107

PHONOGRAPH Y.

(Concluded from page 71.)

The new

THE originator of the modern phonetic system of spelling has not only, in conjunction with Mr. Ellis, contrived the fourteen new letters, and thus perfected the ordinary alphabet, but, before phonetic printing was contemplated, he had devised an entirely new alphabet, so simple, beautiful, and ingenious, that by means of it words may be written down in one-sixth of the time which is required by the other way. method stands in much the same relation to the amended printing alphabet, that 'short-hand' does to the old or defective mode of writing; but with this difference, that while short-hand' is arbitrary and capricious, and often unintelligible a few months after it has been written, the phonetic short-hand is highly philosophical, and can never become unreadable. Doubtless there are many ingenious systems of short-hand, but they are all open to the fatal objection that they only serve their writers as aids to memory for a time, whereas the records written in 'sound-hand' are as permanent in their intelligibleness as printed books. Sound-hand,' moreover, has the advantage of being able to represent with perfect ease those Anglo-Saxon words which abound with clusters of consonants, such as scratch, strain, paints, blinds, &c. which in ordinary short-hand' are extremely difficult. The rapidity with which sound-hand may be written is equally delightful and amazing. The pen is scarcely outstripped by the ideas which feed it, and old Homer's winged words,' from a poetic figure become an actual and pleasing fact. To those who have ever felt the embarrassment of our present tedious and cumbersome mode of writing, when they have been full of thought or pressed for time, the new phonetic system is a priceless gift. It is literally talking on paper.' Let it be understood that it differs in no respect as to its principles from the mode of writing which the amended alphabet provides for. The difference is simply, that here the forty sounds are represented not by letters of complicated form, but by simple lines, curves, and dots. They form indeed a sound alphabet in more than one sense, far more readily learnt than the old one, and quite as legible. It is intended chiefly for manuscript, as it is unsuited for printing with types, and when it is required to have copies multiplied by the press, lithography must consequently be resorted to. The merit and value claimed for this branch of the phonetic mode of representing words on paper, rests consequently, in its admirable

adaptedness to the wants of the penman. How many would rejoice to take down sermons and speeches, if they could but follow the speaker with their pen and ink! And how many bright, and elegant, and animating, and fertilizing thoughts do we often hear in conversation, that are quite lost for want of some ready means of registering them. How many thoughts pass even through our own minds that are irrecoverably lost to us, from the same inability to transcribe them on to paper with a rapidity approaching that of their own development! For the mind of man is never twice in the same position; thousands of combinations of ideas occur but once. It is like a flowing stream;-we never look upon the same water twice. The same sky may be reflected there, and the same flowers may bend down from its banks, contemplating their fair faces in its gliding mirror, but the stream itself is ever changing, and ever witnessing new scenes, and receiving new images.

To how many again is letter-writing a wearisome and distasteful act. This is the result almost universally, though it may not be suspected, of the laboured and complex orthography which we are called upon to use, and of the length of time required to put down our thoughts. Many persons never think of sitting down to write a letter without a dictionary beside them. Even the most rapid letter-writer feels himself impeded by it, and is driven either to omit many ideas entirely, or to pause so long in choosing which he can best find room for, that they lose their freshness, and become the rounded periods of the rhetorician, instead of being the earnest, glowing, and unartificial picture of the affections.

We have dwelt thus long on the advantages of phonetic writing and printing to individuals, to shew that all persons have an interest in its propagation solely for their own personal pleasure and advantage. But nothing can be truly good for individuals which is not at the same time the good of the community at large, and, in its widest application, the good of the whole world. Phonetic writing and printing are of this quality. We have shewn how great is the value of phonetic printing as a means of instructing children, and especially the children of the poor, whom toil allows so brief a period for any species of mental culture. We may conclude with a few remarks shewing its value in other ways, all, however, having reference to the same great end, the moral and intellectual elevation of the human mind. The question is no longer Shall the people be educated?' but 'How is it to be done?' We have no hesitation in saying that it must be accomplished through the agency of the spelling reform, and that nothing else will do it. It is no use establishing vast public libraries, and printing millions of Bibles,

benevolent as are such designs, unless the people are rendered capable of using them. Sunday schools do immense good in this respect, but how infinitely would their efficiency be increased, had they a more rational and speedy instrument to work with! It may be interesting to know, that already there are several Sunday schools in the midland counties where the phonetic mode of reading and writing is alone used. One of the greatest difficulties which missionaries have to contend with, is that of reducing the unwritten languages of savages to a form in which they can have the Scriptures printed. The reason of this is, that the twenty-six-letter alphabet being defective, there is no knowing how to write down given sounds except by combinations which are almost unintelligible to the poor creatures who dwell on the outskirts of civilization, and whose labour is therefore decupled. But by the phonetic system, negroes utterly unacquainted even with the idea of writing, have been taught to read in six weeks; a clear proof of the incalculable benefits that may reasonably be expected from a general adoption of the plan. It behoves every one then to assist, according to his means and opportunities, in promoting this great and good work. The advantages of the electric telegraph, marvellous as they already are, will not be fully developed till phonetic writing is combined with it; for were the words that are transmitted spelt phonetically, messages or reports could be sent across the country in considerably less time.

