davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
ChoIeric Words.

To THE EDITOR OF TIE sUN-sh! Imagine
George washingt ton or Abraham Lincoln (of pleased
memory writing q mans will in his own behalf.
and going to law with the widow for hs claim
and losing. Imagine either Of these great men
spouting up and down the land and DER seas against
wealth. while working brain and jaw day and
mig hi 10 accumulate II. and by the threefoid projects
Of spouting. prin ting and editing. exploiting his pro-
ilnc. exploded demag osio Ideas throushs personal
corporation, Of which he was the only corpus.
Imagine our great executives organising by
cable, wireless and endless bhain processes an -im-
perial" reception to be families OF tainted money"
10 II possible that this M tIon 10 TO be given into the
keeping Of this political Dowie the greatest humbug
Of the age. who through two campaigns melted
riot, and has only shown his valor and Statesman.
ship by IN eruption OF words enveloped In nbid
froih. who 10 posing abroad on his record Of q
defeated and discredited candidates. VIII has Just
one object in view-hiso own aagrandizenentf Can
the great and time honored Democratic party
AFFORD to ally Itself with the merccnav fortunes
Of this political mountebank simply TO achieve q
pahy vlctory1
Let us pray that the splendid fabric Of our ma
tionAi hon or and prosperity may never be menaced
by the experiments Of a demaE ogue. who ha s n 10th.
Ing to him.. so far cx hibited, but . cum
ming tongue and q vaulting personal ambition.
A SANE DHhoCRAr.
FORT HAMILTON, August n.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
Needless Alarm.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: For
goodness sake do something to check the
spread of the impression that Presldent
roosevelt has sanctioned phonetic spelling.
where do the hum orists who are writing you
bsshed alphabet communications find their
authority for their Joeh BillingsRate1 Ger
tainly not IN anything that the President has
said or done.
paul Harboe" writes you only this morn
ing to exult in the news that the President
hes "syned the fonetic spelling BILL Doubt
less Paul is a merry Jester. but whether he's
in earnest or not. there are thousands Of peo-
Die who really do think that something like
that has happened.
Save US! For a hideous warning Of what
IL likely to come II you don't, look through
your " advertising columns this morning.
The 800 words that the President specifically
mentions have had, In most cases, long and
we'll established authority for tho simplined
form he approves. Few Of them are spelled
strictly phonetically. any way. And they
really cut very little figure. A Sixth avenue.
department store which gave a practical
demonstration Of the new system In It's Sun
day advertisement altered lite proofs strictly
in accordance with the rules printed In Sat
urday's morning SUN. It.found 1t necessary
to alter the spelllng Of only four words In an
eptiye page advertisement.
Do something Quicki G. H. p.
NEW York, August 20.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
Some Reform Faults Pointed Out.

To THE EDITOR OF TIE SUN-Sir: APP
proving Of spelling reform In all legitimate
directions. l feel compelled to register my
decided aversion to changes which are not
useful or proper. Ny special aversion In
the List Of words printed In THE Sun Is the
word thru" and It's derivatives. The re-
formers have no right to expect that the pub
lie will take kindly to any change which In
wolves a different pronunciation from the
original.
Through" 10 pronounced 'throo.' There
IL neither the modified sound of Q after the r.
as required when the = e followed BY u. nor
10 there any opportunity for the use Of tho
former. Neither Of the sounds Of r when pre-
oeded by q LIQUID consonant is permissible
in through the sounds being as would DO the
case II the word were spelled thru" threw
with no ~" sound. but a modified e: -thryou."
In one syllable. and but very infreauently
the sound Of the French u: that being the
same az 90 in look. D..
Two other matters are brought to my atten-
ton In the list Of reformed words. which seem
baseless from q reform point Of view, and
therefore Objectionable. The change from
snitre- to inter- and from ~"saltpetre' to
-saltpeter" effects no good result. while In
volving 0 departure frtm the requirements
Of etymology. Finally. 1t is difficult to see
where any good result IL obtained by chang
ing 9 to z. as IL recommended In some words,
the reform not being. specifically, phonetic.
NEW YORK, August %. STUDENT.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30

lected by the people and the tumultuous
summons Of DE Writ CLINTON TO the
Aeld. The Bucktails Of Tammapy Hall
opposed him arancorously, and ToMP-
KINs and VAN BUREy surreptitiously
did what they could to block his success.
But CLINTON, swept the State like a
cyclone, receiving nearly 1900 votes
out Of q total OF some $4,000. He was
inaugurated Governor on July /, 1917,
and three days later he began the con-
struction Of the Erie Canal.
That Is what the voters Of the State Of
New York did for themselvessome ninety
years ago. What they did then they
can repeat to-day. They have oven
graver reasons for attempting it. They
have the man they need. Will they
make use Of him? ~
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
American Abuse Of Little Mary,

