The Yazoo Democrat., 1860-04-07
GEORGE GUESS, THE INDIAN INVENTOR OF
TYPE.


The Cherokee language, from necessity
stern and absolute, has a type of its own.
Its eighty six cultural sounds are represent
ed by as many letters or characters; those
sounds are distinct when falling upon ths
ear of the native, but to us they appear TO
be one inharmonious gruDt Or aspirated
breathing. and not created by organs or
speech. Their alphabet WIS invented By
an uneducated native, who was so afflicted
with rheumatism that be was confined within
his lodge during an entire winter season.
He commenced to cut various forms in bark,
his only design being amusement. He final
1 ly gave names to bis chips, and caused them
to represent certain sounds employed in con
versation; be progressed by degrees till be
had formed one hundred and twenty cbarac-
ters or distinct types. He next learned to
arrange his letters so as to form sentences
and finding that he could make his chips
talk" he instructed his daughter in the
newly discovered science. As soon as her
knowledge of the alphabet would warrant
an experiment, he announced to his neigh~
bors that he could make chips talk. He and
his daughter would take positions remote
from each other, and be would arrange his
blocks to represent any proposed question,
and sending them to his daughter, she would
send the appropriate answer.
His neighbors could not question his skill
to do what he claimed ability to accomplish
but they questioned the morality of his con-
duct In short, they charged him with witch>
craft, and threatened to infict summary
punishment upon him. To save his life,
George Guess at once made known the true
nature of bis discovery, and impaired all
that he knew to his friends and neighbors.
The missionaries examined the invention.
and saw at glance its utility and simphcli y,
and Immediately pressed the discovery into
their service. They improved the type, re-
ducDg the number of letters from one hun-
dred and twenty to eighty six, sent models
70 a foundry, and procured types Of per-
manent character, and Immediately pros
ceeded to translate and print the New Tes-
lament Scriptures. Guess was heather in
feeling and in practice be bad always been
bitterly hostile to education and Christian
civilization, and was greatly chogrined to
find that his taking chips we're employed
in breaking up and abolishing the customs
u and traditions of his sires He regretted
his discovery, especially as his types were
" employed in printing the Bible, to be circus
lated among the people in their vernacular
tongue. As long as he lived, Guess retained
r bis opposition to education and religion :
!. "He would never consent to be white man,
a woman, a slave he would be brave a
man a lord of the forest! strong in war,
> and in the chase
: He finally became so disgusted with the
= changes and Innovations which found favor
% with his tribe, that be determined to aban-
don his people. He accordingly joined an
expedition, and went out upon the plains,
, near the sources of the Arkansas and Platte
T. rivers, and engaged in hunting the buffalo
and dealing in pelhies He ultimately fell
. into the hands of prairie Indians, and per-
{ ished
= Poor Guess; the child of genius and bless
: ed tuleut. he might have shned as star Of
= the first magnitude, occupying the most
: prominent positions in the nation. We deep
! y regret that he did not embrace the truth,
so that be might have blessed his race, OBJ.
tained peace and favor with God, and died
an heir of blessed Immortality.
The invention of the new type was a boon
of uuspeakable value to the Cherokee peo>
pie. 1t is an epoch in their history from
. which Christian civil zation dates Hitherto
its progress was slow indeed, and the dis
eolrigcments numerous. There could be
but little communication between ministers
y and the adult population. They could not
hope to be ever able to converse or preach
in Cherokee, and the grown up natives
would not study and acquire the English
Iangu' G..
After elementary books had been prepar-
: ed, large proportion of the adult popua~
ton learned the oiphabet, and soon we're
able to read in their own tongue saw it
stated in their weekly news} aper that the
= : per centum of the population who could not
read was less than any State in the Union
cluld boast.
Beaton's Life Among the Cioctaws.
THE MgRDERERs OF DIR. KETTT.-The
= Oeolu, Florida, Companion says:
Il