422 



SIMPLIFIED SPELLING. 



And this list, neatly printed, will be sent gratis to all enquirers. 

 The address of the society is i, Madison Avenue, New York. 



In my own experience, I have known some very clever 

 men who were bad spellers, and some of them carried tiny 

 pocket dictionaries. I have also known ignorant men who had 

 the facility of eye and memory, who, if they talked vilely, spelt 

 correctly. 



Might we urge that our higher educational authorities should 

 permit the use of simplified spelling in Matriculation and cither 

 examinations of a similar calibre, in which it is to be hoped 

 the intention is to find out what the student knows of the world 

 and its inhabitants, and with what precision of word he can 

 convey that knowledge. Still better would it be, in this bilingual 

 country, if the Government, in its official English correspondence, 

 ad()])ted the simplified spelling of the American society. 



Mr. Bernard Shaw has very justly observed that if we 

 don't alter our spelling we alter our pronunciation so as to 

 bring it into conformity with the spelling. In my own time, I 

 have noticed that many words are changing in this way. I 

 give a few examples : — 



Spelt and Now often 

 Pronounced. 



, C)])posite 

 Infinite 

 Often 



Wed-nes-day (or Wedcnsdav) 

 Again 

 Thank 

 Humour 

 Clerk 

 Pall Mall 



Twenty five yeirs ag ) or with 

 pedants like M}self To-day. 



Opposit 



Infinit 



Ofen 



Wensday 



A gen 



Thenk 



Umor 



Clark 



Pellmell 



Thus it api)ears we cannot crystallize both, and the (|uestion 

 is which is the better, that the si)elling should follow the sound 

 or the .sound the .spelling — at least, as far as possible? 