<hoesO u I'VE ny
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-sh: You say the
American doesnt know how TO drink beer. You
arc right. There arc other important things which
the American also doesn't know how to do He
has no Idea how TO eat his food or what u eat. The
American practice of boiling b meal causes half the
dyspepsia In this country. and the u~nassimflabls
food which Is devoured causes the other half.
Al q lunch counter one frequently sees mon and
boys eating noh, indy estibie pastries This sort
Of food is bad enough. but Ito evfl effect 10 height
ened by the abominable stun which Americans eat
at home. CuIl3ary art In America Goes little Be.
You'd what can be prepared in . frying pan. 10 has
been said, possibly with truSh, that moro danger
turks Tn tho American trying pan than IN the A1peri-
can whiskey bottle. This remark b not IN the
least calculated 10 detrsot from the evu eject Of
whiskey.
Even II an American should by chance have
opportunity to cat q well cooked meal be spoils ts
good effect by pouring down three or four glasses Of
Ice water. This chilie the stonach and paralyxes
the digestive organs. Tho Ice water habit 10 par
tlculariy prevalent among the women. Al ell
meals Americans cry for steaming hot bread. They
don't know that bread fresh from the oven. NO
matter how well prepared. 10 unheaithful. IL 10
soggy and lies heavily on the stomach. Good
bread 10 much better when II 10 . day or two old.
II is then Hight, nAky and readily digested. But
there may be. an explanation for the fondness Of
Amorteans for hot bread. They don't know how
90 bake bread, and II IL isn't eaten when fresh Il
can't be eaten at all. Only good bread improves
by stan ding q few days
There are the timed terrors" that Americans con.
sumo by the carload. and the prepared breakfast
foods from which all strength and nourishment
has been driven by steam: and the prepared baby
foods-oh. horrorsi Prepared foods are well named.
because they prepare the stomschfor the dyspepsia
specialist. II. A. s.
BAsxrNo RIDGE. N, w.. August ..
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30

same way. These tm~proyements weuSq
greatly help Ia. ni4ltlnRi our Language GEAR
and systematic. For instance, II We apoii
"shun" we should accordingly spell 'atten-
shun." We should apply the pfpning KNIFE
freely to words like aisle" and "phthisic.
Nov l. am a THIfjotic American and be-
iieve that we arcane leaders In nearly every
movement OF VOL progress. yet don't you
think this task should have been left to the
>Enelish2 Ithink q committee Nf professors
from the universities OF Oxford and Cam
bridge should hove settled on the reforms.
Ju4t such an eminent committee was selected
years ago to reform the French tongue. Tho
English certainly have first claim on the
language. and they are the race that has
produced the Cheucers and the Millions, who
have been epoch markers In the building or
the language. The London newspapers are
inclined TO laugh at 40 Yankees In regard
TO this matter, yet they all agree that spelling
reform Ia greatly needed. One London paper
goes 80 far 40 TO say that the Yankees nave
again stolen q march on the Ensiish. -.
But II the work was TO be accomplished
In this country, why did they slight Harvard.
Yale and Princeton In selecting o board to
expose the evils OF the English languaRef
with the eminent authorities connected with
these universities, and with their excellent
libraries, I should think they would have
been the leaders In these reforms. ,
However. the idea Ia most excellent and
progressive, and this new method Of spelling
must gradually be adopted. for I do not think
IL can DO forced all at once on the public. We
must consider the question carefully and not
be old fashioned about II, 20 20 many people
are In the case OF any innovation.
WORCESTER, Mass. August %. STUDENT.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
LOcOMDTOR ATAxIA.
AsuResef IRON II Prepeses.a Test 10 the
Christian Deientiste.

