The New York herald., 1879-08-03
LITERATURE.
"uNDFR THE WILLOWS. 4"

''UNDER THE WILLOWS"
If the late manager of the Bowery Theatre had
read Mrs. Van Looms "Under the Willows (r. b.
Peterson Brothers) he would never have disposed
of that place of amusement until he had had the
work dramatized and put upon it's stage. The story
is of English Earl and his two American victims.
Nora Hammond and Lulu Moreland. Nora is a yr-
gnan heiress and her mother is ambitious that she
should marry title. One is secured. but Nora
says, II utterly detest the Earl of Montford and
love young Hugh Moreland with all the strength
of my soul; and oh. it will be cruel death
and the grave to separate us from each
other The mother manages to get the young
Earl to Beechlands her estate. where he remains for
some days her guest. Having finished his after
dinner cigar. he asks Nora to 'take stroll in the
moonlight over this lovely demesne" During the
stroll he proposed. and she. for her mothers sake.
accepted him. After the wedding ceremony he
kissed his mother-inaws hand. and said :-"Many
thanks. my dear madam, for the great confidence
you have placed in this day in giving me the
hand of your beautiful daughter and large portion
OF her great fortune" Now that was honest of the
Earl. To which the mother replied-"No thanks,
my lord. all require of you is to prove worthy Of
what have committed to your care. My daughter.
your young countess. is very dear TO me-" The Earl
took his bride to his castle where the old dowaser was
two ladies. but Nora firm in maintaining her
rights. sLet me tell you for all, Dowager
Countess of Montford." said she haughtily, "that
permit to interfere with my affairs. l am
the Countess of Monford and insist upon it that 1t
IL the Earl's duty to show at least this much
spect. and say he shall'' With "bazng eyes"
she turned and "linked her arm within that of the
Earl and they lett the drawing room together.
''Blazing eyes" the cue for curtain. They
- han ofh har
but thwarted by her faithful colored maid. She
went back home. died and buried. Hugh More
land dug her body up to imprint last kiss upon her
brow, and in doing scratched her cheek with his
diamond shirt stud. Blood! Lite! She is saved!
Nora was not the only victim of the Earl. He had
previously married Hugh's sister-fasely. he
thought. but honestlyit proved. for the clergyman
real 1t is only in novels that such
wretches NEE with their just due. The miserable
Earl killed by railroad accident just in time for
Nora and Lulu to marry the men of their second
choice.
NEW DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
The preparation of the dictionary of the English
language which philologans have been engaged
upon for twenty years has been undertaken by DIR.
j. A. H. Murray. of Mill Hill. North Wales. the pres
ent president of the Pathological Society. with an
able staff of assistants The materials. if completed
uniformly with their most advanced portions. CIV
ing full sentence quotation to each word. sense
and century. would well FIJI work of twelve quarto
volumes of 1000 pages each, but by reducing the
quotations to short sentences clauses phrases OF
line and half, sufficient to illustrate the meaning
Of the word and complete the without alter
ing any other essential feature of the dictionary it
has been estimated that it may be comprised
in less than thousand quarto pages
of the size of IN. Littre's French Die
of and half
times the of that. than four times the
size of Webster say in four thick volumes quarto
On this basis contracts have been entered into be-
tween the Pathological Society. DIR. Murray and the
delegates of the Clarendon Press in accordance with
these DR.. Murray has undertaken to complete the
dictionary fpossible in ten years. and it is intended
that the first part of 400 pages containing the letter
A. shall be ready i'll 1882. the remaining parts to fol-
low at stated intervals until the whole is finished
The material already hand amounts to about
three tons.
The committee believe that the many friends who
have worked and waited for the appearance of the
dictionary will be glad to learn that the work has
reached the progress above referred. to, but
in order that its progress may bo certain.
and that 1t may have that complete and representa-
tive character which has been its aim from the be-
ginning and be lasting monument of the English
language. the committee want additional help from
colonies - finish the volunteer work so enthusiasts
Iically commenced twenty years ago by reading and
extracting the books which still remain unexamned.
In the early En- 1sh period up to the invention of
printing so much has been done and is doing
that little outside help is needed But
few of the earliest printed books-those OF
Caxton and his successors-have yet been read,
and any who has the opportunity and
time to read more of these. either in originals
reprints will confer valuable assistance
by doing. But it is in the eighteenth century
above all that help is urgently needed. American
scholars promised to get the eighteenth century lit
srature taken up in this country. promise which
they appear not to have to any extent fulfilled and
bhe committee are now obliged to appeal to English
readers to share the task for nearly the whole OF that
centurys books with the exception of Burkes
works, have still to be gone through 1t is highly
necessary that special attention be paid to the
dramatic literature of the early eighteenth and late
seventeenth century in this will be found the
earliest occurrence of the modern phraseology. which
is now good and stately English. but familiar
coloquia a century and a half ago.
DIR. Murrays own pupils supplied him with 5000
good quotations during one month in the present
year For books before the present century it is inn
portant to read first early editions to the
authors spelling which is. of course part of the
history of the language. American and colonial
readers are asked besides sharing the general work.
to read those recent books which show the addition
made to English in their respective countries
seved names for physical features. productions &c.
Local dialects. English American. Will not be
ciuded. The English Dialect Society is only begin
ming its work and showing how little is known of
these as yet.
'CLUB CAMEos."
''Club Canoes" is the title of entertaining
volume published in London by Sampson Low S
Co. The idea of the author is to present a series OF
portraits of characters familiar In club life and this
he has done very cleverly. There is portrait in