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Phonotypy And Phonography

Phonotypy And Phonography image
Parent Issue
Day
13
Month
April
Year
1846
Copyright
Public Domain
Letter to the Editor
OCR Text

Eoíton, March2o, 1846. Mr.ssns. EmTons : - As I know thnt your columns are alwnys open 10 ony account of wlint ia being done Tor the elcvation of iho masses, I havo no hcsiiotion in requesting yon to publibh this letier I nm also surcthat your readers are of siich n etamp. as to hear with delight, tliat in tlieir Inbors to facilitntc tlie progrcfs of humanity. towards tliat happy state which all good men bclievo o bc thcir destiny on earth, they wilt bc aided by onc ( the most radical and mighty reforma tliat thr race has ever witnessed. I alludc to tho Writing nd Spelling Reformation. so succcssfully cnrricd on ín this country by IVlessrs. Andrews ifc Soyle, of Boston.I must confesa that nntil vcry la'ely, 1 hmi looked upon olí atiempts to radicnlly cliouge and amcliorate otir orthography as cxtreniely visioninnary, aliliough undoubtedly vcry desiroblc; but [ was eye witness to a fact Innt Friday afiornoon, that lins catrsed me to cliange tny opinión. 'J look. upon it as the duty of evcry man professing to be n refomer, to examine at least into tlie merits of the case. I heard from friende Garrison & Thillip, who are deeply inierested in thesubject, ihut n cluss of grown upcolored mon mul woiiH n wlio Imvc rcccivcd but n few weeks instiiictions in Phonotypy, or iho new rtmthod o( pliniipd were lo be cxamined on Friday oflernoon last, by a comnmtcc o ecicmific ocrsons. I nccordinsrly went, nnd to my utter nstoniah ment, saw these men and womnn, w!jo,five weel; igo, Jul not know a singlo letter of any olihnbct fit all, read with as much facility as person generally do after two or threc years study. My eyes werc at r.nce opened to the importancc ol'he Reformando, ond whcn I tnkc into consideriiion (hat the Biiiiihtiidc whicli Plionotypy benrs w our prefent mctliod, is so grcat, that I or any other rnnn con rerid t nftor fifteen minuicp study. and wiih ns imicli fluency as ordinnry print, j ec nu Misurniountnble or cvcn grent obstacle lo (8 pftedy nnd iermnnent odopiion. TIicCjidnillee will m n lew dnys publish n report, acopy f wlúch I will eend you. Tlie new sysíem of Tl'riting (Fhonograpliy) ombineo witli extrnme lcgiliiüiy nnother groat dvnntnfjn, wliich is, tbnt it din be wrinen wlth nuch more than ihe rapidity of ihe thtrttst o: kort h'ind. I snw sonie wonderful specid.ens of verbatim rcportin," after the colored clnss wat ispost-d oí. The reporta were all liternllyeet, ond the pupils wi]l not only rend their own 'ri;ing, hut after the sponher jrhorri thcy followd hnd concluded, thcy changed notes and rcad ach cters icritirtg witli as viuch facüilij as comion print. Mr. Boyle lecturcd to the colored populntion, on Tucstluy evening. I was not present, but I henr tlint a lnrge class (of perhaps onc hundred) will bo tauht by Mrs. Phitlco, formerly Miss Prudcnce Crandall. Mr. Boyle addresses them ngnir. on Friday cvening next. T will endeavor to be present nnd !et you know what ia doing for the intcllcctual udvanecment of our coiorcd brelhren in "Modern Alhena." As I om writing this, tam inforined tliat a resolution was pnsscd oti Fridtiy lnst, nfrer Mr. Boyle's lecture, iliat "wc considcrit a duty to induce every colored person of this city who cannot rcad, to study Phonolypy." Yours for universal iMclligencc.