Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-10-25


Word Evoked Such Terms as seHy-
brid," "MOngreIo and "MOnster."
TOscaneIli Letters Declared to Be
FOrgeries by the Paris Delegate.
A long dispute. which at times was
somewhat heated and acrimonious,
was engaged in by the members of
the international congress of Ameri-
canists at the meeting in the Ameri-
can Museum of Natural History the
other day over the use by one of the
speakers of the word "Amerind," to
designate collectively all of the In
dams who live or once lived in the
western hemisphere, says the New
York Times. Following the first pro-
test against the word by Professor
Franz Boas of the American museum,
several linguists and anthropologists
sought the floor instantaneOusly. The
speeches were animated, and as points
were made ON both sides of the ques-
ton the delegates who favored or OPP
posed the adoption of the word cheered
their respective sentiments spiritedly.
Finally the presiding officer, Juan B.
Ambrosetti of the Argentine Republic,
who conducted the business in the
French language, had to terminate the
discussion when it was at its height
by calling for the next paper.
In a paper on "AnthrOpology In
Early American Writings" J. d. Nc
CURE of Washington. ID. c., of the
American AnthropOlogical association,
used the word "Amerind." When he
had finished, DIR. Boas, pronounced by
one of the speakers who followed as
lone of the foremost inguists of the
world today" expressed his Opposi-
tion TO the new word. He did it brief
IL and quietly, but the other delegates
took it up quickly.
Professor Frederick Starr of the
University of Chicago and the Daven-
port Academy of Sciences denounced
''Amerind'' as "a hybrid. n mOngrel
and monster" He said it should
find no place in the scientists yocabu-
larry. Mr.. Mcclure then spoke in de-
tense of the word. He said that it
designated all of the Indians in this
hemisphere better than any word or
combination of words used, and that
it was preferable to american In
diam" so commonly used, because that
average mans mind those of the red
men who inhabited North America
alone. He said, further that he would
not have used it in his paper had he
not heard it used in the proceedings
of the day previous. at which time
it received the approval of the con-
gress, no objection being made.
DR.. A. +. Chamberlain of Clark uni
versity jumped up and said that it
was he who had used "Amerind'' in
his paper on 1.-THE Algonquin Linguis-
tic Stock on Monday. Oct. 20, and he
was ready to defend it.
Language is made for man and not
man for language" he declared. He
said that he believed "Amerind" to be
correct and cow enient and compre-
hensively expressive. He said that
wherr the word sociology" was pro-
posed there were objections to it "sim-
liar to those raised here and now and
by persons similarly prominent" but
that it had survived and attained gen.
eral use in many countries. He be-
lieved the word was fit and would re-
main in the contest of ''the survival Of
the fittest-"
Several of the scientists were on their
feet, calling to the presiding officer for
recognition. Professor Starr again Sc.
cured the floor. With spirit he de-
clared that no scientist or linguist to-
day could say that the word "socioio-
gy'' is not bad word and that its use
Is not most unfortunate. 1t would be
the same with "Amerind," he declared.
He pointed out that it is the universal
ly accepted rule of scientists that new
scientific words be formed from Latin
and Greek aad that this depression
was to be deplored.
1--WE Americans should think of our
fellow workers in other countries" he
said. "What if Russian were to alb
breviate and combine a number of
words so as to express a meaning
which he well understood and which
was handy for him? What if Japa-
nese scientist combined the parts of
several japanese words similarly?
Why, there would be immediate pro-
test from America and France and
Germany and other countries il they
attempted to secure the adoption of
their new words by an international
congress such as this. 'Amerind
comes from the English and would
have no ineligible universal meaning.
1 repeat, it is a hybrid, mongrel and
q monster and should be abandoned"
The venerable DR.. +. w. Putnam Of
Harvard university and the American
Museum of Natural History and vice
president of the congress also opposed
"Amerind," (which word" he said,
81 shall not pronounce more times
than is necessary" This expression
evoked cheers from the similarly
minded
Professor Edward S. Morse of the
Peabody Academy of Sciences. Salem,
Mass, in making his protest spoke OF
it as that word which l. too. do not
care to pronounce" This second ref
erence OF this kind aroused the spirit