Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

- EVERAL Senators and Representa-
tiveS, together with some Wash
ington correspondents, spent last
~ week preparing for an amusement
which was to consist of a compe-
tition in spelling. Kentucky, Virginia
and several other States have passed or
initiated legislation designed to check
the spread of chain stores.
Between those two sentences there
seems to be no relation. But there is
relation. The thing that spelling and
chain stores have in common is stand
ardiZation. Standardization of spelling
came just little over a hundred years
ago. Standardization of stores, through
chains, is just attempting to establish
itself universally. Standardization of
spelling encountered practically no OPP
position. Standardization of stores, of
food supply and of the other aspects of
stores is meeting vigorous opposition.
A political scout for one of the two
party organizations who went on a
listening expedition to the Middle West
last week reported that in Indiana
there Is more excitement about chain
stores than about prohibition, tariff or
any other similar topic. In some COM
munities there is something almost like
military resistance to chain stores, with
an ant1-chain organization called the
Minute Men"
Standardization, resistance to stand
ardization, the fields in which stand
ardization has established itself, the
fields in which it has failed, the ad-
vantages Of 1t in some lines and its dis
advantages in others, the benefits it
brings and the detriments that accom-
pany it-all that composes one of the
most powerful forces of the age we live
tn-one Of the most seething ferments.
Former Characteristics.
The Standardization of stores through
the chain may or may not be success
fully resisted. In some fields stand
ardization has been repealed. But the
forces making for uniformity are very
powerful. One of the forces consists
of our own weakness as individuals, our
Shamefaced unwillingnesS to be differ
ent. We have even in many respects
standardized ourselves as human beings.
When the writer of this article was
first familiar with Washington, during
the administration Of Roosevelt, one
could sit in the gallery of the House,
or stroll along Pennsylvania avenue,
and in four cases out of five name the
locality from which a Senator or a Rep
reSentative came. There were sectional
characteriSticS-a characteristic South
ern dress, characteristic Southwestern
characteristic New York and New Eng
land modishnesS. There were different
sectional characteristics of hair cut and
of facial forestation. Most obvious of
all, there were characteristic sectional
pronunciations and turns of speech.
Today, sit in the gallery, and the
representatives look as much alike and
dress as much alike as the pallbearerS
at funeral. There are still fairly dis
&c fa0ta II - Ak =
pronunciation, a vanishing New Eng
land twsng, fading Southern drawl-
but they decrease year by year.
II the Standardization of stores
through chains goes as far as the
Standardization of Congressman has al
ready gone, In that event a country
store in upstate New York will soon
look as identical with a store in Ore
gon as is already the case with gasoline
filling stations.
Wrote Dictionaries.
Standardization in spelling came as
the result of the first dictionaries.
Noah Webster, in America, a little over
a century ago, and DR.. Johnson, in
England, about a century and a half
ago, set themselves up as authorities.
They compiled dictionaries. From sew
eral current Spellings of word they
picked out one. That one, they said,
was correct-all others incorrect. The
public, with a sheep-like way it had in
some respects, permitted the dictionary
makers to get away with it," They
allowed Webster to be the autocrat he
set himself up to be. Thereafter any,
body who spelled differently from Web
ster was incorrect-and also comic. To
laugh at the person who departs from
the conventional in any field is the
least of the punishmentS visited upon
him. Sometimes he is treated more
severely. In some ages and in some
fields he has been put in Jail or hanged
or burned.
In the case of spelling, it became uni
versal to laugh at any one who de-
parted from the standardized form.
Upon this American trait was built up
a whole school of American humor-
Josh Billings, Artemus Ward, Petroleum