Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-09-25

ton, and in consequence better results
have followed. The immense labor Of
deciphering manuscript renders it i'm
possible for teachers to correct anything
like as much as students could proftably
be required to write. 1t will be alto
gether different in few years when the
type writer shall havebeeome as COM
mon as the copy book. Pupils will
delight to do more writing, and teachers
will not shrink from the comparatively
light labor of criticism and correction.
All printers spell well. Why? Sim
ply because they become familiar with
the forms of words, their shapes and
contours as wholes. The eye is trained
to recognize correct forms by selecting
and grouping the proper types for their
reproduction. Printers decide upon the
correct spelling of word simply from
its appearance. This, if philosophically
correct, and the success of printers in
becoming good spoilers is ample proof of
the assertion. To spell from sound will
make bad spoilers of English, or of any
language whose alphabetis not phonetic.
So far as spelling is concerned, the same
gratifying results will flow from type
writing, and for the same reason, 1. e.,
it trains the eye to recognize correct
forms. The spelling is done by sight,
not by sound. The appearance Of words
typewriter is indentical with that of
printed words; in fact, they are printed
words. On the contrary, script or words
pen-written do not appear like printed
ones. Thus it happens that to become
good speller with pen and ink, or pencil,
new set of forms, a new language
entirely different in appearance from our
printed English, is to be mastered. To
be good speller of words put out to be
spelled orally is by no means to be a
good speller upon paper, as all wide
awake teachers have observed. In fact,
time given to oral spelling in our schools
is about that much time wasted In
afe- --azes o., IL s1. eesils'.nss.
but only in writing. To spell correctly
upon paper with pen or pencil, picture
Of the written word is first formed in
the mind, and that picture is transferred
to paper. The script English differs
more decidedly from printed English
than the Ionic or the Epic dialect in
Greek from the Attic; for in passing
from one dialect to another in Greek,
the words change mainly in their fexi-
BILE endings, while passing from print to
script in English the words undergo a
total change ofappearance, every part Of
the word, base, prefix and suffx, looking
entirely different. 1t is consequently
often the case that a person who would
instantly detect mispelled word in
print, would fail to detect the same in
manuscript The reason is obvious; be
is accustomed to the form in print and
the correct impression ever fingers in
, his mind with which to compare, and
hence he instantly detects the slightest
J variation from the usual orthography.
On the contrary, the form in script is
comparatively rare and unfamiliar, and
{ varies with the chirography of the scribe,
) so that changes greater or less may be
: easily overlooked, and thus escape
f detection, In brief, printed words are
, clad in eqery day uniform, while script
words are dressed according to the fancy
5 of the writer to suit particular occasions;
so that the former become familiar ac-
' quaintances, while the latter remain
: ever comparative strangers. But little
, reflection, therefore, will enable one to
: reach the conclusion that type writing
must greatly promote good spelling.
From the fact that printed characters
: are so shaped as to be formed with diff
: Guilty with pen or pencil and, besides,
: are disconnected, orose the necessity for
having script different from print, thus
: creating two form languages to represent
D the one sound language or spoken Eng.
$ lish. But when type writing shall have
e become universal, we need teach but
t one written, the typewriter or print
V to correspond with the one spoken Ian,
e guage, one language of form to rep
!. resent upon paper the one language O.
f sound, saving teachers vast labor anc
e pupils an immense proportion Of val
n liable time. Then, when pupils have
: only one form instead of two, to learr
e for each word, confusion will be avoided
& and the correct form be more likely tt
Is be indelibly impressed on memory's
: table. Instead of its being the excep,
} tionto find good speller, it will become
J. the rule. Heaven speed The coming o.
l. that glorious era 1t may be fastened
e if we, as teachers, will but help to pop
d ularize this beautiful and useful art O
re type writing. Another generation may
} thus be saved from the drudgery, fatigue