More humor in Chinuk Wawa: 1879, Oregon — US Grant could toast in every language
Before the end of the frontier era, an Oregon newspaper viciously skewered its enemies wherever they might be.
These included the Anglican Church, a meeting of which is satirized in the article I’m excerpting today.
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Also insulted were the Catholic Church and President (General) Ulysses S. Grant, who was one of the many US Civil War military leaders who had previously served in Oregon Territory and spoke our language, Chinuk Wawa.
…”And immediately the cock-tails flew.”
This puzzled some of the Anglican
parsons, but Dean Stanley told them
that he had just returned from Ameri-
ca where “cock-tails” were the fashion-
able beverage, and that Gen. Grant was
a good judge of “slings” although not
an expert in scripture. “He is a man,”
said the Dean, “that although not elo-
quent of speech, yet he can drink in
every lingo in the world, from Chinook
to Chinese.” So, out of respect for the
Dean, General Grant’s proposition was
laid by for future reference by the com-
mittee.
— from “Terrible Troubles over a Text of Scripture”, in the Albany (OR) State Rights Democrat of April 11, 1879, page 1, column 5-6
Go read the whole thing for yourself, if you’re up for deciphering some antiquated political jokes!
