Volume 25 No 1 • Winter 2015–2016
New Publication: Pennsylvania Dutch—The Story of an American Language
“Dutchified English” postcard, 1940s
e are delighted to an- since the late eighteenth century. It nounce MKI Co-Direc- has never enjoyed any official recog- tor Mark Louden’s new nition or legal protection, nor has it Wbook: Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story been taught in schools. Furthermore, of an American Language. In seven most speakers of Pennsylvania Dutch chapters accompanied by numerous never read or write in the language. INSIDE illustrations the book explores the The book begins by addressing past and present of Pennsylvania the question “What is Pennsylvania • Student Yearbooks from Dutch, an American language that is Dutch?,” followed in chapters 2 Milwaukee’s National German- as old as the United States. The focus and 3 by a detailed history of the American Teachers’ Seminary is on both the language itself and language and associated cultures • History of the Madison the world of those Americans who from the beginnings of immigration spoke the language in the past and in the eighteenth century until Männerchor continue to speak it today. Though 1860. Chapter 4 highlights four • Book Review: Constructing a used only by a minuscule portion of major figures in the development of German Diaspora the American population and never Pennsylvania Dutch literature in the • Friends Annual Meeting, May 7 “refreshed” by later waves of immi- nineteenth century, while chapters 5 • Deutscher Männer Verein of gration from abroad, Pennsylvania Racine, Wisconsin Dutch has been spoken continuously Continued on page 12 Three Yearbooks of the National German-American Teachers’ Seminary of Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 1915, 1916, 1918 Pamela Tesch
he National German-Amer- History Society of Wisconsin and ican Teachers’ Seminary in the Milwaukee Public Museum.3 In Milwaukee existed for just 1917, the German-English Academy Tover 40 years (1878–1919) as a school changed its name to Milwaukee designed to train teachers of Ger- University School. The Seminary was man. Among the materials concern- an equally important pedagogical ing the Seminary at the Max Kade institution and even influenced Institute Archive are three yearbooks the German Department at the (including the fortieth anniversary University of Wisconsin in Madison edition), those of 1915, 1916, and (see below). 1918.1 The Seminary was established A close reading of the three by a Lehrerbund dating from 1870, yearbooks shows how students and according to an article by Frieda faculty responded to anti-German Voigt, a former student. It was to be pressures in Milwaukee during that […] a school national in time. All three yearbooks feature scope, embodying American events, charming photos, poems, ideals, and training teachers of essays, autographs, reports of field German. Educators from New trips, playful quotes, and riddles, Title page of the 1915 yearbook, with Iron Crosses York, Chicago, Cincinnati, and were meant as mementos for students of the Seminary. But they of German were inspired by their Cleveland, San Antonio, teachers in America, and small iron Saint Paul, Detroit, St. Louis, also give historians today insight into the teachers’ and students’ crosses on the cover and title page Indianapolis, and Milwaukee show sympathy with the German were elected to a steering reactions to the war. As historian John Gurda explains, “When the people in a time of war. Essays in committee that succeeded German include: Die Bedeutung des in collecting sufficient shooting started in the summer of 1914, local residents were quick nationalen deutschamerikanischen funds ($32,000) to open the Lehrerseminars in Milwaukee Seminary by 1878. It was to back what was, for many of them, the home team. As the most [The Significance of the German- housed in the building of the American Teachers’ Seminary German-English Academy, German city in America, Milwaukee became a principal center of support in Milwaukee]; Unsere Ausflüge later known as the Milwaukee [Our Field Trips]; Deutschland University School, which had for Kaiser Wilhelm I and his und Frankreich [Germany and been founded in 1851.2 expansionist German Empire even after a German submarine sank the France]; and Das eiserne Kreuz The German-English Academy Lusitania, resulting in the loss of 128 [The Iron Cross]. Those in English itself is known for its far-reaching American lives on May 7, 1915.”4 are: “Why I Became a Teacher of influence in education, especially Many of the contributions in the German”; “The Motion Picture as under the direction of Peter yearbook of 1915 touch upon the an Educational Force”; “Our Duty Engelmann (1823–1874). In 1884, war and show the student and faculty to the ‘Hyphenated American’”; and the natural science collection support of Germany. The photos “A Roland for an Oliver” (an idiom housed at the Academy became the and stories reveal that the students Continued on page 4 founding collection of the Natural
2 DIRECTORS’ CORNER
Greetings, Friends and Readers!
