Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-06-08
How DO We TalkY

what does IL consist? And where ls
the dividing line between conversation
and gossip? How do people talk in
stages and cars, steamboat and ferry
lines? "Pleasant weather ',--as though
every mortal with eyes In his head and
the sense of feeling In his bones could
not judge for himself on this topic
Likely to rain before night '--n still
more startling piece Of information.--
The fact is, we Americans are too rcti-
cent about what We read and learn, and
really, actually think. We float too
much on the surface--wc have horror
Of going down deep. We like good,
substantial reading the standard au-
thors of this country and England are
! familiar to every man or woman who
pretends to the slightest degree Of liter
ary culture. and we grasp eagerly at ev-
cry novelty that issues from the presr,
but we do not like to talk books."---
We fancy, very enormously, that it
makes us appear pedantic we have n
horror of seeming too learned, especial
ly among ladies. And so, by way Of
avoiding Scylla, VIC run pOint-blAnk
upon Charybdis, md talk inoohercntly
upon the weather.
Has the reader ever suit In the midst
of n room full of young people, and
smiled inwardly to hear the feast of
reason and flow of soul" How comic
ally the half-cennected sentences blend
into each other, a senscless stream Of
words. Coming homo from tho last
matinee" =" Harry's mustache " -
flirting in the most ridiculous manner
with Katy ~" the trimmings on Mrs.
Modes dove-colored dress III two new
bonnets with the sweetest French flow
ers -" Jim's deiightfM side -whiskersr
-" walking down Broadway with n
young lady on each side Of him ~
"never, never speak to him again rs
/ long as | 1.-Two 30 gray horses with de-
licious long tails -" eating ice cream
Mt Delmonico's -" four dollars and "a
half yard at the very lcast''--" wen.
I never." '.a- %1.s ...e" s1J ''l
And this ia conversation! This Ia
the refining element that il supposed to
be the greatest blessing of social life ~
There is great deal to bc said upon
our peculiar choice of phrascology. It
will never do to be accused of talking
dictionary" so We converse in style
not very far removed from the proyin-
cial dialect Of camp of English gip-
sizes. A slang phrase, originating In
the column of n newspaper, or set afloat
on the wings of popular anecdotc,
flies over the country with telcgraphlc
swiftness, and becomes Incorporated
with our language in an incredible
short space of time. Wo relish tho in
novation. A fine sunset, glowing with
tints of carmine and liquid gold, is
"splcndferous" "a perfect rainbow,
nrching sublimely as an epic poem, IL
Jolly" We do not walk, we "peg
along I've do not destroy, we "gob-
ole up" instead OF Withdrawing, we
"skcdaddle or "mosay," and when
! bpnr that rpp !, l,o, ,,,;-aLso,.
Gus boy has been spanjazzled" we
merely infer that his offences have mt
length received their mcrited punish
ment. Our expression for differing in
opinion from friend il that we" done
see It, aud If he is defeated in tho
course Of argument, ho "dries up."--
Should man become tho victim of a
practical joke, he IL sold;" and when
he fails in business, he "bursts up:"
while our highest degree of commendar.
ton is concentrated in the one compre-
hensive word, bully!
Truly there is nothing like an origin
al style Of conversation! The general
diffusion of knowledge has apparently
succeeded in strewing these flowers Of
| speech broadcast over the land, on tho
universal education plan, and they flow
in silver modulations from the scarlet
lips of beauty quite "a frequently as
they are growled out from beneath a
heavy mustache.
This Is all wrong from beginning to
end. Is il not barbarous, literally bar
barous, to corrupt Il grand old language
like ours into such absurd trivialities /?
Talking is an art, and as such should
be cultivated, especially among our la.
dies, who have it in their power to in
fluenco the whole tide and current of
Gnainl lifn (lf xtyhnf l.,
cation that we lavish upon our girls If
they cannot sustain q creditable part in
conversation Take any young lady
OF the present day and observe the stag
es OF chit-chat by which she gradually
develops--stages that are too typical Of
her mental growth. From fourteen to
sixteen, Moore's poems and Bulwcr's
novels cngross her thoughts--slie FAM
cying her mind Ii being cultivated -,
From sixteen to twenty, gold bracelets,
tarlatan dresses, and opera nights merge
gradually into Tommy Stevens beauti-
full eyes and diamond engagements
and plenty OF foolish girl-confidcnces.
From twenty to twenty-five she can
talk about nothing but the trials Incl
dent to baby's teething and her nurse.
girls Accountable imposition. And aft
er twenty-five, servants, brussels car
pets, preserves and point lace collars
form the staple Of her thoughts and re-
marks. Yet she has been expensiyely
educated, and considers herself u person
Of most charming manners.
We have more than once observed a
significant rccoil among gentlemen
when they are threatened witt, an in
PRODUCTION to lady "of remarkable
conversational powers Probably it IL
hne0IIan fha Vnrfa n 20 rar I,I
onymous with strong minded females
in spectacies, who read Greek and talk
transcendentalism through their noses.
This ought not to be. Talking should
be as easy and graceful an accOmplish-
ment rs singing or playing. Our Ian
guagc Is beautiful and comprehensive.
books, newspapers and pamphlets are
within the reach of everybody, and
there Is no excuse for a lack Of cuItiva-
ton and polish. 1t is rs easy to select
q musical and expressive word to de-
note our meaning as to couch it i'm
slang phrases, and 1t gives infinitely
more grace and polisl, TO conversation.
We talk too carelossly and rapid rs a
nation; we use too many proyinciaIi-.
ties. Indeed II is said that by the voice
and dialect alone 1t is easy to ,listin-
guish Southerner from Northcrner
New Yorker from Vermonter, even the
residents Of one city from those of an
other. Our speech is peculiar and in
probably because we do not
take sufficient pains to pronounce our
words clearly and correctly, and we are
too prone to drawl and lisp. As to actu-
nj grammatical errors, we wish we could
say they were confined to the unedli-l
Gated few, but such Is by no means the
case. We have heard some college
who move in refined
that they "donen so
and so, and that they "don't know
nothing about it," Ofcourso all this is
mere habit, but 1t IL a very disagreeable
habit, and ought to be plucked up by
tho roots. We are great people and
greater every day, but we new
or shall be u perfect people until we
learn the use OF our tongues and train
ourselves into good takers. -Phreno-
iOJicd Journal.
MIR. BENJAMIN WALTON who lives n