Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-04
SHOULD GO AHEAD SLOWLY
Members Criticise Action of the Execu.
tive Committee.
T. R. LOUNsBURY PRESIDENT
Simplifiers to Incorporate Under New
York Laws-How photographic
Reform Will Be Advanced.

NEW YORK, April 4.-"Tired of being
held responsible for actions with which
they had had nothing to do as one prom
inent educator expressed it, the simplified
spelling board. at it's first meeting held
yesterday in the Waldorf-Astoria, took
from the executive committee that almost
unlimited power in matters photographic
which it had exercised Now any new ideas
about spelling will not be passed upon by the
executive committee alone. Each Of the
fifty members of the board will consider
each proposed change and vote upon it, and
none will be suggested or recommended to
the public unless three-fourths of the mem
bers of the board approve.
This rather revolutionary change was
precipitated by the action of DR.. David
Starr Jordan, president of the Leland STAN
ford, Jr., University. DIR. Jordan sent his res
ignation to the chairman of the board late
last fall, so it came out yesterday, explain
ing that while he favored the simplifcation
of the English language, he yet was I'M
willing to remain associated with body
with whose work he had nothing to do, al
though his name was subscribed to its &C
tons. Prof. Brander Matthews, the chair
man, urged him to reconsider, and suS-
gested that meeting of the entire board
be held That was just what DR.. Jordan
wanted. and so he withdrew his resignation.
DR.. Jordan's Resignation.
When the college professors, authors.
publishers, editors, jurists and financiers
who comprise the board met in executive
session yesterday DR.. Jordan was there,
having come with two other Californians-
Judge William w. Morrow Of the United
States circuit court and DR.. George Hempl,
professor of English in Leland Stanford, Jr.,
University-especally to attend. He lost
no time in explaining TO the other members
of the board his reason for sending his
resignation, and number of them agreed
with him. especially William T. Harris.
formerly United States commissioner of
education and now editor of Webster's In
ternational Dictionary.
Dr. Harris said that he had thought of re-
signing because he felt about it as DIR:
Jordan did-that his name was being used
in matters with which he had had nothing
to do. 1t seemed to be the feeling of the
members. especially those in distant states
and abroad. that they had right to be
consulted before their names were sub
scribed to the actions of the executive COM
mittee, and so 1t was voted that each project
of the board or committee or of any fndi-
vidual be submitted to each member of the
board who after careful consideration of 1t
at his home, should forward his vote on the
question to the chairman of the executive
committee. That officer should be empow-
fore the public such proposed changes as
had been approved by three-fourths of the
members
Election of President.
1t was decided at yesterdays meeting also
to incorporate the board under the laws Of
the state of New York. This step was sug-
gested by Judge Morrow Of California. In
order that the accounts might be in proper
shape before the Incorporation, an auditing
committee, consisting of Andrew Carnegie
and Lyman ]. Gage ex-secretary of the
treasury, was appointed.
The board decided also that it should have
a president and unanimously elected
Thomas r. Lounsbury, professor of English
in Yale University. Heretofore the chair
man, Prof Matthews, has been the execu-
tive head. The new executive committee
elected consists of Isaac K Funk, editor
New York; Henry Holt, publisher and au-
thor. New York: Prof. Matthews, Charles
P. G. Scott, genealogical editor Of the Cen
fury Dictionary, New York; Benjamin E.
Charles E. sprague, president of the Union
Dime Savings Institution, New York;
Calvin Thomas, professor of Germanic lam
guages and literature in Columbia Univer-
sity, and William Hayes Ward editor of
the Independent. This committee probably
will elect its officers before the next execu-
tive meeting Of the board Friday morn
ing. At present Mr. Scott is secretary and
Mr.. Sprague treasurer.
No New Spelling Now.
Some time ago a report was published
that the board would issue at this time an
other list of simplified spellings, but Prof
Matthews said that none was ready and 1t
was not likely that any new suggestions
would be made for some time The plan
adopted of submitting each proposed change
to all of the members Of the board meant
that it would take several weeks at least to
get through even the first of these The
board, however, did not take any action on
the matter of policy or procedure yester-
day. combining itself to questions of organ
ization.
Mr.. Carnegie, who gives the board ST., 900
year. listened blushingly while resolutions
of thanks to him were read