The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-10-02


men. acting as a committee on the projected
reform, recommended in 1875, that begin
ing should be made with few selected
words. They chose the following, to b,
spelled in this wise: ar, catslog, deflnit,
indnit, Civ, Iiv, garI, hav, thru, tho, visit
fonetic.
Looking over the general movement
throughout the country one Is surprised 10
see how large is the number of college Presi-
dents and Professors who advocate 1t. Col
leges are usually the force of extreme con-
servatism. But here We q ad such representa-
tive men as President Chadoourne, of VIII
lisms' College Chancellor Crosby OF the
University of New YORK; Professor Hsrks
ness, of Browns University Professor Good
win, OF Harvard President Chamberlain, OF
BOwioin; Professor Johnson, OF the Univers-
lily of Mississippi; Professor North, OF Ham,
ilton; aud prominent men fIom Cornell,
Dartmouth, Princeton, John Hopkins Uni
verysIty; Michigan University, and score
of other Institutions
The evidence as TO the necessity and I'M
portance of the reform is supported by a
cloud of witnesses. The Hon. George p.
Marsh, distinguished for his scholarship
abroad as well as at home, the presen;
American Minister TO Italy, says that In his
early life he, like most literary men of that
time, was prejudiced against this reform; but
the weight OF The arguments in its Iivor has
convinced him of its necessity. Professor
Max Muller, OF the Unives say OF oxford, Elg-
agland, says: "The question then
that Will have to be answered sooner
or later IL this: Can this unsystematic
system Of spelling Eagnsh be allowed
to 90 on forever? Is every English child, as
compared with other children, TO be mu!cied
in three or four years of his life in order to
learn IL g? AR the lower classes TO go thru
school without learning to read and rite their
own language inteiligently: And Is the
country 10 pay millions every year for this
utter failure OF national education? do not
believe or think that such state OF things
will be allowed 10 go on forever. particularly
as remedy is at hand. consider that the
sooner it is taken in hand the better. There
Is a molly power behind these fonetic REFORM
ers which Archbishop Trench has hardly
dured by millions OF children at schools, VINO
might learn in one year, ana with real 6u-
vantage To themselves, what they now re-
quire four or five years to Learn, and seldom
succeed in learning after ali
Or. Morris, the learned lecturer on English
in Kings College. London, says: tine nu-
merous Inconsistencies in our Use OF the let
tiers OF theaIfaDet makes our trthcSruy
lying spirit Ia seceive those who use II and
we seem willing 10 listen 10 its VOICE One
object OF education i la train the OBSERVING
powers ola child, and To teach II TO reason
from the facts that come within the range OF
its experience. Our a.EIbet, with all its glori.
Gus uncertainties, only tends to misiead ANA
deceive the observing powers from tht
written ~ mbUl the child ought 10 DE aU { TO
deiucc the proper sound. mt, when one
symbol represents three or four sounds and
the same sound is represented by from nve 10
twelve, or even more, different symGois, how
is a child TO get any help toward the sound
toward observing the symbol" IL is said that
only fifty words IN English ar written a. they
prOnOunst Gar prOnOunSt) in accordance
with the names OF their letters so that the
eye Is the organ used las IN chi
nsse In In. learning s.o,, TO no read mus, s, rs
years of study TO II. And, what is worst oil
all. this study is only an exercise Of the
memory, and not cultivation Of the reason
or of the power To tnInk. Tuer ar few gen.
eral principles or suggestiv snalosIes To
tighten the burden. The American child
must spend large portion OF his school-uays
learning, one by one. the peculiar comoiha.
tons OF the written words OF his language"
We might go on and Ill pag : vii h similar
testimony; out 1t Is not needed. The move
ment has already been so ttorOiy discuss
ed in this country and in England that Its
main arguments are familiar Ia al culiiya-
ted readers. Ii only remains now to put In
execution what the highest authorities nave
decided ought to be don. Every person who
sees the reaSonableneS of the principle
should do his share in bringing IL INTO use-
lie can at least adopt IL in ms correspon-
dence and writing, and he Will not md hitn-
self much ahei of fashion in so dong. A.
r, ady goOdly number OF the colIeSe-ii2nl-
ta-ies We hav named above nav adopted the
new speIlIngs and use them IN their private
letter-writIng.
Here ar some rules which the Spelling Re
form As-ociatIou-Prof. Marsh, Presideut-
has prepared Tor general adoption:
L omit from the ulagTaf when pro-
nounst short, as in he'd, helth. etc.
>. Omit silent { after a snort vowel, as IN
hav, CIV, etc
3. Write for phi IN such words as alfaDet,
fauton, fouogrti, etc.
l. When word ends in double letter
omit the last as in shSl, elf, e., etc
;. Change ed final to when IL has the sound
OF {, as III lasht, lnprest, etc.
Some of these changes have already been
adopted by the pTeSS-the Chicago Tribune.
the Utica Herald, the Hons JOuari anu others.
Our eighbor, the New York Lsdspen eni. has
haOnew types cut for prIatlns Lew si'r.iinSs
with letters.