e are celebrating the visionary thinking and hard work of work. Our program for the next few appearance of Mark many of our former colleagues. Each months includes three MKI-spon- Louden’s new book of the several German-American sored lectures in Madison; outreach Wentitled Pennsylvania Dutch: The studies institutes and centers in events the DuPage County Genealog- Story of an American Language the United States today has set its ical Society in Illinois, the Brookfield (Johns Hopkins University Press, own emphases; we have placed our Public Library, and the Wisconsin 2016). His work with the Amish and broad focus on interdisciplinary re- Veterans Museum in Madison; and the Pennsylvania Dutch language search, the preservation of American then finally our annual Friends din- has already received a good deal of German-language publications and ner in Racine in May. attention throughout the United unpublished documents, and the As the new season comes, we wish States and also abroadbut now sharing of our work through pub- you all the bestfor strength, happi- with the publication of this volume, lications, programs, and outreach. ness, and success. We hope to see you he has established himself as one of A great deal of dynamic and robust soon; please stay in touch! the subject’s foremost authorities. We activity is taking place on the fourth —Cora Lee are proud of him and also grateful floor of the University Club; we can to him for the good publicity his ac- point to a fair amount of success; and complishments have brought to the we are pleased! MKI. Of course, there are many oth- It goes without saying that the in- ers whose contributions at the MKI terest, encouragement, and support also deserve recognition, including of the MKI Friends organization guest lecturers, visitors, students, is essential to our success; to the translators, transcribers, digitizers, Friends the MKI continues to owe its and volunteers; and we honor and existence. We invite you to attend our commend them all. upcoming eventscheck mki.wisc. Looking back, we see that the field eduto demonstrate your interest, of German-American studies has and to encourage and support our essentially come into being, grown, and developed over the last few de- Board of Directors, Friends of the Max Kade Institute cades in ways that our predecessors could hardly have imagined. Though Hans Bernet Monroe Karen Fowdy Monroe there were earlier contributors in Steven Geiger Wausau Wisconsin and elsewhere, the disci- Cora Lee Kluge ex officio, Madison pline we know today is generally un- Edward Langer Vice President, Nashotah Mark Louden ex officio, Sun Prairie derstood to date from the year 1968, Fran Luebke President, Brookfield when both the Society for German- Antje Petty ex officio, Fitchburg American Studies and also the Max John Pustejovsky Secretary, WhitefishBay Kade Center for German-American Luanne von Schneidemesser Treasurer, Madison Johannes Strohschänk Eau Claire Studies at the University of Kansas Pamela Tesch Oconomowoc were founded. Our own MKI was Bill ThielEau Claire established in 1983, the result of the Don Zamzow Schofield
3 Continued from page 2 Normalklasse [Farewell to the dropping the silent “e,” and changing Second Normal School Graduating “ae” and “ea” vowel combinations to meaning “measure for measure” or Class]; Die Geschichte des Seminars “e.” An example of the “new spelling” can be seen in this quotation from “an adequate response”). These essays [The History of the Seminary]; an article about Shakespeare that show that the students considered it “Shakespeare as Viewed by the was written by faculty advisor Ralph their duty as future language teachers English Classicists”; “A Visit from Owen: “From the Netherlands to the to impart to Americans a sense of Shakespeare”; “A Plea for Simplified Caucasus is stretcht a wall of iron and the rich culture they saw closely Spelling”; and students’ short stories fire; the best of Europe’s brawn and entwined with the German language. and examples of creative writing. brain ar manning the guns, but ar In the yearbook of 1916, the The photos in the yearbook of 1916 yerning for the coming-agen of peace focus is upon Germany and Great continue to portray the school, the with honor. Many a one is striving to Britain. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson faculty, the students, and the events keep alive even in the trenches his lov encouraged Americans to remain of the year; and the yearbook writers for arts and letters and he carries in neutral, although the United States still report on literary club meetings, his knapsack a book of Shakespere.” was supplying food and munitions events, field trips, and a visit by This quotation not only conveys the to Great Britain and its partners. President Wilson to the city. Mention importance of literature, especially The cover of Jahrbuch 1916 displays of war is almost nonexistent. the works of Shakespeare, within an impressive ink print showing a Curiously, in the English-language the context of the battlefield, but ship with sails and introduces the sections, the yearbook of 1916 also highlights the use of the English focus of the yearbook: William attempts to conform to new English language with spelling reforms. These Shakespeare. The students’ German- spelling reforms developed by the two featuresthe use of the English language and English-language Simplified Spelling Board, which language in its most “modern” essays no longer appear in separate were then being promoted by form, and the emphasis on English sections, and they do not deal with prominent Americans including literaturereflect an eagerness on the war. Instead, they are intermixed Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, the part of the yearbook’s writers to and include politically neutral titles and Melvil Dewey. Summarized in show how closely they identified with such as: Die Geschichte der zweiten the Dictionary of Simplified Spelling the “English.” Normalklasse [The History of the of 1916 and later in the Handbook In April 1917, the United States Second Normal School Graduating of Simplified Spellingof 1920, the entered into the war, and an extreme Class]; Abschiedsgruss an die zweite reforms included changing “ed” to “t,” anti-German climate prevailed both in Milwaukee and across the entire nation. According to Gurda, “The number of local [Milwaukee] schoolchildren enrolled in German classes plummeted from 30,000 in 1916 to a mere 400 in 1918.”5 In the Jahrbuch 1918, the topics of the essays in both German and English are different, now focusing on the United States school system and including these: Der Schulpsychologe [The School Psychologist]; Der paedagogische Wert des Erzaehlens
