I873-] 



The Future of the English Language. 



379 



Report of the Board of Trustees of the Public Schools of 

 the City of Washington," we learn that in June, 1866, 

 a spelling match was held, at which there were seven pupils 

 selected by the teachers as the best spellers from each of the 

 eleven intermediate schools. A gold medal had been offered 

 by one of the trustees as a prize for the best speller. The 

 words given out are as follows, with the number of scholars, 

 out of a total of 77, who spelled them incorrectly : — 



tambourine 



• 3i 



indispensable 



40 



bilious . 



. 46 



pamphlet . 



3 



complacent 



. 24 



susceptible 



14 



niche . 



• 36 



labyrinth . 



42 



millinery . 



. 21 



vignette . 



44 



cedilla . 



. 28 



ferrule . 



13 



varioloid . 



• 52 



inveigh. . 



6 



horologe 



• 47 



facile . . 



46 



caterpillar. 



• 25 



pleurisy 



20 



exorbitant 



• 3i 



medicine . 



4 



physiology 



. 16 



gauge . . 



20 



ellipse . 



. 20 



flageolet . 



28 



lettuce . . 



. 2 



pallet . . 



J 7 



hierarchy 



. 20 



zephyr . 



9 



aloes . . 



. 16 



palate . . 



17 



periphery 



• 50 



rigid . . 



21 



villain . . 



. 27 



palette . 



48 



militia . 



. 16 



lacquer . . 



23 



omelet . . 



• 27 



scurrilous . 



51 



dahlia . 



• 30 



victuals 



8 



billiards 



• 5 



aeronaut . 



49 



separate 



• 14 



surcingle . 



35 



ghoul . 



• 39 



paroxysm . 



32 



miniature 



. 29 



punctilious 



33 



irresistible. 



• 3i 



daguerreotype 



34 











These words were taken from the spelling-books used in 

 the schools. The following are amusing illustrations of the 

 modes of spelling some of the words : — 



vereloid 



errenaut 



skurrelous 



variloid 



erenote 



squerulous 



veryaloid 



airanaut 



scurulous 



veraloid 



eranoch 



scournless 



valeloid 



arenaught 



scirilous 



veri Lord 



erenolt 



scuroleus 



fariloid 



erroenort 



scurrus 



variloyd 



eronaut 



skireles 



bareloyd 



aregnout 



scurels 



barierloid 



ereunaut 



skirrellous 



barryaloid 



airinought 



schourals 



marioloyd 



earonaut 



scurolous 





arenarch 



schurrulou 





aranult 







erynort 







arinought 







arroneut 





A second trial was found necessary, when the medal was 

 awarded to Hattie E. Gove, eleven years of age, of the 

 First District. 



" These facts," says the Report, " are presented to show 

 the importance of greater attention being given to this 

 branch of education, so that such a report may never again 

 be presented." What a satire is this on our system of spelling ! 



The state of the case has been well put in the double 

 statement that no Englishman can tell with certainty how 

 to pronounce any word which is presented to him in the 

 ordinary orthography, unless he has heard it uttered by 



