The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1875-06-02
The photographic Rage.
From the Phil. North American.

From the Phil. North American.
We are always glad to commend any popular
rage which combines pleasure, or amusement,
and profit Pure fun is favorable to digestion,
and good digestion promotes public virtue A
piece of poor beef two inches square poorly
cooked, sometimes grows into cloud that to-
tally obscures the summer skies of domestic
bliss. A hearty laugh sometimes clears the So
cial atmosphere as thunder storm purifes the
atmosphere we breathe. We have not, as a
people, too many amusements. We cannot
speak as Internationally concerning the quail
ty of such amusements as we have. Some of
them exhale the odor of stale jokes. Some
address themselves, or are addressed to
| low down human nature. Some of the wit
in vogue reminds one of the biggest kind
of an elephant trying to frisk like a lamb
If we cannot laugh at the wit its awkwardness
generally provokes a smile. Somehow we ex-
tract amusement from almost every attempt to
! amuse. This shows that we are q good-na-
tured folk, and reveals possibilities which Of
fer very great encouragement to the gentlemen
WIN manu- ~ thOAA olud1 ~ OuAlfCI huuldu b.
ciety. There is a latent tendency in this coun-
try to burst out into RACES. We have had the
national game rage very badly indeed.
We have had the popular lecture rage, and
the aquarium rage. Were the RACES which
have assumed epidemic form in this country
during the last twenty-five years catalogued,
the result would be a very respectable and not
altogether uninteresting volume and since the
book-maiing rage ranks prominent among
American RACES the wonder is that this result
these RACES are phenomenal. They are Incl
dents of the ferment of human nature. Grave
people sometimes allude to them derisively as
follies, but it is extremely likely that but for
the arrival of these follies," as they are oc-
casionally termed, we might have hadEsome-
thing in their place very bad indeed.
The photographic rage, which appears to
have involved the entire country in its throes,
is only a resurrection of something bygone.
1t is one of those good things which, like the
human soul, bear resurrecting. 1t addresses
itself to the remedy of weakness well nigh
universal, and though prosecuted previously
as pastime, never fails to insure a large meas
ure of actual profit. Very few educated per-
sons can claim immunity from an occasional
Chad SPELL" This would happen in any case,
and under most favorable circumstances. But
where, as in this country, two standards pre-
vail, variations in photography constantly oc-
cur. If this photographic awakening shall
serve to convince the people that all writing
ought to conform to a single common standard,
a very desirable good will be achieved. 1t is
absurd to admit there can be two right modes
of writing a word in the English language
There is one sufficient mode, certainly, and the |
sooner that mode is adopted the less frequent
will g bad spells " become. Whoever takes up |
books printed two hundred years ago and COM
oares the photography with that now in use,
will observe that very marked changes have
been made.
The reform has been in the direction of eu-
'hony chiefly. A great deal of what lawyers
all surplusage has been got rid of, and at the
lame time the language has become more dis
motive in form, sound, and application The
practice of using silent letters has been much
but it has not been entirely dis
ontinued. A great many foreign terms have
een introduced bodily into the English Ian
uage, and some of them have been orthograph-
cally conformed to our system. More still re-
ain their original form, and the sturdy though
OF altogether successful efforts of Noah Web
ter to Anglicize them, shows how tenaciously
eople hold to familiar forms even where the
ound has been lost by use.
Apart from the efforts to introduce spelling
y sound, of which some have made special ,
z, the direction of photographic reform has
cen as heretofore stated. That is-in casting I
ut silent and surplus letters. We doubt if
zen the best English photographer can give
~ reason for reducing "myght" to plain
might" that will not work the change of
honour" to plain "honor" The gu " is
early surplusage. Foreigners fling certain
inconsistencies in our faces when
e laugh at their blunders in English. Our
nguage is strong enough, but it lacks homo
neity, very natural lack indeed, consider
- 40 VIC AhuStJ thet VIC AdNo HOt
aw largely from other tongues in building MP
T own. Some insist that the only remedy
IS in eliminating from the language the Dor a
wed words. That is easier said than done;
d were it done, the defects most complained q
would in good part remain to vex. We have au
ot of ugly looking words ending in "ugh" an
lich can never be reconciled to a common or
ndard of pronunciation These terminals =
We sometimes the Office of ''w'' and some
les of " fl" to perform. After long prac- 7
e we learn to spell 'laugh" and "staff" each Ki
its own way; and though "of" and -
ough" respectfully rhyme, no man who ~
pes to figure as a poet, ever spells "of'' on
ugh" 1t is not necessary to pursue these j
yrant absurdities further. When wit fails
humor is at ruinous discount, these or RI
graphic comicalities will remain to assure
world that the stock in trade of laughter is
xhaustible. After Jones has spelled Vi
ugh, Smith has only to spell "snow" in
same fashion, and even the man who has
e his length in Erie and failed, must smile. par
haps it is as well to preserve these ancient and
imarks intact. To the rising generation and
ign born they serve as "shibboleth" did at he
passes Of the Jordan. No man can be re-
rad info the falloxua hin of cod E,-l..L Il.