The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-06-05
THE CENTURY DICTIONARY

For the past five years The Century Co. has been
engaged in preparing a dictionary of the English
Language ofwhch Professor William ID. W hltney, OF
Yale College is -chief-the purpose being
to make more comprehensive work than has yet
appeared in popular torm, to include, IN additon 70
very full collection of individual words in all de-
partments of the language, all technical phrases,
not self-expaning in law. the mechanical arts the
sciences, etc. Indeed it is designed to make this
dictionary so complete in its definitions of all
branches science and art that even the specialist
will need nothing further. The number of new
words in MANY OF these departments is said TO be
surprisingly great The dictionary Will have also
remarkably complete system Of cross and
which will add greatly to its value.
A prominent feature of the new work viii be It's
encycopedie character Its definitions Will be ful-
Ter and more complete than is customary in works
of this kind it will go further into the various uses
and meanings Of words and IN many cases VII give
cal scientific, legal. mechanical, etc. Quite an
army of persons has been at work for several years
reading standard American and English books In
search of quotations. of which an immense number
will be used. American writers, such as Emerson,
Lowell Hawthorne. Irving. Whittier, Longfellow,
Holmes and distinguished scientists are reeeiy
ing special attention. :,
The publishers are taking great pains with the IL
lustrations of which there will be about 5000 They
are employing the same class of artists and engray-
ers that contribute to their magazines, and they
mean to make the result something hitherto I'M
known in the world of dictionaries. Each picture
as it is drawn. and again after it is engraved. is
submitted the specialist to whose department 1t
belongs that its scientific accuracy may be guaran
teed. OF these specialists there are about thirty,
working at their homes in New YORK, Baltimore.
Washington New Haven. Cambridge, and else
where each being individually responsible for all
the definitions in his department. and all under the
general supervision of Professor Whitney, who will
himself have special charge of the definitions in the
department of philology, in which he is famous,
and of the spelling and pronunciation, 1t is under
stood that he will not adopt phonetic method OF
spelling though on theoretical grounds he is known
to favor it. Professor Whitney is not only recogniz-
ed as the most eminent American philologist but
the London Saturday ReuieIU has recently pronoune-
ed him the foremost Engish-speaking scholar in
his department In addition to the specialists,
force Of about fifty assistants has been busy collating
material and preparing copy for the printer. the
final work on which is done with type-wrting ma:
chimes at The Century Co.'S Office.
The inception of this scheme was desire to i'm
prove and Americanize the Imperial Dictionary
of Great Britain brought out in this country by The
Century Co. five years ago. AS the work OF altering
il advanced it became apparent that better plan
begin de and SO the far greater work of
making new dictionary of the English language
was begun. Two or three years must still elapse
before II will appear and in the mean time opporu-
nifty is offered by the publishers to those interested
in helping useful a work to contribute
material and suggestions TO ii. Much valuable
matter has been received in this way from many
scholars and practical men all over the world
1t is estimated that upwards of a quarter OF a
million of dollars will be spent upon The Century
Dictionary before it is ready for publication. The
work of type-setting and printing will be done by
the De Winnie Press. in the new building into which
they have recently moved.