The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-09-27
A PLEA FOR SANE SPELLING.


biography, is chaotic, barbaric,
because of the youth it fiays in school,
who would master the complexities of
its scandalous assem- blage of misHt-
ting vowels and cOnsOnants. "Unscien-
tic," says one writer; but L
emphatically differ with him in this,
for if science ever sought to accom-
plish wonder, it is when she seeks to
adjust sound to form in her struggle
with English Orthography. Have you
ever thot of the fact, that in our
alphabet of twenty-siX characters are
three letters-c, q, x-of absolutely
no use?
Earlier in my discourse l said "safe
and sane" but to me now occurs a
phrase which l believe more appropri
ate--"sober and sane" Yes, this is
better. Our present diversified spell
ing is not "s0ber" 1t staggers about
like drunken man. One who is in
toxicated by over much drink, stam-
mers and shutters, writhes and tries
it over again. You have heard him-of
course you have.
This movement is not without its
martyrs. In our county, forty years
ago, most worthy and talented
attorney, then in the height of his
young manhood, believed himself
called upon to advocate and promul-
gate phonetic spelling. With this
object in view, he resigned his posi-
ton as county attorney of Blue Earth
County, to enter his chosen field of
world betterment. He published a
"speller." A dozen brief rules were
acquire, and the spelling book together
with all English spelling was mastered.
The student could then spell correctly
any and all words In the language.
Just speak it, and his arrangement of
the letters was absolutely correct.
His venture proved to be a failure.
He may be alive today, and if he is, he
is poor and old. He is but one of
hundreds who have attempted to ac-
cOmplish this act of mercy to their
race. Not five per cent of college
professors can spell every word cor
rectly, according to their own author
lty. And why2 Simply because it is
impossible for any one man to know
WHEN and HOW to spell all words in
exact accordance to existing diction-
} aries.
How can any man attain proficiency
in spelling a language in which we
} find words like dezeble and ipdezibe 4?
Do you "purists" ask that modern
, miracle worker direct every learned
pen always to write ebze when ibze is
the ending, and ible when eble happens
to have been chosen as an ending for
some other word of the same deriva.
tive as the one whose final syllable is
eble? Then there are hundreds, nay
thousands, of other similar incongrui.
ties and Inconsistencies from toz.
l was among the few local enthusi.
asts who, thirty years ago, undertook
to learn Volapuk. A world language
!, was then the commercial hope, and the
! students JOY 1t is said that thousands
did achieve fame in acquiring this
diabolic attempt at universal speech
1t was, however, an utter failure, fol
no system" can mold men way
nature has not led. Esperanto, said
to be free from every defect of its pred
ecessor, is very recent artificial
language; but it, too, will soon pass
leaving its inventor a wiser tho poorer
man.
{ l have spoken of these two attempt.
4 of well-meaning men to bring the com
: mercial world into friendly acquaint
I ance, but all to no effect-failure only
:; can mark any mans effort along thi.
: line. 1t is not natural way. Tht
language of strong progressive peo
!. pie has been the world language in
ages past, and spell our language so tina
it no longer appalls the foreigner, ant
English will become the sought fo
: language of all mankind, just as ZOO
: years ago Latin was spoken by ever!
d uation then in the Peace of Rome
+ which meant all civilization. Sinc'
Q the dissolution of the Roman Empire