The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-13
LITTLE LESSONS OF LONDON LIFE

LITTLE LESSONS OF LONDON LIFE.
Differences in English and American
Usages:-!The Word "SIr''--PEOnun-
cIattOu.-Street Manners---InnectiOn
1.-The EnRllshPenny.
london Correspondence Cleveland Ledtter.
ali7a 80 -ss.a -
What little word is more prominent,
or OF more frequent occurrence, in po-
lite circles at home than STrR It is
used in all genteel intercourse, as. an
address Of courtesy. The absence of it
is marked and set down to oill-breeding.
Not only is the child taught to address
to adults this word of respect, but
American gentlemen would be deemed
wanting In respect to each other should
they not make ample use of this golden
mOnosyllable: Even In dealing with a
tradesman, in accosting a policeman, or
In salnting a passer-by on the street,
| we drop on the ear the little word-iSiT;;
yes, Sir; No, Sir; Good morning, Sir; and
a hundred and one colloquialisms in
constant.use1 1wonld be uncivil If cur
tailed of the final syllable. This is
American training, from childhood.
But English training is quite the re-
verse. Sir Is title OF nobility, as Sir
Robert Peel. Beyond this Limitation,
It'll q term OF defer9nce addressed by
persons of lower grades to persons
above them. 1t ia not used inter-
changeably by genteel folks; nor are
chtldl en- taught TO employ 1t in address,
ing their superioFs. It Is excluded from
polite intercourse. Hence, one of the
earliest Of the little lessons Brother jon
athan is set to by the 8urIy John B. is
to say Yes, and stop short before his
lips have uttered the inevitable Sir. He
must learn to say No, fatty, nakedly:
he must not give 1t grace by adding
SIR. He must say "Good mOrning,o .
bluntly, with, no courtly Sir, and In
deed with no 1courtly bow, or touch of
| the beaver. In word, hemust s'learn
how not to do it.nt This Is GER
tainly Mtte lesson: but 1t is a
certainly a very hard one for old
learners; not merely because it goes
against the grain, and the varnish, too,
of Americans, but because the td60oed
syllable will be slyly slipping out be-
fore you can think TO suppress it. /
have to confess that Rm continually
betraying and scandaIIZing my coun-
try, and, startling English ears, by
these slips of the tongue; and that, too,
despite the repeated admonitions of
faithful monitors. This is an exam.
pie OF the power of habit; and from
present experience can easily credit
what is often stated, viz: that persons
who are accustomed to use profane Ian
guage, are not always aware of their
guilty practice. Not only is American
courtesy required to make the sacrifice
OF SiTS American gallantry must make
the greater sacrifice of Madame. Yes
or no are good enough for ladies. Salu-
tattons may not be sandwiched with
Mss or Madam. Should they be they
would be regarded as slips OF tongue,
nuifa mt IF F1u1n Thasa
of omission are enforced by the exam
pies of the genteel and the gallant, the
grave and the gay. Having learned to
say good glOTTiI1- this aud noth-
ing more''-one must learn another lit
tie lesson; to say good morning till aE-
ter dinner-5 O'Clock p, N. There is no
afternoon here in London. Morning
continues till evening begins, and din
ner divides between them. There are
little lessons In pronunciation which
are to be acquired, by slight disregard
of the ways ofspeeeh at home, and OF
the better taste on which they are
based. The Italian sound Of a, as in
father, prevails TO an indefinite extent,
as in fast, last, cast, master, man, can't,
&C., &c. Ther final or Pe,tttlt; as in sure,
more, particular, has almostas complete
letting alone among the nabobs of Lon
don as among thenegroes OF Louisiana.
n6dLu luo oOllClOE G6ueEhl1 III u 1ehfu-
ed plea addressed to the Lord Chancel-
lor, in the House of Lords, speak in the
following style: 81 beg pardon Mi
Lo'd, fob assuhting that the Argument
l have now otfuhd to yOh Lo'dship
makes it cleah that the thum 'prOpah.
ty' has in the present case the pahticu-
lah meaning foh which have contend
ed" Having SO lately commended the
teachers OF the freedmen's children in
Nashvilleand elsewhere for their efforts
to train the little negroes to sound the
r, 1 confess that feel a strong aversion
to going back on the negro style under
the shadow of Parliament House. lam
resolved, indeed, not to learn this little
lesson, albeit, II comes from the lips of
lords. I am equally, though less stern
ly, set against accepting the universal
English pronunciation of either and
neither, viz: either" and "nither." 1
also rebel againt nei1hboT' 'ood and MIS-
SoU'Ty, and mornin'. In fact, on pro-
nounciation generally, maintain my
ground firmly, entrenched behind Web
ster and Worcester. 'sWho is your
standard Lexicographer2n Islyly ask
en- bookseller, the other day, careful
ly conceRliug my own nationality, 80,
Webster, undoubtedly, for though he
was an American, he is excepted In
England as the best authority" !" Imay
say there are two personages very much
needed in England, viz: "The Ortho-
epist, and the Elocutionist, or In one
comprehen ensiye Yankee word, the school
There are lille lessons touching street
manners, which both, by precept and
example, are perpetually enforced on
the semi. rbarian from 1.-The United
States. Me must learn to give the door
knocker gentle tremulous r-r-r-rap,
rap, rap; that is the respectable. style.
Tradesmen give q knock, knock. He
must not carry a package home from
the shop but must order 1t 10 be sent,
thonghjhe may. want 1t imnled lately,
and will not probably get it for an hour.
He must not go on the streets without
kid gloves on his hands. There are les
sons in infections which are to be stead
faAtly resisted by any one who would
sshun the most vicious knannerisms.
The English style, both in conversa-
ton and in speech, is extremely arti-
fetal, and affected. How it could ever
have come into vogue is quite unac-
countable on any national, or might
say, fanciful, supposition. Ittends, 7
notice, to indistinctness of enunciation,
and begets an effeminate manner. II
To drop these niceties of speech, and
of street custom, there is one little les
son the oldest American cannot afford
to slight and thatsis-that the English
penny Is double the home cent SSThe-
cent is next, to. nothing; the penny has
two coins hG' penny and IdrLhtng, be-
tween it and nothing. The cent is the
hundredth part ofthe dollar, the penny
Is the twelfth part of shilling. 1t
never was said: ''Take care or the cent
and the dollar will take care Of itseIf,u
That is,ths proverb OF the penny; and
properly. The penny is a power in the
family OF the S0geEeiga. True, the
penny never becomes the sovereign, but
the sovereign becomes the penny, by
slight of hand which ueYerybody can