, 1876-03-18
panlcky. pANloY. or pANlKye


10 the Editor Of The CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
Your nuBWer to correspondent rs to Tho prop
OF spelling of tho word "panioky " Is, no doubt,
oorroct not only 50 far as " tho analogy of tho
language (that In to say, tho method generally
followed in English npclling) is concerned. but
popular usage also in tho case Of that particular
word. Ido not remember to have scon tho
spelling "pattoy" in any printed work that
could stamp 1t with authority rs legitimate spell
ing. Your abatement "a to tho nound OF boforo
r. i, aud n, IL, OF course, correct. But Ia It not
. fact tia. t,ls lottor q u English, ia not only
inconyenicns and supor1uoun, but q general
nuisance, II I may Introduce auch word ID D
literary discussion
1t noods no argument to SHOW that 9 Is su-
peEanouB letter, a. every student Of the EuBlthu
language knows that its place would be much
bottar supplied, in all The wordH In which it IS
now employed. by o!tlior k 5. It waa, no
doubt, originally employed to represent q l.
sound, and II 'Gaa a greht mistake to apply 1t to
any oshor; Our classical scholars confess shls 4
(adopted by Ann, Arbor and other pop
ular American co'legos). tley propose to
establish as tho inyatIaEIe aoHnd
ssa y s @ Out sess can Ss ds
into th.t, can they not be taught TO write t'dn.
| tky" III preference 10 nnv otllos form7 know
very we'll that tho Grceha wrote tue Hntne OF tho
noar 70 tllo lson,an form =" Cicero" from winch
1t Ia doliyed as "paniky" is to ahe Crock
spanfkos," from which it comes. Il is true We
wfita "panic," and that ts the immediate
formed hut vhas moan to nay u. that there ta
no reason why Two ot,ots should 10 employed
in thiB instance, as one III quito sufficient It
was a mistake. In tho first lElHsancc, when Was
| employed instead Of T. III tho formation Of tho
no use Whatever in duplicating mud por-
petuating tho same missake iu tho adjective
| formed from tho old noun panic" Az tho
| 80 tho crroE Is mot yos Atoreotyped, why can we
not put tho word into that form which ID at onco
tho simplest, aud also tho nearcst to tho original
form Of tic word fn tho Greek fronl which 1t is
~ know know vory vol that this involves tho vl,olo
question Of tho reformation Of our Engltali
orthography Gt auch term can be applied 10
such q wtotchu1 syBtenl Of representing sounds
photography rather than IN ortlogr4phy ~;
but That is tho very rcason why th.nk 1t worth
while to submit tho little u,attor OF tho ,ise Of
readers. Shall wo continue for another
coutury this chaos :oi conflicting signs nnd
sounds, which We call English photography,
which uets q. dofaaco all tho experience Of past
Ases. tho plalneAt dcsasos OF comm sense, and
tlle congonleuoo aud futoteat Of millIons OF tho
moat Intelligent race of men that hnyo Us yet
appeared ta this worlds history Tho operas
Or American school IL worse than tho work Of
Penelope un1nyeling by night tue work which
ole so laboriousy wrought by day. She Lad o
good reason for her buay doing and und0ihg,
but wo have EonD for that which We mako our
poor chdron perform. Wa first teach tho child
10 cali tho fisss lottor Of tho alphabet a, ~ In
cake, aud ti,ou whom tno Atslo 9,, t1nocent saya
kaeI s'y 20 you itss IL itSpa ;naii! It
We have one algn OF letter for eight Of nine
different eounds, and ctght or nine different
siGns for the same sound. Wo have sounds that
nre indicated by no lotter. aud letsors that ud-
| nd itJ,w 6pdnnH FnRfh 4 he thar