New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-18
SPELLING REFORMS AND REFORMERS.

,rrrrp FROM PROFESSOR c. p G. SCOTT, TREAS
uRER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION.
70 fheEdftor Of The Tribune
SIR: In a letter recently printed In your
co,upns MI s. N. Walker Of Bloomsbury, fenn.' re
marking "The Fonetic Teacher for June 1888, VOL w.
No lies before me-" proceeds immedlaey 10 uo oee
tine same thing before the readers of THE TRIBUNE
almost for although his misrepresentation OF
the Spelling Reform and spelling Reformers are many
and gross they are plainly too clumsy, not to say TOO
ludicrous to be Intentional They arise, II Is cea from
the laundering" and Ignorance" whlch MI "aAer
claims 10 have found among 1.-THE reformers ano mas
evidently appropriated TO his own use,
Without wasting your readers time, and my owh' III
.o,racting Mr. Walkers consecutive "bluDders" the
laboriousy numbers them upto No 12-be might have
gone on to No. 40 without exhausting mis- capacity ~
that lne,-peIm to point out single error winch Is
worth correcting because II Is shareo py h"ny Peieo"
who know more about language and phonetlcs than Is
contained in Mr.. Walkers somewhat antiquated
thesaurus of knowledge, worcester's preface. Mr..
Walker speaks the reformers as II they composed
definite organized body bound by terrible oaths each
member being responsible for the actions and opnohso
every other member and under Obligations not to utter
syllable concerning the reform without first getting all
the other memter and Mr. Walker TO agree" II any
one says anything hch one else does agree
the reformers as a class charged with diversity"
Inconsistency" and "quarreins" and are informed
that they will be listened to unless they present lat
once "a complete system" 10 which they snail nave
unanimously agreed and which shall also, to make things
pleasant all around be satisfactory 10 MI "alAer anu
,ther non.reformers.
Now the fact is that the movement for a reform In
English spelling ike every other for reform
of old which have become an part the
life and thought Of whole people, is too large and too
multform to be the property OF any definite BODY
of reformers." Every one who knows an abuse when
he sees it. will, II he has the spirit of the nineteenth
century in him. seek to remedy the abuse and his
opinions and actions will vary according to HIS know
edge his nature and his point OF view Every REFORM,
therefore numbers among It's advocates many kinds OF
"refOrmers" Just there various kinds Of Civil
Service reormers who all advocate CvSelvi reform
various kinds of tariff reformers who all advocate arn
reform: various kinds OF anmonopolists who all ad-
vocate antlmonopoy so there are various kinds OF
smelling reformers who all advocate spelling reform.
And the spelling TefOrmers "agree" Just az much
as other reiormers Did reject Civiservce
reform because all Civil-service reformers did
not "agree in all detalsi Is tariff reform to be con-
demned merely becausey advocates present at
oncen a "compete system" Of re .orm, unanimously
agreed to down TO dots and commas3 Is monopoly
good thing because anu-monOposts are not all Hamil
tons in craftsmanship, Howards in philanthropy and
"Metoos in unannity So long as these other reform
e,s exhibit this deplorable diversity" aud inconss
tencyn think the spelling refomers ought be al
lowed TO live But when the other reormers shall be
all of one mind then think law ought to be passed
compelling the spelling rcformers to agree unanimously
TO every thing and with everybody. or be hanged.
In CONCLUSION, let that there IL body of spell
ing reformers in this country which has, as a body
definite views and dehnitive plans. refer TO the Amer
ican Spelling Reform Association. This association is
composed in large part OF members OF the American
Pathological Association, and has from the beginning
acted under advice of the latter body given
the annual reports of its eminent Committee spell
ing Reform composed of Professors March, Whitney,
Child Trumbull, Lounsbury. Price and Allen OF these
men, Professor March is president OF the Spelling Re-
form Association and Professors Whitney, Child and
Price are vice. presidents There few conspicuous
names In phology which are not to be found on the
rolls OF the association. And the association is
at work. Its active members "agree" on all
sarypg out their plans frghtfnlly
nature Of the miserable thing they trying TO reform
will permit The association has "oical organ at
present not In any way responsible for the ndi
v!dua opinions OF it's members OF other refOrmers
It's own views and plans may be gathered from the
ports which 1t has published from time TO time. lack
81 sufficient has prevented the wide publication
of these reports and of other documents When this
Is supplied venture To promise that will be left
IN ignorance of what spelling reform really is,
and what spelling refoImers really mean.
II the " letters Of advice " which the reform
ers are constantly receiving from friendly critics
sent through the mOneyOrder office, or through the
banks much more good would be accomplished in the
way OF reform.
MayI add that the address of the treasurer OF the
Association (the undersgned) Is Columbia College New
Xorkf
Auburn, N. T., July 81, 1888