MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
different parts of the country, it would be 
$ SimtaUt 
very 
important that he should perfectly understand 
I the dialect of those whom he visits, and in or¬ 
der to do this he must, as the easiest and most 
advisable plan in many respects, have the dia¬ 
lect written as it should be spoken. Some 
even look further than this, and argue that 
Phonotypy will, in time, work out the idea of 
mingling all languages into one form of speech 
for the whole world. If this end should ever be 
brought about, the elements of each language 
must be brought to bear on the production of 
the new one. But the principles of speech in 
any language cannot be carried to the mind 
easily and accurately, unless it can be written 
according to its elementary sounds in common 
speech. It takes a Frenchman a long while to 
understand our pronunciation merely by read¬ 
ing as it should not be sounded ; so it is with 
the different forms of speaking English. What 
conclusion shall we arrive at from this mode of 
reasoning ? Obviously all will conclude, that 
the objection that too great a variety of written 
dialects would follow the adoption of Phonetics, 
is not a reasonable excuse for denouncing the 
idea,—and that Phonotypy is most useful, ab¬ 
solutely necessary, to the perfection of any lan¬ 
guage, in the above-mentioned regards. 
But it may still be objected that I have 
brought no very pointed statements of facts that 
have occurred to show that Phonotypy is doing, 
or will do good for Education. Before leaving 
the subject, therefore, I propose to mention one 
or two points of the beneficial work of the sys¬ 
tem. The system was introduced into the 
schools of London as a regular branch of study, 
and was thought to be doing a good work for 
Education, until lately, when one of the author¬ 
ities in the matter seemed to doubt the expe¬ 
diency of the thing. At this some Phoneticians 
asserted that, aside from the fact of its useful¬ 
ness in itself, it is true that it may be made 
beneficial as an introduction to the elements of 
reading the old method—in other words, we 
can learn to read the common orthography more 
easily and quickly by first learning Phonotypy. 
It was proposed by them that a trial should be 
had of the truth of this assertion. Two classes 
of children were therefore sell cted who had 
never learned to read—one class was to be 
taught in the common way, and the other first 
to learn Phonotypy* and then take up the old 
method of spelling—great pains was taken that 
everything should be done fairly, and the course 
of lessons was commenced. The result will 
show the truth of their assertion. And if it can 
be used with benefit in this direction, what 
reason is there for doubting the great beauty 
and utility of Phonotypy when it shall be adopt¬ 
ed in common use. Other trials similar to the 
above have taken place, and with good effect to 
the scholars, and the honor of the system. 
Augusta, Me., 1856. j. B. 
Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
PHONETIC SPELLING. 
INVOCATION. 
Tub following exquisite utterance is from the heart of 
Mrs. Elizabeth Barrett Browning : 
Speak low to me, my Saviour, low and sweet 
From out the hallelujahs, sweet and low, 
Lest I should fear and fall, and miss thee' so, 
Who are not missed by any that entreat. 
Speak to me as to Mary at thy feet— 
And if no precious gems my hand bestow, 
Let my tears drop like amber, while I go 
In reach of thy divinest voice, complete 
In humanest affection—thus, in sooth, 
To lose the sense of losing ! As a child, 
Whose song-bird seeks the wood for evermore 
Mu. Editor :—In a late number of your paper 
I notice an article upon the subject of “ Pho¬ 
netic Spelling,” which by those who have look¬ 
ed deeply into the subject, must be considered 
rather unjust and injurious to the cause of re¬ 
form in that direction. From the sentiments of 
that article, I, for one, must heg leave to differ ; 
and thinking that you would not be adverse to 
hearing from “ the other side,” I take this op¬ 
portunity of offering a few observations on this 
important subject. Perhaps I may be classed 
among “ those least educated and competent to 
judge,” atleast I do not pretend that I am com¬ 
petent to comprehend the whole working of a 
system of Phonetics at this early day of that 
cause, which is destined to do so much for the 
world; but, having looked into the subject a 
little, as far as it has been tried, I might claim 
to know something of it. 
In the first place, you convey a wrong im¬ 
pression to your readers when you intimate that 
it is the ignorant who carry this subject the fur¬ 
thest. This it is easy enough to see it we look 
no further than the nature of the subject itself. 
