Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-02-11
WOR CESTER'S DTCTTONART

dictionary which can be relied authority in the
several particulars of photography, etymology,
orthocpy and definitions Worcesters Diconary,*
so long promised, long delayed, is at last
"fxed fact - and literary men, the world over, may
well congratulate themselves on having stand
ard work which tells the origin, the meaning and
the spelling Of every word in our vernacuari
book that, unlike all ancient and some modern ora-
Giles, answers questions in terms that arc free from
ambiguity and incapable of double construction
We congratulate the publishers the completion Of
their share Of this great work and congratulate
the literary world that the tend Of the law in lexco
graphy, is now attainable by every who cares to
possess it. We are Of course, aware that no human
work is permanently complete because everything hu
man Is subject to change and the progress" which
rapidly sweeps along all subunarl things, necessa
rly leaves even dictionaries and scientific textbooks
among other antquated landmarks but this noble
work Of DR.. Worcester Is thoroughly brought up
to the day, and is unexccptonably complete and
comprehensive in every department and ramitication
of lexcoguphy that it is good" for at least gene
ration. And when the future wants Of the Ian
guage may call for incidental improvements and mod
ifca:ions little labor Of an editor and printer
will suffice to maintain the standard value Of the
book. This result is the Legitimate consequence of
doing work well, independently Of crotchets and isms,
of ignorant prejudice and vain caprice Of ambitious
attempts at experimental reform and vanglorous eff
forts after personal distinction Dr. Worcester has
confined himself to the proper duties Of his undertake
ing; he has dealt with facts and avoided speculation
aud, by adherng TO fixed principles, he has developed
the true philosophy of the language.
The copiousness Of the vocabulary Of this dicion-
AIRY may he Inferred from the statement of the pub
Il, .pt b.fttp ami
nation-tha; it contains twenty thousand words and
definitions more than any other English dictionary
The main feature Of this enormous increase must
necessarily be the new terms introduced by and grow
ing ont Of the recent progress in art and science
which are Of less importance to the general reader
than the more practical ard popular parts of exico-
epphy But II dictionary to be complete, should be
like the laws Of the handicapped to the wants Of
every class aud prepared to meet every contingency.
Its proper office is to answer all questions about words.
and-unlike the laws Of the and-to satisfy every APP
pcan, without any exception. In former days, peo-
pie content to find popular information in a die
tionary and to seek instruction in the more abstract
branches Of language, in encyclopedias or wherever
else it nigh, he discovered. But the dictionary Of
modern DAYS take. much higher rank in the cate 20
~ Of labor-savng machines and this book Of DIR.
Worccs,er, which is altogether the most complete Of
its kind, really furnishes. in condensed form, the
contents Of library. Such work j. one Of the gem
nine 'imProrcmeHts Of the age and it furnishes 10
slight evidence Of the advance Of own country in
general knowledge and Intellectual cultivation.
The synonymcs of DR.. Worcester n very vaua-
bic addition to the dictionary not ony because
classification OF synonymous terms, in their appropri-
ate places is always needed, but because the work is
50 analytcaly and thoroughly done. All that was
accomplished by Crahb, Carr enter, fcnby, and Others
in separate volumes is here not only surpassed in ar
rangement, but is brought up much higher grade of
accuracy and simplicity; and MS the analysis and COM
parson are attached to the words in their own places
in the vocabulary. the synonymes always at hand
and need no Independent seeking. There is a large
class Of our good writers who would become better
writer's by n study Of Worccsters svnonymes. Care
lcssncss in styc-whch involves carcessness rs to
the cxac; meaning Of words-is Of the growing
faults Of the day; and the tendency Of the misuse of
words by authors Of established reputation is directly
and rapidly toward the corruption of language. Lam
guage Is in fact the creature of its writers their
age primarily directs and finally controls and es,ab-
fishes, both it. elements and its construction and
hence ii they ARE negectful of their duty the an
omalous state of things ensues, that the court Of last
resort in phlology becomes its repudator. Ju-
before him, and none Immediately succeeded him. had
such mastery of style as he But gradually his ex-
ample told upon hi. admirers and in the first half of
the nineteenth century, writers who could compare
avoraby with Iunius in mere style were be found
in comparative abundance both in England and Amer
ica Certain writers in the London newspapers, in the
British Reviews and occasionally, in American peri
odcal literature, attained this point of excellence.
But rejecting among the present host OF litera-
ii are beginning to see evidences Of n rerograde ten
dency in this very matter Of style and take the
opportunity presented and suggested by the consider
alton of synonymes to sound note Of warning to all
the parties in interest in the politicians phrase,
announce that the Republic Of Letters is "in danger =
and, in another phrase warn our American writers
TO take heed what Il e., hour they write The
thor of reputation who either affects allows himself
to fall into, carelessness of Style will day be
PEELED to pay for his careessness out of his reputation
The pictorial illustrations" of Worcester's Dicton-
AIRY do not impress favoraby its other and
less prominent features. In many instances, they
certainly do convey information readily and sat
siactorily than descriptive words, and far ap-
prove them but the whole they strike us mira
dig. for portly quarto OF two thousand pages On
the other hand, rs the debaters about homeopathy
say of lfniesimdi Doses "if they do no good they
can do no harm !" and. assuredy, if they should in
duce man to become purchaser of the book,
who otherwise would do without it, we will give ouI
for the illustrations For since we have at least
real STANDARD dictionary Of the English language
2 are in favor of "persuading by any means
and by MI MEANS to possess it, If this book shall be
, universally approved, and bought and studied, our
hereinbe mentioned apprehensions for the safety
Of the republic will materially diminish
In the matter of definitions, Worcester has display
ed an amount of patient discrimination simplicity that
is beyond all praise. To define word we'll is by no
means so easy task as many people suppose Every
one almost knows how much easier it learn than
to teach; but every does consider that den-
ing common words is one Of the most difficult, because
one of the most simple, kinds of teaching. The diff
Guilty in this, as in any branch of art, consists in
propensity to orerdo The thing or, by undertaking the
difficulty to do hastily what should be done consider.
ately. Simplicity in art is so high and so rare quail
ity that we are disposed to render homage to it wher
70 ] aVp ann axnr int Tho, q