The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-11-10
A DlSRESPECTABLE PAPER.

A DlSRESPECTABLE PAPER.
Young man, never use slang was a re-
mark made to us in our youth by Uncle Square
toes, upon the occasion of our having entitled
him, in an outbreak of genial affection, grand
old buffer. " 1t is sure sign in him who uses
it of going to the dogs"
The late Alderman Penguin talked good
deal of slang" returned |, with quiet triumph,
for my uncle had been wont to swear by the
alderman, knew.
Yes" replied Mr.. Squaretoes, with warmth !;
and when he died, we saw what came of it,
While everybody thought he had made at least
his plum, his great estate, for all his 6uliing
and bearing, was in reality heavily dipped
He was known on the Stock Exchange as be-
ing little better than a lame duck. 1t would
have been actually preferable if he had been
schtte-rashed at once, than that his balance
sheets should have been cooked in the manner
they were. No, no, young man /; take my word
for IT. that there is nothing so indicative of A
SCREW LOOSE somewhere in a man as the use
of slang; and if you wish to see tie color of
my money, you will avoid it,
In the face of such a threat, was not foolish
enough to point out to the old gentleman the
FIVE examples of commercial slang, the two OF
legal, or the three of miscellaneous, in which
he had himself INDUCED during his brief re-
buke. The jolly old bird has been grassed IL,
this long time-and am happy to say that he
cut up for good deal of money-but / always
think Of my Uncle Squaretoes when hear any
body taking the English language under his
protection, and denouneing innovations. Hap
py is the man who does not live in glass
house nay. in quite conservatory--in this
respect, and who can venture TO cast a stone.
The GaIIcan nihharish ,ubicb H.. 4
ingroom conversation, or, at all events, draw
ing novels, is not only not English. but
not French. 1t has been well observed, that if
wellbred Frenchman were informed that
there was anything upon the taps, he would
assuredly go down upon his knees to look for
it that if he were told of the beau monde. "he
would imagine it meant the beautiful world that
God made, not the half dozen streets and
squares between hyde Park Corner and the
Chelsea Bunhouse )" or, that if he were asked
to a The dansante, he would not know what il
meant. And with regard to drawng-room
slang, if it comes to a choice of evils, we con-
fess we much prefer the Mandatory vulgarisms of
Stunning or screaming, to their equivalent, in
fashionable and feminine parlance, of cheedarm-
ing, or " charming" in eight syllables
What is keeping harmony, middle distance,
grial perspectice, delicate handling, nervous
CHt~OSt~Os Uut tut SldDg Oh the DJuQlOS
What is the endeavor to unbecomingly elon-
gate the most sacred names, and the artificial
whine in which we sometimes hear an entire
sermon recited, but the slang of the Pulpit
Indeed, if we were to open up this subject
which is the slang of Commercial Enterprise
and centilate it thoroughly--which is the slang
of Newspaper Poltics-we should not know
where to stop. Since we have shown that slang
of some sort is common to all ranks it can
scarcely be said that the subject is unworthy
of investigation. Z" A London Antquary" ~
has at all events considered it of sufficient in
terest to Justify him in giving us a Dictionary
of the slang in use in the London streets, in
the two Universities in the Houses of Parlia-
ment, in the dens of St. Giles, and in the pal
aces of st. James. According to his own ac-
count, he procured his information concerning
the more unapproachable classes, while he was
collecting materials from old ballads, penny
histories, and other printed street narratives,
for forthcoming History of Cheap Literature
he frequently had occasion to make the &C.
quaintance of divers chanters and patterers in
Seven Dials and the Borough; and with some
of these men an arrangement was made that
they should collect the cant and slang words
used by the wandering tribes in London and
the country. To prevent deception and mis-
take, the words and phrases thus gathered were
checked off by other chanters and tramps sim
ilarly employed and the total result is now
presented to us. Three thousand words
withstanding that all immodest ones have been
carefully excluded-have thus been added to
the thirty-eight thousand words in the English
language. In the Dictionary, the cant and
slang terms are classed together, from the ex.
ceeding difficulty Of arranging them separately,
but they are in reality quite distinct and sepa-
rate terms. "Cant, apart from religious nv.
pocrisy, refers to the old secret language, by
allegory or distinct terms, of gipsies, thieves,
tramps, and beggars. Slang represents that
evanescent, vulgar language, ever changing
with fashion and taste, which has principally
come into vogue during the last seventy or
eighty years, spoken by persons in every grade
of life, rich and poor, honest and dishonest"
Cant, in the lapse of time, often becomes slang
the words prig and coue, for instance, which
are now mere street vulgarisms, having been
once cant and secret terms,
1T would appear" says Mayhem, +" that not
only are all races Invisible into wanderers and
settlers, but that each civilized or settled tribe
has generally some wandering horde inter.
mingled with, and IN measure preying upon
It. In South Africa, the naked and miserable |
Hottentots are pestered by the still more abjeet
Sonquas and it may be some satisfaction for
as to know that our old enemies at the Cape, |
The Cafres, are troubled with tribe of rascals, /
called Fingoes; the former term, we are in
formed by travellers, signifying beggars, and
he latter, wanderers and outcasts" These
tribes are all remarkable for their
lse of cant language With which to conceal
heir designs and plunderings. The secret |
argon, or rude speech, of the vagabonds who
rang upon the Hottentots is termed Cuzecat.
Ia Finland, the fellows who steal sealskins, pick
he pockets of bear-skin overcoats, aud talk cant,
ire termed Lappes. In France, the secret Ian
Dictionary Of Modern Slang, Cant and Valsar
W0rds By London Aniquary Hotten, antiquarian