1SS9.] 323 



arrives at correct conclusions, to give wrong reasons for them. Speaking 

 of Webster's orthografic clianges, the same writer well says: "At best 

 they merely touch the surface, and then only in a few places. But one 

 effect they have produced. They have in some measure prevented us, and 

 do still prevent us, from falling into the dead level of an unreasoning uni- 

 formity. By bringing before us two methods of spelling, they keep°open 

 the question of the legitimacy of each, and expose to every unprejudiced 

 investigator the utter shallowness of the argument that opposes change. 

 Slight as these alterations were, however, they met with the bitterest hos- 

 tility on their introduction." 



After Webster come Mitford, Archdeacon Hare, Landor, Pitman, Ellis, 

 and Thomas, and then the mighty host who are leading the present Spell- 

 ing Reform movement, which includes nearly every eminent English and 

 American scholar. Indeed every one who consciously prefers to spell 

 parlor, color, music, public, develop, deposit, traveler, jetceler, wagon, woolen, 

 quartet, controller, ake, ax, fantom, program, proves that spelling reform 

 is popular, and that the people prefer sense to nonsense, brevity toleno-th 

 economy to waste, truth to fivlsehood. ° ' 



The many devices introduced into the written speech during the past 

 six centuries, demonstrate that there is no cast-iron law of language to 

 prevent other devices from being introduced and accepted again. 



Because the French scribes of the twelfth century understood that c 

 before e and i, was soft, they substituted A; for it when the sound was hard. 

 About 1380 the rune "wen" was replaced hy uu, and afterward hj w 

 Accentual marks suddenly disappeared in the thirteenth century. Toward 

 the fourteenth the rune " thorn " was giving way to the use of th and hw 

 to wh-ihe latter, doubtless, due to the decay of the guttural h leavin- the 

 sound oUo more prominent. Indeed, down to the middle of the fourteenth 

 century, h had the force of German cJi. As that decayed in sound it was 

 rem forced to the eye by a c as in licht, necht, or by a ^ as in though. The 

 symbol oa disappeared in the fourteenth, but was revived in the sixteenth 

 century. Another expedient of the fourteenth was to double the f nal s to 

 show that it was not sonant-M. E. glas, hlis, dros, became glass, bliss 

 dross. Another device for the same purpose was to substitute ce as in 

 mice, twice, originally mys, twyes. Since Shakespeare, useless doubled 

 consonants have given place to a single consonant in words like pitty 

 linnen, marriner, widdoio, pallace. Waggon is now in transition to wagon. 

 Duplicate final consonants with final e have given place to the single con- 

 sonant, as shippe. Sonne, farre. Useless final e has been dropt, as in cheere, 

 drinke, looke, etc. Three new letters, j, w, v, have been introduced. 



"About 1630, in opposition to the usage of all past ages," says Dr. 

 Murray, "u was made a vowel and v a consonant, so that 'Reuiue vs, saue 

 vs from euil,' became 'Revive us, save us from evil.' " Up to that time m 

 final was a vowel, but u before a vowel was a consonant ; when the con- 

 sonant was written v the following e was no longer needed to distinguish 

 It. Had the reform gone a little farther and dropt the e after the conso- 