Julia M. Baechle and Frieda Meyer (Voigt), members of the 1918 National German-American Continued on page 10 Teachers’ Seminary graduating class, both mentioned in this article
4 Bringing a Love for Singing to America: The History of the Madison Männerchor Günther Ruch
inging has a long tradition in concert at the Baptist Church on competition held in the Assembly Germany. Choirs can be found Carroll Street in Madison. Chambers of the Wisconsin Capitol in almost every town and city, From 1857 to 1869 the MMC was Building. In addition, 6,000 visitors Sincluding choirs for male voices, so- affiliated with theSch ützenverein or came to Madison to listen to the called Männerchöre. When Germans rifle club consisting of members with music. immigrated to the United States in previous military training in Germa- Another memorable event came the 1800s, they brought their singing ny. When the Civil War broke out, all in 1887 when the Männerchor per- traditions with them. It was a group able-bodied men of the MMC Schüt- formed a midnight serenade for of German immigrants that formed zenverein fought for the Union, and President Grover Cleveland and his the Madison Männerchor (MMC) those who survived the conflict and wife who were visiting Madison. The in 1852, the oldest German men’s returned to Madison re-established President was very pleased with the choir in Wisconsin, and the second themselves with the MMC. performance and announced that he, oldest continuously active German After the Civil War, theMännerchor too, was a member of a German sing- men’s choir in the United States. The joined the newly established North- ing society, the Buffalo Liederkranz, a Columbus Männerchor of Columbus, western Sängerbund, which included German men’s choir in Buffalo, NY. OH, which was established in 1848, 50 to 60 choirs in Wisconsin, Iowa, At the beginning of World War I, is the oldest. The primary goal was Illinois, Indiana, and Nebraska. They the choir went through significant to gather for the enjoyment of Ger- hosted yearly singing competitions, changes and turmoil. Between 1912 man Lieder and to arrange concerts and in 1879 the MMC won the “Lov- and 1917, the ranks of the MMC and musical entertainment for the ing Cup of Gold” trophy. Because of continued to swell, but after the furtherance of music in general. Only the MMC’s success, the Sängerfest American entry into the war, many a year after its inception, in February was brought to Madison in 1881 with young members enlisted and left to 1853, the MMC performed its first 1,200 singers participating in the fight in the war. Rehearsals and con- certs continued during this time, but the enthusiasm of the earlier years had faded. When the war was over, it took the choir a decade to regain its former strength, but in 1927, the MMC celebrated its 75th anniversary at the Madison Masonic Temple. In 1936, the MMC played a promi- nent role in the Wisconsin Cen- tennial celebration by leading the German section in the International Cavalcade. Things once again began to look up for the choir. Only four years later, in November of 1940, however, tragedy struck. A fire de- stroyed Turner Hall, the home of the MMC. Spirits were crushed as every treasured possession of the choir was
5 lost, including its Steinway grand from Wisconsin and Illinois helped piano, the entire music library that the MMC celebrate. Ten years later, had been assembled over 90 years, as MMC’s 160th anniversary featured well as all flags, banners,Sängerfest a special spring concert at Madison trophies, records, and photographs. Turner Hall and a performance in In 1952, the MMC celebrated its the Wisconsin Capitol Rotunda. The 100th anniversary at the old Central choir was honored by the State of High School auditorium in Madison, Wisconsin as 2012 was proclaimed but membership continued to de- “the year of the Madison Männer- cline. By 1956 only 12 active singers chor.” remained, a reflection of a lack of One of the choir’s cherished tradi- interest in ethnic activities among tions is the annual cemetery sing. young Americans. TheMännerchor , Every summer, singers visits three however, did not just quietly disap- local cemeteries where former mem- pear. Thanks to the choir’s strong bers have been laid to rest, honoring efforts to promote its activities and their memories by telling their stories the German Männerchor tradition, and singing two or three songs. the MMC was back to 36 members in 2013 was a special year, when the 1967 and has continued to grow and Nordamerikanische Sängerbund evolve. (NASB) held the national Sänger- Under the leadership of its presi- fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The dent, Paul Essert, new events and ac- Madison Männerchor joined several tivities were planned, such as annual thousand singers from all over the spring and Christmas concerts, and country in a joyous gathering. participation in the singing competi- Although the MMC remains tions of the Wisconsin Sängerbezirk strong, it faces new challenges, pri- (WSB), (Wisconsin Singers District). marily an aging membership. There- This competition, calledKommers , fore, the choir is working to recruit is still being held today, bringing new and younger voices while at the German-American choirs together to same time retaining its traditions that celebrate their common heritage. go back to 1852. A highlight in the MMC’s his- For more information, go to tory was a singing trip to Germany www.madisonmaennerchor.org in 1984, together with a German Günter Ruch is a long-time resident of men’s choir from Denver. In 1977, Madison and the current President of the the MMC celebrated its 125th an- Madison Männerchor. niversary with a grand concert. Even the president of the German Singing Federation came from Germany to attend the event. In 2002, on the oc- casion of its 150th anniversary, the Männerchor celebrated with a gala Sängerfest in Madison, including a concert at the Wisconsin Capitol Rotunda, and an Oktoberfest at Madi- son’s Essen Haus. Over 250 singers
6 BOOK REVIEW
Preserving Ties: The German Empire and Ethnic German Communities Worldwide, 1871–1914 Cora Lee Kluge
Constructing a German Diaspora: The “Greater German Empire,” 1871– 1914. By Stefan Manz. New York and London: Routledge, 2014. 360 pp.