10"
tn Tuv ENRON or THr suN-Siy: In A
80. ~ ~, az, ~, N CorneI, vason
reoens issue o. ths suN IL. ~. .o p crswmI, on
Science. have been q euferef for more
inaa,,o,o. .,axia h,t hav va aiwavs refused
tooonoto, a.sAla' ~ n",% I'm |sws T..
70 try Christiah bcience' WI. WIN ihb
BUHis permission. state my reasons for doing
90. and suggest q test Of the ALLEGED power
oo'e"oo "" "1
durable disease
TIT Christian Science leaders have said
(for ! have heard them) that there was no
sucn tnms ~ o,sease. ~ nsS n.a ~
oest Oh reasons TOT kfowine tnere - o'seese,
! want nothing to do with o System based
on a lie 70 beeiu with. I heard one OF the
prsstesses Of the cult say at Q .meetlns.
.~.o ~. ~
Your arm can't get tired any more tnsn tne
hinge Of q door can GET tired ] thought.
the lady would put In several hours chopping
vood she noight tbink differently. Mr..
u,ms.- -. %nI.- aa..n.,s,. dnn,t danv
wilson seys onrlst,ea Scseh..ss oInt u1ny
the existence Of pain, They formerly denied
the existence Of diseSse and pain, but the
trouble with the CbrIstisn Science debaters
4. .s.I - -. - 80 . dn,on di6erent
sues '"oy 70" e''e hesi
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
WOODEN RAILWAYS.
A Specimen at Atlantic CITY IN the Early
~ Seventies,


To TEE EDITOR OF TEE SUN-Sir: I have
noted with great interest the article from
the Railroad Gasette ontyour editorial page
the other day. headed EARLY Wooden Rail-
ways" Az soon as I saw the headline, be-
fore reading the ftory itself, there was
called up to my mind the only wooden rail-
way I have ever seen. and as they seem to
be growing scarce. q record OF this one may
interest your readers.
Il was at Atlantic City In the early '70s-I
should say about "a or '7a. The beach front
Of what II now o summer metropolis was then
at Pacific avenue; that Is. fully a quarter Of a
mile from the surf. = In order that bathers
might reach the beach there was a railway,
Q streak Of wooden rats. which ran about
along the line Of what IL now North Carolina
avenue, perhaps o little south Of there. One
car constituted the rolling stock OF the. line.
and Il was draw. By an annotated horse
driven by q bewhfskered Jerseypan.
There was no schedule. but the car made
its t,ips according a. TIE Puol1S nsds up its
planks, set on edge In the sand, of course
properly braced TO prevent spreading, and
the car jogeed along between the beach and
The hotel centre Of Atlantic CITY at that time
was at about Pacific and North Carolina
avenues. The boardwalk. which yaa con-
sidered chiefly as an. escape from tho ankle
pisnks laid directly On The bssch. without =
II you could dray eyt some more remi.
nIscenoes Of old Atlantic City you might add
to q little known department. Of history.
Nsw Yonl. August 10. E.J WasHlocx. >
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
Highest of the Rpwenzori Range.

GhS Va WIN
1t has been known for some time that
the Duke Of the ABRUzzI on June is
reached the highest summit Of the
Ruwenzori range in central Africa, but
the cable dispatches did not give the
height of this eliminating point. In
formation now at hand shows that the
Dukes determination Of the height Of
this summit is $500 metres, or l9,024
feet. With u present knowledge Of
Africa it ranks, therefore, as the second
highest mountain Of the continent. the
Kibo summit Of Kilimanjaro being first
with 49,, 7l2 feet, and Mount Kenia third
with IS, los feet.
Two small English parties, starting
from Victoria Nyanza, reached the crest
Of the range this season before the
Italian prince arrived on the ground,
but they did not ascend the highest
peak, and their stay was too short for
extended exploration Of this complex
Of SUBMITS. Before he made his high
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
Task for the President.

To THE EDITOR or The sUS-Si: Mr..
President. please don't bother with how to
spell q few words. Surely your time 10 too
valuable for that. Won't youplease tell US how
TO use but. and" shall" '"will.' should.
would -only. alone" by. with who
awbom"p
Teacher says we never get these right.
And she says. too. that we are q parcel OF
blockheads when we try TO master split inin-
itives. mixed metaphors. counting con-
structlons. compound words. punctuation.
modes and lenses. Help us with our school
work, please. Mr.. President. as you are the
only one that knows everything about every
thing. Teacher doesn't teach; she Just
Goods. .
We have looked at some Government
records. expecting to find them without
faults. but we guess teacher would scold the
Public Printer. too. II she got chance. She
says bis style isn't any better than ours-that
what needs mending is not his spelling. but
his English composition. IoNoRAMus.
NEW YORK. August 90.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30

