The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-05-30
Mark Twain and the Spelling Boo.
A LuMtNous oK1r1oN on THE SUBJECT.


There was spelling match at the Asylum
Hill Congregational Church, Hartford, Conn.,,
recently, aud Mr.. Samuel L. Clemens mark
Twain) being called on for few preliminary
remarks, spoke as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemea-I have been honored
with the office of Introducing tbess anproaoh
ing photographed solemnities with q few re-
marks. The temperance crussde swept the
laud some time ago-that is, that>yast portion
OF the land where it was most needed-but it
skipped Hartford. Now comes the new spell
ing epidemic and thisRime sce are STRICKEN. So
l suppose We needed the affection. don't
say we needed it, for I don't see any use In
1 don't see any use in having uniform and
arbitrary way of spelling words.
We might as well make all clothes alike and
cook all dishes alike. Sameness is tiresome
whose letters are always q refreshments to me
there is such q breezy, uufettered originality
about his Photography. He always spells Kew
to spell it with q small one. 1t 10 better. 1t
gives the Imagination q broader field wider
scope. 1t suggest to the mind q grand, vague,
can be produced by variegated spelling. Now,
there is Blind Tom, the musical prodigy. He
always spells word according to the sound
that is carried to his ear. And he is an
thusiast in photography. When you give him
a word he shouts it outputs all his soul into
it. 1 heard him called upon to spell
before an audience. Tie Sa1Q,
20, r-a-n-g, orang, ger. ger, Granger. tang,
tang, oraugger tang" Now, a body can respect
an orang-outang that spells his name in a
vigorous way like that. But the feeble die
tionary makes mere kitten of him. In the old
times people spelled inst as they pleased. That
was the right idea. You had two chances at a
stranger then. You knew strong man from
q weak one by his iron-clad spelling, and his
handwriting helped you to verify your verdict.
Some people have an idea that correct spelling
can be taught, and taught to nybody. That
is mistake. The spelling faculty is born in
man, like poetry. music and art. 1t is a gift
| it is talent. People who have this gift in a
high degree only need to a word once in
| print and it is forever photographed upon
who haven't it must be content TO spell moi 9
| or less like-like thunder-and expect to
| splinter the dictionary wherever their or
| biographical lightning happens to strike.
There are 114O0O words in the Unabridged
dictionary. know a lady who can spell only
$50 of them right. She steers clear of all the
| rest She can't learn any more. So her letters
aIways consist of those constantly recurring
$50 words. Now and then, when she finds her
self obliged to write upon q subject which
necessitates the use of some other words, she
| a relative in New York who is almost sub
| timely gifted. She can't spell any word right.
There is u game called Verbarium. dozen
| people are each provided with a sheet OF
paper. across the top of which is written a
| long word like kaleidoscopical, and the game
| is to see who can make up the most words out
| of that in three minutes, always beginning
| wi h the initial letter of the word. Upon one
occasion the word chosen was cotferdam. When
| time was called verybody had built from five
to twenty words except this young lady. She
only had one word, calf. We all studied mo-
ment and then said, Why, there is no in
rotterdam" Then we examined her paper To
| the eternal honor of that uninspired sublimely
independent soul be it said, she had spelled
that word {" caff" If anybody here can spell
calf any more sensible than that, let him step
to the front and take his milk. The insurrec-
| ton will now begin"