MR. ROOSEVELT'S ORTHOGRAPHY.
[To THE EDITOR OD THE "SPECTATOR,"] SrR,—There is one aspect of the published "spelling reform" emanating from the White House which is somewhat over- looked, and that is the impoverishment of the language. Even in a short extract from the list of three hundred spellings. issued by the Simplified Spelling Board I find three instances. "Barque" is in future to be spelled "bark,"—" a bark of bark" is in future to be the written description of the rude vessel fashioned by the primitive dwellers in South Sea Islands " Rhyme " is to be spelled " rime,"—a shivering poet will have to write to his impatient publisher : "It is bard to rime when rime is on the trees." " Cheque " is to be spelled "check,"—. " What checks have you on the checks issued from the office P" is to be the written inquiry from a merchant to hir manager ; and so on. Surely there is here a notable abstraction from the wealth of words which constitutes a perfection in a
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