The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-20
BIBLES AND LEXIC0NS
LARGE FORCE OF WORKERS BEING
USED ON NEW EDITIONS.
A Dictionary Under Way for Fifty
Ycarx-First Jewish CyclOpedia
Started - New Bibles.

New York Evening Post.
So many new dictionaries and Bibles
now In preparation that what some of their
editors say of the labor and methods is of
timely interest According to one die
tionaries involve more care and expense
in making than do encyclopedias. This
difference comes not so much from differ
ence in length or mass written as from the
greater care involved in the preparation of
dictionaries and the large staff of proof
readers required to insure the getting of
the material into type properly. DR.. john
son expected when he began the prepara-
ton of his work to finish at the end of
three years, but found that nine years were
necessary. Noah Webster spent twenty
four years on his dictionary, being very
careful in his etymology and punctilious
in his definitions. Littre's French diction-
airy, which includes 5000 closely printed
pages, was twenty-six years in making.
thirteen having been spent in collecting
material and the same number in revision.
The revision of Worcester's dictionary has
occupied five years. and its publication is
promised soon. There is more than grain
of truth apparently in the definition which
DR.. Johnson gave of lexicographer-'a
writer of dictionaries, harmless drudge"
In the preparation of the new English
dictionary, which has been under way for
fifty years, it is expected that quotations
will be furnished by more than 15oO per-
sons in Great Britain and the United States
and that the number of quotations will ex-
coed 100000 The readers who send in
these slips, and who practically all un-
paid volunteers, are asked to note every
word that strikes them SIS rare, obsolete.
peculiar, new or used in a peculiar sense.
When a word is just creeping into the Ian
guage is becoming archaic dates of its
use are asked for also.
Benjamin Z. Smith, managing editor OF
the Century Dictionary, said to-day, in dis
GUESSING the work on that publication and
its cost, that the work of organizing
staff and collecting material was begun in
1882, while the first volume was not issued
until 1889 nor the last until 1891. The supple
mentary volume, Cyclopaedia of Names,
appeared in 1894. Twelve years were thus
consumed in its issue.
There must be great amount of work
DONE" DR.. Smith said, before any results
appear. First the editor must receive a
very large number of volunteer readers,
who are willing to take up a particular
branch and read exhaustively everything
that has been written on the subject. This
takes a long time. Then an office force
must be organized to sift the material as it
pay for several years before anything is
printed. AS soon few pages are COM
pleted they are set UP by the printer,
proofs are read by the printers assist
ants, and then sent to the contributors
After the proofs return this time they are
read by the editor and ordered set aside
Corrections are likely to become necessary
even now, as words change in meaning
quickly.
ACCURACY REQUIRED.
ITO obtain absolute accuracy, such as a
modern dictionary requires, involves the
most scruplous care in proofreadng. Take
almost any page of our dictionary, the
first Short definition 1 turn to. It happens
to be scientific term. Not to make some
blunder would require extreme care in
proofreading the following: 'Tetracarpel-
larry (tet-ra-kar pe-la-rD, a. [Gr. tetpa-,
four, MI. carpellum. carpet, r -ary.l In
bot, having four carpets
THE cost OF the completed work, includ-
Ing constant revision since publication, has
been between $4,000 and 81 100000. An
editor, therefore, who undertakes TO put
out comprehensive dictionary. must have
Walter ii. Pake, editor of the projected
Mcclure encyclopedia, which is intended
to be the most inclusive of any vet pub
lished, said that plans for its appearance
were under way. but not yet ready to give
out Not all of the writer's. he said, were
engaged.
Under the editorship of DR.. Isidore
Singer. doctor Of philosophy of Vienna
New York firm will begin to Issue next
January Jewish encyclopedia In twelve
volumes. aggregating about eight thousand
pages. with two thousand Illustrations DR..
Singer said, speaking OF the project. that
nothing of the kind has ever been done
before although Jewish literature has been
SO rich and Jewish achievements so varied
said:
THE encyclopedia is to be made ND Of
facts, not of opinions. 1t will not advo-
cate nor plead. The writer's are to dra w
no conclusions, are not to criticise or make
comment. but to give facts" Included I'm
the editorial board Cyrus Adler of
johns Hopkins and the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition; e. Deutsch. Phi. D., from Vienna
professor of Hebrew in Union College. Gin
natl; Richard Gottheil, Phi. D., of Leipsic
professor of Semitic languages inColumbIa
University; Marcus Jastrow, Phi. D. OF
Halle, Rabbi Emeritus of the ConTreea.
ton Rodef Shalom. Philadelphia, Pa: Nor
ris Jastrow, jr-, Phi. D., of Lefpsfc pro-
lessor OF Semitic languages at the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania. K. Kohler. PHI. ID
of Ehlangen. Rabbi fof Temple Beth-Ei
New York; George F. Moore. Nj. A., d. D..
of Yale.
With the announcement for earIv nubl;-
cation in this city of "hexaelot RfbIe ;.
for the sole use of biblical scholars. the
question arises as to the justification for
the numberless editions that are put upon
the market from year to year In America
practically all of the Bibles that are print
cd without commentaries of some kind are
issued by the American Bible Society.
whose endowments allow the issuance Of
the Scriptures at a cost actually below that
or publication. The editions issued by the
society include scores of sizes and hun
dreds OF languages and dialects.
THE NEW BIBLES.
The ordinary publisher. working without
endowment, is enabled to publish and sell
editions of the Bible because he puts into
the volume some commentary on the text,
some new reading. or soEe Introductory
matter OF value The Bible Society. by the
terms Of itz charter. b limited to the print