DR. MURRAY'S "DICTIONARY."
(To THR EDITOR OF THE " SPEOTATOR.1
SIR,—In your review of Herr Storm's " Englische Philologie," June 17th, you refer to that excellent scholar's opinion of the Philological Society's forthcoming Dictionary. You say, " Of
the prospects of the gigantic Dictionary projected we can form no conjecture. Mr. Storm does not think very highly of them, and opines that in the multitude of readers who are to assist the editor, Dr. Murray, there will not be wisdom He fears, and apparently with justice,, that they will ` go,' for the most part, for strange and curious expressions and that the commoner but more important elements of the language will be comparatively neglected. He refers to the example of Littrd ; but wo do Dr. Murray no wrong whatever in believing that he may shrink from entering the lists with a competitor so formidable."
Now, this shows the entire failure to grasp the express raison, d'etre of the Philological Society's Dictionary; and an entire failure to understand that Dr. Murray has entered the lists with M. Litho, and also with the band of philologists and scholars who are continuing to shape and mould the equally gigantic German Dictionary begun by the Brothers Grimm. To point this out, will you kindly afford me space for a quotation from the paper, " Among the Dictionaries," in the Cornhill Magazine of the June of a year ago ? It is this :—" The Philological Society, at the instigation of Archbishop (then Dean) Trench, as long ago as 1857
, . decided to sound, and dig,to lay deep and sure foundations for a Dictionary that should include all English words, in all cen- turies, in all meanings, with a quotation to support each of these in each and every stage They called upon all lovers of the English language to aid them in collecting these quotations from all English books It was a proud scheme. It would result in a complete history of each word, it was seen, and intended. The birth would be shown, the growth, the death, —where death had come. Clearly, up to the date of the publi- cation of such a Dictionary, the Euglish language, without bias, would have representation through and through." In fact, the philological hope of the century is that, at no distant date, Ger- many and England will have overtaken France in the lexico- graphical race ; and that from that moment, the three great modern languages will be abreast of one another in representa- tion, for all time. And with regard to readers who may " go " for strange words and curious expressions, will it not be quite right, within the proper limits P Dr. Murray, like a general, has the direction of his literary army, it must be remembered. A few stragglers are told off, fitly, to search the by-paths and likely lurking-places ; but this does not mean that the main body is not kept upon the high road.—I am, Sir, &c., Tax WRITER OF TIIE ARTICLE IN TILE " CORNIfILL."
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