, 1875-07-25
A Plea for Reform in English
Orthography-
"Those People Spell Best Who Do Not
Know How to Spell"
Inaugural Address Of DR.. J. Hammond
Trumbun, President Of the Amer
lean Pathological As
ISOLATION.


h.os-, ;+s .nrual session 1t that hmein Newport,
ri Unlike msny Of this papers read before
tbs bodv Of learned gentlemen, DR.. Trumbulls
address is both ph1ologic ard popular After
.o,,a valuable remarks about the Indian lam
rvn,or, of this country, Of which no ons knows
% much IS DR.. Trumball, he continued to apeak
"a follows: -
TIE ENaLHH LANGUAGE
Tam detaiuing yn too long among the bar
h.r;,ns In tho de7ious mazes Of American lin
en;s.ics it is EASY to lose ones way and TO forget
,ha ,ime I1ilN come nearer home, to say
something about q lauguage in which We have
ali Of Us more direct and seltlsh interest than IN
the A]eonkin; q language which Ve still ioVe TO
eaii English, in spite Of the predictions OF Noah
Webster that - future separation OF the Amel1-
ran tongue from the English would be necessary
and unayoidablo;" language which NO take
nr,de in believing mast ons day become uniTer-
a., Int which is obscure and burdened by
fashion Of spelling 80 " foul. strange, and un-
natursl.r tnnt {as my predecessor confcssed)
at i, no nse to tr5 to characterize it with fitting
epithets."
oUR METHODS OF SHILLING.
There ara signs Of Increasing interest IN the
subject of spelting-reform and of a disposition
to give suggestions to the best mode OF effect
inr such . reform fair hearing. The popular
mind seems awake, As never before. to apprecia-
+;on of the difficulties ecccntricittes and ab-
shrdities of the present standard~English caeos-
raphy: The remarks Of Prof. March on THIS
topic, in his address to onr Association last Eum-
mer, have bean extensively copied and apparent
" meet very gepe:nl approval. Prof. W. u.
Whitney. in discussing The question, ''How shall
~. src11 has ryen hl= influence in favor Of re-
fo-,,; .n7 ,hcrn,,ehtv exposed the weakness OF
ia stereotyued objections that are urged
as;,at II / aerios ~ xali-copsjdered and aug
at5at;ra n.nars hv DR.. e. Cobham Brewer,
6snciT,;,s ;sforro ~ have nnneared in the
Tar,;aI, ~ naiee mi Queries. In replying to
tL.sa H. ~ ~ Ssest. while he disseuts from
11Aeo1t ~ -. ,rs .nd -na1nt.ioa that sinca
II n.sN1t 80 ,,1arsIv .onrantiona, uwe NAV
". epoa pra1 s,an;asce n rha stareotyped forms.
Jass q ~ -; v.rsr;e. gat wakes tha nipn1ti-
sa.t sdn,;ss;on t5.t :. tboaa who can read the
s;aes ~ t,,a t;mes wI scern that the problem
o.ens :a4;..o ~. ,tse1y for solution nnd Will Gro
40 - pIese a.s ;..1f =, +ba fr,rt = much sus
lopg Pusn ..seA .,a,s.h,o x;11 hays to ha
pee.' ~ - I17, - ~ orjn,,ee;bIs rc,,r,,rrent
uons - asa,,i,,,, = 1n +,,;s country tha newa
sysem =. - ''e,;,9 ,t.alf m the a;de of ye
taEei .sWts m.ts 49, ;onr,a1 ..rernotoate
solm; ~ o:r+bo1rsn1,v az t takes not 1ess
assa'e,e " =. ~ an,;va 1;fa ~ A..
