Year: 1874

1t is useless for any would-he contribu-


tor to send us manuscripts, with any


hope of their being accepted, If he be


ignorant or careless enough to misspell


the commonest words Appearances are


sometimes deceitful, but they are the ex-


ception, and not the rule in the case of


poor spoilers. TO take up a manuscript


and read magazine in the very super


scription is generally enough for US with


out proceeding further: and when we


open an Introductory letter and find very


written VERY, experience, experience,


and oblige. oblidge, we have but very


little interest in the story it accompanies,


and more pity for the writer than conf
| dence in his brains. Occasionally such


writers are thoughtful enough to append,
| "Plese correct all mistakes in spelling


and ritNg," but to such we here reply, if


you are not able to revise your own arti-


cles, especially the photography, we have
| but little faith in your being able to cater


to the taste of cultivated people, and the


time spent in correcting your mistakes


would be merely time thrown away We


are not exaggerating, or writing upon


this subject to add paragraph to this
page. We write because we feel forced


to-because we are daily mortified by the
| ignorance displayed by the majority OF


our correspondents in this one respect
| spelling. Delicately perfumed notes,
tinted paper and elegant penmanship do


not make poor spelling any more accept


able and we decline to accept assistance


from writers who have no more respect


for themselves, or regard for the Engls


language than to disgrace and car1ca-


ture it in this way. We seem to have
arrived at that pass when it is considered
more essential forsthe youth of our land
to write French and German faultlessly
than to master their own mother tongue.
And we protest against it. We believe
in adding accomplishment to accomplish
ment as fast as proficiency in each may
warrant, but we do not believe IN sacrl-
tcing foundation TO ornament y your
ambition lead you to build high, go
ahead but for PHYS sake, begin right
lest your structure topple over No one
need be mortified to confess his ignorance
of foreign tongues, but to be unable to
properly express himself in his own, this
should indeed humiliate him! Instead,
however, the non-chagrined word-mutlla-
tor comes forward to instruct and enter
tain their fellow-men, and with all the
presumption imaginable, hopes we will
except his MSS, and anser at once. Are
we too severe in our criticisms Do we
overlook the fact that many have never
received educational advantages No,
not at all We fully recognize that the
ignorance of some is owing to no fault OF
their own, but it is not at these we are
aiming, but at the careless and indltter-
ent individual who has wasted his many
opportunities, who persists in Disgusting
his words in such grotesque attire, they
excite only the contempt or derls1on
their due from those able to recognize
what the writer intended. Nor are our
correspondents below the average in cul- !.
ture and learning: only few years ago
the President of college, located not
many miles from here, made us the state
ment embodied in the following out of
one hundred selected words in general
use, one student missed in written exam
ination, ninety7line, another ni'aty-elght;
and among nearly four hundred students
there were only two who spelled the
entire list without error And yet these
students had passed creditable examina-
tions in many difficult branches in order
to secure admission, and some were SEN
iors in the regular college coursel 1t IS
almost needless to add that the majority
of them made strenuous objections to
the English exercises, afterwards daily
required declaring they finished spelling
when they were children The Presi-
dent took their words for 1.-THE words
on their specimen lists. We do not say
that we shall refuse all nisspelled MSSaa
but we suggest, if writer's wish to favord-
bly, impress editors with their wares,
they should occasionally consult the die
and then group their alphabet
ical acquaintances according to rule in
stead of fancy, for we think it to be in
about as good taste for one to trample on
his country's flag as to disgrace and dis
honor the laws of her language.