Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-12-28

a hercuean task to commit all these to
memory. TO remember the particular idea
each one conveys. and to understand and
ompoy them readily in conversation. and
the opinion is vesltured that no historian
ever spoke the Chippewa language to per-
lection, not even excepting Bishop Baraga.
who made a dictionary and grammar OF
that language.
There are only two irregular verbs in
the whole language. Neither Latin nor
Greek can compare with 1t in regularity
and system. Every possible shade and
variety of thought, action. and being can
be expressed by this language with regul-
arity and precision The more the scholar
studies it the more he admires its system
attic evolution of forms to express cores
pondng ideas. The orignators of the Ian
guage, says Bishop Baraga, must have at
taincd a high degree of civilization. The
language is poor in terms to express alb
etract ideas, but the fault lies In the In
dian nation, with the breadth and depth
of European ideas. they could mold their
language to express every idea conceiV-
able. 1t has great Elasticity, and the
Chippewas pay great attention to euph-
ony. The language is richly supplied with
verbs and verbal nouns, far more than
any of our modern or classic languages
that is, for expressing every possible mode
of acting and being in Indian life.
The savages had no words or form of
SDeeCh suited to religious expression. AL
"A mission establishment by the JesuitS in
Oregon as late as 1916 it is stated they
found the Indians utterly ignorant of
spiritual things. They had no idea of a
future state, neither had they any idea Of
the word soul
Bread was not the staff OF life 70 an
Indian. and his little corn cake baked IN
hot ashes was perhaps about the last
thing he would remember TO pray for. so
in the translation of daily bread the mis-
sionares experienced much trouble and
diversity of judgment Eliot, in Matthew
vi . has our eatngs, our victuals. the
words father, heaven kingdom, earth,
bread, debts, trespasses, temptations,
hav., to a Christian other than their liter
al and primitive meanings. The untaught
savage had neither words nor concep-
lions.
There being no verb to be- in the AL
gonqun. Eliot follows the Greek and
omits the invocation ip the Lords Pray
err. In heaven is variously rendered in
the sky, in the place of light 'on high,
in the Clouds &c.
THE Chippewa. Ottawa, Pottawattomle.
and Menominee have diaietic forms OF a
name by which the Northern AlgHqulns
distinguished n wheat loaf of the Europ-
can fashion as something from which
pieces are to be cut out. not broken of
like the corn cake. In Chippewa 'Pak-we-
i-gau-im-in' means loaf bread OF any
kind OF grain, from PakweJlgan Niler'
ally thing from which pieces are cu'
off) Min mime is generic term TOT
grain berry, and small fruit of any de-
scrption. The word homNy is derived
, from the word, while samp' means soft
ened by water
There is no equivalent in lndian OF our
verb to eat but they nave many conn
posite verbs of eating.
Every savage Is said 10 beileVe IN the
81 ~ hi n
ers The Delawares were in their d'aiec'
the Lemli lenape, me original people
The Otchipwe was 'anishinawhe' whlrr
is translated as spontaneous people oil
nh varieties of tba human species. Tic