The Long View: Theodore Roosevelt's Letter to the Government Printing Office
Contents
Theodore Roosevelt's Letter to the Government Printing Office
Introduction
A minor mystery attends this document. Public Printer Charles Stillings says in the Government Printing Office directive of September 4, 1906, that the spelling changes are being made pursuant to "Executive order." Histories that mention Roosevelt's spelling initiative usually say that the president issued an executive order for this purpose on August 27, 1906. However, "executive order" is a term of art. Executive orders are the ordinary means that presidents use to carry out the duties of their office. They are numbered sequentially. Since the middle of the 20th century they have been systematically codified. However, no such executive order appears in the list of presidential documents issued by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 or in any other year. The letter below may be a simple letter of transmittal.
The text here is widely available in The Letters of Theodore Roosevelt, Volume V: The Big Stick 1905-1907; edited by Elting E. Morison, John M Blum, Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., and Sylvia Rice; Havard University Press, 1952; pages 389-390. Note that this collection of letters does not include the list of reformed spellings. The list of spellings may be found, along with the text of the president's letter, in the Government Printing Office document of September 4 mentioned above. That document is available on mircofiche at major federal documents repositories. The series is US Executive Branch Documents, 1789-1909: no. GP102-27.1, GP102-27.2). The material includes copies of the Circulars of the Simplified Spelling Board mentioned in the president's letter.
The Letters of Theodore Roosevelt, The Big Stick: 1905-1907 (Volume 5) By Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt's Letter to the Government Printing Office
Oyster Bay, August 27, 1906
To Charles Arthur Stillings
My dear Mr. Stillings: I enclose herewith copies of certain circulars of the Simplified Spelling Board, which can be obtained free from the Board at No. 1 Madison Avenue, New York City. Please hereafter direct that in all Government publications of the executive departments the three hundred words enumerated in Circular No. 5 shall be spelled as therein set forth. If anyone asks the reason for the action, refer him to Circulars 3, 4 and 6 as issued by the Spelling Board. Most of the criticism of the proposed step is evidently made in entire ignorance of what the step is, no less than in entire ignorance of the very moderate and common-sense views as to the purposes to be achieved, which views as so excellently set forth in the circulars to which I have referred.
There is not the slightest intention to do anything revolutionary or initiate any far-reaching policy. The purpose simply is for the Government, instead of lagging behind popular sentiment, to advance abreast of it and at the same time abreast of the views of the ablest and most practical educators of our time as well as the most profound scholars–men of the stamp of Professor Lounsbury. If the slightest changes in the spelling of the three hundred words proposed wholly or partially meet popular approval, then the changes will become permanent without any reference to what officials or individual private citizens may feel; if they do not ultimately meet with popular approval they will be dropt, and that is all there is about it. They represent nothing in the world but a very slight extension of the unconscious movement which has made agricultural implement makers write "plow" instead of "plough"; which has made most Americans write "honor" without the somewhat absurd, superfluous "u"; and which is even now making people write "program" without the "me"–just as all people who speak English now write "bat," "set," "dim," "sum," and "fish" instead of the Elizabethan "batte," "sette," "dimme," "summe," and "fysshe"; which makes us write "public," "almanac," "era," "fantasy," and "wagon," instead of the "publick," "almanack," "aera," "phantasy," and "waggon" of our great-grandfathers. It is not an attack of the language of Shakespeare and Milton, because it is in some instances a going back to the forms they used, and in others merely the extension of changes which, as regards other words, have taken place since their time. It is not an attempt to do anything far-reaching or sudden or violent; or indeed anything very great at all. It is merely an attempt to cast what sleight weight can properly be cast on the side of the popular forces which are endeavoring to make our spelling a little less foolish and fantastic.
Sincerely yours
Charles Stillings observed in his directive of September 4, 1906 that 153 of the words on the Simplified Spelling Board's proposed list were already preferred by the Government Printing Office. Of the rest, 49 were not preferred but had been used when the authority that ordered the printing requested it. We should note that many of the New Spellings simply canonized American as distinguished from British usage.
Using the spellchecker in the 2003 edition of Word set for American English, the software rejected approximately 106 of the New Spellings. Of these, the largest class were forms like "affixt" and "transgrest." In contrast, the spellchecker rejected 178 of the Old Spellings. Note that, because of the inclusion of variants, there are a few more Old Spellings than New.
