, 1865-09-14
POPULAR EDUCATION.
Necessity of photographic Reform
No. I.

POPULAR EDUCATION.
Necessity of photographic Reform
No.l.
Editors Chicago Tribune:
The war being happily over, pence restored
to our bleeding country and the naughty
rebels pretty effectively conquered, the press
of the countrv Is turning It's attention to other
s,,,,,octa t1,on m ,chca scoes and batt1cae]ds.
conscf'ptlons, volunteering, nnn oouu,
Tie arts ofpeace now claim tue thoagnts o1
The citizen and tho journalist the building up
,rtho wostc n1arcs 1natlc t1cso1atc by contend
~ o1.,,,rs thc dcyclonr,z,t Of the natural
''s ''"''eo, s - - se,,,t,,,, +ho nv+o,s,,,,
rcsoufccs u Jul - 1A' eo'n'.y NV
Of commerce and manaiactufes the th'en-
ton and application Of new iabor-sayiug ma.
a1.yre-v far .bc nroduct,on of the neccssaries
~ 1,,x,,r;es If 1;f .c-oll these nov cnoross
-. 49,, .,o-',so. AZ o,r -ostloss ri,,o--
Gus and cntcrprising American people.
But the improvement Of tho mind must not
be ovar1ooket or NEGLECTED., The education Of
.,,-,N..s.1 1ss,,..Ia a.. -.
tne 11sms senef1aioh enoetu noa -. utst p.nee
fu the thoughts OF heads OF 1ainlhes' II Il mat
ter Of too great importance to be rccSoned as
@ :. .ne,1". p.a,n. r,,,n A. fntc,,,rent con,,
as pu".s ossaas % .s"s,,, ..,arn tnns,onao 4,
mtnity exercises vastly more fnnucncc In a
nation than IN ignornnt QUE Aman controls
a horse, a lion, or Nh elephant, not by his
rrcatcr physical strength, but by virtue OF his
superior lnte.'ect. nc oulNAs t',s'a ne
Knows more than they. 80 IN eaueateo man
quickly establishes his superiority over his
ilI5tcrate fellows, and sallowed 10 'sicld great
influence with them, directing and conducting
their con1ctrs pretty much as hn plcases.,
7 ~ n$w hn}f InI1r t{rn
that 900, 81, slave holders wero enabled to in
yolye G,0o0, 600 Of Ignorant "poor white
trash ~ in tic crime Of treason and in the lor-
rors Of gigantic civil war. Aud 1t was by
virtue Of tic superior intelligence of tho
Northern masses TINT the Government, In
was enabled to crush out that tremendous re-
bcllion, aud whip the Southern arIstocmcy
anu their ignorant followers into uncondi-
ticnal submission. Verify, knowledge is
,,o4ter.
But DO not propose to write an essay on
the manifold Advantages 1t confer5 on lis pos
SCISSORS, because take It for granted Tint
these petnta ntc conceded without argument
or proof. But with the TR1nuSE's consent
wish 10 present to the reading public OF the
Sorfhyest SONG thoughts In regard to pro-
motinr the diffusion of education anon. the
masses md removing obstacles that impede
the fret Of the climber IN the hill OF science
toward Tie temple OF kuowlelrc which NC
hive all seen pictured on the ffonlIspiecc Of
our spelling books, and which every good
4 puril homes 10 enter. do not ask the TR1-
T,Sr 10 endorse auy views I NAV advance, or
| he resnonsIb,c in tie smallest de..1ec for on7
| innovations on cstablishcd usage which
| may he nroposcd, I only desire that It shall
| allow me TO address its Wide circle Of ,e lters
| In beholf Of wlnt l deem . highly important
educational reform. have no axe to grind.
| Thero is no money for the writer In the
schemc. IL is not like "strfking OIL" Ia a
1rcuniary no(nt Of view, bat Is pure 1abor
Of lore, ior the great cause orpopular cduca-
| tion-thouehi It may turn out 10 be loves la
Dor lost, and prove to be a thanhlcss task.
Without further prelude, shall proceed to iu-
troducc tllc subject which may occupy several
letters before II IS sufficiently presented to
Tho rublic. What pfopo=e 10 do Is to pre-
sent 10 the public plan whereby faur-niths
Of lhc Iabor Of learing to read, and nineteen
twentieths of tho labor Of learning to spell
Shall Lc spared each pupil. The Problcln Is
10 To- disco1er tho largest degree of reform
which the American public may bc induced
TO accent In the present orthogrophy of the
ianruaEe, Tue first thing il 10 ascertain
what Is tho best change on present usage that
viii answer the end III view. To partially
CORRECT, Or rather to change the spelling OF .
worth the trouble II costs. 1ellcye II 10 " y.
possible 10 adors INC pseoneLie pr1nclP1e, y
substance, and spell nearly ail words accord,
ing 10 Inc sound oi ING leLtets useo, aau ye'
preserve gfeat 1neasufS ~. luz pacssms
aiance ~ u tns nr,1. aan cno liz H., NJ
eaun'sS s ;a1nat uu n,a the;r e.vnn'orr ncea nj
ha 'su .e1,nms,v ,;,s;nrhraI Sn II: transition
o e 'ns ~ oae oaer :" onJ ~ ,"n nat Nv minute
nstruct;on .;;,1 % rno % h1c anv mr. wbo can rcai
S to nrcs"nt ~, ,nndo % to rsa, T as wall M and il
nshrrt i;mc far hctter, hv The new method.
