Spelling reform

Despite having just written to Harry Johnston, President Roosevelt finds his letter interesting and writes again. He is delighted Johnston is visiting America in the fall and invites him to stay at the White House. Like Johnston, Roosevelt “loathe[s] mere sentimentalism…but I abhor scoundrelism, iniquity, injustice in all its forms, even more.” Concerning African Americans, Roosevelt wants the truth and “how to expound and apply” it “in the interests of practical statesmanship.” Roosevelt is amused that Johnston similarly prefers simplified spelling.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-18

President Roosevelt tells Representative Gillett that the speech he made following the resolution regarding simplified spelling accurately represented the president’s views.  

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-17

President Roosevelt sits dazed in a boxing ring with stars coming out of his head, “Through, not thru,” “Woe, not wo,” “Gauge, not gage,” “Though, not tho,” “Axe, not ax,” “Rhyme, not rime,” and “Kissed, not kist.” A strong man depicted with a dictionary head looks on as a monkey counts, “1-2-3-4-5.” In the seats sit two men, “R.R. Trusts” and “Meat Trusts.” The latter says, “And I thought he was invincible.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

This cartoon for the Detroit News, where cartoonist Fred Leipziger drew for his entire career, combines subjects — President Roosevelt losing a battle with the Public Printer and the House of Representatives over the adoption of Simplified Spelling words in government publications; and his battles against trusts.

President Roosevelt holds a gun labeled “Simplified” and cartridges on his belt labeled “The New Way”: “Tho,” “Tapt,” “Thru,” “Topt,” “Blest,” and “Fixt.” Opposite is a man labeled “Congress” with a belt labeled “The Old Way” and cartridges labeled “Though,” “Tapped,” “Through,” “Topped,” and “Blessed.” The two are firing words at the feet of the “Public Printer” – “Dropt,” “Ript,” “Mixt,” “Mixed,” and “Ripped” – who jumps into the air to avoid getting shot. A diminutive Andrew Carnegie stands in the foreground.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Cartoonist “Scar” (Alonzo W. Scarborough) of the newly energized New York Globe drew memorable cartoons about Theodore Roosevelt in his second term. As with many cartoonists, the Republican Scar milked the Simplified Spelling matter for all it was worth. In fact it was not worth much, except as a curious distraction in a very contentious political year.

Andrew Carnegie, dressed in a Scottish kilt with a hat labeled “Andru” with the “u” crossed out and replaced with “ew,” looks at a man fallen on the ground labeled “Simplified Spelling Order” kicked down by the U.S. Capitol building. A teddy bear runs off into the distance.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Among the playthings of Andrew Carnegie, having sold his steel businesses and reputedly the richest man in the world, was a faddist obsession with changing — “simplifying” — the spelling of words in the English language. Apparent anomalies in English are to due its origins in diverse language groups, yet rules that seemed challenging, flummoxed people like Carnegie, Mark Twain, and Theodore Roosevelt.

President Roosevelt and Andrew Carnegie bring flowers to a grave that reads, “Sakrud to the Memory of Simpul Speler Born Nu Yawk March 06 Died in Washington December 1906.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

This cartoon mocking the effective demise of the Simplified Spelling movement — at least as far as United States government policy, having been explicitly and unanimously rejected by the House of Representatives, was concerned — was drawn by the New York Globe‘s Alonzo W. Scarborough, who ironically simplified the spelling of his own name, professionally, to “Scar.”

Andrew Carnegie comforts President Roosevelt who is looking toward the U. S. Capitol building and a man labeled, “Reformed Spelling.” Caption: Mr. Carnegie–“He seems to have been among some bad company, Theodore.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

At the time of this drawing’s publication, the United States Congress formally resisted President Roosevelt’s executive orders that government bodies, including the Government Printing Office, adopt Simplified Spelling in all documents and publications.

