New-York tribune., 1906-07-04
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
THAT sIMPLIFIEp SPELLING LIST.
Explained and Defended by the Secretary of
the Board.


June q. escaped. fear. that scholarly revision
which forms part Of The Tribune's honorable ira
diilnns. We who endeavOring 10 bring about
thaf reasonable regulation and smplihcation OF
English spelling prefer 10 ignore the minor mac
cuzces OF the press trusting that with the spread
of information the newspapers will discuss the
matter with greater intelligence But It is right
20 expect from The Tribune both intelligence and
fairness, particularly upon a matter which con-
Germs education and literature. I am sure, there
fore that you will permit me to correct certain
errors into which you have fallen.
You say: The Board Of Public School Superin-
tendents. under the lead OF DR.. Maxwell. has rec
onmended TO the Board OF Education list Of three
hundred words. 10 be spelled henceforth in the
manner prescribed by the simplihed Spelling
Board The superintendents recommended that
the Board OF Education authorize the three hun
dre6 simpler spellngs for use in the schools They
not 10 be required ''henceforth" by the Board
of Education They are not prescribed by the
Ssimplihed Spelling Board, which simply advises.
You say: I'VE cannot credit the Simplifed Spell
sng Board or any present day spelling reformers
with having brought all these three hundred words
into the form in which they appear in the list.
And naming some of the words. you add: 1T would
be grossly disingenuous. not 20 harsher term.
20 put these spelngs forward the product OF
current or even recent reform. We do not know
that either Of the boards concerned intends 10
simply such thing: yet that they did would be
not unfair assumption
II YOU do not know that either Of the two boards
concerned is grossly disingenuous. why do you as
sumo that be a fact? And is it not unfair
20 assume that number of gentlemen and scholars
intend to imply such a thing" when they have
declared In official documents their exact position,
expressly stating that the three hundred spelings
not Innovations but merely simpler or short
forms already in use. authorized BY the three
rent American dictionaries, either preferred as
alternative speIlings. having that larger literary
and historical sanction which dictionary sanction
Is basee2 But It is clear that the writer OF the
editorial using only the bare list perhaps taken
from some newspaper. and not the official list. in
which the exact facts stated. The proposals
ana views OF the board stated in its circulars,
which inelose ana which will be sent free TO any
who will apply for them address the Slnplifed
Spelling Board. No / Madison avenue. New York;.
The list OF three hundred words is given with full
explanations. IN Circulars Nos. 2 and 5. the last
circular giving eminent literary authority from
Shakespeare and Milton 20 Tennyson ana SWIM
burne. Lowell and Whittier. for the forms most in
question. Circular No. s. "A Statement About Sim
pllfes Spelling, states the attitude OF the board.
and answers many objections and corrects many
Misrepresentation that appear in the newspapers.
On reading No. 2 and No. you will see that the
sithree hundred words merely three hundred
shorter spenings Of three hundred words selected
out ot many thousand words which are now 10 use
the formula OF Websters Dictionary, spelled IN
two or more ways" all recognized as good usage
Variant spellings (as labour. labor. medieval
uaedievaI: simltar, scimitar, scymitar. etc) are
contained IN Websters Dictionary, in Worcester's
Dictionary and in the Standard Dictionary They
show condition Of confusion Which ought 70 o,Is ee
deal with Il. Every school director directly or mol
5,rescrIbes part Of it. under the form Of 'preferrd
speings' or preferred dictionary It IS a maTIeP Ter
that requires regulation and smplihcatlon Inc
srlplifed Spelling Board, body free from conven-
TiOnsl and oficiai tramuels, has proposed to regu
late e BY selecting the simplest and most practical
forms and recommending that they be adopteu
ANY other body that can obtain the approval i ana
support OF scholars and educators may hkeWiSe hkeS
se & 2roSosaIs SG and lists after suficent dis
cussIon accepted by the educated puonc, g Ineg
viii pass into usage" and thus become as sacred
e me S STTibune admits. as all reasonable critics
1eIr inter- meter and the like. and admits that
s1,Ifur and sulfate with f. instead Of PHI as in
other languages Qnoluding the Latlh ti' ot1ildi
Tbsf Is precisely the attitude of the simplihfed pfS
PeHg 41 S0aFo e5noejes il The board does not insist
I1pon any one spelling upon any one nst- II me
number Of them. viii propose a different list. or
viii enter upon eonte5enfs S onen %le believe that
nv ly Dropogais or lists that might be put forth by
Leading nespaPeIss ana p1snce that this com
mittee would hold sessions once IN every "eeA io'
Lei me saw one thing more You say Of the list
Of simplihed spengs ctesIIy SSTI3 t,raf IiS s
Sreiopnent and growth through a certain course OF
time IN that same ,5t ors at to b1rrT m the process
~ 1ssrs of factitious dcta and saying, Come, let
Us reform the spelling right away! VIII proOdDly
Save we not here another case OF that common
confusion of development and grown as a hg,,
1lre Of speech with these words IN the uteIal
eense2 plant an animal Ihe Dram, the loILiI' @
s7rvelops grows without conscious emort; but even
these develop snd grow TO their best state by me
si6 Of conscious effort The apple, the horse, the
brain of a scholar, the form of an athlete' are
conscious. artificial products Human oelhss pro-
nose TO improve the crude products of nature, ana
by means Of arbitrary action ana Iacatiious
dieta- they effect the Improvement rlsht
away but in due time. in accelerated time
But smelling does not develop or grow, IN
the natural sense at all That is mere figure OF
TTintne the letters which represent the sounds OF
a word is artificial in its origin and must forever
things in life I have followed the spellings Of a
great many languages into the most remote nookS
~ sntouitv and into the most obscure byWays or
savage and outlandsh speech, and nave never
of its oEn accord changed Of its own accord
CHARLES p. G. SCOTT.
New York City. June 80. 1895
I'VE have omitted from the foregoing letter
some passages which added nothing to its
strength. and which, indeed, were quite extra
r1eous to its argument and TO the subject under
discussion, and were simply impertinent- To
what IS thus left Of Dir. scotts long epistle we
are quite willing 10 give space. in accordance
with our custom of letting both sides have a
hearing. II may not be amiss, moreover, to re-
mind those who intolerantly assume that they
are the people and wisdom will perish with
rhem that this journal, in the course Of the last
two-thirds Of a century. has done far more for
the real interests OF English Orthography and
ILL.,