Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-05-17
~ Govt or A cItiAR.n

| American Encyclopaedia Dictionary Criti-
cized by Rev. John Davis of Trinity
| Cathedral.
Rev. John Davis, dean of Trinity
Cathedral CT Little Rock, Ark, has
written the following letter after having
examined the first few parts of tho
american Encyclopaedia Dictionary"
which is now being offered to EVERY
EVENING readers on the coupon plan:
TO tie Editor. To what extent Jour
readers have taken hold Of the offer you
nre making of the american Encyclu-
ppdic Dictionary" do not know; but the
| opinion formed of this work is so favor
able and its value to the intelligent reader
so great that beg to trespass little on
your columns in its behalf
When parts and 2 appeared, procured
copies with view to investigate their
rather extravagant claims, and this with
10 small sense of incredibility. Worces-
| ters unabridged was first taken as a basis
of comparison. Several groups of fifty
words each were successfully selected and
examined, aud between these extremes the
corresponding portions of the Encyclo.
prdic were similarly examined. Numeri-
| caily the advantage was at once apparent
on the side of the latter, as the American
contained from 90 to 100 per cent more
words, Turning then to the definitions Of
lhese WORDS Ihe comparison was almost at
IN END Moreover, the etymo'
lVgieai portion was superior, the pronuh'
eI1,IuH clshrer' Tue illustrative quotatlohs
fuller indeed, 1t required no great time To
become evident that Worcester could not
seriously enter into the competition.
Believing the same would prove as true
"a NeusII ilteIhHlloIlal, tuIheu at
, v,iue 70 the Se.tuirS plct i that
thesaurhs OF American modern lexicog-
faphy' II misht provoke smile 10 say
lilat = ulctiohary onerlhs user lot only ~
s sn1 presume 10 chaileilge one seillhg al
W. otu asian, ash any rossessVl VI sIie century
VI tlipos VA, Ivy worus where from 70
I'm. W. ueliis ~ Iar US tie mas
eorrespondinr loo from liz latter see ei if L
aoes nnt easily stand ne comparison And
WI, ,,. mh ',. We cohsiueI the' nunloer OF
moits G'Neh, tnelr luGiu, loslchl arranEe-
iioli', tllelI hlstoIlcal ueSeiopIhent; OF tue
ehcEulol!.eulc Iulless q their ueuhltloh'
49, 4.
Al, i,a i''t " 70 nob tpo inush 70 PIoPnesy
, u WIEN liie Encyulopiculc Is colilple
WEBSTER anu worcester VIII pe pracilcaily
SSIIetseu91, anu US oiiy rlvhl VIII DC Ihe
Nentury Dictlohary. but When we renect
.i Va lhe cosl Oh tIe TWO stanus W me ratio
ol Yen 70 one, WIN their respective merits
~ nearly uaIallCeu' the average STUDENT
VIII iot nesltate long between the century
Aiiu 'lle Aiherlcan. ...,. -...-.,-
90 huch LOT comparison win OUTSIDE
rIvals, Let us note the proceeds oil these
advantages.
l. u Is encyclopedia. You can rarely
consult It's pages Tor general Information
without inding what you are seeking. Its
com Pressed khoWleuse Is remarkable.
= II IS wonderfully rich IN old English
WORDS ana terms, US is the American Ency-
cl0penla
.; Fu,ness OF scientific, pbilosophic,
ai.u biological terms. When we reflect
mat our text books need revision every
zen years or otteher, because OF the rapid
adNahce IN modern thought, 1t Will be seen
tha1 our leXicons need corresponding re-
VISION The latest IS presumably the best.
4. Another feature of the present edition
Is the Americanl2ing OF its contents. The
qictiohary was flrst published by the noted
EhSllsh house OF Cassell " Co., with
hoDert Hunter, II. q. y, us edltor-in-chief.
Naturally II treated the language from the
STANDPOINT o. England's needs, aud for
Ups reason II was not as desirable for our
use TINS side the Atlantic. But in the re-
print before us the whole work has under
gone revision at the hands OF eminent
american authorities, who, while retain
liis every essential clause of the English
eult9r' nave added information ON all
words that needed adoption to our ma,
uohal Ate and Thought. This is great