The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-05-25
The Dictionary as an Instructor,

we notlce as matter well worth nBen-
tionng that at the recent great publishers
trade sale in New York, the books that we're
most in demand and brought the best prices
were Webster's Dictionaries, from the fa-
nous Quarto to the neat and handy pocket
edition. This fact is a good indication of
the almost universal popularity of these
books, and of the growing public demand
for them. 1t indicates also a fact of far
greater importance, and that is the interest
the people are taking in the study of their
own language This is encouraging, as there
is no branch of education that is now and
has been so much neglected as the common
branches of spelling and defining 1t is often
astonishing and grievous to see how grossly
ignorant are children and youth, and even
men and women, of the photography, pro-
nunciation and meaning of ordinary words
and phrases. They cannot express their
thoughts for the want of words. and often
they express thoughts very different from
what they intend, because they do not un-
derstand the words they employ. And very
frequently, from the same cause, they take
no ideas, or wrong ideas, from what they
read or hear
The remedy for these evils is the proper
training in the study of words, by the use of
the Dictionary, and this training should be-
gin as soou as the child can distinguish be-
tween one word and another, and continue
indefinitely. The apparatus for this study
should, of course, be the most complete and
thorough to be had, and this is abundantly
supplied in Webster's Dictionaries, which
are justly recognized, wherever our language
is spoken, as the standard authority in Eng
lish. Parents and teachers can in no other
way SO effectually or so cheaply promote the
educational interests of their children, when
n hxt,
any one of Webster's School Dictionaries.
for daily use in connection with the study of
their lessons, and by placing on the family
center table, or the teachers desk, as the
authoritative guide and standard, a copy of
the Unabridged.
The Unabridged contains 5000 illustra-
tions, over ia, 900 words in its yocabularies
and 10000 words and meanings not in any
other Dictionary; the abridged editions
comprise "The Primary" which has the
largest sale, and which has some capital
rules for spelling. "The Common SCHOOL,
is similar, but larger, with tables of syno.
nyms, &c. "Tbe High School," still fuller
with many useful tables "The Academic
ana "Counting-h house" for advanced schools
and for general home and business use. The
latter has some specially valuable CONNER.
cial and financial tables The little 'Pock.
ct" edition, with its bright gilt edges and
morocco binding, is truly an invalpable
pocket companion. 1t contains more than
$4,000 words, rules for spelling, many ab.
breviations, words and phrases proyerbs
etc, ordinarily met with In the Cred LsH,,
and Modern languages. Whether il Is sas-
venient or not to have copies of any Of ,ho
other books of the series, we certaiDly rs>
commend that all should possess COW of
the Pocket, which, when not othefvise' a. h.
tainable, may be had by mail, By nclosino
$l,00 to the publishers, MEssn IyIsnnts
BLAKEMAN, TAYLOR q Co., rs and 1S1
Grand Street, New York. "u iso