tefan Manz’s timely topic, in view of the current interest in this period, is the relation- Sship between Imperial Germany and its global diaspora in the period from 1871 to 1914. The breadth of his investigation is impressive, as he has taken into account the situation in many corners of the globe—Eu- rope, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Australia. He person- ally visited archives in far-flung areas to do his research, including Russia, Berlin, and Madison, Wisconsin; and he has used documentation from many other locations. Manz’s The author in front of Saratov Government Archive in southern Russia thoroughness—the amount of mate- rial he consulted—is also impressive: homelands’ relationships to their diaspora migration from German approximately 150 of the volume’s German immigrant populations. lands that sent many residents of the 360 pages are devoted to tables, Manz’s task was colossal, but German lands abroad as “scattered notes, appendices, bibliography, and with his careful attention to the individuals or communities with an index. The 24-page bibliography material, he has succeeded in no discernible connection to […] in itself is a document worth having pushing immigration studies in new their country of origin” (50); and and studying for new ideas. directions. Instead of understanding the second chapter explores changes The many German communities emigration/immigration as a “linear that led to the construction of a abroad consisted of ethnic groups move of people from country A to diaspora after 1871. Chapters 3, 5, and organizations with a variety of country B (5),” he offers a perspective and 6 illustrate what Manz terms relationships to the fatherland: they that exemplifies transnational “strategies of diaspora construction” were not all German “outposts,” but connections, viewing migrants as (50) in politics (German Navy rather sensed different kinds and agents who bring cultures from Clubs), religion (German Protestant degrees of political allegiance or different parts of the globe into churches), and language (German religious or cultural ties to Imperial contact, at least from the Empire’s schools abroad), respectively. Germany. Their bonds to their perspective; and thus he changes Chapter 4, which bears the surprising new homelands were also not the traditionally held notions of our field. title “North America and Russia,” same throughout the world, just as Manz’s first chapter provides a there was great diversity in the new historical overview of earlier, pre- Continued on page 11
7 Friends Annual Meeting in Racine, Wisconsin Saturday, May 7
The Klinkert Barn, Racine County, Wisconsin
We are delighted to hold the Friends of MKI’s 2016 annual meeting in Racine, Wisconsin. Join us on Saturday, May 7 for an exciting day tracing the steps of one of Racine’s most illustrious German-speaking immigrants: Ernst Klinkert. Born in 1845 in Frankfurt, Germany, Klinkert arrived in Racine in the early 1870s, and quickly became a prominent business- man, brewer, and builder. His commercial structures included a theater, taverns, and the “Klinkert Barn,” a magnificent Kentucky Bluegrass-style stable for his prized race horses. The Friends will have the exclusive opportunity to take a uidedg tour of the “Klinkert Roadhouse,” one of Klinkert’s impressive German-style tavern buildings, and the “Klinkert Barn.” Afterwards, we will hold our annual meeting and dinner at the Reefpoint Brew House, followed by a presentation by Art & Architectural Historian Pippin Michelli on “Ernst Klinkert and His World: A German Immigrant Builder and Brewer in Racine, WI.”
