Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-19
SIMPLIFIED RULES
FOR GEOGRAPHY
Names of Cities Should Have Uni
form Spelling Information
ally Recognized
BY HENRI BAZIN


ctuO 'oTeSpofdert tDcnH0 Public Ledger Otth
the American Army ~ France
. PARIS. Nov. II.
nNHE enormity and frightfulness Of the war
- have led to an excess of literary superla-
uVes, We have come 10 the use through habit
or unconscious application of the third infec-
ton of the adjective in nearly every instance
where we refer to the perspective and nature
OF the great conflict, what its present appllca-
tion is, what we deduce will be It's pro and
con results.
Tho thought brings to mind that perhaps
we are overlooking certain genuine possi-
bilities not only for the day but tho far
morrow. One might be the reforming OF
nomenclature In It's popular sense and in
application TO certain departments of hnowl-
edge.
For units of peoples with different ideals
and perspectlves in life are interningling as
never before. Some are In advanced states Of
that which we call civilization and others
perhaps but half so. Yet each has something
to learn from the other. why not set out to
acquire this additional power, since all knowl-
edge is power?
Ihere are enormous quantities OF objects
that peoples using language very foreign
from each other. in the main, could well
designate by the same general names without
derogation to the qualities of any language.
There are many French words, for instance.
already half naturalized in English usage.
that might be classified more completely
and consistently, Immediately becoming
through the process more helping to French
people visiting Englsh-speaking lands or
Englsh-speaking people visiting France
l could strengthen my argument in many
spectre instances. but / feel that the obJec-
1--WE behind this writing is perhaps more
clearly set forth In r particular point--the
unincation among peoples in photography o.
geographical names. For here a confusion
exists that is extraordinary In not only tho
simple sense. but I'm view of the progress
among nations during the last ten decades.
1t would be, of course, impossible TO as
sumo that tho nero spelling of geograph-
ical name would be the key to its pronuncia-
tion. But even In that respect something of
progress Is possible through simplifying the
spelling Of names and places now almost alb
surdly complicated, Russia, Rumanla and
Turkey arc examples. We are reading and
hearing of many rivers. mountains, towns,
cities in these countries that have names
permeated with consonants which to Eng
disappearing peoples seem impossible of
pronunciation. II some of the syllables were
eliminated would they mean less? And is
II not certain that as peoples advance In
civEf alton the names they give to places
and men become shorter--rnore TO the point?
The recalling of names given to warriors
among primitive peoples Is an example.
The greatest evil is not this. which TO a
certain degree and for that degree only ad-
justs itself. as 1t has among African tribes.
the EskmoS the Indian. 1t is the ridic-
ulously different spelling of world capitals
and important centers in different modern
languages. There is no logical reason why
Roma should be such In italian. Rom In Ger
man, Rome In French and English Why
should Livorno In Italian be Leghorn In Eng.
lish? Why should London in English be Lon
dres in French? Why. even. should Phiadel-
phia In English have an "e" termination in
French7 Why should Brussels in English, to
take the reverse point. be Bruxeles in
French? One could indicate countless In
stances where cities with an accepted SPELL
ing in their own countries have four or six
different spellings in four or six other coun-
tries.
Why not a congress Of savants after the
war to regulate these unnecessary linguistic
differences, plus innumerable others that I
do not example?
Could not an International linguistic inter-
course be brought about, out of which ameli-
grafton Of many existing absurdites In lam
guages be euualized in at least the initial
step of coordination In geographical nomen-
clature that would eliminate needless obsta-
cles among the Allies?