Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-04-03
James G. Perciyal.

Connecticut, Palladium, to which Rev.
Samuel w. Barnum, of that city, made
the following sharp reply;
An article going the rounds of the
press, headed James g. Percival. and
credited to Hon. Beriah Brown, in Seat
tie. Wash. T., Herald, seems to require
an answer because of its confident asser-
tons and strange misrepresentation.
If unanswered in New Haven, many
might naturally suppose it a true story,
and quote it as true. Mr.. Brown admits
That he knows ''nothing but by tradi-
ton of DIR. Percival's ''antecedents and
early life," and that his '.limited libra
ry furnishes no text upon this subject in
any American publications" but claims
a personal acquaintance with DIR, Per-
clval. which commenced at Madison,
(Wis.) in 1854, if (his) memory is cor
rect" On the basis of his personal
knowledge apparently, and of brief
notice from British publication in re-
spect to ''Percival, the American poet"
which speaks of his eccentricity, his
learning, his geological survey of Con-
necticut, his meager salary, and his
poverty, he describes DIR. Percival's con-
nection with Webster's dictionary thusi
''He was the sole author, compiler and
editor of the first edition of Webster's
unabridged dictionary, giving not only
the definitions, but the root and history
of over 10000 words derived from other
languages of the world-thirty Il num-
Der, of every one of which he must have
| had some critical knowledge The
great fortune of Noah Webster in life,
and his worldwide fame as the greatest
photographer of any age, are based
solely upon the unrequitted labor of
James G. Percival, who died in poverty
in miners cabin in western Wisconsin,
'unwept, unhonored and unsung'"
These statements are certainly impor-
tant, if true. But are they true? | an
swer emphatically, No! And it is but
right that should give my authorities.
These are, l. Personal knowledge. III.
Documentary evidence. L. My person
al knowledge of DR.. Percival and of
WebsteTs dictionary extends back to
March, 1915, when | came to New Ha-
ven to assist Prof Goodrich in the re-
vision of the royal octave edition of
Webster's dictionary, and DIR. Percival
had been for several months working on
the revision of the unabridged" or
larger dictionary, both of which were
| published in 1S47, the former by Har-
| per d Brothers, the latter by George &
! Charles Merriam. For two years and a
half | occupied the same room with
Prof. Goodrich, No. 1873 (now 1867, in
the third story of the (now old college
chapel. In that room the main part of
|
| pleted. For several months after be-
gan to occupy that room, DR.. Percival
came frequently = usually, / think,
about once a week-trom his own room
at the state hospital to consult Professor
Goodrich in regard to the work which
he in the mean time had been doing by
himself. | know that DIR. Percival in
sisted on reading to Professor Goodrich
every important change which he made
and obtaining his approval. This con-
sultation took place either in the room
where L was, or in the little room adj
joining, which then contained the libra
ry of Prof. Goodrichs kinsman, Rev.
George Cotton, father of Rev. John o.
Cotton, the pastor of Chapel street
church, who died in 1910. | have also
personally known every person who had
any important part in preparing the
earlier editions of Webster's dictionary,
including DR.. Webster himself Sher-
man Converse, the first publisher, Will
liam G. Webster Or. Webster's SOM,
Edward C. Herrick, Nathaniel Jocelyn,
DIR. William FULLY, Professor Goodrich
and his father, Hon. Elizur Goodrich,
DR.. James Murdoch, Professors Sillman
(senior), Gibbs (senior), Olmsted Stan
ley, j. Hadley, and j. d. Dana, all of
whom, except the last, are now dead
Ill. L have before me also as documen-
tary evidence the various editions of
Webster's dictionary (including the
prefaces to all the editions, and Prof
Goodrich's memoir of DIR. Webster,
which are printed in the last edition)
Wards carefully-prepared Life and
Letters of James Gates Percival (Which
contains DR.. Percival's contracts with
Sherman Converse, etc. }, and Scudder's
Noah Webster (written by one who
sympathizes more with Worcester's die
tionary and Boston than with Webster's
dictionary and New Haven).
The question before us now is not
whether DIR. Purcival OF any one else
could have made, or could now make, a
better dictionary than Webster's; but,
did DIR. Percival make Webster's die
tionary? People generally have be-
lieved that Noah Webster was the real
author of the first edition of Webster
dictionary; | maintain that this popular
belief is correct; Hon. Beriah Brown
claims for DR.. Percival: ''He was the
sole author, compiler and editor of the
first edition of Webster's Unabridged
Dictionary" etc. The authors preface
to the edition of 1928, Prof. Goodrich's
and Mr.. Scudder's me moirs of Dir. Web
ster, and Mr.. Wards Life of DR.. Per-
cival, all concur in the statement that
DIR. Webster having published ''com-
pendious dictionary" in 1906 (when
Perciyal was eleven years old), devoted
himself to the preparation of An Amer
lean Dictionary of the English Lam
guage, which was published as his work
in 1928 in two quarto volumes. Further,
Wards Life of Percival gives the con-
tract (Janualy IL, 1920 between S.
, Converse and j. G. Peacival, by which
Percival agreed to read and correct the
second prOOf-sheets of the dictionary
with Webster, Percival to receive $50
I iot Lis oeINiCeS, pEONlueu IL taxes not
exceeding ten months to complete the
work, and it is understood that one
sheet of said work per day is to be exc
cuted. Ii it exceeds ten months, then
! said Converse is to pay said Percival in
proportion as for the ten months" But
this contract was modified july f. 1927,
so that Converse was to pay Percival
$3.50 additional for reading and correct
ing the manuscript of Webster diction-
airy. preparatory to its being put into
the hands of the compositors,n this ex-
ira service consisting in general in
speetion of the whole manuscript, and
a particular inspection of all the scien-
tific words, and careful correction of
errors which he may discover in or
under such words, and careful atten-
ton to the alphabetical arrangement of
the whole vocabulary" The contract
was again modified, August 20, 1927, to
provide for the proof-reader' examin-
ing only three. sheets per week, PEREZ
walls compensation not being affected
by this change.
Percival thus describes his work De-
cember 4, 1927: 81 will give my oecu-
patton for two days in getting out one
sheet. begin (say Monday morning)
at a. m. with reading the first proof
from the manuscript, and get it ready
for the printer by p. m. cannot do
it in less time. Then as soon as / can
abn1t II I fol a