Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1837-01-17
For the Waterman and State Journal.
SPELLING BOOKS.

Before Noah Webster compiled his first
spelling book, or first part of grammatical
institute, in the year 1882, the common
schools, III this country, were furnished
with the spelngs OF DilwOrlh, Fenning or
other English books. In these The division
or words into syllabeS was regulated by
artificial rules. Thus balance, habit, tenor.
were thus divided; balance, ha bit, tenor,
in which mode letters are most abSurdly
separated from the syllables TO which they
belong, and in which they are pronounced
w ebster corrected this practce.-So al
50 the English divide SION and ton, into
Two syllableS thus: tension, con tu-Si-on,
nation, promotion. - Webster intro
duced the practice Of writing these and
similar examinations in one syllable.
These improvements were and are highly
valued, and have been copied into all SIM
liar books of late compilation.
Another most important improvement
introduced by Webster, was, the classical
ton of words Of anomalous and difficult
orthogra phy.-This Classification las been
adopted by all later compilerS, who have
copied WebSter'S classes so Glossy, as TO
expose themselves 10 the penalties of the
statute. Mr.. Webser'S elementary book
gained a very general use, and no attempt
10 superscde il made any great impression
upon The use Of il, ill Walkers dictionary
appeared in this country. L his WORK was
putftd and trunpeted as the standard of
pronunciation, and by the activity Of pub
fishers, spread over the United States. And
now a host of spelling book makers arose,
snppoSing that by adopting Walkers or
biography and pronunciation, they should
certainly be able TO supplant Webster's
book. Marshall, To save the trouble of a
new arrangement OF words, adopted Web
s,er's tables, in direst violation of the law
securing copy rights; but he altered the
spelling, and instead OF error, uigor, wrote
errour, vigour, and instead OF frantic, he
roic, wrote frantick, heroick, adopting this
old photography, which has been obsolete
in Britain, and Tor the most part in the
United States, for more than half century
And this obsolete spelling has spoiled his
book. Cobb pilaged WebSler's key, or
scheme OF noticing sounds Of the letters,
copying the whole with one trifiing alter
alton, for which he might have been sub
lected To heavy damages. He also adopted
Walkers orthography aud pronunciation
with Walkers errors and copied, with
some alterations, Webster's classes of an
omalous words. Sears, Boles and Benlly
have also compiled books on Walkers plan
with the old 0rthography-Picket also fol-
lows Walkers pronunciation, but not his
spelling in all cases. The same may be
said OF Crandal. Emerson's spelling book
was published, at first with Walkers old
nrlhography, as well as his pronunciation;
but he has lately publi'h he'd one wnh the
modern orthography. These, and several
Others, have been urged upon the public
for many years with various success; but
the circulation of each is, Tor the most part,
limited. Within few years, ii has been
nscerlained that Walkers dictionary has
never been considered, in England, as a
standard srork, 50 far from it, that the later
authors an pronunciation all condemn it,
His pronunciation Of numerous class of
words, one writer declares Ia be luGicrous I;
in other classes Walkers pronunciation is
declared by one writer 10 BE- int0lerable;
Fnd another afIirms it 10 be puigarify and
Pedantyy. So that alter all efforts 10 make
Walkers standard, it appears from The
English themselves. that the bonk is an i'm
poSlInn on the people Of this Gounlry. 1t
is certain his dictionary is rapidly going
nIt OF use, az most Of The spellnGs formed
on his principles. Notwithstanding all The
efforts Of numerous competitors 10 supplanl