The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-02-04
From the Home Journal
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| From, the Home Journal
WORCESTER'S DICTIONARY.
WOrcester's dictionary, so long promised, so long
delayed, is at last 'fixed fact and literary men,
the world over, may we'll congratulate themselves
on having a standard work which tells the origin,
the meaning, and the spelling of every word in our
vernacuar: book that unlike all ancient and some
modern oraces, questions in terms that are
free from ambiguity and incapable of double con-
struction. We congratulate the publishers on the
completion of their share Of this great work. and
we congratulate the literary world that the 'epd
| of the law in photography, is attainable by
every man who cares to possess it. We are, of
course, aware that no human work is permanently
complete, because everything human is subject to
change; and the 'prOgFeSs' which so RAPIDLY
sweeps along all subunary things, necessarily
leaves even dictionaries and scientific textbooks
among other antiquated landmarks but this noble
work of DR.. Worcester is so thoroughly brought
| uD to the day. and is unexceptionably complete
and comprehensive in every department and ram-
tcation of photography, that it is Fgood' for at
! least generation. And even when the future
wants of the language may call for incidental i'm.
proyementS and notifications, n very little labor of
editor and printer will suffice to maintain the
standard value of the book. This result is the le-
| ultimate consequence of doing work WE'LL indie
! pendently OF crotchets and isms, of ignorant pfeu
dice and silly caprice of ambitious attempts at ex-
| perimental reform and vain-gori efforts after
! personal distinction. DR.. Worcester has confined
himself to the proper duties of his undertaking; he
has dealt with facts and avoided speculation; and
bv adhering to fixed principles, be has developed
the true philosophy of the language.
! The cop0usness of the vocabulary of this die
tonary may be inferred from the statement of the
! publishers-Which accept, of course, without
| examination-that it contains sstwenty thousand
words and definitions more than any other English
dictionary" The main feature of this enormous
increase must necessarily be the new terms intro
duced by and growing out of the recent progress
in art and science-whch are of less importance to
hn han tlp NH oo1
popular parts of photography. 9
The synonyms of DR.. Worcester are very val
liable addition to the dictionary; not only because
classification OF synonymous terms in their appro-
pirate places, is always needed, but because the
work is so anavtcallv and thoroughly done All
! that accomplished by Crabb, Carpenter, Fem
| by, and others, in separate volumes, is here not
only surpassed in arrangement, but is brought up
a much higher grade of accuracy and simplicity;
and as the analysis and comparison attached to
the words in their own places in the vocabulary,
the synonyms are always at hand, aud need no in
dependent seeking
The pictorial "illustratiOns" of Worcesters die
ti0nary do not impress avorably as its other
and less prominent features. In many instances,
they certainly DO convey information more readily
and satisfactorily than descriptive words, and so
far approve them. But, the whole, they
strike as mira dig. for portly quarto of two
thousand pages. On the other hand, as the de-
baers about homeopathy say of infnite8ina7 Doses
Git they do no good they can do harm;' and
assuredly, if they should induce one man to be-
come purchaser of the book who otherwise would
do without it, we will give vote for the illus
trations For, since we have at last real ''stand-
ard dictionary of the English language" we are in
favor of "persuading men by any means and by
all means, to possess it. If this book shall be uni
versally approved, and bought and studied our
herein before mentioned apprehensons for the safe
ty of the republic will materially diminish
In the matter of definitions, Worcester has dis
played an amount of patient discrimination, sim
plicity, and perspicuity that is beyond all praise
To define word well, is by no means so easy
task many people suppose Every one, almost,
knows how much easier it is to learn than teach
but every does not consider that defining COM
mon words is one of the most difficult, because one
of the most simple, kinds of teaching. The diff
Guilty in this, in any branch of art consists in
propensity to overdo the thing or, by undertaking
the difficulty, to do hastily what should he done
considerably Simplicity in art is so high and so
rare quality, that are disposed to render hon.
age to it wherever it appears even in the unpre-
tending field of photographed definitions; and
therefore we paw this marked, though brief tribute
to that part of Worcester's dictionary.
