The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-17
wE HorE HE xuccEnps.

We much fear that Mir. Carnegie is
 attempting the impossible in his ef-
 fost to simplify spelling. He has
 made liberal endowment to simpli-
 fled Spelling Board. or something of the
 kind. and seems fully in earnest. We
 are afraid The New York World is
 correct when 1t says that although
 Mir. Carnegie may In the long run ex-
 ert as much influence on Americans as
 Benjamin Franklin did. 'it Is to be
 doubted if he can ever succeed in mah-
 ing them spell simply. logically. pho-
 netically and historically"
 There Is the point We suppose there
 is not on earth a more thoroughly H. logical language, orthographically
 than ours is, One of the reasons of
 that is that we have adopted so many words from other languages. Every nation. people and tongue has contrib nted to the vast sum of English words. and In most cases these adopted words have brought their original form of spelling with them. If we get words from a people who have no written language, we try to spell the words as they pronounce them-with little similarity, let us admit
 But the adopted words are not to bear all the blame. The very simplest words in our language. and those which have the best claim to be strict ly English words. have least consis- tency or similitude in orthography or nrn 1fa without resorting to the spelling hook or the dictionary. It stares at us from the pages of every book and the col umns of every newspaper. There is no need to specify or point out words for they abound in all written or print ed matters. Words that are spelled alike are pronounced differently; words that are spelled differently are pro- nounced alike. and words that are spelled and pronounced alike have diff ferent meanings, and so it goes through the entire language.
 If we take specimens of English as written a few centuries ago, say in the days of spenser. Shakespeare, Ba- con and their contemporaries. and compare them with the language as printed today, we will see something of the great changes that have taken place in three or four centuries, but whether that change has in every in stance been for the better is & mat ter about which there may be two opinions. At least. the changes have not given us q rational. logical or sensible language. To quote from The say that the greater diffculty of spell- ing the English language. as compar- ed with German, Italian, or Spanish, represents a solid years work in the case of the average child. A years work, in the precious formative period of every American and every Briton, simply to maintain a foolish scheme of orthographical complication which has not even a respectable tradition to excuse iti Is there any wonder that Mir. Carnegie, as a practical man and a philanthropist, is afflicted by this prodigious waste of energy. and is willing to put an end to it."
 Of course, it is no wonder, but Mir. cannot be unaware of the fact that many others have attempted the seemingly Impossible task to the of which he is de- voting some of his great wealth. If he but partially succeeds. or if he starts movement which will some day give us a simple English lan- guage. he will be entitled to the grat- Itude of all mankind. and will save | an immense deal of time, | worry and expense.
 By the way, we notice that a writer | one of the reforms should be to give IS separate letter or character for | each of the vowel sounds. Lexicog- | -aphers differ somewhat as to the number of distinct vowel sounds, one lmong the latest putting down only .wenty-six, while some go as high IS thirty-six, but taking the lowest number the suggestion of The Times would mean doubling he letters in the alphabet Would hat >be desirable change? It is rue that the Cherokee Indian alpha Jet has eighty-six characters, and it s said that children learn it, and earn to read and write the language much more easily, and in much less ime than the English can be learned. Whether the same results would fol- ow if the same plan were adopted with our own alphabet, is a matter hat we suppose would have to be de- ided by actual experience. We may xpect to hear many suggestions. and ut of all of them. perhaps, good will ome.
 
 Over in Oklahoma there are threA 1