniel  Schiebeler  and  Philander  von  der  Linde,  I  could 
no  longer  doubt  the  source  of  his  inspiration.  The  one 
by  Schiebeler  reads  as  follows : 

Du  forderst  ein  Sonett  von  mir; 

Du  weisst  wie  schwer  ich  dieses  finde, 

Darum,  du  lose  Rosalinde, 
Versprichst  du  einen  Kuss  dafiir. 

Was  ist,  um  einen  Kuss  von  dir, 

Dass  sich  Myrtill  nicht  understiinde? 
Ich  glaube  fast,  ich  iiberwinde; 
Sieh,  zwei  Quadrains  stehn  ja  schon  hier. 
20 


3o6  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Aut  einmal  hort  es  auf  zu  fl  lessen. 
Nun  werd  ich  doch  verzagen  miissen! 
Doch  nein,  hier  ist  schoon  ein  Terzett. 
Nun  beb'  ich  doch — Wie  ward'  ich  schliessen? 
Komm,  Rosalinda,  lass  dich  kiissen! 
Hier,  Schonste,  hast  du  dein  Sonett. 

The  one  by  Philander  von  der  Linde  thus : 

Bei  meiner  Treu',  es  wird  mir  Angst  gemacht, 
Ich  soil  geschwind  ein  rein  Sonettgen  sagen 
Und  meine  Kunst  in  vierzehn  Zeilen  wagen, 

Bevor  ich  mich  auf  rechter  Stoff  bedacht ; 

Was  reimt  sich  nun  auf  agen  und  auf  acht? 
Doch  eh'  ich  kann  mein  Reimregister  fragen, 
Und  in  dem  Sinn  das  A.  B.  C.  durchjagen, 

So  wird  bereits  der  halbe  Theil  belacht. 
Kann  ich  nun  noch  sechs  Verse  dazu  tragen, 
So  darf  ich  mich  mit  keinen  Grillen  plagen; 

Wohlan,  da  sind  schon  wieder  drei  vollbracht' 
Und  weil  noch  viel  in  meinem  vollen  Kragen, 
So  darf  ich  nicht  am  letzten  Reim  verzagen ; 

Bei  meiner  Treu !  das  Werk  ist  schon  gemacht. 

Besides  this  sonnet,  Ziegler  has  written  a  number  of 
others;  one  on  his  "Alte  Peif,"  another  in  different  vein 
on  the  death  of  his  father. 

In  a  poem  with  the  unpoetic  title  "  Cremation,"  ad- 
dressed to  his  wife,  he  expresses  the  wish  not  to  be  buried 
in  the  earth  when  dead;  not  only  his  soul  but  also  his  body 
is  to  fly  on  the  wings  of  Heaven. 

Mei  Geischt  war  noch  immer  en  freier 
Un  mei  Leib  soil  aa  so  sei; 
Mit'm  Wind  soil  ar  rum  schpatziere — 
In  de  Luft — wie  die  Veggel  frei. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  307 

Ich  will  net  sei  bei  de  Warrem, 
Im  Grund,  wu  die  Sai  rum  drete, 
In  de  Sunn  will  ich  sei  un  de  Wolke 
Drum  sollscht  du  mich  cremate. 

Noh  brauchst  net  in  der  Karrichof 
Wann  du  mich  b'suche  wit; 
Noh  flieg  ich  frei  in  de  Luft  rum 
Un  kann  dir  iwwerall  mit. 

Noh  pischper  ich  scheene  Sache 
Wann  ich  zu  d'r  kumm  im  'me  Breeze 
Noh  boss  ich  dich  oft  uf  die  Backe 
Un  uf  dei  Maul  so  siis. 

Un  in  de  Sunn  wann  sie  ufgeht 
Lachle  ich  dich  freindlich  aa, 
Un  segen  dich  Owets  vum  Himmel 
Mei  liewe  guti  Fraa. 

These  are  not  the  only  poems;  there  might  be  men- 
tioned others  in  which  he  has  translated  Emerson,  or 
original  ones  in  which  he  shows  the  influence  of  the  en- 
thusiastic Emerson  studies  of  his  youth.  I  close  my  ac- 
count of  his  little  book  with  a  reference  to  his  translation 
of  Bryant's  "Thanatopsis,"  which  Indicates  unusual  skill 
and  patient  labor  and  which  is  remarkably  faithful  In  the 
language,  retaining  as  It  does  very  strikingly  the  spirit  of 
the  original. 

To  him  who  in  the  love  of  nature  holds 
Communion  with  her  visible  forms,  she  speaks 
A  various  language;  for  his  gayer  hours 
She  has  a  voice  of  gladness,  and  a  smile 
And  eloquence  of  beauty,  and  she  glides 
Into  his  darker  musings,  with  a  mild 
And  healing  sympathy,  that  steals  away 
Their  sharpness,  ere  he  is  aware. 


3o8  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Zum  Mensch  'as  Heb  hot  far  die  schee  Nadur 
Un  fihlt  mit  ihrem  Wese  sich  ve'wandt 
Schwetzt  sie  en  Schprooch  ve'schiede:  is  ar  froh 
Dann  is  sie  frehlich  un  vezahlt  ihm  viel 
Un  wunnerscheeni  Sache,  un  sie  schluppt 
So  sachtig  un  mit  so  'me  Mitgefihl 
In  sei  Gedanke  wann  ar  Druw^wel  hot 
Dass  ihm  sei  Drauer,  ep  ar's  wees,  vegeht. 

The  rest  of  Ziegler's  poems,  In  part  published  In  maga- 
zines and  In  part  unpublished  as  yet,  may  be  passed  more 
rapidly  In  revjew,  although  his  powers  have  by  no  means 
diminished.  After  he  had  come  back  to  his  native  Brush 
Valley  and  taken  to  himself  a  Pennsylvania-German  wife, 
his  pensive  strain  gives  way  in  certain  measure  to  other 
tunes  and  presently  we  hear  him  singing  the  praises  of 
"Zwlwwle"  and  "Sauerkraut."  About  the  time  of  the 
arrival  of  the  twins  he  writes: 

Die  Eltere  fihle  schtolz  un  froh — 
Sie  hen  en  Bobli — 's  is  'n  Soh'. 
Die  News  geht  rum,  un  ziemlich  glei' 
Viel  Freind  un  Nochbere  kumme  bei, 
Un  ganz  nadirlich  kumme  aa' 
Dar  Onkel  Henner  un  sie  Fraa. 
Dar  Onkel,  wie  ar's  Kind  aaschaut, 
Lachelt  un  saagt  so  zimlich  laut, 
"  Ei,  guck  juscht  wie  des  Kind  doch  hot —  " 
Noh  sagt  die  Aunt  gschwind,  "  Tut,  tut,  tut!  " 

Wos  hot  dar  Onkel  saage  welle? 
Des  waer  net  schwaer  sich  vor  ze  schtelle ; 
Doch  wann's  aa  wohr  waer,  's  is  net  gut 
Das  mar  alii  Wohret  saage  dhut, 
Ich  glaab  's  waar  besser,  in  d'r  Dhat, 
Dar  Onkel  hot  net  alles  gsaat, 
Un  dass  sei  Fraa  ihn  abgecut 
Mit  ihrem  gschwinde  "Tut,  tut,  tut!" 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         309 

His  own  disappointment  that  "  es  Bobli "  was  not  "  en 
Soh"  seems  to  have  been  made  up  for  by  the  fact  that 
they  were  two  girls  (cf.  the  English  poem  mentioned 
above,  "  Exegi  Monumentum  ") — and  soon,  and  appar- 
ently for  them  he  writes  "  Der  Sandmann." 

Waer  is  des  'as  kummt  — ze  schlelche 

Owets  aus  'm  Schatteland  ? 
Scheint  die  Kinner  gut  ze  gleiche — 

Ihne  is  ar  gut  bekannt. 
Mit  'me  Sa-sack  dhut  ar  kumme, 

Un  ar  schtreut  umher  gaar  sacht 
Aage-sand — 'm  Schloof  sei  Sume, — 

Sel  is  was  em  schlafrig  macht. 

Wann  die  Kinner  's  Maul  ufschparre 

Bis  es  wie  en  Keller  guckt; 
Wann  die  Aage  sandig  warre, 

Un  en  jedes  Kepli  nuckt, — 
Kann  mar  leicht  dar  Sandmann  schpiire, 

(Sehne,  haere  kann  mar  'n  net) ; 
Jar,  's  is  ihn — ar  kummt  ze  fibre 

Jedes  in  sei  Drunnelbett. 

His  lamentation: 

Die  Zeite  sin  so  greislich  hart 
Dass  e'm  schier  gaarli  dottlich  ward ; 
Ken  Geld,  ken  Arwet,  schier  ken  Brod, 
Es  sieht  bal  aus  wie  Hungersnoth. 

Economy,  Economy, 

Schpaare  misse  mar,  saagt  die  Fraa, 

Economy,  Economy, 

Bis  mar  aus  'm  HaisH  kummt! 

must  not  be  taken  too  seriously,  for  a  man  that  Is  crushed 
does  not  write  merry  songs  to  the  tune  "  Ich  bin  der  Doktor 
Elsenbart  '  Zwie-ll-di-li-wick  bamm  bumm.'  "  To  get  his 
viewpoint  we  quote  further: 


3IO  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society, 

Was  is  die  grindlich  Ursach  dann — 
Weescht  du's,   gedreier  Handwerksmann  ? 
Dass  unser  Land  so  vol!  is  heit 
Vun  Millionaires  un  Bettelleit? 

Dheel  meene  des,  dheel  meene  sel 
Waer   Schuld   an   daere  dulle  Shpell; 
Mir  is  es  deitlich  wie  die  Sunn — 
Dar  Tariff  is  die  Schuld  devun. 

In  recent  years  he  has  translated  Longfellow's  version 
of  Klopstock's  "  Die  Todten,"  and  Andrew  Lang's  "  Lost 
Love,"  he  has  sung  in  praise  of  "  En  Simpler  Mann,"  and 
has  written  a  beautiful  ode,  "  Danksaagungsdaag." 

Several  years  ago,  when  after  an  automobile  trip  through 
Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  Prof.  Albert  Bushnell  Hart  of 
Harvard  University,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  wrote  his  im- 
pressions for  the  Boston  Transcript,  Ziegler,  an  ardent  de- 
fender of  the  Pennsylvania  Germans,  took  up  the  gauntlet 
and  came  out  with  a  vigorous  reply  to  what  seemed  to  be 
the  professor's  snap  judgment. 

Likewise  in  verse,  "  Die  Muttersproch,"  has  he  glori- 
fied the  tongue  to  which  he  turns  when  he  wishes  to  talk 
sense;  the  language,  not  polite,  reminding  one  of  Goethe's 
"  Im  Deutschen  liigt  man  wenn  man  hofllch  ist,"  Faust  II 
— which  best  can  express  his  wrath;  this  Is  also  the  lan- 
guage In  which  alone  he  seems  able  to  approach  the  throne 
of  his  Creator. 

Will  ich  recht  ve'schtannig  schwetze — 
Eppes  auseinanner  setze — 
A,  B,  C,  un  eens,  zwee,  drei, — 
So  dass  jeder  commoner  Mann 
Klar  un  deitlich  sehne  kann 
Wei  'as  Gold  is  un  wel  Blei, — 
Nem  ich  gute  deutsche  Warte, 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         311 

Weis  un  schwarzi,  weech  un  harte, 
Noh  voUbringt  die  Sach  sich  glei'. 

Bin  ich  an  de  Wohret  suche 
Un  fin  Ungerechtigkeit, 
Liige,  Heichlerei  un  Schtreit 
Bis  ich  alles  Icennt  ve'fluche, — 
Schteigt  mei  Zarn  wie  rothe  Flamme 
Un  will  alles  noh  ve'damme, — 
Use  ich  net  'n  Schprooch  polite; 
Nee!  ich  nemm  mei  deitsche  Warte — 
Beissig  scharf  wie  Hickory  Garte — 
Hack  derwedder  dass  es  batt; 
Schlack  druf  los  un  fluch  mich  satt! 

Wann  ich  war  die  Sinde  ledig, 
Schwaer  bedrickt  vun  meinre  Schuld, 
Arnschtlich  noh  un  ehrlich  bet'  ich 
Um  Vergebung,  Gnad  un  Huld; 
Kann  dar  Vater  Unser,  meen  ich, 
In  de  Mutterschprooch  allee 
Mich  recht  haere  un  ve'schteh; 
Far  in  deitche  Warte  leenig 
Hot  die  Mammi  mich  gelarnt 
Wei  ze  bete;  mich  bereit 
Ze  mache  far  die  Ewigkeit; 
Hot  dar  Daadi  mich  gewannt 
Un  gerothe  braav  un  graad, 
Zu  wandle  uf  'm  Lewes-paad 
Grosser  Gott!     O,  schteh  mar  bei! 
Helf  mar  doch  en  Grischt  ze  sei! 

Dr.  Hermann  H.  Fick,  of  Cincinnati,  in  a  little  pamphlet 
on  "  Deutsch  Amerikanische  Dialekt  Dichtung  "  has  said: 
"  Der  wahre  Dichter  folgt  dem  Gebote  der  Empfindungen 
und  Gefiihle,  welche  machtig  um  WIedergabe  werben  und 


312 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


nach  Gestaltung  ringen.  Er  gehorcht  der  gebietenden 
Stunde  und  singt  well  es  ihn  dazu  treibt.  Das  was  ihn 
freudig  oder  in  Trauer  bewegt,  sein  elgenstes  Wesen, 
aussert  er  in  seinen  Versen."  To  no  writer  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania-German dialect  do  these  lines  seem  to  be  so  com- 
pletely applicable  as  to  Charles  Calvin  Ziegler,  late  of 
Brush  Valley,  Pa.,  and  now  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


CONCLUSIONS. 

By  means  of  travel,  correspondence  and  the  assistance 
of  a  large  number  of  Pennsylvanians  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, the  present  writer  believes  that  he  has  succeeded  in 
collecting  the  great  bulk  of  material  in  Pennsylvania-Ger- 
man dialect  in  verse  that  is  at  present  accessible.  The  ap- 
pended bibliographical  index  has  been  made  with  some 
care,  and  the  sources  and  locality  are  enumerated  where 
printed  productions  of  those  in  manuscript  are  to  be  found. 
In  almost  all  cases  copies  of  both  are  now  in  his  possession. 

Of  prose,  a  similar  collection  has  been  made  and  a  simi- 
lar index  of  selections  that  have  appeared  either  in  book 
form  or  were  published  in  magazines,  and  an  extended  list 
has  been  made  of  newspapers  which  are  now  publishing, 
or  at  one  time  did  publish,  prose  dialect  articles. 

Of  this  literature  the  most  important  has  been  described 
by  means  of  a  method  in  the  main  biographical.  "  Litera- 
ture can  do  no  more  than  give  us  the  opinions  and  senti- 
ments of  particular  persons  at  particular  times.  To  esti- 
mate, even  to  understand,  these  opinions  and  sentiments, 
we  must  know  something  of  the  times  and  circumstances 
in  which  they  were  expressed.  It  will  be  requisite,  there- 
fore, now  and  then,  to  invade  the  domain  of  history  and 
biography  and  thus  diversify  our  purely  literary  studies." 

313 


314  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Thus  did  R.  Y.  Tyrrell  introduce  a  series  of  lectures  on 
the  literature  of  a  people  (the  Romans)  whose  history  and 
intellectual  life  are,  and  in  the  nature  of  the  case  always 
will  be,  on  a  plane  vastly  higher  than  that  which  we  have 
here  treated  can  ever  hope  to  be;  but  the  principle  is  the 
same  and  seems  to  be  particularly  applicable  in  the  case  of 
a  people  relatively  unknown,  if  we  are  to  understand  them. 

What  Armstrong  Wanchope  said  in  the  North  Amer- 
ican Review  (May,  1894,  Vol.  158,  p.  640)  of  story 
writers  in  general  seems  to  apply  with  peculiar  aptness  to 
the  authors  that  here  have  been  considered.  "  Story  writ- 
ing," he  said,  "  is  an  attempt  to  preserve  the  life  of  a  cer- 
tain time  and  locality  with  all  the  concomitants  of  local 
coloring.  The  personal  experience  of  the  writer  becomes 
thus  all  important  as  it  should.  He  can  testify  only  of 
what  he  knows."  The  large  element  of  biography  here  in- 
troduced is,  therefore,  neither  unprecedented  nor,  in  the 
nature  of  the  case,  unreasonable. 

The  principle  reasons  for  the  existence  of  the  dialect 
literature  have  been  pointed  out  in  a  chapter  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  essay;  special  reasons  individual  writers 
have  had  for  writing  in  the  dialect  have  been  noted  under 
the  respective  authors. 

"Der  wahre  Dichter  folgt  dem  Gebote  der  Empfin- 
dungen  und  Gefiihle  welche  machtig  um  Wiedergabe 
werben  und  nach  Gestaltung  ringen.  Er  '  gehorcht  der 
gebeitenden  Stunde '  und  singt  weil  es  ihn  dazu  treibt. 
Das,  was  ihn  freudig  oder  in  Trauer  bewegt,  sein  elgenstes 
Wesen  assuert  er  in  seinen  Versen.  Der  Dialect  zeigt 
das  Volk  wie  es  ist,  bei  seinen  Festen  und  in  seinem  Leide, 
an  der  Arbeit  und  bei  seiner  Erholung,  in  seinem  Hoffen 
und  seinem  Harren,  wie  nicht  minder  im  Verkehr  mit 
Hohergestellten  sowohl  als  mit  Seinesgleichen  oder  Un- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  315 

tergebenen."  So  wrote  Dr.  Hermann  H.  Flick  In  a  small 
pamphlet  on  "  Deutsch-Amerikanische  DIalekt  Dichtung." 
The  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  poets  have  done  exactly 
what  this  writer  requires  and  this  it  is  which  renders  their 
productions  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  Kultur  Historiker 
of  the  utmost  value.  Criticism  and  fault-finding,  of  which 
the  literature  has  been  made  to  bear  the  brunt,  should 
more  properly  be  levelled  at  the  people;  if  the  writers  had 
done  otherwise  than  as  they  did,  their  picture  had  been 
less  true.  If  the  poetry  occasionally  falls  to  a  flat  and 
dreary  level  it  should  be  remembered  that  in  a  measure 
the  people  are  themselves  prose  (not  to  say  prosy)  idylls, 
and  the  wonder  is  not  that  they  sang  no  better,  but  that, 
what  with  the  horrors  of  war  in  the  Rhine  valley  before 
their  migration,  what  with  a  long  struggle  in  America, 
afterwards,  in  which  they  were 

Busy    with    hewing    and    building,    with  gardenplot    and    with 

merested 
Busy  with  breaking  the  glebe,  and  mowing  grass  in  the  meadow, 

when  not  fighting  savage  Indians,  they  plucked  up  courage 
enough  to  sing  at  all.  Their  language  in  the  new  sur- 
roundings could  grow  only  by  the  engrafting  of  foreign 
forms  and  even  then  was  useless  except  in  their  own  small 
territory,  an  oasis  as  it  were,  surrounded  by  the  vast  body 
of  English  settlements.  What  other  people  have  so  com- 
pletely expatriated  themselves  and  yet  retained  so  truly  an 
individuality  of  their  own,  even  to  the  extent  of  creating 
a  literature?  "This  poetical  literature  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Germans,"  says  Professor  Faust,  "  is  one  of  the  few 
original  notes  in  American  lyrical  poetry." 

