New-York tribune., 1842-02-02
o.vWrs,1zn.-I, is sad TO see tina. yete-

K"
r., in letter the venerable Dr. Webster, compelled,
on the win,rv verge OF the autumn of life TO turn
literary constable, and endeavcr, almost single
handed, to drive the mutitudiuous herd Of pouch
e.s from his ancient and rghful province in -ra-
turc And it is sad too. that he who Is truly and
greatly benefac,or his race, must leave It ter
posterv to adj just hi, reputation to his character.
and award to his name, when he no longer remains
10 eniov it, that honor which is due to his merit,
and which covetously y withheld from him while
living OF the millions who have been indebted TO
Noah Webster for the best means of rudimental
education in the English language, ever cnlovcd by
human beings, scarcely thousand, perhaps. have
mad anv NOR. consciousness CT that indebtedness,
than ,hey have of their Indebtedness God for the
air ,hev breathe; and -carccl: ten, IT, indeed. five
have dulv appreciated the merits of their benc!ac-
tor In truth, few are competent form just es-
innate Of the value of such abors as DR.. Webs;ers;
for few have any conception oil what these iabor-
have been and what has been their effect in this
Coun,1v, and evcn in the Mother Country. But
the truth IS tha. man has done better service for
| the English Language than Noah Webster.
Dr. johnson was in his dav, a literary mammoth,
and perhaps had richer fancy and more varied ac-
complishmen,s literary man, than Dr. Webster,
but as phologist and photographer, he was less
Webster stands alone. There is nothing TO COM
pare with him. Richardson has done for Horne
Tooke what Dunlap has for West filled mp the out
lines of the MASTER and for the literary antiGuary
Richardson's Dictionary is very valuable work,
but as an English Dictionary; for the every day use
of those who are not indebted TO letters. il is OF
little value and will soon be found only on the
shelves Of the curious and critical IN literature,
while Dr. Wcbster's Dictionary will continue 10 be-
come more and more the standard work, not only
throughout this Country. but wherever the English
Language is spoken.
But Dr. Webster has probably done less for the
English language in country by his dictionary
than bv his spelling-book. Bnt for the al-prcvail-
ing presence Of this book throughout our wide cx-
tended country, nothing could have saved Us from
as great diversity of dialects there is in Eng
land We have some few phrases peculiar TO dit
fcrent sections of our country vet az general tact
the whole land has but one tongue, one dialect
And this is principally owing to the fact that near
" every one who has learned to read, has acquired
his rudiments from Webster's spclling-book, or
some other spclling-book complied from Wcbster's,
and only so far excellent it was compilation
from his. For it u truth not to be denied nor
concealed, that, of the numerous books OF this KIND,
which, during the last quarter OF a century, have
been introduced into our schools as Improvements
on Wcbstcr'S, if all that they owe to the labors OF
Webster were taken from them, scarcely one of
them would haze merit enough left 10 render II
worthy of being preserved from the flames. Be
sides, it is probably true that DR.. Webster is the
only man in country who ever made a spelling
book riM the paramount purpose Of 6.netfttng
the language and the people Most, if not all
Others, who make books of this kind, make them,
not from an honest and intelligent conviction that
the public good demands then, butbccauSctley hope
to make them the means of pccuniurv cmolumcut.
Actuatcd by spirit of this kind n,ultitlldcs of lite
rulv loafcrs and bookmakers' hacks have been en-
plovcd lls manufacturing school books, very
greatly to the injury of the cause Of education. j
do not to imply that DR.. Webster has labor
cd for fifty years without any regard toa pccunia-
ry rccempelisc but | mean to say thai the para
mount motive which has led him through half
cantury Of severe literary toll, has been of Il far
higher, and noblcr. and more philantlmopic cLarc-
ter. And he may res, assured that though poach-
crs and pirates may intcst the borders of his en-
pire and enrich themselves with the spoils which
he can spare without impovcrishmcNt, Yet it will
be long ere the sccptrc of his dominion will part
from him. Hampshire Gazette
TRACING PEprGREE-A Shah Of Persia had