Who could be made to believe that the ignorant 
would take hold of such a subject as reform in 
orthography, and be of the first or even of me¬ 
dium importance to its progress? I say we need 
look no further than this, even, to find that it is 
not the ignorant who “ ride this hobby,” as you 
choose to express yourself. On the contrary it 
is true that they who have taken hold of the 
matter, are among the most intelligent people 
of both England and America. The inventors 
and prime movers in the first really Phonetic 
system were Isaac Pitman and Alex. John 
Ellis, of England, and no one who has read 
their works can call them ignorant and fanati¬ 
cal. Nor can that epithet be placed upon its 
movers in our own country ; if proof of this is 
needed, let the reader refer to the different pub¬ 
lications on Phonetics, to the convention of 
friends to this reform in New York and else¬ 
where, and particularly to'the fact that the 
Phonetic spelling was admitted as a regular 
branch of study in the Philadelphia High 
Schools some time ago, and the Superintend¬ 
ent’s report on the subject, lately published in 
that city, containing evidence in its favor from 
some of the head educational men, teachers, 
and others. Where, then, is the foundation for 
your charge of ignorance upon those who move 
in this reform ? 
Your next objection to Phonotypy is, that it 
abolishes the arrangement by which we tell the 
difference between words sounded alike but of 
various meanings, for example, rite, right, mite 
and might. Every one will admit that this 
does interfere somewhat with the convenience 
of this method. But we should look further 
into the real effect of a thing, than to skim 
about upon the top ; we should not condemn it 
upon the appearance of so light an objection as 
this, compared with its immense benefits. In¬ 
deed, this is looked upon by the friends of Pho¬ 
netics as the very smallest objection against 
For the Rural New-Yorker. 
IT IS WRITTEN, 
iikx man first becomes convinced of his 
lost condition, without hope and without God 
in the world; when he with full purpose of 
heart determines to serve his Maker and trust 
in the atoning mercy of Christ ; when he be¬ 
lieves in the promise of rust to the weary and 
heavy laden, and comes to the Cross in the full¬ 
ness of an overflowing heart, and receives the 
joy of pardon, how immeasurable is the satisfac¬ 
tion, and how calm the bliss which pervades 
the new-born soul! The world and all therein 
seems new—all things praise God,— and life, 
and death, and things present and things to 
come are clothed anew—and the soul lifts its 
feeble hand to Heaven, and the Infinite arm is 
there to sustain and guide it now and forever ! 
} es ’ and while the heart is by prayer and faith 
kept in close walk with God, it hath no fears ; 
the shafts of the enemy without, and his evil 
promptings within, are alike powerless to harm 
Jam who waiteth upon the Lord. And if dark 
clouds do overshadow by reason of unbelief, oh 
rnt us listen to the “ still, small voice,” which 
The most distinguished portrait painter 
which America ever produced, was undoubtedly 
Gilbert Stuart. He was born at Newport, R. 
I., in the year 1757, and very early manifested 
the bent of his genius, by the skill with which, 
while a mere boy, he handled the pencil. Be¬ 
ing encouraged in the pursuit for which he 
seemed so well adapted, he went to Europe and 
became a pupil of the celebrated painter Benja¬ 
min West, whom, on the specialty of portrait 
painting, he very soon excelled, and established 
himself in the year 1784 as a portrait painter in 
London. Orders from the first men of the 
realm poured in upon him, and his income was 
princely. He spent money, however, as freely 
as he obtained it, and finally left the metropolis 
of England, it is believed, in consequence of 
pecuniary embarrassments. 
In the year 1790 he returned to America, and 
resided at various periods in New York, Phila¬ 
delphia, Washington, and finally in Boston ; 
where he died in the year 1828. He continued 
to wield the pencil to the end of his life, al¬ 
though sorely troubled with the gout, and other¬ 
wise afflicted. Ample as Stuart's opportuni¬ 
ties were to amass a fortune, he died poor; and 
a collection of his paintings was made and ex¬ 
hibited after his death, for the benefit of his 
family. . 
The best original portrait of Washington 
extant, is the celebrated head, by Stuart, now 
owned and in the possession of the Boston 
Athenaeum. It is an unfinished picture, being 
nothing but the head, with a section of brown 
ground just around the face; the rest of the 
canvas remaining white, as if the painter had 
dropped his pencil for a day. There 
reasons given why the pictur 
finished, among 
following, 
self so gU- 
are various 
•e was never 
among which may be mentioned the 
, viz., it is said the painter was him- 
uck with the expression of the head 
and face, that he dared not touch it again with 
the pencil, for fear of injuring the effect. Again, 
it is said that A\ ashington was persuaded with 
the greatest difficulty to sit, and finally con¬ 
sented only on condition that, when finished, 
the picture should go to his family; and to save 
his pledge, t he painter left it in an unfinished 
state. At all events, the Custi 3 family claim 
that the picture in equity belongs to them, and 
that the Boston Institution obtained it by a 
ruse. 