Although  the  great  German  Hebel  was  held  up  as  a 
pattern  to  our  first  characteristic  singer,  Harbaugh,  yet  the 


3i6  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

latter  must  be  allowed  to  rank  as  an  original  poet,  in  spite 
of  scattered  traces  of  possible  influence,  for  Harbaugh  was 
a  poet,  before  he  became  a  dialect  poet.  All  others,  be- 
fore or  since  were,  perhaps  unfortunately,  but  nevertheless 
avowedly,  either  translators,  or  else  truly  original  as  far 
as  foreign  influence  is  concerned  in  the  manner  of  expres- 
sion, and  were  dependent  only,  if  at  all,  on  Harbaugh  in 
poetry  and  Rauch  in  prose. 

Comparison  with  Poets  of  the  Fatherland. — This  is  a 
wide  field;  I  have  endeavored  wherever  the  material  was 
accessible  to  compare  the  feeling,  thoughts  and  ideas  of 
the  Pennsylvania-German  poets  with  those  of  dialect  poets 
of  the  Fatherland,  and  have  frequently  noted  how  easily 
they  may  be  paralleled;  the  impulse  that  makes  so  many 
break  forth  in  song  in  defense  of  the  dialect  does  not 
spring  from  fashion;  it  has  its  roots  in  real  feeling.  Their 
hopes  and  aspirations,  their  joys  and  sorrows  are,  as  a 
rule,  from  the  same  sources,  in  their  rustic  philosophy 
they  not  seldom  agree. 

Metre  and  Rhythm. — In  this  our  poets  often  leave 
much  to  be  desired;  they  are  too  frequently  satisfied  with 
a  rhyme,  nor  can  we  say  that  even  here  they  are  uniformly 
good.  The  rhythm  in  many  cases  can  be  easily  assisted 
after  the  manner  described  by  Fischer  in  one  of  his  met- 
rical corrections  of  misprints: 

Im  neechster  Zeil,   graad  unnedra 
As  fierte  Wort  leest  "  schwarz  " 
Dort  mach  en  e  noch  hinnedra 
Sunscht  fallt  die  Zeil  zu  karz. 

A  comparison  of  sundry  of  the  poems  with  the  authors' 
manuscript  leads  me  to  the  conclusion  that  we  are  justified 
in  helping  out  many  a  line  of  this  character,  which  halts 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  317 

by  reason  of  poor  proofreading  and  bad  printing.  I  have 
the  testimony  of  more  than  one  editor  that  he  gave  up  pub- 
lishing dialect  selections  in  his  paper,  even  where  his 
readers  would  welcome  them,  because  his  typesetters  and 
proofreaders  were  so  lacking  in  all  feeling  for  the  dialect 
that  it  became  too  difficult  to  get  out  reasonably  correct 
copy.  It  is  probably  for  this  reason  that  there  has  come 
into  existence  a  Press  Syndicate  Dialect  Letter  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  which  is  sold  in  type  and  published,  to  my 
own  knowledge,  in  at  least  five  different  newspapers. 

Character  of  the  Newspaper  Letters. — On  this  point 
the  language  of  the  Rev.  J.  Max  Hark  must  stand  as  a 
fairly  just  characterization:  "Nearly  all  that  has  been 
done  "  (this  is  exaggerated)  "  has  been  broadly  humorous, 
with  no  attempt  at  anything  else,  no  higher  ambition,  or 
aim  than  to  make  the  reader  or  hearer  laugh.  From  this 
the  world  has  formed  it  judgment  of  us  and  our  speech. 
But  the  Pennsylvania  German  is  not  to  be  too  severely 
censured  for  having  confined  himself  thus  almost  exclu- 
sively to  humor  in  his  writings.  Let  us  remember  that  he 
was  from  the  beginning  a  hard  worker.  The  early  settlers 
and  makers  of  this  commonwealth  were  kept  exceedingly 
busy  in  their  struggle  for  bare  existence.  Their  daily  lives 
were  full  of  hardships,  disappointments,  suffering,  full  of 
tragedy  and  pathos  all  the  time.  When  they  did  have 
leisure  to  write,  or  even  in  their  social  converse,  what 
they  needed  was  not  the  recital  of  these  experiences  and 
feelings  which  they  were  constantly  having,  but  rather  to 
emphasize  the  other  side,  that  which  would  take  their 
minds  off  the  too  great  seriousness  of  their  life.  They 
naturally,  necessarily  turned  to  humor  to  lighten  their  lot." 
In  this  connection  a  passage  in  Beyer's  Deutsche  Poetik, 
Vol.  Ill,  p.   178,  may  be  cited:  "  Besonders  aber  eignet 


3i8  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

sich  fur  den  Dialekt  alles  was  den  treffenden  Ausdruck  der 
auf  gesundem  Menschen  Verstand  beruhenden  praktischen 
Moral  verlangt:  Die  Spruchdichtung,  ferner  tiefe  und 
innige,  dabei  aber  ganz  naturliche  Empfindungen,  vor- 
ziiglich  aber  alle  Arten  der  sowohl  derben,  als  schalkhaf- 
ten  Komik  und  Humoristik." 

The  satirico-didactic  element  that  has  gradually  crept 
into  this  kind  of  literature  has  been  elsewhere  emphasized. 

Language. — ^The  language  used  by  the  writers  varies 
from  the  one  extreme,  where  stand  those  who  stopped  at 
nothing  short  of  incorporating  any  word  in  the  Unabridged 
English  Dictionary  if  necessary,  after  the  manner  of  the 
political  orator  who  told  his  audience  that  a  certain  policy 
must  be  pursued  "  damit  die  prerogatives  vun  der  Consti- 
tution net  geviolate  warn  " — all  the  way  to  the  other  ex- 
treme of  those  who  substituted  a  High  German  equivalent 
in  place  of  English  words  in  the  Germanized  form  where 
no  true  dialect  form  existed,  and  even  to  the  still  more 
advanced  position  of  the  writer  who  mixes  English,  High 
German  and  dialect,  in  a  sentence  like  this  "  Ich  un  der 
Darwin  agreea  in  dem.  Er  sagt  uns  das  im  anfang  wie 
cosmos  gleichartig  is  worra,  hat  enwickelung  augfanga  aus 
welchem  molecule  gewachsen  sin.  Molecule  han  proto- 
plasm g'macht  und  bald  werd  alles  licht,"  etc. 

E.  D.  Leisenring  criticized,  on  the  one  hand,  Wollen- 
weber  for  his  German,  and  on  the  other,  "  Der  Alt  Kun- 
radt,"  of  Ohio,  for  his  English,  in  language  that  is  not 
free  from  either. 

August  Sauer,  in  the  Introduction  to  "Die  Deutschen 
Sacular  Dichtungen  an  der  Wende  des  i8  u.  19  Jahr- 
hunderts"  says:  "Wenn  das  Leben  des  Menschen  sich 
dem  Ende  nahert  so  treten  die  Ereignisse  seiner  friihesten 
Jugend  am  starksten  in  seinem  Gedachtnisse  hervor."     In 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  fFritings.  319 

"  Geron  der  Adelige  "  Wieland  had  already  expressed  the 
same  Idea  thus: 

Das  Alter  ist  geschwatzig,  wie  ihr  wisst, 
Es  liebt  zu  reden  von  den  guten  Zeiten, 
Die  nicht  mehr  slnd,  in  denen  es,  als  wie 
In  einem  Traum  allein  noch  lebt. 

These  two  quotations  describe  accurately  the  situation 
with  respect  to  Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Literature. 
It  Is  the  product  of  the  old  age  of  the  dialect-speaking 
period;  Schaff  In  urging  Harbaugh  to  write  felt  sure  that 
the  dialect  would  pass  away  and  every  historian  since 
then  has  noted  Its  passing.  The  unity  of  the  literature 
It  has  given  us  In  its  last  days  Is  not  that  of  an  organism 
of  growth,  it  Is  rather  the  unity  of  a  patchwork  quilt,  as 
it  has  been  described  by  one  of  the  dialect  writers, 

'S  is  juscht  en  commomer  Deppich — seh! 
En  quilt,  alt  fashion — awer  schee. 
Wie  scheckig  guckts!     Die  Patches  fei! 
Die  scheina  Schpotjohrs  Bletter  zu  sei. 

Fit  epitaph;  common  in  the  dialect  sense  of  simple,  plain 
"  awer  schee  "  !  Dialect-speaking  grandmother  made  It  for 
grandchildren,  who  at  best  understand  but  can  no  longer 
speak  her  speech.  The  quilt  grew  according  to  her  leisure, 
now  many  patches  in  quick  succession,  then  a  long  pause 
and  then  another  "  Stern  "  (as  she  called  the  blocks)  until 
at  last  It  Is  finished.  But  grandmother  does  not  stop, 
there  will  be  another  and  perhaps  yet  another  "  Stern  " 
but  there  will  never  again  be  another  "  Deppich."  Grand- 
mother's work  Is  done. 

What  the  dialect  writers  have  left,  they  have  left  to 
the  generation  that  can  hardly  understand  it;  and  while 
there  will  still  be  poems  written  and  prose  too,  the  period 


320  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society, 

of  Pennsylvania-German  dialect  literature  is  over;  "  Schpot- 
johrs  Bletter,  ja  Schpotjohrs  Bletter!" 

But  it  would  not  be  proper  to  take  leave  of  this  work 
thus.  The  ten  years  or  more  that  it  has  been  my  privi- 
lege to  devote  to  the  collecting  and  studying  of  the  dialect 
writings  and  their  writers  have  been  years  of  great  satis- 
faction and  pleasure;  each  day  of  search  brought  new  and 
agreeable  surprises,  and  we  of  their  race  would  not  be 
properly  grateful  in  our  day  if  we  failed  to  express  our 
appreciation  of  what  they  have  wrought  for  us,  their  effort 
to  put  into  living  and  lasting  literary  expression  the  heart 
throbs  and  impulses,  and  the  inner  life  of  our  kindred  and 
people.  And  though  we  are  not  going  to  have  any  more 
grandmother's  "  Deppichs  "  there  are  some  other  things 
along  that  line  that  we  shall  have  no  more.  The  Penn- 
sylvania-German dialect  has  seen  its  golden  era;  its 
prophets  and  apostles  have  come  and  gone;  its  Elizabethan 
Age  has  had  a  historic  completion,  but  the  loftiness  of 
their  inspiration,  the  subtility  of  their  conception,  the  bold- 
ness of  their  execution  has  given  a  lasting  and  distinctive 
place  in  dialect  literature;  its  singers,  with  a  few  excep- 
tions, have  left  us  a  rich  legacy;  we  enshrine  them  in  our 
memory  and  glory  in  their  illustrious  work.  To  create 
a  dialect  literature  in  a  country  where  the  kindred  lan- 
guage is  used,  is  something;  to  have  created  a  Pennsyl- 
vania-German dialect  literature  when  the  language  of  their 
schools,  increasingly  of  their  churches,  and  altogether  of 
their  national  life,  is  English,  was  an  achievement. 


Books,  Magazines  and  Newspapers  Cited. 

Citations  from  newspapers  have  frequently  been  made 
from  clippings  in  the  private  collections  of  different  per- 
sons, and  in  such  cases  it  has  often  been  impossible  to  get 
the  exact  date  of  the  paper  cited. 

An  individual  bibliography  accompanies  each  author 
separately  treated. 

Adler,  Carl.  Mundartlich  Heiteres.  In  Steiger's  Humor- 
istische  Bibliothek,  Nos.  i,  lO  and  i8.     New  York,  1886. 

Allemania.  Zeitschrift  fiir  Sprache,  Literatur  und  Volkskunde 
des  Elsasses  und  Oberrheins.  Herausgegeben  von  Dr.  Anton 
Birlinger — Fr.  Pfaff.  Bonn,  1 873-1 899.  Neue  Folge  190a- 
1910. 

Allentown  Call.     Allentown,  Pennsylvania. 

Allentown  Daily  City  Item.     Allentown,  Pennsylvania. 

Allentown  Democrat.     Allentown,  Pennsylvania. 

Allibone's  Dictionary  of  Authors.     New  York,  1891. 

Almanac  for  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States.  Phila- 
delphia.    Annually. 

Almanac,  Pilger,     The  Pilger  Book  Store,  Reading.     Annually. 

American  Philological  Association,  Transactions  of  the.     1 87 1  fE. 

American  Philosophical  Society,  Proceedings  of  the.  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  1843  fE. 

20  321 


322  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Baer,  George  F.  The  Pennsylvania  Germans.  In  the  Mercers- 
burg  Review,  Vol.  23,  p.  248. 

.     The  Pennsylvania  Germans.     Myerstown,  Pa.,   1875. 

Bahn,  Rachel.  Poems.  Introduction  by  Rev.  Ziegler.  York, 
1869. 

Beidelman,  William.  The  Story  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
mans: embracing  an  account  of  their  origin,  their  history  and 
their  dialect.     Easton,  Pa.,  1898. 

Berks  County,  Pa.,  Historical  Society,  Publications  of  the. 
Reading,  Pennsylvania. 

Berlin,  Alfred  Franklin.  Walter  Jacob  Hoffman.  In 
Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  12. 

Berlin  Record.     Jan.  7,  1893.     Berlin,  Somerset  County,  Pa. 

Berlin  Times.     Berlin,  Germany. 

Bethlehem  Times.     Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania. 

Beyer,  C.  Deutsche  Poetik,  Theoretisch-praktisches  Handbuch 
der  deutschen   Dichtkunst.     Dritte  Auflage.     Berlin,    1900. 

Biographic,  Allgemeine  Deutsche.     Leipzig,  1875  ff. 

Bittenger,  Lucy  F.  Pennsylvania  Germans.  In  the  New 
England  Magazine,  1902. 

Book  News  Monthly,  The.     Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1910. 

BooNASTiEL,  Gottlieb.     See  Harter,  T.  H. 

Bosse,  Georg  von.  Das  Deutsche  Element  in  den  Vereinigten 
Staaten,  unter  besonderer  Beriicksichtigung  seines  politischen, 
ethnischen,  socialen  und  erzieherischen  Einflusses.  Preisge- 
kronte   Schrlft.     New  York,    1908. 

Boyerstown  Bauer,  Der.     Boyertown,  Pennsylvania. 

Brains.     Boston,  Massachusetts. 

Brendle,  a.  S.  History  of  Schaefferstown,  Pa.  York,  Pa., 
1901. 

Buck,  Michel.  Bagenga'.  Oberschwabische  Gedichte.  Stutt- 
gart, 1892. 

BuEHRLE,  R.  K.  On  an  Anthology.  In  the  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
man, Vol.  VII,  p.  422. 

Calender,  Weltbote.     Allentown,  Pa.     Annually. 
Canton  Repository.     Canton,  Ohio. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         323 

Carbon  County  Democrat.     Mauch  Chunk,  Pa. 

Carter.  •  See  Glossbrenner. 

Center  County,  Biographical  Annals  of. 

Center  County  Democrat.     Bellefonte,  Pennsylvania. 

Christ  Reformed  Church  News.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Ciarla.  Annual  of  the  Junior  Class  at  Muhlenberg  College, 
Allentown,  Pennsylvania. 

Cobb,  Sanford  H.  The  Palatine  or  German  Immigration  to 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  Wyoming  Historical  and 
Genealogical  Society,  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  1897. 

.     The    Story   of   the    Palatines.     An    Episode   in    Colonial 

History.     New  York  and  London,   1897. 

Croll,  p.  C.  I.  D.  Rupp.  In  the  Pennsylvania  German,  Vol. 
VII,  I,  I. 

Democratic  Watchman^  The.     Bellefonte,  Pennsylvania. 

Deutsche  Kirchenfreudj  Der.  Redigirt  von  Dr.  Schaff,  Mercers- 
burg,  Pa.,  1 848-1 850. 

Deutsche  Pionier,  Der.  Erinnerungen  aus  dem  Pionier  Leben 
der  Deutschen  in  Amerika.  Herausgegeben  vom  Deutschen 
Pionier  Verein,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,   1 869-1 887. 

Deutsche  Pionier  Verein,  Publications  of  the.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Dialect  Notes. 

DiEFENDERFER,  F.  R.  Review  of  "  Der  Dengelstock "  in  the 
Lancaster  New  Era,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

DoRioT,  Sophia.     Beginner's  Book  in  French.     Boston,  1886. 

DuBBS,  J.  H.  The  Pennsylvania  Germans.  In  The  Nation, 
New  York,  Vol.  41,  p.  532. 

Earle,  Alice  Morse.  Home  Life  in  Colonial  Days.  New 
York,  1898. 

Eby,  Ezra  E.  The  Biographical  History  of  Waterloo  Town- 
ship and  other  Townships  of  the  County,  being  a  history  of 
the  early  settlers,  mostly  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  Origin. 
Berlin,  Ontario,  1895. 

Egle,  W.  H.  I.  D.  Rupp.  In  the  Historical  Magazine,  Febru- 
ary, 1 87 1, 


324  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

EiCHRODT,  LuDWiG.  Rheinschwabisch :  Gedichte  in  mittel- 
badischer  Sprechweise,  Zweite  Auflage,  Karlsruhe,  1873. 

Ellis,  Alexander  J.  Early  English  Pronunciation,  London, 
1869. 

Ellis  &  Evans.  History  of  Lancaster  County,  Pa.  Philadel- 
phia,  1883. 

Ermentrout,  Daniel.  Our  People  in  American  History.  An 
oration  delivered  at  the  German  Centennial  Jubilee  at  Read- 
ing, Pa.,  June  19,  1876.     Reading,  1876. 

Father  Abraham.     Lancaster,  Pa.,  1868. 

Father  Abraham.     Reading,  Pa.,  1864. 

Faust,  Albert  Bernhardt.  The  German  Element  in  the 
United  States,  with  special  reference  to  its  political,  moral, 
social  and  educational  influence.  Boston  and  New  York, 
1909. 

FiCK,  H.  H.  Die  Dialectdichtung  in  der  Deutsch-Amerikan- 
ischen  Litteratur.     Cincinnati,  Ohio.     No  date. 

Fisher,  Henry  L.  Kurzweil  un  Zeitvertreib,  odder  Pennsyl- 
vanisch  Deutsche  Folks-Lieder,  York,  Pa.  1882.  2d  edi- 
tion, 1896. 

.     Olden   Times:   or,    Pennsylvania   Rural    Life   some   fifty 

years  ago  and  other  poems.     York,   1886. 

.     'S  Alt  Marik-Haus  Mittes  in  D'r  Schtadt,  un  die  Alte 

Zeite:  En  Centennial  Poem  in  Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch. 
York,  Pa.,  1879. 

.     Short    Historical    Sketch   of   the    Pennsylvania   Germans. 


Chicago,  111. 

Fisher,  Sydney  George.  The  Making  of  Pennsylvania. 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.     1896. 

.  The  Pennsylvania  Dutch.  Chicago  Record  Herald,  Oc- 
tober 9,  1 90 1. 

Flory,  John  L.  Literary  Activity  of  the  German  Baptist 
Brethren.     Published  by  the  University  of  Virginia.     1909. 

Flugblatt.     Privately   published    poems. 

Folklore,  Journal  of  American.     Boston,  1888  flF. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  325 

Franklin,  Benjamin.     Franklin  on  the  Pennsylvania  Germans. 

