Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-06-29
The Men Who Made
The Dictionaries

OF the great number of people
who use two of the most prominent
dictionaries in the English language
today, Webster's and Worcester's
many consulting their contents fire.
ouently through the day and
a very safe investment to wag-
er that only very small per-
centage of them know anything about
the lives Of these writer's. The average
man knows that the two men were
Noah Webster and Joseph Emerson
Worcester but that is about the ex-
tent of this knowledge concerning the
dictionary writer's. Get a crowd of
even the best educated men together
and 1t is doubtful If few of them know
the date and place of birth of either.
For the benefit of anyone of an innuir-
ing turn of mind brief sketches of
Webster and Worcester are publish
ed as follows:
Webster Born in 1853.
Noah Webster was an American
author and philologist He was born
in Hartford. Connecticut October 16
1853, and entered Yale college in 1774
In his thirG college year, he served
under his father, militia captain, in
the war OF the Revolution. He was adj
mitted to the bar in 1881, but en-
gagged in scholastic and literary occu-
i,ations. While employed in teaching q
school in Goshen. N. Y. he prepared
| English language" published in three
parts; and edited Governor Winthrops
Journal. In 1885 he wrote Sketches
Of American Policy" advocating the
formation of new constitution and
gave public lectures on the English
language, which We're published In
1889. He taught an academy in Phila
ton; and in 1888. published the Amer
lean magazine in New York.
Published Many Books.
Hartford he engaged in 1898. in the
editorship of the Minerva, Federalist
daily paper in New York. In 1893. he
published, "a Brief History Of Epi-
demic and Presidential Diseases" the
yellow fever having broken out in
New York. and pamphlets on interna-
tional law, banking and finance. In
1907 he published "a Philosophical and
Practical Grammar of the English
Language" and commenced his Amer
lean Dictionary Of the English Ian
guage, but finding difficulties in ety.
| nology. he devoted ten years to its
study, and prepared Synopsis OF
| Words in Twenty Languages" Then
began his dictionary anew, complet-
ing 1T in seven years. In 1924 he Wis
tied Europe to consult books and
learned men, spending some months at
Paris and at Cambridge. In 1928 All
edition Of $500 copies of his dictionary
in two volumes was issued. followed
by an edition of 5000 copies in Eng
land. Numerous abridgements have
been made, which found a large sale
His elementary spelling book, found
ed on his Institutes, up to 1862 had
| copies. new, thoroughly revised
and enlarged edition Of his dictionar.
was issued in 1864. 4
1t Is penha ps the most complete die.
tionarv of the English language ye
published. His heirs are said to receive
$4,000 annually for copyrights. He
published popular History of the
ful Studies" He was judge, and One
OF the founders of Amherst college
He died at New Haven May 2s, 1S43.
Joseph Emerson Worcester.
Joseph Emerson Worchester was g
| distinguished photographer, born IL
| Bedford, N. H, August "a, 1884. He
graduated from Yale College in 1911
after which he was for several years
employed in teaching in Salem Mass
In 1917 he published a geographical
dictionary or universal gazetteer, an.
cient and modern, in two volumes
followed in 1918 by gazetteer Of the
United States. In 1919 he removed tc
Cambridge, where he published the
same year Elements Of Geography
Ancient and Modern"-a work which
was received with great favor by the
public. This was followed by Sketches
of the Earth and its Inhabitants" pub
lished. in 1928. Elements Of History
Ancient and Modern accompanied by
a historical atlas were set before the
public in 1925 and an edition Of the
'Johnson's Dictionary as Improved by
flood and Abridged by Chalmers, will
| Walkers Pronouncing Dictionary
Combined" was the fruit of his labors
In 1928. In 1929 he prepared an abridg-
| ment Of Webster's large American die
tionary. and in 1880 appeared. his owr
comprehensive, pronouncing and ex.
planatory English dictionary. From
1882 to 1843 he edited the American
Almanac, and in 1s46 appeared his
| Universal and Critical Dictionary Of
the English Language The mos
elaborate and important of DIR. Wor.
cester's literary labors-that to which
all his previous works in the depar.-
ment of lexicography had been more
or less preparatory-was his quartz
Dictionary of the English Language
| issued in 1860, which has been said tc
represent the riDe results of many
years of patient and conscientious re-
search shaped by unerring judgment
and uniform good taste. He died al
Cambridge in 1867.
|