New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-24
A GREAT WORK.
THE CENTURY DICTIONARY.

The appearance of the first volume of the Cen
tury Dictionary" is literary event of considerable
importance This work. the comprehensive plan OF
which is already fully developed, is unquestionaby
the fullest English dictionary extant II will COM
prise 100000 words and will embrace what no
other dictionary has, namely. full vocabulary OF
scientifc and technical terms for which hitherto
IL has been necessary 10 refer to special eXiconS
The scheme arranged by Professor Whitney aims
at the completestcollOcation of words used by the
Bnghsh-spcalling people everywhere and under all
circumstances in their occupations and professions
no less than colloquialy; rot including that large
class Of foreign terms which have been OF late
years wholly or partially absorbed and assiIni-
lated, yet which have been omitted from all pre-
yious dictionaries.
The statement Of the publishers sets forth that
1.-The plan of the Century Dictionary includes
three things: the construction OF general dicton-
airy of the English language which shall be service
able for every literary and practical use; more
complete collection of the technical terms of the
various sciences arts, trades and professions than
has get been attempted and the addition TO the
definitions proper of such related encyclopaedia
matter, with pictorial illustrations, as shall
constitute convenient book of general reference
The third OF these objects is that which
must be regarded with the most uncertainty
To introduce the encyclopaedia character TO a
dictionary is new departure, and one WINCH
seems at first sight 10 go counter to some obvious
considerations. Theoretically there is no valid
objection to the plan indeed it offers certain
plain advantages TO scholars and students But
since a dictionary is a kind Of work which de-
pends more upon the popular suffrage than most
books, the question arises whether it is possible
10 popularze dictionary which IN size, mass
md price ranks rather with encyclopedias than
with lexicons Doubts such as this have refer
ence of course TO the business elements OF the
undertaking. not 10 its literary value Inc
difference between an encyclopaedia dictionary
and an encyclopaedia is, however, an important
one: IL Is as here stated: " That the information
given is for the most part distributed under the
individual words and phrases with which II is
connected. instead,o f being collected under few
general topics"
This may or may not be an advantage. We
ore inclined 10 think that most people who have
occasion TO consult an encyclopaedia find it con-
venient TO have all their information in connected
forms under one or two general heads; and that
confusion might be caused If 1T were necessary
10 seek what is wanted under number OF titles
But even if this be the case 1t Is not OF grave
consequence for the other special features OF
The Century Dictionary" are such as t. render
in quite independent of the encyclopaedia element
The virtue which chiefly recommends il is its
comprehensiveness. Next TO this is the thorough
ness of the pathological research upon which It's
ctymologies rest These two features alone are
enough TO nut il far above all other dictionaries
and to secure for it position of ndispensableneSS
The Importance and the sagacity of bringing TO-
gether so great mass of words which have
heretofore been excluded from all general diction
l,ioho lat ir,c hay had
real weight are not TO be easily overestimated;
and this part of the undertaking is clear mani
festation of that centralzing modern spirit which
is in the very air, and which more and more
tends TO the massing of capital for the carrying
ont of vast enterprises which embrace the whole
of some industry, art, product or department. OF
human knowledge.
Ii was, moreover. essentially fitting that n
dictionary cast upon these catholic lines should
be an American undertaking, for here of all
countries the social and business conditions tend
10 the merging of artificial distinctions and Seara-
tionS and the opening up OF all activity, o7por-
tunity and requirement to every man, woman
and child possessing ambition, intelligence, IN
dustry and perseverance, 1t is certainly III accord
with the existing tendencies and conditions IN
America that the latest dictionary should aim at
including the whole of what, by the broadcast
ENGLISH language That this license covers the
whole sclass Of technical and professional terms
employed by those whose vernacular is English
is beyond question; and the propriety and con-
yenience Of collecting all this under systematic
arrangement is equally incontestable. The central
idea. in short is completely modern and alto
getler admirable. The only question is whether
IL has been carried out properly. 1t would
be possible TO bring together 100000
words in such manner as to render
the increase in bulk hndrance instead
of a help Mere mass is by itself in NJ way
desirable literary quality. AT first sight IT is apt
10 raise the suspicion of inadequate digestion OF
want of discrimination. The Century Dlctloh'
ary,7 however, is open to no such lmputaton. II
mas had master mind to guide and control IT,
and its magnitude is made valuable by the precise
direction and completion Of every detail
Professor Whitney has had the etymologle'
written on a uniform plan, in accordance with the
established principles of comparative pmloiosy
So much advance has been made of late years in
his science that it has been possible in many
cases 10 clear up doubts to deriyations, to cor
rect old,errors. and to throw fresh light upon the
histories of words. In tracing derivatiOns anC
use the current forms have been given first, de
scendipg thence chronoogicaly TO the most ar
chaic examples. No clearer, more perspicuou>
method could have been employed, and 1t mus
greatly facilitate the labors of those who use the
new dictionary But there are in the etynolo
gies," TO quote Professor Whitney again, TIVE
distinct groups CT forms those in the line OF cog
nation or collateral descent. A Greek word, TO
example, may occur not only in Anglo-SaXon an(
tnclsh). but also in other 1eutonic and II
Romance and other tongues, and the full account
of the English form requires the mention Of TIT
most important of these other forms as parable
with or equal to the Ango-SaXon or English
TO separate these groups as plainly as possible
both TO the mind and the eye, distinctive symbols
are employed, of a simple but sufficiently striking
form. The general effect is an increase OF lucid
,tv in the working machinery of the dictionary
which will be appreciated first by scholars, BIZ