As to etymology. We are much gratifed to
find that DR.. Worcester, in undertaking the duties
of an etymologist, has not attempted to play the
ontiquary. Of all incompatible offices, those two
are the most absurd when forced into companion
ship. The true etymoogy of word is to be found
in its direct antecedents and the investigation ag
be carried back to the tower of Babel, provided
always that the Investigator will keep himself in
the direct line. But the ''fogeyism' of prying into
possible relationship of possible third cousins in
word-genealogy-th conceit of attaching an equal
value to actual and to imaginary kindred in philo-
logical antecedents, and of placing a fanced Choc-
taw root on par with known Greek root because
the two were (if they were) contemporaries in differ
eCt parts OF the world-this, and all this, belongs
to the pedantry, and not to the science of etymoo-
gv. DR.. Worcester discrimnates between the
etymologist and the antiuuary and declines TO mix
up the approved pathological facts of the former
with the questionable pathological antiquities of
the latter. His etymologies, therefore, may be re-
lied on; and that is what is wanted by those who
consult etymoogies.
The RECOMMENDATIONS of this dictionary are in con-
formity to the best usage. In this particular the
work Is simply on a par with other dictionaries;
but we think Worcester's method of expressing the
pronunciation is the best have seen, because it
is the most ineligible. Some of the sounds of
English syllabes hard to be conveyed by Eng
fish consonants and vowels.
In photography, Worcester also follows the best
usage of England and America, excepting the
omission OF n in such words honor, fauor, etc.,
which the best English writers still retain. We
confess individual preference for the English
mode of spelling these words, not only on etymo-
logical grounds but also by of old associa-
tons. But the custom of our own country seems
to have generally decided the question the other
way, we have yielded preference. With this
limited exception, Worcester's photography is, we
believe, strictly confoimable to good usage, good
taste and good analogy. The true honest, double
OF travelling, reUetng etc., is retained inits place;
pretence, offence, and defence spelt with a as of
right they should be; hedtre centre etc., have their
appropriate chronological examinations; are and
tchiskey keep the that belongs to them, mould is
not quacked into mold. nor height into hight In
Short the spelling of Worcesters dictionary is the
spelling of educated men and good writers wherever
the English language is known and, after years of
waiting for such photographed jubilee we now
feel that we can "take a long breath and say to
the public, here, at last, Is STANDARD DIcrIoNARY
OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The mechanical department of this work is even |
in these days of good book-making altogether I'M
rivalled Such paper, such type, and such margins
were never before seen in dictionary. Even the |
headings of the pages, where would look for
novelty or improvement, are arranged on entire
" new plan that facilitates the search after word
Indeed, if publishers ever deserved such approba-
ton can be expressed only by ''the superlatives
of the language" Hckling, Swan and Brewer, are |
clearly entitled to it, in the matter of Worcesters
dictionary.
The CorToN-BALE SroRY.-It is the current re-
port and belief that at the battle of New Orleans
Gen. Jackson's men formed a breastwork of cot |
ton bales which helped greatly to decide the turn
of fortune on that eventful day. The New Orleans
Delta in noticing the recent death of Gen. John B.
blanche, who was engaged in the battle, says that
a few bales were used by some young soldiers to |
increase the height and breadth of the parapet in
front of them, while others were used to form the |
embrasures for the guns; but as soon as General
jackson discovered this circumstance, and that |
the cotton bales endangered the strength of the |
works; and exposed the ammunition to explosion |
by the Aying particles of burning lint, he ordered |
Gen. blanche to pitch them into the river, and it
done.
The Greenviue On. c. Patriot says: "At re- I
cent sale of property belonging to the estate of the
late Mr.. Joab Mauldin, negro man, 80 years of |
age, sold for the large sum of So, 500 Shortly after
the sale, the party who made the purchase was
offered 81 900 for the man, who was hrst-rate |
carpenter, and very likely.
Five new United States steamers are now at the
Gosport (Va) Navy Yard, awaiting the finishing |