Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-12-04
From the New York Round Table.

Euphtmi>h~.
In modern languages euuhemisms serve
mo.e commonly to dress wolves in sleeps
clothing. or silence the qualms of quaint, old
fashioned conscicnce-. The Grgaf, or cant
Of professional thieves. from which examples
of tLis figure, are often quoted originated
merely as amedium Of secret communication,
and includes as many terms that enhance as
Of those that cXteuIate o. an unV1ie--lnal
mind the crimes or horrors they express
proving thereby, to outsiders, that, if there
be honor among thieves there is very little
conscience. Nor is this deduction E4lsited by
such euuhemistic phrases as the " eycrlast-
iug staircase. otherwise e. the hopper, or
.. a dance upon nothing, which. designed
Z, soothe fear and not conscience. 30 not re
auire present consideration. But many am-
ateurs. like Pistol. who called stealing e.
3. convey" gloss over certain conventional
larccnics by devices equally satisfactory t.
their moral sense and the slang o. some
schoolb0ys betray- a like confused llscsIm-
nation between the W,Ym aud htnI.
Drunkenness couceals It's several phases uu-
der variety of fsu0tiye txp xpressilu-, includ-
ing half-7eas-oyer' and " jolly ~grcwcI-
Tie tendency is further evidenced n such See
ductive phrases as " pGr'Gl amour.
d. Cream Of the Valley gin. taking " %
smile, Hjsrnioe a drop Of the cvttur
though it can scarcely be called a euphcmism
which does not veil something wrong. coarse.
OF disagreeable. 1t has been remarked that
the misuse OF " play as synonym Cor
gambling has gone far towards the t'.emuou
and diffusion Of tire practice and with o.
similar result the Germans u-c the word '.H-
pin 60 build @ temTle). rather sU zge--Ife
substitute &c llr playing faro. lu many
cases, too, it i- the persistent abuse ai t.a
expression d. love, where &c lu-t or .--
81 is the fitting term, that gives suy r--
tp the soIgccr ana TIE playful phrase, r1a-
ire al succession, has perhaps more team 9lc-
uenei yJcillatiu- T5isaue-. ot e,el Iu-..
him. like De Cliucrv. regard mG1Itr as .gr
0r the fine ants. Contracted Hr li--u.s.l q
0atl, may Pc viewed as ouphemi-u-. tlar ro-
lin tic cd.acy Of their originals as soothing
-yrups % The irrilated feelings, while a-oe-
iuE better with the moral constitution. Suc
Of these expressions have o further advaut-
age, allowing 90 tie etvmologi-t l4c free use
oi cxpie.ives without at all cumpr missing i.-
dignity. Thus, msuy are ignorant tlat the
-ratc,gue " od's-hld.sius ' i- corrupted @ u
" Gods body. a> POUNDS is from
'- Cod wounds; 0r, th1t whoever Uses tre
unconnuhial and autiquatcd ' ulry.
swears, effectively at least, by tie Blessed
Virgin. II tie vulgar darn is q rather
transparent iucosnito Of it's pr5.aue original,
il has merit of 10, own. that while pro-
ics-ing vague desire that We may Be mend
ei. il really cunsigus Us to a place where such
a consummati0n is quite possible. IN the cz-
animation of sgch pitiiul shifts and lypleri.-
les. we must console ourselves with .he hJr-
rJwcd reelection that there are 80 many aet,
Of ' the homage paid by wee 20 virtue Oi
certain euphemisms. moral eclipse Is less
tie object than the cause, as, when we call o
fool, silly, q. simpleton, or an .' inno-
cent all terms etymoloscallv expressive of
yirtue-when a stupefei topper is irreyerent.y
said to be e. maudiin, or like the Weeping
hlagdalen, or when q" smartness 90 becomes a
synonym for successful swindlinc
Genuine as well as spurious delicacy is a
prolific source Of analogous expressions.
Thus, in relation to those irail and outlawei
females not 20 be even thought of in unyar-
nished Angl0-Saxon, what a diversity Of in
gcnious and foreign phrases spare the
modesty of the newspaper correspondent and
the ingenious bushes of the benevolent OF
curious reader Such illusiye epitLets as
'' GHeS dc joie, - a. gay women, and i. pre- ty
horsebreaAers" are part Of the hollow mdi-
ance that surrounds the unforgiven sin. and
il the ruin Of 50 many human moths Of either
sex. The Latin e cOncilatrix - must have
been much more agreeable 10 the creature
denoted 10y 10 ihan its uuc0mpromisng
Anglo-Saxon translations. Before delicacy
moves us from the further consideration Of
this department Of our subject, we offer one
sample case for the casuists Gyr0pos of pc
culIarly American class of euphemism. !, it
a healthy or morbid refinement that to,er-
ates the free discussion and exhibition of
- limbs, and forbids the casual and strictly
Pickwickian utterance Of an oder and more
distinctiyc term ? Is the motto ~ Iloni soft
qui NAL Y pense IS applicable here ?
The misuse OF the words e gentleman
and - lady, 50 often assumed by or sooth-
ingly addressed to the most degraded
classes, is striking instance of the
euphemisms that are prompted by courtesy
We are not without some misgvings lest
s. the man in the moon - or the man at
the wheel - may prefer successful claims to
gentility, though it might seem this specific
tendency had reached its ne pins ultra when
four families, occupying the corners Of one
room, assured a plying visitor that they had
been pretty comfortable - till the gentleman
in the middle took l0dger. - Belle mere, "
to express a generally unpopular relation, is
another polite misnomer, as is the - Dear
SIR in the missiye of an indignant dun, or
the same word in the procrastinating debtor
reply, however appropriate the epithet may
be in purely commercial sense. Policemen
extend further the demulcent influence Of
euphemism, and politely notify malelactors
that they are - wanted )" while bailils de-
scribe the most urgent legal claims-some-
times much more annoying than the - law"
delay''-as " little matters. Some similar
verbal courtesies, however, are less disinter-
ested. as when one advertises for a 81 valise
taken By mistake from the Danisl Doo," or
offers a reward for the return of one hundred
dollars '' found between street and the
Metropolitan Hotel" 1t is not an empty or
a formal politeness which adds the assurance
/ that no questions will be asked.
As IN offset TO the general misuse of this
hgure Of speech are those poetical expressions
designed to mitigate distress, which describe
death as " sleep the dead as - the depart
/ ed, OF partinga as ''bidding goodbye" - Ho-
tel Dleu " is beautiful name for hospital
with some such synonym for the contempt
uous - poor-house," SO many would not
avoid its humiliating inequalities by starya-
ton or suicide. - Mont-de piete, too, is
graceful substitute for the accommodating
:. uncle - of the inpecunious.
In many cases an extension Of the euphem-
istic principle would be an unquestionable
gain. So far is the penehant for " calling
spade spade perverted that among sailors
and the rougher classes Of the community
the very terms Of endearment are often wan