[Ads-l] Antedating of "Melting Pot"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Sen. Schurz's prominence would certainly have encouraged later use of the
phrase by anyone who read the article.

JL

On Tue, Sep 13, 2016 at 7:47 PM, Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Forgot to include the citation:
>
> The Daily State Journal (Alexandria, Virginia), March 13, 1872, page 3.
> Chronicling America
>
> > Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2016 16:37:35 -0700
> > From: pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM
> > Subject: Re: Antedating of "Melting Pot"
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Melting Pot"
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
> >
> > It is not clear that it was used idiomatically yet=2C but the expression
> an=
> > d the imagery were there.
> >
> > From a lecture entitled=2C "The Nation of the World=2C by Carl Schurz=3B
> de=
> > livered to a meeting of German citizens at Marini's Hall in Washington
> DC. =
> >  His lecture was given in German=3B an English translation appeared in
> the =
> > paper four days later:
> >
> > The New Nation
> > Here was the beginning of a new nation which was not be be English=2C
> not t=
> > o be Dutch=2C not to be French=2C but was to fuse and melt them all in
> the =
> > grand American nation. . . .
> >
> > Foreign Elements.
> > Now let us glance at the foreign elements in this country.  The are only
> tw=
> > o that are important - the Germans and the Irish. . . . On the whole=2C
> the=
> >  Irish are like certain metals which are worthless by themselves=2C but
> exc=
> > ellent to alloy with others.  Let us trust that notwithstanding the need
> of=
> >  reform in Irish New York=2C the Irish metal will fuse in our great
> nationa=
> > l melting pot to a harmonious combination with the other ingredients.
> >
> >
> > > Date: Sat=2C 19 Mar 2016 16:06:04 +0000
> > > From: fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU
> > > Subject: Antedating of "Melting Pot"
> > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > >=20
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------=
> > ------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Shapiro=2C Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> > > Subject:      Antedating of "Melting Pot"
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------=
> > ------
> > >=20
> > > melting pot (OED=2C 3.b.=2C 1909)
> > >=20
> > > 1889 _N.Y. Times_ 2 Sept. (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)  In view of
> th=
> > e =3D
> > > virtual extinction of the French in the Mississippi Valley the French
> Can=
> > ad=3D
> > > ians had a misgiving that if they too were cast into the American
> melting=
> >  p=3D
> > > ot they would yield to that mysterious force which blends all foreign
> ele=
> > me=3D
> > > nts into one homogeneous mass.
> > >=20
> > > Fred Shapiro
> > >=20
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------=
> > --=3D
> > > --------------------------
> > > Fred R. Shapiro                                      Editor
> > > Associate Librarian for Collections and        YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
> > >   Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press
> > > Yale Law School                                     ISBN 0300107986
> > > e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu<mailto:fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
>     =
> >   =3D
> > >    http://quotationdictionary.com
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------=
> > --=3D
> > > ---------------------------
> > >=20
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >                                         =
> >
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