Holbrook argus., 1906-09-08
NEW CODE
 OF SPELLING PRESIDENT SAYS PUBLIC IS TO
 BE THE JUDGE. In Letter to the Public Printer Roose- welt Declares Experiment Will Decide Fate of the "Three
 Hundred Words."

Oyster Bay. In letter to Charles A. Stillings, public printer at Wash ington, made public today, President Roosevelt wrote that if the changes in spelling advocated by the simplified spelling board and put into use in pub lie documents meets popular approv- al they will be made permanent.
 If not, he wrote, they will be drop ped The presidents letter follows:
 "Hon. Chas. A. Stillings, Public Printer, Washington, D. c.
 My Dear MT. Stillings-I enclose herewith copies of certain circulars of the simplifed spelling board which can be obtained free from the board at No. l Madison avenue, New York City, Please hereafter direct that in all gov enment publications of the executive departments the above 300 words in circular No. 5, shall be spelled as therein set forth.
 eff any one asks the reason for the action refer him to circulars 3, and 6, as issued by the Simplified Spelling Board. Most of the criticism of the proposed step is evidently made in entire ignorance of what the step is, no less than in entire ignorance of the moderate and common sense views as to the purposes to be achieved, which views are so excellently set forth in the circulars to which 1 have referred.
 "There is not the slightest intention to do anything revolutionary or initiate any far reaching policy. The purpose simply is for the government, instead of tagging behind popular sentiment, to advance abreast of it 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 Prof. Lounsbury and Prof. Skeat. If the slight changes in the spelling of the 300 words proposed wholely or par italy meet popular approval then the changes will become permanent with out any reference to what public off, cials or individual private citizens may feel; if 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 argicul- tural implement makers and farmers write "plow" instead of ''plough, !" which has made most Americans "hon- or'' without the somewhat absurd su- perduous "u" and which is even now making people write program with out the ''me" just as well as people who speak English now write ''bat, '" "set, 7" "dim, ." sum-" and fish, in stead of the Elizabethian "battle, :" "sette," "dimme," "summe,' and "fyshe," which makes us write "pub- lic," almanac" "era," fantasy" " and "wagon," instead of "publick, :" "almanack,'' "aera," "phantasy, |" and "waggon, of our great grand fathers.
 ''It is not an attack on the language of Shakespeare and Milton, becuse it is in some instances going back to the forms they used and in others merely the extension of changes, which, as regards other words, have taken place since their time. It is not an attempt to do anything far reaching or sudden or violent, or indeed anything very great at all.
 "lt is merely an attempt to cast what slight weight that can properly be cast, on the side of popular forces which are endeavoring to make our spelling little less foolish and fan tastic. Sincerely yours,
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT"