The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-01-06
SPELLING REFORM.
Close Of the Interesting Symposium
at Washington,
THE INTELLECTUAL CONTENTION
Between Adopts With the Alphabet
"A Number of Literary Men Adyo.
cate the Phonetic Reform, While
Congressional Librarian spon0rd
Asserts It's IinpracticabIlitS

faxed to contain the audience Which
gathered to heRr,the close Of the SPELL
ing Symposium which has been con-
Quoted by the Anthropological Society,
The range Of discussion was changed
on the last round, which rather discon'
certed some Of the speakers. The sub
iect, as stated last night, was rs Sim
plifed Spelling Feasible as Proposed by
the English and American Pathological
Societies9" lnasmuch as some Of the
speakers were unacquainted with the
propositions Of those learned societies
their fsmsrEsw were confined to q general
discussion OF spelling reform,
PROF lEsrRR WARD,
Prof.. Lester Ward opened the ball
Withithe statement that lie was on both
sides OF the question and yet not upon
either. Having made this. good play,
piauine the interest Of the audience to
know how he would demonstrate such
aposition, he advanced the prediction
that the present mode OF spelling will
not remain unchanged. " cannot be
denied that prejudice stands In the way
OF reform, but 1t is not all prejudice
Language is q growth, o very delicate
thing, an evolution. II has reached Its
present state through evolution much
as q vegetable form. Language is con-
stantly changing and changing inthe
direction ofiibetter expression, Some
people seem to think that dictionaries
constitute language. They ought to
faithfully portray 1t and not tlxit, Ed.
ucated persons associate the looks Of
Y wofds with their sounds. Language Is
aphysiognoGny, as landscape, Any,
one who reads carries the forms OF
words in his mind, and when helhears
them he Immediately associates them
with the forms. In English there seems
to be unityln sound, but q diversity
in spelling. In French there is tend
ENJOY in the opposite ditection--toward
differentiation OF sound. Those who
would unifyBpeEling would unity words,
would abolish synonyms.
No progress can be expected in pho
astics unless there can be an agree
inetit as to pronunciation. Many peo-
Pile will SEQ word spelled the same
way and each will pronounce 1t differ 4
entity rhiioiogists can only influence
changes to a limited extent. Changes
in pronunciation are brought about by
people reading and seeing q word
spelled continuously in a certain way.
MR.. E. Il. PETERS
Mr.. Il. \. Peters was the next speaker.
He said that the interest which the
R subject Of spelling reform has developed
refutes the statement that the progress
In spelling reform is so slightas not to
encourage efforts OF retormers. Moth
ing would 20 so far toward removing
provincialisms in pronunciation as q
uniform system of the phonetic spell.
4 ing.
Mr.. Peters referred to the argument
heretofore advanced that school chill
dren lose two years in learning to spell
and read by the present system, and
said that this argument is worthy OF the
most serious consideration.
The spread OF intelligence, OF educa-
ton, will be defeated il we do not have
better instrument for the attainment
OF it thaHqhe present system OF spell
ing Affords It is the coming genera
ton that needs change of spelling,
and II is in the school house that the
change should begin. There needs to
be concert Of action to introduce the
change,
The system OF teaching reading in
our schools as now in vogue limits the
child'a ability to learn to read to the
numbered years in attendance atschool.
Mr., Weston Flint made q short talk
in advocacy Of modification OF the
spelling for commercial reason--to
make II easier for foreigners to master
the Language.
PROF. j. W. POWELL.
Prot. j. w. Powell, who followed, said
that the bad spelling Of words in the
English language obscures the etymol-
oeyoi the words in two cases out OF
three. II a phonetic system were
adopted the libraries sot the world
would ultimately come to be solely the
Libraries Of learned people and not OF
themajority Of mankind. Against this
argument is to be weighed the vast i'm.
poftance to the people Of the change.
The saving OF time 10 the greatest con-
sileration
In devoting time to learning to, spell
we are devoting time to the acquire.
ment OF an artificial accomplishment.
fall the drudgeries, OF all the devices
ever introduced in public schools to adj
duce to stupidity, the present system OF
spelling English words Is the worst.
LIBRARIAN sPoFFoRD.
Librarian spotIord closed the sympo.
stun. He said that It is fallacious to
hope Tor the establishment Of q pho.
notie system by official means. The
functions OF the general government arc
too closely defined TO permit this. Mr..
spofford cited soma pointed instances
OF glaring Inconsistency in the spelling
proposed by the Pathological Society.
removes hut-iew obstacles to foreigners
learning tho language and presents
many anomalies. You can't keep for.
eignera from learning tho English Lam
guage. They have boon for generations
atormihk this country and taking the
LANGUAGE along with II.
Slmpiihed spelling, II 1t comes at all,
cannot BIO brought about by resolutions
% philologists. twill BIO found in the
end that Che school teacher will be their
captain In the movement for reform.
Tho eye, and not the cur, 10 the organ
most important In learning TO spell,
whichlis an argument against phonetic
npeitinR. Tho sorrows OF childhood over
thowoea OF the English language form
the chief burden Of the sony Of phonetic
advocates
II igfound that tho saving to DO &c.