nu .nau n,I ,x,a,; v;th repnIar system
qure, "nen, "l.a s.snt
onto oetSoea, se.;;a. ~ .o.ro ,,s;t;ra vs1ne =,
pe oesotea ~ e ,aa;nnin- to III -. tho snhie.t
~ ..'" aaa,'otn;a 1n;nt ~ Ter as 1a1atod to
1av nonu,.r edncation. Bad spelling. We are told,
Popu4a1 eoueAson o4 ~ t.'s SIX mn M =
conss II liz ~ {;,na and 1,oo-r Annuity snont
~. M,.it,,d Sta;as in toach,ne ana flo chil-
80 @ .n1 =. eeaS s,a .ra,i n;.ht ho a.vsd hv in,rn-
aa.., -. "a-,s;ssant nhona1;c o-t -tnoora,hv stTha
tsr,s ~. s,ia,'r ,sttcra r. t;,a R,e1;sh
ta6 T., ..;,,;one ~ sach oaror.ti5n Sncf,
ss"ta ~. ~. 1-it;,ont ;ntarao, forst.r.narers A
,:t1 ~ - Iofara N Gonrac+;,t aei.i, ,t11-e tn
.,,a,,;aT for !. commission 70 rn,sfer and report
~ th- exnediency of adopting a reformed or
.,hs IN Tr7nt;nv the Lawn and Journals and
=, hoots nae, in tie p,,blic schools OF the State
THE SPELLING MATCHES.
.sna1]inr m.tches" Which, last winter, be-
.,a e,,;Ss,,;c haye had An influence for re-
for, fn these contests the anomalies and
wh;mscnjit;es of the current orthography were
hroneht mors clearly 10 popular apprehension
IrdHa5 di,inns Harmed Professors, authors,
snn e,a;to1n. And rrea. numbers Of wall-educated
iadias .ndAentleGnen. took part in these or
t1nera r,c c,o.Tnaments and A one atteran-
other missed some not vcrv uncommon word
and was comnel1ed to retire from tic lists, they
hac,1 ,s,snosad T., admit wlth Mr.. 4. J. Ellis,
hat ..to mel English is the most difficult Of
human attainments," and. with DR., Franklin,
thst :. 4hosa neon1a sne1l hast vino do
mt know how TO spe1t." Men are ask1ng
vhatIar there IA not. after all, As much absur-
49, in ranresnnt;nr half-a-aozen different and
T.ss;m;,a- sornIa hr mn and tha same combtna-
t,on IT jattera -the termiuation o,tgh. for in
a,anca SIS IN liza widest eccentricitiea of
@,hanot-v Alrasav +here il saws A reviewer
r. ~ Wb;tnar,a n,raT m are|1ine reform- Il \
~. 90 800 darrea of General eu1irnteoment an
th;a s1hiert T1,era ;s ahnndant Hostility to tbu
old snallinr among the sctiye class OF our School
s,.na1 ;ntanients and te,rhers. esnecmIlv vbere
+hare 10 carmen ch;1drsn in tna ..hooIs.n
~ nrNrnr oursrnv az Trr pn,sT1sa~nrp1czs
snei, ;r,icss;nna ~ .awaEaned nonular interest
-o aaoan,.n;na rhara H.. haa, in this countrv
a. 1eas+ 80 No., I;efa-anca ~ oninfon s1nono
aateasr ~ 10 .aa;n ,,na.t;nn isa reforn # 1e
oraea1.. s,a,3;nn dea;1sha2 Tha .Tcument has
p.e-' +,aar,r .,, ~ ona .,da tndif acho!ars haye
bes;+.+ad .,h1;o1g ~ sdsocs.e reforn it has boen
hec,n,se n their conviction rhat. go long AZ the
erast r,odr ~ ~ Fnc1;at,-rs.d1np nnbiic re-
9Ena;na5 ;od;rarsnt r. M ndvarsc there wasnn
49,. ~ sraaass T-na9;ancs haa shown Thai
w. .,rnnsad c,.1ne hoWovar veil considere,l
srG asan;notv nnarcentionahla- was lauched
do.n a.. snd coptam mnf,1pnslV re;ected h7 the
as,Ian~a nh;os1 WRISTS 90 s.na-+ ~ a rnovement
~ -a3ncn mr. anall;nD tn nriform r1,le Az m.
->oea5 ~ $500 I'D ~ ha1n fnrva1d the ob1it.
eeration f ali trace ~ the eriy,t,on aod history
~ words r. 10 ~ 10 nhilo1or;sts WIN vii be
uoat haraite 81 hv a reformed orthooYanhy. and
% NJ Staa,,s v;aw ~ the anh;ect il tbai
st;eh +ha ar.,t r,.;a,,tv ~ Eno];ah and