Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-11-17
SPELLING REFORM.
Why Benjamin Ide Wheeler 10 MOI
In Favor of Ii.

yhx 1eniamin Ide Wheeler IL Not
In Favor of 1t.
President BENJAMIN Ide Wheeler OF
the University of California does no'
favor the spelling reform advocated Wy
Mr. Roosevelt. In recent address he
stated his objections in part as ioIlo"s'
"The establishment for the Onl'eu
c+otas of a standard Of written Eng
lish different from that Recognized else-
where in the English speaking TERRITORY
10 ON isolating and divlsive movement /
promising loss and waste to inter-
course and culture and introducing con-
sciousness Of contrariety where the op-
posite is desired. The needless irri'a-
tion caused by the minor dinerences
already existing points ominously 10
| what would result from greater. Inc
English language is not the properly
| Of neonle of the United States, still less
Of IT'S government it is precious pos
session of the English speaking "oliu'
and the moral authority to interfere
in its regulation must arise out OF Tue
entire body and not from segment
| -
thereof. Every person who Is porh "
the use of the language inherits 'nere
nv a definite advantage in the woriu
Of intellectual gain for influence anu
effectiyeness-yes, even for commercla'
success-by very reason OF us efcius,,e
rsa in uniformity of standard. 1nls
inherited advantage constitutes Ves'eu
interest and must not be trlfled WIN.
"Anv radical change-such as Ioi
instance. would be involved In phoneu'
writing-would have the effect OF Gu.
:, TING ms off from the language OF
II Shakespeare and the English BLDG
t making this semlforeign idlom' u "
acouired by special study. Indeed, ou
entire present library collections o
English books would be placed beyon'
the reach of the ordinary reader an'
no as Dutch to his eyes. Inc DOM
uniting all the products OF the mn
puage from the Elizabethan psriou
the nresent day creates a very preclou
% heritage for every speaker OF the Eht
- lsh tongue Print is addressed 10 u
in eve and the readers eye, taxing
Or whole words or even the composi'
I'd form of whole phrases in rapid glahc
lie is disturbed and hindered by abnorm'
OF forms of spelling. The proposal graz
o. rolIv IN introduce through the co-oper'
r. ton of volunteers certain nunloel
new spellings. and then when these a.
we'll under way presumably certain OF
~ ers. seems to promise an era Oh ghas'
II confusion in printing offices ana
N nrivate photography and heterograpl
% &c we'll as much irritation to reader
30. eyes and spirits.
1.-THE list of 300 words proposed
the simplified spelling board is SON
M what haphazard collection, foliowi
nd no very clear principle of selectlC
One hundred and ffty-seven OF the
'n' such as color for colour are AREA
To- in their locked form familiar TO Am
,6 loan usage. The remainder seem
owe their inclusion In the list to IN
hit. having been misspelled a number
9th times in English literature. mus
~, is tabooed In 'pigmy' 0Or pygm
not in synonym the older spelling
nv resumed in 'rime' for rhyme but
led In 'gest' for guest or tung
tongue There is no excuse. howev
for for thru for through from any po
tbs of view. The symbol u generally
'te. ries in English the value 'yu' Tin III
e eno or ~ Qn butt. Only very rarely,
in. in rural 'rumor,' has 1t the value
be Thru has not even the authority
rror."-Chicago News.