The Globe-republican., 1907-05-09
NEED FIXED RULES
WASHINGTON MAN TALKS OF SIM
PLIFIED SPELLING.
One Basis OF Authority an Absolute
Necessity--Accepted Rules OF
photography Properly Should
Govern. E

speaking about simplifed spelling,
and the confusion which may result
from the spelling Of certain words one
way in the department correspondence
and another in congressional matters
I am reminded Of an instance Of de'
partmental spelling which recently
came under my observation" SAID
correspondent to Washington star
reporter.
II received letter from a bureau
chief containing two additional docu'
ments, and at the foot of the dictated
pages appeared these two words spell
ed as given: Two enclosures
1--WE must take something as fixed
basis of authority in matters OF orthog-
raphy. It is all we'll enough to theorize
about happy-go-lucky-any-old-styie
Of spelling, but even the simplihed
spelling advocates fix upon certain
well-defned rules. Hence, in the spell.
ing of the word Enclosure with an q
authoritative rules Of orthography
are departed from, in that all OF the
latest editions of the recognized dic.
tionaries spell the word with an J.
and not with an e., except as an inser'
ton of the word in the books as a
cross-reference to the accepted ano
defined word inclosure.'
"The spelling Of the word Enclosure
with an e. is, to my mind, Just as IN
defensible and without proper phllo
logical authority as would be the spell
ing of indorse' with an e. or any
Of the other numerous instances o
words properly beginning with the IN
! ital a. Prob ably the most promlnen
of these words is inquiry Just be
cause several newspapers, for the pur
pose of Individuality, and without OF
biographical authority, spell the Tor'
INQUIRER as enquirer" some OF TN
more thoug thtless in the spelling 0
this word have assumed that such OF
| biography of the word was sanctions
by the auth critics upon language, 8
they proceed to spell inquiry as Ell
curry
"Of COURSE, If, as some persons seer
to think, acc epted rules of orthograph
and the st andard dictionaries don
count, then this criticism fails, but'
am glad to say there are still a re-
Of us in sch Dol and out who adhere
the rules yrescribed by what haV
from time in memorial been the recoi
nized source of information upon Tn
subject. Int Iced, it may be said WI
truth that II is lucky for the stapih'
Of our langu age that such is the cas-
for, as fault as 1t may be in some T
spects as RI CARDS the photography
certain Of II s words, it is a fortuna
thing that il is not open to the sledg
hammer ast Jaults Of some mastt
minds who would seek to mold 1t
meet Individual views.
Therefor e, l have often though
that some of the departments migl
employ to advantage the services
some one we'll qualified for the VOL
who would pass upon some Of tt
illusions pu' blished, to the end th'
improvem ent be made along the lint
suggested, and also along those
punctuation.
"In view OF the many hands throug
which 1.hes letters and documen
must pass perhaps they may be sa
to answ er the purpose, but it is ce
tain that in those departments Whe
the e. and not the + are sanctione
and in other instances, trifing lite
to pay for dictionaries and other a
thoritieis OH language might be tacEt
on the departmental appropriate
bills, espe cially in view of the ia
that cong Tess stands committed
abide by the rules of the orthograpl
therein"