The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-09-13
How shall We spell.

e Spelling matches" which, Ia
J winter, became epidemic, have ha,
an influence for reform. In thesl
, contests the anomalies aud whimsi
caliiies of the current orthOgraph,
were brought more clearly to popu
lar apprehension. Judges, divines
learned professors, authors, and edi
tors, and gFea. numbers Of welI-edu
Gated ladies and gentlemen, took par
in these photographic tournaments,
ana as one after another missed som,
not very uncommon word, and wa
compelled 20 retire from the list, theS
! became disposed to admit, with Mr.
j A. j Ellis, that ITO spell English i:
the most difficult Of human attain
ments;" and, with Franklin, that
"those people spell best who do not
know how TO SPELL" Men are asking
whether there is not, after all, as much
absurdity in representing half-doz.
en- different ard dissimilar words by
one and the same combination of let
ers-the termination Oagh, for in
stauce-as 10 the widest eecentrici-
/ ties OF phOnstype.
Legislators are beginning to look
at the subject from the economic
point of view, as related to the popu-
lar education. Bad spelling, We are
[ told, costs the country not less than
Sl5, 600 000 a year. Half the time
and money annually spent in the Uni
ted States in teaching 100000 chill
dren TO read aDd spell might be saved
by introducing q consistent phonetic
ogthography. "The cost of printing
the silent letters of the English Ian
guage,r as Prof March observes,
lis TO be counted by millions in each
generation. Such facts are net
without interest TO the taxpayers.
Mr.. Skeat, an English scholar of
high repate, says: THE pace Of the
present day is tremendous, and we
are coming to this, that there will be
thousands whose interest il is TO
learn TO read, but who cannot fairly
spare the time to master that peculiar
system Of graphy which is useless
phonetically' but may, by the ety.
mologist, be rightly termed "orthOg-
raphy."
Prof. Max Muller might be trusted,
one would think, TO look out for the
Interests of etymology F; speaking Of
the objections made to phonetic re-
form, he says: Zone argument which
might be supposed to weigh with the
student Of language, viz, the obscu-
ration o. the chronological structure
Of words, l can not consider very
formidable. If our spell
ing followed the pronunciation Of
words, it would in reality be of great
er help TO the critical student of Ian
guage than the present uncertain and
unscientifc mode of writing;n and
he has expressed hope that a be-
gianing will be made before long in
reformiBg-nOt, indeed, everything,
but al least something in the HlLls-
torieai, unsystemdtic, uRiRtelligible,
uRieachable, but by no means una
meHdabie spelling (he is careful not
to say 'orthography) now currea; in
England"
There are always not few old
fogies who are welded to old notions
and old fashions. simply because they
have become accustomed to them for
so long that they have acquired what
is termed an historic interest" Thus
such words as "sceptre,n musick,
theatre, honour" etc, are venera-
ted despite the inconsistency of the
spelling aud pronunciation. 1t is
such people aud such notions that
stand in the way of reform, how
ever desirable it may be. 1t is
patent to the slightest thinker that
many amendments might be made to
our tongue for the better, and any
in such direction ought to
be hailed with spirit. Most scholars
who have given attention TO the sub
ject concur in the opinion that no re-
form can be successful without the |
of printiDg-oiiees Print
ers and publishers are naturally on !
the side of eonserv alton. Compost /
tors and proof-readers are now our
best spoilers, and do not care to be at
the trouble of learning new method. 1
There is much encouragement, how
ever, in the fact that so many inhu-
entail journals are msnifesting inter-
est in the subject. Should q reason
ably complete system be devised, and I
be adopted BY publishers of repute,
success would not be far distant. I
While we confess that there is a name
less charm for US in the language
which we have spent so many years
ia wrestling with, yet we would 4
quickly lay hold upon any clue which .
might lead our children out of the
labyrinth of superauOus letters which /
20 to make up words of the common
sst use The Eiectrotype journal