Le Louisianais. [volume] (Convent, La.) 1865-1883, 1868-05-02

Nothing can better exemplify The unitarian
susceptibility of the superexcelIent vernacular
whose praises we are resounding, and which
we can never sufficiently extol, than the facility
with which, in the hands Of a moderately skill.
full manipulation, it can be made to uphold or
condemn a proposition, to acquiesce in, or
con,rovert a theory or a thesis, 10 bless or bias,
a nation although on account Of its unequalled
force, it is better adapted to b~.as,ine), in short
the ease with which it can be made 10 blow
hot and cold, without any material change of
circumstances This unparalleled peculiarly
of our smother tongue has been hrough, to
mind by a perusal Of the published report of
an Anglo-Saxon symposiac, in New York, at
which that model Anglo-Saxon, Charles Dick.
ems, was handsomely feted "a compliment,
which the astute Englishman, dex,eronslv
welding his "mother tongue, reflected back,
in fattering terms, (Which twere bad Anglo.
Saxon 10 pronounce felid) on his Jealous
adulators.
A singular feature of the banquet, and one
not properly handled by the Northern Press.
was, that the principal dishes were concoc,ed
by an eminent culinary artist, from the ':iewel-
headed toad"! To some of our readers, this
may seem strange; but to US, it is not only
quite natural, but, as we shall prove directly,
the very best means TO the end in view, tina,
could possibly be conceived.
Since the DAYS Of julius Caesar, all reliable
photographers have coucurred in referring The
truly English words toad, ,oaly, ,oadeater.
toad fish, toad. stool, etc, TO their PATHOLOGICAL
%radices, or radicals, tadd, taed, ,adie, tadipe,
and the gerund, twaddledum whence we de.
rive tadpole, twaddle, twibill, and other va1ie.
ties. TwibilI, properly signifies double. billed.
or double.tongued, kindred TO the notable An.
glo,Saxon word, 'fork.,ongued', which vii
Shakespeare employs to denote how admirably
the Anglo-Saxon tongue can be VERIFIED into
two divergent and anti,hetical meanings. and
be made TO cut both ways, like the two edged
sword with which, Sou'hey says, the Saxons
''carved out their Kingdoms"
We feel that we could grow eloquent on this
capability of our '!mo,her tongue 10 say one
thing and mean another; and, perhaps, we
So"Ao =" - 1890 way ittuStl0t0 l 0udpt1Ol. |
lily TO the necessities Of human nature but
our purpose is 10 show with what surprising
tact, a lifelong practice has enabled the emf.
nent stranger feted at New York, 10 apply the
twofold function of his native Ans,o.Sa
and certainly, with all due modes,y, we cannot
help regarding ourselves as the most fortunate
of mortals, in having furnished to hand. BY the
toad-eating banquet in the American Metro.
polls, all the materials which our undisguised
zeal for the spread of the Anglo-Saxon tongue,
could covet
Some twenty FIVE years ago, Charles Dick.
ems was SO little apprecia,ive Of the toad.eat.
ing taste Of the Yankee branch of the Anglo.
Saxon race, that he maliciously designated
that illustrious brood as a race of yipers, and
rewarded their honest adula,ion with counter.
felt "Notes"! That was one Of the errors Of
Dickens youth; and it affords us great pleasure
to note, that time and experience have wrought
in him a salutary change. Dickens is now as
a good a toad eater as any toady, Yankee-land
can boast of! This is as it should be: and
proves to demonstration the immense advan.
taSe nc Ids ueii'eu iio"' " c'ose stuuy OF The
purest dialect ever yet framed from human
vocables!
Naturalists have absorbed magical, and
other wonderful properties TO the toad and
from experiments made, it appears that =
lizard held for some time in the mouth of one.
became temporarily paralyiic. Human LAGER.
'as too, have been strangely affected by the
acrimonius fluid which the toad exudes from
its skin whence its classification in the genus
"Rana", as "Bnfo vulgaris', which means,
making bufoons Of the vulgar herdp! This,
however, cannot apply TO the superior Anglo
Saxons, whose constant use Of the purifying,