Spelling reform

Art Koch reveals the subject and context of the third “TR-era image” which is a political cartoon showing Theodore Roosevelt shooting holes in a dictionary with two revolvers. Koch reveals that this cartoon from September 1906 pokes fun at Roosevelt’s directive to the Government Printing Office to use a simplified form of spelling in government documents, and he lists some notable Americans who supported Roosevelt’s reforms. The fourth image in the series shows a typical street scene of storefronts, horse drawn wagons, and telephone poles. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1906

President Roosevelt tries to place as many of his fingers on the switchboard: “arbitration,” “spelling,” “nature fakirs,” “national resources,” “railroads,” “GOP,” “foreign relations,” “Navy,” “Army,” “Taft,” and “business.” His left foot is has just hit the “our colonies” bell and his right foot is on the “legislation” lever. Roosevelt says, “I said no!” A handwritten addition reads, “Keep up the good work! You are doing all right.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

Many cartoonists drew many cartoons during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and lifetime about his “strenuous life” — but, they drew more about his catholicity of interests, his fervid activities, his range and mastery of different subjects, his remarkable memory, grasp of issues, and foresight in determining how to act. All manner of observers marveled at Roosevelt’s mature hyperactivity, whether in intellectual pursuits, politics, or leisure; and cartoonists always had a ready-made topic awaiting them on slow days in the newsroom.

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

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.

The “reform” movement was one that had evanescent currency in the United States — like a fad diet — but was supported by the wealthy Andrew Carnegie, and therefore lingered as a cause longer than it might otherwise have.

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

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.

Even friends and cabinet officials like Roosevelt’s longtime friend, Secretary of State Elihu Root, poked fun at Roosevelts with notes and memos written in silly phonetics. The main problem in the movement’s attack on the illogic of many words’ spelling was the actual logic of English’s several sources — Germanic and Latin roots — and their roles in word formation.

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

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.

The fact that the president was well-known as a hunter, and that the victim in the cartoon is not a random gentleman but labelled “teacher,” suggests the spelling theme, much in the news in 1906.

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

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 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

Postcard with image of President Roosevelt and another man sitting under a tree, reading from the “Phonetic Spelling Book.” Roosevelt holds a big stick and the caption reads, “Teddy’s going to teach me the new way to spell at Lansing, Mich. May 31 Roosevelt Day.” F. E. A. writes that everyone is expecting a “big time” on May 31.

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907-04-24

Postcard poking fun at President Roosevelt’s enthusiasm for simplified spelling. Cartoon image of Roosevelt meeting with “Fatigued Ferdinand” on a hiking trail. A humorous conversation between the two takes place in simplified spelling with Ferdinand asking Roosevelt for a job. “Helena” is written in pencil on the reverse of the postcard. It is unclear whether this refers to a name or part of an address.

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1906-1907

Brown postcard featuring a caricature of Theodore Roosevelt declaring, “spel az yu pleez.” The message accompanying Roosevelt’s image is deliberately misspelled, referencing Theodore Roosevelt’s support for the spelling modifications proposed by the Simplified Spelling Board.

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907-03-09

Unused black and white postcard titled “Phonetic Spelling” featuring a long list of spelling modifications proposed by the Simplified Spelling Board. In the upper left corner is a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt who endorsed the proposal.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1906

Brown postcard featuring a caricature of Theodore Roosevelt declaring, “spel az yu pleez.” The message accompanying Roosevelt’s image is deliberately misspelled, referencing Theodore Roosevelt’s support for the spelling modifications proposed by the Simplified Spelling Board.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1906-12-07

Booklet promoting simplified spelling, with introduction by Theodore Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

Creation Date

1906

President Roosevelt agrees that spelling reform is needed. He does not believe in violent revolution, but in growing the right direction. He hopes to enact both inheritance and income tax.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1906-08-28