, 1865-12-19
TEE PHONETIC SYSTEM.
Why Good Spoilers Oppose u Reform.
AnOrahoErAph1c cArf2tocr1cy-A Spoil

Why Good SpcllcE1 Oppose u Reform
AuOrshograp111c 11cArtssocracy-AS SPcII-
ing Lesson. -.=~,
Editors Chiesgo Tribune:
In describing tho difficulties OF English or
biography In previous article, it WAS stated
that the proportion of all American mon and
women Who can spell correctly through a
moderate range Of words, will not average to
exceed one In ten. And this Is all We have 10
show after nearly century Of the free school
system, and after an expenditure OF hundreds
Of millions OF dollars, and the pains-tAking
labor Of tens Of thousands Of teachers, who
have worn themselves out In the almost hopo.
less task Of impartins our barbarous ortho-
g11ph to their pupils. A foW individuals
plume themselves on being "good spellera,"
and look down Oh nl1 others With supreme
contempt a. ignorant persons. This fortunate
few, blessed With retentiye memories, aud en-
ployed In occupations that keep them In daily
photographic practice, .petulently dcnounce
the very Idea Of a sImplllcation Of our Intri
cate system Of spelling. They sssail With
ridicule and iuvectiye, those who, In behalf
of the masses, advocate an Improvement of
II, and will cot listen 10 such proposition.
Having managed somehow to crawl through
the ''slough Of .dsspond - themselves, they
are, determined thai no eausevay shall ever
be built, It for the accommodation Of
the millions who can never CROSS. It In this
life. They pcetsnatioasly Insist that not
thornshall be removed from the pupils path !;
that this almost insaperab1e impeachment in
the, way Of popular education shall not be
disturbed. It is useless to point out t;o:thcm
hat nfa1 ~
osthographJ, so :ong rs 1t l. retain;
ed, deprises the, children Of the masses
Of more than half the education
which otherwise they would obtain.
at our common schools. Our present oEthoe..
t91ornnee, and to prevent the diffusion Of The
blessings OF light and knowledge among tho
common people. I have never heard OF reei
one valid argument against the adoption Of a
reformed photography, because none can b.
offered. a friend Of the phonetic system at-
.tempts to explain the hostility. Of "good
nogruphy. He says In his letter to me: 't.tIat
people whosc habits and prcjudiccs arc cstab-
lishcd, look With aversion and suspicion uu
. euy 1ndica1 innovation. Whatever costs- n
: The most We prize most highly. Hence the
comra1atsTelr 1aEusn and Women who ha7c
full labor, fceln neryoua apprcheusfon Icsf ID
giving up the old, they may encounter as
much difficulty In mastering tho new system.
II do not WONDER" be 'con.innes, ssthat
the very thought Of having again to travel
over That dreadful alorny road, closes their
the phonetic systcm, and makes them reject
1t Without Investigation, I" How shah we
allay their feaE and soften their preiud;ees9
For the sake Of theis poor children. and their
nelshboF's children, nc must strive to make
them see the wonderful simplicity OF the pbo-
netic system, and explain to them, that the
transition from tho old to the uaw methnd
will not cost them as much effort and troubIs
u their children endure each month, Ia their
never ending task OF memorizIns the hun
dEed thousand words ct our language, with
out rule OF compass toatd fIem.''
Tbs writer t4ddouIteay offers correct So
lutlon lof MEeh Of the cause OF the opposi.
tion which the advocates Of oFthogTaphic
reform have to meet. Those who hare
learned 10 spell well, feel in some measure that
they belong to privileged class-a sort of
photographic arfstocracy, and they are not
particularly anxious that everybody should 10
admitted into It; ut least On easier terms
than those By which they entered.
But this select few arc not as Is bricht''
orthographlsts as they aatter themselves.
There are thousands Of words in the Language
that they cannot spell, not including the
l,oo TO 1,500 words, the orthogrnphy of
which has never been settled. This assertion
may be denied, hut to prove 1t ! will take at
raudom, hundred words in common use
among. educated people, and spell them
"toneticaly,'' in order to conceal, to some ex-
tent, the dictionary spelling, Now, let these
persous who think themselves ''good Bpelters''
write out each OF these words in the s.rornanlc''
method; and then consult Webster or Wor-
cestcr for q yeriication. Ny word for It,
they, Will be astonished at tho number Of
words they have missed" This exercise
will be useful, as 1t will help to correct con
siderable 'bad' spelling, and at tho samo
time take the conceit out Of some persous who
now ridicnle and eneer at the necessity OF
photographic reform. 1t will be amusing to
others on t'giyfng out'' this list Of words to
tlieis friends, who arc esteemed experts, 10
see how many Of them they miss. In the
s1onetlc" spelling below, the 'tsMALL cAr.''
letters stand for the long sounds Of the VOW
els, and roman, for the short sounds. ItalIc
Q desisnates long o, as the small cap and 10