Nov. 9, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



713 



"The Reformed Spelling" is the caption of an article 

 in Gleaning-s in Bee-Culture, by E. B. Thornton, in which 

 Mr. Thornton makes a strong plea for a better spelling-, 

 quoting from the editor of the Independent, as follows : 



The editor of the Independent puts the matter in its 

 true light when he says that the whole matter is one that 

 "properly belongs to the societies for the prevention of 

 cruelty to children." "The weariness, the tears, the blot- 

 ted copybooks, the nervous strain we put on our children, 

 are our shame " " We are often told that our chil- 

 dren are far more backward than the children of other lan- 

 guages. How can it be otherwise ? The time that we 

 waste in learning to read and spell, a German or Spanish 

 or Italian child can give to his arithmetic and geography." 



"Many more children could go to the high 



school and to college if their years and their patience had 

 not been exhausted in useless labor at the very threshold of 

 learning." 



Pitman tried for SO years to make a complete job of it 

 on a thoroly phonetic basis, and he accomplisht little more 

 than to call attention (not always favorable) to the subject. 

 American reformers in the meantime have brought forward 

 not less than a dozen different systems, but no one would 

 adopt them. The trouble with them all is that they are too 

 .good. They go too far. The only advance that has ever 

 been made on this line has been made by the step-by-step 

 method — a word, or a class of words at a time. 



Mr. Thornton pleads for the spelling recommended by 

 the National Educational Association in the following list : 



Program (programme) ; tho (though) ; altho (although); 

 thoro (thorough) ; thorofare (thoroughfare) ; thru (through); 

 thruout (throughout) ; catalog (catalogue) ; prolog (pro- 

 logue) ; decalog (decalogue) ; demagog (demagogue) ; peda- 

 gog (pedagogue). 



Editor E. R. Root offers this footnote to Mr. Thornton's 

 article : 



Personally, we (the Root Co.) approve of the changes 

 suggested by the National Educational Association ; but 

 we do not know whether our readers would sanction it or 

 not. For an experiment we will lay the matter before 

 them ; that is, we should like postal-card votes on the mat- 

 ter. All those who fail to vote, we shall assume have no 

 preferences one way or the other, so that a majority of 

 those who do vote either for or against may decide. 



These changes are very moderate, and are not such as 

 would shock the average reader. I have always felt, how- 

 ever, that to spell the word past for passed, and carry out 

 this rule all thru was perhaps going a little too far, be- 

 cause it includes such a very large class of words, and 

 really saves but little in the way of type ; but when, for in- 

 stance, we can omit ug/i from the words though, although, 

 through, thorougli/are, etc., hc from catalog, decalog, etc., 

 and me from program, then we are making a step in ad- 

 vance, and about as big a one as would seem to us wise for 

 us to take. We have already begun it by spelling pi-o- 

 graniDie program, catalogue catalog, and none of our readers 

 have interposed or objected. Now, will they if we go one 

 step further ? I feel that we can hardly -be in sympathy 

 with the movement for shorter spelling without at least 

 putting that sympathy into tangible form. 



The spelling reformers will no doubt be glad to see this 

 admission, as they will probably call it, that the reform is 

 coming, and that leading publications do not want to be 

 left too much in the rear. But if it is to be left to a popu- 

 lar vote, it is not at all certain that any reform will ever be 

 made. Reforms do not come in that waj'. Reformers are 

 in the minority, not in the majority. If the matter had 

 been left to the popular vote, we probably would still be 

 writing as many now living did in their earlier days, At- 

 lantick, Pacifick, or as they still do in England, honour, 

 labour, candour. If a vote had been taken by postal-card 

 ballots, it is not at all certain that Gleanings in Bee-Culture 

 would to-day be -vixWX-n^ program, catalog. It is a case of 

 disease. The taste of the public in the matter of spelling 

 is vitiated and needs doctoring, and doctors do not always 

 take a vote of their patients as to remedies. 



Mr. Thornton thinks the reform should not be whole- 

 sale, but " a word or a class of words at a time." Editor 



Root seems to be in accord with this, providing the class be 

 not to large, but draws the line at a class so comprehensive 

 as that composed of a portion of the words ending in ed. 

 YI& i\\\\\'^& past for passed does not save enough type, but 

 program for programme &oe^. If our e.steemed friend will 

 take the trouble to count, he will find that the saving is the 

 same in each case — just two letters saved in each. But 

 surely he cannot think that the saving of type is the chief 

 thing. If an increase of type will more faithfully represent 

 the sounds uttered, by all means let us have more type in- 

 stead of less. Fortunately, the better spelling takes less 

 letters. When a word is pronounced past there is no more 

 sense in having two spellings for two meanings than there 

 is in having- ten spellings for the ten meanings of the word 

 cat. 



Prof. A. J. Cook, of Eos Angeles Co., Calif., writing- 

 us Oct. 34, said : 



"We are having fine rains, and all Southern California 

 smiles." 



* # ♦ » * 



Mr. W. J. Craig is for the present acting as editor of 

 the Canadian Bee Journal, and is doing well. Mr. Holter- 

 mann, the former editor, we presume is devoting his time 

 to evangelistic work. 



* * * * * 



Dr. C. C. Miller attended the semi-annual meeting of 



the Chicago Bee-Keepers' Association, Thursday, Nov. 2, 

 at the Briggs House. A good convention is always assured 

 in advance when it is known the Doctor is to be present. 



* ♦ # # ♦ 



"Mrs. Hutchinson has been home about six weeks. I 

 mention this that our friends may rejoice with us." So- 

 reads an editorial paragraph in the last number of the Bee- 

 Keepers' Review. All will be glad to learn that Mrs,. 

 Hutchinson is again able to be at home. 



* # ♦ ♦ » 



Mr. F. A. Snell. of Carroll Co., 111., was in Chicago 

 last week, and attended the meeting- of the Chicago Bee- 

 Keepers' Association. Mr. S. is one of the oldest bee-keep- 

 ers in the State, having had bees 40 years. He now has 

 over 80 colonies. He is also a contributor to several of the 

 bee-papers, as well as to farm papers. 



* ♦ # ♦ * 



Rev. E. T. Abbott was here last week to appear with 

 us before the meeting of the sub-committee of the Western 

 Classification Committee, as we two were appointed a com- 

 mittee at Philadelphia to make an effort to get certain con- 

 cessions on freight rates. The full meeting of the railroad 

 committee was to meet in Milwaukee Nov. 7. We hope to 

 be able to announce nest week the result of the effort on 

 the part of the committee appointed in the interest of rates. 

 of bee-supplies. 



***** 



Lady Henry SomesET, the noted temperance worker, 

 of England, like many other sensible as well as titled peo- 

 ple, believes in encouraging bee-keeping. Her ladyship, 

 after giving particulars of the various branches of work 

 carried on at her Industrial Farm Colony, at Reigate, goes 

 on to say this recently in the London Daily Mail : 



"We believe in work; but we believe that it should be 

 varied, and as far as possible in the open air. Last year, 

 in the 300-foot glass houses we grew a g-ood crop of toma-_ 

 toes. All the pruning and picking was done by the women. 



"The bees, however, are really our most successful 

 venture. They have already repaid the whole of the origi- 

 nal outlay, and given a profit as well. This season the 

 eight hives yielded 300 pounds of honey, and the colonies 

 were increast by swarms from 8 to 11, so that next season 

 we ought to gain a very good profit, if the season is. 

 favoraljle." 



