The Vast Reach of Word Usage Across History
This selection surveys vocabularies from uneducated to highly educated speakers, noting word counts from 400 to 180,000 and beyond. It cites dictionaries from Webster to Century, and Geddes-like expansions, ending with reflections on language scale and the King James Bible.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Milton
Pope
Shakepeare
Webster
Worcester
Encyclopedic Dictionary
Century Dictionary
Cyclopedia of Names and Atlas
Atlas
Baltimore Sun
Luxury of Ocean Travel on Modern Great Liners
Leslie's Weekly extols the rise of ocean liners as floating palaces. It notes many travelers cross the Atlantic with ease, journeys now six days, daily news papers on board, and spacious suites with baths and wardrobes, surpassing old cramped cabins.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
Europe
Leslie’s Weekly
Infant prodigy speaks at six months amid odd cradle scene
A Baltimore excerpt recounts a baby prodigy named Hercules who allegedly spoke at six months when two large snakes approached his cradle. He reportedly exclaimed Great snakes then grabbed one in each chub and strangled the twenty-footer. The nearby crowd debated whether a dumb but well meaning person or a wise but unhelpful one is worse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hercules
Baltimore Ameri
Hipple’s Hypocrisy Skepticism in News Voice
The Chicago Post critiques Mr. Hipple for religious pretense that deceived creditors. It argues hypocrisy challenges faith but condemns universal cynicism, noting rigid judgment required and that avoiding Sunday papers does not fix moral failure.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hipple
Mr. Hipple
Chicago Post
Family huddles in seventh floor after removal
In a suburban home emptied by removal the family gathers on the seventh floor for a piano hour of songs. Ten year old Marjory requests a hymn about heaven noting she thinks of it each elevator ride. A New York Press quip contrasts party decor with guests suffering hay fever.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marjory
New York Press
Cocoa craze lifts United States as producers rise
A 1905 analysis notes cocoa and chocolate grow in popularity, with U.S. consumption surging 2000 percent in five years and the nation moving from fifth to first in production and use. It cites Hogins & Lee statistics and cites religious aphorisms interwoven with commerce on the cocoa boom.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rutherford B. Hayes
United States
Hogins & Lee
England
Germany
Holland
France
Jimmy
Dan Baker
Dan
Fanny
Bear Attack and Cliff Rescue in Indian Jungle
Captain Glasfurd recounts a cliffside bear encounter while hunting in the Indian jungle. While navigating a narrow ledge a cave eruption unleashed a charging bear that knocked him from the edge. He clung to a lone sapling as his orderly hauled him to safety, two months of recovery followed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ing House
India
Captain Glasfurd
Glasfurd
Lee
Devious Fiancee Turns Wedding Into Sly Display
In a Cleveland Leader item a woman used a practiced formula to reject suitors kindly then wed another man later. At her wedding the former admirers attended, creating a notable stir as the minister began the ceremony with “Dearly beloved brethren.”
Debate explodes as pro side wins in bribe controversy
The New York Press reports a confidential tip claiming the affirmative side received $10 to secure victory in the debate Are Bribes a Necessary Evil. The column notes how a principled scoundrel is revealed when someone runs for office.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gunbusta
New York Press
Desert Peach of the Mojave Desert Scrubby Plant
An old traveler muses on native fruits and notes the desert peach along the Mojave edge of eastern California. He compares wild peaches to Delaware, mentions their pea-sized fruit, fuzzy skin, and the prussic acid kernel, and suggests cultivation could ripen them for eating with cream.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
Concord
Pennsylvania
Atlantic
Pacific
Sam
California
Great
Mojave Desert
Delaware
Burbank
Lincoln at the Bar and Notable Japanese Etiquette
Frederick Trevor Hill notes Lincoln served 169 Illinois Supreme Court cases in twenty three years and frequent Illinois and federal court work. He also cites Lincoln as counsel for the Illinois Central Railroad and other major interests, plus arbitration in state corporate litigations. The Young Idea in Japan describes children starting school after age six with two hours weekly for ethics and etiquette training in walks and tea manners.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lincoln
Illinois
United States Circuit
Eighth Circuit
Illinois Central Railroad
Japan
Unnecessary remark from the orator on understanding his talk
The Washington Star quotes an orator asking why people should hear new material after a decade of talks. It notes a quip that some men are never satisfied unless they are on the wrong side.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jimmy
Levi
Jimmy Baker
Washington Star
Also Mentioned on This Page
Are
Zossen
New York
Chicago
New York Globe
Czar Nicholas
Krasnoye Selo
London Sphere
St. Petersburg
Tsarskoye Selo
Chocolate Industry
Jupiter
Thomas Yates
W. Morley Punshon
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