Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1907-01-04
SPELLING REFORM.
Why benjamin Ide Wheeler Is NOT
In Favor of II.

In Favor of Il.
President Benjamin Ide Wheeler OF
the University of California does not
favor the spelling reform advocated by
Mr. Roosevelt. In a recent address ne
stated his objections in part as follows
..Tbe establishment for the United
States of n standard of written Eng
usb different from that recognized else
where in the English speaking territory
is an isolatng and divisive movement
promising loss and waste to inter
course and culture and Introducing con-
seriousness of contrariety where the o9
nosite is desired The needless irrlta-
tion caused by the minor differences
already existing points ominously 10
what would result from greater. The
I,uolisb language is not the property
of neonIe of the United States, still less
Of its government; it is precious pos
session of the English speaking WorIu'
and the moral authority TO interfere
I'm its regulation must arise out OF the
entire body and not from segment
thereof. Every person who is born 10
the use of the language inherits there
bv definite advantage in the world
of intellectual gain for influence and
effectiyeness-yes, even for commercial
success-by very reason of its exclusive
use I'm uniformity of standard. This
Inherited advantage constitutes vested
interest and must not be trifled with.
"Anv radical change-sueh as, for
instance. would be involved in phonetic
writing-would have the effect Of cut
ting US off from the language OF
Shakespeare and the English Bible
making this a semiforeign idiom, to be
acquired by special study. Indeed, our
entire present library collections OF
English books would be placed beyond
the reach of the ordinary reader ana
he as Dutch to his eyes. The bond
uniting all the products of the IAN
ruage from the EliZabethan period TO
the present day creates a very precious
heritage for every speaker of the Eng
fish tongue. Print is addressed to the
eve. and the readers eye, taking in
| whole words or even the composite
form of whole phrases in rapid glance
is disturbed and hindered by abnormal
forms of spelling. The proposal grad
rallv to introduce through the co-opera-
ton of volunteers a certain number OF
new spellings, and then when these are
well under way presumably certain 9th
ers. seems to promise an era of ghastly
confusion in printing Offices and in
private photography and heterography
as well as much irritation to readers
eyes and spirits.
"The list of 800 words proposed by
the simplified spelling board is some
what haphazard collection, following
no very clear principle of selection
one hundred and fifty-seven Of them,
such as color for colour are already
in their locked form familiar TO Amer
lean usage. The remainder seem to
owe their inclusion in the list to their
having been misspelled a number OF
times in English literature Thus the
" is tabooed in 'pigmy' for pygmD
not in synonym; the older spelling is
resumed in 'rime' for rhyme but moi
in 'gest for guest or 'tung' fol
tongue There is no excuse, however
for thru for through from any point
of view. The symbol u generally ear
ries in English the value WI Gn use
or ~ Gn butt. Only very rarely, as
in rural 'rumor,' has it the value 90.
Thru has not even the authority Of