, 1879-03-29
k9idicuioust1ess OF the Present
System Of English
Orthograpby.
How Some Changes Can Be Mado
with Equal Ease and
Benefit.
.lu lntertsling Lecture BY Pfef. Edward
hoTIh, eT Hamilton
College.

my, r f,
feo' ~, on Inc Ene''sn Ln"s"ass =, :" t.n.s n.s
LECTURE he presented striking artay OF inets
and features lit the history aul structure VI t'le
English 1anouapc. which were ftamed into d
80 -. liz sno1,,nv.rofor,n. In our ouhiic
P'e" ~, w ~. .5,,,,,. ..o,,d tna,. .i,sn
Schools ITO ha'u' ''u pup's epo"" ,l'o'p s'a"
half, probably two'thirds, OF thelf t'fao IN e1,
furt8 to U1astcr tll9 spelling, writing, 1pcaklng,
o,. h,storv ~ n ,atprauo which most OF them
49, .s1ana.,f, "a u tmiIho vtth their ,nnthcrss
*'e , saPpua.u nn sr,," .t.,, sra.. a., 49,,
1nllk,' atter Il aash'nh' Ahc t!llto 7Pclt " "
Ing to mnstcr the abolltnE Of this sefnae"Iar
trrcru1o1,tics nnd fnconsistencles. Written lau.
.s.s T.. a,a ~ ,nn .,,.",tc., nr,s IN whlch evcrv
Eans: '';.s - ,a,. o"s y. ha 1 o... sa.aras.
:. sen Io % M harn, to AL: Il mr. Enc1tsh Inn.
"a" w Nv s",,s m.n' ~ ,a. es~ - a,,tane - a.. ,nn.
nnd improved 10 a. to be In keoplnE with tho
countless other improvements t1lat give glory
N Tho noc va 1ivc in. II human life has been
lcngshened, cnaooaeu, an.! a"cc.oneu ~ pss.es s,
methods OF travcl'ns' OIL piowlns' so"'ne' ana
harvcsttng, Of warming aXl lighting our homes,
why should human ltlc not be made etil longer
aha 8"ee'e'' "'aa .sss ~ ,"'.4o"s, san.', ,rn -,
80: sf4rLER SPELLING
sof our written wotdsa Tho timo has come
;, when our mother tongue should cease to tc
taJre,, no,,t viii an a,,t1,ritr I'M nuat ncvcr
hedeeo aooot Will al ausnos1ts "h. tnus' "eses
:bo questioned. and ciothen win attributes thht
mus. bc trcated with tenderness, nghtor wrong,
and with nil the more of tenderness II tf1cv ara
:rb,,'s,,,, ,,nhtot orIco1 av1 onnrr,sv,,
"G.,"ssa'; on'''a'olN"' ""a opp.eIa,s, ppIn.'.
- Tho iinal supfcmaey ol ti!e khei'sh ianGuaeo
in tho fas-away future Is forcshadowcd by tho
pt,sbtue activities Of English a.,l American eta-
tcrprlsc, commerce, conquest, and missionary
.zcai. This Is conceded by foreign scholars, FRO
fron, r-otu,1tcA ,yh, ace n n,r 1anr,,no p. rlor.
.,,ot NV ,ro,, nt,od r. ,.,rc,iia,e H..
~ r 1 rac. "'' :, ferth.v I noxcr
Of exprcsson. mud vRor, q id!!!o.ns, no other
modern tongue can stI:l ~ the English. II mas
arssy 1y 95f nm oapeS yoea6nsry 5 e'c wbes
tons. In frontier set.lcnents II ftyals tue IN
dian. war1or In IT, barbarlc iashtun for tueki';g
ltself WIN thc scalps ol QUIET !asieuaEes. 20
80 many ultun words: .,
1t sa q mixed lnngnago at the outsGt The
saxon noty and t!tc NORMAN 4nohfot nc IOWA
II ~ tn a;s ~ eo vo,s
CORRUPT, and contradictory spelling. Foreigt
critics tell us tlat fl'e PROGRESS ot our language
= Is snEDLEss1.1 nlNpEREp.
ani,caune n tte s,rura1 nov nui,,,. on he. w.
twtcp III. Languages OF g!yiIlzntIon. Thcy call
Of ubsur}tIcs anl irregularities tilnt til uur
sehool,ho'lses With misery, nnd M kycp millions OF
Eng!issi,spenlitmE peope IN l''f,1ohg hondase 10
.Iie Unabridged Dictionary. WISE foreign crit
iea are MT eaasions Or Unreasonable. The moro
'esosely We study tc history o! our composite
language, the despcr VIII thu conviction grow
.that our written words ought to ho, not whn-
steal, lnw-iciylug' a'ltl trouhissonle nppressors
but loyll ana oScdient servants falling ntmhl'
Ait aptly i,to thc!r places without the help OF q
search-wnrtat,t. , /
Thu sacrctl debt our.languaGc owes TO the au-
cicnt Greek on', increases Wlnt oaeh adyancoin
science, philosophy, and tlt nrt of exnrcssinn.
Il'c phGt!c nature ot tile Greek its # for nlcet-
Ing oil the new eficencies OF scientific noHstl-
clature. Our poets must always tind tlletr
rhythsns mil their ntblratson in the Attic mas
aslr1lEn n.pup1Arsp NOR 1oyoaxp
hr rcn,nciuv thc cu,nbro,. dfaeranh nh ,rttt, .
smn" r. a;,ch ,vords M ai,,bS5a.s ;i;pn|hsr,.
sH.uta,a ,a3.~aa nhI1i.5. tiu,;tS..,. "hina,'
,IM ii VI ea, l,roiperly spsi, iatastie VIII ~.
I; "s, wy ~ oi, "H ,Sr n. aom , lsaass aa NY ~
H., h"va f"nt. ~ Ionns, t"5,ra1 s,pa pa Ti5r
Il mt tn.. s,I,hicat .lan,cr shni fta1i. @
ieh Giosofrrs ,yi over fnrrrt IN. flrerr hfrfh.
t,In,ts ~ fku,r ciouou at1t,v u.a N htutUl !,