Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-03-22
SIMpLIFIED SPELLING.
a Look Forward ana Northumberland
IL Proposed by spelling Reformers.
or of Tho Free Prcss:

10 the fdltCr OF nc fTce fTCSS'
Tho entrance of Andrew Carnegie.
with - $4,000 per annum endowment
into the arena of proposed simple
English" gives tho propaganda of so
called spelling reform new and
much needed lease or life. From II
sporadic sense of being the "simplified
spelling board" has now taken on "a
number OF gentlemen whose names
gives the proposition n standing above
that OF freak" effort. It is to be no.
ticcd that no startling effects are TO DO
at once anticipated; to the contrary
rather tho modus operandi is to be
subtle so is not to "shock anybody
The report Of the board meeting in
Now York city the other day quotes
the standard objection 10 the Josh
Billinysizaton of the English lang
uagc. that to change its spelling de-
stroys the history OF words; and an
ticipates the necessity for reply by
Affirming. Those who so criticise are
not usually great etymologists while
at the front of the simple spelling
movement are found tho greatest
ctymologists and philosogists in the
land"
Granted this is true and tho further
statement that. for the present. only
500 words are to be changed, what is
the logical outcome. when the "simplc'
has wrought It's perfect work? To
illustrate we give tho parallel of an
auxiliary Missouri example Oo which
length this board generously will not
20 at prescnO and sixteenth century
English:
FORWARD. A. u. 1906
Hweraz the iregyularitiz ov 1nglish
orthografi ar a great obstacl in the prog
res ov the pepl and.
liweraz silent lcterz alone ad about 81
printing.
Therefor, Be it resolVd by the misuri
editorz. in convenshun assembled. that
We heartil sympathiz with the ernest
cfors hwch ar icing put forth TO sim
pliif Inglish orthograh, and,
We vii all and encureg wuu auu'hcr
~ begin and max such gradual change.
in spelling ~ ar recommended hi the
American biological Asoshiashun aud bi
the Spelling Reform Asoshiashun.
BACKWARD. A. y. 1888.
man to speak trewly and TO WRITE trewly
The second is Ehetorcque that tcacheth
| a man to speak faier in subtll tearmes
| And tn. third is Dialecticke and that
| teacheth u man to descrne or knowe
jrueth from. talSchoodc. And the fourt,
| is Arthmetcicke and that teaches "A man
| to rckeu K to compt all mann Of mum
bers. And fyite is Geomctrey and that
! teacheth man the NETT and measure OF
earth and all other things. The which
science is called Geomet"ry. And the
| teachcih "a man the cratic of song and
| voice of tongue and organe, harpe &
| ,rompe. And the seavinth science is cali.
| ed AStronou.ie, and that teacheth Il mar
| to l>nowe the course of the Soonne 4 o.
| the None and OF the STAIRS.
| II is proposed by the simple spelling
| board" to change such words as give Il
civ. believe 10 believe. croquette I" cgoket
cite. etc. Theoretically uoueticaly).
| What would he the answer TO this in
auiry: y Frenchman acquiring EneisE
is puzzled at times by our recognized
orthography ditto the German. the ltal
| ian. ct all, wherein will he bc assisted
| by the revised spelling of words from the
! French? AS now written when each ma
tionality meets with Il native word, h
| knows at once its meaning by it,
ctyiuologN ph"net ically spelled it Will b'
| AS puzzing to tho foreigner as EngliSl
will be 20 an English speaking nation.
| ". l.. S'rILLSON.
| Pennington, Vt, March II, 1906.