The Springdale news., 1909-09-03

I Ark Dr Douthats suggestion of the French word Arcs is correct in ! that the two words have perfect l equivalence of sounds But such | explanation cannot be entirely sat i isfactory unless it is substantiated | by reasonable historical evidence. l Is there any hint to be found any where that some of the early French or Italian explorers noticed how our neighboTins hills produced sort of wood that was excellent for making bows and that the count " was thereby subsequently named2 i Unless d proper quotation or infor- nation to this effect is forthcom- 1 ing. l consider such sort of eoncul- i sion a telam imbelle sine ietu. or d mere guessing. not to say that. per chance, such interpretation IS not appealing to He, even If try to overlook the fact that it would be q rather difficult matter to de rive and reconcile with the French aHx arcs such meaning as for bows; and this. of course. ofter leaving aside the minor subsequent change Of the of ares to k and occasional lY the dropping of the final
 On the other hand. let us now make a kind of historical statement in the way of q suggestion The Indian tribes that were scattered in this part of the country at the time of the early French expedi- tfons were collectively called =Akan= sas. Arkansas or Arkansas It is Well-known fact that the French missionaries who reached the tribes Of the Arkansas by sailing 8p the Mississippi river, used to send lengthy reports in letter form to their friends or superiors eoncern- ing the new provinces and the new tribes they visited Such reports or letters written from these regions contain the expression Aux Akansas or Aux Arkansas. which translated into English. would be expressed in this case by From amongst the ttribes of the5 Arkansas. or some equivalent form As-a matter of fact. Imay say that other letters for instance, are dated from Ia Souvel1e=Orleans. thereby indicating that they. were written in New Or leans such letters usually written toward the close of the Seventeenth century.
 In my hasty examination of these letters tchoix des lettres edifiantes eerites des missions etfangeres4 pub lished in several volumes at Paris III the first part of the Nineteenth century, l have been unable to find the abbreviated form Ark. but Father Bandini assures me that it occurs. At any rate. think that the abbreyiation of Arkansas into Ark. is of secondary importance, and were it not for the fact that Father Bandini tells me that the shortened form Ark has been used, would venture to say, with prudent reserve, that the subse- quent nglish-speaking settlers were responsible for it, since every one cannot fail to notice how fond of abbreviated forms the English races are, much in contrast with the op posite tendency of the Latin peoples For in Latin countries abbreviated forms are rare. although the great Romans were if not more al least equally as iconoelastie as the Americans of today in the matter ef shortening words
 The fusion of aux Ark tsl into one single word ozark (sl is. think, more than reasonably ex- plained by the liaison or linking. whereby in French, the sound of is so intimately joined to the a of Ark as to make the two words sound like one
 In conclusion. l do not wish to convey the idea that the question Is now settled Further historical research and acquaintance with larger and better sources of infor- nation may perehanee disprove all our constructions However my im- pression is that to affirm as facts what are only hearsay reports is not at all advisable My colleagues Professors Reynolds and Thompson would certainly agree with me when l say that many wrong impressions and beliefs have been created and blindly accepted through careless disregard for that patient and con structive scrunity of historical data upon the authority Of which only we feel somewhat safe
 And in this connection let me say that it is q source of pleasure to me, hope shared by all that