Saying nothing of the unjust means, (if anv 
were employed,) to obtain the portrait, we, for 
ourselves, heartily rejoice that so glorious a 
work of art, and one embracing so glorious a 
subject, graces a public, rather than a private 
collection. It is now the people’s, rather than 
an individual’s property; and will remain ac¬ 
cessible to them through all coming time._ 
Stuart deserves immortality for this picture', if 
every other work of his pencil should oerish 
Written for the Rural New-Yorker. 
LEAD PENCILS. 
Eds. Rural :—In yours of the 2d Feb., one of 
your correspondents has given an interesting ac¬ 
count of the manufacture of the “ Black Lead 
Pencil.” 
It is to be presumed there are immense quan¬ 
tities of pencils manufactured in the United 
States ; if so, the supply falls far short of the 
demand. How far it may be for the interests 
of our country to manufacture its own supply, 
is a que-tion for political economists to decide. 
1 Linking it might interest some of your read¬ 
ers, I herewith send some statistics in regard to 
lead pencils. There were Black Lead Pencils 
imported into the L T . States during the fiscal 
} ear ending June 30th, 1855, amounting to sev¬ 
enty-seven thousand seven hundred and fifty- 
six dollars (77,756,) of this large amount $65,- 
588, came from Bremen, and n.hnnt nnn fw,™ 
SELF--EDUCATION, 
■lLLm DIVINE METHOD OF REFORM. 
Consider earnestly the intense individuality 
of Christianity ; its habit of starting, in all its 
reforms, from the unit, and not from the mass. 
The kingdom of God is within you.” By the 
conversion of individuals the world will be re¬ 
generated, and not otherwise. This does not 
make the church, in its visible form and ap¬ 
pointments, of slight importance, but it points 
out its grand duty, that of converting men, and 
shows the vanity of looking for a substitute for 
personal godliness in any mechanism or appa¬ 
ratus. The difficulty here presented is stupen¬ 
dous ; but it is precisely the one which must be 
met. Easy were it to renew mankind, and 
change the face of the world, if it could be done 
in a public way, by the devising of some mag¬ 
nificent and politic scheme of government ; 
then might the corner-stone of the new world 
be brought out in haste, and indeed with shout¬ 
ing, (for should not ice have found it ?) but the 
kingdom of God cometli not with observation ; 
it is the silent unseen work, in the quiet parish, 
in the quieter heart, that advances it; there is 
no waving of banners, no triumph of human 
wisdom. .And its final glories will come when 
the sun of the latter morn is rising ; the golden 
walls of the new Jerusalem will be cast in 
heaven .—Christian Life. 
For the Rural New-Yorker. 
GOLD AND ITS USES. 
“Wn.vr becomes of all the gold?” say the 
would-be wise, who look no deeper than the 
skin of a newspaper, and that perhaps of doubt¬ 
ful authority. “ Where is all the gold that is 
weekly poured into the country ? ” « Oh, it 
goes to Europe,” says the news-monger, “ by 
every ship.” Well, let it go ; money, like all 
other commodities, will go to the best market 
—where it is worth the most for investment. 
When the balance of trade is with us, and when 
our stock-creating basis becomes settled on firm 
and paying foundations, gold will return. It is 
like water,and will always distribute its particles 
till it finds a level. It is even doubtful now, with 
the weekly exportations, whether we are the los¬ 
ers in the amouut of actual bullion, when we 
take into account the quantity brought into the 
country by emigrants, and the -millions locked 
up by the great increase of banks and by those 
who privately horde it up for safety—to which 
add the manufactured articles of the precious 
metals. This single item is estimated by po¬ 
litical economists to exceed fifty millions a 
year in all countries, and we use our lull share. 
The amount consumed by the trades and arts 
is immense. Fashion is bedizening all the 
world in a golden outfit. What male biped 
that oils his hair and wears whiskers, that can 
look through anything short of gold spectacles, 
or regulate his dinner hour by anything more 
plebiau than a gold watch, with its concomi¬ 
tants of chain and trinkets—a seal, ring and 
breast-pin ? And what woman of any consid¬ 
eration, with a soul above woolen stockings, but 
has her gold watch, pencil and thimble, ear 
bobs, rings, bracelets, chains and spectacles ?— 
Everybody more or less worships at the shrine 
of the yellow god. Books are not readable ex¬ 
cept they are flushed with golden filagree 
work. Shaksi'eare and Milton would be 
ashamed of the age, if they could see the mere- 
tritious display required to induce the reading 
of their immortal works. 
