[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.") SIR, — As far as my
experience goes, it tends to show that spelling depends mainly upon the strength of the imagination. A man who remembers things not by rote, but by calling up pictures of them in his mind, will, as a rule, spell accurately ; for, by constant practice, he will be able to see with his mind as clearly as with his eyes the letters which form a word, and their right order. One proof of this is the habit we have of writing down a word which we are not quite sure of, "to see how it looks." In other words, we have not got a clear picture of the word in our minds to refer to, and therefore write it down in different ways to see which looks most natural. Even then, as you say in your article, it is not certain we shall choose the right form ; but that is due to our not having observed the word carefully on the occasions when we have seen it. If, as I think, correct spelling depends on quickness of observation plus the power of forming pictures in the mind, it is a good test of the presence in a man of qualities which all will admit are desirable, if not necessary, in an officer in the Army.—I am, Sir, &c., F. E. B.
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