, 1880-04-25
Opinions of Educators, Au-
thors, and Schol-
aTS.
One Hundred Representative
Men Express Them
selves.
The Nestor of the Poets Fa-
vors the New Spell
ing.
Likewise Twenty Presidents
of Leading Colleges.


Letters from Representatives y
. tn
SItIul1OnSs
On the 1st of September, 1873, THE cH1cA
f;o Te1m1yr began some practical abbrevia
49,. a.,s .<.far.'.. T., +ho onn,,on ena,1;no
lf'1ls ana fe1oltns !" u!e colAiioa' spe''.u5
The changes were few, but in the direction
oS reform and in harmony with etymology
ev 1.u:I - 49,, ,::t;,
lacy were ch'eny all'eu ~ a1e el.ini,4'ton tn
had hcon imported into tha language fron,
tha Franch snch az ,tc in djalop,,e. te in
cIe,rottn me in nrop~amme 4 few other
s;nnIificat;onc and aIi,ninations of dead LET.
4ars in th. line of true 1,hiioIopicat nr;nci.
r,oa u.era ,dontod at the eoma fine The
cnangas viii ha saa, at a p1anca of t},e
..nn,y r,,1av for smelling odontntl In TIM
r,,.,r,,,:r S..nt 1s-p,, v;z
! nr,n ,.e At the cnt, or words like dtalocue.
catalogue, where the preceding vowel is short
Thus Thu spell demagog, pedagos, @ epllog, etc % when
rs,o,,r disnn,Soc.,e ron,,e retatn na1 ictters ns
nj present
Drop 1nal ~ sucn woros as aenn,te, ME-, m l.
short' Thus smell opposit, preterit, hypocrit,
requisit- etc When the preceding vowel is long,
t rs IN Mte f1,, nnte, ansate a1''e' es' teeal
!, Dron tinui te In words like ouartette. CO.
quette. cigarette. Thus spell cigaret, roset,
epa95e1, m s9oetr aer &C as ,,.ro .,.o..,,,,,.o
THUS spell program, oritiam, gram etc.
.. Change ph for J In phonetic, digraph, phil
fSni,;c f,arog asofp pa p4anto or46af spef ene
6. Omit the second n in dilemma {dilema)
In words ending IN 1essness, drop one from
less: w: Carelesness thanklesness, etc
limit fhA fN1Ffh
othcr iorms OF the word
spell! SO merset, not somersault.
,asl'a Spell canon with Spanish d, or spell 1t
P.S.-No change IN proper names.
Three weeks later the New York Home
Journal adopted TIE Tn1nnyE,s list of
N' Ss ""Up'eo Ire aA1noNh uoS VI
cAange0 Spclilngs, except those OF NO. b. but
It did not stop with halC-dozen rs for D},,s.
ooI chaheed AL pms lnto J. as 1ystc 1or phys
1c, tisic for phthisic, fonograf for phono-
graph. Ease for phase, triumf for triumph.
e,,5 sn -, +1,,- 4,.a -,..,o,a 49, t,s
aliu 50 on tnlu Iae "llo1e Ast. lolioWmg the
Italian and Spanish style Of substituting for
nh. It also restored the corrnnt e,,a1iino of
tongue oack 10 lung, ike lung, as its etymol-
ogy required.
.,,us. ISSUE 1nf. 1hlnoSh atu Ho"'e oon'7'ue'
the newspapers which use abbreviated SPELL
ing in their regular issucs ara the I1tica Her
,1., +ha To,oaa D1a.1s 49, - e y .N.I~, w..
dt.' lne 1oledo 0tdue, tne LtbrdTy Journal,
and a number less widely known. Other pub
Ications- like the Princeton, Rc,,;c,o tba
- .o W * .11o'~"' t!io
New II ork i7locpeadcnt. au0ptthe new spell
ingS in certain articles
4,o .1'""e 'o"'stt. y. tnus SPEAKS VI 1ae re-
mafkable success OF the experiment thus far,
and the great favor with which It has hem
eei'ed ny tnougntlul ana educated people:
1t Is now seven months since the Homo Jour-
90, stepping out Of routine, began some prac-
The changes were slight,-to be regarded as be-
ginnings rather than complete achievements.
The step was not haphazard one, but was
taken in concert with other Journals, and under
1Ee advice of body Of learned men who may be
said to constitute an "academy," such rs in
OF other countries is the acknowledged guardian
taken because of its intrinsic reasonablencss;
because of the strong urgeuce of educators, au-
seemed ripe for It The advance Of science and
invention in every department of life; the iu-
tenslhcation OF all human pursuits under the
snmulus OF wealth and civilization; the 1mpera-
tive demand for tho quickest and largest re-
Turns from every expenditure Of time and en-
ergy;-all predicted speedy end for prolix,
remarkable degree In unity, precision, and
compaetness. Such numbering, toilsomc
instrument u communication between men and
asretate1s aionE with the Pt'st- chaise, the hand
Press, And the dipped candle: but the stelln-
rhgne, me teaegraf the LIGHTNING press, the
se.t !onE me company Of anything which dues
u, ~. ylela lnaNainum ~ speed and power with Il
nMl1lu!n ME. . o1 whste and weight
me trial o. the new spelling has already DEM
" pn7tI:tcn TWO th'nes: TINT tue insurmouutA-
m,e,I ;o.a sup!ssea 70 nc ~ the way arc
that tic rtss,.s wic wt.rc th c',;nT ,,ot;; ai9
the movement appear more firmly bnscd in com
1on 1l,o. ,t.t - Seo3y and seiencc tho farther
believe, OF al the Journals tat have tnan ,,or W.
IN The movement We have heard no word Of
1,,,ct - u s.sps ano Us Iar rs the Home
signal OF the readiness OF the Dress antl The The
public to move another lcap onward.
Humc 7ni fsEoe o. esnnee lne ennhge snus far the
-, ~ r. s.a anu nunos Wncrc they Justly belong
~. md Eo.o*;n-, 4tt tueas iuteineEnt sympa-
done Thcx t,ave Iooind m4s,n no ~ nasc ~ pce,l
from the tirsf in rhe linht IN wh,ch T. @ ,l
mcndcd nv fhe cmintnr od,,cn1ors - and - saLi-
fr fhis cofnrr1, and IN Enrland ~ -a t ttit
rood They saw clearly thst rhrE "a ~ ,,as
1rnsd filonfhrnnx- jnrni;-3nr tha ,nei ~ ~ susa ~
anorrons TAR ,5rnn edncnt3on ,,nor tta - 5;c, a. -
sion nf tno,xiadt1a ,,.,on IaiI., hsi,ae u ou
hr writing and nrin]nr ne a..
mi for ri coming vnnn11,t?ons +rn,. s, +.H Hen
xnrk IF tf1fs Kind a1nniC 1nerif"d anG 1;+4fa
1,s. If rncra nnrson,,{ ind +s.mnn,1r nS1oas
,1t,nsa uh;ch fha rhnnaa @,,;Ea,+ i,o,pp ass
har i.ore fhn chou~n 10 nonna ~ +ho; h;s ALL
s,ii3xntion rhas1ctrr md coemonn,i.aI, +o.tz ~
nivht fe errtscte1f n do Nnf - esnn1n ona - |
hsr, from N,,fna ~ Cai3fnrnia f"r nnoa J 49, ~
- - u ts - ~ IL; ::. -: 10. -. Jill 1o4