Antedating quote about spelling (attrib Mark Twain 1895) (attrib Hiram Runnels 1855)

[Stephen Goranson]

Quoting Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>:

> Fred Shapiro in The Yale Book of Quotations‎ (YBQ) discusses a quote
> about spelling that is often attributed to Mark Twain:
>
> I have no respect for a man who can spell a word only one way.
>
> Attributed in Chicago Daily Tribune, 22 May 1932. Without attribution
> to Twain, this appears as early as 1880, in Marshall Brown, Wit and
> Humor: "A man must be a great fool who can't spell a word more than
> one way."
>
> Based on a check that included the ADS archive, WikiQuote,
> TwainQuotes, YBQ, Ralph Keyes work, and Barry Popik's website these
> cites appear to be the earliest currently known for this quote. The
> TwainQuotes site of Barbara Schmidt includes an excellent webpage on
> the theme of spelling, but none of the quotes featured really match
> the joke.
>
> http://www.twainquotes.com/Spelling.html
>
> Below we present an attribution of the joke to Mark Twain in 1895, to
> Nyrum Reynolds in December 1855, and to Hiram Runnels in November
> 1855.
>
> Citation: 1895 November, The New Education, Vol. 8, No. 6, Concerning
> Spelling by Caroline Martin, Page 94, Snap Shot Publishing, New York.
>
> Addison tells us that Will Honeycomb claimed to spell like a gentleman
> rather than like a scholar; and Mark Twain says it isn't much of a
> genius who can only spell a word in one way;
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=6PoBAAAAYAAJ&q=Twain#v=snippet&q=Twain&f=false
>
> Citation: 1855 December 8, The Latter-Day Saints Millennial Star, Vol.
> 17, No. 49, Page 784, F. D. Richards, Islington.
> (I have attempted below to preserve the spelling in the original document.)
>
> The Hon. Nyrum Reynolds, of Wyoming county, one of the American
> barristers of a former generation, was one day accused in court of bad
> penmanship and worse spelling. "Gent'l'men of the jury," said he "the
> learned counsel on the other side finds fault with my writin' and
> spellin', as though the merits of the case depended upon such matters!
> I'm agin luggin' in any sich outside affairs, but I will say that a
> man must be a great fool who can't spell a word more than one way."
> The jury sympathised with Reynolds, and rendered a decision in favour
> of his client.
>
>
> Citation: 1855 November, Harper's Magazine, Vol. 11, No. 66, Editor's
> Drawer, Page 860, Harper's Magazine Company.
> (Again I have attempted below to preserve the spelling in the original
> document.)
>
> Some years ago the Hon. Hiram Runnels, of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, had
> quite a reputation as a pettifogger. His knowledge of books was very
> small, and his main reliance was upon his own tact and shrewdness,
> which rarely failed him, and lasts to this day. On one occasion he was
> pitted against a smart, well-dressed limb of the law from the city,
> who made fun of a paper which Runnels had submitted to the court. "All
> law papers," said the learned counselor, "ought be written in the
> English language, but I submit to the court that there are no words in
> the language spelled as these in the document now before us. I insist
> that it ought to be excluded." Runnels replied: "The learned counsel
> on the other side finds fault with my spellin', as though the merits
> of the case depended on sich outside matters. I'm agin luggin' in any
> sich forin' affairs, but I will say that a man must be a great fool
> who can't spell a word more than one way."
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=C3cCAAAAIAAJ&q=%22great+fool%22#v=snippet&q=%22great%20fool%22&f=false
>
> Garson


Well done! And a self-illustrating case, spelling the speaker's name more than
one way. But, rather than Hiram Runnels, I currently prefer Nyrum Reynolds.
Here's an apparent slight antedating:

    The Carlisle Journal Friday, October 19, 1855


         Borrowed Trifles.

The Spanish Priest and the Soldier.

A Spanish priest once exhorting the soldiers to fight like lions,
added, in the
ardour of enthusiasm: "Reflect, my brethren, that whosoever falls to-day in
battle sups to-night in Paradise."  Thunders of applause followed the
sentiment.  The fight began, the ranks wavered, the priest took to his heels;
when a soldier, stopping him, reproachfully referred to the promised supper in
Paradise.  "True, my son-true, "  said the priest, "but I never eat suppers."

A sensible Patient.
Dr. ABERNETHY, the celebrated physician, was never more displeased than by
hearing a patient detail a long account of troubles.  A woman, knowing
ABERNETHY'S love of the laconic, having burned her hand, called at his
house. Showing him her hand, she said "A burn." "A poultice,"  quietly
answered the
learned doctor.  The next day she returned and said "Better."  "Continue
poultice," replied Dr. A.  In a week she made her last call, and her
speech was
lengthened to these words "Well your Fee?  "Nothing," said the gratified
physician, "you are the most sensible woman I ever saw."

Spelling Words more than one Way.
Several years ago "when the country was new," Hon.  Nyrum REYNOLDS, of Wyoming
county, enjoyed quite a reputation as a successful pettifogger.  He
wasn't very
well posted up either in "book larnin" or the learning of the law; but relied
principally upon his own native tact and shrewdness, his stock of which
has not
failed him to this day.  His great success created quite an active demand for
his services.  On one occasion he was pitted against a "smart
appearing,"  well
dressed limb of the law from a neighbouring village, who made
considerable sport
of a paper which Reynolds had submitted to the court, remarking, among other
things, that "all law papers were required to be written in the English
language, and that the one under consideration, from its bad spelling and
penmanship, ought in fairness, therefore, to be excluded."  "Gen'l men of the
jury," said REYNOLDS, when he "summed up," and every word weighed a
pound, "the
learned counsel on the other side finds fault with my ritin" and spellin", as
though the merits of the case depended upon such matters!  I'm again luggin in
any sich outside affairs, but I will say that a man must be a great fool who
can't spell a word more than one way."  The jury sympathized with Judge
REYNOLDS, and rendered a decision in favour of his client.

http://groups.google.co.nz/group/Genealogy-Cumberland/browse_thread/thread/856679fed3403361

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

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