The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-09-27
competition of the various nations
has made the earth very babel of

has made the earth a very babel of
tongues.
A German Frank originated French.
This beautiful language, When spoken,
is very maelstrom of CONSERVATION
to spell; and tho it gained a most
favorable standing and was for GEN.
turies the classic of modern tongues,
it too must relinquish its prominence,
and largely because of its treacherous
spelling. Latin, because OF the stren-
uousity of the people who spoke it,
supplanted Greek. French for like
reason fifteen centuries later would
have captured the tongues of all
America and most of Europe, but for
their suicidal spelling-their real
Waterloo.
English speaking people today wear
the olive wreath and are in a position
to dominate the distiny of language
the world over Will they accept
the challenge and learn a lesson from
the defeat of French? Will they do
the only thing needed to make their
tongue possible to willing, waiting
world? The world language of the
future is the language which is spelled
as it is spoken. Today our makers of
dictionaries devote much space to the
pronunciation of words. With our
spelling "sober and sane," phonetic
spelling is at once phonetic pronuncia-
ton, no space being wasted in telling
US how the spelled word is pronounced.
The opportunity is ours, if we but
act upon the only condition demanded,
which is reformed spelling. English
is spoken today by a greater number
of people than of French, German,
Spanish and Italian combined. Two
billion people want TO learn it and
probably will learn it, too,-but the
demand is for a sensible Orthography.
[ favor radical and complete refOr-
nation in this matter. The method
proposed by the Simplified Spelling
Committee, may be the better way,
but Isee no good reason for "part
way at time" proposition, and recall
the experience of the man who re-
moved his dogs tail by cutting off
an inch at time to save the animal
pain. Cut it off at once and let the
wound heal. Publish a Phonetic
Dictionary unabridged today. and a
hundred Roe presses cannot tomorrow
supply the demand. The ragman
can have all the Webster's Century's
and others; for there will be no fur
ther use for them.
believe that 1 may Safely assert
that no two writer's of known repute
spell every word which they use just
the same. 1 have recently observed in
two articles by men of undoubted
ability difference in spelling mani.
testify worthy of note. One autht I
spelled ak, 0re, the other spelled it ac
In the same two articles, one said
good-by; the other goodbye. have
always spelled check, check, In a
March magazine, l find 1t spelled
cheque, and in another spelled checque
Until the simplest combination OF
letters is proclaimed the correct spell.
Ing, we will continue to meet these
varieties in newspapers, periodicals.
and books. 1t can not be otherwise
The unfitness of our present diversi.
fled spelling, is abundantly apparent
and cries aloud for the reform now
proposed.
Let us young and middle-aged
men do what we can to get even with
the teachers who score or so of years
ago, punished us for inadvertently an.
ticipating the halcyon day when
.foaaetic spelling may prevail
The committee as starter has
made a list,< and published it
of three hundred words which are
spelled in two or more ways, and
simply ask us to employ the simpler
We can do it. We will do it. For ex
ample, abridgme,at omitting the
superfuous "e, accurst, not accursed
ar, not axe; adz, not addz; blest, not
blessed. You will see the list in your
papers and magazines; study it! Copy
it! Use it!
Yes, adopt method of spelling, al
sane, as sober, and as safe as yor
J would adopt q machine to do your
work, or system by which to com