The List
Old Spellings
abridgement
accoutre
acknowledgement
addressed
adze
affixed
although
anapaest, anapæst
anaemic, anæmia
anaesthesia, anæsthesia
anaesthetic, anæsthetic
antipyrine
antitoxine
apothegm, apophthegm
apprise
arbour
archaeology, archæology
ardour
armour
artisan
assise
axe
banns
barque
behaviour
blessed
blushed
brasen
brasier
bunn
burr
calibre
calliper
candour
caressed
catalogue
catechise
centre
chapped
cheque
chequer
chimaera, chimæra
civilse
clamour
clangour
clapped
clasped
clipped
clew
coaeval, coæval
colour
coulter
commixed
compressed
comprise
confessed
comptroller
coquette
criticise
cropped
crossed
crushed
queue
cursed
cutlass
dactyle
dashed
decalogue
defence
demagogue
demeanour
deposite
depressed
develop
diaeresis, diæresis
dyke
dipped
discussed
despatch
distill
distressed
dolour
domicile
draught
drachm
dressed
dripped
drooped
dropped
dullness
oecumenical, œcumenical
aedile, ædile
aegis, ægis
enamour
encyclopaedia, encyclopædia
endeavour
envelope
Aeolian, æolian
aeon, æon
epaulette
eponyme
aera, æra
oesophagus, œsophagus
aesthetic, æsthetic
aesthetics, æsthetics
aestivate, æstivate
aether, æther
aetiology, ætiology
exorcise
expressed
faggot
phantasm
phantasy
phantom
favour
favourite
fervour
fibre
fixed
flavour
fulfill
fullness
gauge
gazelle
gelatine
guild
gypsy
glose
glycerine
good-bye
gramme
gripped
harbour
hearken
heaped
haematin, hæmatin
hiccough
hough
homoeopathy, homœopathy
homonyme
honour
humour
hushed
hypothenuse
idolise
impressed
instill
gaol
judgement
kissed
labour
lachrymal
lapped
lashed
leaped
legalise
licence
liquorice
litre
lodgement
looked
lopped
lustre
mamma
manœuver, manœuvre
materialise
meagre
mediaeval, mediæval
metre
missed
mitre
mixed
mould
moulder
mouldering
mouldy
moult
mullein
naturalise
neighbour
nitre
nipped
ochre
odour
offence
omelette
oppressed
orthopaedic, orthopædic
palaeography, palæography
palaeolithic, palæolithic
palaeontology, palæontology
palaeozoic, palæozoic
paraffine
parlour
partisan
passed
patronise
pedagogue
paedobaptist, pædobaptist
phoenix, phœnix
phaenomenon, phænomenon
pygmy
plough
polype
possessed
practice
prefixed
praenomen, prænomen
pressed
pretence
preterite, præterite
praetermit, prætermit
primaeval, primæval
professed
programme
prologue
propped
purr
quartette
quaestor, quæstor
quintette
rancour
rapped
rase
recognise
reconnoitre
rigor
rhyme
ripped
rumor
sabre
saltpetre
saviour
savour
sceptre
septette
sepulchre
sextette
sylvan
scimitar, cimeter, etc
sipped
scythe
skillful
skipped
slipped
smoulder
snapped
sombre
spectre
splendour
steadfast
stepped
stopped
stressed
stripped
subpoena, subpœna
succour
suffixed
sulphate
sulphur
sumach
suppressed
surprise
synonyme
tabour
tapped
teasel, teasle, teazle
tenour
theatre
though, tho'
thorough, thoro'
thoroughfare
thoroughly
through, thro', thro
throughout
tipped
topped
tossed
transgressed
trapped
tripped
tumour
valour
vapour
vexed
vigour
visor
waggon
washed
whipped
whiskey
willful
winked
wished
woe
woeful
woollen
wrapped
New Spellings
abridgment
accouter
acknowledgment
addrest
adz
affixt
altho
anapest
anemia
anesthesia
anesthetic
antipyrin
antitoxin
apothem
apprize
arbor
archeology
ardor
armor
artizan
assize
ax
bans
bark
behavior
blest
blusht
brazen
brazier
bun
bur
caliber
caliper
candor
carest
catalog
catechize
center
chapt
check
checker
chimera
civilize
clamor
clangor
clapt
claspt
clipt
clue
coeval
color
colter
commixt
comprest
comprize
confest
controller
coquet
criticize
cropt
crost
crusht
cue
curst
cutlas
dactyl
dasht
decalog
defense
demogog
demeanor
deposit
deprest
develop
dieresis
dike
dipt
discust
dispatch
distil
distrest
dolor
domicil
draft
dram
drest
dript
droopt
dropt
dulness
ecumenical
edile
egis
enamor
encyclopedia
endeavor
envelop
Eolian
eon
epaulet
eponym
era
esophagus
esthetic
esthetics
estivate
ether
etiology
exorcize
exprest
fagot
fantasm
fantasy
fantom
favor
favorite
fervor
fiber
fixt
flavor
fulfil
fulness
gage
gazel
gelatin
gild
gipsy
gloze
glycerin
good-by
gram
gript
harbor
harken
heapt
hematin
hiccup
hock
homeopathy
homonym
honor
humor
husht
hypotenuse
idolize
imprest
instil
jail
judgment
kist
labor
lacrimal
lapt
lasht
leapt
legalize
license
licorice
liter
lodgment
lookt
lopt
luster
mama
maneuver
materialize
meager
medieval
meter
mist
miter
mixt
mold
molder
molding
moldy
molt
mullen
naturalize
neighbor
niter
nipt
ocher
odor
offense
omelet
opprest
orthopedic
paleography
paleolithic
paleontology
paleozoic
paraffin
parlor
partizan
past
patronize
pedagog
pedobaptist
phenix
phenomenon
pigmy
plow
polyp
possest
practise, v. & n.
