The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-11-03
American Ltternture

Mass.
Within the compass Of 1867 closely printed but
clearly legbe pap-s, the pubihers Of this greatest
of all American books h We crowded complete
body Of literature /, IL, without question, the
best Lexicon OF the Ergl,xh language ever made,
and there is every reason To suppose that il viii
hereafter constitute the chief authority for that
tongue, wherever 1t is known throughout the world.
The name of It's author is already regarded with
veneration by the sch0lars of Europe, while it is
uttered with reverence IN every district school
house on this continent TINS, too, is the only COM
plete, unabridged ID uon Of Webster, containing
his own last revisons and The superadded labors of
his able literary executors. As 1t aOw appears Ii
will stand for the fururr-ne considerable changes
will be likely to be made for centuries to come.
New scholars may make new discoveries, and fu.
ture investigatous will reward their toll in the
progressive science Of language but no accident
or change, no future studies or discoveries, will be
likely to affect the fortunes Of this book. Other
photographers, starting IN early life, with the
fruit of Webster's nous abors in their hands,
may become lllustrous IN different departments of
this ilmitatlo science but the fame of their
great leader will outve them all There
may, and there will be, perhaps. as great
statesmen In future times, serve the country,
as Jefferson, Hamilton aud their colleagues, and,
in some coming National trla, men may be found
who will fill responsible trusts faithfully as our
first President. But their fame will grow dim
when their contemporaries are dead, while the
names Of Washington and his companions will
grow brighter with the progress OF ages. 1t seems
10 be one of the laws oi Providence, that the foun-
ders OF nations shell never DIVIDE their glory with
those who come alter them. Moses and Lycur-
gus, Romulus, ana Alfred, have left none to DIS
pute their tame. Or sucn uen, HISTORY will tole-
rate no rivals. IL is nearly as well established
law Of destiny with The founders and fathers Of
learning. The name d Caddijs Inspires as much
veneratloa IN the GIetk scholar to-day as ii did
in the bosom Of Pate, and 1t will be dear to the
scholars Of all Coming line NJ future dramatic
poet will ever, even ia ms hours OF nadaess,
dream Of usurping the throne OF Shakspe-re-no
future astronomer will lay his profaning hand on
the crown OF blind CaiIleo-a second "Paradise
Lost" has never been wrlilen-the world never
will look for another 4" Illbd'-Glbbon has made
a second " Decline and Fall of the Roman En-
pire impossible Blackstone will be authority on
the bench while society holds together-ano-
ther 90 Genie du Chr,stsn,sme" viii never be
called for Edwaid, has written his Essay on the
Will Cooper is revising his " Misunderstanding
Tales" Tor the far futar- haeck mas done tor MS
"Ode to Marco BozkaTis' what Grey did TO hts
Elegy-Webster - dead, aud the last orna.
ment has been added 10 his colossal system
BY the hand of th- great builder There are
many provinces in the ilimItable Held OF EN-
pire but the miehtl-st Oi all IS In the In.
telectus world H. VINO controls the thoughts of
general sense, u be comes douby 80 In special
one. The maker OF words Is master OF the
thinker, who only uses them. Here Is the Held
of the ex,cogrsph er. In this domain he reigns
Supreme. He sands at The fountain head OF
thought, science aud civlzntoa He IL con-
troller OF all minds; 10 hun all beings who talk,
think, write or PRINT, psy ceaseless, Involuntary,
eternal tribute. In ihls sense, Webster is the
all shaping, all-contioling mud and guide oil TINS
hemisphere. But he IL 70 ia still more special
sense. lie grew ny with the nation; he was co,
eval with its early late lectual origin, and he Will
perpetuate himself with IT'S most distant progress
Not man has g'"wn ou Ut our sol who has not
drank at this parent spring There Is not man
on the genuine III on whom Webster has not laid
his all-forming hand HIS principles OF language
have shaped every VOID mat Is now, or ever will
be, uttered here or els~wbere by an American
tongue. His genius ba- pre- sided over every scene
in the nation Ii IL universal omnipresent. No man
can breathe the air at thr hemisphere and escape AZ;
and the sceptrr he ~i-lds 50 PROFESSIONALLY has
been wCrhlly won. IL was not inherited, II WAS
achieved; IL cost u struggle at more than hall a
century-the struggle Ut u strong, clear head, an
honest, brave, UDtir'bg h.arI NO propitious scci-
dents favored his pgTess; no ,cisive casualit
AWARDED the goal The victory was gained after
steady trial Of rix'y years
Look AT lew IT the IDdlces of his progress; for,
IN the sdsancemeot of nDDd, there are certain re-
liable signs. Sci~bc-, as well as machinery, inea-
sures its revolutions After the wheels OF our new
ocean steamers have made million OF revolutions,
the hand ON the dial marks one. IL was so win
Bacon, and Galhieo, ana Franklin their books
marked their progress through the unexplored
ocean Of framing II wac 20 with Webster.
America then, the only tree aud, Ia the future, the
inevitably great nation of the earth, was Just begn-
ming her career; aud Webster became her school
Ck.r. had hsep "A ore n r
full country, with a common. a universal language,
without dialects; "a uuIty ~ ldiom aud proauncla-
ton. Ia our own tlr,s, We have striking ilustra-
tons Of this The IorsshirrnIan cannst talk with
the man iIom Cornwall. The peasant ut the Llgu-
rian ApIebincs drives hIS goats home at evening,
over hills that look down on Elk PROVINCES, neither
The European Msbs. Posts, IN a days drve, takes
the traveller where ne hears score OF dialects.
This Is the only country IA ehstt nee wh'cn mas
but one language. Three thousand miles change
not the pronunciation Ut word, nor the ortsogra-
phy oi letter. Thee thiuy republics are without
a dialect or On idlom. Everywhere, IRON the
forests 81 Maine to the glowing ssvannahs OF tue
Great Gv, snd, tar to The Pacihc coast, there are
an hundred races, but there - only one language.
Around even tr. side, ~ every desk, aud IRON
every tribune, IN every field OF labor, and every
factory OF toll l. heard The ZANE tongue. 10 WEB
ster, more than To- any, or all other causes, this
nation owes its unity al language lie has been
to us greater ihau Alfred war to England He has
done FOR America what Cadmus did tor Greece.
In I7s.,, Mr.. Weber published his hrst pe Of
a grammatical institute of the English language,
10 other wurds, bis " English spelling Book
more than twenty-five mutton copies OF this work
have been used In this country. During tue ioog
period be was maturing the dictionary, hts entre
revenue was derived tom the profits OF tue Spell
Ing Book, at premium for Copyright OF less tr an
cent a cepy. II ha- bteD the guide Of every
American more than a million Of copies were
sold last year. ,. 81,
Ills htrcuean Iabors had begun-This LITTLE
book, which IL Manufactured tor three cents, and
- f...... fxss ys and half
bow ended with the work now reviewing
which glitters through the plate glass doors of th'
Library at the Queen vt Ens laud, ana which lie'
open on the table IT ialiauI, the patriarch ot hue
tory and the chittts,n ~ Briiish literature. w,
know Of no other u'an now hvisg, or VINO flourish
ed IN the last age, with whom he eau be compared
He was far more learned lexIcogrspher thai
Johnson, and his Dictionary has Superseded IN
l.rre .eIil.d on eIefnn