The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-09-13
new STYLE SPELLING
6. A. Wood Writes a Letter Accord.
ing to President RooseveIt's
Idea of Reform Spelling.

Idea of Reform Spelling.
DR.. w. F. Waight has received the
following unique letter from his son-in-
law, G. A. Wood, who is employed in the
government Offices at Washington. The
DR.. says he had to peruse the epistle
the second time, having flattered him
self at first sight of President Roose-
velt through the medium of his secre-
tary submitting it to him as critic of
the English language, for conda mnation
sake.
Washington, D. G.
August 81, 1906.
Onered Sir
After sending 10 wun ov mi krazy
letters this week, it okkered to me that,
if yu got yore kluches on it, in awl
likliheod the spirit ov faseeshusness
which seems to dominate yu at times
wood kawz yu to turn it over to the
Reporter for publikashun. Now while
l, like most people, feel a plezurable
thrill chase up and down my spinal
mario upon seeing mi name in print.
espeshally at the bottom ov Termed
and instructive "peece", still think
that, in sum mezure, at leest, ought to
be the judi az to which specimens ov mi
idiocy shud be published to the world
l konfess to konsiderabl worry over the
wa in which Mr.. Hull haz bin getting
ahed ov me in the matter ov letter
riting, but hav konsoled miself with the
thot that with kooler wether and a su-
perior tiperiter l kud soon max up for
lost time. l shall alwaz be pleezed to
do mi small part toard the amuzment and
edifikashun ov the gud peepel ov old
Dekatur, and if, incidentally, the pile
ov buckeye in Hull's backyard tours
| ski-hi in consequence ov the CRATE de-
mand for the Reporter, shall feel that
life haz not bin entirely in vane, after
awl. But do want to be forewarned
in order that ma not max too much ov
damphool ov miself. hav spoke!
We haven't bin able to get very gud
idea ov Iowa wether this summer; but
if yore wether man haz bin dshing up
ennything thare like ourz here, the
houl from the farmer must reech the
hevens. This haz bin the dampest.
stickiest, sultriest month that has hap
pened within the memory ov the oldest
inhabitant. Dores and windoes ar swol-
len tite and everything is moist and
clamy to the tuch. Yesterday when
made mi kustomerry dive for mi hat at
four-thirty, l left the sect ov mi trow-
zers sticking to the chare and had to
wait til dark and go home the back wa.
Upwards ov sixteen inches ov rane hav
fallen during the month, and tina do sa
that the truk gardeners hereabouts ar
developing web feet. A CRATE deel ov
choice profanity haz bin wasted in this
naborhood, but, until this morning,
haven't notised that it haz dun emmy
gud.
James R. Bowsher, implement deeler
and Cummins krank, late ov Leon and
later ov New York, onored us with an
over-Sunda witt the 18th. We showed
him around and being an ex-Mizzourian,
he had to be showed" some things that
ar not listed in glide buks. Jim put in
most ov hiz time at the Kapitol, how
ever, but wuz devoted more to arguing
politiX. with Lootenant Jones than to
absorbing the history ov hiz kuntry.
Sum times when the relativ merits ov
Cummins and Hepburn were being dis
kust the argument bekam rather warm
and wud hav to diplomatikaly shift
the talk around Bryanward. Then tina
wud get together and be as agreeing as
kupple ov brothers. Jim IL konsider-
abl ov Cummins kranE, but he haZent
got Albert razed to the hi pedestal of
alteration to which Jones haz hoisted
the Kernel.
We haven't bin doing much site-seeing
lately-it being our idea to reserve
what little energi that haz survived
the onsloughts ov old General Humidity
until Jess arrives. Everything is in
rediness for her koming, except the
White House. Unfortunately, tina hav
not yet finished the uzual summer over
hauling, and I'm afrade that the gurl
will hav to kontent herself with being
received on the lawn instead ov in the
East Room, az she haz no dout bin fig
uring on. The Prezident haz ritten me
that he will sure be here to entertane
her before she leeves.
/ suppoZe that brother Atz liz reely
the wun to be congratulated upon the
Forthcoming festivities, but think that
felicitashuns ar also koming to WI in
sekuring such a desirabl addishun to
yore list ov suns-in-law. think he viii
rank up pretty vel with the standard
and sertainly he'z ahed ov yore latest
akquirement in that line.
If yu hav been reeding our letters to
the kids, yu will find gud deel ov rep
etishun here, but then yu ought to over.
look little thing like that when yu
receev a reel personal letter from sucf
a distinguished sorse.
Yu ma think when yu stumble thru
the spelling in this letter that Josh
Billings haz kun back to toun, but, as l
told 10 the other da, I've got to praktis
the reform ~ spelling on sumbody, an6
it mite just as wei be yu az ennybody
We hav not az yet reserved offisha,
orders to adopt the fonetik, but az the
Prezident haz ordered it to be uzed ir
the exekutiv offisez, it il likely that we
shal soon get motifs to do the orthografik
summerset. l hav reformed a gud many
times in gud many waze, but this il
going to be about the severest rench oy
awl-even worse than quitting the
cigaret habit. Yu will notis that with
awl mi praktis l am not vet awl
waze consistent in mi spelling. Sa, but
this new-fangled biznes ought to be a
crate boon to the Leon lawyers, tho
George Baker awlwaze did hav two O,
three waze to spell wurd, and now he
kan uZe the tiperiter without lavino