The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-26


be the better understood when. in any part.
obscure or so turned hind part 10 the fore
as to confuse.
The shades Of night That nightey tim begin
were falling fast, chop chop,
As through an Alpine One young man walkee
A youth, who bore mid Maskee snowl maskee
snow and ice, icei
A banner with the He caIIy flag with chop
ExceIsiori Topside Galow.
His brow was sad: his He too muchey solly.
Flashed like a falchion Look-see sharp-so-all-
And like a silver clar- He taIkey Largely, taiksy
The accents of that un- Too muchee culio all
Excelsior! Topside Galow:
In happy homes he saw Inside flat house he
OF household fires CLEAN And evely loom got fire
Above, the Spectral He Ioof.sse plenty ice
And from his lips es- Inside he mouth he
Excelsior! Topside Galow:
TRY not the pass tho oIo man talkee. EMO
old man said; can walk,
Dark lowers the tenn BY ''mby lain come
pest overhead, welly dalk.
The roaring torrent is Hab got water. welly
And loud that clarion "Maskeel Ny w~antchey
Excelsior: Topside Galow!
'oh. stay" the maiden MAN man. one girley
said. and rest talkee he;
this breasti" > side iook:see2S
A tear stood in his And enc tim more he
bright blue eye, plenty ely,
But stiIl he answered But-alle-tim walkee
Excelsior: Topside Galow!
beware the pinetree's Take care flat spoil
withered branchi IN tlee. young man.
Beware the awful ava Take care that ice: he
lanche!' want man man."
This was the peasants That coolie chin-chin
last good night. he Good Night.
A voice replied. far up He talkee My can go
the height. all night"
Excelsior! Topside Galow!
At break OF day, as Joss = pidgin man he
heavenward soon begin.
The pious monks OF ST. Morning-tim tlat Joss
Uttered the oft repeat He no man see-he
ed prayer. plenty fear.
A voice cried through Cos some man taIkee he
the startled air can hear
Excelsior! Topside Galow!
A traveller, by the faith Tlat young man die.
full hound, one largo dog see,
Half buried in the snow Too muchee bobbely
was found. fndee he, :,
still ,~grasping in his He hand biong colo-all
hand of ice sam ice.
That banner with the Hab got he flag. with
Excelsiori Topside Galow!
Moral
There in the twilight You too muchee laugh.
cold and gray. what for sing?
Lifeless. but beautiful. 1 tink so you no savvy
he lay, what ting.
And from the sky. Sc Suppose. you no biong
rene and far. clever INSIDE.
A voice fell like a fall Moro better you gowalk
Excelsior: Topside Galow.
With the poem in the original in such
immediate juxtaposition with the "Pidgin"
version very little if any of the latter is
left in doubt. Possibly such, if existing, will
be cleared up by explaining that "maskee,"
in the connection means no matter, or in
dependent of. While ''chop-chop" is to
make haste, chop is brand and used in
the hybrid for device. Twenty to twenty
five millions of Chinese could readily COM
| prehend the poem. IL read or recited 10
them by one of their own number, for none
but the Chinaman himself can give "Pid-
GIN its true intonation. Still it is safe TO
say that half the aggregate named. would
as easily understand a bright and con-
fdent American school boy. who had given
a little time to mastering the idosyncrasys
OF the idiom.
"Pidgin'' English is a great institution.
Possibly no one can appreciate its adj
vantages more than he who has been in
many far-away countries, and longed for a
| Volopuck that would enable him TO over
come linguinistic difficulties otherwise un-
surmountable. 1t is very much TO be ques-
toned If the doing away with "Pidgin''
English. much as the scholar condemns it,
would be accepted with anything like the
~equanimity manifested by the Kentuckian
who had to go to bed to have his one shirt
washed and when it was eaten by a goat
p~hilosophically remarked: wall them as
has must lose" Outre, uncouth and what
not, in the estimation of the savant. "Pid-
GIN English is in China to stay, and one
day may be recognized as the root of that
proving to be the first universal language
in the empire, protectorate. colony or what
| ever may be it's ultimate distinction.
j. G. PANGBORN.-