The San Francisco call., 1906-09-03
PRESIDENT MIXED
ON SPELLING.

OYSTER BAY, L. l., Sept. I'm a
letter to Charles A. Stillings, Public
Printer at Washington, made public
today. President Roosevelt wrote that
if the changes in spelling advocated
by the Simplified Spelling Board and
put into use in official documents
should meet with popular approval
they would be made permanent. If
not, he wrote, they would be dropped
Attention has been called to the fact
that the President in his letter to the
Public Printer fails to use the reforms
in spelling which he advocates. He
writes dropped" whereas the Simpli-
fed Spelling Board writes it "dropt-"
The Presidents letter follows:
My Dear Mr.. Stillings-I inclose here
with copies of certain circulars of the
simplified spelling board. which can be
obtained free from the board at No.
Madison avenue, New York City. Please
hereafter direct that in all Government
publications of the Executive Depart
ment the above 300 words enumerated
in circular No. shall be spelled as
therein set forth.
If any one asks the reason for the
as issued by the Simplified Spelling
Board. Most of the criticism of the
proposed step is evidently made in en-
tire ignorance of what the step is no
less than in entire ignorance of the
very moderate and common sense views
as to the purposes to be achieved, which
views are so excellently set forth in
the circulars to which / have referred.
There is not the slightest intention
to do anything revolutionary or in
ftiate far-reaching policy. The pur-
pose simply Is for the Government, in
stead of tagging behind popular senti-
ment. to ADVANCE abreast of il and at
the same time abreast of the views of
the ablest and most practical educators
of our time. as we'll as of the most pro-
found scholars-men of the stamp of
Professor Lounsbury and Professor
Skeat
If the slight changes in the spelling
partially meet popular approval, then
the changes will become permanent
without any reference to what public
officials or individual private citizens
may. feel; II they do not ultimately
meet with popular approval they will
be dropped and that is all there is
about it.
They represent nothing in the world
but very slight extension of the
movement which has made agricultural
implement makers and farmers write
pillow" instead of plough which has
made most Americans write honor
without the somewhat absurd super
uouS peope AND 1rt Tsch Is eysn now wfba
the r'me." just all people who speak
English now write bat" set" dim. "
bethian bate" '.sette." 'dimme. .
write public" almanac" era fan
tasy" and wagon" instead OF pub
| lick" "almanack." ''aera,v ''phantasy'
and Wagon" of our great-grand-
fathers.
1t is not an attack on the language
OF Shakespeare and Milton, because il
is in some instances q going back &c
the forms they used and in others
merely the extension of changes which
as regards others words. have taken
attempt to do anything far-reachine
or sudden or violent or, indeed. any
thing very great at all. 1t is merely
an attempt to cast what slight weight
that can properly be cast on the sid,
of popular forces which are endeavor-
ing to make our spelling little less
foolish and fantastic. Sincerely, yours
! THEODORE ROOSEVELT.