New-York tribune., 1889-10-20


until the undertaking was IN such shape thaO
| the volumes might be issued at regular lnterNaiS
the six TO be complete within two years from I'm .1e
| appearance OF the first in July OF TINS year
When the first volume OF the superb WORK hp-
peared, doubt. II there was any. OF the success
of the great project was at once 9anlSneu roriS
| last n year II was seen that II would pe en-
| hausted Within six months, and immediately wo[h
| began on second and larger edlu0h. edl IA AZ dav ,,v
| present moment men are at work night anu uitS
and every effort is making TO hurry INTO uhe
world the second edition. that there may De ,r no
! break check in the gratifying Staru tno WYNN
| has made toward success.
GREAT UNDERTAKING.
"Tbe Century Dictionary" has rival. for the
| repson TINT il has no competitor. 10 is not ony
dictionary. il is an encyclopaedia Of the Engllsn
lanpuace. The task Of accomplishing such WORK
! is so great that when the last volume appears
in 1891. nine years will have been spent on IV'
But years cannot measure the labor s WIicI De- ~
Will have cost Besides the edltorlniehiiei,
! fcSsor William ID. Whitney, OF laie IN 'Sro;tI
| and the managing editor. Benjamin II. S, .Loro
together with seven editorial assistants tnriai
are engaged in the great work Ihr'9 l,ors onD and
! contribufors ALI eminent scholars, WVfheIo Co.. e.
/ writer's ON spccialtieS There are many ,,nrds
| reading books new and ol0 10 usooJ i Ja1. there
not included in the dictionaries o. bicb readily
are Others reading to find phrases WnI" II the
rxplain the different meanings OF woIu ~ SSyord
ouotations used are TO be new anu S S,g - tbosa
not defined in dictionary is TO De auuGu - dord
aIreodv accessible to the people through stali"ia ~
nrps Ono writer on this subject says that III
tbc "Tncyclopaedia Britannica alone WIZ I 10
covered O. 600 words not honored WIN pi"00
III jy m the Of the Imperial Dictionary had to
be cut up for reasSortment uhuef k@lnIreu @ otad
These groups are placed IN the hahdS oI I no.eu
authorities on special topics, and when the M MMoIuS
come back newly defined and Increased oy otngIs' of'
the process of recassiiylng them tHis uPT a Is
betically as they were before, bcShSS. lnelc -
revision upon revision. There are addllohs gnu
endless changes, made by accurate ana treMss .T
editors, until the sheet hnauy comes lECan Cne
press methodical, attractive and COMPROMISING wi
Whore definitions and explanatory sentences Iai
10 make every word clear III all lts senses u-u az az
its shades OF senses, then comes the "a
70 instruct the eye There are some 5000 III
lustrations They have been prepared WIN an
eye not only to scientific accuracy, put ",So ~
artistic beauty, under the SUPERVISION VI w. -
Fraser OF The Century Co.'s art department.
GUARDING AGAINST DANGER
Such was the vast amount of work expended IN
this undertaking that the publishers soon sa"
that written material once destroyed might never
be replaced 1t mi ght not be possible to secure
the data again. and the men who had done 'le
great work of preparing tue manuscript Couiu
Lot, perhaps, carry out their work sec9n9 tiue;
To secure themselves against the posslpl!'9 %
irreparable loss, each sheet OF lnlHuSclpS @ "9
ubot togra Dhed and now when the MI tefldl SoeS
from the fre-prOOf vaults TO the printer, thefe
rest securely behind the negative plates @ leauS ~
be reproduced and recOped whenever heteSsiy
The $500 pages of the SIN volumes WIZ con
tain over 200, 600 words, 3OO.OOO separate ueul
tions 100000 illustrative quotatioGs ana aDouU t
G 600 Illustrations besides special features, Such
as foreign words and phrases, abDre'latloS' etc
"The work is also designed to be 1uil anu
authoritative special dictionary IN every uei"tv FL
mcnt of science and the afts, says thS puD
| fishers announcement. The etymol0gica history
of words will be given, and there VIII pe slecal
| lists of SYNONYMS and words closely Synonymous
The first volume handsomely bound and fin
| ished, with cover designed ny Mf. MpIte' CIc
well-lnown architect, Is specimen o. ti mr SII
of modern publication. 1t IS no less Deaullll
in appearance than the contents. enriched win
the treasures of many able minds, are valuable.
