The Weekly comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1853-1855, 1854-07-23
The Klnes EnenisH Some time


fishers Of Boston, letter of DR.. Dow
Ter. ii reference to tile Merriam" ut
tack on the character of Dir. Worces
ter and his dictionaries. The letter il
eloquently bold, and contains many
facts, that stand as yet uhrefuted, and
rs We like to approach anything that
contains glimmer Of truth, at the
hazard Of loosing our wings" in the
light, we shall make DR., Dowler's
letter the subject Of a "ieadet."
It is well known to our rea,lers thai
we do not fear the English, yet we
pity the pure parent branch of the
mother tongue" that SO many awk-
ward excfescences, have grown upon
the classic philology, Of that nation. =
Uncle Bulls Foster brotler-''Johna
than is responsible for this; for whilst
the English at home, remains near
" the same noble language Of the Pc
cts and Philosophers of the golden
ern, here We have language branch
ing out and expanding with such a
luxuriante "of vetdeney" that the pi.
Gus fears Of Dr. Dillworth might be
renewed for ii certainly has ten
deney like every thing else in the
land ofliberty" to 60 to seed,
With DIR. Bowler, we believe that
no one has made greater Innovations
unwafranted than Mr.. Noah Webster.
His revised" dictionaries have fol-
lowed one another III rapid success
sion, for the same reason shat all of
the last words of the late Mr.. Baxter,
we're not published to the world in one
edition. This is radically wrong. We
have no objection to new edition now
and then to let In the last "Yankee-
isms," but for the mere sake of put
ting in an B in chemistry or discon-
Meeting IT, in centre, metre and theo-
ire, SO as to make the vast difference
ID the orthography Of such words, BY
wrtjng them tire, we do think that II
is unwarranted--even to suppose as a
aoceur that il docs throw a few thou
sand into the hands of Mr.. Merriam"
and other publishers.
What Ia the fact-Wo bster has been
Webster for the last twenty
years. to our certain knowledge, and
his friends have said to differ with
him is an eighth mortal sin, and the
to the seven regular ones, In
not only the damnatory charge
Of a want Of scholarship, bit also that
ola total want Of common honesty.
DR.. Dowlcr says of Webster y
In regard to pronunciation, Webs.
tor has done little else than TO 80 al
ter, pervert, and spoil the polite ays-
ten Of Walker, as to FIJI his spelling
books aud MISUNDERSTANDING The
Merriam quarto--with vulgarities,
which il children unfortunately learn,
they must afterwards unlearn; as for
instance, in the words containing what
very well designates a. the
fourth or short sound Of d, and which
Worcester more correctly designates1
rs fifth, or intermediate sound Of n !.
viz such word. as ask, ass, cast. class,
dance, last, nasty constituting a.
large class. Now every child who
plcds our Webster's spelling-book, or
over the Merriam Ito; and pro.
nounees according to the key to the
vowel sounds inserted for his instruc.
ton. will necessarily pronounce these
words as If written, ausk, aus, caust,
ciauss, aaance, lanst, naustp. A.
young lady who cannot dance would
say: II caant dannce ~: The whole
at the risk of being laughed at The
truth is, Websterism has been during
its whole career, so far as photography
and orthoepy are concerned, very
error ofthe moon'--a stumbling-block
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