New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-07-04

10 A
copsiderrrs The boy must first learn hos 10 use Il
brsr, or book Near! half the sum total of education
l b.. now 10 be expended before the boy makes
mint where be can be turned loose among bosks 70 any
nurr.,e This Stage Is costly AID tedious. Can It be
eliminated or materially abridged Can the road from
the mere English talking animal 70 the meaning of an
Frei.h book BE- made short that it be rraversed
in a. te time requires TO 20 from NesIork
Z, On cunai Verify il be. Our oSn Franklin fore
sss il, and pointed out the means The thought not
uerbsps Quite Origua With him. was even submer than
hat Of tammg the lightning Had the world accepted
IT.. as SION as the sound prscuca mind of Franklin
stamped II sterling there would be within the
atmosphere OF printed sheets. millions, nor
even many hundreds Of mnds in adult bodies,
blank a. midnight for want of schooling
Wbst DOW costs nearly half We have 10 expeHd for
education would be attained spontaneously universally
before the very beginning. Newspapers beng onn
Present, reading the mother tongue you'd come to chill
ereu and adults that now read a matter Of
course as much as taking THIS is no theory or spec
uiaton but an ascertaned fact settled by actual
pertinent on the most unculuyated subjecrs
The old-school metapbysIrans may settle at their
leisure whether the words Of language the tools
ably the tools with which the thinker makes has thoughts
available marketable. Language is the grand en-
cine OF education and the mental improvement of the
race but in regard Its visual mech inlsm t is cen
turtles behind the msrch Of our physical progress 1t
il half way back TO the pyramids and hleroslyphcs.
Its combInstons Vi signs to make the sPoAen words
visible are arbitrary irrational and mysterious TO the
u1miuared, aid The reason wny isyery plain. Spoken
words ere produced by combinations (taken c)nsecu-
tvey) of mere or less Of the forty distinct positions
which the organs of voice are capable of assuming 10
the act of utterance. The possible number OF such
positions is NOT much forty aud the acua number
used III sny language is never much less Letters are
designed TO represent these several positions Of the or
CANS or elements Of voice and nothing can be palmer
than that Ia make the written language easily reida
bic the number Of letters must exactly correspond 20
the dist net elements OF voice and that of the for
mer should be unchangeably appropriated 10 each OF
the latter Yet frsm Cadmus 70 Guess no civilized
language was furnished with more than about half as
many letters as it lad simple clemens OF sound. The
iugeDous Cherokee, bavibg written language 70
make, and perhaps some knowledge OF Fransln's
suggestions gave his countryuen the right num-
Der of letters, and the consequence thai
without schooling In English have 26 letters
leaving ii of the vocal elements unprOyided for. OF
necesslty therefore some of the 20 letters do
double duty but the actual is far worse than the
necessity so that the letters generally are mut7oca
or many sounded and hardly is uniyoci. The old
song hath it that
One voice a orators surely enough"
How much more then for a letter The many sound
Il ill. .c lib
costs millions Of money TO school part of the people
through the cbao. Of spelling (orhograPhyD and
shuts on, as mary millions of people from all particips-
tion in the use Of printed books for the want of SUCH
schooling,
Ifwhat We have stated is undeniabe, why should not
the mental machinery OF the country be modfel to
correspond ~ith the principle If the results of
the change would be SO beneficial wty shsud not the
candidate. for immortality ser themselves 70 briog t
about Where are the educators, the colleges the
learned societies, Are they all welded 70 dust and
cobr.bs Have they settled u that mechanics Al mper
fecticD and absurdty shall always lie the fsInditi)n
OF our literature and block up 10 its enjoyment
Has nonsense become venerable that il must not De
disturbed Must all future generations spell their /
way into the kingdom with much tri5dlatoE Of brch
and bewildeuucut Do those Who have mastered the
puzzle fear tina they shall lose their labor nelr emil
drens brains are not racked with the same ridiculous
problem Or shall the alphaber, of all instruments
and engine. of these times, be shielded from improve
ment lest the stock in trade Of the bIboPoiss should
deprrcate in value What # oar present Libraries
should become as good useless except to the present
generation Of readers aod spccrs b. the change II the
change would be good when made, have We not paper
mills. dresses. ink and steam 10 reprint every thing
which is worth printing All the objections, when
viewed ~ the light of our hysical progress are simply
ridiculous
But the literary pedsntry and conservatism Wnieh
oppose his change have not peg eit TO support them
Tor il found by careful experiment that the Ne" Alpha
bet is great labor saver in teaching and learning the
use Of the other BY It's aid pupils learn to read aud
spell he text of the old alphabet better aud IN nall the
time consumed in the old way. The Invention or DIS
covery Of ipcacuabe value, even the present IN
pect AIM sbet and chaotic orhOgraphy are 70 be for
ever retained This fact IS 80 well established that
enterprispg School Committees would do wei TO
see their schools provided with reading books printed
both in common type aud phoneyPe on opposite
pages The pupi spontaneously learns the later
and is guided by it 70 the exact pronunciation oi
every word Ia regard 10 unusual proper nouns TINS
arrangement would be highly beneficial even 60 veil
eouca' ed adults In buudreds Of primary schools pao
norypy /. TIM, or otherwise used far as the proper
schools hooks can be found Ii the popular read
Ing books were prepared in the way Te have desert
he'd the progress Of the reform would be far more IA
mid and have no doubt that ii such lesson book
c.uld ind admission % school il would soon nave %
be- followed BY enough q supply each pupil.
7, 81; va-v prohsble thar If the phOnOrvvc alphabet