1:30 – 2:15 Klinkert Roadhouse (Sturtevant) 2:15 – 2:45 Travel to the Klinkert Barn (Mount Pleasant) 2:45 – 3:30 Tour of Klinkert Barn 3:30 – 4:00 Travel to Reefpoint Brew House (Racine) 4:00 – 4:30 Registration and social time 4:30 – 5:30 Annual business meeting 5:30 – 6:00 Social time/ election of officers of the Board of Directors 6:00 – 6:45 Dinner 6:45 – 7:30 Lecture: Pippin Michelli Cost: $35 per person Bring a friend — make a Friend! Dinner purchase includes Friends of the MKI membership for the year 2016 for new Friends. Pre-registration required Please fill out a registration form, sign up for the tours, and choose one of three meal options. Mail your registration with payment or register online (mkifriends.org/annual-meetings) by April 27. Details, directions, and registration information can be found at mkifriends.org or contact Antje Petty at the Max Kade Institute (608-262-7546 or [email protected])
8 TheDeutscher Männer Verein of Racine, Wisconsin Jeff Hill
This article provides one example of the rich German history of Racine, site of the 2016 MKI Friends Annual Meeting and Dinner. Between 1840 and 1870, Germans were the largest group of immigrants to settle in Ra- cine. Here they established local societ- ies devoted to singing, theater, sports, and other activities which maintained the German language and the customs of their European homeland.
he Deutscher Männer Verein (DMV), or German Men’s Club—also known as the TRacine German Club or simply “Ger- man Club”—was founded October 29, 1894, by nine German immi- grants. It is a non-profit organization The Racine German Club with a mission to maintain a club for social enjoyment, to assist in the with similar two-story side-by-side of master craftsmen and industry development and education of its dwellings, which were often the leaders who brought their skills with members, and to foster the German homes of downtown businessmen. them from Germany and contributed language for cultural purposes as well The clubhouse still prominently what they knew to enhance the as other activities that contribute to displays the original house numbers beauty of the German Club. the furtherance of Germanic culture. 701 and 703 on its exterior, in Today the club has 280 members TheDeutscher Männer Verein is the acknowledgment of its historical and is one of the best kept secrets last remaining private ethnic club roots. in the city. More information on in the city of Racine. Located at 701 A small brass plaque on the south membership, club hours, and Villa Street, the clubhouse has been side of the building announces events can be found on its Website: the home of the DMV continually one’s entrance into what truly is a racinegermanclub.com. since 1915. step back in time. German heritage Jeff Hill has been a member of the German The double tenement house is everywhere inside. From the Club for over 36 years. He has served on was built in 1878 for Richard P. dark wood paneling, to pictures the board of trustees for numerous years Howell. Upon his death, his widow, on the wall, the club’s rich history and is an expert on the club’s history. Ann Howell, sold the house to the comes alive. As you enter the DMV for the sum of $1.00. The bar room, a sign over the door house is built of cream city brick in reads: “Kinder hier wird Deutsch the Italianate style. At the time of gesprochen”— Children, here we the house’s construction, Villa Street speak German. Membership lists past was quite a fashionable address, lined and present are filled with the names
9 Continued from page 4 that document the successes of But we who stay at home Seminary students in more advanced Are back of you, brave hearts. passender Geschichten in der Volks- programs at the UW. While you are o’er the foam schule [The Pedagogical Value of While the Great War is not We’ll do our various parts. Narrating: Appropriate Stories in the mentioned explicitly in the yearbook […] No matter what we were Public School]; Wert des Spieles [The of 1918, two excerpts highlight its before, Value of Play]; “The Substitute”; “My presence and seriousness. First, in Don’t question why or how, Experiences As a Substitute Teacher”; an essay written by a student entitled From north to south, from and examples of creative writing “The Study of History in Democracy,” shore to shore and fictional stories. The yearbook the war provides the backdrop to We’re all Americans now. cover remained neutral, showing the topic of the Americanization of only the dates 1878–1918; and, as it immigrant children: The National German-American was the fortieth anniversary edition, The study of American history Teachers’ Seminary succumbed to it celebrates the success of former is the greatest Americanizing the raging anti-German climate Seminary students as teachers. Also force in our school curriculum. in the United States during the included are two letters from the Thru it the children become war years, and despite all efforts to University of Wisconsin–Madison acquainted with the ideals maintain its credibility, such as the of our nation, —personal deletion of the hyphenated adjective freedom, freedom of thot “German-American” from its name, and speech, equality before support was withdrawn. Within a the law, economic freedom, a few months after the graduation of voice in the government. They the class of 1918, the Wisconsin State learn to love and admire our Board of Examiners revoked its ac- great heroes and our great creditation, and the institution went poets. They learn about the into a period of dormancy, ending struggles which were necessary with the temporary transfer in 1927 