The Mena weekly star., 1921-07-14
WILL TEACH FACTS
 ABOUT OWN STATE
Arkansas Advancement Associates to Disseminate Information Among School Children--Much Valuable
 Knowledge Available.

Little Rock, July 6--The school children of Arkansas will be given an opportunity. thru pamphlet to be issued by the Arkansas Advancement Association, to inform themselves of facts concerning Arkansas, where the name originated and what it means. The grown-ups are expected to learn from the children so that every Ar kansan will be supplied with the an- swer when asked by outsiders why it is spelt Arkansas and pronounced Arkansaw. Preparing it's campaign by which facts concerning Arkansas will be placed before residents of every part of the United States, the Arkan- sas Advancement Association ap- pealed to the state History Commis- sion and the Commissioner of Mines, Manufactures and Agriculture for data.
 Secretary Herdon of the Arkansas History Commission gives informa- fion that is known to but few people ;n the state. Secretary Herndon says that Arkansas is from the Sioux In- dian language and means down stream people" The Sioux tribe was the parents of the Quapaw branch nf Indians. The Quapaws split up and one portion went down the Mis- sissippi river to Arkansas, thereby getting the name of the down stream people, The Sioux word Is U-gak-pa and in an effort to spell it as pro- nounced the early explorers wrote 1t in various ways. Marquette called it @Akansea;" LaSslle wrote it Acoesa; Penicant gave it the present spelling. General z. M. Pike wrote it "Arkan- saw All of these men heard it pronounced by the Indians and en- deavored to write it phonetically. The document granting Arkansas a chart CT as a territory has the name written Arkansaw It Is supposed that the final 'ss" came in an effort to form the plural, resulting in the wv being dropped.
 The Commissioner of Immigration of the office of the Commissioner of Mines, Manufactures and Agriculture, John C. Small, has supplied the Ar kansas Advancement Association with much available data concerning the resources ef the state. Commission CT Small states that ArSansas has the target acreage of strawberries of any state, can claim the worlds larg- est peach orchard and the greates.
 
 He also shows that Arkansas sur fasses Colorado in the production of the Rockyford cantaloupe in quality as well as quantity In 1920 Arkansas produced crops greater in value per acre than Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Ok Eahogna, and was excelled only by some of the Eastern states where intensive truck growing and specialized farm ing brought the yield per acre to higher figures. Considering the low price of Arkansas land, the net profit per acre in Arkansas exceeded that of the Eastern states.
 The Arkansas Advancement Asso- ciation is now organized in about 30 counties of the state and the prelimin- ary plans are being laid for an in- tensive campaign which will include m some form every publication in the United States. Buttons t1 be worn by Arkansans when they go out of the state, bearing an outline of Arkansas with the inscription. "I am Proud of upca them, have been or- dered and win probably be ready for distribution in a few weeks With every button will go leafiet showing resources of Arkansas and the eoun- try from which the person comes so that questions attracted by the but 1Sn may be intelligently answered.