The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-21


in German literature since the time of Luther
inclusive, giving its origin, its derivation, and
it's different applications and notifications as
the individual mind of different writer's or the
changes of custom may have produced them
the terminus dd QtSeBs of the range of inquiry
being fixed at the end of the third decade of
the present century. Some years after their
expulsion from Hanover the King of Prussia.
gave the brothers Grimm seats in the Academyi
of Sciences at Berlin; and the first nstament
of their dictionary, which was published i'm
1852, had thus the advantage of appearing
with more honor than if il had issued from
their comparative retirement at Cassel
Fourteen years had been taken up with
preparations for the work. The result az
seen in this first nstalment, fully iustifies the
pains with which the material had been col !
lected and sifted. The method pursued was
this-The brothers took general survey of
all known authors, great and small, who had
contributed to German literature since the
era of the Reformation. They then made ap-
plication to a vast number Of students through
out Germany, requesting them to read such
or such books carefully, and annotate or ex-
tract for the purpose in hand. Many offered
their services spontaneously; AMI it was a
proof of the national interest excited by the
project that among the volunteers were lite
rary men of the most diverse opinions pro-
vinces, professions and tastes. Jacob Grimm
in his preface to the first published part, emu
merates no less than eighty three coadiutors
in this way. Then special directions were
forwarded to each. On a piece of paper of
prescribed size and shape he was to set down
each word which struck him as employed by
his author in any way unusual, characteristic,
or for any reason worthy of attention; and
with it the passage, prose or verse, in which
it had occurred
after a while mighty mass of material
poured into headquarters, from east, west,
north, and south-about million of billets
In ALL 1t is roughly computed. To sort them
was the next business, and to arrange them
under alphabetical heads. Two men were
thus employed during period of six months,
working from early morning to late evening,
collecting for each word the various citations
applicable to it, and fastening them in a bundle
together, then placing the whole in two
gigantic chests ready for the further process
of deciding the proportion of quotations and
authorities to be retained, and tracing chrono-
logically and otherwise the shades and transi-
tions of meaning. The genius and taste of
individual writer's had to be considered as in
tluencing the value to be attached to their
testimony. Of the authors in the sixteenth
century, with which the range of investigation
begins, the greatest weight is attached to
Luther, to Hans Sachs and to the remarkable
satlrist Fischart, Who indeed, for this early
period of the literature, is considered the
most valuable of all. The seventeenth cen
tuy, period of stagnation, or rather of
retrogression in Germany owing to the effects
OF the Thirty Years War, furnishes no more
eminent authorities in the use of language
than Gryphius, OpitZ, and Lenau; while for
the eighteenth century the foremost rank is
assigned to Lessing Jean Paul, and Schiller
On the whole the three authors most care
fully collated and analyzed for the purpose of
determining the changes and legitimate uses
OF the written language are Fschart, Luther,
and Goethe.
For time much doubt was entertained as
to the practical success of the scheme. 1t was
thought too vast in its proportions to be car
ried out by men who like Jacob Grimm and
his brother, had other pressing business avo-
cations to press their time, and the appear
ance of the first part of it in print was some
thing of surprise to the skeptical In 1854
however, whole volume was completed and
published; in 1860 a second made its appear
ance; in 1862 third Soon after this Jacob
Grimm, the chief prompter and manager of
the undertaking, died. he had been preceded
short time before by his brother, his insepa
rable companion throughout almost the whole
of life, but had labored on with undiminished
energy till, while occupied with the word
'trucht, he too was called away.
Happily, the impetus given by these famous
scholars did not die with them. Their under
taking was carried on with vigor by contr
butors they had enlisted in the task. Hide
brand of Leipsic, Wiegand of Giessen, and
Mortz Heyne of Halle, have had the chief
hand in it since. Professor Hildebrand is
now busily occupied with the letter K.
No similar work had previously existed in
the literature of any other nation The Great
Dictionary of the Paris Academy came nearest
to it, perhaps, in importance; but then the
Paris dictionary was record of words in
legitimate use only-a kind of statute book of
the French language.