28 FEBRUARY 1914, Page 29

On the Belations between Spoken and Written Language. By Henry

Bradley. (Published for the British Academy by Humphrey Milford. Is. net.)—In this suggestive and interesting paper, which was read before the International Historical Association last April, Dr. Bradley defends the existing way of writing English against the advocates of phonetic spelling. He shows that the written language has developed more or less independently of the spoken language, and makes out aetrong case for the existing spelling—"English infer more unsuited than other European tongues to be written phonetically." The one reform which is imperatively needed now is to ensure that no two words which are differently pro- nounced shall be spelt alike.—Notes on the Organization of the Mason's Craft in England. By W. Cunningham. (Same publisher. in. net.)—Archdeacon Cunningham shows how the gilds of masons in the fifteenth century developed into the institution of Freemasonry. Grand Lodge first took shape in 1717. The original "freo mason" seems to have been a freestone mason.