San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-08-28
UIstory of the Alphabet.

History OF the hiPnhpcs
How many Of the millions that daily
nee the alphabet ever stop 10 think OF Its
origin and long history In the true
spirit Of student, Isaac Taylor Wen
known English writer on philosophical
and pathological subjects, has recently
written and published. In London, Two
stout volumes under the title; "Ihee
Alphabet, an Account Of the Origin and
DEVELOPMENT OF Letters" II Is only by
helm OF recent discoveries OF early In
scriptlons and the progress In the art OF
reading lost languages and decipheriing
hitherto unknown symbols, that such
well posted history has been possible.
Nv careful study Of the learned essays
and scientific Investigations OF the latest
philologists, Taylor has set forth In Ian
guage within easy comprehension the
origin Of the alphabet, showing that our
own .Roman" letters may be followed
back 10 their very beginning, some
twenty or more centuries ago, as he as
serts. We have no better letters, ao-
cording 10 this account, than those OF
the Italian printers Of the fifteenth CEN
tury. These were initiated from the
beautiful manuscripts of the tenth and
eleventh centuries, the lettering OF these
being derived from the Roman OF the
Aup,istan age. The Roman letters, in
turn, are traced TO those employed at
Rome In the third century Is. e.. and
these do not differ greatly from forms
used in the earliest existing specimens
of Latin writing, dating from the fifth
century b. G. This primitive alphabet
of Rome was derived from local form
of the Greek alphabet, in use about the
sixth century b. c., and that was q va
ricty of the earliest Greek alphabet be-
longing To the eighth, or even the ninth
century Is. G. The Greeks got their
letters from the PhGnicians, and theirs
are clearly traceable in the most ancient
known form of the Semitic.
The most ancient of books, papyrus
found at Thebes, and now preserved in
the French National Library, supplies
the earliest forms of the letters used In
the Semitic alphabet. The Stone Tables
of the Law could have been possible to
the Jews only because of their possession
of an alphabet, and thus the Bible and
modern pathological science unite in
ascribing n common origin to the alpha
bet which is in daily use throughout the
world The nineteenth century Is. G.
Is held by Taylor to be the approximate
date of the origin of alphabetic writing,
and from that time it grew by slow de-
grees, while from Egypt, the home OF
the Jews during their long captivity,
the knowledge of the alphabet was car
ried in all elections where alphabets
are now found.
The Aryans are thought to have been
the first to bring the primitive alphabet
TO perfection, and each letter and each
sound may be traced, by Taylor's care
full analysis, through all the changes
that have marked the growth, progress.
and, in some instances, the decay OF
different letters of various alphabets.
II is an interesting fact that the
Oldest known "a b G" in existence is q
child's alphabet scratched on an ink
bottle of black ware, found in one OF
the oldest Greek settlements in Italy,
attributed to the fifth century Is. =.
The earliest letters and many later
ones are known only by Inscriptions,
anu IL is tuc IdpN ihoiOuoo, ~
discoveries, of these precious fragments
that has inspired more diligent research
and auickened the zeal of learned stu
dents in mastering the elements OF
knowledge of their origin and history
throughout the world. As late as 1875
there were found in Cyprus some bronze
plates inscribed with Phpnician charac-
ters, dating back to the tenth, even the
eleventh, century b. &. Each epoch has
its fragments, and the industry OF Eng
lish explorers, the perseverance OF Ger
man students, and the genius of French
scholars have all contributed to group
them in their chronological order.
Coins, engraved gems, inscribed statues
and last of all, the Sloan inscription,
found in 1880 at Jerusalem, on the wall
of an old tunnel, have supplied new ma
terial for the history. From the COM
mon mother of many alphabets, the
Phenician, are descended the Greek
and other European systems on the one
side, including that which we use and
have the greatest interest in; and on the
other, the alphabets of Asia, from which
have sprung those of the East, Syriac,
Arabic and Observation-Disclosures
Ledger.