Thc f,rst hrnnch II elementary educatjon i;
| e,,a11;,- era -oa dIno II Il the mnst Tmnort
. ont aI3fi ;s lie Hardest to acouire, Of th
Wnno,s .nr3cs II onrbt IN he an. Of the casI
ns4 THsrc sbon11 Ec NJ, mnre cfIort reoufret
g. 1o,.,, ~ rani tIon ~ toiir With n yer-
,V,r ...s.s.n.. ~. s,setr,,tinn a ch;I1 ouvh
ts p1pp ~ ~, 10. war1 w1.,ci' lie tcoch
~ ~ rn,r Nv NV ,,ronnnmce md tn rrna nnr wor
VII. .,-.,a,.,encpr os thts Is witnessed in m
eusn Ptous,enes 1,o ~ sn hnnr"n,,v of Tho Ena
1s S...at., = aa,,,;snJ -. III. and ,,cfnfi
i1sA lnns "13s - y +. ~ Tnrr ~ 1nr,- m
nsg!Gea ,rIn" raars "a fosl bronn at fo1r an
Nhsos ea's - t1'raa .san s.n-s md I'm w NJ
none y. ~ IA ~ In. mc,nnEia. nna II,
pslsons' - s M cn1s.n,,t - ~. ~
o. hn1q sluos aHu eoi.7tau- plAsHsc ~ alts
Ilc, acnitsc Eflnalhapo ptoacisne3s ~. ~
succeed y mcnosizlns INC asGepIea, a. ,o,! a
ply OF great many Mofas. oli wneae 80 .ns, !
/
hundred bad or indifferent ones.
Few persons ever stop 10 cons1aeF ,1s snI iuea
culable injury the present system oi 2F'a9S1
:. nly Is doing to the cause Of popular cdnga. ~
Few have refiectsd on the extreme dil1cuat:
thcalmost in1possibility, OF acquiring the q
Of spelling according to The present En- mou ,1ea,
r. They look bacl occasionally 10 tae Mcai a'l
!, Eo,lrs Of their own childhood, glad that the
= have not again to tread the Horny pages
the spelling book, and, content On compl
sion, with what progress they made; becau:
they Lasc neither time nor taste for aeaulrln
i more Of that sort Of Information. They r.
i gard our present system as fixed and Ill
cbangeable, and the necessity to learn II OF
. from which there is no escape Each chnd
= therefore, rcmofselessIy subjected 70 me rac
O aHl: Torture, ns was rs iather anu mother
C fore It.. It Is sent 70 seHool ior years au
Is learns ilnally 10 teaa ana sps.!, some, an
whal Tine aiter r me n5st nan @ aozem .a Hears
schooinS Gun DC spafc9 lEoM t4e speileE a1l
reader is devoted 70 othef bfanehes:
). It may oo assertea WitA sa,eIy, tnas On
It hall OF ~ ihe Tune snent ~ seaooi W AneI ~ s
can yon.h Is pn;aa IN ~ nh;a,p 70 spe1f ~ ~
1ead. Ihis rue aPpes ~ h cniolen aea, u ~
;, children to school constantly, from inlant
it 10 manhood. Ihe great mass 81 children oS'
a The remainder Of the year they arc at hon
working nfms or a. lrndes. And "nic on
ball Of ali me Time spent IN school Is devoie
70 tne aisl ofanGn O. edueatlon, 1nfee-1o9lti =
Il q tho time Of INC least favored half q T.
d children Is spent on ms branch. and wht
n they 1lnally quit SCHOOL NOW small . propo
= lion Of them can Writo letter and spell u
:, words correctly" Is because our syste
:. :, Of onh1s1nphy Is radically and Inherent
!. WfonE, ihat 1hcIe 9re such nnltitudes Of "ba
:, speliefs the languaSe were spelled co
y 1ee3t5 Inc peop.e eoald gu learn It win nl
I htlle suoft. Nine:tenths OF the time no
u arbitrary and lncongruous orthography cou
T. be saTed and employed In acquiring Idea
!. iacts, tntormatton-in learning the m:ani1 n
= md power OF Wo5ds, correct pronmciaiis
!. and accent, and clear aud elegant arttcul