President Roosevelt looks into a schoolroom that has the words, “Thro,” “Thru,” and “Thrun” with misspellings and a picture of a boy drawn on the wall. Uncle Sam and a woman clad in the stars of the Stars and Stripes lean against the door to keep Roosevelt out. There is a book opened to the words “Simplified Spelling” at their feet.

comments and context

Comments and Context

This cartoon is from the high-point of the Simplified Spelling crusade of President Roosevelt. He joined the reform movement headed by Andrew Carnegie and others to adopt largely phonetic forms of English words. Despite an executive order to the Government Printing Office, neither the public nor the government itself (especially the Senate, whose members were witheringly dismissive) fully or permanently adopted the reforms. For a time, the Public Printer used the Simplified Spelling Board’s recommendations. For instance, the president’s message to the Congress on Panama Canal progress was typeset according to the reforms.

A boy fires a gun at the leg of another older man labeled “Teacher,” who is jumping into the air. Caption: “When the young idea is taught to shoot a la Roosevelt.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

The inspiration and point of cartoonist Hedrick’s cartoon likely is not the president’s bloodthirsty or murderous tendencies, but rather the recent Simplified Spelling controversy. Theodore Roosevelt joined the crusade, a relatively short-lived fad, to eliminate traditional Anglo-Saxon words of their apparent illogical elements. Partisans like Andrew Carnegie and Mark Twain were proponents; in Roosevelt’s case his interest might have been motivated a lifelong problem with spelling and punctuation (until he died, for instance, he invariably spelled (or spelt) the contraction “don’t” as do’n’t.” His friends and associates kidded him for advocating the fad, especially as he promulgated an executive order to government printing office — unsuccessful adopted.

Uncle Sam reads a book entitled, “The Nu Spelling by A. Karnegy.” The back matter reads, “Litl wurdz for [beginners].”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-27

President Roosevelt holds a “Roosevelt Speller revised edition” and crosses off the second “f” in “the tariff” on the chalkboard. Andrew Carnegie says, “That wasn’t on my list!” while Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon tries to pull Roosevelt back. Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw says, “The unkindest cut of all.” Pennsylvania Representative John Dalzell lies flat on the floor while a “steel trust” and Rhode Island Senator Nelson W. Aldrich cover their faces.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-01

President Roosevelt rides a horse and uses a “made in America” pencil to stab the “dictionary.” Caption: O “Ruseveldt,” sir, whatever “U.S.A.,” We grant you credit for your novel views; But now you tackle spelling, by the way, Just mind your “P’s” and “Q’s.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-27

President Roosevelt teaches an “author,” “teacher,” “editor,” and “professor” how to spell. He points at “Prezident Rozyvelt’s Reform Speling,” which replaces words like “kissed” with “kist,” “bite” with “byte,” “sea” with “c,” and “high” with “hy.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-02

Theodore Roosevelt explains to E. O. Vaile that he does not feel he should promote simplified spelling at the moment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-02

President Roosevelt tells Harry Johnston that he might see “exceedingly odd” information about Roosevelt in the papers in the next ten days. Roosevelt wants to know when Johnston can have dinner with him. He would like to discuss a lot of things with Johnston, from reformed spelling to the status of Black people to biological nomenclature to his books and several African countries he has visited.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-24

President Roosevelt appreciated the article that Thomas R. Lounsbury wrote in the Atlantic. He admits that he was doubtful about the simplified spelling of “thru.” He disagrees with the Congressional ruling that forbids simplified spelling in publications printed by the Government Printing Office, and he continues to use it in his own correspondence.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-30

President Roosevelt tells William Bayard Hale he is amused with the preface and agrees with the author that printers are “especially blameworthy in the matter of much of our spelling.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-06

President Roosevelt will look up the article Brander Matthews suggested. He has no comments on the simplified spelling business.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-24

President Roosevelt briefly follows up with Attorney General Moody on several issues, including an ice matter, acting against Standard Oil, and guidance on spelling reform.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-13

President Roosevelt found British journalist John St. Loe Strachey’s article on his spelling order good but writes to clarify that his own action was very little. Instead, he supported “a proper movement of scholarship.” Roosevelt believes most of the changes authorized will become commonplace although some will certainly be rejected.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-11