The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-26
n english ALPHABET.
~erxxfyGs TRACED INTO THE
uIsTs OF ANTIQUITY.
svmhcIfsm of soae of Its
a~6anes-Sone of It's GiaS1ng Ia.
.eneasteneies - Juggling With Its
fnnsnesers - A Few EXampies-



-, az 20 o. handy symbols for The sx-
.s.~.ko1 o. spoken sounds, which ne cal.
s,saabee. gas proved 70 BE the nsoss
s-s~,o.a s-.srpg.se 90 which lie human IN
s-asrt nzs ever been engaged rs achieve
- sasxed the Izsn!gs Of the three mos.
sS~6 rnces OF the ancient world. IL was
- by the Egyptians. continued By the
$40 ard finally perfected by tie
ereek
rsou cersaIn Egyptian hierogiyphtc pic
- which we're In Use long before the
cv-sm,ds, IL II possible 10 decuce the actual
@e,s.<s Of almost every letter OF cur mod
= Euxi.ss alphabet; to recount me his
~ and to Investigate the transformation
"a desc ancient p9oGograrns through the
ssrsod Of seo years during which they
f1ss bekn shaping; - trace also tbs unity
- tie historical connection between ali
= VARIOUS existing aiphabets af the world
grsfsnx began with kilograms pictures
zzrrssnslng either things Or thoughtsD.
rs1rh afferward developed into phone
evsuag fire graphic symbols az sounds,
AisAeagh our own writing has reached
e asphabetse stage YET we Still employ a
snnaer o. phonogra phsc and Ideogrzp sic
ms. TIE digits l.. II. III. stood as pic
tas<s sf fsaxers
"a Y was from The fingers collected
- lie thumb apart: Wy or X represents
- swo hzn1s. while " ard VI are only
seizures Of the hand with the subtraction
= f66ssson OF a. finger. kilograms 80
szeys cd and which We are showing no
ssnfhiIssy Of improving CT. are such
sx.z.erT signs as tEs index. exclamation
~ parallel
r. these may Re added carsain shop
Esnx such as the harpsr's pole. with It's
eizai hAndsses. which was and IL a Sig
esaeas sdeogram os the bfood-ietser, ana
ne three balls OF our pawnbrokers II
- history OK arr ore OF our aIphabetic
synhcss BE- traced hack II will be found
q .ssesvs Hssif ultimately into the con-
uxssonsi.sed picture Of some object I. IL
narysinus that. despite iong-consinued
alays during so many centuries. the mod
"a kstkr retains In alrnos: every instance
nanlfess features derived from the print
rve picture from which II has descended.
lie letter NJ. Cor instance. was the pic
sxss a AZ owl. the CONGRATULATIONS pro-
80 IT & 40 years having left only the two
ssakx which are the Iineal descendants Of
- sso ears Of the owl. sssli retaining be-
tween them q not inapt representation OF
:Ae beak. while thu vertical strokes are
% that rsnain Of the outlines Of the
hens1.
II mankind Is inclined 10 sae a laugh on
tAs cwi. .; what sot.l years have done for
= IA this case. the owl probably feels ca
paase Of sHpprassing any such gayety by
Making mems attention 20 the monkey.
Ne litter r II derived from the horned
ExTptian asp. the two bars being the sur
ssvai os The tive horns. while the vertical
easkes represent the body.
he letter descended from the same
rtfare. the two horns and body being re-
sxsasd. Then. too. In those days there vas
f0ur-horned asp. which has come down
% Is Ia The letter w. the four strokes nee
esAry In its making representing the four
AasT.s. although 600 years seem to have
hten few too many for the body. ret
.hst Of = Kansas grasshopper may be
fc1sd supplemented by tbe people 600
ysss from now
TIE sitter A was originally the picture
4 al eagle, whose ancestry, by the way.
makes II the least American Of all bsrds,
Egsps being the eagles real homeland.
and r Was taken from a picture OF the
hsuan mouth . was evolved from q
picture OF the hand. and so on through the
rssorial origin OF all our letters
IAe immediate parentage OF our Eng
ksA alphabet Is most difficult 10 deter
uE1e. By series or easy steps the forms
& the very letters the reader sees before
Aim &c this printed page may be traced
back for some dye-and-twenty centuries
These Roman types" as they are appro-
Esateiy called. have not varied arpreci-
ssly In their forms OF the types used at
Rsnae and Venice by the Italian printers
IL The fifteenth century.
TIE Roman capitals now used are prac-
usz.iy identical with the letters employed
q Rene In the third century Il. c. Thus
Ok 81 Az&
: member OF tha, great Latin family Of
asaaeess whose geographical extension
Nss originally coterriinus. or nearly so,
va the limits Of the Western Empire.
snd af'srward With the ancient obedience
e TIE Roman see.
/. b surprising to md how little
essss has been effected during the
sseass-sevsn centuries which divided the
Cd Semitic Inscriptions from the
sfsseas day The essential features in
As outline os each OF cur own letters may
se sssecsed without difficulty in the char
ssss used BY the King OF Moas.
iss puzzle OF all English literature Is
6Hsf swsn.y-six letters an arrangemen,
sFsss'na 20 tha mind. The more brilliant
"a, a'f2aser.snt the mere successful ire
sEsisr. The writer's Of the English die
Safasy aioas have tesn able TO III more
nas A.eee words constructed from these
s''efs without much effort; the language
ssaa 10 contain ia n.s.
- car alphabet now xtanes--evsn after
.ss years cs rerfecttrg--is IS a string q
assAiAriy ambiguous sigma, and affords
y sneaaslea opportunity for torment
~ fast as a man who cannot express
aasei' clearly can D. plagued with 90
ssssiieal questions The confusion oe
English sounds and letters Is well illus
'sasea BY spelling ec~ee without one cor
sses lestsr-ksGphy which spelling IS near
= re original than tire one In use. for Q
nr2nies was printed IN Oxford IN 1873 On
cs~ee
ne srsls1tcal,y had orthorrsphy of
rz-y q egr funny writer's - made pos
-. - the glayt7g in.on sssfeucIes OF ear
esaeet. Eut sanse Instances OF natural
: sa spelling are PERHAPS equal % any -
- o-es. Here e Il rote that was ssn.
decor:
NsF-yele oA,lge ne - vel. kun. uu -
seF Bad kova al her lcS ny Hap
rs :alswtaS receive. ~ = scAcc,na.-
AIS likely % - Misunderstood.
SEAS se1 are a mar ~ relas. tn
% Inter nv so1 IN your sksli."
9r Is bill Scnt II a gentleman,
S&s1s NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. .-........EEf
-<-esSsr e-.aSta -....... ,..-.......... q
Ps6s--J. Jxxn-
- secAs s-s 10 srasheca-iex' articles.
-. sss e suFross5 e2t merely "A horse
enss-
Say eccent:<- devices - literature So
srcn The peru,isr arrangement 90 let
sa-ue - tNs-e fave sns-sou-9t1s
s1t are recognized as famous -e-
ssaaocs .. tne ,ea-ae. To rsNnt-o-ne.
= liae thae rea3S atke Backward