Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-09-07
PRESIDENT FIRM
FOR NEW SPELLER.
Orders Fair Test and Tells Public Printer
to Go Right Ahead-Decries
Loud Criticism.

OYSTER BAY. y. y, Sept. 3.-PrOf.
Brander Matthews and Andrew Carne
gle INDUCED i'll more fgurative hand
shaking when Secretary Loeb Sunday
gave reporters copy of letter written
by President Roosevelt to Public Print
er Stillings, wherein Roosevelt orders
absolutely no quarter to foolish vowelS
and cOnSonants that now clutter the Ian
guage of state.
One reason for the governments adop-
ton of simplitied spelling, President
Roosevelt writes is to keep abreast of
the times-or words TO that effect. But
should the crippled words run so far
ahead as to be lost to view, why, then,
the letter continues, simplitied spelling
will be ''dropt," and that is all there
is about it.
The President regrets the uproar that
has greeted the announcement that all
letters that don't make Il noise are to be
tied to the electric chair.
What in the name of common sense,
ask the vowel SlaughtererS, lis the use
of an 'ough' chat is pronounced 'uf III
enough 'ow' in plough 90 III
through 20 in though off in cough,
and so on to the end of the list: Tie
the bunch to the third rail and run the
cars over EN-"
Anyway, concludes the President, Il
whole lot of folks are making big fuss
over something that isn't anything great
after all.
President Roosevelt's letter to Public
Printer Stillings reads:
l inclcse herewith copies of certain civ
cuars of the simplted spelling board
which can be obtained free from the board
at l Madison avenue, New YORK. Please dl-
rect that hereafter in all government pub
LEGATIONS of the executive departments the
rS,l- tod n (.ipr -
be spelled as therein set forth. If any one
asks the reason for the action refer him 10
circulars D. t and & rs issued by the SIM
plitied spelling board
Most of the criticism of the proposed step
is evidently made in entire ignorance OF
what the step is, no less than in entire ig-
norance of the moderate and common sense
views as to the purposes to be achieved,
which views are 50 eXceilcntly set forth i'll
the circulars to which | have referred.
There is not the slightest intention TO do
anything revolutionary or initiate any Tar
reaching policy. The purpose simply is for
the government instead of tagging behind
popular sentiment, to advance abreast of it,
and, at the same time, abreast of the views
of the ablest and most practical educators
of our time, as well us of the most pro
found SchOlarS-mCn of the stamp of Prof
LOunsbury and Prof. Skeat.
If the slight changes in the spelling OF
the 300 words proposed wholly or partially
meet popular app oval, then the changes
will become permanent. without any refer
ence to what public officials OF individual
private citizens may feel. II they DO not
ultimately meet with popular approval they
will be dropped-and that is all there is
about it.
The changes represent nothing In the
world but slight extension of the uncon-
scouS movement which has made agricul-
tural implement makers and farmers write
pillow instead of plough" which has
| made most Americans write honor with
out the absurd, supertiuous u and which
is even now making people write pro
gram without the me" just as all people
who speak English write bat set. .
dim sum- and fish" instead of the
| Elizabethan bate. ''sette,'' dfmme, -
''summe," and 'fyshe;' which makes us
write public almanac" era" fan
tassy,,,, and wagon, instead of the pub,
lick ''almanack," .'aera," ''phahtaSy,'
and Wagon" of our great-grandfatherS.
1t is not an attack upon the language of
Shakespeare and Milton, because i'll some in
stances it is going back to the forms they
used and in others merely the extension Of
changes which, as regards other words,
have taken place since their time.
1t is not an attempt to do anything far
reaching sudden violent, or indeed
anything great at all. Il is merely an at
tempt to cast what slight weight prop
erly be cast on the side of the popular
forces which are endeavOring to make our
spelling little less foolish and fantastic.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.