SPELLING REFORM.

At a recent meeting of the British Academy Professor Skeivt delivered a-n admirable discourse upon the history o"f lEnglis-h spelling, and its propose! reform. The lecturer explained very clearly how, owing to Dr. Ellis's great work on "Early English Poronuneia- " tion," in whidh that eminent scholar traced the phonetic changes of tirj language, it was possible ' for Dr. Sweet to give the connected 'history of them, starting at the beginning. The irregularities of modem English , spelling may be described in a sentence to 'be due' to the dish-annany which, OAving to various causes, has gradually come to prevail in the relation between the word, as speb, and the word as pronounced. Tho • object of reform is to establish foarni'ony between sound and spelling, in fact?. Absolute phonetic spelling is probably impossible <to obtain, even by extonsively adding to tlie - symbols now in use. However, in ISSI, Dr Sweet put forward a' partial scheme of revised spelling which waSr - publish«d by the Philosophical Society. »Ii» title was "Partial Corrections ,gf pn? Jisli Spellings Approved by the Philological Society." But, unfortunately, no one -else approved th-ein. Professor Skeat chax'god the writers for tho Press, one and all, witfc xid4culing, an<a suppressing disc itsio'i ' o"*the" matter. Be that , as it may,' , thf thing went no further, until lately, wfopn the Universities of Cam'brdld'pa and Oxford agreed ujjon a simpla scheme of reform, w-hic^ they are prepared to recommend to schools. The basis of all reform, said Profos'sor Skeat, must lie in teaching tho correct pronunciation of the Latin vowels. In Chaucer's day Latin was ■peltr a* it was pronounced in 1 , Italy, ancl English as it was pronounced in England — t<he vowel sounds being the same. As the English language devplopcd and its pronunciation changed, the English pronunciation of Latin (which, being a dead langua-gie, remained the same), changed 'with it. Hence all our troubles. The suggestion is tixat, by restoring its proper, pronunciation to Latin, we shall acquire a right appreciation of vowol sounds, and so proceed to alter Eng Ilish spelling accordingly. It is not so simple a process as it sounds, perhaps, but, undoubtedly, Professor Sk^at is justified of his doctrine. The Profeasor poured scorn upon one objecticin which is raised by so many persons, •who oxight to know better. They complain that the revised spelling is "u{rly." Professor Skeat retorts by affirming that they are the slaves of idle hr.bit, which causes them to judge 'by •eye instcr/d of by ear. It may be so ; and yet, if one might venture a humble criticism of so groat an authority it would be that words, as such, come to have a life and to wear an aspect all. their own. It may be more convenient to cut their hair and trim their garments—but they are old frienrJe, af tor all. "We like them well as they are. It is weak, we knowr— wet acknowledge weakness*— -Standard.