New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-09-09
order to give Che experiment fair trial, It will

be necessary to begin with some simple, savage
people without book to swear by. Even
then the old inevitable difference between
spelling and pronunciation would reassert it
self with the advance of literary cultivation
Our author seems to have forgotten that there
was time when there were no books at all.
Mr.. Medill makes a long quotation from Noah
Webster to show that the irregularities in En-
glsh photography have always been subject
of "deep regretn-that somebody tried to reform
them in the age of Elizabeth-that somebody
else tried to reform them in the age OF Charles
l., and that Mr.. ElphnstOne tried to reform
them in the age of George III. lie might
have added that he, DIR. Webster, tried to re-
form them in the age of George Washington,
and printed thick book in a bastard English
of his own begetting. Nothing came OF 1T,
however; the world went Oh spelling IN one
way and prOnOuncing in another as 1t VIII,
perhaps, continue to do. People will write
"house" as they have done, "hOuse' simply
because the thing Indicated as "a house"
They may pronounce it "huss," or "hOss," or
"haus," or in any other way which may happen
to be the mode, but house" it will remain to
the end of the chapter, and so it should be
written and printed.
Mr.. Medill warns lis to treat this matter seri-
ously. at is only" he says, the prejudiced,
I" the thoughtless, and the careless among editors
"who will ridicule and reject this reform with
." ont investigation. But they stand in their own
eight by so doing. 1t is in the power OF the
American press to introduce this reform, or to
postpone its adoption for long time; but
"sooner or later it will force its way, in spite
even of their opposition, because its adoption
" is an ever pressing. irrepressible necessity"
1t may be "prejudiced, 'and thoughtless, and
careless" to decline to spell Geography" as
Mr.. Medil does, Jeografy" but it strikes us that
the prejudice, and the thoughtlessness, and the
carelessness. are all uponthe other side. "GeOgra-
"phy" comes from the two respectable old Greek
words, each beginning with letter answering
to our "g" Rightly spelled it signifies a
"descrption of the earth's surface" Will any
body be good enough to tell us what "Jeogra-
fly" signifies Is there any "pressing, irrepres-
=" sible necessity for making a muddle of our
established word in such " thOughtless" and
careless way9 Dir. Billy Gray, the eminent
New England merchant, painted "Asha" upon
| the stern of one of lis ships. Being remOn-
strated with, he asked if "Asha" does not spell
II
Asia" what does it spell' The answer should
have been that it does not spell the name of
that quarter of the globe called and known
as asia" Neither does "Jeografy" spell
GEOGRAPHY" "Why not ?" asks Mr. Medill.
"Smply because it does moi" is all the answer
which the question deserves -
| Mr. Medill claims that to teach children to
read by the old methods is ga herculean task y
and that to teach them so to spell correctly is
impossible. The "herculean task" has been
pretty successfully performed by many men and
women not remarkable for physical strength,
and nothing is gained by stating the difficulties
thus ALPHABETICALLY. A long list of Il" heteric'
spellings proves nothing, so long as they may be
readily divided into a few well-detned classes.
Mr.. Medill has undoubtedly simplfed the
matter very much by discarding arbitrary pho
netc signs. We make no objection if children
can he more readily taught by it to his plan /;
but we must protest against the attempt to
force il upon newspapers. ..R f..