The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-07-11
RECENT LITERATURE.

making OF q dictionary 10 q stupcndous task
IL took good Dr. Johnson eight years to make
his, Single handed, and the makers of the
Standard have been ct work five years, hui
there have been 247 editors and specialists, and
800 readers for quotations. Tho language has
| greatly increased in sire since Johnson's time.
His work contained $4,000 words MS compared
- over 800 COO IN tais. Electricity, with It's
| enormous development in the last 10 years, has
added 1000 terms to our language. The con.
| tinuel changes in language. the shifting o!
| meanings ami prOnuuciatiOns. the adoption OF
new words and the deserton of old ones max es
| the work OF the dictionary maker not an easy
| one; but the editors have handled this part vii
a great deal of tact. though they have been
| somewhat free in allowing new words that are
just gaining standing in society chance. 1t
\ is a very delicate matter to accept words from
| slang that will prove beneficial to the language
| and at the same time to shut out those that are
| useless.
This dictionary Is especially convenient for
| two reasons: One. because of its thumb linden
tations at the letters, making the finding OF a
word an almost instantaneous task; and the
other, departure from the usual arrangement
in such books, is the placing of the definitions
Immediately following the word and placing
the derivatIons. synonyms and quotations after.
This makes il possible TO get the meanings in a
hurry. For those who like to linger long over
word. hunting up its Greek or Latin ances-
tors. and peering around 10 see how IL seems in
other tongues. there 10 matter enough for them
to ponder over. Never were words more gen.
erously treated and their study is made de-
light. Synonyms, showing the most delicate
shades of meaning, are given with unusual
liberalty.
1t has unusually large and accurate
glossary of foreign words and phrases. French,
German, Latin, Spanish, Italian and Greek
sayings from $50 classical writers are explained.
both as to their contextusl and general mean
Ing.
All disputed spellings were laid before COM
mite of so Amefio IN and English phlologists.
The present tendency toward simpler forms of
spelling has been reeogn zed, but the decisions of
these judges have leen recorded in an appen-
dix. which makes tho work in still another
manner valuable to students of the languages.
The recent decisions of the United States Geo
graphical Board rs TO the authorized spelling
of geographical names. and the official decision
of the Chemical Division of the American Asso-
citation for the Advancement OF Science, have
been regarded making these terms as nearly
correct ~ they possibly can be.
For illustrations, besides the usual pictures
in the text, which clearly printed aud well
placed. there are full-page plates. illustrating
many subjects. The ones on coins aud races
are particularly Interesting, and the colored
plates illustrating varieties OF flowers, gems,
largo page illustrating colors and giving tho
proportional parts Of the primary colors in the
compound is something new and valuable.
Tho book is a strk ing example OF what may
be done by judicious condensation and system.
The idea of grouping of related words and
terms is not altogether new, but in other
book Of the kind has the plan been carried so
far, in the way Of clear ness of presentation and
breadth of scope. as in the Standard. The word
architecture may serve AS an illustration of q
group of this kind. Under this single word the
reader Is referred TO 10 nther words represent
ing tho leading types or groups into which
architecture 10 historieEliy divided. as BY zan-
tine, Chinese. English. Greek, Renaissance, etc.
Turning to any one of these words we find
there the subdivis.Ss:s of the subject explained
and still further di,iributed-the word English.
fGs instance, opening up 13 more minor
branches. Thus. from the single word archi.
lecture, to which Lsadipgl the reader in search
Of information on this point would naturally
turn. The whole aeld. taking in every country,
period. and style. is revealed at glance. SINH
lar distributions tat ,bs main word giving the
key. words 20 the entire suhjec,) are found un.
der the other arts and scrences-the word
science itself broadly grouping NIL the sciences.
Even literature is sdbsii yidod at that word into
its branches, which are again subdivided Tie
ex pisnatory note at mythology is such an adj
mirsble instance OF encyclopedia treatment of
"
cannot forbear quoting il entire:
Mythology au'ong the Greeks took the
form OF idealization Of She beautiful aud es-
the,ic (see list Of gods at Olympia; as devel-
oped by the Ronsns IL deifed virility, war aud
the principles of law aud order (see list of gods
~ Pantbeon); in India 1t deified the forces OF
tropical nature tsee Adi,, Agni, Asnra, Brah
ma Deva, Dyaus. Indra, kAna, Krisbna. Mir
vsna. PuraDa, Siys TripitAka Veds, Vishnu)
in Egypt il eentsred about the Nile and its
denizebs tsss Anutis. Apis, Isis. Osiris, Ptah,
Ra. Sch. Scraps set. TyphonJ; in Scandinavia
it idssliIrd the struggle with the arctic forces
Of nature tsse IEsir. AsSard Muspel. .Ragnurok,
Valhaila YAM. SEQ also hpihropoloQy."
This is more than mere dictionary making
1t is instruction. Altogether it Is most worthy
publication, and one that deserves frequent
and continued study. IL should be given
place in the family library and in tho school
room. For good ail-ronud Judy of the Eng
elish language thcre is nothing better, and for
all classes of msn--scientists. clerks. teachers,
students idlers, business men. book readers
and book makers, for the newspaper man and
the mechanic who reads his daily papcr-it is
a reliable friend. ELSIE PoMERoY McELRoY.
Magazines and Notes.
Scrib,er's Maso-iue for July wiIl oman with