In  Sparks'  Works  of  Franklin,  Vol.  II,  pp.  71-73- 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College  Obituary  Record,  Vol.  I,  No.  I, 

1897. 
Friedensbote.     Allentown,  Pennsylvania. 
Frick,  W.  K.     Notes  on  Pennsylvania  German  Literature.     In 

Muhlenberg  Monthly,  Vol.  IV,  No.  2,  Allentovi^n,  Pa. 

German-American  Annals.  Continuation  of  the  Quarterly  Amer- 
icana Germanica.  A  monthly  devoted  to  the  comparative 
study  of  the  historical,  literary,  linguistic,  educational  and 
commercial  relations  of  Germany  and  America.  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  1903  ff. 

Gibbons,  Mrs.  Phoebe  E.  Pennsylvania  Dutch  and  other 
Essays.     Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1874;  2d  edition,  1882. 

Gibson,  John.  History  of  York  County,  Pa.  York,  Pa.,  and 
Chicago,  111.,  1886. 

Glossbrenner  and  Carter.     History  of  York  County,  Pa. 

GoEBEL,  Julius.  Das  Deutschtum  in  den  Vereinigten  Staaten 
von  Nord-Amerika.  In  "  Der  Kampf  um  das  Deutschtum  " 
herausgegeben  vom  AUdeutschen  Verband,  Heft  16, 
Miinchen,  1904. 

Grumbine,  Ezra.  Stories  of  Old  Stumpstovv^n.  A  History  of 
Interesting  Events,  Traditions  and  Anecdotes  of  Early 
Fredericksburg,  known  for  many  years  as  Stumpstown. 
Lebanon,  19 10. 

Grumbine,  Lee  Light.  Der  Dengelstock  and  other  Poems  and 
Translations  in  the  Pennsylvania  German  Dialect.  Lebanon, 
Pennsylvania,  1903. 

Guardian,  The.     A  Monthly  Magazine.     Lancaster,  Pa.,  1850  ff. 

Haberle,  D.  Auswanderung  und  Koloniegriindung  der  Pfalzer 
im  i8ten  Jahrhundert.     Kaiserslautern,  1909. 

Haldeman,  S.  S.  Pennsylvania  Dutch.  A  Dialect  of  South 
German  with  an  Infusion  of  English.     London,  1872. 

Keystone  Gazette.     Bellefonte,  Pennsylvania. 


326  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Harbaugh,  Henry.  Harbaugh's  Harfe:  Gedichte  in  Penn- 
sylvanisch-Deutscher  Mundart.  Herausgegeben  von  B. 
Bausman.     Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1870. 

.     Hours  at  Home.     October,  1866. 

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Harbaugh,  Linn.  Life  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Harbaugh,  D.D., 
w^ith  an  Introduction  by  Dr.  Nathan  C.  SchaefEer  and  Eulogy 
by  Rev.  E.  V.  Gerhart.     Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1900. 

Harris,  Alexander.  A  Biographical  History  of  Lancaster 
County,  Pa.     Lancaster,  1872. 

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Harter,  T.  H.  Boonastiel,  A  volume  of  legend,  story  and 
song  in  "  Pennsylvania  Dutch."     Bellefonte,  Pa.,  1904. 

Hausfreund,  Der. 

Hebel,  Johann  Peter.     Allemanische  Gedichte,  1803. 

Heidelberg  Argus.     Heidelberg,  Ohio. 

Heidelberg  Herald.     Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 

Heilman,  Samuel  P.     Private  Scrap  Book. 

Herringshaw's  Encyclopedia  of  American  Biography. 

Holder,  August.  Alleweil  vergniiagt!  Schwabisches  Vortrag 
und  Singbuch.     Dritte  Auflage.     Stuttgart.     No  Date. 

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Horne,  a.  R.  Pennsylvania  German  Manual.  How  Penn- 
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Hulsbuck,  Solly.  See  Miller,  Harvey. 

Hungerford,  Austin  N.     See  Mathews,  Alfred. 

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Mathews,  Alfred^  and  Hungerford,  Austin  N.  History 
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History,  Character,  Customs,  Language,  Literature  and  Re- 
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an  Introduction  by  President  J.  S.  Stahr.  Reading,  Pa., 
1904. 

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College,  Allentow^n,  Pa. 

Nadler,  Karl  G.  Frohlich  Pfalz,  Gott  Erhalts!  Gedichte  in 
Pfalzischer  Mundart.     2te  Auflage.     Kaiserslautcrn. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         329 

National  Baptist,  The. 

National    Cyclopedia   of   American   Biography,   The.     13    Vols. 

New  York,  1 892-1 905. 
National  Educator,  The.     Various  places  and  finally  Allentown, 

Pa,  1860-1903.     A.  R.  Home,  editor. 
New  England  Magazine.     Boston,  Massachusetts. 
New  York  Deutsche  Blatter.     New  York,  N.  Y. 
New  York  Journal.     New  York,  N.  Y. 
New  York  Recorder.     New  York,  N.  Y. 
New  York  Staats-Zeitung.     New  York,  N.  Y. 

Old  Penn.  Publication  of  the  students  of  the  Universtiy  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Penn  Monthly.  Student  publication  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  The.  Monthly  Magazine.  E.  H. 
Rauch,  editor.     Lancaster,  1873. 

Pennsylvania  German,  The.  Quarterly.  January,  1900,  to  Oc- 
tober, 1905  Editor  P.  C.  Croll.  Bimonthly,  January, 
1906,  to  July,  1906.  Editor  H.  A.  Shuler.  Monthly, 
September,  1906,  to  March,  191 1.  Editor  H.  A.  Shuler, 
and  since  his  death,  Jan.  14,  1908,  H.  W.  Kriebel. 

Pennsylvania  German  Society,  The.  Proceedings  and  addresses, 
published  for  the  Society,  1891  to  date. 

Pennsylvanians,  Prominent.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia  County  Medical  Society  Papers.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia  Evening  Bulletin.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia  Inquirer.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia  Public  Ledger.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia  Press.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia  Record.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

PoppE,  Franz.  Marsch  und  Geest.  Gedichte  humoristischen 
und  emsten  Inhalts.  in  Oldenburg-niederdeutscher  Mundart. 
Oldenburg,  1879. 

Pottsville  Republican,  Pottsville,  Pa. 


330  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

"  R."     E.  D.  Leisenring.     In  Der  Deutsche  Pionier,  Vol.  XIV, 

p.  68. 
Radlof,  Mustersaal  aller  teutschen  Mundarten.     Bonn.     1822. 
Rauch,  E.  H.     Pennsylvanish  Deitsh.     De  Campain  Breefa  fum 

Pit  Schweffelbrenner  un  de  Bevvy,  si  Alty,  gepublished  oily 

Woch  in  "  Father  Abraham."     Lancaster,  1868. 
.     Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook.     A  book  for  Instruction. 

Mauch  Chunk,  Pa.,  1879. 
.     Pennsylvania    Dutch    Rip    van    Winkle.      A    Romanctic 

Drama  in  two  acts.     Translated  from  the  original  with  varia- 
tions.    Mauch  Chunk,  1883. 
Reading  Eagle.     Reading,  Pa. 
Reading  Telegram.     Reading,  Pa. 
Reading  Times  and  Dispatch.     Reading,  Pennsylvania. 
Reformed  Church  Messenger,  The.     Weekly.     Philadelphia,  Pa., 

1828  to  date. 
Reformed  Church  Record,  The.     Weekly.     Reading,   Pa.,    1888 

to  date. 
Reformed  Church  Review,  The.     Quarterly.     Lancaster,  Pa. 
Reichel,  William  C.     Historical  Sketch  of  Nazareth  Hall  from 

1755  to   1869  with  an  account  of  the  Reunions  of  former 

pupils.     Philadelphia,  1869. 
Reiff,    August.      Rosestuck,    Holderbliiet.      Schwabische    Ge- 

dichte.     3te  Auflage.     Stuttgart.     No  date. 
Riley,  James  Whitcomb.     The  dialect  in  Literature.     Forum, 

XIV,  p.  465. 
RiNGWALT,  Mrs.  J.  C.     I.  D.  Rupp.     In  Der  Deutsche  Pionier, 

Vol.  VI,  351. 
RiTSCHL,  G.  F.     Imperial  German  Consul  at  Philadelphia.     Per- 
sonal letter. 
Rush,  Benjamin.     An  account  of  the  Manners  of  the  German 

Inhabitants  of  Pennsylvania  written  in  1789.     Notes  added 

by  I.  D.  Rupp.     Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1875. 

St.  Louis  Republic.     St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Sauer,  August.     Die  Deutsche  Sekular-Dichtung  an  der  Wande 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  331 

des  19.  Jahrhunderts.     Deutsche  Litteratur  Denkmaler,  91- 

104,  Berlin,  1901. 
ScHAFF,  D.  S.     The  Life  of  Philip  Schaff.     New  York,  1897. 
ScHOPF  JoHANN  David.     Reise  durch  einige  der  mittlern  und 

siidlichen   vereinigten   nordamerikanishen   Staaten   nach   Ost- 

Florida  und  den  Bahama  Inseln,  unternommen  in  den  Jahren 

1783  und  1784.     Erlangen,  1788,  2  Bande. 
Scranton  Tribune.     Scranton,  Pa. 
Scranton  Truth,  Scranton,  Pa. 

Smull's  Legislative  Handbook.     Harrisburg,  Pa.     Annually. 
Spirit  of  Berks.     Reading,  Pa. 
Stahr,  J.  S.     The  Pennsylvania  Germans.     In  the  Mercersburg 

Review,  October,  1870. 
.     Introduction   to   Daniel   Miller's   Pennsylvania   German. 

Reading,  Pa.,  1904. 
Stedman,  Edmund  Clarence.     Private  Letter. 
Steiner,  Lewis  H.     The  Pennsylvania  Germans.     In  the  Inde- 
pendent, New  York,  June  24,  1880. 
Stetzel,    Henry.     A    Brief    Biography    of    Moses    Dissinger, 

Preacher   of    the    Evangelical   Association,    Allentown,    Pa., 

1892. 
Stoudt,    John     Baer.      Pennsylvania    German     Riddles    and 

Rhymes.     In  the  Journal  of  American  Folklore,  Vol.  XIX, 

p.    113.     Pennsylvania    German    Society    Proceedings,    Vol. 

XXIII. 

Thompson,   Robert  Ellis.     Henry   Harbaugh.     In  the   Penn 

Monthly,  Vol.  I,  p.  80.     Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Town  and  Country.     Pennsburg,  Pa. 
Trexler,  B.  F.     Skizzen  aus  dem  Lecha  Thale.     Eine  Samm- 

lung    von    Nachrichten    iiber    die    ersten    Ansiedlungen    der 

Weissen    in    dieser    Gegend.     Von    Ben.     Allentown,    Pa., 

1 880-1 886. 
Truebners  American  and  Oriental  Journal,  London  and  Strass- 

burg,  Jan.  24,  1870. 
Tyrrell,  R.  B.     Lectures  on  Latin  Poetry.     Boston  and  New 

York,  1895. 


332  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Wanhope.  Value  of  Dialect.  North  American  Review,  Vol. 
158,  p.  640. 

Warner,  Joseph  H.  (Johann  Klotz).  Amerikanische  His- 
toric.    Annville,  Pennsylvania,  1905. 

.     Private  Scrap  Books. 

Weiser,  C.  Z.  The  Life  of  (John)  Conrad  Weiser,  The  Ger- 
mann  Pioneer,  Patriot,  and  Patron  of  tsvo  races.  First  edi- 
tion, 1876;  Second  Edition,  1899. 

Wilkesbarre  Record.     Wilkesbarre,  Pa. 

Wollenweber,  Ludwig  a.  Gemalde  aus  dem  Pennsylvanischen 
Volksleben:  Schilderungen  und  Aufsatze  in  poetischer  und 
prosaischer  Form,  in  Mundart  und  Ausdrucksweise  der 
Deutsch  Pennsylvanier,  verfasst  und  zusammengetragen. 
Philadelphia  und  Leipzig,  1869. 

Woodberry,  George  E.  Appreciation  of  Literature,  New  York, 
1907. 

York  County  Historical  Society,  Publications  of.    York,  Pa. 

Zeitschrift  fiir  Deutsche  Mundarten.     In  Auftrage  des  Vorstandes 

des   Allgemeinen    Deutschen    Sprachvereins.     Herausgegeben 

von  Otto  Heilig  und  Philip  Lenz.     Jahrgang  1906.     Berlin. 

Verlag  des  Allgemeinen  Sprachvereins.     Vierteljahrlich. 
Ziegler,  Charles  C.     Draus  un  Daheem.     Gedichte  in  Penn- 

sylvanisch  Deitsch.     Leipzig,  1891. 
Zimmerman,    Gustav   Adolph.     Deutsch    in   Amerika;,     Bei- 

trage  zur  Geschichte  der  Deutsch  Amerikanischen  Literatur, 

Chicago,  1894. 
Zimmerman,  Thomas  C.     Schiller's  "  Song  of  the  Bell "  and 

Other  Poems  Printed  for  Private  Circulation,  Reading,  Pa., 

1896. 

.     Private  Scrap  Book. 

.     Olla    Podrida.     Consisting    of    Addresses,    Translations 

Hymns,  Poems  and  sketches  of  out  door  life.     Reading,  Pa., 

1903.     2  volumes. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         333 

Sources  of  Information  for  Writers  not  Specially 
Treated. 

Baer,  S.  a.     Biographical  Annals  of  Berks  County,  Montgomery, 
Chicago,  1904. 
Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania  German  Society,  Vol.  V,  151. 
Bahn,  Rachel.     Pennsylvania  Dutch.     Mrs.  Gibbons,  Philada., 

1874. 
Pennsylvania  Dutch.     Haldemann,  London,  1872. 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook.     Rauch,  Mauch  Chunk,  1879. 
Pennsylvania  German  Dialect.     Learned,  Baltimore,  1889. 
Personal  Correspondence  with  Dr.  Betz,  York,  Pa. 
Poems.     Rachel    Bahn,    York,    1869.     Introduction    by    Rev. 

Ziegler. 
Rachel  Bahn,  the  York  County  Poetess.     Dr.  Betz,  Pennsyl- 
vania German,  VII,  3,  99. 
Truebner's    American    and    Oriental    Journal,    London    and 
Strassburg,  Jan.  24,  1870. 
Brendle,  a.  S.     History  of  Schaefferstown,  York,  1901. 
Brunner,    Frank.     Biographical    History    of    Berks    County. 
Montgomery.     Chicago,  111. 
Interviews  with  friends. 

Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania  German  Society,  Vol.  XVII. 
Craig,  William.     Pennsylvania  German  Magazine,  Vol.  X,  6, 

294. 
DuBBS,  J.  S.     His  Private  Correspondence. 

Publications  of  the  Lancaster  County  Historical  Society,  Vols. 

XV,  I,  31  and  XIV,  IV. 
Reformed  Church  Messenger,  Philadelphia,  Vol.  LXXIX,  No. 

14,  p.  4,  and  Vol.  LXXIX,  No.  18. 
Reformed  Church  Review,  Fourth  Series,  Vol.  XIV,  No.  4. 
EiSENBROWN,  P.  F.     Correspondence  and  Interviews  with  mem- 
bers of  his  family. 
Obituary  Memoir. 
Gerhardt,  William.     Stories  of  Old  Stumpstown.     Grumbine, 
Lebanon,  19 10. 


334  ^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Graeff,  I.  E.     Reformed  Church  Messenger,  Philadelphia,  Vol. 
LXXVIII,  No.  i6,  19. 
Reformed  Church  Record,  Reading,  Pa. 
Hark,  J.  Max.     Personal  correspondence  and  interview. 

Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania  German  Society,  Vol.  Ill,  159. 
Proceedings    of    the    Pennsylvania    German    Society,    Vol.    X, 

App.  I. 
Tributes  of  esteem  by  Lancaster  friends. 
Heilman,  S.  p.     Biographical  Annals  of  Lebanon  County,  Chi- 
cago, 1904. 
Lebanon  County  Historical  Society  Publications,  Vol.  I,  2. 
Personal  Interview  and  Correspondence. 
Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania  German  Society,  Vol.  VI,  Vol. 

III,  159. 

Horn,  A.  P.     Interviews  with  members  of  his  family. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  XI,  10,  626. 

Reformed  Church  Messenger,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Reformed  Church  Record,  Reading,  Pa. 
KoPLiN,  A.  B.     Correspondence  with  J.  S.  Dubbs. 

Heidelberg  Argus,  Ohio. 

Interviews  and  Correspondence. 
Leisenring,  E.  D.     Der  Deutsche  Pionier,  Cincinnati,  O.,  Vol. 
XIV.,  68 

Freidensbote,  Allentown,  Pa. 
Reinecke,   E.   W.     Franklin   and   Marshall   College   Obituary 
Record,  Vol.  I,  p.  48. 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  X,  7,  316. 
ScHANTZ,  F.  J.  F.     Muhlenberg  Monthly,  Allentown,  Pa.,  Vol. 

IV,  2. 

Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania  German  Society,  Vol.  IV,  179; 
Vol.  XVI,  37. 
Sheeleigh,   M.   N.     Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania  German 

Society,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  181,  and  Vol.  X,  p.  36. 
VoGT,  John.     Reformed  Church  Almanac,  1903,  p.  54. 
Reformed  Church  Messenger. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         335 

WiTMER,  Tobias.     Muhlenberg  Monthly,  Allentown,  Pa.,  Vol. 

IV,  2. 
Pennsylvania  Dutch.     Haldemann,  London,  1872. 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook.     Rauch,  Mauch  Chunk,  1879. 
Pennsylvania  German  Dialect.     Learned,  Baltimore,  1889. 
The  Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Lancaster,  Pa. 
Transactions  of  the  American  Philological  Association,  Vol.  I, 

80. 
Weiser,  C.  Z.     Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania  German  Society, 

Vol.  Ill,  186;  Vol.  VIII,  15. 
Reformed  Church  Messenger. 
Reformed  Church  Record. 


AN  INDEX  OF  PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN 
DIALECT  LITERATURE. 

Abbreviations  Used. 

Al Allemanla. 

All.  Dem Allentown  Democrat. 

Am.  Volk Amerikanische  Volkskunde. 

B.  Co.  Express Bucks  County  Express. 

Ciarla    Muhlenberg  College  Junior  Annual. 

Dia.  N Dialect  Notes. 

D.   Kir Deutscher  Kirchenfreund. 

D.  M Pennsylvania     German,      ist     Vol., 

Daniel  Miller. 

D.  M.  2    Pennsylvania      German,      2d      Vol., 

Daniel  Miller. 

D.  P Der  Deutsche  Pionier. 

Father  Ab Father  Abraham. 

Fick.  Dia Fick  Dialekt  Dichtung. 

Fir Firmanach    Germaniens    Volkerstim- 

men. 

Fried Friedensbote. 

Flugblatt    Privately  published  poems. 

G.  B Gottlieb  Boonestiel. 

Ger.  Cor.  &  Dem German  Correspondent  and  Demo- 
crat. 

Guard The  Guardian. 

336 


-Pennsylvania-German  Manual. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  PFritings.  337 

Hal.  P.  D Pennsylvania  Dutch,  Haldeman. 

Heil.  Col Heilman  Collection. 