In connection with this superb work It is IN
teresting we'll as suggestive, to know that the
only American publishing house to receive
Grand prize at the Paris Exposition was The
Century Co.
THE HOME OF THE COMPANY.
A sketch Of The Century Co. would not be
complete without some mention of the extremely
handsome offices OIL the fifth floor of the big
building No 33 East Seventeenth-st., on the north
side of Union Square. These rooms are un-
doubtedly the finest publishers headquarters in
! the country The tinted walls, tasteful wood
! work and harmonious furnishings make them
! Quietly elegant while there is an air of graceful
simplicity in every room and in every corner.
| On the walls. which are mostly done in subdued
! Indian red, hang the original drawings OF many
| Of the engravines which in the pages OF >" The
| Century" and OF ST. Ncholasp have been seen
| by so many PEOPLE in every State. There is some
thing about the rooms which reminds one. OF The
! Century Magazine" Perhaps 1t is the dignity or
| perfection in detail. or the number OF familiar
drawings which makes this impression. but, what
ever ii is, one cannot fan TO De struck WIN tne
! idea that the rooms and everything IN them are
! in harmony with the tone OF the handsome maya
| zine The man. however with IN eye more keen
| for the practical than for the beautiful might
easily he forgiven IT, in his admiration of the or
| ranpement the spaciousneSs and the finely ad-
iusted mechanism Of the rooms, he were tempted
! to overlook the artistic effect.
As the visitor steps from the elevator and
| through the corridor 10 the floor Of the main
! office he comes upon a scene of lively Industry
In the large hall arc many busy fingers living
across open pages running down long lists. but
| there is no jar. no hum, not even "a ripple OF
noise. At the front of the room: in one corner is
| the private office of Roswell Smith. From the
windows Of the beautiful quarters OF the energetic
| vigorous and versatile president one has mag
nifcent Wow Directly below is the pretty square
! Further down rise the big buildings in Broad.
| way. and over the tops OF many more IN the lower
| part of the city the Bridge towers stand up gray
| and rugged against the background OF smoke or
log In the front room are the offices and desks Of
| Frank Ii. Scott, treasurer: Charles +. Chichester
assistant treasurer and William n W Ellsworth
office hangs portrait Of DR.. Holland.
To the right as one goes down the inner
corridor is the receptionr room, cosey and cheerful
| On the table lie few Of The Century publlca-
| tionS TO be picked up by those who are whiting
! here. Next come the editorial rooms Ct " 81
Nicholas the first the office of Mrs Mary Mapes
| Dodge whose work is devoted TO the pleasure
and happiness Of children: the second that Of
| William +. Clarke. the assistant editor and the
editorial clerks. The finishngS Of Mrs. Dodge's
room are bright and attractive and the furnish
| ings are in carved walnut. on the main corridor
| is smaller one. leading to the three editorial
! rooms Of "Thc Century" The inner room. which
was intended to be the office OF Dr. Holland. is
| where Richard Watson Glider, the editor-n chief
! does his work. In the other rooms are L. l.
| Johnson, associate editor, and c.. G. Buel. as
| sistant editor.
AT the Eighteenth-st. end the building broadens
and here are the art rooms commodOuS and sweep
| ing. while st preserving the air of comfort
| which is to be found everywhere In the last
| of - series Of four rooms 4. w. Drake. the ART
| supcrntendent has his quarters, and in this set
of rooms is the desk of W. l.. Fraser the art man
| ager
| Sinking feature of the whole floor is the
! admirable arrangement for light. There is no
room where people arc at work which is not evenly
and clearly lighted with broad and high windows
! the brightness and glare being tempered by means