The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-08-03
Dictionary ln Boston
(FrOm the Boston JouruaI.)

in Yale College. To which are now ad
ded Pictorial Illustrations Table OF Syn
onyms Peculiar Use OF Words and Terms
in the Bible ; Appendix of New Words
Pronouucing Table OF Names of Distin.
guished Persons Authorizations Latin
French, Italian and Spanish Phrases, etc,
Springfield G. & e. Merriam, 1859.
The publications of Noah Webster have
been more successful than those of any
American author. His name has probably
appeared on the title page of larger mum.
Der Of books than that of any writer, ancient
or modern. Over forty million copies of his
Elementary Spelling Book alone have been
sold and it is still published at the rate oil
1850 900 copies o year. The paltry premi-
um of half cent on each copy supported his
family during the long years he was at work
upon his great dictionary. He died before
the pecuniary value of his labors was real
lied. Ifnew copyrights of his publications.
having the usual term of years to run, could
now be taken out, they would be worth hall
a million of dollars. His Unabridged Die
lionary, revised and enlarged by his son.in'
law, Prof. Goodrich, has been the most sue.
cessful publication that has ever been issued
in this country, and its success has been
richly deserved. AS monument OF hercu-
lean labor, original research, and profound
scholarship, it has stood alone among other
works Of English lexicography like the ma.
jestic oak amid the shrubbery of the thicket.
1t has been republished in England, and has
the same reputation there and on the conti-
nent as in this country. 1t has been the
substratum of all subsequent English die
tionaries and in the case Of the great In
peral Dictionary. edited by DR.. Ogilvie, it
is announced on the title page that the work
is based on Webster.
Whether Webster is to maintain its pres
ent relative position with reference to other
similar publications, remains to be seen.-
The glory of the past at least is secure
Fortunate indeed will be this generation of
scholars, if we ure to have an independent
work that can maintain the claim of superb
ority' or even of equality. In that event,
even, the glory OF the great American lex.
cographer would remain, for no one can pre-
sumo to success in this department, without
using the materials of Noah Webster's re-
search and scholarship. Science could not
have boasled of Keppler and Tycho Brahe,
II they had not stood upon the broad shoul.
ders of Calico. Laplace and Leverrier
could not have demonstrated their sublime
propositions, if they had not used the abors
of Newton and Copernicus. We shall most
cordially welcome any new work, and shall
candidIy examine it, and acknowledge what
ever OF merit it may possess but from long
and constant use of Webster's Unabridged
we cannot speak OF it in less complimentary
terms than we have. Other dictionaries.
general and special, we have always ot hand;
but we never feel strong on an sbsruse sub
Ject OF inquiry, until We have examined our
well-worn copy of the Unabrdy yed. So ex
huustlve und satisfactory we have uniformly
1ouhd II TO be, that enlargement and improve
ment seems hardly desirable.
new edition, however, appears upon our
taOle, emOeIIshed with i,ustrat ,ns, and
containing much new matter, CONSISTING Of
i. Fifteen hundred very fneiv executed
pictorial illustrations Of objects in architect.
ufe' heraltry, mechanics, natural history,
mythology, archaeology, costume, ETC., pre-.
pHred expressly Ior the work, and engraved
oy J1hn Andrews of this city. In The edi-
uoh before us the Illustrations are placed
'ose'her, as IN the encyclopedias, and are
erfahg'd alph beticalIy in closses by sub
Jec's' reference being mHde from the illus.
trat'oh 70 the text, and 10 the text to the il.
lustration.
q Table Of Synonyms by Prof Goodrich
This table we have examined with much
care' and believe it to b. the most valuable
complatio1 on this subject ever published
There ure, in strict sense, but few svno.
nym' 10 our language what are usually
c'os7eo as such are only so in very general
sense hence the use Of the so.calied syno.
hyms without reference to the exact specific
meaning OF each, is very common but q
very lnelegant misuse of language. Good
writing and good conversation are character.
lied as anything by a selection ofwords with
reference to their nice shades of meaning II
We have had Crabbe, Roget, and other
compilations OF synonyms, which show gen. !
eral resemblances. Whit wus needed, and
what we have before US, is information as to
the exact shade of differences, like the fol.
lowing -
AMPLE, CoPIoUs, ABUNrANT, PLENTEoUs.
These words agree in representing thing
as large, but under different relations accord
ing to the image which is used. Annie I'm.
plies largeness producing sufficiency or
stores or resources, ample provision. Copi.
Gus carries with it the idea of ,fow or of col.
lection at single point, as copious foun.
tain, copious supply OF materials, ''copious
matter for song" "-MILroN. Abundant and
PLenteous refer to largeness of quantity as
abundant stores, plenteouS harvests.
3. Peculiar use of words and terms in the
Bible.
4. Appendix of 10000 new words. These
words we may bless our stars, have not all !
been invented within the past twelve years.
Many OF them are scientific and technical
words, that have now been incorporated in |
a general voca cabulnry for the first time. 1t !!
Is fearful to see how the English vocabulary
Is increasing, and the ambition of lexicog-
raphers should not be so much to increase
II, but to keep it within the smallest possi-
Die limits. We see tendency in the editor
OF the volume before US to insert to need |
less extent compound words, and occasion.
ally words of doubtful reputation, that had
better be kept outside while longer on nro.
baton. If enlargement goes on as i, has of
late years, the smallest vocabulary will soon
be matter of boast.
D. Pronouncing table of names of 5000
distinguished persons. This table not only
gives the correct pronunciation OF the names
OF eminent persons living and dead, but gives
also their nationality, and the departmen nts
OF literature or science in which they distin.
guished themselves.
6. Abbreviations and arbitrary signs.
Y. Latin, French, Italian and Spanish
quotations, phrases, notices, &C., that are