Thomas Dilworth
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Mr. Thomas Dilworth (died 1780) was an English cleric and author of a widely-used schoolbook, both in Great Britain
and America
, A New Guide to the English Tongue. Noah Webster
as a boy studied Dilworth's book, and was inspired partly by it to create his own spelling
book on completely different principles, using pictures and stories of interest to children. By some accounts Dilworth was one of the few schoolbooks used by Abraham Lincoln
. Published in 1761, by 1773, it was in its thirty-sixth edition. The last American edition was published in 1827 in New Haven, Connecticut
. The full-page frontispiece portrait of the author was well-known to generations of doodling school children and is mentioned in Dickens
; in Sketches by Boz. Chapter X there is a humorous description of rowers' togs on the Thames:
The other front matter provides an extensive preface, a dedication to the Anglican schools of Great Britain and Ireland, recommendations from educators and a full-page poetic encomium to Dilworth by J. Duick:
What thanks, my friend, should to thy care be given
Which makes the paths to science smooth and even.
Henceforth our youth who tread thy flowery way,
Shall ne'er from rules of proper diction stray;
No more their speech with barbarous terms be filled
No more their pens a crop of nonsense yield.
Dilworth's book plays the part of a paragon in the poem "The Rising Village" by Oliver Goldsmith
about the influences of improper education in a Nova Scotia
community.
Dilworth also wrote other schoolbooks on arithmetic and bookkeeping.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, A New Guide to the English Tongue. Noah Webster
Noah Webster
Noah Webster was an American educator, lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author...
as a boy studied Dilworth's book, and was inspired partly by it to create his own spelling
Spelling
Spelling is the writing of one or more words with letters and diacritics. In addition, the term often, but not always, means an accepted standard spelling or the process of naming the letters...
book on completely different principles, using pictures and stories of interest to children. By some accounts Dilworth was one of the few schoolbooks used by Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. Published in 1761, by 1773, it was in its thirty-sixth edition. The last American edition was published in 1827 in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. The full-page frontispiece portrait of the author was well-known to generations of doodling school children and is mentioned in Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
; in Sketches by Boz. Chapter X there is a humorous description of rowers' togs on the Thames:
- They approach in full aquatic costume, with round blue jackets, striped shirts, and caps of all sizes and patterns, from the velvet skull-cap of French manufacture, to the easy head-dress familiar to the students of the old spelling-books, as having, on the authority of the portrait, formed part of the costume of the Reverend Mr. Dilworth.
The other front matter provides an extensive preface, a dedication to the Anglican schools of Great Britain and Ireland, recommendations from educators and a full-page poetic encomium to Dilworth by J. Duick:
What thanks, my friend, should to thy care be given
Which makes the paths to science smooth and even.
Henceforth our youth who tread thy flowery way,
Shall ne'er from rules of proper diction stray;
No more their speech with barbarous terms be filled
No more their pens a crop of nonsense yield.
Dilworth's book plays the part of a paragon in the poem "The Rising Village" by Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith (Canadian poet)
Oliver Goldsmith was a Canadian poet born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. He is best known for The Rising Village, which appeared in 1825. It was at once the first book-length poem published by a native English-Canadian and the first book-length publication in England by a Canadian poet...
about the influences of improper education in a Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
community.
Dilworth also wrote other schoolbooks on arithmetic and bookkeeping.
External links
- http://www.arts.uwo.ca/canpoetry/cpjrn/vol35/holmgren.htm "Dilworth's 'Great Scholastic Fame'"
- http://www.underthesun.cc/Classics/Dickens/sketches/sketches17.html "Sketches by Boz: The River"
- http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC43879383&id=eMQDAAAAQAAJ&dq=dilworth+date:1700-1800 "Dilworth's Speller at Google Books"