Benjamin Eli Smith and the Simplified Spelling Board

The Simple Speller booklet

At the turn of the 19th century the citizens of New Rochelle were graced by the presence of a scholar who deserves to be remembered and appreciated. The man was Dr. Benjamin Elli Smith (1857 - 1913), the Managing Editor of The Century Dictionary, said to be the American rival of the prestigious Oxford English Dictionary. Dr. Smith lived in New Rochelle from the 1890s until his death in 1913, and he was a lively and productive member of the Board of Education, a personal friend of Superintendent Albert Leonard. Dr. Smith was the motivating force behind the creation of the Rochelle Park Association, an early civic and property improvement association of one of the city's prominent and handsome suburban neighborhoods. Our Archives holds a fascinating collection of his personal papers.

Letter to Dr. Smith from Andrew Carnegie

Dr. Smith also had a role in the promotion of spelling reform through the work of the Simplified Spelling Board. A brainchild of the industrialist Andrew Carnegie, the Board was organized to promote the gradual simplification of English spelling. Established in March 1906, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle devoted a full page to the announcement of the Board's formation with the headline: "The American Spelling Reform Financed by Andrew Carnegie." As Dr. Smith explained, during a dinner meeting with a "spelling reformer," Carnegie put out a challenge that "if you will secure thirty gentlemen of prominence who will agree to put into practice the changes you suggest I will finance the movement." Dr. Smith and friends secured 700 names and Carnegie's challenge was met. 

Foreseeing that English would become a global language, Carnegie believe a phonetic alphabet would guarantee its world acceptance. For his Board, he asked for "gentlemen of prominence," and he got them. They included a Supreme Court Justice (David J. Brewer), the Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary (James A.H. Murray), the creator of the Dewey Decimal System (Melvil Dewey), the preeminent American author (Mark Twain), the President of the U.S. (Theodore Roosevelt). It had long been noted that English spelling is beset with many inconsistencies; the most famous may be the construction "ough," pronounced variously in the words tough, through, and although. Rationalizing these inconsistencies formed the work of the Board, but progress was exceedinly slow. Yet even Justice Brewer vowed to use phonetic spelling in his opinions issued by the Supreme Court, and the New York World spoofed him with the headline: "Justis Brewer Telz How He Uzez Nu Speling in Hiz Opinyunz."

Board of Education Resolution on death of Dr. Smith

Even with the success of The Century Dictionary, Dr. Smith was reluctant to use it as a tool for spelling reform, claiming that a dictionary "is a record of accepted public usage rather than an arbitrary maker of words and spelling." However, his administration of the Simplified Spelling Board proceeded for several years, and he remained a friend of Andrew Carnegie. With Carnegie's death, the Board dissolved, and Dr. Smith's greater impact remained the legacy of his devoation fo the City of New Rochelle as a member of its Board of Education and the Rochelle Park Association. 

May 7, 2020 / David Rose / New Rochelle Public Library Archives