Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1877-05-31
THE DICTIONARY AS AN IN
STRUCTOR.

THE DICTIONARY AS AN IN
STRUCTOR.
We notice as a matter well worth
mentioning that at the recent great
publisher trade sale in New York,
the books that were most in the de-
mand and brought the best prices
were Webster's Dictionaries, from the
famous Quarto to the neat and handy
pocket edition. The 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 i'm
portancc, 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 as
tonishing and grievous TO see how
grossly ignorant are children and
youth, and even men and women, of
the photography, pronunciation and
meaning of ordinary words and
phrases. They cannot express their
thoughts for the want of words, and
often they express thoughts very diff
ferent from what they intend, because
they do not understand the words
they employ. And very frequently,
from the same cause, they take no
idea, or wrong ideas, from that they
read or hear. 1855 e-
The remedy for these evils is the
proper training in the study of words,
by the use of the Dictionary, and this
training should begin as soon as the
child can distinguish between one
word and another, and continue in
definitely. The apparatus for this
study should, of course, be the most
complete and thorough to be had, and
this is abundantly supplied in Web
ster's Dictionaries, which are justly
recognized. wherever our language
is spoken, as the standard authority
in English. Parents and teachers
can in no other way so ettectually or
SO cheaply promote the educational
interests of their children, when of
suitable age, as by putting in their
hands any one of Webster's School
Dictionaries, for daily use in connec-
ton with the study of their lessons,
and by placing on the family center
table, or the teachers desk as the all-
thoritative guide and standard, copy
of the Unabridged.
The unabridged contains 5000 il
Illustrations, over ia, 900 words in its
vocabliiiiaalFTiiGGss;, vocealibliiiiaalFTiGs 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. 1.-The Common SCHOOL, is
similar, but larger, with tables of
synonyms, &c. ''The High School,"
still fuller, with many useful tables !;
''Ths Academic" and Counting
house, for advanced schools and for
general home and business use. The
latter has some specially valuable
commercial and financial tables. The
little ''Pocket'' edition, with it's
bright gilt edges and morocco binding
is truly an invaluable pocket compan-
ion. 1t contains more than $4,000
words, rules for spelling, many alb
breviations, words and phrases, pro-
verbs, ETC., ordinarily met with in the
Greek, Latin and Modern languages.
Whether it is convenient or not to
have copies of any of the other books
of the series, we certainly recommend
that all should possess a copy of the
Pocket, which, when not otherwise
obtainable, may be had by mail, by
inclosihg $l.00 to the publishers,
Messrs. Ivison, Brakeman, Taylor &
Co., 1873 and 14O Grand Street New
York. Isl K A A.sass