The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-03-13
WHY NAMED SEQUOIA
Origin Of the Title Given TO Cali
fornia's Big Trees.
HONOR TO A FAMOUS INDIAN.
The Wonderful Work Of Joseph Guess,
a Half Breed Cherokee, Whose Lat
inized Name, Thanks TO a Generous
Scientist, the Giant Trees Bear.

inlzed Name, lhanks TO Oenerous
Scientist, the Giant Trees Bear d
In Callfornia's wonderland nothing is
more interesting or wonderful than the
Sequoia gigantea which grows along
Sierra Neyada's slopes. and It's lesser
cousin Sequoia sempcrvirens. inhabit
ing the lands near the coast around
Santa cruz. "What Is the meaning ~
sequoiaT' | asked a judge. 1T is un
doubtcdly Of Latin derivation. but I
fail to remember It's Significance" was
the judicial reply. The physician de
carcd It "wcll chosen scientific uomou-
clature" and stopped \ man on the
street said he "gucsscd It was the
name OF the fellow that discovered the
trees SO | came to the conclusion that
hut fcw know, and yet the story Is in
tcrcsting.
long time ago, rs the story books
say. there lived near famous old Fort
London. I'm east Tennessee. not lar
from the Georgia line, very great
man of whom not one American i'm
hundred has ever heard. Joseph Guess,
or Scquoa. half breed Cherokee In.
dian. was born in 1860 and possessed
qualities which would have made him
great at any period or among any pee.
pie In the worlds history. Combined
with powerful creative Intellect were
iudumitablc energy. application, per-
slStcucc. that no dlscouragcmcnt could
affect. and firm confidence in his own
ability TO overcome Obstacles In his
youth he acquired distinction I'm his
tribe rs craftsman In silver his
handiwork showing not only technical
skill In execution. but unusual ingcnu-
lty and originality of design.
1t was not. however until 1909 that
he began the work that was TO cntit'c
him 10 Il place among the carth's truly
great I'm that year Scquoia's ambition
was fired 10y the knowledge that the
whites had Il method of communication
by means of writing and books and set
out 10 devise a written language for
his own people. When II Is realized
that Scquoia was illitcratc. knew not
single letter of the English aphabCt.
had no basis I'm his own language to
/ build upon. the stupcndOus difficulties
of the task he set for himself may
well be imagined. He began his great
work without a doubt of his ultimate
success, with the superb faith that hc.
longs only TO the great From an "'l
| English spelling book he copied an IN"
letters. giving to each sound, moli-
fed some of the letters he found, in
vented others until he had cighty-Hyc
characters, by means of which might
be expressed every sound In the Choro-
kcc language Not only would this
have been impossible with our alpha
bet, but SO simple was the system that
any one speaking Cherokee might with
I'm n week or two learn to read ana
write II. There are not lacking learned
and distinguished philologists who uu-
hesiiatiugly declare that Sequoia's al
phabct j. IN" most perfect ever devils
ed for any language.
He had at first the usual experience
OF inventors. Shafts of ridlculc were
, aimed at him, and he even received
violent abuse from many of his tribes
men for his attempts TO introduce this
remarkable innovation, but his triumph
came IN 1921 I'm California. He was
then si&ty-onc years of age, when a
council OF Cherokee chiefs formally
adopted Wis invention. Soon printing
press was established, ana quito n
large and varied lltcratyrc was It's
fruit while even newspaper was
printed In Cherokee by the aid of Sc
GuoIa's alphabet
The desire for learning among the
/ Cherokccs was remarkable, so much So
/ that In n very few months after the
| Invention was given to the nation thou
/ sands OF its members could read and
write. Considering the difficulties Of
his undertaking, | think we are safe IN
writing the old chief VINO died full Of
honors far from home in Mexico one OF
the greatest OF Americans.
Tennessee has given 10 the world
many great men, Presidents Jackson,
Polk and Johnson standing in the fore
front. The nation they served has be
come one of the first of the earth, and
80 their names are known OF all men
The people toward whose uplifting Sc
NH'lN spout MS ire NIe stalltIct lh
the four winds of heaven. Only rem
nant remains, and in few more gen
eratlons they will be but memory.
and his achievement will he known
only To the curious.
The old chiefs life work was not In
vain, No life OF unseltish devotion
ever Is. \ great American scientist
with soul attuned 20 the fitness OF
things Latinizcd the Indian name To
Sequola ana gave II to California :
great trees. Aud what uamo for the
greatest of American growths could
be more appropriate than that OF one
| OF the greatest Of Americas early race
| Scientists tell us some OF these trees
ARE thousands of years old. Everything
that lived in all the earth when they
were young has long since passed