DICTIONARIES, \K\V. 



ms.\>Ti-:us IN 1891. 



851 



rk : Hiul Me.-v-rs. Funk & NVau'imlN, with the 

 .') of H large number i.f American and 

 ire preparing a new " Standard 

 iiniiary f tin- Kmrlish Language," which is 

 IN- \ cry comprehensive in the number of wonls 

 -MI. .iv than -JOO.OOO in all. The fol- 

 . are some of the features embraced in the 

 .n of I liis work : 1. The etymology is placed 

 er tin- definition. 2. In the definition of a 

 rd ilu- iiiit common meaning is given first, 

 feivnec lifin u given to "order of usage " 

 licr tluiii tin- hisiin-ieal order. '5. Tim dif- 

 nt parts of each science are so treated that 

 Mm lent run easily trace the definition of all 

 branches, ami have before him the full mi-an- 

 of the science that is, while the terms be- 

 ging to each branch or sMbordinate branch of 

 are defined in their proper vocabulary 

 . the references to their superior and their 

 bordinate branches are so given that the deft- 

 ion of the science as a whole can easily U- 

 raced and collected, and when so collected will 

 IK- fciind by the student to be a full and harmo- 

 nious exposition of the entire science. 4. Not 

 only i> the author of each quotation given, but 

 " ie edition, volume, and page where the quota- 

 n is found. 5. When thought important, the 

 tonyms as well as the synonyms of words are 

 irded. 6. The scientific alphabet recom- 

 nded by the American Philological Associa- 

 n is used in giving the pronunciation of words. 

 The amended spellings of about 4,000 words 

 mmended by the American Philological As- 

 iation and the Philological Society of London 

 treated as recognized forms of words and 

 ed in the dictionary in their proper alpha- 

 ical order. 8. The large amount of matter 

 ally given in the appendix of a dictionary 

 in the "Standard" grouped under a single 

 _ ihabet. 



Quite different from all these, and still more 

 >rthy of record as important dictionary work, 

 is the " New English Dictionary on Historical 

 Principles, founded mainly on the materials 

 collected by the Philological Society, and edited 

 by James A. H. Murray, with the assistance of 

 many scholars and men of science." The collec- 

 tion of the materials for this dictionary has been 

 a public interest of the English-speaking nations 

 for three generations. The materials are quota- 

 ions from books to exhibit the meanings of 

 TV word. To provide them, it was necessary 

 read all the early books and the important 

 later books and copy out the needed passages. 

 The Philological Society called for volunteers. 

 Thirteen hundred readers have responded, and 

 three and H half millions of quotations from more 

 "ian five thousand authors were gradually col- 

 ted. The University of Oxford assumed the 

 juniary responsibilities of publication, and Dr. 

 (array, with thirty or more subeditors and a 

 great host of eminent helpers, is working up the 

 Stationary. The primary interest is in the hi-- 

 toric materials. By classifying the slips under 

 their words, and arranging the slips of each 

 word in order of time, a complete biography of 

 each word is drawn up, verified year by year by 

 act quotation of the original records. So 

 uch unsuspected knowledge is brought out in 

 is way, that the most accomplished students of 

 iglish feel as if they know next to nothing 



iur 

 tior 



r, 



about any word before the slipH of Dr. Murray 

 have IH-CII examined. One hundred and eighty* 

 Ilin-e meanings of the verb rant arc found, sixty- 

 three of them obsolete. MoM of them ale older 

 than Shakespeare. .Many a word make* a lx.k. 

 The further working up of the dictionary the 

 etymology, the pronunciation, the orthography 

 is worthy of the historic material. Seven parK 

 have now been issued. TwoapMMVCJ during the 

 year 1891, 3. r )2 pages iti one and '.'A\ pages (from 

 e to evert/) in the other, the last Ix-ing under the 

 editorship of Henry Bradley, President of the 

 Philological Society, the first from I r. Murray. 

 The vocabulary of this dictionary is larger than 

 that of any other, the number of meanings much 

 greater. In linguistic interest no dictionary 

 compares with it. It is not encyclopa lie; it has 

 no pictures. 



The German dictionary begun by Jacob and 

 William Grimm, the prototype of the great his- 

 torical dictionaries, of which the first number 

 was issued in 1854, is going steadily on under 

 the care of Drs. Heyne, Hildebrand, Lexer, 

 and Wtilcker. In 1891 Hildebrand advanced 

 in g to geriesel, Heyne in r to nick. Lexer in 

 t to todestag, Wtilcker in v to verleihen. It is 

 likely to be completed during the present cent- 

 ury. Meantime Heyne is editing a "German 

 Webster." 



DISASTERS IN 1891. Startling as are the 

 figures given herewith, thev fall far short of the 

 truth. If all losses of life and property were 

 recorded as published in the daily press the list- 

 would greatly exceed any reasonable limit. In 

 the case of train accidents alone is an approxi- 

 mate degree of accuracy attainable, since the 

 statistics are from semi-official sources, as com- 

 piled by the " Railroad Gazette." Minor acci- 

 dents involving the loss of one life, the maiming 

 of one or two individuals, or the destruction of a 

 comparatively small amount of property, are 

 usually omitted. The summaries at the end of 

 each month's record include all train accidents, 

 whether mentioned in the context or not. 



January 1. Fires: residence of Secretary Blaine, 

 Washington, D< 0., valuable works of arts and fur- 

 niture damaged; State Prison burned, Clinton, N. 

 Y., loss $175,000. Trains wrecked : Oskalposa, Iowa, 

 1 killed, several hurt; Wichita, Kan., -J killed; Pat- 

 erson. N. .1.. _' killed. _' hurt 



'2. Fires: L'O yoiuiir irirls badly burned at a school 

 festival. I. eeds'. F.iiL'land. New York: _' theatres 

 burned, the Filth Avenue and Hermann's, with much 

 of th" adjacent block. Train wrecked near New 

 Durham. N. .1.. ' hurt, cause. t'o v r. 



.".. (iradc-crossiiur accident near Northampton, 

 Mans., sleijrliiiiir party run over. -I killed, 4 hurt. 

 Kir.-: laix'c brewcrv. 'Richmond, Ya. : tannery, Ful- 

 ton, N. Y., loss, 1100,000; mills, Providence. K. 1.. 

 loss, $100,000; hotel burned. Corsieaiia. Texas, 4 lives 

 lost. K.\|)l.-ioii in a mine. Ostrau, Poland, ;o killed. 

 Collision at sea: learner Caroline sunk in the Km:- 

 lish Channel. 



4. Fire in Aurora .Mo., loss, $30,000. 



.".. Hoistinir srear breaks in the shaft of Vtica mine, 

 near San Andreas, ('al., 1-J killed. lYsth. Hun- 

 gary : ice breaks in Danube river, many drowiud. 



i;! Three lost children found fatten to death, Ber- 

 ber County, Kan. Fire: t>y factory burned. St. 

 I.ouis. loss", $80,000. Disastrous snow blockade in 

 Euroi>c. 



7. Fire at Cairo. 111., loss, $100,000. Train dcrudcd 

 near (Jatfncy City, S. C.. 4 Killed., -. hurt. 



8. Cyclone in Texas, much damage done near 



