The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-05-05

Once a year, Sir Allen and Gerard
make a pilgrimage together to a certain
grave and when Gerard sees how great
and enduring Is the love OF Sir Allen
for his erring wife he feels that he Is
justified in having kept the truth from
him.
To Simplify English Language.
Announcement was made Of an or.
ga~n!zation, including prominent men of
affairs as we'll as leading men Of letters,
has been formed in New York to urge
the simplifcation Of English spelling.
This new body is called the simplifled
spelling board. 1t will appeal to all
who for educational or practical rea-
IONS wish to make English spelling
easier. Andrew Carnegie has under
zation. MI. Carnegie long has been con-
WINGED English might be made the
world language Of h future, and thus
one of the influences leading to univer-
sal peace; and he believes that the
chief obstacle to its speedy adoption Is
ficult spelling.
The simplified spelling board contains
some thirty members. living in various
parts of the. union. Some of them are
authors Of wide reputation; some are
protested scholars connected with lead
Il ALI kSII4C6p OA1 i cO1lOXo OL lH0
foremost American dictionaries; some
are men distinguished in public life;
and some are men of affairs, prominent
in civil life.
The membership is not yet complete,
but 1t now includes Chancellor An
drews Of the University of Nebraska,
Justice Brewer of the United States
supreme court, President Butler of Co.
umbia university. o. c. Blackmer Of
Chicago. Andrew Carnegie. s. I. Glen
DR.. a K. Funk. editor and pub
Usher of the STANDARD Dictionary:
Lyman j. Gage, ex-secretary OF the
treasury; Richard Watson Glider, ed
itor Of the Century magazine; DIR. Will
sioner of education and editor Of
.Webster's International Dictionary;
Professor George Hempl of the Uni
yersity of Michigan, Colonel Thomas
wentworth Higginson, Henry Holt,
Professor William James of Harvard.
land Stanford university, Professor
Thomas r. Lounsbury Of Yale, Pro-
~,fessor Francis A. March Of Lafayette,
Professor Brander Matthews Of CO.
lumbia. Judge Morrow Of the United
States circuit court, California; DR..
Charles P. G.. Scott, chronological editor
of the Century Dictionary; President
H. III. Seerley of the Iowa State Nor
NAL school, Cedar Falls; Colonel
Union Dime Savings institution: Pro-
fessor Calvin Thomas of Columbia, Mr..
E. o. Vale. lately editor Of Intelli-
gence; DR.. William Hayes Ward, ed
itor of the Independent, and President
Woodward of the Carnegie institution
OF Washington.
The establishment of the sfmplified
spelling board is tine result of an ef-
fort made within the last year to secure
the use, by men of positions Of certain
simpli1ed %sDellings. adopted some years
g by the National Educational as
ISOLATION and now used by several inn
portant publications. The response to
this request was CORDIAL. Hundreds Of
signatures were received pledging the
writer's to use these simpler forms in
The members OF the simpli1ed SPELL
ing board believe that the time is now
ripe for a forward movement. They
have learned the nature and the
strength OF the opposition to be over
come. They will not advocate change
merely for the sake of change. They
do not intend to urge any violent al
teration In the appearance of familiar
words. They will not advance any ex-
IRENE theories. Tney will not expect
to accomplish their task in a day or in
a year. They are willing to make haste
slowly, in the expectation of, .overcom-
ing by degrees h prejudice existing
in favor o: the present cumbersome
o~rthograpny. They wish, in brief. to
expedite that process of simplification
which has been going on in English. in
spite of the opposition of conservatives,
ever since the invention of printing,
notably in the omission Of silent and
useless letters. Not so long ago al
manac was spelt a%lmanack, and music
ysyoC ~nyNc3nn w th~ 11rA g.. $3.50
technic has been winning acceptance
in place OF technique. program has beer
substituting itself for programme. cat
alog for catalogue, and tho for though.
These shorter forms are already be-
coming falniliar; they may not az vet
are no longer strange in the eyes OF
the average reader, and they are found
in use in books by authors OF repute
and in periodicals OF standing.
The simpliied spelling board will not
only lend its support to such simplih-
cations by omissions, but 1t proposes
also to arouse a wider public interest
in the general question of English or
biography. There is a real need OF or
ganized effort to make English a better
instrument for the hundreds OF millions
who will have to use our language b e
fore the end of the twentieth century
Although English is spreading more
rapidly h any other tongue, it has
the most illogical spelling Of n one
Of the more important modern Ian
guages.
The board intends to urge individuals
everywhere to exercise the privilege OF
simpliication n to encourage other
organizations. which are working to-
ward the same end or have shown an
interest in the cause.
The immediate activities of. the sim
plif1ed spelling board will be directed
by an executive committee chosen from
the members residing in New York. An
Office will be opened in New York tc
serve as headquarters for the work;
from this Office the campaign OF
education will be conducted by a com
petent staff. Local societies will be or.