The Project Gutenberg EBook of Society for Pure English Tract 1 (Oct 1919)
by Society for Pure English

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Society for Pure English Tract 1 (Oct 1919)

Author: Society for Pure English

Release Date: May 15, 2004 [EBook #12358]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOCIETY FOR PURE ENGLISH ***

Produced by David Starner, Project Manager; Keith M. Eckrich,
Post-Proofer; the Online Distributed Proofreaders Team

_SOCIETY for PURE ENGLISH_ (_S.P.E_).

_TRACT No. I_

Preliminary Announcement

&

List of Members

Oct. 1919

_At the Clarendon Press_

MDCCCCXIX

SOCIETY for PURE ENGLISH (S.P.E.)

The Society was founded in 1913, and was preparing to enter on its
activities, when the declaration of war in Aug. 1914 determined the
Committee to suspend proceedings until the national distraction should
have abated. They met again after the Armistice in 1918 and agreed to
announce their first issues for October 1919. Although present
conditions are not as favourable as could be wished, it would seem
that the public are disposed to attend to literary matters, and that
the war has even quickened the interest and increased the number of
those to whom the special objects of the Society will be most
intelligible and attractive.

A false start is a misfortune, and recovery from its confusion must
have an awkward appearance, for which it is needless to make further
apology or explanation.

1. THE TITLE OF THE SOCIETY.

In calling itself the Society for Pure English it was not overlooked
that the word Pure might carry a wrong suggestion. It should be
explained that it does not denote, as it is sometimes used to denote,
the idea that words of foreign origin are _impurities_ in English; it
rather assumes that they are not; and the Committee, whether wisely or
unwisely, thought a short title of general import was preferable to a
definition which would misrepresent their purpose by its necessary
limitations.

2. FINANCIAL.

The founders were originally confident that they could carry on their
work without asking for any subscription from the members; and
although the conditio