H.  Harfe Harbaugh's  Harfe. 

Hist.  Berks History   of   Berks   County,    Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Hist.  Sk.  of  P.  G Historical  Sketch  of  the  Pennsylvania 

Germans. 

Home,  1st  Edition 

Home,  3d  Edition  . 

Home,  2d  Edition  . 

Home,  4th  Edition 

Hul.  P.  C Pennsylvania  German  by  Solly  Huls- 

buck. 

Hul.  P.  G.  P Pennsylvania-German    Poems,    Huls- 

buck. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor Pennsylvania-German   Stories,    Huls- 

buck. 

Jour.  Am.  F.  . 

Jour.  A.  F.  L. 

Leb.  Adv Lebanon  Advertiser. 

Leb.  News Lebanon  News. 

Leb.  Report Lebanon  Report. 

Leb.  Volks  Zeit Lebanon  Volks  Zeitung. 

Life  Har Life  of  Harbaugh. 

M.  H Mundartlich  Heiteres. 

MS From  the  private  records  of  various 

authors. 

Naz.  Hall   Nazareth   Hall  and   its   Reunions. 

P.  D The     Pennsylvania     Dutchman      (a 

magazine). 

P.  D.  H Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook. 

P.  G Pennsylvania-German    Magazine. 

P.  Leb.  Hist.  Soc Publications  of  the  Lebanon  County 

Historical  Society. 

Pro.  Am.  Philosoph.  S Proceedings  of  the  American  Philo- 
sophical Society. 
21 


I  Journal  of  American  Folklore. 


I  Reformed  Church  Record. 


338  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society, 

Pro.  P.  G.  S Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania- 
German  Society. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.  Ap Proceedings  of  the  Pennsylvania- 
German  Society,  Appendix. 

Read.  Times  and  Dispatch .  Reading  Times  and  Dispatch. 

Ref .  Ch.  Al Reformed  Church  Almanac. 

Ref.  Ch.  Rec 

Ref.  Rec 

Sk.   Lecha  Thai    Skizzen  aus  dem  Lecha  Thai. 

Sk.   P.  G Short    Sketch    of    the    Pennsylvania 

Germans. 

Stumps.  Stories   Stumptov^^n  Stories. 

Trans.  Am.  Phil.  Soc Transactions  of  the  American  Philo- 
logical Society. 

Unser  P.  D.  Kalenner  .  .  ^  Unser       Pennsylvanisch       Deitscher 

Unser  P.  D.  Kal J      Kalenner. 

W.  B.  Kal Welt  Bote  Kalenner. 

Woll.  Gemalde Gemalde    aus    dem     Pennsylvanisch 

Volksleben  Wollenweber. 

I .   Poetry. 
Anonymous  : 

Bauraspruch P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  616. 

Unser  P.  D.  Kalenner,  1895. 

Unser  P.  D.  Kalenner,  1905. 

Befehl  am  Feuerheerd «P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  4,  181. 

De  Deutsche  Baura   P.  D.,  Vol.  i.  No.  3. 

Der  "  Bio  Berg  " Sk.  Lecha  Thai,  p.  98. 

Der  Process P.  D.,  Vol.  i.  No.  2. 

Der  Verwerrte  Deutsche  D.  P.,  Vol.  V,  1873. 

Der  Wipperwill    P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  5,  234- 

Des    County    Fiinf    zu    Ehm    fiir 

Andy  Quay   Leb.    Volks.    Zeit.,    Feb.    8, 

1899. 
Die  Bettler's  JQage   D.  M.,  2. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         339 

Die  Kerche  Bell  D.  M.,  p.  125. 

Doktor   Eisenbart    D.  M.,  2,  p.  142. 

En  Klagelied  D.  M.,  2,  p.  131. 

En  Tremp   P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  3,  115. 

Fertzig  Johr  Zuriick   D.  M.,  2,  p.  121. 

Hurrah  ihr  Demokraten P.  Leb.  Hist.  Soc,  Vol.  V,  5. 

Mei  Nochbor  Dschon    D.  M.,  2,  p.  127. 

Sauerkraut    D.  M.,  2,  p.  115. 

Sie  Hucka  Rum    P.  Q,  Vol.  H,  5,  305. 

'Sis  Nergeds  besser  wie  deheem. .  .D.  M.,  2,  p.  70, 
To    the    Disfranchised    Voters    of 

Lebanon  County   Fluegblatt. 

Unser  Register    Ciarla,   1904. 

Wan  kumt  die  gute  Zeit D.  M.,  2,  p.  112. 

Zu  viel  wiske,  Jake D.  M.,  2,  p.  120. 

Yukle  will  net  Bera  Shitla P.  D.  Vol.  I,  3. 

Home,  I,  p.  49. 

Home,  2. 

Home,  3. 

Home,  4. 

Welt.Bote,  Sep.  8,  1875. 
(See    also    index    under    Wollen- 
weber.) 

Bahn,  Rachel: 

Poems — Rachel  Bahn,  published  at  York,  Pa.,   1869.     H.  C. 
Adams  &  Co.      (Out  of  print.) 

Der  Alt  Schockle  Stuhl Poems,  p.  191. 

Der  Alt  Weide  Bahm  For'mHous.p.  187. 

Der  Herbst   p.  183. 

Der  Summer   p.  180. 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  95. 

Der   Winter    p.  185. 

Haeb  am  Felse  Dich p.  186. 

'S  Fruehyohr p,  179. 

P.  D.  H.,  p.  217. 


340  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

'S  Glatt  Ice p.  i86. 

'S  Himmlisch  Haemweh p.  195. 

Vocal  Music   p.  198. 

Brendle  a.  S.  : 

Du  und  Ich    Leb.  News,  Dec.  16,  1898. 

Brunner,  Frank  R.  : 

Christ   Dag    D.  M.,  p.  82. 

Home,  4th  ed,,  p.   186. 
Der  Alt  Garret P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  10,  505. 

D.  M.,  2  p.  74. 

Der  Juni  un  der  Juli P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  3,  317. 

Des  Mensche  Lewe   .  . .  .• D.  M.,  p.  96. 

Die  Schulhaus  Bell P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  3,118. 

Drei   Sache    P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  3,  308. 

Es  Fet  und  Inschlicht  Licht P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  11,  576. 

Lewe  und  Himmel   P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  i,  207. 

Neujohr's  Wunsch D.  M.,  p.  102. 

Oschtre    D.  M.,  p.  74. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  2,  261. 

Schpotjohr    P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  i,  28. 

Wie  es  Als  War D.  M.,  p.  85. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  XII,  2,  119. 
Wie  mer  Glee  Ware D.  M.,  p.  78. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  I,  212. 

Brunner,  David  B.  (Goethe  von  Berks)  : 

Bezahlt  euer  Parre D.  M.,  p.  138. 

Der  Alt  un  der  Jung  Krebs D.  M.,  p.  153. 

Der  Dan  Webster  un  Sei  Sens. .    Reading  Adler. 

P.  G.,  II,  3,  no. 

Der  Washington  un  Sei  Bile Home,  3d  ed.,  p.   159. 

Die  Grundsau D.  M.,  p.  149. 

En  Gross  Misverstandniss D.   M.,  p.    144. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         341 

Unzufriedenheit    unner    de    Men- 

sche    D.  M.,  2,  p.  105. 

Wann  ich  just  en  Bauer  War.  .  .  D.  M.,  p.   135. 

Wie  die  Leut  des  Duhne P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  3,  135. 

Xenien    R  Q,  Vol.  VII,  5,  255. 

Xenlen    P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  7,  376. 

Xenien    P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  6,  274. 

Xenien    P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  9,  449- 

Craig  William  : 

The  Old  Chain  Bridge P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  6,  294. 

Croll,  S.  E.  : 

Die   Gold'ne   Hochzig    P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  i,  38. 

Daniel  : 

Zeit  un  Leut  annere  Sich P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  2,  65. 

DeLong,  George  Keller: 

Herz  Schmerza P.  G.,  Ad  Section. 

Delong,  S.: 

Der  Alt  Shoff  Buck P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  i,  13. 

Die  guta  alta  Zeita   P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  2,  66. 

DuBBS,  J.  B.: 

Das  Vater  Unser  in  Reimen D.  M.,  p.  134. 

ElSENBROWN,  P.  F.: 

Die  Weibsleut    D.  M.,  p.  128. 

Zeit  un  Leut  Aennere  Sich D.  M.,  p.  130. 

Der  Bauer  Hot's  Plenty D.  M.,  p.  132. 

ESHELMAN,  E.  M. : 

Der  Verlora  Gaul    P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  6,  281. 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  118. 


342  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Ein  Psalm  des  Lebens  (Trans.). -P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  i,  24. 

Juscht  en  Deppich   P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  5,  263. 

My  Aldty  Gelk   (rev.  by  Dr.  E. 

Grumbine)     P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  i,  iii. 

'S  Alt  Schwim  Loch   P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  4,  361. 

Schnitzpei    P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  6,  310. 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  117. 
'S  Neu  Fogel  Haus P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  2,  77. 

Flick,  M.  C: 

'S  Schulhaus  am  Weg P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  2,  70. 

Fischer,  Henry  L.: 

'"S  Alt  Marik  Haus  Mittes  in  D'r  Schtadt  un  Die  Alte 
Zeite."  In  two  parts.  Published  at  York,  Pa.,  1879. 
(Out  of  print.) 


Part  I. 

Boneschtecke    p.  60. 

Der  Alt  Fritz  Horn p.   63 

Der  Washington  p.   68 

Der  Schquire  Braxton    p.  61 

Die  Fashions   p,   58 

D'r  Fette  Haas p.  59 

Hanover p.  75 

Marik  Geh    p.  43 

Paradies    p.  47 

Philadelphia   p.  48 

Ready    Mocha   for   noch   em 

Marik    p.  65 

'S  Marik  Haus p.  25 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         343 

Part  II. 

Aepple    p.  104. 

Alt  Zeit  Dresche p.  162. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  141. 

D.  M.,  p.  102. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  9,  469. 

Butchere p.   118. 

Buwli   Schpiele    p.  85. 

Der  Dadi  'N  Jackson  Mon.  .p.  149. 

Die  Doktor  Fraa    p.  122. 

Die  Heemet p.  217. 

Die  Miihl    p.  165. 

Die  Schul p.  191. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  I,  51. 

Die  Schweizer  Scheuer p.   143. 

Die  Zinn  Schissel   p.   124. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  134. 

D'r  Abe  p.  I55- 

D'r  Dschon   p.  174. 

D'r  Fiert  July p.   141. 

D'r   Kremer    p.  160. 

D'r  Schnee    p.  I59- 

D'r     Schneider     und     Schu- 
macher     p.   116. 

Fier  Gauls  Fuhrwerk p.  1 70. 

Flax  Schtickli   p.  108. 

Hame  kumme    p.  81. 

Ich  bin  de  alt  Heemet  sehne.  p.  203-217. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  I,  51. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  I,  52. 
Ihr    Pennsylvanlsch    Deitsche 

Leut    p.  199- 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  48. 
Im   Erntfeld    p.  132. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  7,  326. 


344  ^^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Latwerg  Koche  p.  lOO. 

Mei  Alte  Heemet p.  i8i. 

Pennsylvanisch   Deitsch    ....p.  198. 

'S  Alt  Brennhaus p.  168. 

Schulhaus  un  Kerich p.  1 84. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  I,  51. 

Seider    p.  106. 

Singen  Schul   p.  149. 

Sundag  Morge p.  146. 

Wie  m'r  ufg'wachse  sin.... p.  178. 


"  Kurzweil    un    Zeitvertreib " — Fischer.     Published    at    York, 
Pa.,  1882.     Two  editions.      (Out  of  print.) 

Alt  Lang  Syne  (after  Scotch) .  p.  146. 

Backmult  Walli    p.  102. 

Bier  Lied  (after  Felner) ...  .p.  132. 
Der  Abschied  nooch  Amerika 

(after  the  Suabian)    p.  122. 

Der     Bauer     Hans     un     der 

Advokat    p.  81, 

Der  Bettler   (after  Hebel)..p.  66. 

Der  Dschonni  Schuss   p.  114. 

Der  Ehrlich  Fritz p.  51. 

Der  Ehrlich  Schmidt   p.  5. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  2,  80. 
Der    Gliicklig    Bauer    (after 

Felner)    p.  49- 

Der  Luschtig  Bauer P-  32. 

Der  Mai  (after  Felner) p.  57. 

Der  Parre  un  die  Hummler.p.  69. 

Der  Schnee    p.  24. 

Der     Weeg     Weiser     (after 

Hebel)    p.  21. 

Der  Wei   p.  loi. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         345 

Der  Winter  (after  Felner) . .  p.  98. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  2,  114. 

Die  Wertschaft p.  44. 

Drink  Lied  (after  Felner)..  p.  95. 
Ei  so  Geig  (after  Nadler) ...  p.  47. 
Em      Bettelmon      sei      Owet 

Lied   (after  Felner)    p.  37. 

Em  Lump  sei  Leewes  Reiss.  .p.  63. 
En    Bier    Liedle    (after    Fel- 
ner)      p.  92. 

En      Ferwickelte     Ferwandt- 

schaft    p.  97. 

Es  Bachli   (after  Bryant)... p.  135. 

Friihjohr's   Lied    p.  9- 

P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  I,  50. 
Gas  Bock  odder  Parre   (after 

Nadler)    p.  88. 

Hesse  Dhal   p.  17. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  I,  20. 
Het  ich  nix  as  mei  Lisli  ....  p.  62. 
Hirten    Lied    an    der    Krippe 

(after  Felner)    p.  120. 

Ich   kann  nix   dafoor!    (after 

Nadler)    p.  58. 

Ich  un  die  Nancy p.  34. 

Kreuzkrick  Walli    p.   139. 

Hist.  Sk.  of  P.  G.'s. 
Luschtig       isch's       Zigeuner 

Leewe p.  134. 

Mei   Buwli    p.  29. 

Mei  Fraa  un  Kind p.  94. 

Owet  Lied p.   118. 

Reichdum  (after  Felner)  ...p.  27. 
'S  Badd  Alles  Nix  (after  the 

Palatinate)     p.  133. 


346  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

'S    Fruhjohr's    Bviwll     (after 

Weisman)     p.  39- 

Tiddel    un    Abodhekersbiichs 

(after  Nadler)    p.  116. 

Wasser  Lied   (after  Felner)  .p.  93. 
Wiegelied  (after  Felner)   ...p.   124. 

Zu  gross  for  sei  Hosse p.  126. 

Der  Krabb  (Foe's  Raven,  Trans) .  P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  8,  373. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  II,  93. 
Kuchler's  Ruuscht Hist.  Berks,  p.  991. 

Freeman,  J.  E.: 

Schlitz  Beer    P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  3,118. 

Gehrhardt,  William: 

De  Leab  Schwatar P  .G.,  Vol.  IX,  10,  470. 

Die  Alt  Familia  Uhr P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  3,  U- 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  114. 
Goethe  von  Berks: 

See  Brunner,  David  B. 

Graeff,  I.  E. : 

Im  Bergeland    D.  M.,  p.  117. 

En  Ruf  an  die  Briider D.  M.,  p.  119. 

Grob,  Samuel: 

Die  Blinde  Man  un'  der  Elefant.  .  P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  11,  693. 
Wann  d'r  Froscht  is  uf  de  Kerbse.  P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  11,  694. 

Gruber,  M.  a.: 

Der  Alt  Fischermann   P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  2,  263. 

Die  Alta  Bapplabaem P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  2,  267. 

Die  Letscht  Maud  Muller P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  i,  26. 

Die  Womelsdorfer  'Cademie   P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  2,  73. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  2)A7 

Du  bistwie  eine  Blume  (Trans.)  .P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  i,  26. 

'Haend  all  'rum  (Trans.)    P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  4,  363. 

'M  "  Leaven  "  Sei  Sauertheg  ....  P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  2,  67. 

'N  Schoenie  Aide  He'math P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  4,  157. 

Sell  Schtettel  im  Nordkill  DahL.P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  9,  450. 
Zum  Andenken  an  L.   L.  Grum- 

bine    P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  4,   160. 

Grumbine,  E.  : 

Der  Alt  Busch  Doktor Stumps.  Stories,  p.  145. 

Der  Pralhans    Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  V,  348. 

P.  Leb.  Hist.  Soc,  V,  148. 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  77. 
Die  Alt  verlosse  Muehl  (Trans.)  .P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  i,  203. 
Die  Mary  un  Ihr  Hundle Leb.  Report,  Nov.  2,  '01. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  8,  394. 
Die  Welt  uf  Vendue  (Trans.)..  P  .G.,  Vol.  Ill,  4,  161. 

En  Gluckvoll  Bieplin P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  6,  281. 

Es  Bodt  Alles  Nix  (Trans.) P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  2,  264. 

Gedachtniss     der     Rothen     Kolbe 

(Trans.)     P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  4,  26. 

Hoch  der  Teddy P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  12,  755- 

After  the  Election P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  12,  755. 

(See  also  Prose  for  Grumbine,  E.) 

Grumbine,  Lee  Light: 

"Der    Dengelstock — published    at    Lebanon,    Pa.,    1903,    153 
pages. 

Der  Alt  Dengelstock   P.  Leb.  His.  Soc,  Vol.  I,  53. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  I,  8. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  86. 

p.  54- 

Home  3d,  p.  157. 
D.  M.,  2,  p.  loi. 
Der  Reim  vom  alte  See  Mann 
(Trans.)     p.  92. 


348  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Der  Schumacher  p.  32. 

,    P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  3,  116. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  64. 
Der  Viert  July p.  37. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  3,  304. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  7,  327. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  69. 
Die      Alt      Bevvy      Fritchie 

(Trans.)    Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  VI,  88. 

p.  58. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  4,  347. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  90. 
Die     Uhr     in     der     Kiich 

(Trans.)     p.  40. 

Pro.  P  .G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  72. 
Ein      Psalm      des      Lebens 

(Trans.)     p.  60. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  92. 
Elendig    p.  35- 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  67. 
Ich  war  Jurymann p.  45. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  77. 
Mei  arme  Be'   p.  42. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  74. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  I,  14. 
'S  Latwerg  Koche p.  49. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  81. 

P.  Leb.  Hist.  Soc,  Vol.  I,  2. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  4,  22. 
Sonntag     Morgeds     an     der 
Ziegel  Kerch   p.  25. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  3,  309. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII,  57- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  349 

Harbaugh,  Henry: 

"Harbaugh's  Harfe,"  Philadelphia,  1870,  121  pp.,  2d  ed. 

Busch  un  Schtedtel p.  51. 

P.  G.,  Ill,  2,  112. 

D.  M.,  2. 

Guard.,  Mar.,   1862. 

Al,  Vol.  II,  242. 
Das    Alt    Schulhaus    an    der 
Krick    p.  13. 

P.  D.  H.,  p.  210. 

P.Leb.  HIst.SocVol.I,  II. 

D.  M.,  p.  15. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.   127. 

Life  of  Har.,  p.  68. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  2,  p.  78. 

Guard.,   Aug.,    1861. 

Woll.  Gemalde,  p.  86. 
Das  Krischkindel    p.   39- 

AL,  Vol.  II,  247- 

D.  P.,  Vol.  XV,  377. 

D.  M.,  p.  21. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  12,  754. 

Guard. 
Der  Alte  Feierheerd p.  25. 