to establish and maintain of its work of training teachers of our ideals […] A thoro study German and then the permanent of history in this manner transfer in 1931 of its entire assets, as will Americanize the most well as several members of its teach- heterogeneous foreign elements ing staff, to the Madison campus in a generation’s time. of the UW.6 The German-English Second, in a poem entitled “Put Academy building, which was built Your Shoulder to the Wheel,” Julia M. in 1891 and was once the home of Baechle, class of 1918, expresses her the Seminary, is now owned by the feelings about the war. Note again the Milwaukee School of Engineering. focus on being American: An impressive structure located at 1020 North Broadway (its current […] Boys are coming, boys are address), it is listed on the National going, Register of Historical Places. Some in khaki, some in blue; By examining the 1915, 1916, and Soldiers, sailors, all are 1918 yearbooks of the National showing, German-American Teachers’ Semi- What they’ll do for me and nary in Milwaukee, we learn how you. Image from cover of 1916 yearbook Continued on page 15
10 Continued from page 7 of instruction at these schools, do not include even a single school in is unlike the others. In it, Manz the United States. Manz quotes a illustrates the usefulness of a 1914 memorandum from the school comparative approach by juxtaposing department of the German Foreign the German diaspora in these two Office, which states explicitly that countries, which were, after all, the “German schools in the United the two main goals of German States of America […] are to be seen migration, and where the situations as German-American schools and seemed diametrically opposed. The not as German schools abroad; they final pages constitute an “Outlook convey a certain knowledge of the and Conclusion.” German language and literature, but Manz tackles his task of looking all in all pursue purely American into the “transnational community educational goals” (233). of spirit” (3) among ethnic Germans Manz’s volume is a major throughout the world by employing achievement that succeeds in what he calls a macro- and micro- opening our eyes and sharpening level approach, at times subjecting our focus so that we look beyond representative communities and our borders to consider the German areas to an in-depth study, and at ethnic communities abroad from the times using a wider lens to discover perspective of the German Empire. the overarching picture. Thus he It serves to remind those of us who presents a more detailed study of are interested in German-American Shanghai, Cape Town, Blumenau studies that we must not take a (Brazil), Melbourne, Glasgow, the myopic view by considering only U.S. Upper Midwest, the Volga Basin the migration of Germans to the in Russia, and other areas, while the United States. Constructing a German appendices include long and detailed Diaspora cannot be recommended lists of local Navy Clubs throughout as easy reading, but we should the world (as many as 88 clubs in have it on our library shelves. It 17 countries in Central and South is a groundbreaking scholarly America alone), German Protestant contribution that will be respected congregations abroad, and German and influential for years to come. schools abroad. He documents Germany’s growing commitment to schools in the diaspora with a graph (page 236) showing the numbers of schools supported by Germany, as well as the rapid increase in the budget for such support, especially beginning in the 1890s. Interestingly, the 21 pages of lists of these German schools abroad in the year 1912, together with their locations, the years they were founded, the numbers of pupils, and the levels
11 Continued from page 1 of the territories that correspond today to the countries of Germany, and 6 center on Pennsylvania Dutch Switzerland, and Austria spoke in the twentieth century. The volume regional, mainly oral dialects. […] concludes by considering some of the “German-speaking immigrants to ways the story of Pennsylvania Dutch colonial Pennsylvania came from is woven into the fabric of American a number of regions in Central history, with a special emphasis on Europe, but by far most came from the role of faith in the maintenance the territories on either side of the of the language. Rhine, extending from Switzerland The following is a small sampling of northward to the region known as excerpts from the book, highlighting the Palatinate (Pfalz in German). some of the many aspects of Pennsyl- A critical mass of speakers, vania Dutch. likely arriving during the peak of
immigration at midcentury, could TheGerman Roots of Pennsylvania well have come from the eastern Dutch (13) Palatinate (Vorderpfalz), more “Despite the misleading name, specifically from a region west- Pennsylvania Dutch is derived southwest of the city of Mannheim from the German dialects spoken in the southeastern palatinate, since by immigrants from southwestern Pennsylvania Dutch most closely Germany and Switzerland to resembles the dialects from that colonial Pennsylvania. The historian relatively compact area.” show the effects of contact with Marianne Wokeck estimates that other languages. […] The influence between 1683 and 1774 nearly Pennsylvania Dutch in contact with of English on immigrant languages, 81,000 German speakers arrived in English (28–34) as on Pennsylvania Dutch, is often Pennsylvania […]. At that point in “In the same way that all living viewed negatively, especially by history, essentially all the inhabitants languages change, all languages also speakers in the countries of origin. In contemporary America, for example, heritage varieties of Spanish, when compared to what is spoken in Spain or Latin American countries, is often derided as ‘Spanglish.’ […] “Given the inherent malleability of vocabulary, lexical borrowing, the incorporation of words from one language into another, is the most common form of language contact, [as in this Pennsylvania Dutch example] of the short text ‘Where is my black horse?’ All English-derived elements are underlined. ‘“Wu is mei schwatzer Gaul?’ Weckgloffe oder gschtohle oder
