To continue these notes: he finds the use of _w_ for _v_ prevalent in Boston and Philadelphia, as _weal_ for _veal_, but unknown in Hartford. "Vast numbers of people in Boston and the neighborhood use _w_ for _v_; yet I never once heard this pronunciation in Connecticut." He regards this use as the survival of old custom, but since the nation in general had made a distinction, every person should resign his peculiarities for the sake of uniformity. "The words _either_, _neither_, _deceit_, _conceit_, _receipt_, are generally pronounced by the Eastern people _ither_, _nither_, _desate_, _consate_, _resate_. These are errors; all the standard authors agree to give _ei_ in these words the sound of _ee_. This is the practice in England, in the Middle and Southern States, and, what is higher authority, analogy warrants the practice." He hesitates between _oblige_ and _obleege_, the weight of authority being equally divided, but analogy persuades him to the former. Analogy also requires Európean, though modern fashionable speakers have been introducing the innovation of Européan. "In the Middle and Southern States _fierce_, _pierce_, _tierce_, are pronounced _feerce_, _peerce_, _teerce_. To convince the people of the impropriety of this pronunciation, it might be sufficient to inform them that it is not fashionable on the English theatre.... The standard English pronunciation now is _ferce_, _perce_, _terce_, and it is universal in New England." He arraigns the fashionable world for pronouncing _heard_ as herd, instead of by its true sound of _heard_, in analogy with _feared_. "_Beard_ is sometimes, but erroneously, pronounced _beerd_. General practice, both in England and America, requires that _e_ should be pronounced as in _were_, and I know of no rule opposed to the practice." He objects to the innovation of _woond_ for _wound_, and enters upon a long discussion of the pronunciation of _nature_, finally falling back upon his countrymen's _natur_. Webster inculcated his views on orthography and pronunciation upon all occasions. He wrote, he lectured, he pressed home his doctrines upon persons and assemblies. He was one of the first to perceive the importance of getting his principles adopted in printing-houses. Long after the time of which I am writing he continued to act as a missionary in philology. The present printer of "Webster's Dictionary" remembers that when he was a boy of thirteen, working at the case in Burlington, Vermont, a little pale-faced man came into the office and handed him a printed slip, saying, "My lad, when you use these words, please oblige me by spelling them as here: _theater_, _center_," etc. It was Noah Webster traveling about among the printing-offices, and persuading people to spell as he did: a better illustration could not be found of the reformer's sagacity, and his patient method of effecting his purpose.