Of Crown and appanage lands to the
peasants bank for distribution among
the mujiks. The decree had not been
published, however. because some OF the
details had not yet been arranged. 1t
might therefore have been withdrawn,
and probably would have been had the
Reactionists recovered asoendency atthe
Tsarskoe-Selo Palace. Amid the. stress,
however, OF his personal afhiction, MIR.
SToLYPIN hurried to the palace and in
sisted that the ukase should be gazetted,
IN spite OF the fact that the question
whether the term Of payment should
extend over thirty three or sixty years
had been undetermined. He also pro-
cured the announcement that ten mil
lion additional acres would quickly be
marked off for allotment among the
more necessitous OF the peasant COM
munities. At the same time he let 1t be
known through a semi-official organ that
the Government had no intention OF
meeting terrorism by a dictatorship
and that the work Of political as well
az agrarian amelioration would 60 on
steadily, whether or not a particular
statesman should have to be replaced
by another. These words Of Roman
fortitude, backed as they have been by
acts, should command the respect and
confidence OF the vast majority Of intel
ligent Russians who desire to compass
political liberty by constitutional means.
They should absolve Premier SroLYPIN
from the suspicion which the dissolu-
ton Of the Duma seemed to justify. the
suspicion that he was a reformer for
revenue only, a mere stopgap between
the discredited Goremykin Ministry and
a ruthless regime Of martial law.
There Is something Cromwellian In the
temper Of a man who cannot be swerved
by the dreadful suferings OF, his inno-
cent children from what he deems his
duty to his country. 1t begins to look
as IL NICHOLAS II. had found at last a
statesman qualified by ability and char
aoter to pilot the Russian State between
the reef Of a~utocratic oppression and the
whirlpool Of social disintegration. Mar
row and difficult, however, is the course,
and the harbor Of safety is not yet in
sight.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
Tho Kaiser Dowser.

WILHELM II. had been lost for a day
or two. For at least twenty-four hours
he had not taken command of any addi-
tional department Of knowledge, as
sumed any new role, or communicated
any new impressions to mankind. Was
he signing, like his Macedonian proto-
type? Was ennui gnawing him at last?
Was his all accomplished and restless
mind, having TO- t%wenty-four hours
ceased to flash surprise upon the uni
verse, becoming like the dull weed that
rots on Lethe's wharf? 1t looked as II
Excalibur was rusting and the kaleido-
scope revolved no more.
Presto! Abracadabra! The investiga-
tor, conqueror and director Of everything
on earth leaps. fustered and eIultant,
from its bowels. The wielder OF the
forked lightning Yields the forked divin-
atory stick, the wand Of MERCURY, the
rod Of AARON. The screened springs Of
water gurgle and betray themselves to
their overload. Hidden treasure gives
itself UP. Within the hands of men en-
tirely great the dowsing rod is mightier
than the sword.
While Mr.. ROOSEVELT was weaving his
spell over the silent letters the German
Emperor was weaving his over the silent
waters and the buried gold. Now the
Kaiser is preaching the virtues Of the
dowsing rod. The world will be dis
appointed sorely II he doesn't look under
the bed of the Rhine and ind the Nibel-
ung Hoard.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30

That ancient Galahad the Hon. JOE CAM
NON is pretty bold for q Favorite Son.
He rides in a special train. He dares to be
the guest Of the vice-president Of a rail-
road company. Dangerous business. Then.
he seems to be getting ready to try his
hand at golf. A frivolous game, though
BALrouR plays 1t. A statesman candidate
should chop down trees. work in the fields,
do something to show he Is a sturdy and
popular character. Coli, too; is al old
mans game, fully as much as It Ia a young
mans. Uncle JOE should play football.
On the other hand; his desire to climb
Mount Whitefaoe' shows that he Is on the
right track. Whether be goes up Mount
Whiteface or not, be is bound to climb
Mount Fairbanks and plant his flag upon
that awful top.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
Indicted, and Certified.