At foot we exhibit the new or forty-letter alphabet, and also a specimen of phonetic spelling. It will probably look a little strange, but was there ever anything novel that did not look strange at first? We may appropriately conclude this sketch of the value of phonetic writing and printing, and the necessity that exists for them, by quoting Lord Bacon's celebrated saying,-" Since things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly, what end will there be of evil?" If it be doubted whether it be possible to effect the desired reform, let it be remembered that, with the help of God, whatever is really good is not only possible, but eminently practicable. Nothing can more powerfully help on the cause of truth, and assist in removing the clouds which hang so murkily above society, and thus hasten the advent of what all pure hearts anxiously desired, than the opening the avenues to genuine, thoughtful, and fruitful knowledge. Moreover, in the progress which phonetic writing and printing have already made, there is the most certain and cheering guarantee for its ultimate success that can be desired. It makes little noise, certainly; neither does sunrise. Reader, carry out this figure for yourself.

LEO.

The sign (') is prefixed to 7, m, n, to show that they form syllables by themselves; thus, lit'l, spaz'm, op'n=little, spasm, open. The parentheses () indicate that the inclosed words are not spelled phonetically.

Everi member ov de stat fud resév a fizical, moral, and intelectual educafun, hwarbí hiz bodi ma be streŋt'nd, hiz moral and relíjus feliŋz trand, and hiz intelect infórmd. No moral or intelectual educafun can be completed, veri lit❜l ov it can be coménst, wist đe acwizijun ov đe qrt ov redin bị đe pupil, huu frd cag de sens ov e rit'n faster ev'n dan dát ov de spoc'n wurd. de prezent ignorant and invólvd stil ov spelin renderz de acwizifun ov dis néseseri qrt so tedius, dat it becúmz de gol instéd ov de startin-post ov a pur manz educafun. Wecs, munts, yɛrz qr ns wasted upón mecánicali lerniy tu uter serten sondz hwen serten simbulz qr prezented tu de í, hwig mit be spent mor prófitabli bot tw tɛger and pupil in ecsplanin de ideaz convád bi toz sendz, in чziy instéd ov in lerniy ho tw чz de tulz ov educafun. On de uzual sistem ov speliŋ, ε wurd iz a nų simbul, de meniŋ ov hwię haz tu be séperetli

lernt by de pupil, hu can no mortel hwot (s-a-v-e) spelz hwen hɛ noz ho tu sand (h-a-v-e), đan he can tel hwot de nam ov (B) iz hwen he haz onli lernt de nam ov (A). de fonetic sistem ov speliŋ, hwię iz fonded on nolej instéd ov ignorans, and hwic iz aplíd sistemáticali instéd ov hap-hazerd, obviats el dez díficultiz. Hwen de pupil haz acwird dɛ alfabet, bị mɛnz ov đɛ Fonetic Primer, he can red eni wurd, hséver stranj, dat ma bɛ prezented tu him; đát iz, hɛ noz hwot sendz he haz tu uter. de mecanical art ov redin beiŋ redúst bị đis menz tu de wurc ov a fu wɛcs instéd ov yɛrz, de pupil haz longer tim for real educafun, for lernin tu red intelectuali az wel az mecánicali, for becúmiŋ acwanted wid de meniŋ ov de sondz hɛ iz enab❜ld tu uter and reprɛzént. dis iz ov infinit importans in de cas ov de puur, hu seldum remán loŋ enúf at scul tu acwir de pser ov ezi rediŋ under de old sistem, and hu rarli, if ever, acwir eni reznab❜l nolej ov de menin ov hwot da red. Veri meni ov đoz hu lev gariti sculz never op'n a buc qfterwerdz, and dus luz de art ov rediŋ, becéz da ecsperiens so mug pan in écsersizin it. de Spelin Reform, darfor, hwig wil render rɛdiŋ ɛzi and dɛljtful, wil not onli als mor tim for de cultivafun ov de moral sentiments and de intelect dan can be no asýnd ev'n in de best conducted sculz ov de purer clasez, but wil secúr de practis ov rediŋ after levin scul, and dus asíst in de most important part ov a manz mental progres,—hiz self-educafun bị hiz on individual egzerfunz. dat no satisfacturi reform can tac plas in a stat until đɛ hol mqs ov de pep'l haz ben éducated, wil be redili consɛded; de Spelin Reform, hwig wil condús so larjli tu de promofun ov dis object, must darfor li at de ruut ov el uder refórmz, and cónsecwentli be de gratest and most impertant ov el de sofal and political refórmz hwiç qr no ájitated.

REVIEW.

REMARKS ON NOBLE'S APPEAL IN BEHALF OF THE DOCTRINES OF SWEDENBORG. London: T. RICHARDSON, 172, Fleet-street. pp. 84. A REPLY TO THE REMARKS, emanating from St. Mary's College, Oscott, on Noble's Appeal in Behalf of the Doctrines of Swedenborg. By the Rev. Augustus Clissold, M.A., formerly of Exeter College, Oxford. NEWBERY, 6, King-street, Holborn, London. pp. 102. OUR readers will remember that in our former number we announced the appearance of both these publications. The polemical history of the New Church records already five writers of the Roman Catholic Church who have taken the doctrines of the New Jerusalem into con