Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-03-25
THE USE OF DICTIONARIES.

Dictionaries of the English language, although
there are various others everywhere exposed for
sale. The large volumes of Worcester and
Webster are TO be purchased at least in every
considerable town, or a very few daysare enough
to procure one of them in the most retired neigh
borhOod. Twenty years ago they were not to
be had. And either of them is perfect mine
of mental wealth, and contains a vast amount of
information. Every family in comfortable cir
cumstances can well afford to have one. Nay
no family can afford to be without one, Or, if
one of these ponderous tonnes is too heavy in
point of price to buy, or too heavy in point of
avordupois for children TO use, either author is
to be found as already stated, within smaller
bulk
Worcester $ Comprehensive Dictionary ismost
excellent, and within everybody s reach. 1t can
be had for ten or twelve shillings. Every fam
ily should have this at least, some equivalent
work. Every school child should also have
Dictionary.
Yet there are great many people who never
think of consulting a Dictionary, much less of
owning one. If they meet with a word which
they do not understand they wait till they fall
in with some educated man and ask him,
or let the matter go with no attempt at learning.
You may find many families of children grow
ing up without Dictionary in the house, and
even school teachers who never have possessed
one 1t is not strange, therefore, that our noble
Language is no better understood, or that so
few speak it correctly.
A principal cause of the prevailing neglect to
acquire athorough knowledge Of the Language
lies, no doubt in the great perversiOn OF the
popular taste. There are comparatively few
persons who have any love of patient investiga-
lion The many would much rather be read
ing tale in some worthless paper than looking
out the definition of an English word in a good
Dictionary. The present war is injurious to our
taste. 1t keeps us busy i'll reading the record of
current events, and leaves us little or no time to
devote to study, or to reading which is fitted to
impart real instruction. To be sure a true in
terest in the welfare of our nation and the pro-
gress of our cause will impel us to keep the run
of passing events. But no man can read every
thing. 1t is better to save some of our reading
time for books and subjects which are of per-
manent value He is most unfortunate who has
no taste for solid thought The continual read
ing of that which is light or transient tends to
positive distaste for such thought. Is it neces-
sary or advisable for us to be bound up in the
events of our times so exclusively as to deprive
ourselves of mental discipline?
We should not suppose that the greatest read
ers have always the best cultivated minds, or
are the most intelligent people 1t is not So
We may read great deal and yet think little.
Some people read SO much that they cannot find
time to think. And then again, great readers
are not always patient Investigators. The mere
reader takes in only that which is ready pre-
pared for his use. He has patience to take
his Dictionary to hunt out the Specification of
every unknown word. He only takes what lies
Oh the surface of the subject before him. The
true student, on the other hand, has habits of
careful investigation, and although his progress
is slow it is sure.
The habit of reading transient matter and
neglecting slow study, is also unfavOrable to
originality of thought. The mere reader is res
tive if his progress is hindered. He hastens ON
to take what others have thought. But he does
not care to think for himself If he produces
anything, it is merely a re-hash of what he has
but he investigates. All books are to
him nothing but dictionaries. Nature is to him
only dictionary. Men and women i'll the ag
gregate are only mammoth dictionary. Some
times a person unused to study is astonished-
on going into the room of literary man-at
the. number of books on the shelves. ''Have
you read all these?' he asks 'sNo, f." is the re-
ply, '.my library is only my dictionary" The
dictionary method is thus the method of true
study.
1t seems little thing to take Dictionary
and look up word. But it is not useless
thing, or all insignificant thing The knowl
edge which is truly our own we have gathered
at sundry times, and i'll small amounts. Every
little fact is of account to areally inquiring
mind. He who is not too proud to use a Die
tionary, is ever acquiring something worth hav-
ing How strange that multitudes overlook
such means of mental growth and happinessl
Yes, happiness! for when the taste for accurate
thought and study is once formed, its gratifca-
ton is one of the most prolific sources of hap
piness.
While on this topic itmay not be amiss to ex-
press a little wonder that so many who are in
terested in reading the Bible, so forgetful of
a. Il, hauf hal,,
to the reader of the English Bible, is, not Com
mentary, but a copy of Cruden S Concordance.
1t is the only Concordance in existence that is at
all worth the name. 1t costs only dollar or
two 1t is beyond all estimate in its value
Yet very few have it. or can be induced to pro-
cure it. Almost any passage of which any
prominent word is remembered, can be found in
minute, and Scripture can be compared with
Scripture. 1t contains many very important
definitions and explanations. 1t does not, like
many Commentaries, do all the thinking, and
leave none for you to do. But it helps you to
do your own thinking. Yet | say this Con-
corCance is a rare book 1t is wonderful, but
true.
the man of one book" By this he meant that a
few books well read and studied upon are bet
ter than many books read over rapidly. One
of the few necessary books is the Dictionary
Let every body get the Dictionary. Its stories
are very short, but always to the point and al
ways with a moral worth having. And altho'
the Old Lady thought the stories were not very
well connected together, they will be found con-
nected with every topic in respect to which in
formation is desirable. Is.
ssWine is mocker, strong drink is raging,
and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. y
The above declaration was written many ages
ago by wise man, and after the lapse OF centu-
res the declaration has not lost its applicability
or truthfulness Shun the Intoxicating glass as
you would turn aside from known and positive
danger The wine cup and social glass may be
tempting and inspiring, but within them turks
| a monster that has destroyed thousands and tens