The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-02-14
Snelline.Rook CentenniaI.

Beginning with 1875 and ending
with 1883, there have been many CEN
tennials celebrated in this country.
Probably more powder has been burn
ed, more flags unfurled, and more
preaching performed during the last
eight years, to celebrate the different
events of the revolution, than during
the actual conflict a hundred years
ago. And while we are patriotic, and
glory in our emancipation from for
eign rule, the Inland Printer would
not forget, though every other one
may, an event that in many respects
has made its influence felt for whole
century. DR.. Noah Webster, one hum
dred years ago, was poor young man
struggling for mere subsistence, and
to assist him in the great work OF fur
nishing his then new country with
standard for the pronunciation and
spelling of the English language he
published his spelling book for the use
of schools. The book soon came into
general use, and has had the unprece-
dented sale Of 100000 copies, or
nearly million a year. Nor is the
wonderful little book yet out of print,
but is being sold and used about as
much as ever. Many similar works
in the meantime have appeared and
gone out of existence, but the book IN
which our fathers and mothers learn
ed to spell is now in the hands of
their grandchildren and great-grand-
children. We well remember the
first copy we possessed. 1t was a
present from Grandfather, who said
he had seen the man who made the
book. It had blue cover, and on the
first page was a picture, the dome OF
a temple, at the top of which was a
goddess called Fame. A man was di-
recting the attention Of a boy to the
image. That was forty years ago. In
a new copy we see the same boy with
his eye fixed on the same mark. He
doesn't seem to have moved toward
the point, and we wonder if he isn't a
symbol of many more American boys,
always looking towards eminence but
never advancing a step. Ii SO, the
fault cannot be laid at the door Of the
author of the elementary spelling
book, for in that little volume was the
key to unlock the door which led to
the very pinnacle of the temple there
represented. The book needs no de-
scription, for almost every American
boy and girl has seen it, but the recol-
lections of it are pleasant to relate as
they are to hear Doubtless most of
us have the same affection for the
book, and all remember its pecu-
liarities and its difficulties. Don't
you remember, when you had learned
the alphabet, the emotions that pos
sessed you when the teacher turn
ed over with his own hand the leaf to
give you lesson in the ''a-b, abs?
Then the lesson of two syllables COM
menced with 'sbaker." "Amity" was
where words Of three syllables began,
these were distinct steps in the educa-
tional ladder which we all remember
to have trod with feelings of utmost
interest. Then we began to turn over
the leaves and look up the places
where other boys were learning Sin
comprehensibility," and we looked
upon them with the same awe that
looked in later years upon the senior
when we were only fresh. Then the
word-method had not come into use,
and we were expected to learn the
whole speller through before we could
have a reader. But there was some
reading in the book, and though we
all know it by heart, we are almost
tempted to transcribe the whole story.
of the old man who found a boy in
one Of his apple-trees. We learned
the four reading lessons by heart, then
there was a little more spelling, and
then the dictionary words, and lastly
the Latin phrases which the teacher
said we need not learn, and our Joy
was complete, for we had gone through
the speller. But never since have we
had placed in our hands book that
has left such deep impress as Web
ster's Elementary Speller.
1t was forty-five years later that
DIR. Webster's great Work, the Amer
lean Dictionary, was given to the
world, and which at once became and
ever since has remained the standard
of American lexicography.-Inland
Printer.