Editorialana. 473
terest, which was greatly heightened by
the information gained of the
geological and historical features of
the section as related by Mr. A. J.
Baughman, than whom few in the state are
better qualified to speak
upon matters pertaining to its geology
and history.
INDIAN VS. ABORIGINE.
The following communication is self
explanatory. It is from the
pen of Prof. R. W. McFarland, Oxford, Ohio, who has contributed many
articles of value to the Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical Society
Quarterly.
Mr. E. O. Randall:
In reading your highly commendatory
notice of Dr. Slocum's Histori-
cal work, I was pleased to see your
remark about his use of the word
Aborigine instead of Indian. Allow me to say that the term
has never
been recognized by Webster, or
Worcester, by their co-adjutors, or their
successors, as belonging to the English
language. It is found in the
Century and the Standard, -and we are
entitled to suppose that its
presence there is because some writer
had used it. The plural, Aborigines,
is applied to the first inhabitants
of a country; it does not apply to
subsequent races. Unless the Dr. can
show that the Indians were the
first inhabitants of America, the term
cannot be applied to them at all.
Further; four hundred years ago when
this continent was discov-
ered, it was supposed to be what is now
called the East Indies; in dis-
covering the error, the term West Indies
was given to the islands be-
tween North and South America, and they
have borne the name ever
since. The inhabitants of these islands
were naturally and properly
called Indians, the name
subsequently being applied to all the race,
whether on continent or island. And from
that day to this, the word
has been used alike by writers of
fiction as well as of history, -by
Cooper, Irving, Bancroft, Prescott,
McMaster, Wilson, - indeed, by all
standard authors. It has been used by
the authorities of the country,
both state and national, in regard to
civil cases as well as to military;
and such has been the practice ever
since the English occupied this
country. The Spaniard, the Portugese,
the French also used the like
word. This term has been too long in
vogue, and has covered too wide
a territory to be called in question at
this late day.
It seems to me that the careful and
judicious reader of the work
in question may be led to suspect that
such a lapse may not be an iso-
lated one, but may be accompanied by
others no less bad. The tendency