The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-29
CITY TOPICS.


Refinement is a good thing-it is a very good
thing but there may be too much Of it, There h
a custom which we regret to notice, Is getting
in vogue, which Is certainly an excess of refine
ment, which is far from being sensible. II is the
absurd habit of calling boys and girls young men
and young ladies, or, as 1t Is sometimes varied,
youths and misses. This is done by persons who
wish to be considered extremely elegant in their
conversation and who really do not know how so to
to be, who mistake unmeaning euphemisms tor
graceful condescenson and who, In their Efforts to
be epgagingy polite and suave, forget that ordi-
nary language has any force or meaning. Why can
not such people content themselves with the simple
expectations which the English language applies to
human creatures who have not yet reached matu-
rty instead of designating such individuals BY the
names 10 which their elders are alone entitled, mod
fled by the prefix young? Would II not be just as
sensible TO speak of colt as young horse or OF
calf as q young COW as TO speak OF boy as
young mani The word youth has signihca'
ton of its own and might as well be applied
to O gray-headed man as to child, as II
means one as much as the other. As to the
expression miss, used as a noun, II Is simply
vulgsrism /; but vulgarism which, like too many
others, has insensibly crept into the common
conversation of persons who hold themselves to
be intelligent and educated. These, However, are
but one species of colloquial inelegancies and
mock refnements which are now prevalent.
What, for instance, can be more snobby than for a
young man to speak TO an unmarried woman %
miss? "Yes, miss.n Ugh, we shudder as we
write it /; or. to hear man speak of fellow.
creature as q gent! Another sad thing-for any.
thing that is abnormal in society and shows ten
dency in men TO dilute their language and their
ideas-is the alarming unfrequency with which
the words man and woman are nowadays heard.
Everybody is either gentleman or lady. In fact,
SO far does this 60 that the appellation woman is
now frequently used to designate just that portion
Of Ewes daughters which, lacking as they do
purity and almost every other womanly virtue,
are least worthy Of the title. Call that young
exquisite with superb cravat, fsultless boots and
pentaloons fitting him like his skin, man, and
he will think you mistake him for a hod carrier.
No he is no mamie is gentleman. Speak OF
fair young girl in all the bloom Of her mai
denhood, radiant in her beauty, with
mind and soul as pure and free from guile as
were Ewes in Eden, as q woman, and she consid-
ers herself classed with the vilest of the vile. In
deed 30 universal is this tabooing in polite ESQ
called) society of the honest Saxon words, that
we are inclined to think that the story we have
heard of very elegant minister may not be such
burlesque as we had thought it. This parsonage,
who had a congregation Of ladies and gentlemen,
was SO extremely particular in his language that
he always in the marriage service announced that
| gentleman and lady had come to be Joined in
| matrimony, and in reading the burial service
| always stated that gentleman that is Of lady
| born is of few days and full Of VICE." So very
particular was this reverend gentleman, that In
reading the parable of the ten Virgins he invari.
ably spoke Of them as the ten young ladies. The
narrator of this used to add that the minister
had large and admiring congregation. We
! suppose this state of affairs Is the legitimate
outgrowth of the present condition of society in
| America. We have no hereditary nobility among
us, therefore every man would aspire to be called
by the only title which we use. The veriest snob
would be known as q gentleman whether he is one
or no, and the chsmbermaid is aggrieved if she
is spoken Of otherwise than as the lady who goes
out to service. But there is no reason why this
absurdity should extend, as it does, to people OF
education and intelligence. There is no reason
why schoolmasters and schoolmistresses should
call their establishments Institutes for young ladies
|
reason why Fitz Doodle heretofore introduced
should imagine himself doing killing thing when
| he addresses his partner in the last deux temps
as miss, or should think that he had entirely ex'
communicated from social life fellow creature
| by simply designating him as man, or that his
| partner should consider herself nsulted by being
| called a woman, that her little brother would
feel himself eternaly dsgraced by being called
boy. No, there is no reason for these things.
But the things exist, and probably all our grum-
bling will avail littleto put them out OF existence
| Still we have done our best, and we will consider
| this attack upon vulgsrsm and snobbery well re.
paid if we secure one more adherent to the cause
which we have espoused-the cause of common
sense and true gentility.
Among the elegant specimens Of art which at
tract attention in the show window Of Mr.. F. Wag.
ner, on Camp street, is q splendid engraving
representing a convict in a Spanish prison at the
iron. grated easement. The unfortunate inmate Il
| graphically delineated impressing q kiss upon his
| child, who, unconscious of the fathers unenvia-
BILE situation, exhibits the delight and happiness
| of its infant heart. The mother stands beneath
the window with her head averted, supporting
| the gleesome babe, while her detected appear
ance reveals the profound sorrow that rankles in
her bosom Her mien and bearing is that of q
simple peasant, while her sad features still ex
hibit the unmistskable beauty Of faultless face.
At the entrance stands, with arms supporting hi:
gun, the stern representative Of her Catholic
majesty, and the curling wreaths of smoke which
issue from the cigar he ia carelessy putting illus
trstes the complete sang ytroid with which he re
CARDS the affecting scene. A mendicant en-
beavers to excite his sympathy, but withou
avail, whilst Der tattered habiliments speak tall
Of misery end want. Altogether the subject is
touching one and beautifully executed.
An absorbing city topic nowadays. and one tina
is exciting vast deal of interest especially amongs
the "fancy," is the approaching mill to come Of
between Rev. Parson Newman, d. D., editor o
the Advocate, o paper devoted to Christianity
literature and the denouncing Of honest men, AM
Mr.. bennett, editor of the Planters Banner, pub
lished in ST. Mary parish, and one of the best pa
| pers In the State. II seems that some time ag
Mr.. bennett knowing that barking dogs like New
man are loath to bite, published jocose cha