Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-06-27
SPELLING REFORM AGAIN.

spelling rctormers, we are informed by al
official card, that the ninth annual meetin!
of the Spelling Reform association will b.
held at Hanover, N. II. Dartmouth College
July 10, 1884. The following paragraph
speaks for itself:
| 1.-THE members of the Association and al
other persons interested in Spelling Reform
are ugently requested to be prezcnt. ThozC
intending to read papers will pleze Civ erll
notice. All members are requested to senC
word whether or not they can attend tn,
meeting. A local committee will see to tb,
accommodation of visitors. Address al
| communications to the Corresponding Secre
| tary, G. p. G. Scott, 3 Elizabeth street
Auburn, New York from July to July 10
Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H.
F. A. MARCH, President.
"MELvlL DEWEY, Secretary.
This summer convention scheme look.
omnous for the spelling -refomers. Wher
the supporters of any popular movement gc
| down to the vacation idea of pushing thei
doctrines, the public may be pretty sure
that they are not over.much in earnest Oh
that the doctrines they advocate are moi
particularly popular. We have never beer
impressed with the amount of real benefit to be
obtained from, or real results accomplished
by, any summer convention, educatona
conventions not excepted. Too much of the
idea of play enters in to make the gathering
efficient as working body. The great
majority OF those who attend, attend
because the usual cheap rates OF
transportation, ETC., afford the means OF
enjoying al excursion at very slight expense
Recreation and sightseeing are the first con.
sderation, and the business to be accom-.
plished is secondary. When a body of edu.
Gators or reformers or philanthropists meet
in the winter, they meet for business, and
attend strictly to it ; but let the same body
meet in the summer, and it IS understood
that, although the ostensibe object Is work,
the principal attraction is play. A meeting OF
the Spelling Reform Association at any other
time of year than midsummer, might have
indicated a lively condition of the work ;
but now the Association voluntarily places
itself alongside of vacation splritualsm and
Concord philosophy.
To be plain, spelling reform is not and
cannot be, popular movement. 1t has too
many things to contend with. In the first
place, it has to face one of the strongest
propcnsites of the human mnd-the love of
humor. Ever since the English language
al to OH r
the most effective forms of humor has been its
perversion, and even great genluses and world
famous writers have not hesiated to make
use of this popular form of humor. Thack-
cray and Dickens have convulsed their read
ers with odd perversions of orlhography in
the speeches and letters of their humorous
characters. In our country there is probably
no more popular humorist than Artemus
Ward and his writings are almost wholly
perversons OF good old Webster's spelling.
book There ia something irresistibly hui
morous in illiterate spelling. 1t has grown
to be 30 by association, and is so, in part,
by the very nature of the language. Now
when we find educated men, in card ad.
dressed to educated men, making use of
such apparent iliteracies as, "Thoze intend
ing to read papers will pleaz Civ erly notice.
we can not help smiling and referring our
selves to the long-established usages of Josh
Billings and his merry-go easy school. Rid
icule is as natural as any other pro-
pensity of the mind and insensibly
educated people will ridicule the out
landsh spelling and frequent inco nsis-
tencies OF the cultured lliterates who are
trying to reform our dictionaries.
Then, too, the spelling reformers haYe to