be sometimes seen as freely sprinkled with italicized French words as
a passage of Cicero is often interlarded with Greek. The mere printing
of such words in italics is an active force towards degeneration. The
Society hopes to discredit this tendency, and it will endeavour to
restore to English its old reactive energy; when a choice is possible
we should wish to give an English pronunciation and spelling to useful
foreign words, and we would attempt to restore to a good many words
the old English forms which they once had, but which are now
supplanted by the original foreign forms.

Other foreign denizens which are claiming naturalization we would
encourage on the principle of preferring their more English forms. It
would plainly be useful for writers to be acquainted with such
matters; and a list of all such words with their English history would
be a good example of the sort of academic service which this Society
might render.

II. The large and necessary importation of foreign words into the
English language has undoubtedly weakened its ancient word-making
powers; and while all fantastic and awkward inventions and
ill-sounding compounds should be avoided, it seems desirable to give
at least a fair chance to words formed out of English material. Such
new English words, especially new English compounds, need, it would
seem, to be used for some little time before we can overcome our
dislike of them, while terms of Greek and Latin origin, however
cumbrous and unsuitable they may be, are accepted almost without
question. We would discourage such unimaginative and artificial
formations, and on principle prefer terms made of English material,
which are easily understood and naturally spoken by English-speaking
people.