The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-01-24

IClcaDl0. Based on such system our
English writing is supposed to be.
Why then shall it not follow the lead
Iof its companion, and as the voice rings
out its melodious changes, the hand
keep time with it's faithful symbols
1t will Down before the march OF
simple representation must fall the
barriers of ignorance, the idols of pref.
udice, and the bulWarks of cOnSerya-
tism. The only question for US is
whether we will march with the tri-
umphal procession, or be trampled in
the ruin and dust of our tottering for
tifcations. There is no delusion in
this. When we trace the line of the
past and the course Of the present we
have two points in establishing the
line Of the future, and sooner will the
proposition for straight line fail than
the immutable laws of progress.
Again, the times are suspicious for the
great work of purifying the English
language. The present advancement
of the work gives precedent for flu
ture action. Statistics can be fur
nished showing the correction of hun
dreds of words within the past centu-
Try. It shall be my effort at some fu-
ture time to give the public a list Of
these changes. Let the incredulous
| refer to the prefaces of Webster's Die
tionary, and see what one man accom-
plished in this work; and let the still
llncredulOus compare Webster's first
dictionary with the volume that now
bears his name. When the conviction
once comes home to us that we are not
undertaking a new thing, but that we
may aid in celebrating the speed Of
this glorious work, we shall be heartily
ready to join hands in the movement.
Again, the attention which has been
called to this subject for the last TWEEN
ty-five years has convinced the minds
OF our eminently practical people of
the inconsistencies of the present sys-
tenn. The mind of nation, as it were,
is directed to the tax imposed on child
hood by the one study Of the orthogra-
ply Of the words of our language; not
as q science, but merely to memorize
the spelling. Some one has estimated
that eleven years Of the students life
must be devoted to this work. And
then how unsatisfactory the results
For whether he write or speak, the
dictionary must keep him company.
From the first lesson at school, to the
grave, he is never a success in the one
thing, of being master Of his vernacu-
lar. Educators, to remedy this evil, to
outflank the enemy as it were, have
within the last twenty years laid par
ticular emphasis on phonic drill as the
basis of primary instruction. This be-
comes at once factor in the accom-
plishment Of reform in spelling. Our
schools now present rising genera
ton not unacquainted with the simple
sounds which unite to form words-or
the processes by which they are discov-
ered-and the phonic analysis which
once sounded so strangely to our ears
has become SIS familiar as our Gbc's.
Not only this, but by the use of dia-
critical marks, we have been taught
to represent those sounds, so that the
letters Of word have come to be con
sldered as perfect, only so far as they
represent its phonic elements. The
glory Of the originators and promulga-
tors Of this work brightens as we see
the result to which it tends. BY care
full survey and comparison of our
words, we also discover that etyraolb-
gy, rather than hinder, helps on to the
contamination Of this work. The
Latin, from which directly or indi-
rectly such large proportion of our
words are taken, is far ahead of our
language, in adherence to the prime.
pies which we have shown to be funda-
mental in spelling. It's. clear intelli-
gible words will suffer no material
change in this reform.
Again, the times are suspicious be-
cause of the peace relations between
the nations that speak the English
language. Peace nourishes the arts
and sciences, and the means Of inter
communication render the rapid ex-
change of ideas possible. Besides, the
liberty Of free thought and speech
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