The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-11-18

Editor q The Times-Disnatch.
9lI.-in circular issued by the simuli-
hed Spelling Board. entitled "Tna SPELL
ing OF Yesterday AMI the Spelling OF
Io-inorro~. Dr. Erander Matthews.
chairman % the board. attribute MANY
OF the fragrant absurd.tios OF our cur
rent orthography 90 Doctor samuel
Johnson and his Dictionary ~ the Eng
urn Language. TO uuot.. "aud b. the
English language has to-day the worst
spelling OF any ~ the modern languages
t.ls is due largely to the influence
81 Lr. Johnson and tae weight
~ IFS ponderoas personality If ae
-ad just kuo"n little moro about
the history OF his own language. and u
he had cxcrtcd his dominating Influence
against the more obvious absurdities ana
Inconsistencies foisted into our spelling
by the narrow pecantry % arrogant
proofreaders secure in e periious half
knowledge. in short. II Dr. Johnson had
not only known more about Enellsh.
cut mad also cared more. our 0rtL0lrany
would be less unsatisfactory to-day and
II could be more easily SCI right.
In his regard FOR Latin. and in his
ignorance OF English as il had been be-
fore the printers came. johnson accept
ca comptroller, Ignoring the older con-
trollcr lie allowed sovereign ana
foreign. as tho they had something 20
do with The Latin rogn0. instead 81 tine
older soverain (Mllton soyran) and for
rain. He colntenances debt and doubt
With the useless and dlsfieurlng b. which
was thrust ia by earlier pcdauts. He
kept q Latin in receipt though he Lore
II out Of deceit. He spelt deign one way
and disdain another. He was willing to-
leave q needless and misleading fn
island altho IL had been iland in Shakes
peares time Re seems 10 have sup
posed that the older English aeast would
look more ghostllSe II spelt aghast. He
saw no harm 10 deli mt alth0 the older
form, representing more accurately both
the sound and the origin. was delite He
cast out the Shakcspearcan axe for a
iabored ache Kept Up The accidental
and perfectly useless distinction in the
spelling of the final syllables OF accede
and exceed. Of precede and proceed.
THE more clearly we See the fun cf-
feet Of Johnson's accidental influence IN
fixing upon our photography an these
infchcities and many others like them.
the more we are moved TO regret that
the burly doctor undertook TO prepare
the dictionary Of q language which he
had not investigated historically. and in
which he held IL disgraccful to compose an
cpitaph. The arguments which DR.. John
son advanced ~ his pamphlet on Take
ton no Tyranny did not convert our
forefathers. then fighting for their free
dom, and perhaps the time has now come
when their descendants can decide for
themselves whether they viii accept or
reject tho cumbersome spcilfnee nra-a~vad
in the dictionary made by the man George
, III pensoned."
Dr. Samuel Johnson was an uuioue
person, man OF strong prejudices and
Of much Independence The definitions
given in his Dictionary Of the Fnelish
Language" O155l are characteristic Of
the man. lie defines pension" as IAN
allowance made to any one without an
equivalent In England it is generally
understood TO mean pay given 10 q state
hireling for treason 70 his country"
"Pcnsioner, a slave of a state. hired by
n stipend TO obev his master" johnson
himself afterwards received q pension
from The King. althourh reluctantly lie
was glad to be released from poverty.
which had heretofore been his lot His
definition Of oats illustrates his preiu-
dice against the Scotch. coats. a grain
which in England is generally given 10
horses, but IN Scotland supports the peo-
pie"
In 1913. IN company with Boswell. Or.
Johnson visited tho Hcbridcs and IN
iOurncyiug through Scotland his dislike
10 the people OF that country was great
ly lessened A Scotchman. speaking Of
Johnsons definition Of oats, said: And