The amount used in the simplearticle of gold 
leaf would every day in the year break the 
best bank in the country. In short, the amount 
of the precious metals used for nere ornament 
is hardly conceivable, and accounts for the dis¬ 
appearance and scarcity of coin .a circulation, 
to a larger amount than the pubbe is generally 
aware of, and this use is increasing at an alarm¬ 
ing rate. It is within the bounds of truth, 
probably, to say that the entire amount pro¬ 
duced by the mines of California, is annually 
used up by the world in mere articles of luxu¬ 
ry and ornament. 
ierent words may dc used, our language is so 
extended, where there is danger of clashing. 
The exceeding tinyness of this objection, how¬ 
ever, may, perhaps, be best shown by reference 
to a few of the many cases wherein lie the most 
important benefits of Phonetics—i. e., in words 
spelled alike, but pronounced differently, being 
exactly an opposite case. Take the word read 
as best illustrating this point; should we read 
it in the present or past tense ? You may say 
that the context will explain this. But that is 
not always the fact, as it is with the other case. 
For instance, we write “ I read here the con¬ 
text would not explain, unless very distantly. 
By adding a t to the word though, we have a 
thought, or b to Tom and we have tomb ! ITow 
in the name of reason does the addition of a 
letter change the sound of all the letters in a 
word.. Again, by placing h in the word tough t 
we have though, or r in that changes it again to 
through; that is, the ough is first /, then o, next 
oo, &c. Would a stranger to our language com¬ 
ply with these foolish demands of orthography, 
or would he pronounce words alike as they 
were spelled naturally ? . Examples of this 
kind might be carried still further—indeed 
there is hardly an end to them—but enough 
HOW TO BE HARPIES. 
Said a venerable farmer, some eighty years of 
age, to a relative who lately visited him, “ I 
have lived on this farm for more than half a 
century. I have no desire to change my resi¬ 
dence as long as I live on earth. I have no de¬ 
sire to be richer than I now am. I have wor¬ 
shiped the God of my fathers with the same 
people for more than forty years. During that 
period I have been rarely absent from the sanc- 
Teaciiing and Training.— Many teachers fail 
to accomplish what they wish, because they do 
not understand the difference between teaching 
and training. To teach is to communicate in¬ 
struction, to impart information ; to train is to 
“ exercise, to discipline, to teach and form by prac¬ 
tice,” says Webster. With those who are al¬ 
ready educated, measurably, mere teaching or 
precept may suffice; but for young persons, 
those who arc to be educated, training, practice, 
must be superadded, or much of our labor will 
be lost.— Selected. 
1’ aitii in God.— Faith in God springs from 
within. It is based on those immutable senti¬ 
ments of the soul, that outlive all theories, and 
defy all skepticism. To deny it, is to offer 
violence to all that is great and sacred in hu¬ 
man nature. 
1 am. Exposition is a huge concave mirror, the 
instrument of a startling species of optical 
amusement. On standing close to it, it presents 
nothing but a magnificent monstrous dissection 
of your physiognomy. On retiring, a couple of 
feet, it gives your own face, and figure its true 
proportion, I> it reversed, the head downwards. 
But retire still further, standing at the distance 
of five or six feet from the mirror, and behold 
you see year self-—not a reflection, but your 
veritable self, standing in the middle part, be¬ 
tween you and the mirror. 
Names that, lie upon the ground are not easily 
set on fire by the torch of Envy, but those 
quickly catch it which are raised up by fame, 
or wave to the breeze of prosperity. Every ono 
that passes is ready to give them a shake and a 
rip ; for there are tew either so busy or so idle 
as not to lend a hand at undoing.— Landor. 
(the way of reading, but language, both as writ¬ 
ten and spoken, must soon, under the influence 
of Phonotypy, approximate down towards a 
point of perfection — a universal dialect. You 
admit that a cockney “ would be puzzled to un¬ 
derstand a Yorkslnreman’s speech.” This is 
one of the greatest points which should be look¬ 
ed to ; while we are improving in all other re¬ 
spects, we should not overlook this very im¬ 
portant matter. If a man were to travel into 
The Bible.— In the adaptation of the Word 
of God to intellects of all dimensions, it resem¬ 
bles the natural light, which is equally suited 
to the eye of the minutest insect, and to the 
extended vision of man. 
Magnanimity, is well enough i.efincd by its 
name ; nevertheless, we may say it is the good 
Sense of pride, and the most noble way of earn¬ 
ing praise. It is a terra incognita to most men. 
They who would abandon a friend for one 
error, know but little of the human character, 
and prove that their hearts are as cold as their 
judgment is weak. 
The effort now put forth should be to elevate 
the character, uot to increase the number of our 
common schools. 
