The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-04-02
WILLIAM ON SPELLING REFORM


EDITORS CLARIoN-In your last number you
say that my views about spelling reform are
desired While l feel hattered by the aIlu-
sion to me- ! am forced to acknowledge that l
have not examined the subject sufficiently to
enable me to give any expression of settled
views. Mr.. Jones, however, has been looking
into the matter somewhat, and our singing So
ciety has been good deal concerned. Mrs.
Corneia has very decided views on the sub
jeet but they do not differ materially from
those entertained by Mr.. Jones. In letter
received some time since, / find the following:
Il call this an age of revolution. In our
| government the old land marks have been laid
| aside and new and revolutionary doctrines
have been injected into platforms and Consti-
tutions There is difference between revo-
| luton and reform, though sometimes the one
may be taken and passed for the other. Now
the spelling reform may be a good thing but
| can't think so. Mr.. Haldeman, Mr. Whit
ney, and Mr.. Gildersleeve-all the great names
on the side of spelling reform would seem to
decide the question: but they do not The peo-
| are slow to go into such a move. There is no
| oppositionto improvement. Improvement is
| in order and is in progress. Ii the aver
age citizen was called upon to spell
the language of Chaucer there would
be much difficulty. The language and its
| spelling have been gradually improved. In
congruities have been eliminated by time. and
the work goes on. If / were so disposed
could show many, very many words that have
been modified during my life, and yet there
has been no legislative enactments recurring
| or prescribing such modification Again
there are words whose photography is at the
same time defnitive suggestive and historical
| and 1t would be almost a crime to destroy their
value. 1t seems to me that all the etymologi-
cal advantage enjoyed by those who study the
| languages from which English has been derived
is thrown away Certainly Prof. Haldeman's
! beautiful little work on Etymology will not be
in further demand. As an illustration of the
| great difficulty of dispensing with any system
OF things, fixed in the affections and traditions
| OF people, / mention the efforts OF some of
our people to adopt the metric system of num-
| bers and dispose of the prevailing system
| There has been no success. The average bow
never learns the metric system at all. and the
exceptional party svho does acquire it. regards
the acquisition more as something curious than
useful. Learned men have demonstrated that
the metric system is certainly the one to be
adopted, and have ridiculed the origin of popu-
| lar measures; and Congress has passed upon the
| matter, but to effect. The great Charles
Davies was appointed by Congress to investi
| gate the matter, and he reported favorably
| but to effect. At the time he wrote that
report he was preparing his last edition OF
Davies University Arithmetic with the same
| old measures in their usual places
At our meeting last Saturday, Mrs CorneIia
and Bro. Smith said many things that l don't
think exactly lair, but still they bear upon
the subject. Among other things they said
/ IL IIT1fra IL - & III
phonetic spoilers, and that he resorted to il
only to make laugh. They spoke, too. of
/ VIM. Arp, Esq, and of A. Ward, as being
phonetic men. Bro. Smith asked that THE
| CLARION be requested to print its next issue so
that its spelling correspond to the phonetic
| method. They urged further, that to adopt
phonetic spelling would be to abolish all rules,
and to leave spelling to the instead OF to
| rules and memory. The man who reIishes
strains from Martha and Don Giovanni. bv
reason of his cultivated sense of hearing would
hardly spell like the man who enjoys Dan
Fucker or -Put-the-kettle-on. There
| would be wilderness OF confusion in the
country, each mans ear his own standard. and
| so ON, to the destruction of the language and
literature, If phonetics prevail.
All OF these suggestions, as intimated NAV
not be fair, but they certainly are q
be considered. My opinion is that we had
Detter leave 10 time To- carry the work that
has been in progress since the days of Chaucer
| tAan 10 attempt to revolutionize the present
| order OF things by legislative interference.
submit the above simply because Mr.. Jones
has written it. He is very old fashioned and
likes the old way of doing things, and must
be treated at least with charity. The opin-
ION e lr, Lyon and Profs. johnson
| and F1tzhugh is entitled to great re-
spect. They are doubtless more up with
the current feeling of the times than is Mr..
Jones think, however, that Mr. Jones
makes some points that are very we'll worthy
OF consideration. He has many large books
and has read them carefully. His explana-
ton OF the destruction by frost of the fruit
crop IN your State during Radical rule, was
novel; but has never been answered. MANY ~
his predictions, made years ago, have already
come to pass, and will challenge attention.
Spelling Is one of the bottom facts and
shonld. De treated as such.
Mr. Jones may feel called upon to write
more lrlo ii length ON this subject, by reason oi
thus publication. and the report of the learned
University Professors. WILLIAM.