Herewith are excerpts from letters come to the desks of the editors during the past week. They are selected primarily for the information they contain either supplementary to, or corrective of, news previously published in TIME.
Fonetic
Lake Placid Club, Essex Co., N. Y. Apr. 26, 1925
TIME New York, N. Y. Gentlemen: Lake Placid Club has never attempted complete fonetic spelling as yu report (TIME, Apr. 20, P. 16) but it does omit many useless and misleading letters as needed pioneer work. The ending of sing, bring, etc., is neither n, g, nor any combination of n and g, but a simple sound which skolars the world over for almost a century hav represented by a taild n.
Yur attempted illustrations "krem of whet" and "ye krem" would giv any student of fonology a spasm. I never saw em used for the sound in seem. It is always as in gem,-hem. To skolars c is merely the round form of k and some day wil be displaced by k; but we leav cream as no one mispronounces it. "--But we spel leag so foreners and children won't pronouns it in 2 sylables like ague. They call head heed, like bead, but our hed is clearer as is our shorter and better hav; but have will be pronounsd like gave, lave, nave, rave, save, wave. We all know by, my, try, etc. Extended study has proved y the best way to write this sound, so we spel replyd, hyt (for the absurd height), myt. Some spellings move the mirth of novices in fonology, but it makes them think and perhaps inquire and they see that ys is better than ice. Your sample yc would be Ike, as c is only the old round form of k. Practically all eminent skolars in English and editors of our dictionaries ar agreed as to the present need of simpler spelling. Many of the recognized leaders in education declare it the most important problem before teachers. I will gladly send free to any reader of TIME a brief statement of Reasons and Rules which wil be convincing to the fair minded. MELVIL DEWEY.
President
Bygone Age
Southern Pines, N. C. Apr. 21, 1925
TIME New York, N. Y. Gentlemen: Jim Fisk was a tin peddler from Pownal, Vt. Not he, but Daniel Drew, sold watered stock at the Bull's Head Tavern. Selling watered live stock by weight was an old trick when Mesopotamian cowboys used to trade, in the wine-rooms, at Ur of the Chaldees. It is much if you do not mix up Daniel Drew* with John Drew./- Jim Fisk&** with John Fiske./-/- NEWELL MARTIN
Aquatic Finance
TIME Toronto, Ont,
New York, N. Y. Apr. 21, 1925
Gentlemen:
Your issue of Apr. 20, Page 2, third column, asterisk note, the phrase "watered stock" evolved from the practice of this trick by the brother of the original J. J. Astor, not Jim Fisk, as you mention.
See Book of Daniel Drew, by Bouck White.
CRAY H. MOSEDALE According to the Book of Daniel Drew, he (Drew) sold watered stock to Henry Astor--but there is only Drew's word for it. Some regard all versions of the origin of "watered stock" as semi-mythological since the term "watered jury" (corrupt jurors) was in use as early as 1792.--ED.