Many Representative Men Associated
With the New Movement to
Simplify Orthography.
Andrew Carnegie's latest activity is to champion a movement for the reform
of English spelling. He has promised to finance a campaign by the
Simplified Spelling Board. The greater part of the actual campaign work
will be done by the following executive committee of the board: Professor
Brander Matthews, chairman; Dr. Charles P.G. Scott, secretary; Dr. William
Hayes Ward, Henry Holt, Dr. I.K. Funk, and Colonel H.B. Sprague. With Mr.
Carnegie's backing, far-reaching results are likely to be gained.
Movements for reformed spelling are no new thing, but this is the first
one that has been adequately financed.
Word comes from England that the poet Swinburne denounces the Carnegie
plan as "a monstrous, barbarous absurdity." But the American press, on the
whole, seems favorable. For example, the New York _Times_ says:
The number of people who are vehemently in love with the
difficulties, absurdities, inconsistencies--and crystallized
ignorances--of our present spelling is very small, and
neither their denunciation nor their ridicule will weigh at
all heavily upon the great majority, who look upon spelling
as a means to an end, and to an end quite different from the
preservation of etymological history in the most clumsy,
expensive, and deceptive of forms.
One might imagine, from the way in which the enemies of this
reform run on, that any changes made now would be the first
to which English spelling had ever been subjected--would be
the establishment of an evil precedent instead of merely a
slight hastening, in the interest of convenience and
economy, of a process that has been going on steadily ever
since the day when English became a written language.
One of our correspondents said yesterday that, in his
opinion, "before we try to monkey further with so good an
instrument as the English language we ought to try to use it
properly."
Well, not necessarily. With a little, or even with a lot, of
"monkeying" an amount of time almost incalculably large, now
devoted to the learning of such utterly useless and imbecile
things as the arrangement of the vowels in "siege" and
"seize," could be used on the task which our correspondent
wisely intimated is so important.
The personality of the Simplified Spelling Board is
guarantee that the demand for an improved orthography is not
an outgrowth of ignorance or irreverence. These men have
more than a little affection for the history of words, and
they are not at all likely to do anything that will hide or
distort it. They will, however, put and keep that history in
its proper place.
How Dr. Johnson Takes It.
It would seem, however, that the shades of former lexicographers are
incensed by the threat of "fonetic speling." The New York _Globe_
describes the reception of the news in the land across the Styx:
It has been the practise at the Cheshire Cheese Inn in the
trans-Styx London, where post-mortem encyclopedists have
their "clubs," to make light of the modern verbal reformers
and "simplifiers." It was immediately seen, however, that
Andrew's addition to the reformer's fold put a very
different complexion on the case.
"Sir," said the doctor to Boswell, in his best "bow-wow"
manner, "I have never slept an hour less nor eat an ounce
less meat on account of these caitiffs, but now that the
Scotch barbarian, that futile Highland Cherokee, has
supplied them with money, they may ruin the language in a
twelvemonth."
"I don't see, sir," replied Boswell, "why my countryman did
not confine his charities to libraries and hero funds."
"Because, sir," thundered the doctor, "he is insane on the
subject of charity; he could not make a worse use of his
money than thus to threaten the integrity and purity of the
great vehicle of expression."
"There is, however, sir," replied Boswell, "something to be
said in their favor; thru saves three letters over through,
catalog saves two, becaws one; they take less ink, and less
room on a page; think of----"
"Well, sir," said the doctor, "suppose they do; what of
that? A man with his arms and legs off would take up less
room. You take up less room than I. Does that make you any
more valuable to the world?"
"I can see no logical objection, sir," replied Boswell, "to
the omission of silent letters. They do no good----"
"No good, sir!" snarled the doctor. "There are some letters,
sir, as there are some men, who do themselves more credit,
sir, when they are silent."