New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-13
Letters from, Req der>s Of The Tribune
PHOTOGRAPHY IN SCHOOLS.
Correspondent Takes Exception to Mr.. Ma
gilI's Statements on Vowel Scale

T, ire Editor Of The Tribune
81 A copy q your excellent paper Of September
u which contains letter from ex-President Magiu
= sv-z-tarnore College on the above subject, has
,sz- OCT into my hands. Admitting the i'm
po-tance o. having photography taught in our
-,hl- schools. il IS certainly d very perplexing
oues7ion 70 trustee boards as 70 which Of the
~s+i,s systems should have their sanction. Mr
wagtI advocates a return from the modern and
more advanced Pitnan style, as taught in the
.zrwen-teth Century Instructor to the old style
use5 before 1851. called the Ninth Edition style.
which IS substantially the Benr Pirman style.
Among other arguments employed. the professor
makes the following strange statement: A few
years after isaac PitInan had suggested the
serious changes in the vowel scale he changed his
mind and desired 70 return to the system as
ersc Dur forth" nj NagilTs memory must have
failed him sadly IN this matter It was not "a
few Years after" but in the declining years OF
very long lie that Mr.. Pituan made a few sug-
restioHs called Improvements" which he wished
10 engraft upon his system. and that were re-
sisted. not much by his sons and SUCCESSORS in
the publishing line by almost the entire corps
OF ph0nosraphers- These suggestions had ref
ersnce whatever to the vowel scale but principally
70 view Of the hooked curves. He never limited
wish for the restoration OF the old vowel scale.
Like Professor Magiu, I. too. first used the Ninth
Edition scale in connection with the Benn Pttrnan
and Crahl systems; but I did not find that the
transition the new scale was all like learning
new system had very little difficulty in doing
SO while in the very midst of active professional
work The question with not much
whether the scale had special advantages or
not 1O- should il be the question to-day, for the
practical difference IS comparatively small The
fact. indeed the author Of the system Iabored
50 hard and sacrificed so much 10 effect the change
was an d priorf argument in favor of The change;
but what did influence me. and what should exert
q more powerful influence upon Us all now, is the
fact that almost all the literature Of the Pitman
systen both in periodicals and books is according
70 the new vowel scale. All the Ninth Edition lit
erz-1re put together - absolutely nowhere in the
COMPARISON. This decides the much disputed ques-
non II once as to 1he relative supremacy Of the
systems and as 10 the promise, # there be such
hope At all of universally and uniformity.
T2a~- Pf-rnsn himself publicly that II
was not he who gave the title American 10
his system he evidently feels that Il would not
be truthful title. And one cares 10 cali Il an
English system. though none would deny us Eng
fish origin simply the Isaac tltman
would dispute Mr.. Pitulans right 10 TUE and an
bur The Graham AIunson or other Tnodlrlca I1oIs
made by these authors who appropriated ana al
tered the original their own discretion W ME
the system his own and IN MS own nahoS
an must admit his moral and legal right 10 change
T. as he -Iease5 but when the management or It's
r7ubl'c7-f6r had passed into other hands the
question OF pressing alteration in the face OF al
most uniform opposition from the profession De
comes different But one thing is certain: The
universally respected and honored author Of the
system never wished to revert 10 the Ninth Ed
ton after he Iefr il in 1851
Trusting that your known fairness VIII aLoW
snace for this correction Of what must be mere
an Z. BARKER
Toronto. Sept g 1905