Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-21
CAMILLA WARE.

CAMILLA W AXE.
The subject Of this notice was the
daughter Of Jonathan Ware, Esq, who
for many years and at the time Of his
death lived in the town Of Pomtret.
AS much Of her life and carly training
were intimately associated with her
father and his work, some account OF
him, besides being interesting in itself,
is necessary for our purpose
JONATHAN WARE was born in Wrentham,
Mass, April a, 1867, of pwentogo, particular
" on his mothers side, Of strongly marked
character and of no mean literary and scientific
culture. He entered Harvard College and
graduated in 1890. He then studied law at
Bennington and in June, 1894, married Betsey,
daughter of John W. Dana, Esq., Of Pomfret,
soon after which he began the practice OF law
in Peacham. Here he was instrumental IN
etartipg the Green Mountain Patriot, in 1893,
the first newspaper published in that part Of
the State, and was very jealous in tho public
and political matters of the time generally. Be-
ing unfortunate financially and in his practice,
he Abandoned the profession and moved TO Dan
Vile. He and Jonathan, his eldest son, were
in the army short time at Burlington and
plattsbug In the year 1918 ho moved from
Danyille to Pomfret, settling upon rough
farm in wild and secluded place in the easter
" part of the town, which he called with a
touch of humor, Thistle Hill" At about this
time he wrote and published small English
Grammar, intending sometime to supplement
it with a larger one which intention was, how
ever, never carried out.
Not succeeding well in financial matters, he
went upon teaching excursion to Boston and
New York. where no taught Greek schools two
or three years. While at Boston he met the
gupercargo of the first Greek ship to America,
of whom he learned the pronunciation of the
modern Greeks.
Returning to Pomfret, he established aschool
for instruction in the higher branches and put
ups log building Oh a little elevation near his
IL
are still to be seen. This school was in opera
ton about the year 1923, and the Rev. l. D.
Williamson, d. d. now Of Cincinnati was one Of
the few pupils. Itmot with so little support as
to be soon abandoned.
He went again to New York, but was recalled
by the death Of his only remaining son, John,
n merchant at Danyille, who died March 3,
1925. Hespent the most Of his remaining days
in pomfret, giving good part of his time for
the last ten or twelve years Of his life to his
"Polyglot Interpreter Of the Bible Or Lexi-
con" as it has been called, which was unfinished
at his death. But although an enthusiast in
his literary work. he byno means confined him
self to that exclusively. In spite of his scclud-
ed life he was well informed upon the politics
of the day in which. and particularly in the
slavery question, he being an abolitionist he
took the most lively interest. He also gave
some thought malimprovementss strange
ly enough, particularly to an overland route tt
China and the navigation of the Connecticut
River. Although always in financial difficulties
he managed to collect library OF several thous
and Volumes many OF which were rare ant
valuable.
The following notice of him. first published
in the Congregational Jo,uma! and copied il
'Arvine's Cyclopedia of Anecdotes Of Litera
ture and the Fine Arts" gives good idea Of
the man as a curious scholar.
''Some years since our curiosity was excited
by what we accidentally learnt Of the literar!
pursuits of Mr.. Jonathan Ware, q secluded gen
tleman IN the town of Pomfret, Vermont, no
far back from the Connecticut River Residing
at no great distance from him, it was our cher
ished purpose to visit his retreat, and ascertain
for ourselves the truth of the reports concern
ing him. The purpose was not executed, ant
in the meantime death removed the stranger
Not forgetting our interest in him, we have a
last succeeded in obtaining materials for shor
biographical and photographed notice. Ii
straitened circumstances, and occupied II
cutivating most ungrateful farm he engaged
in work Of herculean labor the accomplish
plishment of which, as far as he carried it, AM
under all his embaIrassments, is matter o
wonder AS literary curiosity, a monumen
of exhausting and perseyering toll, it is with
out rival in American scholarship. Having
devoted large portion Of his life to the studio
of the ancient and modern languages, TO
which he had a Germanic passion, he conceivo
the idea of preparing PolyglOt Lexicon of tn
Old Testament. 1t was not designed to be
commentary in any sense, though the critica
and exegetical notes we meet with in anothe
manuscript volume show that he did not cor
fine himself to mere verbal Investigation. Til
manuscript Lexicon, bound in a quarto form
lies before us. Originally, the author designe
to make it quartuor-glot Lexicon, embracin
the Hebrew, Greek Latin and English, accorC
ing to which restriction he constructed the tiri
draught of his Lexicon. Nor did he observe
his first draught the alphabetical arrangement
but beginning with the first chapter and I'll
first verse of Genesis he proceeded onward
the close of Malachi, selecting whatever wore
he thought entitled to notice, and giving I'll
verses in which they were found Thus IL
word ehen, has against it, in opposite column
drtOS in Greek, pants in Latin, and bread
English. In some cases there is n cOpiousne
of definitions, as Hebrew ielOn Gree
HtalaSSe, pelagOs, linen Latin, mare, Ocearu
ldcus; English, sea, lake, ocean. In prosecu
ing his studies he had enlarged his acquain
ance with modern languages, and DESTROYS
making his work more valuable and acceptab
to the learned, he proceeded to reconstruct h
entire work, following the alphabetical orde
and adding the Spanish italian, and Russia
languages, making his Lexicon an octo insteG
of quartuor-glot Thus against tho wol
Abel, in Hebrew, in tho opposite columns v
have HUlos in Greek, tdpts in Latin, pledra
Spanish, pietra in Italian, pierre in Frenc
stone in English. In many instances, on IL
side margin, references arc made to the pass
ges where the word is to be found. Such
work would DO convenience to scholars
many cases. and in the preparation demandt
immense labor; but after all, it is curiost
rather than an important instrument Of STUD
and knowledge, and can hardly be made avail
Bile to any practical utility adequate to the tin
and labor expended upon it. Ten Or twel,
years were consumed in bringing it to the sta
of completion in which the author left it, al
with six months more be thought he should