Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-26
CARNEGIE TALESOF SPELLING
Steel King Says Proposed Reforms Are
Bound TO Come.
EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE TO CONTINUE
Editors of Hundred Years Hence
VIII Laugh Mt the Crudi-
ties of Editors of
To-day.

HOT SPRINGS, Va, March 25.-Andrew
Carnegie has made a statement giving
his views on the proposes REFORM of Eng
lish spelling He said:
From Chaucers time and till now our
language has been constantly changing
and improving. not under any rule or sys-
TEN, but simply as occasion has required
new words and new spelling
'"The great oxford dictionary. now under
publication, gives the history OF each word
and shows that words creep into our Ian
guage In the most haphazard manner. A
new word expresses a new want or an old
want better than the word in use did and
so forces itself into use. Nothing can bar
II out, while the word invented with the
strictest regard to rule may apply in vain.
What Is slang one year is correct English
a few years later Thus is our language
enriched IT is slow process. but steady
and sure one. All the struggles Of pedants
and purists are helpless against IT,
The organized effort 1 have agreed to
finance is not revolutionary-fa from it.
Its action will be conservative. Word
after word it will endeavor to improve the
spelling and = the language; slowly. Of
course, but Fastening the pace IL possible.
Reforms Sure to Come.
the effort. themselves use words and espe-
cisly spellngs which their predecessors Of
century ago would have denounced as
degrading TO literature. The editors OF the
next century will in turn marvel at the I'M
couth spelling Of the present scribes.
Since our language has been constructed
through unceasing change, literary men
should welcome new words and new SPELL
ings with favoring eye, since it is by these
alone that further Improvement can come.
Scholars denounced pillow" for plough"
for instance but "plow" has been accepted.
So with many words that will readily occur
to readers.
our language is likely to prevail in the
world and we may hope It is to become
finally the universal language the most
potent Of all instruments for drawing the
races together. insuring peace and advanc-
ing civilization The foreigner has the
greatest difficulty in acquiring 1t because
of its spelling This is at least his chief
obstacle. for its grammar is easy
Hundreds of scholarly men have agreed
to use improved spelling for twelve words.
These words are already well started I'm
actual use. other simplihcatons will be
suggested. II meritorious. they will be ac-
ccpted.
VIII save Time in school.
Teachers have assured me that children
would be saved more than a years in
struction II our spelling were simplined.
why the perverse 'ough' spelings should
be one cannot understand. When we write
tho 1t expresses exactly the same sense as
though and expresses the sound better.
This change is so obviously advantageous
that find many already using II in writ
ing, and some OF these are British authors.
indeed. tho with the superfluous apos-
trophe abounds in British authors from
Addison down. We just drop the apos-
trophe, That tho will get into general
use soon is certain. our successors will
smile al the 'ough spelings as we today at
what we called the queer spelling OF
Chaucer
In trying to hasten the use Of simpli-
fled spelling and to improve our own Ian
guage for the struggle for first place which
is even today upon us. we are engaged I'm a
most useful work.
Il hope that thoughtful people will give
this important and conservative reform
due consideration and resolve to use al
least two or three simplhed words and
thus range themselves with us i'm our effort
TO carry on the unceasing work OF improv-
ing our mother tongue and adapting it for
its noble purposes and high destiny"