Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-09

The Intsrestiag Manner n which an In
dian eymbosiseA souncA

THE CHEkOKEr sYLLABAkY.
The inssresti.e Manner 10 which a. Ia
dian eymboiisea soupda
xxw srsrKM CT ACCORDING LAxouAor AND
nov IT Was INVENTED ut An uLrrKRArx
NATIVE MISREPRESENTATION cuAaAcrsHs-
CULTURAL LANGUAGE.
S. A A WORK OF INGENUITY THE
"A alphabet Of the English language 10 not
IN IL With the Cherokee syllabary," sssa
Ethnolosiss James C. PiIlina Of the bureau Of
ethnology to a STAR reporter. 'Ths syliabary
speak of was invented by . half breed Indian
named se-quo-yAh. He was entirely unedu-
Gated, not even knowing how to read any
language But he had become acquainted with
the principle Of the alphAbet-namely, that
marks can be made the symbols Of sounds.
accordingly this untutored genius conceived
.ne notion that be could express all the sylla-
Dies In TIE Cherokee tongue by distinct char
scters.
he nrss went to work to collect In his men,
~! al the syllable sounds in the Cherokee
.anHuhSe which he was able 70 recall He found
.ne number TO be eigh.y-six. and for each Of
.ncse ne devised a peculiar mark. At the be-
s.nning ne drew the marks ia the sand and
aiper ne mad them made 10 his satisfaction he
t ,Ansletred Them to paper. For some Of them
e .ooA 'ne letters o. our own alphabet using
various notifications OF the Roman letter. to-
setner with some Characters OF his own inven-
ton. for tbs rest
Eaen OF these eighty-six characters stood
Ior certain syllable sound and the entire
eigaty' sih oomprised all tie svllables used m
the Cherokee language. With these symbols he
ser hoou' writing letters. and by means Of them
y cortespondence was soon actually main tanned
petseen Indians of his race in Wills valley and
tneir relatives beyond the Mississiypi. Ave hun
dted miles away. This was done by ndivid-
uais who could not speak English and Who had
never learned any alphabet except this syllabic
one, which Se-quo- yah had invented taught 10
Others and introduced into practice.
RAPIDLY LEARNED.
The remarkable point about this syllabary
was the rapidity with which it could be learned
aud utilized for writing and reading. After
tie English alphabet has been learned n con-
siderable period of schooling 10 required before
tie most Intelligent person can read or write
the language composed with it. But. with the
aid OF TINS set OF Cherokee symbols, the average
indlan, without any previous instruction in the
written signs OF any language, can learn to read
anu write IN Cherokee Iairiy well within Two
weeks and hnently within tour weeks A more
than Ordinarily intelligent persoa can learn 10
read and write with the symbols in o week :
time.
IN GENERAL Use.
As soon as Se-quo-y all had published his in
vention interest in 1t rapidly spread. until at
length young Cherokees would travel for great
distances to obtain instruction in this easy
method OF writing and reading. Within few
days they were aD.e to begin writing letters,
ana upon returning home to their native vii
lagos hey taught others. At present the
sylaoary Is In general Use among the Chero-
KEGS aud there Is no part OF the nation shere
u Is not understood. Ia no other language can
the art of reading be acquired with nearly the
same facility. The first book priated ia the
characters Was probably collection Of Chero-
kee Ia mns, published in 1879; but previously
To thst, Ia lo2o, the first numbers of the Che,o-
ne hGmr, weekly newspaper, we've issued
al New Lchota parity an Ensish and partly in
the syilabary.
ALMOST ENTIRELY syLLABIc.
This Cherokee alphabet is altogether syIlabic
except for one letter, which answers to the En-
giiSh S, and is placed between the syllables to
i,ive kissing sound. There is no; q cousonant
ih the whole eighty-six characters La the
Cherokee language there IL not sound I, l. ID
hof y. The tongue Is CULTURAL, and a person
speaking Cherokee can talk all day aud not
Lavs occasion TO close his lips. Se-auo-yah's
Lnsiisa lame was George Guess. He was born
III Georgia iii 100 OF u Cherokee mother 1
am crediOiy informed that the father of the
American Cadmus, as he has been called, was
Col Nathaniel Gist, who Was with Washington
AZ Brsddocks defeat and who was taken
prisoner ny the Cneroaees, among whom lie
remained nse or SIX years After returning to
his own people Col. Gist became the husband
VI Miss Judith Cary Bell OF Virginia by whom
ne lac several children, among them Mrs
Jessie Dletsoe. whose grandson was tue Hon
u. Graiz Grown. After his marriage Col Gi.t
settled IA Kentucky upon an estate where. it is
ss.nI 49,. IA
always acknowledged and treated by Col Gist
d son.
sE-oUo-YAn's BoYHooD.
''Se-quo-yah is said ~ have had as q bow no
liking tor the rude sports Of other Indian
youths, preferrinS to stroll alone in the woods,
where he employed himself in building Little
houses WITH sticks. His first attempts Ia the
direction III his invention were addressed 10
ueriSaaS mosu signs. but he soon found that
This plan wodid Require too many charscters
lie syiiabary Was adopted by the Cherokee
COUNCIL IN les, ail,e medal being awarded
20 the inventor as a token OF admiration for his
genus and vi gratitude for the service he had
rendered TO his people. Ihe medal WAS made
in Washington.
Pour years later the American board of
foreign missions dcfrayed the cost of casting a
foat of type OF the characters. and from this
line on publications in the sylabary began TO
multiply. AT present the literature of the
Cnerohee language, composed with these signs
consists OF scores OF books and pamphlets. in
ciuding periodicals, aimaaars, school books.
tracts, laws, the Cherokee constitution. the
wnoie OF the New Testament and most Of the
Old. Thus there came into use a new syetem
OF recording language. the in INVENTION of an ilit-
crate man. ignorant alike OF books and of the
various arts by which knowledge is dissent
nated-a practical system devised by . native
American for the perpetuation OF q native
American language"
The Trees In the Capitol Park.
To the Ed tor of Tho Evening Star.