© Ron Bowman Photography © Ron fattgschprunge, mei grosser schwatzer Amish girls from Lancaster, PA, chatting in Pennsylvania Dutch Gaul, ebaut 14 oder 15 Hand und 6
12 Who Where the Early Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Dutch had the ability, Dutch Speakers? (65) need, or inclination to produce “The previous chapter established original writings in German, and that Pennsylvania Dutch society has still fewer had any occasion to speak traditionally included two major it. Many if not most Pennsylvania
© National Geographic Society© National subgroups: the church people or Dutch did, however, retain the ability nonsectarians, mainly Lutherans to read [High German], but the texts and members of the German they had at their disposal were for the Reformed churches, and the sect most part religious works […] and people, including Mennonite and periodicals, mainly local newspapers Amish. Of the approximately 81,000 and almanacs. Those few nineteenth- German-speaking immigrants to century Pennsylvania Dutch who eighteenth-century Pennsylvania, the were able to write in German were overwhelming majority consisted of typically pastors and journalists.” nonsectarians. As mentioned in the The Use of Pennsylvania Dutch in previous chapter, Aaron Fogleman Society (252) estimates between 3,077 and 5,500 “One notable example of the use German-speaking sectarians, mostly of Pennsylvania Dutch in court was Mennonites came to the American in connection with a notorious case colonies. […] G. Gilbert Snyder and boy at Pennsylvania Dutch in 1903–1904 that drew national Folk Festival, Kutztown, 1952 “The low number of sectarians attention to Allentown, PA, where among the earliest Pennsylvania the crime occurred. In October 1903, Dutch, especially Amish, is striking oder 7 Zoll hoch. Er hot vier schatzi a young woman named Catharine in light of the modern situation of Bee, zwee hinne un zwee vanne, un is Bechtel was brutally murdered. Five the language. Recall that the majority gans iwwer schwatz. people were charged in her murder of active speakers of Pennsylvania “[…] In a discussion of the English […]. One sidelight of the trials was Dutch today are members of influence on Pennsylvania Dutch the fact that the proceedings were Old Order Amish churches. It is vocabulary, it is fair to ask just how conducted in Pennsylvania Dutch, as surprising for observers to learn that many Pennsylvania Dutch words are the New York Times reported on page the ancestors of the Amish comprised of English origin. Precise numbers 1 of its January 22, 1904, edition: less than 0.5% of the Pennsylvania are impossible to come by, since it ‘Mrs. Bechtel is “Pennsylvania Dutch founder population.” is not possible to calculate the total Dutch” in race, and the entire number of words in any language, The Sociolinguistic Situation of proceedings were carried on in the not just Pennsylvania Dutch. […] Pennsylvania High German in the ‘Pennsylvania Dutch’ dialect, which [T]he total percentage of non- Nineteenth Century (134) was understood not only by the German words in speech samples “The sociolinguistic situation of judge, jury, and lawyers, but by most that deal with subject matter that Pennsylvania High German [in of the spectators in the crowded is not heavily English based […] contrast to Pennsylvania Dutch] in courtroom.’ The mystery of Catharine is between 10% and 15%. If this the nineteenth century and later was Bechtel’s murder was never solved.” estimate is compared with the quite different from that of European Pennsylvania Dutch during World situation in English, where about standard German. Although many War I (252, 260) two-thirds to three-quarters of its Pennsylvania Dutch were able “It is widely believed that anti- vocabulary is of non-Germanic stock, to both read and write in [High] German sentiments in America the ‘foreign element’ in Pennsylvania German in the eighteenth century, during the World War I era brought Dutch is rather modest.” by the nineteenth century very few
13 about the demise of the German a hallmark of an ethnic-cultural regularly, and their children almost language in education, media, identity distinct from that of always became English monolinguals. and religion, as well as in families. their English-speaking neighbors, The twin forces of industrialization While it is true that legal measures especially Anglo-Americans and and urbanization conspired to break were enacted in several states and other descendants of immigrants the protective sociolinguistic barrier communities forbidding the use of from the British Isles. The association surrounding the Pennsylvania Dutch, instruction of German, including of nonsectarian Pennsylvania Dutch promoting the shift to English. in Pennsylvania, a close analysis language and culture with rural as The first half of the twentieth […] shows that the shift to English opposed to urban life was also highly century marked the beginning of the in German-speaking communities salient. However, the nonsectarians’ end for Pennsylvania Dutch, but only in the United States had been Protestant Christian