Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1906-08-30
REFORM SPELLING
New Style Must Be Used In All
Documents Emanating From
White House.
BY THE PRESIDENTS ORDER
He Has Endorsed the Carnegle
Movement Headed By BrandeF
Mathews for the simplihcation
of English photography.

Oyster bay, aug co.
Roosevelt has endorsed the Carnegie
spelling reform movement. He Issued
orders Friday to Public Printer Still
lings that hereafter all messages from
the president and all other documents
emanating from the White house snail
be printed in accordance with the
Recommendation Of the spelling reform
committee headed by Brander Mat
thews, professor of English ct Column
bia University. This committee has
published a list Of 300 words In W.
the spelling is reformed. THIS list
contains such words as thru" ana
"tho" as the spelling for through
and though"
The presidents oficial sanction OF
this reform movement is regarded as
the most effective and speediest meth
cd of inaugurating the new system
Of spelling throughout the country
Not only will the printed documents
emanating from the president utilize
tine reform spelling but his correspond
ence also will be spelled in the ne"
style. Secretary Loeb has sent Tor
the list OF 300 words which have been
reformed and upon Its arrival VIII
Immediately order all correspondence
of the president and Of the executive
force Of the White house spelled In
accordance Herewith. AS the spelling
reform committee shall adopt new re-
forms they will be added to the pres
ident's list and also that Of the pub
lie printer.
While the order to the printer Fri
day does not contemplate an imme-
diate reform In the spelling Of official
documents from the executive depart
ments in Washington, 1t is regarded
that more than likely the respective
heads Of the departments will fall
in line with the presidents ideas and
have their official documents printed
in the new spelling.
Prof. Brander Mathews, OF Column
bia university, New York, in writing
upon the question Of simplified spell
ing, said recently:
"For many years almost every one
who has given thought to the English
language has bewailed loudly the
present condition of its photography
which IL inaccurate and inconvenient
misleading In itself and wasteful Of
time and money. Reformers have
come forward with all sorts Of schemes
and associations Of scholars have
made Intellectual recommendations
Circumstances happened to intensity
the rooted conservatism Of the two
peoples who have the English Ian
guage as their birthright, and the
needed improvements in our spelling
seemed no nearer at the beginning Of
the Twentieth century than they had
been in the middle Of the Nineteenth
century. Then Mr.. Carnegie gave
practical expression to his emotions.
At his suggestion a simplified spelling
board has been organized, and he has
undertaken to supply the sinews Of
war for an active campaign In behalf
Of a more reasonable photography.
1.-THE growth Of the two nations
who speak English is one Of the most
obvious and one Of the most remark
able facts Of the Nineteenth century.
Five hundred years ago English was
spoken only by the few millions who
inhabited the British islands. Today
It is the language Of two great EN-
pires.
English bids fair to be the world
language of the future as French
seemed likely to be 200 years ago
and as Latin actually was 1000 years
ago.
THE spelling Of English is unwor
thy OF a practical race, It misrepre'
sents the derivation Of the words; II
is wholly unscientific; It is as waste
full as II is absurd: and It is inferior
to the spelling Of French and Of Ger
man, and far inferior to the spelling
Of Italian and Of Spanish. No better
example could be found Of the incon
sistency Of human nature than the
fact that the most buslnesslike Of rae
es has been 50 long content with the
most unbusInesslike Of orthogrAphies.