The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-03-11
NEW PUBLlCA TONS.
The Completion OF the Standard
Dictionary.

The second volume of the Standard die
tionary published by the Funk& Wag-
nails Co. of New York, is ready Tor dlS-
~tribution, and the completion of this val,
liable work, fulils, II 1t does not exceed
allthe promises the projectors MADE Iorlt
This dictionary possesses many d1Stlnct
features which place it in the a of all
similar productions. -
In the first place, it is the very latest
publication in the field. Being the latest,
It has of course had the advantage OF the
work that has been done by its .predicss-
sors. In the next place, a DOCK OF tnls
kind, in the very nature of the case, must
have claims to serious consideration, or
its publishers would not have ventured to
risk a million dollars in its production:
A careful examination of the book, and
a comparison of It page by page and at
different points of test with the Century
and Webster's, its two principal compet-
itors, proves in the most conclusive and
convincing manner that its merits amply
Justify its entrance into a field that to an
uninformed observer might seem to be
already filed.
The Standard has a vocabulary of more
h 10000 words, by actual count. as
against 225, 900 in the Century, l25,OOO in
Worcester's, and $1,000 in s%tormonth's.
This increase, of $4,000 words over a die
tion published SO recently as the first
named of these, indicates much more
than appears on the surface. 1t means
while there are comparatively few UNI
important terms, and that all the trades
and the arts i've been iahd una sn e9hiri-
like 1900 new terms have been entered
and described). 1t means, too, as Cleaned
by research In trial lines. that the cnarac
tiers, in the principal mythologies of the
world have been given; the terms in mys-
ticism, formerly accessible in special
works. the very names of which were IN
known to the general reader, have gath
cred together and adequately explained:
the science of Buddhism. with. its little
understood beliefs and system OF worship
The book is a striking example, of what
may be done by juoicious condensation
and system. The idea of grouping of re-
lated words and terms is not altogether
new, but in no other book Of the kind
has the plan been carried so far, or SO
carefully systematized. and with such
excellent results in the way Of clearness
of presentation and breadth OF scope, as
in the standard" The word arehitec-
ture may serve as an Illustration OF a
word the reade is referred to twenty
other words. representing the Leading
types or groups into which architecture
Chinese, English. Greek, Renaissance,
etc. Turning to any one of these words
we find there the subdivisions OF the SUB
uted-the word English, for instance,
opening up thirteen more minor branches.
This is more than mere dictionary,
making-it is instruction, and of a kind
that indicates on the part of some one
remarkable learning and scholarship, as
we'll as a breadth that takes in every,
IQlnE, ana IOT WHICH Olnlil5 10 " Aia
to be considered unworthy of some help
full word of explanation.
The general definitions of the Standard.
from a careful comparison of many OF
them with the other dictionaries. excel
in the points of clearness. sententiousness
and brief comprehensivenessI In other
words, they are exact. terse, and cleas-
cut-hrief when few words are sufficient.
but by no means describing even en-
c~yclopedic treatment when the impo--
lance of the subject demands 1t. The
somewhat ndeterminate and elusive pre-
position 'tof'' is a fine xamp of brief but
comprehensive treatment: beer. coffee.
tea. and tobacco are good types of en-
cyelopedic treatment where required by
the economic Importance of the subject.
The spelling of every one of the 300, 600
words has received the attentive consid-
Grafton of the eminent philologist, Prof.
f. A. March. LII. D.
The variations in spelling and pronun-
citation form an appendix in which are
collated not only the recommendations of
former photographers but. the mature
judgment of the ripest scholarship of the
day. Other additions carry the usual list
of foreign words and phrases which may
properly find a subordinate recognition
in an English dictionary as they find a
slight hospitality in English speech. lists
of authorizations needing explanation and
a half-page of addenda of words and
qualifications omitted from the vocabu-
larry.