The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-04-04
Mx~8y oNvINcED that English


8x xX that its general use will
N*S&SK make disagreements be-
tween the nations of infrequent oc-
currence Andrew Carnegie has prom
ised to finance campaign by the SIM
plitied Spelling Board for the purpose
OF facilitating the reading and writing
or that language. A board of thirty
members will meet once year to
receive reports and discuss future
plans, but the main work will be done
by an executive committee consisting
of Brander Matthews. chairman; DR..
Charles p. G. Scott. secretary DR.. Will
liam Hays Ward, Henry Holt, DIR. l.
X. Funk. and Colonel Sprague. which
will meet much more frequently.
For the drst years, Mr.. Carnegie will
allow $4,000 a year, but If the work
grows, it is understood that this APP
preparation will be increased. Offic>s
will be secured by the board this week
in the Metropolitan Life building and
the crusade will be begun without
days delay. Later 1t is expected TO
have one or two travelling secretaries
or field agents at work throughout the
country.
The Simpllfied Spelling Board ac-
knowledges that 1t owes its existence
TO the National Educational Associa-
ton, in which this question has been
agitated AS q matter of fact, the sub
iect mas been before that powerful or
ganization almost since its organization
forty-fve years ago, and for at least
thirty years it has been discussed each
year with increasing interest. More
than a quarter of a century ago reports
of many of the addre' ses were printed
in the annual proceedings ]. the ere
formed" spelling.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BEGAN IT.
1t is no new thing, this proposal to
use a system of spelling which shall
conform more closely to the phonetic
principle. Benjamin Franklin was
among its earliest advocates, and a
strong advocate and q skilful one he
proved in debate. When an antagonist
declared that he did not want to have
to unlearn all that he had learned and
again, Franklin pointed out that one
would really have less TO 90 to learn
the ideal alphabet and spelling entire,
than to finish the system of spelling
which he had begun.
Perhaps the basic principles Of ire
formed spelling were supplied by
Isaac Pitman, the inventor of a sue
f,I ~ oh A
j. Ellis, In 1876 these two published a
phonetic alphabet of forty characters
composed of Latin letters and their
notifications.
Slowly but steadily. the proposed
changes grew in favor. and when the
National Educational Association met
in 1876, the Pathological Association
and the Spelling Reform Associations
of America and of Great Britain had
already taken up the subject. 1t was
at this meeting of the Educational
Association that the first paper of i'm
portance on this subject was read. In
1875 a committee had been appointed
by the Pathological Association to make
list of words which might be
changed. This committee. of which
Professor Il. A. March, of Lafayette
was chairman had for other members
Professor w. d. Whitney and Profes
sor ]. Hammond Trumbull, of Yale
Professor Il. ]. Child of Harvard, and
Professor S. S. Haldeman, of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania.
The chairman, Professor March, at
tended the gathering of the National
Educational Association in 1876, and
read a paper, in which certain rules
were laid down for preliminary re
forms and examples given. These
rules, which are given below, have
never been changed in any particular
from that day to this, although they
have been slightly enlarged:
THE RULES.
From q word ending in "ogue," "ue'
is dropped when "ogue" is pronounced
og. When "ogue" is pronounced oS tht
"uc' is retained. Thus catalogue" is
written 'catalog," but vogue and
"rogue" are not changed. Tongue Is
changed to "tung."