The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-29
How to Pronyounce !. EiIawatha.

~ 5 lq+L ) "
How to Pronounce FiIaWatta.
10 the Editor Of The journal. N @ 4
I have been tripped up a good many
times by somewhat pedantic and pre-
yious" people from .the gcenters Of ''cul-
chah" in the effete east on my pronuncia-'
ton Of the word Hiawatha. Born in the
region over which Longfellow's most fa-
nous poem casts halo OF Indian romance
and tradition; having bathed in the limpid
waters in which his hero bathed and felt
on my cheek the mystic Cor mist-ic) spray
from Laughing Wa ter,.,g the enhancing
falls to which fell the name of that hero's
heroine and which is United States" for
Minnehaha, it nettled me not "a little to
be told that it was not Hawai- tina but HE
awatha," who hunted and Ef1shed and
fought in these woods and on these prai-
had 3.5# sss
. Brought his young. wife homeward
From the land Of the Dakotas,
only to meet with disappointment and
disaster until. in the, long and dreary
winter, 'Sin the "cold and cruel winter.
with the Famine and the Fever,
She was lying, the Beloved, .
She the dying Minnehaha.'
1t was "Heawatha" was condescend-
ingly assured, who played his noble part
In the sublime tragedy enacted, much of
it, SO runs the legend, within the reach of
the sound of the roaring and rushing
Minnehaha." HI
1 bore it all meelly, assuming that it
was Of course L who was off as usual
ly am according to my wife, who has
the habit peculiar to her sex Of assign
ing to herself the closing argument in the
debate). and besides. what presumption
for me, an untutored son of the unframed
and hirsute west to contest a point of this
kind with smart people from the luminous
and literary east! &' 81 - 5l.,>
I never thought it worth while to ever
consult recorded authority on pronuncia
ton until the other day when my 9-yea1
Majel volunteered tostrecite for me a Sc
lection from ''Heawatha," when could
stand it no longer. Where did you lear1
to say that?" I demanded Why, from
teacher of course, - she replied. 'Neve
say 'Heawatha' again until L find on
about it, commanded. Then dove int
Webster, Worcester, the Standard, Cen
fury and couple Of encyclopedias Hur
| ran! Every one of EN- fairly shouted a
me a. "a - $50 >.'..
HiaWatha! Ss*s Sg
: Hiawatha! ~ .a =
! Hiawathai sse
with the long sound of l. Gtswas stun
ner for my wife, to find was right.) A,
these years had been getting a ba
taste in my mouth trying to emit ''I1ea
watha' to make my friends think had
little education on my own hook when
should have been strictly correct had
chung to the good old "IIiawatha' of tn
district school and could have trod har
on the toes Of these fasteners by icil
reminding them that anybody at all ia
miliar with books knew better than I
i pronounce it l'sHeaWatha.' .. .s.s.sg
! Now, If there is any one word in tn
literature Of fiction that the children j
the public schools of Minnesota should b
taught to pronounce correctly it is th
one; but so widespread has become tn
n1alady of mispronunciation, and 50 prom
are some of usE:i the west to take OF
cue from the east on ethics and othe
things that, venture the assertion, thei
are in the public schools of Minneapol
to-day teachers who, Hike myself, hay
taken "Heawatha" for granted as TT
proper thing and are plaptingsin the naine
beautiful word Hfawatha-the name
one -whe,s IF Longfellow did snot;s' funb
fact to fabricate fiction was there lor
before Father Nicollet.T Rev. Mr.. MORT
Governor. Pillsbury, w H. Eustis, the man,
facturer who importunes you to place
certain fermentation of Golden GRAIN b
meath your belt and other illustrious pit
sneerS III exploration, thought, poullcS
foaming elixir, had commenced (l1ke II
best advertised citizen of Milwaukee,:
make; Mnneapolis,gfa famous. Il hope
may be mistaken, but fear I am: not al
: I sincerely trust that this narrative of n
trials and tribulations but, final triuml
may be worth something to the people
: Minnesota. Already we, have too mai
| words in our English vocabulary not pr
| nounced as they are spelled to add "a:
, other Let the rest OF. the world pronoun
:. it as they may but forever more let MI
nesotans speak it plain---IIiawatha!
~r@ - Burt W.. Day.
Hutchinson, Mimi, Oct. ,2s.: > =,