New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-08
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THE TYPOGRAPHICAL HOBGOBLIN-A
REPLY,
Te ti< ESi:O- Of 7As n. y. Tribsa<-


IN 81 article entitled The Photographed Hobsob-
lin,' for few have Investigated the subject are
aware bow small basis these oft repeated caa'ses
against websters Dictionary have 70 res; upon and
n how few words their photography differs from
Worcester. E. Still less do they knO the tue
nature of these differences. II Webster is not the
standard Of orthogrsphy there ia standard 10
America by this test there is none, then, for 10
ppbI.her mas ever followed Webstsrs orthogrsphy,
except biz own and this has been essentially altered
" every subse auept edition d Dictionaries from $50,
20 the publication of his fns revision in lslO-p
"WoIcesters mthograpby,' he asserts, rs nehher
American nor English, but mongrei yacuIa;hs
con piaton, without puIpose or system, c.her thsn
% assumed usage, each succe ediDg edition improves
ard conforms more ard more 10 Webster.
To meet hs attack and 10 meet the baseess though
base charge against Dr. Worcester and his 81 ,uon.
aries, it viii De necessary 70 compare the dnefsn'
edtons Of tn. rival authors works. 10 the eIsmlns-
ton of the several clazses OF words which were com
| merted upon by the correspondent OF The IRiBeN.'
the sane order will now be followed by giving first
Websters Orhoersphy which, let the reader keep 10
mind is claimed TO be the standard in America ,
ard then Worces'ers followed by other le1ieogfsr
| pliers, including DIR. Ogilvie, who IN speaking oi
| Webster's Dictionary, says: notwithstanding us
superiority il does not come up to our idea
of wbet dictionary should be- lagreeing 10 this most
| fully with DIR. Worcester and bis publi,hersl Dr.
Ogilvie further adds His (Webstersl list OF scer
ti6c and technical terms is not sufficiently copious
ard in defining or explaining those selected he has
not al~sys consulted the best snd most accurate au-
thortes. Some Of MS definitions have become In
| accurate, owing to the progress and the improve
"ments made in the arts and sciences since he wrote
There are other fauts such wrong accentustons,
uE1rdrrantcd attractions IN the 0rth0grdphy Of GER
" tam nords, and instances Of false 0rthoepy And
TO the list Of photographers spelling the word az Dr.
Worcester does added the names OF authors Doth
| in England and this country, from Chaucer to the
present day; aso adding the Oxford Bible because
| introduced into THE TRBUSEs article a. al authority
| which, in al but the uuer instances named by the
| ceres pendent against Webster's "unTdrrdntef
| aheraons," and in both Of these {" axe" and
plough y giving the orthography here citedi also
| "a and pillow as preferred by Webster.
Webster's qusrto dictionary Of 1873, his octave Of
ls29 ard his final revision published in two oc.svo
volumes in 1910, have been chiefly used. OF the oc-
tavo Of 1929 the author thus speaks in his preface:
"In cases Of disputed photography the principle
adopted in the quarto edition of Introducing into the
vocabulary the different forms in question has been
carried in the Abrdgemen. 70 considerably greater
extent. In most instances Of this kind the old or.
biography takes the LEAD and ia Immediately followed
| I" by the oue prOp0sed.'
In the preface to his last edition Dr.. Webster sAys
"It has been my aim in this work. now offered to my
fellow cizeps, TO ascertain the true principles OF the
language in it's OrthOgTaDhy and structure to purify
from papabe erfOrs aut reduce the number Of
its anomalies, thus giving i more regularity aud con,
sistency in s forms both of ords and sentsnces and
in this manner TO furnish standard of our vernaculsr
Ltopgue which We sha not be ashamed 10 bequesh 10
fee hundred millions Of people the italics are Web
ters, who are destined to occupy ana hope 70 adorn
| the vast territory within our jurisdiction
No reference will be made to the sheets Of Dr. Wof-
oes.ers revsion going through the press with
exception and tina, will be mentioned in its place. This
cannot but be regarded treating the rival authors
with equal fairness and justice II DR.. Webster WV
'not ashamed to bequeath" his orthoeraphy to the
E" fee hundred millions" there certainly can be no OBJ
| lection to the plan now adopted.