Guard. 
Der  Belsnickel p.  23. 

Guard. 
Der     Kerchegang     in     Alter 
Zeit p.  61. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  2,  61. 

W.  B.  Kal.,  1910,  p.  121. 

Guard. 
Der  Pihwie    p.  59. 

Guard,  May,   1862. 
Der  Reiche  Herr  im  Deich.  .p.  37. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  I,  24  . 

Guard. 


350  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Der  Rejeboge    p.  53. 

Al.,  Vol.  II,  251. 

Weltbote  Calender  for  1908. 

Guard.,  Jan.,   1861. 
Die  Alt  Miehl p.  45- 

Al.,  Vol.  II,  248. 

Guard.,  June,  1862. 
Die  Neie  Sort  Dschent'lleit.  .p.  21. 

Al,  Vol.  II,  246. 

Guardian. 
Die    Schlofschtub    p.  31. 

Guard.,  Apr.,  1862. 
Heemweh  p.  77- 

P.  D.  H.,  p.  215. 

D.  M,.  p.  9. 

Life  of  Har.,  p.  63. 

Gospel     Messenger,     Elgin, 
111.,  Aug.  6,  '11. 

Guard.,  Nov.,  1861. 

Well.  Gemalde,  p.  92. 

Guardian,  Feb.,  1862. 

Lah  Bisniss    p.  69. 

Will  widder  Buwell  Sei  ...  .p.  65. 

Hal.  P.  D.,  p.  55. 

Guard.,  Nov.,  1862. 

Father  Ab.,  Feb.,  1869. 


«> 


En  Stick  Uewer's  Aernf eld .  .  Ref .  Ch.  Al. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  I,  27. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XI,  2, 30. 

Das  Union  Arch Guard.,  Aug.,  1862. 

Die  Staedtel  Bump Leb.  Adv. 

Hark,  J.  Max: 

An   Der  Fair    Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Ap.  X,  15. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  I,  208. 
Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  162. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         351 

Dee   Amshel    Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  25. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  68. 
Der  Aide  Karch  Hof  Uf'm  Barg.Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  23. 

Der  Koo   Shdohr Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  30. 

Der  Shbohde  Shool  Boo Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  20. 

En  Leychd  Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  31. 

En  Herrnhoodter  Oshder  Marge.  Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.X,Ap.  18. 

Fire!  Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  21. 

Im  Bush  Vann's  Shnayd Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  22. 

Unnich  'em  Keschde  Bawm Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  13. 

Unser  Henny Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  27. 

Vann  der  Wind  Blohsdt Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  X,  Ap.  26. 

Heilman,  S.  p.,  Collector. 

Pennsylvania  German  Rimes   ....  P.  Leb.  Hist.  Soc,  Vol.  I,  ii. 
Mei  Schoene  Sally. 
Des  Buchlich  Maennli. 
Now  Bill  Ich  will  dich  froge. 
Ich  hob  g'tram't. 
Mei  Ulla,  Ulla  Ei. 
Schpinn,    Schpinn   mei   Lieve 
Tochter. 

Henninger,  M.  C.  : 

Der  Yokel  un  die  Lunch  Route.  .P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  3,  319. 
Die  Singschula  im  Land   P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  8,  392. 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  134. 

En  Hunnert  Johr  Zuriick D.  M.,  2,  p.  89. 

'S  Fawra  in  D'r  Tran Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  112. 

G.  B,.  p.  251. 
Hermany,  Edward: 

Die  Olid  Bluddshawl MS. 

Die  Yuggules  Leicht   MS. 

D'r  Boodsher  Wiggle    MS. 

D'r  Dorraday  ear  Huchdsich  ....  MS. 


352  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

D'r  Olid  Deedre MS. 

D'r  Old  Knucha  Fridz MS. 

D'r  Olid  Sously   MS. 

D'r  Porra  Tiddle   MS. 

D'r  Shtodd  Ongle  im  Boosh MS. 

Eckenrohd    MS. 

Foom  Lodw'rk  Kucha MS. 

Foon  d'r  Hoyet MS. 

Foon  d'r  Ahrn    MS. 

Furnahahr   (Preface)    MS. 

Gebt  oons  Ollda  Shool  Korregder.MS.  ' 

Hinnanoh    MS. 

K'rch  oon  Shoodlmetsch MS. 

Lebens  Mude MS. 

Lobbes    MS. 

Meddlezoyer    MS. 

S'   Barvelcha    MS. 

S'  Olid  Wyserla MS. 

S'  Werd  evva  so  sy  sulla MS. 

Wie  die  Olda  Noch  d'r  Hyo  sin. .  MS. 

Hill,  C.  F.: 

Die  Kerch  is  Aus  P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  2,  83. 

Horn,  A.  P.: 

Die  Alte  Grabmacher P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  10,  626. 

HoRNE,  A.  R.,  Ed.: 

Pennsylvania   German   Manual,   4th   Edition,   Allentown,   Pa., 
372  pages,  1 910. 

Rimes   Home,  4th  ed,,  p.   108. 

(See  also  D.  B.  Brunner,  F.  R.  Brunner,  Fischer,  L.  L. 
Grumbine,  Henry  Harbaugh,  J.  Max  Hark,  M.  C.  Hen- 
ninger,    Student   Kopenhaver,    Elwood    Newhard,    E.    H. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         353 

Rauch,   Rhoades,    H.   A.    Schuler,   J.   B.    Stoudt,   C.    Z. 
Weiser,  Tobias  Witmer,  A.  C.  Wuchter,  C.  C.  Ziegler.) 
(See  also  Prose.) 

HuLSBUCK,  Solly:  \ 

See  Miller,  Harvey. 

HowER,  Harry: 

Der  Sailor  das  Nimmymeh  Kumt.P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  i,  25. 

J.  J.  B.: 

Der  Valentine  Dawg   Heil.  Col. 

Die  Elfetritscha  Jagt   Leb.  Report. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  vn,  1, 37. 

Die  Metzel  Soup Leb.  Report,  Feb.  5,  iQOO. 

Keller,  Eli: 

Aageweh    MS. 

Alter  Mutterklag  un  Trost MS. 

Bericht  an  die  Klassis D.  M,.  p.  50. 

Christ  Daag MS. 

Der  Alt  Weide  Baam D.  M.,  p.  59- 

Der  Holzhacker   D.  M.,  p.  63. 

Der  Jockel    D.  M.,  p.  69. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  Vni,  II,  560. 

Der  Keschtabaam   P.  G.,  Vol.  VHI,   10,  505- 

Der  Schnee  Starm P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  2,  269. 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  63. 

Der  Winter  Kummt D.  M.,  p.  61. 

Der  Stadtbu  am  Welshkornfeld .  .  D.  M.,  2,  p.  65. 
Die  Deutsch  Sproch P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  2,  20. 

D.  M.,  p.  67. 

Die  Wesch  Fraa  P.  G.,  Vol.  H,  i,  12. 

Drucke  un  Heesz   MS. 

Es  Schaudert  Mich!  D.  M.,  2,  p.  68. 

23 


354  ^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Holz  Beschlaga D.  M.,  p.  65. 

Keschte  Peife  MS. 

Mei  Kerschebaam  MS. 

Mer  Wolla  Fische  Geh P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  2,  262. 

D.  M.,  p.  54. 

Monet  Spruch D.  M.,  p.  71. 

'N  BuwH  is  's MS. 

'S  Glatt  Eis  Fahre MS. 

'S  Mehe  mit  der  Deutsche  Sens.. P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  3,  109. 

D,  M.,  p.  46. 

'S  Wetter  Brecht   MS. 

Sag  Nix D.  M.,  p.  62. 

Triib  Wetter    D.  M.,  p.  68. 

Vum  Flachsbaue   P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  4,  158. 

Unser  P.  D.  Kal.,  1895. 

'S  Flachs  Stueck. 

Der  Flachs  Blueht. 

Der  Flachs  is  Zeitig. 

Flachs  Roppe. 

Flachs  Britsche. 

Flachs  Roetse. 

Flachs  Breche. 

Flachs  Schwinge. 

Flachs  Hechle. 

Flachs  Spinne, 
Wann  der  Rege  Widder  Kummt.D.  M.,  2,  p.  67. 
Wilda  Dauwa P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  4,  183. 

KoHLER,  W.  F. : 

Der  Auto  Waga P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  4,  183- 

KOPENHAVER  ShDUDENT: 

'M  Shded'l  Mon  Sei  Wunsh Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  117. 

KoPLiN,  A.  B.: 

Kerche  Streit MS. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         355 

Landis,  J.  B.  (Henner  Hoiwenner)  : 

Der  Bower  und  der  Marrick Beaver    Springs    Herald. 

Leisenring,  E.  D.  : 

Spotjohr   P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  4,  160. 

(See  also  Prose.) 

LiSBERGER,  R. : 

Der  Miller  un  die  Miihl D.  M.,  2,  p.  99. 

LONGNECKER,  J.   H. : 

Die  Alte  Kersche  Beem P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  8,  501. 

Mays,  George: 

Das  Alt  Wertshaus MS. 

Das   Spinnrad    D.  M.,  p.  36. 

Der  Alt  Kerchhof D.  M.,  p.  27. 

Der  Alt  Mann  D.  M.,  p.  31. 

Der  Gigerigee   P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  3,  no. 

D.  M.,  p.  43. 

Der  Honsworsht Flugblatt. 

Die  Brunne  Trog D.  M.,  p.  40. 

Die  Glock   P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  i,  38. 

Die  Kerche  Glock D.  M.,  2,  p.  97. 

Die  Shule  in  der  Alte  Zeit MS. 

Frie  Yohr  im  Lond Flugblatt. 

Hoyet  un  Ern MS. 

Psalm  des  Lebens  (Trans.) P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  2,  270. 

'Sis  now  shun  meh  als  fufzig  Johr.MS. 
Will  Ich  bei  der  Woret  Bleiwe.  .MS. 

Mengel,  J.  L.: 

'Sis  nimme  wie  's  als  War D.  M.,  2,  p.  125. 


356  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Meyer,  Henry: 

Der  Alt  Scharnschtee P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  5,  232. 

Die  Alt  Heemet   Flugblatt. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  6,  279. 
Die  Mary  hut  en  Lamb  (Trans.)   Flugblatt. 
Finkel,     Finkel     Klehne     Schtern 

(Trans.)     Flugblatt. 

Im  Heckedahl   Flugblat. 

P.  a.  Vol.  XI,  9,  563. 

Mei  Schtettel  Schul   Flugblatt. 

To  my  old  friend,  Reuben  Stover.  MS. 

Miller,  Daniel,  Ed.: 

Pennsylvania  German,  Reading,  Pa.,  1904.     Prose  and  Poetry. 

See:  Anonymous,  D.  B.  Brunner,  F.  R.  Brunner,  J.  S. 
Dubbs,  P.  F.  Eisenbrown,  H.  L.  Fischer,  I.  Graef,  H.  Har- 
baugh,  Eli  Keller,  George  Mays  E.  Reinecke,  Thos.  Rhoads, 
John  Vogt,  C.  Z.  Weiser. 

See  also  Prose. 
Pennsylvania   German,   Vol.   II.     Issued    191 1.     Reading,   Pa. 
(See  also  Prose.) 

See  Rachel  Bahn,  D.  B.  Brunner,  F.  Brunner,  E.  M.  Eshel- 
men,  W.  Gerhardt,  E.  Grumbine,  L.  L.  Grumbine,  H.  Har- 
baugh,  M.  C.  Henninger,  Eli  Keller,  J.  Lisberger,  George 
Mays,  J.  Mengel,  C.  C.  More,  E.  Rondthaler,  H.  Schuler,  D. 
B.  Shuey,  I.  S.  Stahr,  L.  A.  Wollenweber. 

Miller,  Harvey  (Solly  Hussbuck)  : 

"  Pennsylvania    German    Poems,"    Elizabethville,    Pa.,     1906. 
Two  editions. 

Av^^gawanet    p.  28. 

Hul.  P.  G.,  192. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  357 

Billy  Bloseroar p.  23. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  p.  9. 

Dawler  Waitza p.  48. 

De  Farbessering p.  77. 

De  Guta  Tseita   p.  76. 

De  Krutza  Fife   p.  78. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  p.  79. 
Der  Bicher  Agent p.  63. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  37. 

Hul.  P.  G.,  189. 

Der  Butcher    p.  38. 

Der  Deitsch  A.  B.  C p.  71. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  83. 
Der  Haws  p.  58. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  57. 

Der  Magnet   p.  75. 

Der  Sensa  Wetzer p.  53- 

En  Drawm   p.  9. 

En  Volentine p.  34. 

En  Worhofter  Fisher p.   15. 

EpitafE    p.  75. 

Fendu   p.  43. 

Free  Yohr   p.  5. 

Fun  Kindheit  zu  Ewigkeit. .  .p.  84. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  77. 
Hend  in  de  Seek p.  81. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  71. 

Himmels   Eck    p.  76. 

Ich  bin  so  gairn  Derhame  . .  .p.  31. 

Im  Winter p.  42  . 

Kreiz  Waig p.  55. 

Leeb  und  G'sundheit p.  87. 

Hul.   P.  G.  Stor.,  61. 

Lond's  Mon  we  Gaids p.  35. 

Mensha  Fresser p.  67.  ' 


358  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Mer  Nemt's  We's  Coomt...p.  68. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  45. 

Hul.  P.  G.,  158. 

Nancj-  Hanks    p.  26. 

Neija  Resolushuns    p.  17- 

Nei  Yohr p.  49- 

Oh  Elend p.  45- 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  27. 
Shpode  Yohr   p.  13. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  Vn,  6,  320. 

Sinda  Shuld p.  67. 

Sis  olles  Iwerdu p.  60. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  47. 

Unser  Bandt   p.  19. 

Unser  Tillie    p.  7- 

Will  widder  Buvely  Si p.  39- 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  p.  17. 

Wos  Noshun  Dut p.  77- 

Wun  der  Porra  Coomt p.   1 1. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  Vni,  10,  503. 
Wun  Ich  Dote  Ware p.  21. 


"Pennsylvania    German    Stories,"    Elizabethville,    Pa.,    1907. 
112  pp. 
De     Nacht     vor     Krischdag 

(Trans.)     p.  9i- 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  78. 

De  Krutza  Pife p.  79- 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  78. 

Der  Richer  Asent p.  37- 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  63. 

Der  Billy  Bloseroar p.  9- 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  23. 

Der  Deitsch  A.  B.  C p.  83. 

Hull.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  71- 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         359 

Der  Haws p.  57- 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  58. 

Fun  Kindheit  tsu  Ewigkeit..p.  77. 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  84. 

Hend  in  de  Seek p.  71. 

^     Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  81. 
Leeb  und  G'sundheit   p.  61. 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  87. 
Mer  Nemt's  We's  Coomt...p.  45. 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  68. 
O  Elend !  p.  27. 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  45- 
Romeo   and    Juliet    (Balcony 

Scene)     p.  33. 

Schlofe  Bubbeli p.  107. 

Shule  Shticker p.  65. 

Sis  OUes  Iwerdu   p.  47. 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  60. 
Will  widder  Buvely  SI p  17. 

Hu.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  39. 

"Pennsylvania  German"  Elizabethville,  Pa.,   191 1.     See  also 
Prose. 


Awgavanet  p.  192 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  28. 
Awtzacha  und  B'deltunga. .  .p.   15. 

Ba'd  Dawg   p.  63. 

Base  Bolla p.  107. 

De  Mommy  era  Kolenner  . .  .p.  3. 

Der  Feert  Jooly p.  25. 

Der  Olmechtich  Dawler  ....  p.  35. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  9,  424. 
De  Olda  Shool  Dawga p.  45. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  8,  404. 


360  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

De  Picnic p.   139- 

Druka  Wed'r    p.  141. 

De  Karcha  Bell p.  143. 

De  Till  era  Wollentine  ...  .p.  157. 
De  gute  Olt  Summer  Tseit.  .p.  179. 

,        P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  9,  563. 

De  Kwilting  Pardy p.   184. 

De  Olt  Seid'r  Meel p.  185. 

De  Olt  Wek p.  182. 

Der  Bicher  Agent p.  189. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  p.  37. 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  63. 

Der  Boss   p.  188. 

Em  Shumoch'r  Sei  Leed  ...  .p.   154. 
En  Brief  tsu'm  Sanda  Claus.p.  69. 

En  Haemweh  Shdick   p.   187. 

Es  Boyertown  Feier p.  77. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  2,  87. 

Es  Nei  Blawd  p.  121. 

Es  Olt  Finf  Dawler  Bill  .  .  .p.  120. 

Es  Olt  Yor  un's  Nei p.  71. 

Fisha    p.  95. 

Freeyor    p.  159. 

Far  oldars  un  now p.   1 66. 

Hartz  Hung'r p.  180. 

Im  Washington  sei  Tseit  ...  p.  85. 
Mer  Nemt's  We's  Kumt  ...p.   158. 

Hul.  P.  G.  P.,  p.  68. 

Hul.  P.  G.  Stor.,  p.  45. 

Menlich    p.  177. 

Mi  Bubbeli  (Trans.)   p.  53. 

Ich  und  die  Polly MS. 

Der  Arsht  Omschel MS. 

Vakashun  Tseit MS. 

Moi  30 p.  97. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  361 

Neia  Resolutions   p.   191. 

Och  du  lewar   p.  83. 

Tswa  Klana  Shu p.  149. 

P.  a,  Vol.  XI,  3.  179. 

Un's  Schnitzler's  Shdor p.   186. 

Wun  da  Sanda  Claus  Kumt.  .p.  190. 
Wun  de  Band  Shbeeld p.   iii. 

Miller,  Lewis: 

Nooch  Baltimore  geht  unser  Fuhr.  Am.  Volk.,  p.  77. 

Sk.  P.  G. 
MiNNicH,  A.  K.: 

Der  Bettle  Mon  P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  1,15. 

Der  Oldt  Huls  Blotz P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  3,  12. 

MoHR,  Ella: 

De  Lecha  County  Fair P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  9,  462. 

More,  Charles  C: 

Der  Tschellyschlecker P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  11,  561. 

Die  Schatta  un  der  Krick P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  8,  392. 

Leera   Bumpa    P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  5,  237. 

Mei  Drom P  .G.,  Vol.  VIII,  8,  392. 

Unschuldig  g'stroft D.  M.,  2,  p.  136. 

Unsere  Jugendzeit  . .  P.  G,,  Vol.  VIII,  6,  282 

Newhard,  Elwood: 

W^ie  ich  en  Chap  war  (Trans.)  . .  Home,  2d  ed.,  115. 
Libretto — Pennsylvania-Dutch  "  Pinafore." 

Onkel  Jeff: 

See  Rhoads,  Thomas  B. 

Paulles,  H.  S.  : 

Em  Sam  Sei  Kinner P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  5,  230. 


362  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Rauch,  E.  H.: 

Die  Pennsylvania  Millitz P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  No.  2. 

Shakespeare  in  Pennsylvania 

Julius   Caesar    (Act.    Ill,   Sc. 

2)    P.  D.  H.,  p.  218. 

Hamlet  (Act  I,  Sc.  5) P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  No.  i 

P.  D.  H.,  p.  220. 
Home,  2d  ed.,  p.  121. 
King  Richard  HI. 

(Act  I,  Sc.  I )  P.  D.  H.,  p.  219. 

