Joyce Brite asks:

> Concerning the spelling of sulfur/sulphur, if sulfur is the American
> spelling and sulphur is the British spelling, then why is the name of
> the small town in Arkansas spelled Sulphur Springs?  Perhaps the
> original settlers of the community were British?  ;-)

Isn't this one of those reforms suggested by John Dewey (1859-1952),
the Chicago-based lexicographer and philosopher, wherein sensible
changes like "ax", "plow" and "sulfur" were jumbled up with counter-
productive ones like "kidnaping" for "kidnapping" (thus ranking it with
"raping" rather than "rapping"), and which in the end half-took in
America, leaving a lot of useful changes unfinished ?

Dan Wilson, London

 [ For several decades the Chicago Tribune changed commonly-used words
 [ like "although" to "altho", but this noble effort only incurred the
 [ resentment of the readers.  The editing practice was quietly
 [ abandoned in the 1960s.  -- Robbie