WORDS AND THEIR USES, PAST AND PRESENT. A STUDY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. BY RICHARD GRANT WHITE. NEW EDITION REVISED AND CORRECTED. NEW YORK: No. 677 BROADWAY. GRAND CENTRAL HOTEL. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY RICHARD GRANT WHITE, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Mrs. Stewart at. Mad RR #2 STEREOTYPED AT THE BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY, No. 19 SPRING LANE. " AFTERTHOUGHTS AND FOREWORDS TO THE PRESENT EDITION. N preparing a new edition of this book I have sought IN help and taken hints from every criticism of it that I have seen; and I heard of none that I did not try to find if it was not at hand. Whoever attempts to correct the faults of others in any respect, may expect severe treatment at the hands of the very men whom he would serve; and if his efforts are directed to their use of language, he may reasonably look forward to walking, sitting, and sleeping upon penpoints for a while. Wherefore I have been very pleasantly surprised that of the much that has been written about this book, so little, comparatively, was disparaging. In only one quarter have I found reason to complain of unfairness, or even of a captious spirit, while the general tone of my critics, public and private, has been that of thankfulness for a real service. But I have tried not to allow myself to be led by the favorable judgement of my critics into the belief that I could disregard the strictures of my censors. In many passages of the book slight changes have been made; upon matters of fact and of opinion a few important modifications will be found; one new chapter has been added. The sum of these alterations and corrections will, I hope, be regarded as such an improvement of the book as will make it more worthy of the attention which it has received. The most of these changes would have been made 410841 |