prefixt
prenomen
prest
pretense
preterit
pretermit
primeval
profest
program
prolog
propt
pur
quartet
questor
quintet
rancor
rapt
raze
recognize
reconnoiter
rigor
rime
ript
rumor
saber
saltpeter
savior
savor
scepter
septet
sepulcher
sextet
silvan
simitar
sipt
sithe
skilful
skipt
slipt
smolder
snapt
somber
specter
splendor
stedfast
stept
stopt
strest
stript
subpena
succor
suffixt
sulfate
sulfur
sumac
supprest
surprize
synonym
tabor
tapt
teazel
tenor
theater
tho
thoro
thorofare
thoroly
thru
thruout
tipt
topt
tost
transgrest
trapt
tript
tumor
valor
vapor
vext
vigor
vizor
wagon
washt
whipt
whisky
wilful
winkt
wisht
wo
woful
woolen
wrapt
T.R.: The Last Romantic By H. W. Brands
T.R.: The Last Romantic
The History
Now Theodore Roosevelt, president of the United States from 1901 to 1909, was a great reformer. In his first four-year term (3 1/2, actually, since he assumed office after the assassination of President McKinley), he reformed the railroads, he reformed the meatpacking industry, he even reformed the rules for American football. In his second term, perhaps having run out of more obvious things to reform, he turned his attention to English spelling.
Why did Roosevelt do this? It is often mentioned in this regard that Roosevelt was a notoriously poor speller. This in itself was probably the result of the fact he had never spent any time in a conventional academic environment before he entered Harvard. He had poor health as a child and rich parents, so he was educated by tutors, who perhaps were not interested in the type of drills that constitute schooling for less-favored children. More important, though, was that Roosevelt was very language-conscious. He spoke the major modern languages and read the ancient ones. He was also a prolific author on most things under the sun. He was therefore unusually likely to be annoyed by traditional English spelling, since he struggled with it daily and knew that there were alternatives.
The result was that he issued a directive to the Government Printing Office to adopt a list of 300 reformed spellings recommended by the Simplified Spelling Board. He further directed that his report to Congress for 1906 be printed and distributed in the reformed system. Had this order stuck, most federal documents would have been issued in a slightly reformed style starting in 1907. Many of the proposed spellings were obscure scientific terms, and the changes the Simplified Spelling Board recommended did not reflect any general system of reformed spelling. Nonetheless, had the president's order been carried out, a precedent for reform would have been set.
What happened, though, was that Congress went ballistic. A big part of the problem was just that Roosevelt had tried to implement the reform by executive fiat. He had not even tried to get Congressional support for the measure. Although Roosevelt had been successful in Congress during his first term, his success was based on his ability to scare the Right with what the Left supposedly wanted to do, and vice versa. Opposition to spelling reform was one thing they could all actually agree on. Another factor, of course, was that nowhere in the Constitution is there any grant of power to the president to oversee orthography. For that matter, neither is any such power granted to the federal government as a whole.
The upshot was that Congress passed a joint resolution expressing its disapproval of the executive action. The Supreme Court refused on its own authority to use the reformed spellings. Perhaps more surprisingly, in view of Roosevelt's popularity and of the fact that spelling reform was not an unfamiliar idea in those days, the major national newspapers were uniformly derisive. The New York Times, for instance, said that it would treat any reformed spellings issuing from the federal government as misspellings and correct them. Finally, Roosevelt just rescinded the directive. Ironically, many of the recommended changes were already current and most became preferred spellings over time..
As was shown by the fuss that arose in Germany in the 1990s when the government tried to implement a quite minor spelling reform, this can be what happens when a democracy tries to reform orthography.
Copyright © 1997 by John J. Reilly
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