faith was never among nonsectarians. The Old Order well underway by the time World premised on maintaining clear Amish and Old Order Mennonites War I came along. […] Given the boundaries between them and the have successfully charted a course fact that Pennsylvania Dutch was rest of society, as is the situation of limited accommodation with the spoken in public settings, such as among today’s Old Orders. For larger society that has enabled them the courtroom, into the twentieth Amish and Mennonite sectarians, to preserve many aspects of the way century, what impact, if any, did the preservation of a mother they live out their Christian Faith, the hostility that many Americans tongue that includes two ‘flavors,’ including their maintenance of showed for all things German, Pennsylvania Dutch and German, Pennsylvania Dutch and German.” including the language, during has become a tangible symbol of the years preceding and following their distinct socioreligious identity Order information for Pennsylvania World War I have on the use of apart from ‘the world.’ And, unlike Dutch: The Story of an American Pennsylvania Dutch? […] the nonsectarians, maintenance of Language, as well as additional text “Though Pennsylvania Dutch Pennsylvania Dutch / German does samples and audio recordings, can speakers had little to fear in the not come at the expense of being be found on padutch.net, a website way of harassment in their home proficient in English.” dedicated to the documentation of communities, where everyone the Pennsylvania Dutch language. Pennsylvania Dutch in the understood the difference between Twentieth Century (Preface) them and Germans, outside of “Since the earliest days of its Pennsylvania the situation was existence, Pennsylvania Dutch somewhat different. In the first half was always endangered to some of 1917, there were accounts in degree. The people who successfully Pennsylvania newspapers of three maintained it into adulthood and separate incidents in which native passed it on to their children were speakers of Pennsylvania Dutch rural dwellers of modest social traveling out of state were suspected and geographic mobility who lived of being German spies because of in relatively homogeneous ethnic their language.” Pennsylvania Dutch communities Pennsylvania Dutch and Identity and married other Pennsylvania (353) Dutch speakers. Those speakers “For both sectarians and who moved ‘up and away,’ that is, nonsectarians, Pennsylvania Dutch pursued higher education, entered has been at the center of a group the professions, and married non- identity, though in different ways. Pennsylvania Dutch speakers For nonsectarians, the language was typically stopped using the language
14 MEMBERSHIP/RENEWAL
Join the Friends of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies
Name ______Address ______City______State______Zip ______Email ______Phone______
☐ I am a new member ☐ I am a renewing member ☐ Check here to indicate address change
☐ Student—$15 ☐ Supporter—$100 ☐ Individual—$30 ☐ Patron—$250 ☐ K–12 Educator—$30 ☐ Lifetime, Individual—$1,000 ☐ Family (one address)—$50 ☐ Lifetime, Family—$1,500
Please make checks payable to the Friends of the Max Kade Institute, 432 East Campus Mall, Madison, WI 53706–1407.
• Friends of the Max Kade Institute is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that supports the research, outreach, educational, and publishing activities of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies. • Membership covers the calendar year (January–December). Payments received after November 1 of the current year will be credited for the full succeeding year.
Continued from page 10 waukee: Milwaukee County Historical Society, 1999) 222. 5 Gurda 225. German-American teacher candi- 6 Cora Lee Nollendorfs, “The First World War dates reacted to the changing world and the Survival of German Studies,” Teach- ing German in America, ed. David P. Benseler, around them in Wisconsin a century Walter F. W. Lohnes, and Valters Nollendorfs ago. Please visit the current MKI ex- (Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1988) 186, 190. hibit, “In Their Own Words: German Pamela Tesch received her Ph.D. in Americans in the World War I Era,” German at the University of Wisconsin– which examines the stance taken by Madison and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of MKI. German Americans before and after the American entry into the war in April 1917. Or view the virtual exhibit at: http://mki.wisc.edu/ content/their-own-words-german- americans-world-war-i-era The Newsletter of the Friends of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies is NOTES published three times a year at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Submissions are invited 1 Jahrbuch 1915, 1916, 1918, (Milwaukee: The and should be sent to: Yearbook Society of the National German- American Teachers’ Seminary, 1915, 1916, Kevin Kurdylo 1918). Friends of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies 2 Frieda Voigt, “The National Teachers’ 432 East Campus Mall, UW–Madison, Madison, WI 53706–1704 Seminary, A Unique Experience in Teacher Training,” The Modern Language Journal 48.6 Phone: (608) 262–7546 (1964): 361–363. [email protected] 3 Antje Petty, “The Wisconsin Natural History Society.” Max Kade Institute Friends Newsletter mki.wisc.edu 16.3 (2007): 12–14. maxkade.blogspot.com 4 John Gurda, The Making of Milwaukee (Mil-
15 Friends of the Max Kade Institute Non-Profit Organization for German-American Studies US Postage University of Wisconsin–Madison PAID Madison, WI 432 East Campus Mall Permit No. 658 Madison, WI 53706–1704