, 1880-04-25

| to the changes now proposed in the Homo Jour
| nal it would seem that the reasons given fol-
| most of them arc us valid MS those urged for the
| changes which hay been referred to. And sec
no reason why they should not be adopted.
| From Francis 4. March. LID. Professor oa
| Engit.h Language and Comparative Fllology
mt Lafayette College.
| EAs7os, Pa, Feb, lsS0.-The changes in SPELL
ing the omission of silent letters, aud the s,1b
stitution Of i for 7'h are wisely made. + is the
proper equivalent in tho Roman ulfAbct Of the
Greek f. The use of the p't came into Latin III
| the post-Augusran period through an atfecta-
ton Of GreeSings ut Home, initiating tho Athe-
| nian pronunciation. The fashion passed nwly,
| and the MSS. Of the later EmpeFors use ], Us
do the Italian and Spanish people, the direct in
heritorS Of Latin.
From Howard Crosby, DID,, LII. D., Cham
cel1or Of the Enlverslty of New York.
| NEW YORK, Dec. o. 1619.-The change Of p1
for made by the Home JotsTlt is Il very proper
| change even on antiquarian grounds-the Greek
letter phi was really but ono sound. What We now
need is some central authority, like the Academy
in France. to set US a-going: The omission of
the mute letters will be casy hut the changes Of
Letters VII renirs great deal Of s9rt The
all to estub blish Next to an academy the ncwspa-
per press is the best power to forward this mat
ter. 1t is the newspaper press that has re-
created the Greek language III modern Greece.
From William ChnnninE Russell, IL. H.,
PreaEdent OF Cornell University, Profe&xor
Of History and European Languages.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY, March, lSS0.-The cur
rent Is bearing onward your reform. You have
taken the true way Of showing how much time
and trouble may be saved byit. The nineteenth
century works with you. and before another is
half over our congloulernte language will pre-
sent to the eye no trace of its different imml
EratiOns. In anticipation am glad to partici-
pate In your tr1umf. even in an intnitisImal de-
gree, by writing in my native ''tung.'
From Hiram Corson, IL. D., Professor OF
Ang1e-Snxon mud English Literature Mt Cor
nell University.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, 20 Dec. .T9,-The
changes which have been adopted by the Home
Journal am quite ready to accept There
is <one other which might well be made tho
substitution Of or d for the suthx ctI Of pre-
}ad 1at III f1rnivai. a' the be ssf founier ansi and
Secretary OF the Chaucer Society and of the
New Shakespeare Society Of London, follos this
and SO do some other English scholars. This
mode of spelling IS us old rs tho written Ian
guage. The use Of for ph representing. phi in
Greek words has obtained in the Itulian and
Spanish for hundreds of years-
From the Hon. Paul 4. Chndbourne, IL. D..
Presfdent OF Williams College.
WILLIAMsTowS, Mass, Dec. IL, lS71.-The step
the Home Journal has taken toward more rsl-
uonai system of spelling deserves praise. feel
from the load of useless silent letters thar now
incumber it. I hope the papers generally will
move in tho matter.
From Francis j. Child, Ph. D., Professor of
Rhetoric and Hlatory ut Harvard Un1yer-
a1lY.
CAMBRIDGE, Dec Fl, 1s79.-The Home Journal
is SO agreeably made up and 50 pleasant to the
eye that should not mind any spelling in it.
But nn g1ad to see the changes it has made.
break down tho respect which great, foolish
public has for the established spelling. Some
have religious nW. and some havean erth- born
passion foC it. At present don't much cure
how anybody spells. SO he spell different from
what Is established. ANY particular individual
spelling is likely to be more rational than the
ordinary. The peculiar circulation of the Homc
Journal makes whntever it does more than COM
monty useful. Households that can bear ts1jIos-
ofy" and will take "fysic,' give grounds Of
hope for better things.
From William c. Cattc1, IL. H., President
nnd Formerly Professor of Latin and Greek
In Lafayette College.
