Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-03-30
WoRcEsTER,s ENGLISH DICTIONARY

DiCtiOlIdIN vi lie Ely llSiI LdlS ustSc,
by Joseph E. Worcester, Ii. d."
in magnificent quarto volume of
1854 pages. The first appearance
of this work, ten years ago, was an
era in English lexicography.
1t was the first English diction-
arv which had any claim to be re-
garded as 4 presentation of our en-
tire mother tongue, as it exists in
the speech and literature of this
century, as fact, and apart from all
theories and devices for improving
it. In this point of view it was
welcomed heartily by scholars, and
through their influence rapidly
gained favor among the people, so
that it became almost at once the
generally acknowledged standard of
correctness, both in writing and in
speaking, both for the form and for
the meaning of words. 1t has now
been long enough in use, by thou
sands of critical minds, to have been
tested thoroughly at every point;
and it Is saying far less than might
be sustained to say that it has fully
maintained its pre- eminence.
A detailed review of such work
is of course impossible here, and
could only be undertaken properly
by one who should carefully revise
it for new edition. Such a revis-
ion will be needed at no distant day;
for although there is no point in
which the superiority of this to every
other English dictionary is more
unquestionable than in its etymolo-
gy, yet the more careful and thor
ough study of this subject in late
years has created a demand for a
still more scientific and accurate di
gest of the results already obtained.
Many of the etymologies here given
are incomplete or unsatisfactory
some, but very few, can be positive
ly called erroneous. But the true
value Of such an chronological ac-
count Of each word as can be given
by general dictionary of the Ian
guage does not seem to have been
kept clearly in view. Thus curious
analogies, speculative derivations,
and isolated comparative forms in
sister tongues have very limited
value indeed in such work. The
object ought to be to give, in the
most general outlines, the history of
the word; indicating, in the rough
at least, how it came to have the form
and meaning it bears.
DIR. Worcester's book is always
suggestive and interesting on this
head; often full and usually accu-
rate, but it is still far beyond the
ideal of an English Lexicon; and
much labor must be given to the in
corporation in it of the best
results by recent students of the Ian
guage, before we have in English a
work which can rank with the best
dictionaries of the classical tongues,
or even with those of the French and
German.
But the practical value of such a
work depends more upon other feat
ures than upon its etymology. 1t is
consulted, in nineteen cases out of
twenty, to determine either the
meaning, the spelling, Or the pro-
nunciation of word.
In the first of these uses, defini-
tion, DR.. Worcester's dictionary has
a formidable rival in the late i'm
proved editions of that of his pred
ecessor, DR.. Noah Webster. There
are a great many words, to a critical
mind, better defined in the latter
work; which, indeed, exhibits
throughout much more ingenuity in
detecting and exposing shades of
meaning. This ingenuity, however,
too often finds distinctions where
none exist in usage itself; and, at
best, becomes tiresome, if followed
for a time in practical use: while, in
familiar acquaintance with DR..
Worcester's work from the time of
its first appearance, we have found
it in scarcely an instance wanting in
any good meaning of a good word.
In spelling and pronunciation
this book stands alone. There is
nothing with which it can fairly be
compared, for there is no other
known in this country approaching
it in comprehensiveness, which has
any claim to authority in these re.
spects. 1t is the business of the
faithful photographer to report facts,
and if he mixes up his own theories
with his report, he diminishes its
value and destroys its authority.
DR.. Worcester's aim has been to pre-
sent the form of words, both as
written and as spoken, according to
the preponderance of usage among
the best writers and speakers; and
where that usage Is divided, to say
so without attempting to turn the
scale. This work he has done in
comparably better than any one else
before him or since; and until that
distant day when some able scholar
with still longer life and a still
greater industry, if these be possible,
or at least with more numerous and
efficient assistants, shall have devo-
ted Incredible labor to the produc-
tion of more complete one, his
dictionary is likely to remain in
substance the standard of the Eng
lish Language.-N. Y. Erening
Post. E.
An apothecary lately sent IN a
bill to young widow lady, which
ran thus: To curing your husband
till he diedr