The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-09-30
Original Correspondence.
For The Cecil Uhig.
P0PUL iR EDUCATION. r.I
NO. XII.


The American people have cause for COM
placcncy in contemplating their progressive
improvements When We compare ourselves
with our lorefathcrs, and recount the various
points in physical and mental refinement in
which we excel them, we feel conscious ola
strength of character in which, perhaps, we
have been surpassed by no other people. But
in surveying the monuments of antiquity
which have been spared by time. and in pc
'u'ing the histories Of the primcva races We
discover in our remote ancestors an energy of
mind and body that teaches usnot to boast
Though as men, We constitute great and
t1ourishing people, our prototypes have exist
c( before u.s. What, though we have great
ly improved upon the condition of our later
arcntage and outst,ippcd many of our con-
tcmrorarics in substantial improvements, our
progress has not been more than commcnsu-
rate with the facilities that have been given
It's. Had we done less: had we fallen behind
our present position in art and refinement,
we should have degraded our exalted charac-
ter and opposed oar high destiny.
BIZ. the gloricS that may envelope our COM
try bring but small boon to tic homes of
ignorance and want. The prnfslsion of bles-
sings siiat surround us gladden. the hearts of
'nt few. This grand detection results from
the ina rinay Of the means employed to in
Str',c: the masses, and hcrr, tho it may hum
be onrvnnity, we may stnop to takc.a lesson
from s;lvagcs.
'''r "!ti"graphy is more difficult than tina.
If any European Language, and in facility Of
a,i''iSit"n the l'yeroglyphic writing Of the
'hincsc probably exrclS our literature. In
short. who,ver should attempt to haven't an
alphabet suited to the requirements Of any
language, could hardly fail to produce one,
.ilat i'll its application would be superior to
up.rS.
When the subject of reducing their lam
::uagc t" writing was suggested to the minds
Of the Cherokee" Indians, instead Of attempt
ing to use The Roman Alphabet they wisely
adopted one Of their own. Tle history OF
his invention is matter Of some interest.
ASA company of Cherokee chiefs. at one Of
their colnrl fires were lamcn;ing the dcci-
ming condition of their people. gradually
wasting away before the absorbing interests
Of the ''l'al.iuacs," young man among them
named Guess arose FROM his scat and point
Ing to a book dat lay near him, told them
that there lay the secret Of the white man 5
7 wcr;--that il was by thus recording his
iho',ghts and observations, that he had at
taincd his unreasonable superiority over the
Indians, and that if they would but invent Il
system Of wiitin. their language, they would
n" longer feel themselves inferior to Their
White brethren. Frnln this moment the idea
ola Cherokee alphabet, took possession Of his
mad. iie shat himself up in his cabin, and
ai!cr SOME months of scclUsion. he agan ai'-
feared before his countrymcn with the result
Of his !abors. lie had devised an alphabet Of
"5 letters, adapted not to the elementary
sounds, bat to represent the Syllable of his
language.
1t was wonderful effort of unassiStcd &C.
nl'iS, for he was ignorant of all languages en-
crlt his own, and knew not Cvtn the sounds
OF the Roman letters, from which, he tulrucd
his characters. The raprlity with which a
krowlc's &C or!his al I,habct was spread through
the nation, was surprising. The cid chiefs
learned it in Il few days; the Children, more
d"rilr. in still shorter time" The letters
ohec learned their application was easy. 1t
is sad that one Of thcir chiefs wrote letter
with the new characters, on the day he first
saw thcll; and i'll tic language uf another.
their children learn to read in a morning"
1t WIS sometime l.rlor 20 the year 1928 that
this invention was brought to light. 1t is
from paper of That date that most of the
above account has been taken. Since that
period the alphabet has been in practical
use. They had types cast, and Il regular
newspaper has been sustained, printed part
~ in English and partly i'll Cherokee char
acttrS.
W;iS alphabet, as it came from the hand of
Guess. could not be expected to bear thctcst
ofrlosc criticism. To have represented only
the elementary sounds, which in their Ian
@uagc apl car to be about thirty, would doubt
| s. have been better than this cumhrouS syl-
liable machinery. Yet its vast superiority
over ours is attcstcd by the fact, that a few
days will suffice to learn to read or to write
it; and that very soon after its invention, the
Oh rokces generally, were acquainted withits
use
Whata commentary is this, upon English
and American civilization. We spend years
in learning TO read, and lifctmes are spent
upon the acquisition Of our orthography-in
vain. Immediately upon the invention of
this alphabet, the rcd man in Arkansas car
res on correspondence by zen and Ea,cr,
with his brethren remaining in Georgia; while
thousands of American citizens who would
spum his being called their equal arc unable
TO write note to an absent friend.
We would despisc the bgocd Indian, who
with our axes of steel around him, should
persist in filling the mighty oak by means of
his stone hatchet. But tho he should do so,
we would have no more reason to complain
Of his stupidity than he would Of ours, in con-
tinuing the use of our barbarous orthography.