Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1856-06-07
This will give 3x3x3-27 different ways to spell

This will give 31sx3-27 different ways to spell
safe, and very unsafe to guess at the odds Of one
to ~ against guessing right. But let us take a
word Of elements each with 8 symbols and it
will give US 3x3x8x3-S1, but no one element has
less than symbols and some have 40, and il, in
stead Of 8, we take the actual number Of the SYM
bols, we shall see still more surprising results.
Thus "say" has elements One has 10 the
other "a symbols, 19xS4-646 ways to spell say,
and in every instance each element is represented
by the same sign that it is represented by in some
other word, on the authority of Webster But
"safe has three elements, the multiplication of
their symbols would stand thus: l9x34x12-7752
ways to spell safe, with authorised representation
Of each element in every case, very unsafe.
With SO many chances to be wrong, 643x7751-
s39 to two chances to be right in the little words
"say" and safe," what wonder is it that we have
occasionally little variety in spelling especially
when we remember in the case of most words these
numbers rise to hundreds of thousands, and not
unfrequently multiplied millions are necessary to
express the number Of possible spellings Of words
with an authorised symbol for each SQUAD and still
only one way can be the right way for each word,
for if we would read with facility, the same word
must always be spelled in the same way. Tolearn
to spell is to learn to know in the case of every
word in the language, which way out of the thou
sands and millions of possible spelings is the right
way, and when we consider that we have about
$4,000 words that may be spelled at an average of
10000 ways each, so,oooxlO, ooo-so, ooo 600,
600 spellings possible, only $4,000 of which are
right, shall have toerable notion of the labor
Of learning to SPELL Reader, have you ever seen
perfect speller? We assure you that after q
pretty diligent search, for ten years. we have not
found one.
But there may be some who think the spelling
of words is settled by rule, and that by studying
and understanding the rules Of spelling, these null
tplied difficulties may be obviated. But let all
such bethink themselves how they learned what
ever they know about spelling Did their school
master ever set them to learning rules? Did any
teacher ever do go? think not; certainly not
with success. The only way is to attach success
lively the long seried dictionary, and toll on pa
tently through them only to find, when you have
gone through all the barbarisms of English spelling
and mastered the last column, you have, in learn
ing the last forgotten the first and you must now
begin at the beginning and learn it over again.
All that is necessary to learn phonetic spelling,
is to learn the phonetic alphabet (eithcr the pho
nographic or the phonotypic aphabet one letter
for each sound; and then take few days practice
in analyzing words, that you may learn to deter
mine instantly what are the ultimate sounds of
words, and from that moment yeu are a perfect
phonetic speller. As far as you know the true
pronunciation Of word, your spelling Of it is of
necessity critically correct; not merely of few
more familiar words, but of every word in the Ian
guage, or indeed Of any other language if its ulti
mate elements are found in English-here then the
reader will see at once the labor that lifetime can
only imperfectly accomplish made perfect and most
beautiful in its results, in few days or weeks at
most
In printed communication, we cannot place be-
fore the reader, the simple letters of the phono-
graphic alphabet, or exhibit the simplicity Of pho
nographic writing Type cannot be made to do it.
We must, therefore, content ourselves with writing
about it.
Brevity, simplicity, facility and legibility are the
points that have been aimed at with persevering
Of effort, that after years of the concen
trated labor of thousands, has achieved commesu-
rate and astonishing results, and just SO far as these
objects have been attained, has the facility for learn
ing it been incidentally promoted. To have a sys-
tenn that should be easily learned, truly forms no
part Of the pan for if the other points, brevy and
Eligibility are attained it will repay the learner,
though years Of close application should be nesse-
sary to acquire it. But happily in attaining brevity
and egibility, photography attains that simplicity
which makes the learning Of it very easy matter.
Less than one hundred octave pages, contain a
Full exposition Of every principle, with ample en-
graved exercises in large size, nearly twice the
size usual in Photographic writing, copous lessons
in print to be written out in photography and full
to both pupil and teacher, which have
lime and again been combined in one person, go
full are the Instructions easy to learn is the sys-
tenn. We trust the reader is now ready for the
following statement: After years spent in teaching,
We are satisfied that there are few men who can
already read and write, who cannot master in the
eisure hours of one month. and we know some me-
;hanics and farmers who have done it in two weeks
-one without teacher. .34 4 NJ,
In our next We shall give some account Of the
extent to which it Is used. -@'" 'r Ky.
IMPORTANT ENGLISH DocuxEsr-zRe Bay L.
'ands.-The English papers publish the Queens
warrant for erecting the Island Of Ruatan and GER
ain other Islands in the Bay Of Honduras into
colony, under the name Of Bay Islands It il
document Of peculiar interest At present. The
Whole is comprised in four folio pages, and in
wenty five paragraphs or clauses, with preamble.
The London Spectator gives the following abstract
" it: .e 1
The powers Of government are entrusted to
he Governor Of Jamaica, who is constituted Gov
.rnor Of the Bay Islands Colony and authorized to
Jet - sovereign, without any further instructions