The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-13
The Great Fin giish Dict ionary.

The Great Fin giish Dictionary.
II il gratifying Ia learn that the com
pletion Of that tremendous enterprise
the New English Dictionary on His
torical Principles. which Sir JAMES 4
II. MURRAY has been editing and the
Clarendon Press AT oxford printing. 10
so near AZ hand that the editor il con-
sidering the problem Of what To do with
the enormous mass nf material which
has been collected. Instead Of the half
century which it was thought would be-
needed the work will have been finished
in about half the time. and DR.. MURRAY
stands "a good chance Of living TO see it
done. a pleasure he hardly anticipated
when he first took it in hand
Beginning twenty-one years ago with
large collection of quotations. gathered
in the Course of a quarter of a century
by the Philosophical Society. ne secured
the cooperation of over 200 persons. a
respectable proportion of them in the
United States, 60 read for words and
meanings and to send the quotatio ions
they had made. properly authenticated.
70 him on cards. From these he and
his assistants have gradually made
the Historical Dictionary publishing
small parts "a soon as they were ready
II we are not mistaken the first eight
volumes carrying the alphabet throug h
the letter X. are now complete: Of VOL
ume lX. parts taking s into 81. and T
through Ia have just been published
and the volume will be finished by 1913:
the last volume. X. will follow probably
quicker than its predecessors
The dictionary is such a no other
nation can show. II il the product Of
the combined systemized labor and
intelligence of scholars throughout the
English speaking world. and it would be
unfair to compare IL with tho remark
able single handed achievements of
individuals like Or. JOHNSON. NOAH
WEBsTrs JARoB GRIMM or LIrTRE
Neither "an II be compared with the slow
moving never ending dictionary Of the
Academic FRANCHISE. for that aims to
be only a criterion Of taste and not a
repertory OF the whole language For
the tirst time every word in Use and
every meaning is traced back To its
earliest appearance IN print. and the
time and place are registered The
volumes that have been published have
offered many surprises, sometimes Of
the antiquity Of supposed modern TERMS.
but more frequently Of the apparently
recent origin 81 what VIZ believed tn be
time honored phrases
What appears IN the dictionary. how
ever. ia only the compressed essence
of the Information derived from the
great mass Of citations IN the hands of
the editors In a recent lecture before
tho London Institution Sir JAMES MIR
RAY stated that the number OF cards in
his possession was over 100 90 and that
they weighed many tons He had been
obliged to build q freproof iron house
on his grounds 10 hold them. II all
had been used the dictionary would
have been in hundred volumes instead
of ten As it stands 'he dictionary
= makes il possible TO have n history OF
every word. and 20 discover how old
every word 10. TO know what was the
original form OF every word and its origi-
nal sense. and what changes in form and
sense il has undergone
A collection so remarkable. repre-
senting such long and patient continued
labor. can hardly be dispersed i, will
BE- needed AZ once for the revision OF
the early parts OF the dictionary In
spite Of its bulk il should DO stored
safely in some place, perhaps the British
Museum. or in a special building az OK
ford II necessary. where II may be- con-
suited conveniently by phiIologists and
IL could be made
judgment seat or a court of record fer
the English language. with it's decisions
on past usage and it's register OF ascer-
tanned quotations.