(Act  V,  Sc.  4) P.  D.  H.,  p.  220. 

(See  also  Prose). 

Reinecke,  E.  W.: 

Die  Alt  Plainfield  Kerch D.  M.,  p.  122. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  7,  316. 

Rhoades,  Thomas  (Onkel  Jeff)  : 

Der  Bullfrog  war  VersofEe P.  G.,  Vol.  VHI,  10,  493. 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  no. 
Des  Alt  Acht  Eckig  Schulhaus  . .  .D.  M.,  2,  p.  80. 

Die  Alt  Mahl  Muel P.  G.,  Vol.  H,  3,  112. 

Die  Tadler   MS. 

Die  Wiskey  Buwe D.  M.,  p.  1 14. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  151. 

Nei  Yohr  Schitz P.  G.,  Vol.  HI,  i,  23. 

Neue  Besem  Kehre  Gut MS. 

Neue  Mode MS. 

Schpuks  oder  ken  Schpuks MS. 

'S  Latwerk  Koche  fer  Alters P.  G.,  Vol.  H,  4,  156. 

D.  M.,   III. 
Unner  'm  Walnissbaam P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  i,  18. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.       .  363 

RONDTHALER,   E. : 

Abendlied  D.  Kir.,  Aug.,  1849. 

Naz.  Hall.  Ap.,  p.  24. 
P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  2,  18. 
P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  3,  121. 
D.  M.,  2,  p.  48. 
SCHANTZ,  F.  J.  F. : 

Die  Summer  Schul Fried. 

Sk.  Lecha  Thai,  p,  61  . 
Eppes  fon  sellem  Spuck Fried. 

Sk.  Lecha  Thai.,  p.  60. 
In  der  Spiel  Stunde Fried. 

Sk.  Lecha  Thai.,  p.  61. 
'S  Schulhaus  am  Sandloch Fried. 

Sk.  Lecha  Thai,  p.  59. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  VI,  38. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  3,  306. 
Sheeleigh,  M.: 

The  Pennsylvania  German  (2  dia- 
lect V.)   Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  Ill,  56. 

Shuey,  D.  B.: 

Schulhaus  an  der  Kerch P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  7,  335. 

D.  M.,  2,  p.  74- 
SCHULER,  H.  A.: 

Das  ist  im  Leben  hesslich  einge- 

richtet  P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  11,  693. 

Der  Beik  P  .G.,  Vol.  Ill,  i,  26. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  145. 
Die       Mammi       Ihre       Schindel 

(Trans.) P.  G.  Vol.  IX,  7,  136. 

En  Gem  Kalenner   Unser  P.  D.  Kalenner,  1905. 

P.  a.  Vol.  IX,  I,  39. 


364  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Stahr,  Isaac: 

Der  Winter D.  M,.  2,  p.  55. 

Die  Alt  Uhr P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  10,  628. 

Die  Kerche  Bell  D.  M.,  2,  p.  61. 

Die  Oley  Picnic  P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  2,  113. 

Es  Jahresfest  am  Weisehaus D.  M.,  2,  p.  57. 

Stein,  Thomas  S.: 

Uf'M  O'werste  Speicher P.  Leb.  Hist.  Soc,  Vol.  I,  13. 

Stoudt,  J.  Baer,  Collector: 

Pennsylvania  German  Rhymes  and 

Riddles    Jour.  Am.  F.,  19,   113. 

Home,  4th  ed.,  p.   116. 
Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XXIII. 
Riddles. 

Counting  Out  Rhymes. 
Cradle  Songs. 
Evening  Prayer. 
Mock  Sermon, 

Stump,  Adam: 

Der  Alt  Kerchof P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  3,  28. 

Der  Bu  am  Steh  Lehse P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  i,  30. 

Der  Wald   MS. 

Der  Zuk   P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  2,  70. 

Die  Alt  Cider  Muehl P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  4,  156. 

Die  Dallastovvrn  Reunion P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  3,  307. 

Die  Mami  Schloft    P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  5,  229. 

Die  Muttersprooch   P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  3,  135. 

Es  Haemelt  Em  a'   P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  3,  32i. 

Es  Hof  Dehrle P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  6,  280. 

(One  of  the  above  poems  wzs  published  in  the  Pennsylvania 
College  paper  in  the  nineties.     A.  S.) 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         365 

Thompson,  A.  C. : 

Ungeduld   MS. 

Der  Alt  Parra Easton  Argus,   1886. 

VoGT,  John: 

Der  Alt  Kerchhof D.  M.,  p.  104. 

En  Friihjohr's  Lied D.  M.,  109. 

Weiser,  C.  Z.: 

D'r  Kramer Home,  ist  ed.,  p.  57. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  108. 

Zum  Andenke  an  Dr.  Harbaugh .  .  H.  Harfe,  p.  9. 

D.  M.,  p.  24. 
Weitzel,  Louisa: 

Der  Alt  Kerchhof P.  G.,  Vol.  HI,  2,  63. 

Der  Bush P.  G.,  Vol.  H,  3,  112. 

Der  Mensh   P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  11,  575. 

Die  Amschel    P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  4,  351. 

Die  Besht  Zelt   P.  G.,  Vol.  HI,  4,  162. 

En  Aufruf P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  11,  695. 

En  Character P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  4,  162. 

Hie  un  do  en  Liedel MS. 

Nei  Yohr MS. 

Sauerkraut    P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  2,  258. 

Weller,  H.  a.  : 

Grossmutterchen  am  Feierheerd. . .  P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  i,  36. 

WiTMER,  Tobias: 

De  Freschlin P.  D.,  Vol.  I,   i. 

Tran.  Am.  Phil.  Soc. 

Der  Himmel  uf  d'Erde P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  3. 

Der  Schnay   P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  3. 


366  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Geburtsdag Hal.  P.  D.,  p.  42. 

P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  2. 

P.  D.  H.,  p.  216. 

Father  Ab.,  Feb.  8,  1870. 
Seks  Oor   Home,  ist  ed.,  p.  59. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  109. 

WOLLENWEBER,  L.  A. : 

"  Gemalde  aus  dem  Pennsylvanischen  Volksleben,"  Philadelphia 
und  Leipzig,  1869,  143  pp.  (See  also  under  Wollen- 
weber.)  U  indicates  that  author  is  not  named.  W 
and  L.A.W.  are  used  for  Wollenweber. 

Das  Lied  von  der  Union  U . .  p.  69. 

Der  Herbst  U p.  27. 

Der  Herbst  U p.  30- 

Der  Pit  un  die  Betz  U p.  97. 

Der  Winter  U p.  31. 

Die  Berg  Marie  U p.  126. 

Die     Luterische     Kerch     bei 

Trappe  W p.  85. 

Fruehling  und  Jugend  L.  A. 

W p.  18. 

Fruehjohr  U p.  10. 

Haemweh    (Harbaugh)    ....p.  92. 
Heirat's       Anzeichung       W, 

Morgenstem,  Express  ....p.  36. 
Ich  bin  ein  Pennsylvanier  ...  .p.  5. 

D.  P. 
Fick  Dia. 

Im  Fruehjohr  U p.  7. 

Im  Summer  L.  A.  W p.  19. 

Fick  Dia. 
Schulhaus    an    der    Krick    U 

(!!)    p.  86. 

Verheiratet  M  p.  47. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  367 

Wie  der  Ben  sich  verliebt. . .  .p.  100. 

Express. 
Zwe  Brief  U p.  66. 

WUCHTER,  A.  C: 

"  Many  of  the  following  poems  appeared  first  anonymously  in 
the  Allentown  Democrat,"     A.  C.  W. 

Der  Verlora  Ehsel   P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  4,  353. 

Der  Geitz   P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  3,  320. 

Der  Hendrik  Voss P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  4,  357. 

Der  Pihwie   P.  G.,  Vol.  II,  2,  69. 

Der  Porra  Koons   MS. 

Der  YolH  Versteht's  net All.  Dem. 

Der  Yoli  Wiinscht All.  Dem. 

Die  Aerschta  Hussa P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  11,  575. 

Die  'Hio  Naus   All.  Dem.,  May,  1910,  Jun. 

28,    1910. 

Die  Muttersprooch   P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  4,  183. 

Die  Kalmustown  G'meh All.   Dem.,  Nov.,    1910. 

Die  Kinneryohr P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  5,  238. 

Fasnacht P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  2,  61. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  165. 

Fiert  July    P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  3,  109. 

Fische  Geh    MS. 

Guckuloh    All.  Dem. 

Hans  un  Herrgott All.  Dem.,  1907. 

Humming  Birds    All.  Dem.,  1907. 

Im  Show   All.  Dem. 

Im  Druvel  MS. 

Lumpaparty    P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  9,  592. 

P.  a.  Vol.  XII,  I,  59. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  XII,  2,  118. 

'M  Dinkey  Sei  Knecht P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  2,  89. 

Moi  Lied All.  Dem. 

Mugtown  Rieschter All.  Dem. 


368  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Nofemberklaag    P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  4,   159. 

An's   Honnese    All.   Dem. 

Schlittafahre    P.  G.,  Vol.  Ill,  i,  22. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  I,  38. 

Schpundaloch    P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,   i,  204. 

Yuni  Lied    All.  Dem. 

Der    Berks    County    Riegel- 
weg  (On  incident  better  than 

any  Ford  joke)    MS. 

Katz    Fersaefa     (Instead    of 

death,  cat  got  soaped)   ....  MS. 
Der  Dad    (Wobbly  legs  and 

flower  beds)   MS. 

Englisch  udder  Deitsch   (De- 
generation)   MS. 

Em  Yosey  sei  Autobomil  (He 

describes  them)    MS. 

Willa    Macha    (A    trick    at 

many  a  deathbed)    MS. 

Es  Koscht  tzu  fiel    (Donkey 

against  knowledge)    MS. 

Ferdreht,  ferkehrt MS. 

Die    Harrafegal    (How   they 

got  into  trouble MS. 

October    MS. 

ZiEGLER,  Charles  Calvin: 

"Drauss  un  Deheem,"  Leipzig,  1891.     Out  of  print. 

An  Mei  Peif p.  19. 

Bryant's  Thanatopsis  (Trans.) ...  p.  41. 

Cremation    p.   15. 

Dar  Gut  "  Henner  " p.   16. 

Dar  Nadurgeischt  p.  22. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  V,  4,  163. 
Dar  Rewwer  un  Ich p.  20. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         369 

Der     Schnitter     un     die     Blume 

(Trans.)     p.  38. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  9,  423. 

Dedication    P-  3^ 

Die  Alte  Lieder p.  10. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  120. 
P.  G.,  Vol.  VI,  I,  204. 

Draus  un  Deheem p.  9- 

P.  G,.  Vol.  IV,  I,  214. 
Du  Wolk  mit  de  weisse  Fliggel. . .  p.  21. 

Emerson  (Trans.)   p.  40. 

Es  Schneckehaus   p.  11. 

Es  Sonnett   p.   18. 

Im  Draam   p.   14. 

In   Ruh    p.  19- 

Kitzel  Mich  Net p.  12. 

Lied  an  die  Nacht  (Trans.)    p.  39. 

'M  Daag  sei  Dod p.  I9- 

'N  Altfashioned  Buch p.  17. 

Samschdaag  Owet   p.  1 1 . 

Schnee  Flocke  (Trans.)   p.  37. 

Zum  Denkmal 

Heem  kumm   ich,   un  schteh 

widder  do    p.  24. 

Kumm,     Schweschter,    kumm 

un  heil  net  so p.  25. 

Fart  vum   daheem   un   darch 

die  Welt    p.  26. 

In    daere    Schtille    Summers- 

nacht    p.  26. 

Wann    epper   saage   dhat   zu 

mir    p.  27. 

Ich   sehn   die  scheckige   Dage 

geh    p.  28. 

Die    Welt    geht    rum,    was 

24 


370  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

dunkel  is    p.  28. 

Des  is  mei  HofEnung  dass  d'r 

Dod    p.  29. 

Dar    Sud    Wind    bringt    de 

Mensche  Muth   p.  30. 

Sei  bei  m'r  uf  mei'm  Lewes- 

paad    p.  30. 

Du     scheeni     kleeni     Weissi 

Blum    p.  31. 

Dar   Noah   hut   sich   b'sunna 

dann    p.  32. 

Owet    am    aerschte    Oschter- 

daag    p.  33. 

Wann    Laylocks    blihe    schee 

un  siis p.  34. 

Wie    Krischtus    Uferschtanne 

is   p.  34. 

Is  es  vielleicht   'n  Draam   in 

Schlof?    p.  35. 

Die  Sunn  geht  unner  in  der 

West    p.  36. 

Am  Danksagung  Dag P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  7,  374- 

Die  Laming    P.  G.,  Vol.  IV,  3,  314. 

En  Simpler  Mon P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,   10,  504. 

Mie  Muttersprooch P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  5,  238. 

Sauerkraut    Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  Ill,  136. 

Zimmerman,  Thomas: 
Metrical  Translations. 

Bewi  Mein Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  129. 
Der  Alt  Robin  Grey Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  113. 

Olla  Podrida. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         371 

Der  Gut  Dschorg  Campbell. .  Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  109. 
Der  Weg  Noch   Schlummer- 

land    Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  135. 
Die  Jung  Witfraa Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  III. 
Die    Nacht    for    de    ChriscH- 

daag    Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  117. 

Olla  Podrida. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  I,  I,  II. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  II,  93. 
Dschon  Dschankin's  Predich.Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  131. 
E'n  Lieb  G'sang Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  135. 

Olla  Podrida. 
Legt  Eich  Hie Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  127. 

Olla  Podrida. 
Lieder Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  137. 
Mei  Mopsy  is  Klee Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  109. 
'N  Neues  "  Casablanca  "...  Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  121. 


372  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

'N      Trauer     Gedicht     uf'n 

Doter  Hund    Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  125. 
'S  Dotes  Bedt   Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.  139. 
Sing  Madel  Sing Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.   115. 
Wan     an're     Freunde     rhum 

dich  sin Olla  Podrida. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  XII. 

p.   123. 

2.  Prose. 

(This  does  not  include  newspaper  articles  that  have  not  subse- 
quently been  reprinted  either  in  books  or 
magazines. — H.  H.  R.) 

Anonymous  (See  also  Poetry): 

Der  Esel   P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  i,  23. 

Der  Gapenschenda  Merder P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  8,  375. 

Dialog  on  selecting  a  Vocation. . .  Fir.,  Vol.  Ill,  445. 

En   Neie   Cure   for   die   Rumaties 

(Adapted)    P.  G..  Vol.  VIII,  6,  282. 

For  Oldars    Home,  3d  ed.,  102. 

Geburtsmonet  Profizeiunga   P.  G.,  IX,  i,  41. 

Letter  Commending  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch- 
man     P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  I. 

Letter  with  poem  "  Die  Deitsche 
Baura  " P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  3. 

Letter     to     the     Editor     of     the 

"  Pionier  "    D.  P.,  Vol.  VIII,  88. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  373 

Loveletter  an  Mei  Ann! P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  2. 

'M    Captain    Jones    sei     Chrisch 

Kindel    P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  8,  431. 

'M  Jimmy  Dull  Sei  Schnapschtuhl .  P.  G.,  VIII,  2,  89. 
Pennsylvania  German  Proverbs. .  .P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  5,  265. 

Uwa  Nous  Gonga P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  2. 

Was  em  Happena  kann,  wann  mer 

Oier  finnt P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  5,  233. 

Widder  aa  geschmiert Hal.  P.  D.,  p.  49. 

B.  Co.  Express,  Jul.  20,  69. 

Wie  kunnt  es Hal.  P.  D.,  p.  52. 

Ger.  Cor.  &  Dem.,  Aug.  25, 

69. 
Mrs.  H.  D.  A.: 

Die  Sallie  Geht  noch  Chicago P.  G,.  Vol.  XI,  10,  627. 

H.  S.  A.: 

Die  Macht  der  Muttersprache .  . .  P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  5,  305. 

Ash,  L.  a.: 

Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son P.  D.  H.,  p.  222. 

P.  D.,  Vol.  I. 
H.  C.  B.: 

Grumbiere  Keffer Ref.  Ch.  Rec. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  7,  350. 
Blitzfonger,  Johnny: 

Letter P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  2. 

BooNASTiEL,  Gottlieb: 
See  Harter,  T.  C. 

Brunner,  F.  R.  (See  also  Poetry)  : 

Siwe    Briefe   vun    der    Sallie    Be- 
semstiel M.  H.,  Jan.  20,  1886,  p.  25. 


374  ^^^  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

DuBBS,  J.  (See  also  Poetry): 

Deutsche  Settlements  vor  der  Revo- 
lution     D.  M.,  p.  i6i. 

FucHS,  Meik: 

Charlie     Green's     Experienz     mit 

Erne  Skunk   P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  4,  184. 

Gehring,  Conrad: 

Pennsylfawnish     Deitsha     Guw'r- 

nera    Home,  3d  ed,  169. 

Home,  4th  ed.,  203. 

Grumbine,  Ezra  (See  also  Poetry): 

Die  Inshurance  Business Dramolet. 

Die  Yunga  Richter P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  i,  39. 

Hahnewackel  : 

Was     mer     G'happent     is     Bei'm 

Hausbutza    P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  3,  137. 

Wie  mer  unser  Offa  Uf'gschtellt 

hen P.  G.,  Vol,  VII,  6,  320. 

Hanjerg,  Old  Schoolmaster: 

Der  Harning P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  2,  86. 

Der  Sam  Gilderi  uf  der  Freierei. .  P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  7,  375. 

En  Paar  Neijohrs  Gedanke P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  i,  41. 

Is  's  Maulhalta  en  Scheene  Sach?. .  P.  G.,  Vol.  VII,  2,  84. 

Harter,  T.  H.  (Gootlieb  Boonastiel)  : 

"  Boonastiel,  Pennsylvania  Dutch"  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  1904. 

Aer  Gaed  Hawsa  Hoonda.  . .  p.  85. 

Are  Schwared  Ob p.  23. 

By  Da  Soldawda p.   173. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         375 

Dei  Beckie  Shtitsel 

Im  Orma  house p.  113. 

So       Coomed       Widder 

Hame   p.  115. 

Die  Deitscha  un  die  Englisha.  p.  24. 

De  Feela  Ligner p.  102. 

De  Gickser   p.  35. 

De  House  Butz  Gichtera  ...  p.  47. 
De     Hous     Butz     Gichtera 

Brecha  widder  ous   p.  92. 

De  Hoonds  Dawga p.  1 1 1. 

De   Hoyet    p.  16. 

De  Leit  Woo  Olsfart  G'hared 

Si  Wella   p.  g. 

De  Maid  sin  Wi  Glaena  Fish  .p.  11. 

De  Menscha  un  Die  Monkeys .  p.  148. 
Die      Nia      Laws     os     mer 

Breicha p.  159. 

De   Orma  hen   Mer  Olsfart 

by  Uns p.  98. 

Denksht  Are  Gebt  en  Editor. p.  31. 

Der  Boonastiel  an  der  Court,  p.  116. 
Der     Bowera     Boo     un     der 

Dude    p.  103. 

Der  Bush  Hoond  un  der  City 

Hoond    p.  171. 

Der  Butcher  Dawg p.  44. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  4,  181. 

Der  Census  'Numerator  ....  p.  105. 

Der  Donks  Dawg p.  45. 

Der  Fiert  July   p.  108. 

Der  Goot  Freind p.  174. 

