Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1852-02-05
g NUMBER oNE.n....CHapTER r,

caption would seem to indicate But it is single,
brief chapter upon cant phrase of the day
which phrase is sometimes given with the prefix
her ones And to how many things, and in how
many various ways is this favorite slang express
sion now applied! Does the farmer wish to con-
vcy to his neighbor distinct Idea of the high
value he places upon select piece of ground
".It is A-number one." Does the merchant de.
sire to let some customer know that any given
article is unequvocally fine and genuine? "Itis
A-number one." Has the physician faith in
particular remedy in particular case, and is he
striving to mpart that faith to doubling patient!
" 1t is A-numbcr one.'' Has the tailor vest
pattern or 4 fancy scarf which lie would COM
mend in the most emphatic terms to some gay
gallant! {" 1t is A-number one." Has the shoe
maker pump-solcd boot which he feels certain
slants unrivallcd in its line "lt is A-number
one Has the trader girl whom he is wishing
TO palm off upon some moneyed purchaser as q
perfect factotum! "She is A--number onc." Is
there dog in the huntsmans pack upon which
he particularly prides himself! cold Charley Is
A-number one." Does the 'gourmand' believe
that he eats the best prepared meals in the parish,
and would he vaunt the praises of his culinary
goddess '' My cook, Dinah, is A-number one."
Would the hard-pnshed creditor press upon some
llsnrious skin-nint 4 note Of hand which he be-
lieves to be as good as gold ! "1t is A-number
one'' And thus has the lawyer his "A-number
one client-the artist his "A-number one"
model-the musician his " \ number one'' soma
ta-and even the parson his " "A-nnmber one"
discourses for select occasions
We suppose, of course, that by this expression,
it is intended to convey an idea several degrees
beyond the uperlatve-wch might be dcnomi-
mated the extra.superlative degree Of comparison.
And in truth, cockney-ish though it be, yet does
this same Amercanism subserve very good pur-
pose in this extra-superlative age. 1t has mean
ing of its own, which saves the necessity Of
heightened pancgeryc to the tecgraphic spirits of
tic day. 1t is shorthand mnde Of speaking, as
it were. And as long as it is kept in its legitimate
! sphere, we shall not approve of condemning its
use-and that sphere we regard to be on the line
of rail-ronnd roues-in the thoroughfarcs and
business places of cities, and even on the public
squares and piazzas of our little villages. In such
| places we maintain that it is not only admissible
but useful, if it were for nothing else than saving
tongue.labor. Elsewhere it is ont of place, and
sometimes even ludicrous Especially is it so
when carried into the parlor or boudoir. Indeed
it then becomes suprencly ridiculous. Think Of
fond father and n tender mother leaning over
their sleeping nfant-and imagine that willie the
mother is murmuring gentle praises of its nno-
cent smiles, its dimped checks, its silkcn locks
&c, shsiather should dEespend by saying, .0h yes!
e1ect!-Follow that loving couple to the recess of
one Of those curiained windows, and hear their
low and soft cooings as they wander through the
sweet mazes of first love- The fair one has
just admitted, in beautiful terms, Il she:rccipro.
Gates the feelings of her lovcr-and, while the
blush of feminine modesy suf1iiscs her face at the
very thought of her confession, he replies, "Oh
my charmcr! didn't always tell the b'h6ys that
you was an "A-Nnmbcr One" gal!" Who
would.not say Kill him-tlc vulgar scamp.
See that lovely girl seating herself at the piano.
and listen to the mclodios tones OF her cultivated
voice as she MARBLES some beautiful air from
Ernani'' or "Norma," or some other popular
Opera. She has ceased singing and while the
| various cxclamaions Of delightful" !" "cniran-
cinr," divine" &C., arc dropping from the lips
| of her transported admirers. hcarkcn 10 the voice
of that fellow in the background who sings out.
with nasal twang, his f;lvorie laudaiion-" A
number one What a sudden letting down Of
every thing like refinement or sentiment! Butwc
have said enough to show our appreciation of the
phrase under consiieraiion-how far we regard il
admissable-and under what circumstances we
! to many other phrases Of the day-and we con-
cludc this chapter by saying in reference to all of
them, that great care should be used in limiting
their use as above hinted. If any one find him
self becoming so fond of them that he cannot
avoid interlarling his discourse with them ever
when'propriety tells him he should nutdo so, then
let him Danish them at once from his vocabulary.
And many would have given this advice at the
outset. But we think rs We have written.
There is still another and very different mean
ing attached to this same expression, which we
propose TO speak of briefly in another chapter.
"NuMBER ONE."-CHAPTER IL.
TAKE care of "number one, is The motto of
ninety men out of 4. hundred. And this
motto may, in the majority Of cases, be inter-
prcted rs meaning &c take care Of self nj all risks
at the risk of injuring others in every imagina-
BILE manner-at the risk Of bringing the aged 10
their graves in misery-at the risk of tempting
the youthful into the path dissipation and
profgacy-.at the risk Of forcing the widow TO
wear out her life in a hard struggle to procure
subsistence for herself and her helpless children
at the risk of negecting the duties due TO society
at tho risk of transgressing the laws of Heaven
and tramplng them under foot-and, sometimes,
at the risk of selling ones soul 10 the Devil. AT
all risks, "take care of Number One"
1t has been said that "every vice is but viz
tue carried 10 excess" Although this may seem
paradoxical at first view, yet it is far from being
an absolute sophism. The principle Of which
we are speaking affords one illustration Of that
masim's soundness. To take due care of ones
person and property has been called the first
law of NATURE" and it is certainly both duty
and virtue to do this faithfully. But to make
use Of that principle to gloss over the inhuman
persecution of the needy and suAerng-to stlfle
the dictates of charity and generosity-to excuse
L. L H.