BRATTLEBORO — Why, in an age of cultural homogenization, has New England managed to retain a distinct regional identity?
Judson D. Hale Sr., 77, the longtime editor-in-chief of Yankee magazine and the Old Farmer's Almanac, offers this observation from David M. Shribman, former political writer for The Boston Globe.
“The United States is increasingly a nation of ambiguities painted in a dull wash,” Shribman wrote in 1999. “New England, in contrast, is vivid and distinct, a region of sharp lines.”
He added, “Defying the demographics, and the odds, New England hangs on to a strong regional identity and performs a magic act, becoming more like itself even as it changes utterly.”
“I credit the outsiders who moved into New England for that,” Hale said. “They are the ones who have made this region more 'New England' than it was 50 years ago. They are the ones who embraced our identity and worked to keep it alive.”
As a native New Englander who has researched and written about the region since he first started with Yankee in 1958, Hale knows our folkways and foibles intimately.
In 1982, he wrote Inside New England, one of the definitive books about what it means to live here. On the occasion of Yankee's 75th anniversary, the book has been reissued by Bauhan Publishing of Peterborough, N.H., in a slightly refreshed form.
A Yankee guidebook
Inside New England was originally published by Harper & Row (now HarperCollins), and has been long out of print. Hale said he wanted to do something special for the diamond anniversary of his longtime employer.
“I asked HarperCollins to give me back the rights, and they were happy to do so,” said Hale. “Then I sold the copyright back to Yankee for $1 as a 75th anniversary present. I'm so indebted to this organization and I still love working here.”
Hale was born in Boston, grew up on a dairy farm in Vanceboro, Maine, went to Dartmouth College and lived his adult life in Dublin, N.H., the headquarters of Yankee Publishing Inc. That, plus decades of traveling around New England in the service of Yankee and the Old Farmers' Almanac, gives this book a special ring of authenticity mixed with affection.
Each state, Hale writes, has its own personality. “Furthermore,” he continues, “each feels superior to the other five.”
In Vermont's case, Hale singles out its common sense, which he feels it provides more of than the other five states. But possessing an abundance of common sense, he writes, is just one of the six “responsibilities” each Vermonter must bear.
The other five? A Vermonter is expected “to display a certain amount of dry humor,” “must have integrity,” “to speak in a simple, direct no-nonsense manner,” “[to have] the responsibility to be a free and independent thinker” and “to be willing to put in a hard day's work for a meager day's pay.”
“Yes, being a Vermonter carries with it some heavy responsibilities,” Hale concludes. “The role requires common sense, a dry sense of humor, impeccable honesty, a direct manner of speaking, a healthy obsession with freedom, and for those who are poor, a lot of hidden suffering. Most Vermonters, I think, feel its a duty and a privilege to play that role - at least, all but the last part of it, and that, as they say, 'just goes with the territory.'”
Or consider the many meanings of that quintessential old Yankee word, “ayuh.”
As Hale writes, depending on subtle shifts in pronunciation, it can mean “I heard what you said,” “I hear you, but I really do not agree with you,” “I really sympathize with you,” “You are wasting your time and my time because you're telling me something I already know,” or “I am making fun of those amusing old characters you find in New England.”
Even though Inside New England is almost three decades old, Hale said he found it held up well.
“I only had to make a few revisions,” he said. “I found most of it is still relevant today, and it's still mostly about poking a bit of fun at the states and what they contribute to New England. ”
Hale's uncle, Robb Sagendorph, founded Yankee in 1935. Hale took over as editor of the magazine after his uncle's death in 1970.
“Uncle Robb hoped the magazine would serve as an expression of New England culture and as a way to preserve it,” said Hale. “Pearl Buck once said that in order to survive, a region must treasure the image of itself. As New Englanders, we have come to treasure the imagined view of ourselves.”