LAFAYETTE COLLEGE, March, 18S0.-You have
made good beginning in reform much need
cd and long desired BY oil who have anything to
in spelling which you have adopted viii cone
into general use and will be followed By Others
equally wise and practical.
From 8. L. Caldwell, D. d., President OF
Vaasar College and Professor OF Mental
and Moral FIlosofS.
VASsA1. COLLEGE. April, 1861 should think
the citizens Of This town tPoughzeepsie} would
be likely in the corse Ut generations to com to
some shorter and more economical not Il, saw
sensible, spelling Of its n.n'e. And there are !,
thousand mort. names and words which un every
principle which rules III other things beside or-
fhoEr,fs, ought to get shortened and st,Aight-
ened and otherwise confortned to right reason,
1 confess to the prejudice bred hy EDUCATION and
custom in favor Of the old forms, but WHEN [
see the names which back this movement Of the
custom which inevitably in the long rum change.
the ways Of which men are fosllest- anticipate
the doom OF the present system aud at a date
within the expectations of living men.
From Thomas Chase, IL. D., President OF
1Iaverford College.
HAyEnronD, Pa, Feb, 1851 am glad to see
that SO influential Il newspaper US the Home |
Journal is leading the way in the actual intro
ductfon OF improved methods Of spelling The |
reform 9 n is destined TO assume larger proportions
and to trlumf at no distant date. Fonctics huye |
their own laws of historical development, Us
we'll as ctymology; aud If the orthogrsltic re- |
@ TORN IS conducted to the end1as it has begun
under 1udicious and scientific guidance the |
forms Of our words will still have IN historic |
suggestirnes and significance.
From John Eaten Cooke, Novelist Antb,r or
4The Virginia Comedlnns,'' .tLeather
Stocking md sllk," "Uenry ST. John.
Eentlcnnn,' etc.
i ;,AHLwooD, Va, March, 1861 can make no
objection to the changes adopted by the Home
and there Is such positive advantage
o be gained in the slmplihcation Of our orthog-
:onfcss wAs at first somewhat horrltlcd hy the
lew form "tung," and thought would CON-
'lct you OF nirtlhrous innovation. looked Mt |
ny "Johnsons Dictionary which 1 hive an
III, fashioned hnbit Of pseferring to Webster
nu tner found Il choice between our Saxon |
orrfnthers and oltr Dutch ones. The former !
pellcd fM'lg and the latter fo,u'tc. which seems
q nave dictated the present spelling. The new |
ysten must be carefully and gradually applied
should think. to succeed. You must s.lrt the |
hnnRe that comes be free to inxr1n1ye itself |
nth that which ties,' US Tennyson says.
rom Amos n. CurrIer. Professor Of Lntfn
mt the University Of Iowa.
Iowa CRY, Feb, 1851 am In favor of mod
raate and cautious changes after the plan
dopted by the Home Journal.
rom Prof: e. r. Cro>xell, OF Amherst Col.
1eEe. Chair of Latin Trnnx1ntur ,aul E<tt-
tor OF "ulAtory OF Roman I.iter.ture.n
etc.
AMHERST, Mass, March. lSsO.-The proposcd
nAnges are tudfcious aud in the right 1irrt-
on. The Home journal deserves high COM
endatiou for having tho courage and public
,lrit to tuke this step in u reasonable and much |
cedcd simplihcation Of our spelling.
rom the Rev. Elmer Hcssitt Capen, Presl- |
dent of Tufts College.
COLLEGE HILL, Mass, March, 1SS0-Laytnx
;de NIL sentimental regard, and looking ut the |
ghcr reasons thnt may lie urged for Il change
spelling, one cHnnnt doubt that the great |
ass Of leurners would derive an immense a;l-
lntagc from Il simpler method. I am fully
.rsuaded that the time IS not far distant when
any OF the changes now proposed will be 1
lOpted. ,