The Ability to Spell Correctly Should Not be Valued

Because the absurdities and intricacies of our pres- ent spelling hav made a mastery of them the most dif- ficult and long-continued task of the average student, a false value has been placed on spelling ability. "Cor- rectness" in reality, mere conformity in spelling is too generally assumed to be an indication of su- perior education, whereas as has been shown it is only evidence of a natural or a specially traind eye-memory.

 Phonetic Orthography in Spain and Italy

Fonetic spelling, in one form or another, has been, and is now, used by progressiv teachers in England and America as an introduction and an aid to the study of the current orthografy. Their experience is that children can spel correctly that is, fonetically the words they ar able to pronounce, as soon as they hav learnd the alfabet employd, and the principle of combining letters into sillables. In languages such as Italian and Spanish, that hav approximately fonetic alfabets, appro...