Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-06
a1cunEnrAL aPELLKRs.
Nest EAacatsd People shsswreck on
,hs spelling OF Certain Words.
voxr Tfmea.1


REV York Times.l
Here "a a really curious case OF a literary
mum u,bo contributes very clever fiction 10
ihe magazines. This II his absolute and
truthful confession am afraid 10 give
INV material 10 an editor who II not thor
onsbIy acquainted with me or my antece-
dsnts. and who has not already bought my
stories. or who docs not know that what
write peopIe like TO read, for am that un-
fortunate creature whose spelling may be
GOOD or bad according TO circumstances. In
other words, l belong TO that miserable cate
gorv az human beings who are to De ciassed
among the accidental spoilers. What do
I mean by thati may write tity pages oil
nonuseript with very few errors OF spell.
mo. then all of n sudden on page hftv-one
All come blunder after blunder. Words
CORRECTLY spelled and used over and oSer
ere ali wrong now. My mind OF sudden
hats and refuses 10 arrange tue letters
nroperly. Ny little boy OF eight years old
wo,,ld deserve A thrashiDg for such vulgar
bhunders. My wife will sometimes read
INV copy and clean 1t up. but when am In
n hurry cannot wait for her.
81 took book I had made some time ago
N n well.known publisher. He knew me
by reputation. ana I was politely received.
The subject | had chosen seemed To suit
him. He had the temerity 90 read the first
rage OF my manuscript, then he suddenly
halted. and l was at once aware that be had
found one, maybe half dozen, mistakes in
smelling, Under ordinary circumstances
I might have corrected the blum
ders. but II the sale OF my work,
or nv life, had depended on spelling
right of the doubtful words i could
not have done II. | had no idea how 10
spell them. / was conscious that they were
wrong, but the geography, the picture OF
the word. had entirely faded out OF my mind.
| might have said to that bewildered pub
Usher: Il will spell those words quite cor
rectly to-day or tomorrow, but Just now 1t
Il impossibie.' Fortunately it did not hurt
the value OF the work. for that intelligent
and forgiying publisher bought that book.
feel very much ashamed OF myself, how
ever, whenever see him.
"Uere IS an instance happening 10 me to-
day: am very much Interested In abstract
science. and am reviewing for periodical
n series Of works on particular topic and
have TO take copious notes. L wrote the
simple word many NANCY | don't
think I ever put the 'e' in before. That
extra Sc fascinated me. / was conscious
that il looked funny and original. II seemed
ludicrous, and it annoyed me. Then after
while | did not know whether it was
right or wrong. had to call on my little
girl and ask her 10 spell many for me.
As long as I live l shall never
write made and maid without shy
ing at them. The verb and the noun
are utterly distinct, but nevertheless L
have to think whether the made Of Or
leans Is right so far as 1t refels to Joan OF
Are. It's q trick Of forty.odd years stand
ing. despair is another word. | des-
par OF ever writing it without feeling OF
uncertainty. want to make 1t 'despare.'
have a pitched battle with my pen before
| can work in the |, and as often as not
put in the after the word is written. !
won't write desperate il can helpit, but
must write 'despairate.' It's nv worst case
OF mixing words. i speak Fren n and
German flucntly; read italian and Spanish
with ease; delight in the Roman poets,
and am distinguished for bad spelling in
three languages. | DO not brazen II out.
do not say Il don't care | rather solicit
your pity for my iufirmity."
Here is final case, with slight tingc Of
romance TO il: 4 college-bred man, q
graduate with honors, addressed young
lady, and was referred TO the young persons
father. Application for permission to press
his suit could not be made verbally TO the
father: who was absent. and accordingly the
Young nan wrote a letter. A reply came
promptly enough, but not OF pleasing
character. The father, n highly-educated
man, and somewhat OF a purist, was shock
ed with several bad blunders OF spelling in
the letter, and be so informed his daugh-
ter.
Whether il was excitement, or what not,
could not be determined. but the consc'
Ouences to the sutton were likely TO be
distressing. Subsequent correspondence
showed that the possible son-!n-law was
really an educated MAJ, and matters were
arranged. But from an "e" ont OF place
and a double st." or one too many "Ps,"
or mixing up an "sie" with "cei" the
fortunes Of two young people came near
being shIpwTecked.
In order to satisfy oneself how strange
are these idiosyuerasies. II Is only necessary
for the reader without going into the spell
ing-bee annoyance, TO ask his friends in re-
gard TO their peculiarities OF spelling. lt is
exceedingly rare to find only one who does
not say that he hats over certain words. "A
gentleman who in his professional duty
reads all the leading journals OF the United
states declares that the words most ire
quently mIsspelled are CLOSE and "lOose,"
for both editors and prooi-readers seem to
be at sea In regard 10 them.