The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-02
MAKING An ALPHABET
Eminent 0rientaIist Tells How
1t Was Done
BY PEOPLE FAR APART
English Alphabet Traced Back
to Hittite Origin.

New York, Nov. lon the wonderful
discovery Of the alphabet, Professor Cliff
follows:
The origin of our alphabet has at last
apparently, been discovered. DR.. o. R
Gender, the distinguished archaeoIogis
and authority on exploration and antiqui.
ties of Palestine, has traced the English
alphabet back some four thousand years
to the ancient Hittite monuments. In
doing so DR.. Gender has exploded more
than one antiquated theory and explained
away more than one difficulty. 1t was
formerly held that our alphabet had come
down to US from the Greeks and Romans
who had it from the Phoenicians, who
in turn had borrowed it from the Egyp-
tians. There were many difficulties in the
way Of this theory, but nutil there was
a better ont to offer this was allowed to
stand
One of the chief objections to that idea
was that, while some of the letters might
bear something of a resemblance to the
Egyptian hieroglyphics, the names by
mhich these letters were known were en-
tirely different from the object for which
the Egyptian symbols stood. To explain
this the process of development of all
alDhabets must be understood.
1t is commonly agreed that primitive
man began to communicate with his fell
lows at a distance by drawing pictures
of the objects to which he would attract
attention. AS he developed in intelligence
and the drawings became more familiar
from constant use he ceases to drawthem
so carefully, giving only the outlines, and
emitting the rest of the figure. These
are hieroglyphics. The next stage is that
in which these pictures come to stand
for syllables or sounds Of the things they
once represented, and the last develop
ment is when the syllabes are reduced
to single letters, which are combined for
the spelling out of complex words i'm
possible to indicate by any of the earlier
uses of the characters.
Whole generations, indeed, even CEN
turtles must elapse before a nation de-
velopes from one stage to the next. but
after a struggle of hundreds and thous-
ands of years alphabets are perfected to
keep pacewith the advancing intelligence
of the people to whom they belong. Let
it not be forgotten that there are many
different languages on the earth, and that
each one of the great, original tongues
developed its own system of picture-w-it-
ing, hieroglyphics, signs for syllables and
alphabte.
The old error of trying to trace al the
languages back to a single one IS alto
u
tried to prove that the Hebrew was the
great original language, and that Adam
spoke It, The fact is, as nearly as it can
be stated, that the stone age found man
in many parts of the earth, without any
language. Different conditions prevailed
in Asia Minor and Europe, for example.
The animals that existed in one CONT
nent were unknown in the other.
When man began to draw the pictures
of these animals he used the ones ne
saw arond him, and in this way the very
beginnings of all alphabets were 81 diff
ferent that resemblances since DISCOVERED
are often more fancied than real. OF
course people living in similar countries
with similar pursuits would very aften
select the same animalsfor theiroictures,
and develop from them strikingly similar
alphabets. The names of the letters are
often the clew by which it is possible to
go back to the original ideogram, or
sign used to indicate a special object.
This is precisely what Dr. Gender has
done for the English alphabet. Our mod
ern names for the letters, being merely
indicative of their sounds, are valueless
for the purpose, but knowing that the
Greeks were the originators of Roman
civilization and letters. and that ours
came form them. he naturally turned to
the Greek alphabet for light as to the
names of the letters There he found
that scholars were certain that Greece
had borrowed her alphabet from the hoe
and some were just as certain
that these in tern had taken their letters
from Egypt. But here the original in
vestigator raised the important question:
How is 1t that the Egyptian names of
the letters are so very different from the
Greek names?" The first letter of the
Egyptian alphabet is the picture of an
eagle but the name of the Greek letter
A is Alpha. which means an OK or a bull.
Now the Phoenicians could not have TAX
Sii tAiAS itlACi - tAAA L@6S ~ VI bAiSN ~tAAO
have called it by some word meaning
eagle, not OK. Here was a difficulty no
one could explain. II the Phoenicians.
said DR.. Gender. did not get their letters
from Egypt where did they get. them?
He looked about him for some language
in which the hieroglyph, later developed
into a letter. looked like an OK. or some
part of ore. He found a mass OF inscrip-
lions that no scholar could read. and all
over them was an ox's head. These were
the monument of the ancient Hutites.
The Hittites are mentioned from time
to time in the Bible. and especially as
one Of the tribes which were driven out
Of Palestine by Poshua and the Israel
ties. It is also known that they were
a powerful confederation Of
tribes in Northern Syria and Palestine.
and that even in Abraham's day there
some of them at Hebron.
The Egyptian monuments also inform
Us Of the existence OF the Hittites. for
during the reign OF Thothmes III they
were so powerful as 10 form an alliance
with Egypt. Rameses II broke their
power az Kadesh. and the record Of this
great campaign is found upon the walls
Of the temple of Karnak.
1t Is also known that the Assyrians con-
Quoted more than one campaign against
them. the inscriptions Of Shalmaneser re-
cording his triumph over them and those
Of SargonIT pointing TO their annihila-
don - B. c.
The features OF these old Hlttitss have
been preserved for Us uDon their own
gether different from the other races ar
ound them. being remarkable Tor straight
nose. receding forheaa and doing their
hair ia plgtails-
This last characteristics Immediately