rTo TWA EDITOR 07 TED "SPECTATOR."] St,—No philological discussion is
complete without Mr. Muyhew, but for once his criticism of my protest against the spelling " analyze " is, I would submit, a little beside the mark. He quotes the 'New English Dictionary," which I, too, worship, though not blindly. Now that authority gives the spelling with "a" before that with "z," while admitting that the latter is historically defensible. Etymologically it is indefensible, for it disguises the etymology of the word in a quite unnecessary way, as though one were to write " physical " or "phthizical." I ant sorry if I seem to have been disrespectful of analogy. But there is something to be said for the view that the simplification of the language by the assimilation of etymologically different words has involved the loss of a good deal of character. If you make lessons too easy they aro apt to lose their force. The economy of brain- work effected by the simplification of spelling is very largely delusive. To show that I do not despise analogy, I will point out that in the days when some of those simplifications which Mr. Mayhew applauds crept into our language, it was customary to eat with one's fingers and throw bones under the table, not to mention other nasty but simple habits. Now that we understand a little about the origin of words it seems a pity to continue Edwardian methods—or lack of mothod.—s
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