Glass /.
| L. W.bs,a,. ore Woycester Oxford Rible Bai-
ley johnson Bosworth the author Of the Anglo Saxon
| Dictionary; Richardson, Smart, OgRrie Craig, Sim
monds Roget, and other photographers; writers k9o-
the trspslator of the New Testament Surry, Shake
epeare Dryden Cowper and nearly all modern authors
whether Of Engan or the United States. Ads, Web
s,er: ed-s Wo2cetter, Richardson Moxon, Simmonds,
Roget and Others; Add,ce, Johnson and Smart, cor
ruptly they say pronounced and written ADJ;
| g Controller Webster: Comptroller, Worcester,
| Msunder, Simmonds, Roget, and others; writer's,
Ber1es I523 Hail. about the same time Srype, 1850;
l and others too numerous to mention. Judge BOWER,
the author of popular law dictionary Gays this word
il usually written Comptroller. IL is written by the
Safe Departments of New-York, Maryland and other
| States Dr.. Worcester gives the word 10 bis vocsou
larry because he found in the language approved by
good usage At the end Of the definition he says, gee
| controller w
| 3. Cotemporary, Webster: Contemporary, Wor-
ceser and others, with good usage generally fayorns
this spelling: Bentley, celebrated scholar, divine
and formerly master Of Trinity College said, Co'em
|
4 5, 6. Defense, offence, pretense, Webster: de-
| fence offence pretence, Worcester, Oxford Bible,
Bailey. johnson, Dodd, Richardson, Smart, Ogitv1,
Cag, Wright, and others writers, Milton, and most
| authors and publishers.
| 7. ambassador, Webster ambassador, Worcester
| Oxford Bible &c more commonly spelled ambassa
dor RichsI dson and Smart. Bailey, Johnson, Oglvie
Craig, Roget and others give a the preference.
| 8. Ganiitt, Webster; gauntlet, gantlet Worcester
| Bailey johnson, Richardson, Smart, and Roget give
| both, Dr. Worcester has done, and each with lis
| separate definition.
| 3 Droutb Webster: drought Worcester Oxford BIZ
bic, Bailey, Jobpson, Smart and Others. Richardson
prefers droEgh writer's fom the old poet CHANGER 10
the present, both in EDgla and the United Stste
| with few exceptions.
10. Crop Webster; group, Worcester, and almos:
| universal usage.
biphth the corespor dent Of THE TRBUSE states that
Milton "omitted the e. leaving the impression on the
mind OF the reader that he spelled the word - Web'
| ster does.
Todd Johnson, Richardson, Smart, OgIyie, Roget,
| &c; writer Belsham l7sl Burke and others.
49, Meldsses, Webster: us0lasses, Worcester, Ogll-
VIE ard slInost everybody that writes or prinb the
| word. See Woicesters Etymology 49,,
| H. Mod, Webster: mould, Worcester. O1iord
| bible. Bailey, johnson, Richardson, Smart, OgRrse,
&C.; writer's CHANGER, Spenser, Addison, and common
| usage to the present time.
l5 Mott, Webster: ,aouk, Worcester, and the same
| authorities as for mould
If. Plo.r, Webster: plough, Worcester, Oxfsrd BIZ
bic Bailey johnson Todd, Perry, Richardson, Oglvle,
| Craig, Wright, and DIR. Noah Webster in his octave,
pubEsbed after his quarto Of lsS writer's, Cover,
about 1850; Fsybian, 400; Carbet Holland, North,
| Peacbsm Mortimer, Shskespege, Blackstone, Add
con. Pope, Stewart &C.; and Of the United S;stes,
| Peck, Pickering, Powell, Lowell, Irving, Prescott,
Bar croft D. Webster Everett, LongfeIow, &C.. also,
the Patent Office Reports, Transactions, &c, &C. Are