The Van Buren press., 1875-06-01
Mark Twain on Spelling.

There was = spelling match at Asylum
Hill Congregational church, Hartford,
one Wednesday evening, and Mr.. Samuel
L. Clemens Mark Twain) being called
on for few preliminary remarks, spoke
as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: have been
honored with the office Of introducing
these approaching photographic solemni-
ties with few remarks. The temperance
crusade swept the land some time ago
that is, that vast portion Of the land
where it was needed, but 1t skipped Hart
iord Now cofaes this new spelling ePi-
demic, and this time IRE are stricken. So
suppose we needed the affiictisn
don't say we needed it, for ! don't see
any use in spelling q word right, and
never did. mean don't see any use in
having a uniform and arbitrary way Of
spelling words We might as we'll make
all clothes alike. and cook all dishes alike.
Sameness is tiresome, variety is pleasing.
have correspondent whose letters are
always a rcfreshmcnt to me; there Is
such a breezy, unfettered originality
about his orthography. He always spells
kow with largo X Now, that's just ~
good as to spell it with a small one. II 10
better. 1t gives the imagination wider
scope. 1t suggests to the mind grand,
vague. impressive, new kind OF q COW.
Superb effects can be produced by vaiie-
gated 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 enthusi.
asst in photography. When you give him
word, he shouts it out, puts his whole
soul into it, once heard him called up
OF to spell orang outang before an audi
cncc. He said, O.r.-a.n-g, orang, & e-f,
ger, an 6, tang, Granger tang Now,
a body can respect an orang outang that
spells his name in vigorous way like
that. But the feeble dictionary makes
kitten Of him. In the old times people
spelled just as they pleased. That was
the right idea. You had two chances it
stranger, then. You knew strong man
from weak one BY bis iron clad spelling
and his handwriting helped you TO veri.
fy your verdict, Some people have nm
idea that correct spelling can be taught,
and taught to anybody. That is mistake.
The spelling faculty is born in man,
like poetry, music and art. 1t is gift 1t
is talent. People who have this gilt In
a high degree, need only to see word
once in print, and it is forever photo.
grsphed upon their memory. They can
not forget IL People who haven't Il must
be content to spell more or less likc--liks
thunder-and expect to splinter the die.
tionary wherever their photographed
lightning happens 10 strike. There arc
1000 words In the unabridged diction.
ary. I know lady who can spell $50 Of
them right She steers clear OF oil the
rest. She cant learn any more. So her
letters consist Of those constantly reeuP.
ring $50 words Now and then, when she
finds herself obliged to write upon sub.
ect which nccessitates the use Of some
other words, shc--we.l, she don't write
on that subject have q relative in New
York who is almost subimely gifted.
She cant spell any word right. There 10
a game called Verbarium. A dozen pso-
pie are each provided with sheet OF pa.
per, across the top Of which is written .
long word, like kaleidoscopical, or some.
thing like that, and the game Is to see
who eau 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 Golfer
dam. When time was called everybody
had built from five to twenty words ex.
ccpt this young lady. She only had one
wold--calf We all studied a moment,
or two, and then said Why, there's
no ! In coffer-dam Then we examined
her paper To the eternal honor Of that
unlnspircd, unconscious, sublimely inde-
pendent soul, be it sale, she had spelled
that word caff' II anybody here can
spell calf any more sens,bly, than that,
let him step to the front aud take his
milk The insurrection will now begin