Der  Nei  Nuchber p.  97. 

Der  Oldt  Mon  Lawft  far  en 

Office    p.  30. 

Der  Schmart  Boo p.  121. 


376  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Der     Boo     os     si     Marrick 

Maucht p.  164. 

Der  U-bennich  Boo   p.  163. 

Em  Boonastiel  Sei  Butcheres .  p.  72. 

Em    Brown-Sequad    si    "  Life 

Lixer  "    p.  63. 

Em  Grover  Helfe  Tzeega.  . .  p.  161. 

Em  Mike  Sendapetzer  si  City 

Fraw p.  83. 

En  Bower's  Boo p.  156. 

En  Drawm p.  81. 

En  Hier-rawd  Pardy p.  68. 

P.  G.,  X,  2,  89. 

En  Maidel  Frogt  um  Rode.  .p.  57. 

En  Neie  Sart  Rigel-wake.  ...  p.  33. 

En  Ride  uff  ma  Si-bickel ....  p.  59. 

En  Shaeda  Brief p.  49- 

En  Shil-grut p.  7. 

En  Siifer   p.  42. 

Es  Rodda  Nesht p.  12. 

Friheit  Convention 

On   der  Convention ....  p.  39. 
Hame   fun   der   Conven- 
tion   p.  41. 

Gebt  mere  Duwock p.  54. 

Grischkindlin  Kawfa    p.  50. 

In  Ma  Hexa  Nesht p.  20. 

Karraseera  by  Machinery  ...  p.  166. 

Knecht  Shoffa  p.  52. 

My  Leava's  Lawf p.  5- 

On  der  Campmeeting p.  IIO. 

On  der  'Noggeration  Ball.  . .  p.  27. 

On  dere  Weldt's  Fare p.  169. 

Onera  Huchtzich    p.  66. 

Onera  Leicht p.  61. 

Rip  Van  Winkle 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         377 


De  Shtory p.  74- 

Are    Soocht    En    Onery 

Haemet    p.  78. 

Widder  Uff  Em  Nesht.  p.  79. 
Saela  Os  Mer  Net  Essa  Con.  p.  119. 
Shpeculata    Mit    Oner    Leit 

Eram  Geld    p.  37- 

Shtride    

Ons  HuUerhecka p.  87. 

Are  Act  Lawyer p.  89. 

Shtride  in  der  House-holdting 

Es  Sholk  Yohr p.  123. 

Druvvel  Mit  Der  Polly,  p.  126. 

En  Tramp   p.   128. 

Unner  Fremma  Leit...  p.  129. 

In  Der  Jail p.  131 

Are  Findt  En  Freind..p.   133 

Hame  Wae   p.  I35 

Widder  Im  Druvvel  ...  p.   I37 

Om   Bowera    p.   I39 

Are  un  de  Betsy  Wetzel 

Gaena  Fisha p.   141 

In  Fildelfy p.   I43 

Widder  Dahame p.   146  . 

Shtyle    Aw    Do    Won's    Em 

Net  Bacoomed p.  9i- 

P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  3, 
Sols  Rever. 

Der  Rever  Druvva  ....  p.  150. 
Wos  Hut's  Ga  doo  ....  p.  152. 
Im  Sols  Rever  Shtore.  . .  p.   I54- 

Tsu  Feel  Leit   p.  29. 

Tswae  Baniche  Si p.  25. 

Uff  Der  Kup  G'shtelt p.  100. 

Uff  Em  Karrich-hofe p.   18. 


137. 


378  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Uff      Ganumma      on      Sime 

Wardt    p.  94. 

Ware  Sull  de  Prescilla  Hira.  p.  167. 

Ware  Sull  Ich  Hira p.  56. 

We    Con    Ich's   Besht   Laeva 

Maucha    p.  95. 

We  Mer  Gaid  FIsha p.  65. 

We's  Gait  Onera  Infair  ....  p.  106. 
Wos      Gebts      Mit      Unsera 

Boova  p.  15. 

Part  II. 

Axioms  and  Epigrams 

Shprichwordta    p.  246. 

Blesseer    Coomed    Oony    G'- 
frogt     un     Gait     Ooney 

G'haesa p.  221. 

De  College  Boova p.  179. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  9,  425. 
Der  Asel  in  Der  Giles  Howd .  p.  242. 
Der      "Christian      Science" 

Duckter    p.  195. 

De  Retcha  un  De  Bletcha. . .  p.  216. 
Der  Jecky  Leebshtickle  Tend 

Court    p.  223. 

Der  Mon  Woo  Reich-Awrem 

is p.  201. 

Der  Oldt  Billy  Sultzer  un  De 

Looder  Grobba   p.   182. 

De   Shuldt   Os   Leit  Awrum 

Sin    p.  218. 

Der  Tswa  Keppich  Elefont.  .  p.  240. 
De  U-farshtenicha  Fashions.  .  p.  185. 
De  Weipsleit  in  Politics  ....  p.  198. 
En  Jury-mon p.   187. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  379 

Ich  Wutt  Os  Ich  en  Bower 

Ware    p.   IQI- 

In  Fildelfy 

Em      Wannamaker      Si 

Karrich  Hofe    p.  229. 

Em  Mike  Sendapetzer  Si 

Stylishe  Fraw   p.  232. 

Grishdom    in    Ga-koosh- 

enda  Sitz   p.  235. 

Widder  Dahame p.  238. 

Karraseera — Der  Oldt  un  Der 

Nei  Wake   p.  211. 

On  Der  Teacher's  Institute,  .p.  214. 

Onera  Karicha  Fare p.  203. 

Politics  un  De  Karricha  ....  p.   189. 
Shtride  in  Der  Hous-holdting 

— ^was  machts p.  209. 

Unser  Niar  Porra .p.  206. 

Widder      UfE      Der      Oldta 

Bowerei    p.  226. 

Deitscha  Leeder.     See  Poetry,   C.   C.  Ziegler  and   M.   C. 
Henninger. 

Historical    p.  255. 

De  Scientists  un  de  Hexaductor. .  P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  10,  47. 
De  Suckers  in  Politics   Home,  3d  ed.,  149. 

Hoffman,  W.  J.: 

Der  Hok'lbira  Barig Jour.  A.  F.  L.,  p.  194. 

Der  Marti  Bechtel Jour.  A.  F.  L.,  p.  195. 

Der  Tshek  Shtraus    Jour.  A.  F.  L.,  p.  193- 

Di  Granni  Shidl Jour.  A.  F.  L.,  p.  192. 

Jake   Strauss    Jour.  A.  F.  L.,  p.  194. 


380  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Proverbs    Jour.  A.  F.  L.,  p.  ig^L 

Gschicht    fun    da    alta    Tsaita    in 

Pensilfani   Pro.  Am.  Philosoph.  S.,  Vol. 

32. 
HoRNE,  A.  R. : 

"Pennsylvania  German  Manual,"  ist  ed.,  1875;  2d  ed.,  1896; 
3d  ed.,  1905;  4th  ed.,  1910. 

Part  I.  English  Pronuncia- 
tion of  P.  G.  words p.  5  f . 

Part  II.  Pennsylvania-Ger- 
man Literature  with  Eng- 
lish Translations. 

Sprich  Werder    p.  70  f. 

Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  47. 

Ratsla p.  78. 

Reima p.  81. 

Schpichta p.  89. 

De  G'Breicha  fun  d' 
Pennsylfanisch 
Deitscha     in     0 1  d  t  a 

Zeita p.  93. 

Fashtdauga ?•  95- 

De  Oldta  Games   p.   100. 

Gschichta   p.   102. 

See  also  Poetry — ^Weiser,  Witmer,  Henninger, 
Newhard,  Kopenhaver,  Ziegler,  Rauch,  Harbaugh, 
Fischer,  Schuler,  Rhoads,  Grumbine,  D.  B.  B runner. 
Hark,  Wuchter. 

See  Prose-Gehring,  Zimmerman,  Schuler,  Harter, 
and  Warner. 

Part    III.     A    Pennsylvania   Ger- 
man and  English  Dictionary. ..  p.   184  f. 

(The  page  numbers  are  those  of  the  3d  edition ;  the  4th 
edition  contains  34  more  pages.) 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  381 

HuLSBUCK,  Solly.     See  Miller,  Harvey. 

John: 

En  Hexe  G'schicht P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  11,  605. 

Keller,  Eli  (See  also  Poetry): 

En  Gesprach  an  der  Mittel  Fence.  Fried.,  Jan.  20  &  27,  '09; 

Feb.  3  &  10,  '09. 
Pennsylvanier  Sprich  Worter. . .  .  Fried.,  Jul.  14,  '09. 
Wie  der  StofEel  Sei  Geld  Verlore 

Hot    D.  M.,  p.  170. 

H.  W.  K.: 

Em    Mark    Twain    Sei    Kameel 

(Trans.)    P.  G.,  Vol.  VH,  4,  211. 

Klotzkopp,  Joe,  Esq.: 

Mei  Experienz  im  Circus P.  G.,  Vol.  VHI,  11,  561. 

KuNRADT,  Der  Alt  : 

Letters     to     the     Editor    of     the 

Pionier   D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  7. 

D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  50. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  95. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  132. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  170. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  203. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  236. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  258. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  344. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  298. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  373- 
D.  P.,  Vol.  IV,  p.  402. 
D.  P.,  Vol.  V,  p.  2. 


382  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Leisenring,  E.  D.: 

Brief  an  "  Der  Deutsche  Plonier  ".  D.  P.,  May,  1882. 

P.  a.  Vol.  IX,  7,  325. 
Pennsylfawnisch  Deitsch    D.  P.,  Vol.  XIV,  p.  70. 

Miller,  Daniel: 

"Pennsylvania  German,"  Vol.  I,  Reading,  Pa.,  1904. 

Part  I.  See  Poetry,  Harbaugh,  Weiser,  Mays,  Keller, 
F.  R.  Brunner,  Fisher,  Vogt,  Rhoads,  Graeff, 
Reinecke,  Eisenbrown,  Dubbs,  and  D.  B. 
Brunner. 

Part  II.     Prose. 

Bete  Am  Disch p.  1 69. 

Biiffel   Ochse    p.  227. 

Busch  Kniippel   p.  243. 

Das  Alt  Schulhaus p.  197. 

Das    Alt    Schulhaus    in    Der 

Stadt p.  204. 

Das  Battelje    p.  231. 

Deiwel's  Loch  p.  290. 

Dem     Conrad     Weiser     Sei 

Drahm    p.  271. 

Dem  Dr.  Schaeffer  sei  Speech 

an  der  Schaeffer  Reunion. .  p.   166. 

Dem  Parre  Sei  Drahm p.  276. 

Dem  Pitt  Sei  Handwerk.  ...  p.  214. 
Dem  Parre  Sei  Worscht  ....  p.  275. 
Dem  Parre  sei  Gleichniss  . .  p.  245. 
Dem   Parre    Stoey   sei    Pred- 

dig    p.  185. 

Der  Bauer  un  die  Studente. .  p.  292. 
Der    Dan    Webster    un    Sei 

Sens    p.  236. 

Der  Elteste  am  Preddige  ....  p.  182. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         383 

Der  Mose  Dissinger p.  228. 

Der  Parre  un  die  Schunke  . .  p.  272. 

Des  Leine  Vorsage p.  280. 

Die      Gemee      in      Ochse- 

schwamm    p.  293. 

Die  Haase  Preddig   p.  289. 

Die  Kansel  is  Umgefalle  ....  p.  285. 
Die  Pennsylvanisch  Deutsche,  p.  156. 

Die  Regina  Hartman p.  187. 

Die  Stadtel  Bump p.  210. 

Die  Worzel  vum  Uewel  ....  p.  283. 

Elbetritsche  Fanga   p.  263. 

En  Brief  an  Der  Parre  vun 

der  Jacobus  Kirche p.  1 79- 

En  Gleichniss    p.  287. 

Englisch    Denka    un    Deitsch 

Schwatze    p.  234. 

En    Laute    Stimm    p.  268. 

En  Parres  Trick p.  284. 

En  Reich  Paar   p.  278. 

Grosse  Worte   p.  288. 

Gauls  Preddige   p.  248. 

Gross  Gegrisch  Awer  Wennig 

Woll    p.  274. 

Heiere  uf  Credit p.  286. 

In  der  Kerch  Schlofe p.  225. 

Kerchegang  vor  Alters p.  192. 

Korze   Preddige    p.  240. 

Leckschonire    p.  207. 

Lunsch  uf  em  Feld  un  in  der 

Kerch    p.  261. 

Pennsylvania  Englisch    p.  281.  , 

Sag  Ich,  Hab  Ich  Gesaht p.  270. 

Schlechte  Parre   p.  223. 

Sonderbare    Ferrywell    Pred- 
dige     p.  220. 


384  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Uewersetzunge-Translatlons .  p.  266. 

Was  Gehappened  is   p.  257. 

Wer     Hot     die     Welt     Er- 

schaffe  ? p.   1 60. 

Wetterhahne    p.  238. 

Wie  en  Loch  zu  Mache  ....  p.  265. 
Wie  er  Die  Naas  Verbroche 

Hot    p.   178. 

Wie  er  in  der  Semly  War.  . .  p.  246. 
Wie  der   Parre  sich   Rausge- 

schalt    Hot    p.  219. 

Wohleberstadtel p.  217. 

See  also  Prose,  Keller,  Dubbs,  Zimmerman. 


"Pennsylvania  German,"  Vol.  H,  1912. 

Part  I.     Vocabulary  of  1200  words. 
Part  n.     Variations. 
Part  HI.     Literature. 

See  Poetry,  Rondthaler,  Harbaugh,  Weiser,  Stahr, 
Keller,  F.  R.  Brunner,  Shuey,  E.  Grumbine, 
Rhoads,  D.  B.  Brunner,  Bahn,  Lisberger,  L. 
Grumbine,  Gerhardt,  Eshelman,  Anonymous, 
Henninger,  Schuler,  Mays^  More,  Mengel, 
Wollenweber. 
Prose. 

Dem  Kunradt  Weiser  sei 
Shtore  in  Reading,  Illus- 
trated     p.   169. 

Dem     Kunradt     Weiser     sei 

House.     Illustrated p.  171. 

Der  Bauer  huts  goot p.  236. 

Der  Parre  Harbaugh.  Por- 
trait     p.  183. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         385 

Die  Recht  un  die  Letz  Sort 

Lerning    p.  240. 

P.  G.,  XI,  7,  433. 

En  ferhuttelt  Welt p,  249. 

En  Klane  Kerch.     Illustrated .  p.  1 89. 
En  Pennsylvanier  in  der  Stadt 

Berlin   p.  165. 

Es  Alt  Korthaus  in  Reading. p.  173. 
Ferennerunga     und     Improf- 

ments    p.  1 60. 

Gebs  de  Judde    p.  212. 

Grumbiere  Keffer   p.  233. 

In  Fildelfi p.  222. 

In  New  York  P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  8,  406. 

p.  228. 
Ref.  Rec. 
Meiner  Mammy  ihr  Spinnrad. 

Illustrated    p.  185. 

Pennsylvanisch   Deutsche  Ge- 

brauche p.  153. 

Pennsylvanisch     Deutsche 

Sprichworte    

Pennsylvanisch  Deutsch  Gou- 

veniere.      Illustrated  p.  174. 

Ref.  Ch.  Rec. 

Stadt  un  Landt p.   190. 

Uf  der  Jury   p,  253. 

Wan  Ich  en  Porre  war p.  217. 

Wan  ich  net  Porre  war  ...  .p.  219. 

Miller,  Harvey  (Solly  Hulsbuck)  : 

"  Pennsylvania  German  Stories,"  EUzabethville,  Pa.,  1907.     See 
also  Poetry. 

Bank  Bisness  p.  i. 

Basebolla  G'shpielt   p.  49. 

2S 


386 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


De  C.  W.  L.  Society p 

De   Englisha    p 

De  Fiert  July  Celebrashun . .  p 

De  Irisha p 

De      Mawd      Gaid      uf     en 

Shtrike    p 

De  Nei  Runzel  im  Shpella.  .p 

De   Picnic    p 

De     Polly    Grickt    en     Sur- 
prise  p 

Der  Ab  Lincoln   p 

Der  Bawfeesich  Bu p 

Der  Fader  Fu'm  Lond p 

Der  Feert  Jooly  p 

Der  Inshing    p 

Der  Nabukadnezzar  und  der 

Napolyun  p 

Der  Reicha  Era  Drowel  . . .  p 
Em  Jeckie  Si  Komposishum .  p, 

En  Chury  Mon p 

En  Thanksgiving  Shtory  . . .  p 

P 
En    Trip    Noch    Em    Shtate 

House    p 

Fendu    p 

Flying  Macheena   p 

Geil  Kawf t  und  G'shwopp'd .  p 
Hochmood  udder  Hunger   . .  p 

Im  Febiwerry p 

Labor  un  Capital   p 

Mi  Pedigree p 

Political  Announcement   .  . .  .  p 

Politicks   p 

Romeo  and  Juliet p 

Romeo  and  Juliet p 

Setta  de  Weibsleit  Vote? p 


53. 
99. 
59. 
lOI. 

15. 
67. 
63. 

19. 

3. 
II. 

7. 

43. 

103. 

log. 

87. 
29. 
95. 
85. 
G.,  Vol.  IX. 

93- 

13. 

51. 

III. 

I. 

5- 
21. 

25- 

4- 

69. 

31. 

35. 

81. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  387 

Um  Beara  Hunda p.  75- 

Un  der  Fair   p.  73. 

Was  aw  gaid  im  Deich   ....  p.  23. 
We's  gaid  won  de  Fraw  em 

in  der  Shtore  Shickt p.  89. 

Wos  iss  sugcess? p.  55- 

Wos  mer  Essa p.  39. 

Wu  de  Deitscha  Harcooma.p.  97. 
Wuts!    Wuts!    Wuts!  ....p.  105. 


"Pennsylvania  German,"  191 1. 

A  'ar  is  de  onar  wart p.  57. 

Advertisa  batsawld   p.  168. 

Badrochda  noch  da  am   ....  p.  37. 

Boona  ols  Medazen p.  9, 

De  Bevvy  Singt  en  Anthem .  p.  49. 

De  Huchtsich   p.  1 70. 

De  Maria  gaid  iv'r  der  Barg.p.  176. 

De  Macht  fun  Klanichkada.  p.  125. 

De  Mommy  ols  en  Duckd'r.p.  23. 

De  Nancy  Hanks  im  Race.,  p.  144. 

De  nei  sort  Bud'r p.  137. 

De  Rachel  Powhana p.  65. 

Der  Comet    p.  41. 

Der  Drolley    p.  99. 

Der  Duckd'r  Lawdanagler .  .  p.  79. 

Der  Feert  Jooly p.  103. 

Der  Hochmood   p.  130. 

Der  Jacky  Graddiate p.  171. 

Der  Jecky  larnd  en  lesson.  . .  p.  152. 

Der  Jecky  un  sei  Brief   ....  p.  73. 
Der       Moses       Cadwallader 

Schmidt    p.  165. 

Der  Nei  Wek  un  der  Olt.  . .  p.  126. 

Der  Nord  Pole p.  140. 


388  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Der  Osht'r  Haws p.  93- 

De  Shlung  im  Hoot   p.   174. 

De   Weibsleit    p.  128. 

