# Endnotes explained — The Hoosier Schoolmaster

> Chapter companion for The Hoosier Schoolmaster by Edward Eggleston.

## What happens

The endnotes provide scholarly commentary on dialectal terms, historical customs, and the author's sources, offering insights into the linguistic and cultural context of the novel.

## Themes in this chapter

### Dialect and Cultural Identity

The endnotes extensively analyze dialectal variations and their origins, highlighting the cultural identity embedded in language.

### Morality and Justice

The endnotes describe the 'crate' punishment for drunkards as a form of rude justice, and comment on the moral character of certain preachers.

## Character check-ins

### Miss Martha Hawkins

Mentioned as a character drawn from a real person, with a speech pattern noted as a literal transcript from a Massachusetts-born woman.

### Ole Mowley

Noted as a character drawn from life, along with 'Phil' and 'General Jackson'.

## Key lines

> So a Hoosier or a Kentuckian never pared an apple, but peeled it.

A Hoosier or Kentuckian would say 'peeled' rather than 'pared' an apple.

_Illustrates regional dialect differences._

> Some time after this book appeared Dr. Brown-Séquard announced his theory of the dual brain.

After the book was published, Dr. Brown-Séquard presented his theory about the brain having two halves.

_The author notes that his earlier passage anticipated this scientific theory._

> The reader may be interested to know that 'Phil' was drawn from the life, as was old Mowley and in part 'General Jackson' also.

The character 'Phil' was based on a real person, as were old Mowley and partly 'General Jackson'.

_The author reveals that some characters were inspired by real individuals._

> Absurd as this speech seems, it is a literal transcript of words spoken in the author’s presence by a woman who, like Miss Hawkins, was born in Massachusetts.

Although the speech seems absurd, it is a verbatim record of what a woman from Massachusetts said in the author's presence, similar to Miss Hawkins.

_The author defends the authenticity of the dialect._

> It was a custom in the days of early Indiana barbarism for the youngsters of a village, on spying a sleeping drunkard, to hunt up a 'queensware crate'—one of the cages of round withes in which crockery was shipped.

In early Indiana, young people would place a wooden crate used for shipping crockery over a sleeping drunkard as a prank.

_Describes a historical custom._

> Even the Anti-means Baptists have suffered from the dire spirit of the age. They are today a very respectable body of people calling themselves 'Primitive Baptists.'

The Anti-means Baptists have changed over time and are now known as the respectable 'Primitive Baptists.'

_The author comments on the evolution of a religious group._

> The total absence of the word 'pail' not only from the dialect, but even from cultivated speech in the Southern and Border States until very recently, is a fact I leave to be explained on further investigation.

The word 'pail' was completely absent from both dialect and formal speech in the Southern and Border States until recently, a fact the author leaves for others to explain.

_Highlights a linguistic curiosity._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters/endnotes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_hoosier_schoolmaster_se/chapters