' In q recent Civil Service list Of persons
certified as eligible for employment as
clerks in the Finance Department, Comp
troller METZ has found the name Of ope
man who is under indictment fopforgefy.
This man has been tried twite and in
each trial the jury disagreed. Mr.. METZ
intends, sensibly enough, to hire the in
dicted man and let him become a useful
member Of societyoif he wants to. II the
experiment turns out badly, the city ID
protected against loss by the Comptrol-
ler's and clerks bonds, and il it results
in saving the accused person from a
criminal career, the municipal machine
will have been the means Of performing a
most valuable public service.
The incident is not likely to beget con
hdenoe in the Civil Service Commission,
however. That not inexpensive bureau
exists for no other purpose shan' to
examine into the capabilities and quali-
hcations Of applicants for municipal
employment. Among the thousands who
appear before the examiners are COM
paratively few with court records. APP
parently these have little to fear from
the commission's inquisitors. The Police
Commissioner recently declared that the
commissions examiners OF applicants for
appointments Al patrolmen were passing
men, physically unfit candidates, utterly
unable to do the work required Of them.
This complaint was not inspired by a
desire for "spoils, but by Commissioner
BrNGHAM's wish to keep incapables out Of
his department.
II is apparent that the present Civil
Service Commission Is not a particularly
valuable municipal workshop, II 1t 10
Judged by its product.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
Mixed Euse,ieus Of o Patriot.

To THE EpIroR OF TIE suS-sir:. We have
always had this crying need OF spelling
reform, and this procedure Of President
Roosevelt's does not detract at all from his
brilliant record. The idea 10 most COM
mendable, yet ! do not think II has been
successfully carried out. The reformers
have certainly improved such words as
through" and although" and numerous
other words which contain several useless
letters. but argue that there Is quite a little
difference between the endines i and ed,
and while "distrest" Roes very well, mani.
~pulatet- does not look Just right. and what
are you going to do when the verb root ends
In i as In the case Of "tainted"f do not
think 1t improves tossed" TO spell II -tost.-
We should then have to pronounce most"
differently.
Each vowel should have always the came
sound. and d~iphthenss should DO pronounced
uniformly wherever vi meet them. A group
d. letters ahsaiA.AXAys- b prelouneedstbs.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
Chance for the Democrats.

To THE EDITOR OF THE sUE-Sir: The
Democratic party has Of late been looking
wildly about for an issue on which to con-
duct the campaign Of 1908. suggest that 1t
take a. an issue the defence of the English
Ian Ruas The late arrogant attempt to de-
stroy the historical continuity Of our speech
by short cut methods Of slovenly convenience
which defy literary traditions and etymolofi-
cal laws ts not too Insignificant to be made
the basis even of q national canvass.
We are made ridiculous before the eyes
OF the world Of good sense and scholarship
by this stupid decree Of our versatile Presi-
dent, and thousands Of Americans wit deem
It a matter Of greater Importance than the
usual buncombe OF political platforms would
be delighted at an opportunity TO rebuke 1t
with their votes. STEPHEN MAXWELL.
NEW YORK.. August 20.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30

est ascent the. Duke climbed q number
Of the lesser submits and made trigo-
nometrical determinations Of the heights
Of other peaks.
> In his work thus far reported the Duke
has shown how much may sometimes be
done in a few months by O party into
whose organization and equipment the
question Of cost has not entered. Every.
thing that might conduce to success was
provided. Distinguished specialists In
six OF the earth sciences were placed In
charge Of their departments OF work.
Signor SELr.A, the most famous Of noun
tain photographers, accompanied the
Duke for the third time. Lieutenant
WINsPEARE was placed In charge OF the
topographic surveys. Four hundred and
fifty porters carried the equipment from
Victoria Nyanza to the base camp on the
eastern slope Of Ruwenzori,
In two months and two days after the
expedition sailed from Naples the Duke
had considerably advanced his survey
Of the range, had assembled q number Of
the peaks. including the highest; and it
was his hope, before h e'turned home
ward, to complete the typographical
exploration Of this entire mountain mass.
eighty miles in length. Such celebrity In
the achievement Of good geographical
work has certainly never been excelled
in the history Of African exploration.
The Duke is likely to return with a good
map Of this mountain region which for
fifteen years has been the subject Of
much conjecture and OF several futile
attempts to explore it.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-30
His Extreme AIodesty.

To THE EDIroR OF TIE sUN-Sir: Professor
Brander Matthews 10 reported as saying: The
opposition to our proposals hasn't an argu-
mentative leg TO tan on The real dim
Guilty Ia not that legs are lacking, but that
the learned professor Is too modest to look
at legs. II he could overcome his saueamish-
ness and calmly look,at the legs OF our argu-
ment he would find It q centipede.
His fellow lsborers In the field Of reform
are all afflicted In the same way. Not one
Of them has shown that he really knows what
the opposing arguments are. This is a trait
ommon to all reformers. Professor, would
you have the boldness to look at the onend-
ing members II we called them limz7
frNBw York. August "a. D. X. R.