A WORD FOR BAD SPELLERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 5 January 1931, Page 7

A WORD FOR BAD SPELLERS

MR BELLOC’S ADVICE./; Time was (writes Mr Hilaire Belloc, in the “New Statesman”) when 'T/ trembled at the thought of a misspelt l word; but now that I have recogriiSed spelling for the last part of scholarship!', and, indeed, hardly a part of scholarship at all, I care less for it than a doit' —whatever that may be. ; , J f: /• Our fathers cared so little for-tßejj ridiculous thing that they did not eveh spell their own names the same way' throughout their lives, and as for corrimon words they seem to have had- aft,. instinct .which 1 cannot -but applaud for J ennobling them with repetitions of let-' : ters and flourishes, with the pretty; trick of using, a “y” for an “i” agd'' doubling consonants. In general they were all for festooning ana decorating, ” which is a very honest and noble ’taste/" When they said of a man “I esteain hym no inoore than a ‘pygge,” oner., knows what they meant and one' feCll'/ their contempt vibrating. [ " Spelling is a great breeder of HatrecL among the nations and of divisions, mil-' apprehensions, wars—or, as our fathers splendidly put it (to a roll of drums) “warres”; as, also, of dissencyoiis bn broils.. Here myself 1 confess to. the weakness; to see. “labour” spelt “labor” makes me see red. It makes all that is ancient in England see red; and the more openly we admit it the better for international and domestic peaceNow, that this word .“labor”. should be so abhorrent to the intimate • tastie of the English mind .is a very good reply to the pedants who will defend,, spelling as a reminder.of the ririgin of words. “Labor” is right. “Labour’'-.is a twisted thing, coming round by wgy of a dead French usage. You may say, of course, if you like, that even sb, it. teaches you a little history arid that at least such spelling reminds you that the;; gentry were French before they were English. But if you say this you lie;, for it teaches people nothing of the sort, and such few people as hear this triith about the English gentry; only fall into a passion and disbelieve it. Spelling also panders to the vices of men, and more particularly to. social pride. Many a man has lost his : soul by putting a redundant “e” at the end. of his name to borrow a false rank therefrom. I could quote you the case of at least one peer whose father actually had the name of his titular.' village mis-spent on the map in order' to make himself look medieval. So itjswith the people who rise two little f’s instead one big f at the beginning of their surnames. They are ffools. ,In; 1 the same way men with foreign names,;! if those names are of a common soft,;!, will respell them into English;' but ill they are of the nobler kind it is the-i, other way about—they will turn them’-' from plain English" into something:-! Frenchified,*so as to look as though/ they were descended, not from trjpcsellers, as they are indeed,. . but~,fsOlri/ great barons of the thirteenth Thus a mail called Roach, because ofift/. of bis forbears had a fish-face, will clll" himself “de la Roche”; or a man called ■ Lemon, because his forbear was tp6/ yellow, will call himself “L’Hemori,”-'. which is ridiculous. ;. • y

Spell, therefore, at your own sweet :• will. I not only give you leave bt . charter so to do, but will,at call SU|}- V port you with argument. Only. I warny you of one thing: if you do, yqu are iji * for lifelong war with the printers, and * they are a powerful and close corporation. . ;•