Donkbawr  in  ola  Unglik  ...  p.   151. 
Drawm  Buch  Bedeitunga  ...p.  173. 

D'r  Sh-Shduddera  Jeck p.   i. 

Em     Jecky     sei     Walk     far 

Shduddia    p.  61. 

Em  Pit'r  sei  gaba'd p.   148. 

Em  Pit'r  sei  Drik p.   153. 

Em  Pitt  sei  Handwerk p.  147. 

En  Arlich'r  Raskal p.  105. 

En  asel  Drik p.   117. 

En  Bizness  Notice   p.  167. 

En  Drawm  Buch p.  1 72. 

En  Freigawich'r  Deeb p.   142. 

En  Gros'r  Dosh'd p.  I35- 

En  Hinar-end  Collision   ....  p.  19. 

En  Hink'l-shpree p.   134. 

En  Publick  Eilawdung p.   169. 

Eishtars  un  English-Solz ....  p.  59. 

En  Fendu  Fever p.  169. 

Es  Heira   p.  129. 

Es  Hun'rt-yarich  Fesht p.  43. 

Es  Karch-Gae  p.  33- 

Far's  Denka  kon  em  nemond 

henka    p.  39- 

Fawsnocht    p.  1 24. 

Filosofikal  Gadonka p.   I55- 

Fireworks  uf  da  Konsel  ....  p.  29 

Fisikal  J'ografy p.  75 

Free-yor   p.  89 

Guld-Shtock  kawf t p.  31 

Ham-g'mocht  Mush   p.  67 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         389 

Hink'l  Filosofy  p.  87. 

Hunsdawga  Blazeer p.  27. 

Im  Dreebsawl  p.  163. 

In  da  Lotsh p.  162. 

Karaseera — ^We  far  oldars.  . .  p.  21. 

Kourt  Bizness   p.  I33. 

Kurnel  Soakum p.  1 15- 

Law  Bizness  p.  9i« 

Lawendich  fargrawva p.   136. 

Lond  un  Shtot p.  183. 

Marb'l  Kucha p.  55- 

Milchhawr p.  118. 

Musich  bei  da  tswilling  ....  p.  122. 

Nuchberlicha  Badrochda p.  127. 

Nuchbershoft    Nochrichta    . .  p.  109. 

Obrilakelv'r p.  164. 

Offis  Hung'r p.  178. 

Rawver  im  Hous p.  1 19. 

Reich  iv'r  Nocht p.  123. 

Rul'r  Shkeeda  p.  I45- 

Shprich  Warta p.   131- 

Siva  Deiv'l    p.  181. 

Tschentleleit    p.  81. 

Tswa  sorta  Grip p.   156. 

Uf  B'sooch  in  da  Shool p.   146. 

Uf  da  Bowerei   p.  132. 

Um  Circus    p.  7- 

Un    da    Jamestown    Exposi- 
tion     p.  47. 

Ung'farlicha  Feiarworks    ...p.   175. 
Unich  em  Wed'r p.   loi. 

We  der  Bower  farlussa  Wart.  p.   113. 
Weesht     galoga     is     nemond 

batroga p.  51. 

Wei  is  de  Mud'r p.   160. 


390  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

More,  C.  C.  (See  also  Poetry)  : 

Der  Hexedoktor   P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  3,  136. 

Der  Hexedoktor   P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  4. 

Der  Wiescht  Mann  von  der  Flett.  P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  9,  448. 

Die  Kutztown   Mail    P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  4,  239. 

En  Wieschter  Draam P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  10,  505. 

'S   Wash    Heller's   Ihra   Chrischt- 

dagszug    P.  G.,  Vol.  VIII,  12,  613. 

Rauch,  E.  H.   (See  also  Poetry)  : 

"  Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook,"  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa.,  1879. 
Part  I.     Dictionary  of  circ.  5,000  words  to  p.  148. 
Part  II,     Special  Words  ...p.   151. 

Abbreviations p.   158. 

The  Use  of  Words p.   160. 

Counting    p.   171. 

Months  and  Days p.   172. 

Weights  and  Measures p.   173. 

Practical   Exercises    p.   174. 

Business  Talk   p.   185. 

Home  3,  123. 
Progress       of      Pennsylvania 

Dutch  Lit p.  208. 

Quotations   from   Shakespeare 

Speech  of  Brutus p.  2i8. 

Richard  III,  Act  I.,  Sc. 

I    p.  219. 

Act  V,  Sc.  IV p.  220. 

Hamlet,  Act  I,  Sc.  V...p.  221. 
Extracts  from  Scripture  ....  p.  222. 

Pit   Schweffelbrenner    p.  228. 

Another  Letter  of  Schweffel- 
brenner   p.  231. 

Another  Letter  of  Schweffel- 
brenner   p.  234. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         391 

An   Heller  Shtarn  Ousgonga 

(Trans.)     P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  i. 

An  Temperance  Lecture   ...  P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  3. 
De  Olta  un  Neia  Tzeita  .  . .  Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  I,  33. 
Familiar  Sayings   (Trans.) ..  P.   D.,  Vol.  I,   i. 
Familiar  Sayings   (Trans.)  .    P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  2. 
Familiar  Sayings    (Trans.) .  .  P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  3. 

For  Der  Simple  Weg P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  3. 

Im  Washingtoner  Schtadtel.  .  M.  H.,  Jan.  20,  '86,  p.  63. 

Prospectus  to  P.  D P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  i. 

Rip  van  Winkle Dramolet. 

Uf  unser  Side   P.  D.,  Vol.   I,  2. 

Unser  Klehny  Jokes P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  2. 

Unser  Klehner  Omnibus  ....  P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  3. 

Rupp,  I.  D.: 

Eppes     Ueber     Pennsylvanisch 

Deutsch    D.  P.,   1870. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  5,  230. 

Open    Letter    to    the    Editor    on 

Dialects    P.  D.,  Vol.  I,  3. 

ScHANTZ,  F.  J.  F.  (See  also  Poetry)  : 

Hombog  Orgel  Bissness Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  Ill,  83. 

Letter  to  Dr.  Fritschel Pub.  in  Dienzer's  account  of 

his  visit  to  America. 

Part  of  a  sermon  on  Job Pro.  P.  G.  S.,  Vol.  Ill,  126, 

Speech  before  Dr.  Mohldenke's 
Congregation  in  New  York 
City    MS.  in  family. 

Stories    Pilger  Almanac 

Seip,  J.  W.: 

Mel  Erst  Blugges P.  G.,  Vol.  IX,  10,  470. 


392  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

Shuler,  H.  a.  (See  also  Poetry)  : 

Stones U.  P.  D.  Kal.,  1905. 

Zeechaglawa  un  Braucherei Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  146. 

U.  P.  D.  Kal.,  1905. 
Trexler,  Ben  : 

Der     "  Bockwampan "     und    sein 

Gethiers   Sk.  Lecha  Thai,  p.  192. 

Warner,  Joseph  (Johann  Klotz) : 

"  Americanish  Historic,"  Annville,  Pa.,  1905. 
Einleitung    p.   i. 

Epoch  I. 

Entdeckungen 

Der  Columbus  Entdeckt 

America    p.  7. 

Andere  Entdeckungen  .  .  p.  12. 

Epoch  II. 

Settlement 

Virginia    p.   19. 

Massachusetts    p.  25. 

Rhode  Island p.  31. 

Connecticut    p.  33. 

New  Hampshire   p.  36. 

New  York p.  38. 

Pennsylvania    p.  42. 

Home,  4th  ed.,  p.  201. 

New  Jersey  p.  45. 

Delaware    p.  47. 

Maryland    p.  48. 

North  und   South  Caro- 
lina   p.  51. 

Georgia    p.  52. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  393 

Epoch  III. 

Francoslshen  Greek 

Koenig  William's  Greek,  p.  56. 
Koenigin  Anne's  Greek,  p.  57. 
Koenig  George's  Greek,  p.  57. 
Francosish    und    Inshing 

Greek   p.  57- 

Epoch  IV. 

Freiheits  Greek 

Ursache  der  Greek  ...  .p.  61. 
Der     Greek     und     der 
Auskum. 
Epoch  V. 

Constitutional  Government 

George  Washington  ....  p.  71. 

John  Adams    p.  73* 

Thomas  Jefferson   p.  75* 

James  Madison   p.  75- 

James  Monroe p.  78. 

John  Quincy  Adams  ...  p.  78. 

Andrew  Jackson    p.  80. 

Martin  Van  Buren  ....  p.  80. 
William    Henry    Harri- 
son     p.  80. 

John  Tyler   p.  81. 

James  K.  Polk   p.  81. 

Zachary  Taylor p.  81. 

Millard  Fillmore    p.  83. 

Franklin  Pierce p.  83. 

James  Buchanan   p.  83. 

Abraham  Lincoln    p.  84. 

Andrew  Johnson p.  89. 

Ulysses  Grant p.  90. 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes  . .  p.  90. 
James  A.  Garfield p.  9i- 


394 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


Chester  A.  Arthur   . 

..p. 

91. 

Grover  Cleveland   .  . 

..p. 

91. 

Benjamin  Harrison   . 

.  .p. 

91. 

Grover  Cleveland   .  . 

..p. 

93. 

William  McKinley  . 

.  .p. 

95. 

Theodore  Roosevelt 

..p. 

96. 

Zum  Beschluss    

..p. 

97. 

WOLLENWEBER,   LuDWIG   A.: 

"  Gemalde,"  Leipzig  and  Philadelphia,   1869.     See  Poetry. 
Ab    Reffschneider    un     Susie 

Leimbach    p,   10. 

M.   H.,   May    19,    1886,  p. 
136. 
A  Lutarische  Hochzig — U. . .  p,  46. 
Conrad  Weiser's  Grab — U. .  .  p.   135. 
Der  Aldermann  Mehlig — W. .  p.   102. 

Der  Baron  Stiegel — U p.   127. 

Der  Mister  Lebtag — W p.   108. 

Der    Mitle    Weg    ischt    der 

Goldene  Weg — U p.  20. 

Der  Herbst— U p.  28. 

Der  Pitt  fun  der  Trapp — U..  p.   109. 

Der  Winter — U p.  31. 

Die  Berg  Maria — U p.   125. 

Die    Faschens — U p.  75. 

Die  Margareth  und  die  Leah 

— U p.  66. 

Das  Wilde  Heer — U p.  52. 

Die      Sag     von      End     vum 

Spieler — U p.  60. 

Die    Sag    von    Zwee    Saufer 

— u p.  57. 

Die  Sara  un  die  Betz — U. ...  p.  68. 
Dr.    Dady — U p.  131. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         395 

Ein    Gesprach  —  Ueppes-zum 

Lacha   p.  76. 

Eppes  Zum  Lache — U p.  73. 

Farmleben — U p.  23. 

Helrath's  Kalender — U p.  32. 

Im  Friihjohr   p.  8. 

Korz  awer  gut  U p.  65. 

Lob  und  Bar  oder  alter  Lieb 

rost  nit p.  50. 

Pennsylvanisch    Ehrlichkeit — 

U p.   121. 

Pitt  Kommnoch  W p.  35. 

Sie    kumme    doch    noch    zu- 

samme p.  47. 

Teite     Hosen     un     Standups 

mache  der  Mann  net — U. .  p.  98. 

Vom  Obstbaumbutze    p.   15. 

Vum  Obst   p.  24. 

Vorrede    p.  3- 

Vum     Ueberhitze     un     Sun- 

nestich — U p.  25. 

Wie  die  Nochbere  de  Charle 

Dorst     vom     Branntwein- 

trinke  Kure — ^W p.  71. 

Wie  mer  Sei  Fraa  Probirt. . .  p.  42. 

P.  G.,  Vol.  XII,  I,  54. 

Womelsdorf p.   140. 

Vendue,    Grosse — U p.  71. 

Zimmerman,  Thomas  (See  also  Poetry)  : 

Kaiser  Wilhelm's  Brief e Read.  Times  and  Dispatch. 

Home,  3d  ed.,  p.  142. 
D.  M.,  p.  249. 


396  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

3.   Dictionaries  and  Word  Lists. 

Fischer,  Henry  L.  : 

KurzweU   und    Zeitvertreib — 1882.      Special    Glossary — 1,983 

words. 
'S  Alt  Marik  Hous — 1879.     Special  Glossary — 2,181. 
FoGEL,  E.  M.     See  Learned. 

Harbaugh,  Henry: 

"Harfe" — 1870.     Special  Glossary — 245  words. 

Hays,  H.  M.: 

German  Dialect  in  the  Valley  of 

Virginia    Dia.  N.,  HI,  Pt.  4,  1908. 

Brief  Vocabulary    P.  G.,  Vol.  X,  10. 

Brief  Vocabulary — 194  words. 

Hoffman,  W.  J.: 

In  the  Proceedings  of  the  Am.  Phil.  Society,  Vol.  26,  Dec,  1888. 

A  Pennsylvania  German-English  Dictionary — 5,689  words. 

"A    quite    exhaustive    glossary   of    the    Pennsylvania 

German   dialect    (P.    G.-English).     This   is   little 

more  than  a  review  of  Home's  Dictionary.     The 

author  acknowledges  no  sources  by  name  and  hence 

gives  us  no  clue  to  his  mode  of  procedure."     M.  D. 

Learned. 

Horne,  a.  R.  : 

Em  Horne  Sei  Buch,  1875,  ist  ed.,  P.  G. — English  Dictionary 

— 5,522  words. 

"  This  is  by  far  the  most  complete  and  scientific  lexicon 

of    the    Pennsylvania    German    speech."     M.    D. 

Learned,  1889. 

1895 — 2d   edition — several   hundred   additional   words  and   an 

English-Pennsylvania  German  Dictionary. 
1905 — 3d  edition — some  additional  words. 
1910 — 4th  edition — ^some  more  additional  words. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.         397 

King,  Wilbur  L.  : 

Pennsylvania  German  Plant  Names  in  the  P.  G.,  Vol.  XII,  2. 
Pennsylvania  German,  English  and  Latin — 265  words. 

Learned,  M.  D.    Assisted  by  E.  M.  Fogel: 

Complete  Pennsylvania  German  Dictionary — ^Announced. 

LiNS,  James: 

Common    Sense    Pennsylvania    German    Dictionary,    Reading, 

1887. 
1895,  2d  edition,  P.  G.-EngHsh — 9,613  words. 

Mell,  C.  D.: 

Pennsylvania  German  Plant  Names — P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  9. 

Pennsylvania  German,  English  and  Latin — 92  words. 
Pennsylvania  German  Plant  Names — P.  G.,  Vol.  XI,  12. 

Pennsylvania  German,  English  and  Latin — 38  words. 

Miller,  Daniel: 

Pennsylvania  German,  Vol.  II. 

Pennsylvania  German,  English  and  German — 1,200  words. 

Rauch,  E.  H.: 

Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  Vol.  I,  No.  i  and  following  (incom- 
plete). 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  Handbook,  1879.     Mauch  Chunk,  Pa. 
Pennsylvania    German-English    and    English-Pennsylvania 
German — circ.  5,000  words. 


39^  The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 

4.   Newspapers. 

4.  A  Partial  List  of  Newspapers  that  are,  or  at 
One  Time  have  been,  Publishing  Pennsyl- 
vania-German Dialect  Selections. 

Name.  Place  of  Publication.  County. 

Allentown  Call   Allentown   Lehigh. 

Allentown    Democrat    Allentown    Lehigh. 

Annville  Journal   Annville Lebanon. 

Berks  and  Schuylkill  Journal . .  Reading Berks. 

Berks   County   Democrat Boyertown Berks. 

Bethlehem  Times Bethlehem    Northampton. 

Boyertown  Bauer Boyertown Berks. 

Bucks  County  Express Doylestown   Bucks. 

Canton    (Ohio)    Repository.  ..  Canton,  Ohio. 

Carbon  County  Democrat.  .  .  .  Mauch  Chunk  .  . .  .Carbon. 

Center  Democrat Bellefonte    Center. 

Coopersburg  Sentinel Coopersburg    Lehigh. 

Der  Waffenlose  Wachter Gap    Lancaster. 

Der   Deutsche   Pionier    Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Doylestown  Morgenstern   ....  Doylestown   Bucks. 

Easton  Argus Easton    Northampton. 

Easton  Democrat Easton    Northampton. 

Easton  Express Easton    Northampton. 

Easton  Free  Press Easton    Northampton. 

Easton  Sentinel   Easton    Northampton. 

Easton  Sunday  Call Easton    Northampton. 

Elizabethville  Echo Elizabethville    ....  Dauphin. 

Emaus  Herald Emaus   Lehigh. 

Evening  Leader Lehighton    Lehigh. 

Father  Abraham   Lancaster Lancaster. 

Father  Abraham   Reading Berks. 

Friedensbote Allentown   Lehigh. 

Greist  der  Zeit   Kutztown    Berks. 


Pennsylvania-German  Dialect  Writings.  399 

Name.  Place  of  Publication.  County. 

Hummelstown  Sun   Hummelstown    .  . .  Dauphin. 

Jefferson  Democrat   Pottsville Schuylkill. 

Keystone   Gazette    Bellefonte    Center. 

Kutztown  Journal  and  Patriot.  Kutztown    Berks. 

Lebanon  News Lebanon Lebanon. 

Lebanon  Courier  and  Report .  .  Lebanon Lebanon. 

Lebanon  Pennsylvanier Lebanon Lebanon. 

Lehighton  Press Lehighton    Lehigh. 

Lititz  Express   Lititz    Lancaster. 

Lititz  Record Lititz    Lancaster. 

Macungie  Progress   Macungie   Lehigh. 

Manheim  Sentinel   Manheim Lancaster. 

Manheim  Sun    Manheim Lancaster. 

Mauch  Chunk  Democrat Mauch  Chunk    .  . .  Carbon. 

Mauch  Chunk  Times    Mauch  Chunk  ....  Carbon. 

Mauch  Chunk  Daily  Times. .  Mauch  Chunk  ....  Carbon. 

Middleburg  Post Middleburg Snyder. 

Myerstown  Sentinel    Myerstown    Lebanon. 

Myerstown   Enterprise    Myerstown    Lebanon. 

Northampton    Correspondent. .  Easton    Northampton. 

Northampton  Democrat   Easton    Northampton. 

Penn  Press Bethlehem    Northampton. 

Pennsylvania  Dutchman Lancaster Lancaster. 

Pennsylvania  German   Lititz    Lancaster. 

Pennsylvanische  Staats  Zeitung .  Harrisburg Dauphin. 

Pine   Grove   Herald Pine  Grove Schuylkill. 

Reading  Adler Reading Berks. 

Reading  Times  and  Dispatch . .  Reading Berks. 

Reformed  Church  Record ....  Reading Berks. 

Republikaner  von  Berks Reading Berks. 

Rural  Press   Kempton    Berks. 

Rural  Press   Reading Berks. 

The  Advocate    Lehighton    Lehigh. 

The  American  Volunteer Carlisle Adams. 


400 


The  Pennsylvania-German  Society. 


Name.  Place  of  Publication.  County. 

South  Bethlehem  Star   South   Bethlehem . .  Northampton. 

Spirit  of  Berks Reading Berks. 

The  National  Educator Allentown   Lehigh. 

Unabhangiger  Republikaner  . .  Allentown   Lehigh. 

Uncle  Samuel    Lancaster Lancaster. 

WeltBote   Allentown   Lehigh. 


2356 


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