The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-06-04
Mark Twain on Spelling.

Inere was Sp6ll1Dg haUcn NJ the
Asylum Hill Congregational church,
Hartford, Conn, on Wednesday even
ing, and Mr.. Samuel l.. Clemens MARK
Twain being called on for few pre-
liminary remarks, spoke as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN have been
honored with the office OF introducing
these approaching photographed sOlem-
mites with few remarks. The tenn
perance crusade swept the land some
time ago-that is, that vast portion of
the land where it was needed-but it
skipped Hartford. Now comes this
new spelling epidemic, and this time
we ale stricken. So I suppose we
needed the affection. I don't say we
needed it, for / don't see any use in
spelling a word right, and never did.
| mean I don't see any use in having a
uniform and arbitrary way of spelling
words. We might as well make all
clothes alike and cook all dishes alike.
Sameness is tiresOme variety is pleas
ing. I have a correspondent whose
letters are always refreshment to me {;
there is such breezy, unfettered
originality about bis photography. He
always spells Kow with large X.
Now, that is Just as good as to spell it
with a small one. It is better. It
: gives the imagination broader field, a
wider scope. Il suggests to the mind
a grand vague, impressive, new kind of
COW. Superb effects 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 enthusiast in photography.
When you give him a word he shouts
it outputs all his soul into it. | once
heard him called upon to spell Orang-
Ou1taug before an audience. He said,
so, rang, Orang, ger, ger, Granger,
a-n-g, tang, Granger tang Now, a
/ body can respect an Orang- outang that
/ spells his name in q vigorous way like
that. But the feeble dictionary makes
/ a mere kitten of him. In the old times
people spelled just as they pleased.
/ That was the right idea. Yon had two
| chances at stranger then. You knew
| n strong man from 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
anybody. That is a mistake. The
spelling faculty is born in man,
like poetry, music and art. 1t is
a gift it is a talent. People who
have this gift in high degree only
need to see a word once in print and it
is forever photographed upon their
memory. They cannot forget it. Peo-
pie who haven't it must be content to
spell more or less lLe-like thunder
and expect to splinter the dictionary
wherever their Orthographical lightning
happens to strike. There are Id, ZOO
ords in the Unabridged Dictionary
know 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 always consist of those
constantly recurring $50 words. Now
and then, when she finds herself obliged
to write upon a subject which necessi-
tates the use of some other words, she
we'll, che don't write on that subject
have a relative in New York who is
almost sublimely gifted. She can't
spell any word right There is a game
callt d Verbarium. A dozen people are
each provided with a sheet of paper,
across the top of which is written a
long word like kaleidoscopical, or some
thing like that, and the game is to see
who can make up the most words out of
that in three minutes, always beginning
with the initial letter of the word.
Upon one occasion the word chosen
was cOfferd8m. When time was called
everybody had built from five to twenty
words except this young lady. She only
had one word, calf. We all studied a
moment and then said, "Why, there is
no in cofferdam !" Then we examined
her papr. To the eternal honor of
that uninspired, unconscious, sublImely
independent soul be IL said, sh had
spelled the word "caff " If ANYBODY
here can spell calf any more sensibly
than that, let him step to the front and
take his milk. The Instruction viii
now begin"
A TRoTTING WONDER WITHOUT PED
IGRER.-The buckski mustang, Dom
Elipha, is expected 10 arrive here to
morrow from Los Angeles on the steamer
Orizaba. This wonderful horse, with
out pedigree, has an interesting his
tory. He was for a long time worked
in hauling stages in Arizona, and ha-
done considerable cavalry service in
hat country. One of the feats per
rmed by this half bre6 d while in the
cavalry WAS tle td'LNAuS SOlCItI Ont
hundred miles in one day. He was
purchased by Smith & Billings, Of Los
Angeles, two years ago, for a mere song,
and Put IN training. He has trOtted
five races in the Orange Grove CITY.
and when he SEQ ed 2 80 he shut himself
out of future contests in that locality
until the racing stu shall be improved
This is the best record made on anv
course in Southern California. The
last race won bv the Don vas two
mile race for s., 0OO A brilliant future
is predicted for the Don, and it is
expected he will yet go to the string
under the twenties.- San Francisco
D,,IIoJSs,