Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-05-31
The Dictionary as en- Instructor.

We notice as a matter well worth
mentioning. that at the recent great
publishers trade sale in New York,
the books that were most in demand
aud brought she best prices were Web
ster's Dictionaries, from the famous
Quarto to the neat ard handy pocket
edition. This fact is good indication
of the almost universal popularity of
these books, and of the growing pubic
demand for them. It indicates also a
fact of far greater Importance, and
that is the interest the people are TAX
ing ia the study Of their own language.
This is encouraging, as there is nc
branch of education that is now and
has been SO much neglected as the
common branches Of spelling and de-
fnins It is often astonishing and
grievous to see how grossly ignorant
are children and youth, and even men
and women, of the orthography, pro-
nuneiation and meaning Of ordinary
words and phrases. They cannot ex-
press their thoughts for the want of
words, and often they express thoughts
very different FROM what they intend,
because they do not understand the
words they employ And very fire.
quently, from the same cause, they
take no idea, or wrong ideas, from
what they read CT 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 begin as soon as the
child can distinguish between one word
aud another and continue indefinitely.
The apparatus for this study should,
of course. be the most complete and
thorough to be had, and this is album
dainty supplied in Webster's Diction-
aries, which are Justly recognized,
wherever our language is spoken, as
the standard authority in English.
Parents and teachers can in nc other
way SO effectually or 50. cReariy pro-
mote the educational interests Of their
children, when Of suitable age, as by
putting in their hands any one of Web
ster's Schoot Dictionaries, for daily
use in connection with the atudy Of
their lessons, aud by placing en- the
family center table, or the teachers
desk as the authoritative guide and
standard, copy of the Unabridged.
The unabridged containes 5000 il
Illustrations, over III, 900 words in its
voeabularies, and 10000 words and
meanings not in any other Dictionary
the abridged editions comprise 1.-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 syn
onyms, Sc aThe High School, -
still fuller, with MANY useful tables
THE Academic" and Counting
house for advanced schools and for
general hoGs and business use. The
latter has some specially valuable com
mereial and financial tables. The lit
tie POCKET" edition, with its bright
giit edges and morocco binding, is
truly az Invaluable pocket eompsnion.
1t contains more than $4,000 words,
rules fer spelling, many authorizations,
words and phrases, proverbs, etc, CT
dinarily 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 sh ould
possess eepy of the Pocket, which,
when not otherwise obtainable, may
be had By mail, by inclosing $1.O0 to
the publishers, Messrs IFIsoN,
BLAKENAN, Taylor & Co., 198 and
40 Grand Street, New York. '''''@