The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-06-12
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| For the past five years The Century Co
has been engaged In preparing dictionary
of the English language, of which Profess
or William ID. Whitney, OF Yale College, is
editor-i Chief,-t purpose being to make
more comprehensive work than has yet
appeared In popular form, to include, in ad.
dition to very full collection of individual
words in all departments of the language
all technical phrases not. selfeXplaining
In law, the mechanical arts, the sciences
etc. Indeed, it is designed to make this
dictionary so complete in its definitions of
all branches of science and art that even
the specialist will need nothing further
The number of new" words in many of
of those departments is said to he surpris-
ingly great. The dictionary will have also
a remarkably complete system of crsssre
ferences, and will embody in itself die
tionary of synonyms which will add great
ly to its value.
A prominent feature of the now work
will be its encyclopedia character. Its de-
finitions will be fuller and most complete
than Is customary In works of this kind II
will 90 further into the various uses and
meanings of words, and in many cases will
give full explanations and descriptions of
matters historical scientific, legal, mechan-
ical, etc. Quite an army of persons has
been at work for several years reading
standard American and English book in
search of quotations, Of which an immense
number will be used American writers,
such as Emerson, Lowell, Hawthorne lrv-
ing, Whittier, Longfelow, Holmes, and our
distinguished scientists, are receiving spec.
ial attention,
The publishers are taking great pains
with the Illustrations of which there will
be about 5000 They are employing the
same class of artists and engravers that con
tribute to their magazines, and they mean
to make the result something hitherto I'M
known in the world OF dictionaries. Each
picture as ii is drawn, and again after il is
engraved, is submitted to the specialist to
whose department IL belongs, that its scien-
tihc accuracy may be guaranteed. OF these
specialists there are about thirty, working
ut their homes in New York, Baltimore
Washington, New Haven, Cam bridge, and
elsewhere, each being individually respon
siple for all the definitions in his depart
ment, and all under the general supervis-
ion of Professor Whiteny, who will him
self have special charge Cf the definitions
la the department of philology, in which
he is famous, and of the spelling and prom
unciation 1t is understood that he will not
adopt phonetic method of spelling, though
on theoretical grounds he is known to favor
it. Professor Whitney is not only recog-
lied as the most eminent American philol-
ogist, but the London SATURDAY. R6Uie,r has
recently pronounced him the foremost Eng
disappearing scholar in his department. In
addition to the specialists, force of about
fifty assistants has been busy collating ma
terial and preparing copy for the printer,
the final work on which is done with type
writing machines at The Century Co.'S of
flee
The inception of this scheme was de
sire TO improve and Americanize the I'm
perial Dictionary" of Great Britain, brought
out in this country by The Century Co. five
years ago As the work of altering il adj
vanced, 1t became apparent that a better
plan was to begin ne moro, and so the far
greater work OF making new dictionary
of the English language was begun. Two
or three years must still elapse before il will
appear, and in the mean time opportunity
Is offered 10y the publishers to those inter
ested In helping on so useful work 10
contribute material and suggestion 10 IL
Much valuable matter has been received
in this way from many scholars and pract-
ical men all over the world