Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-08-22


The Pathological Society of England has
been for more than 20 years at work upon a
new dictionary of the English language, and
IL expects TO complete and publish il about
the year 1890. The members of the society
were fully aware Of the magnitude of their
undertaking, and they went about IL with be.
fitting seriousness. 1t was their intention al
the outset to produce d'ctionai as compre.
hensive and complete as the labors and schol-
aiship of their own learned body and scores
of contributors could make it, and they have
kept that purpose steadily in view. There il
no existing dictionary of the English Language
that is satisfactory, either for curious research
or common reference. The dictionaries of
johnson, Todd, Richardson, Walker, Web
ster, Worcester, and the Imperial, with their
several merits, have all such vices and de-
fects as disqualify them for the important
sci vice Of guiding the student or writer of
English. The plan of the Pathological Socie-
ty first took shape in 1857, and grew out of n
proposal to publish q supplement TO the die
tonaries of johnson and Richardson. The
scope and theoi of the work were first de.
fined and e=pounded in two papers "On Some
Deficiencies in Our English Dictionaries" by
Richard Chenevix Trench, Dean of Westmin-
ster, read before the society in November,
1851. The views and suggestions of the Dean
were followed in the main, in drawing up the
proposals issued to contributors, two yenrs
later, and in the cdHOHeS photographed, pre-
pared for the guidance of the society Itself
This dictionary is 20 contain 'evelJ word
occur ring in the literature of the language it
processes to illustrate" 1t wiz thus be a COM
piete inventory of the words which have been
used by English writers since the language
took its rise. The separation of English
from the semi Saxon which preceded it is, of
course not clearly marked but the society
has drawn the line in the latter part Of the
reign of Henry Ill. about 1850. Beginning
with the songs and romances of this early
period the dictionary will illustrate the
growth and development of the language
down to the present day. The greatest care
Is being used to fix as accurately possible
the date of the earliest appearance of each
word IN the language, and the date of the dis
appearance of words now obsolete or archaic
The changes of meaning through which
words have passed wi" also be fully il'ustrat-
I'd. The dictionary wi show in its etymolo-
gical department the remarkable progress Of
English scholarship in the last quarter of a
century. The Germans have hithel.o car
RE Il OF the palm for profound and critical
scholarsl ip in early Eng' sh. 1t was Dr. L.
A. Mnhl, of Der II, who was called upon to
supply the genealogical portion of the last
edition of Websters Dictiona. :. 1t is no
longer neccssa : TO get foreigners to do this
work. To Eng shmen and Americans, how
ever, the work will be chiefly valuable for its
historical or Literary features, showing the
rise and decay Of words, their gradual changes
i'll meaning, their synonyms and the shades
which distinguish words nearly synonymous.
These things win be shown by quotations H.
Illustrating the use and meaning of each word
from the earliest times. The quotations will
be sufficiently fl to show the complete sense
of the passage and the changes and decay of
words wi BE- shown by series OF quotations
chronologically arranged. The society has
yeIy wisely declined to be cramped in its
work by considerations of space. It is not
making pocket dictiona. !, but a complete
register of the English language.
large number Of volunteers are engaged
in the work, and more are asked for. The
society aAks those who are wing to assist it
TO take the works Of some author and to read
them careful y, accorf ng to instructions that
WI be furnished, for the purposes of the
dlctonaiy :. The literature Of the language
has been divided into three periods, from
1870 to the Reformation, beginning about
1926 from the reformation to Milton, l52G-
1914; and from Milton to our own time
The first period presents such special Difficult
ties that its books must be committed to
scholars in early English. For the period
from 1870 TO 1874 each contributor is asked
To- quotation for eve.y word phrase, and
idioIn III his book that does not appear in the
concordances to the Bible and to Shakspeare's
works. For the last period, special list of
words has been prepared, and all words not
on the list are wanted. All English books are
admitted AS authorities, except purely scien-
tiic works. Scientific terms are to appear in
4 .,N n ~ r.. L.
resei ting this work TO themselves They so.
''cit and welcome American cooperation. At
the recent meeting of the American Philo'o-
gical Society at Newport, Prof f. A. March
of Lafayette college made appeal for
American volunteers. The whole body of
American u -ature and the works of Eng
l'Nh writers of the eighteenth century have
been left to American readers. and only
sna' portion of the work is now in hand
1t wi" be seen at once that, without setting
itse" up as court of last appeal, this die
tiona. will be the highest possible authority
IN questions of usage and propriety. Its
complers make no claim to be authorities in
English. They set down the words of the
language as they are, with all their virtues
aud vices, accidents aud deformities, Just as
the writer's have used them for six centuries
Usage determines the currency Of ii word
aud neither one man nor forty men can ban
ISL Il word from the language or add one to it
without the general consent The members
of the French Academy assume the right to
declare what words are worthy to be used
aud what unworthy aud they make their
own examples, instead of quoting from the
writers Of French literature. But the French
Academy Dictionary is not dictionary of
the French laugdage-it is only piece Of
lrNicographicnl millinery. If one would know
French as it is, he must buy Littrc. The
University of Oxford has assumed the burden
of publishing the new English dictionary
". y. Times.