Live Oak daily Democrat. (Live Oak, Fla.) 190?-190?, 1906-09-04
The President Wrises Leau
to the Pubic Printes
TO TRY NMPIHFD 0Hlm
Believes GOSesssnent shnu3a Eske
The Lead and NOt D. faEKiza
Behind F'ublic seuslnrns

Oyster Bay. Sept. s.-la . lesisG 10
Charles A StiIlinss. pubise prsaisf
at Washington. the Presiaeaf 49,. IL
the changes in spellias adFoealos -
the simpIlaed spelliag board go eas
into use In Ofieial docamen1a meaa
popular approval they will - $50
permanent. II not. he Ur0ls. lAr4
viii be dropped. The pruHi6esf'a -.
ter follows:
Hon. Charles A. StilliaGs. Faess
Printer, Washington. d. C.. ~ usaf
Mr.. Sullings-I enclosa hereaha
copies Of certain clrcaiara of tss
simpliied spelling board. Walsh esa
be obtained free ffom ths soaFd az
DO. l Madison avenue. Neu FerA
city. Please hereafter eirect thsl -
ali government publications II 60
executive department ne thres hanr
dred words enumerated en- cirrasaF
No. shall be spelled Is thersia 40
forth. If any one asks ne reanaa
for the action, refer him 70 clrrufara
8, and 5, as issued b. TIE slnpiiasa
spelling board. Most 90 tAs erilirissn
of the proposed step ia sFs1safis
made in entire Ignorance % shst Eas
step is no less than in satire iKnas-
ance Of the very moderate an4 essa-
mon sense views as 10 what paFpeses
to be achieved. which views are so
exeellently set forth In the ciresl4Es
to which have referred. This d nps
the slightest intention 20 DO anythlas
revolutionary or initiate any far
reaching policy. The purpose slmply
is for the government. instead GO
tagging behind popular ssntiment. %
advance abreast Of It and a. The aama
time abreast of the views Of shs
ablest and most practical educators
of our time, as well as Of the uiuss
profound scholars. men Of ne stamp
of Prof. Lounsbury and Prof. sksal
If the slight changes In the spellia4
Of the three hundred words proposad
wholly or partially meet popular ap-
prOVal, then he changes viii b.
come permanent without any refer
ence to what public officials OF Ia
dividual private citizens may feel M
they do not ultimately meet With
popular approval they will be dropt.
and that is all there is about IL. They
represent nothing in the world bat q
very slight extension Of the uncon-
scious movement which has made az
ricultural implement makers and
farmers write pillow" instead Of
plough which has made most
tAmericans write honor" without
the somewhat absurd superfiOus n"
and which is even now making peo-
/ pie write program" without the
me- just as all people who speak
English now write bat" set
dim, sum" and fish" instead Of
the Elizabethan bate" settle
dimmie," 'summe" and "fysshe.r
which makes US write public"
almanac era" fansy," "publIck."
'almanack," 'aera," "phantasy" Of
our great-grandfathers. Il Is not an
attack on the language Of Shakes
peare and Milton, because II Is In
some instances a going back to the
forms they used, and in others mere
ly the extension of changes which, a.
regards other words, have taken
place since their time. 1t is not an
attempt to do anything far-reaehinE
or sudden or violent, or indeed any
thing very great at all It is merely
an attempt to cast what slight
weight can properly be cast on the
side Of the popular forces which are
endeavoring to make our spelling a
little less foolish and fantastic.
Sincerely yours, Theodore Roose
velt."