SPELLING

The question of revision of orthography has occupied a good deal of attention in modern times, and attempts have been made by Germany, France, and the United States. tn favor of reform it is argued that we have almost forfeited the advantages of alphabetic system, that spelling has become an almost arbitrary symbolism, and that orthography is not, as it ought to be, a guide to pronunciation. Further, children spend a large portion of their school career learning a difficult spelling which might be made quite easy. The opponents of spelling reform allege that books printed in the old orthography would become obsolete and unintelligible to the ordinary reader; that our present | spelling is etymological, and that its| abolition would deprive the community of an object le on in the history of the language. The gain would probably outweigh the lo , but the practical difficulties to be solved are great, and, in any case, private individuals and a ociations cannot accomplish the task. Effectual spelling reform must be a government measure.