New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-13
Regents Office, Albany. n. V,
March 9. 1896.

regents OHlCe, Albany, y. Y,
March g. 1896
nsar Regent Reid I just discover that the
.nswer TO your note did not go back promptly
a. 7 manned because l sent it oct to verify the
difference and it got in the wrong pigeonhole
T am glad you sent me this, which l should
otherwise have missed Giving you the facts, I
think you will want to make some comment
either in 1.-The SUM- or Tribune on 1t.
When came here / changed several abbre-
Waited forms that had been in use for years
simply to guard against this criticism. Dr. Wat
kIns said: But we have used these for years
and no one can attribute them to you" I an
swered: whether they can or not they will.
because my name has been known as that of a
spe5ng reformer. and we will be extra con-
seryaye" have not felt at liberty to intro
duce into our official work the spellings that I
would use in my private correspondence and
agree with you fully that it should not be done
without the approval Of the Regents. l would
hartSy the form spelt. which mark in this
criticism from THE SUM-
In consultation with Mr.. Curtis, we agreed on
quite an elaborate set of editing rules to bring
some harmony out Of the chaos Of our printed
matter. These have been adopted by numerous
magazines and writers more satisfactory than
anything they had We included in them the
spelling controller invariably used by The
Tribune, because all the authorities showed it to
be more correct form. and 1t would help TO
guard against the persistent INSTRUMENTATION Of
the word that We hear even in the Controllers
Office. This Is the only spelling that we have
been criticised for, to my knowledge till the in
closed came from you.
As to hypotenuse. This is the form given by
Webster and by the Standard which give
hypotenuse, with a mere reference from n.y.
pothenuse. Worcester enters under hypoth. saw
ing that 1t Is also spelled hypotenuse. The
Century enters 1t, of course, under the correct
form hypotenuse, referring to hypoth- and say
Ing properly hypotenuse. but the erroneous
form hypothenuse is more common"
The form Michelangelo is adopted by the
century Dictionary, which makes no reference
10 ne other form. and it is quite commonly
~u 10 The editor of the examination ques-
IONS follows the Century in these matters I'M
less something Is said to the contrary
finally. the spelling catalog. which Is given
BY Murray's great pathological societies die
tbnary and by the Standard was not adopted
BY US till 1t was used by the United States
Bureau of Education in their catalog Of the
A. L. a. library exhibited at the Worlds Fair.
II has for years been adopted as the standard
spelling of the Library Journal and the Ameri-
can Library Association and Mr.. r. r. Bowker,
himself with a strong prejudice against spelling
REFORM recently said. when the matter was
under discussion, that in spite OF his prefer
ence, he must admit that the majority Of pee
pie who ought to be considered the best au
lhority on that word had adopted the German
FORM without the ue. Its use by the United
States Bureau OF Education seems to justify
similar use by the Regents.
Don't you think that the Regents would be
subject 10 criticism If they continued TO use
the erroneous form like hypothenuse when the
weight of authority was all the other side?
aren't we bound by our position to correct
these errors? Recently a German professor
came in in high state of excitement because
Of certain blunders We had made in the spelling
Of certain German words. thinking 1t hardly
ereditable for "a office like ours not to know
German better. When We showed him that the
spelling which We used had been officially pro-
mulgated by the German Government the
only correct form. he apologzed profusely and
expressed his surprise that ne should learn for
the nrst time so important a thing regarding his
hauve language from public Office which he
supposed was erring through its ignorance.
! am thoroughly sorry to have item like
tnis appear. but give me your candid judgment
Us 70 the wisdom Of our position. and also as
70 whether 1t Is better to let the matter drop,
St TOT you or for me to send note to The
sun Showing that their rather caustic COM
uieht was uncalled for? Very truly yours,