Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1856-05-31
Photography is as Readable as Common
Print

We trust that from what has already been said
readers will have no difficulty in understanding
how it is that photography is as readable as com
mon print; and more than this, that it will not be
difficult to convince them that by photography VIZ
represent unerringly the actual pronunciation o.
words, and thus make all new Or strange words
even more readable than Roman print for how is
it that words, things Of sound, and addressed to
the ear are represented to the eve, which takes nc
note of sound, but only Of form and color? Sim.
ply thus: By common consent certain letters have
certain sounds, and every word uttered by the hu-
man or any other voice. must consist of one or
more sounds Of which letters should be the repre-
sentatives; and the writer, having determined the
sound or sounds Of the word, selects the letter or
letters supposed to be the legitimate representa-
tives OF those sounds and places them on his page
in the same order in which the sounds succeed each
other when uttered by the voice, as representa-
ton through the eye to the mind of the word that
originally addressed to the mind by the instru-
mentality of the voice through the medium ofthe ear
thus making the pen and the eye do the work of the
voice and the ear in the communication of thought
But there is no one, in the least acquainted with
English orthoepy, who does not know that in thus
representing the ultimate sounds of words BY the
letters Of the Roman alphabet in the English use
of thenl there is, there can be, no certainty All
hAVW tkat ~ 10 uos NV" Vic opCuuHs Uut IFOuu Tue
lips Of the living teacher that the pronunciation
Of all, even our most common words, is to be
learned. This evil is most severely felt when we
meet with new scientific terms and proper names
or other words that are strange to US. As stri-
king instance of this we will say that not one in a
hundred Of the multiplied thousands who have seen
in print or manuscript the name Of " Brougham,"
an English nobleman, and for sometime Prime Min
ister, ever pronounce it as we know, upon the most
authority it is pronounced by him.
self and family; and the same is true, to greater
or less extent, of not only all proper names but Of
all new words, from whatever source they may be
derived. Why is this? The answer is plain Each
letter Of the Roman alphabet represents from two to
eight different sounds, besides being sometimes
silent, without taking upon itself any change of
orm appendage or accompaniment by which the
'eader is informed in which of its various meanings
is used, which of its several sounds it is intended
o represent; and the consequence is unavoidable,
hat unless We have learned the pronunciation
rom the lips of the living teacher, or by some cir
Of words, we cannot know it; for by
he spelling alone we can never determine what it
s. We may guess, but We cannot know. There
ore, If to read common print means to be able to
pronounce correctly all words that are printed, in
lusiye of new terms and proper names, we think
We are safe in saying that in this sense common
'rint is not very readable even by the best scholars
'ome have learned to pronounce more words than
thers, but no one can pronounce all, aud hold |
himself ready with perfectly correct pronuncia-
ion of every new word that the want of English |
nen and Americans may originate or introduce.
Now, if photography were thus unreadable We |
Tould not for one moment try to defend its claims
or to bring it to public attention and favor; but, |
n the contrary, would, without hesitation, pro-
ff,fol fol, osv,t of
onsider common print to be- except in the case of |
lords with which the reader is familiar.
When it is remembered that photography is free |
ON the shackles of this barbarous photography, |
nd that without reference to what Roman letters |
r what ltaic letters are used in spelling a word.
goes at once to the voice of the speaker and |
sks what was the vocal action that produced the
ord and then makes that vocal action the thing
} be represented, giving to each vocal action its
wn representative, which is confined to it and
ever allowed to represent any other; it will be
zen at once that if these representatives can be
armed and remembered there can be no difficulty
reproducing, at any distance of time Or place,
lie identical vocal action thus conGded to the
eeping ofthese faithful, truth-tellng Photographic
representatives., thus making the pronunciation
the writer as imperishable as his record. What
as the pronunciation of Shakespeare?
Of the ability to learn and remember as well as
be able to use these Photographic representa-
yes it need only at present be said that the vocal
ements of the English are only forty-tllree, and
the sake of brevity, as well as to secure facility
learning and remembering, as we'll as in apply
6 them, photography takes for this purpose the
mpiest means that the motions of the pen will
,ssiby admit Of; in viii. it is believed the ulti-
alum of scientific beauty and breyity are attained
My think of it, dear reader. The simplest posi-
e signs to represent the forty-three sounds ele-
entail, that constitute the English language in all
e glory and grandeur of its untold fullness of
pression and wealth Of literature. There is un-
mmon beauty in the thought, and let me just
hisper to you that the real beauty of writing or
e highest pleasures Of epistolary correspondence
u can never know until you understand and can
cory. Listen now to facts.
From its first PRONUNCIATION in England in 1887, !
onography has been used for letter-writing, to /,
e entire exclusion Of long hand, whenever the ,
liter and recipient of the letter have both under
'od it. At an early day, at least ten years ago. !,
was estimated that the annual circulation of pho
graphic letters through the postof6ces of England
d America was more than one million. This ;:
y have been an over-estimate, but their number
IS certainly very large, and million may not be
'ked upon as SO very incredible, when it Is known
It as many as thirty-twO have been passed in one ,
velop for three cent stamp, and this cores
ndence embraces every variety of matter and
ie that usually enters into epistolary writing. a
siness letters involving pecuniary interest, and
et-d0ux dictated in the ardor Of affection are
inconsiderable item Of the amouns TI
We may as well remark, also, in passing, that d
facilities Of photography have drawn thousands Fl
, epistolary correspondence who in long hand n
Id not have done any such thing-persons of .
icient education, both adults and children. K
We ash, now, if these things could be done if IL
were not readable! sH q
thousands Of pages Of matter that have in the O.
fifteen years appeared in print we're never Il
item in long hand at all; but the writer's, at tt
ing Of three-fourths of the time and labor re- fo
ed for the preparation Of long hand copy pre- ic
ed their matter for the compostors in phonog- Il
nc copy, which any compositor can learn to th
! in one month or less. I'll
he following 10 from Ben Pitman's Reporter for p.
uary, 1855: It may not be uninteresting to A
9 that nine out Of ten days verbatim reporting vi
his trial, (Crus McCormsc vs. sundry defend of