Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-02-11


The next and last paper of the meeting
was by Rev. l.. g. Ware, on "Genteel Eag-
lish." This phrase, he said, Is itself an in
stance Of the poor kind Of speaking and
writing which he was to describe, and
which should be left to the 'genteel peo-
ple who never live anywhere, but are al
WAYS "located' somewhere. and who never
90 to bed. but, instead, retire The word
renteel exemplities the degeneration OF
words. 1t comes from gentle, which with
Spenser and Shakespeare was noble, high
bred. Changed to genteel, it becomes low
bred. foolish, vulgar. As late as forty
years ago. genteel had not reached the pass
to which il has come in our day. All
know the genteel English people described
by Dickens. and how they differ from the
truly high-bred 1t is pulling - describe
lust in what gentcei English consists /;
but we easily recognize i: by examples. t
i marked sometimes by the use OF sounding
| words of Latin derivation for the homely
Saxon. Yet it will by no means do to dis
card the Latin and Norman words with
which our language has been enriched.
| We may rightfully call TO our aid the re
| sources of other tongues, and. with Moliere,
take our own, wherever we IND 1t. MT.
| Ware went on to mention cases m which
what is now renteel English l. found
in standard authors. Few words are
more detestable, be said, than party,
used for person Yet we find party used
for man in "As You Like 1t, and others OF
Shakespeare plays. Abiding to a pompons
person IN charge of a funeral. who an
noune,d that IAN opportunity was now OF
fered t. peruse the corpse, he quoted ike
phrase from Shakespeare. as when Romeo
says Let me peruse this face Milton
makes similar use of the word. Abiding
10 the good use of Euglish by educated Eng
lish men and women, he said YOU may spend
months in England without hearing leg
called a limb and if a lady there means pet
ticoat. she says pettieOat. without mlncing
Yet our English cousins sometimes laugh al
our Yankeeisms. without cause. They cry
Yankee" for instance at our common ust
of the word queSS. when 1t Is constantly st
used by Chaueer and Spenser and Locke
and Other good English writers.
The avoidance of genteel English Is not 8
matter OF taste about which there Is no dis
, putting but matter of good taste. Il eer'
are tastes. a. the Spanlard says, that
man should be quick for Our common
talk needs correcting IN this regard: Tut
frank simplicity OF the best writers Is par
Of their true elegance. We have right Il
cry out against genteel English, becaus'
it Is sham, an aiiectatiOn OF education
that Is not possessed. 1t is part OF the at
tempt to pass for something more than on
is worth which is crying evil CT our time
The ioreer. who. writing from prison, al
ludei to his crimes as his Irregularities,
shows u that there may be relation be
T tween thieves English and genteel Eng
lish. We may lower the style OF conscienc
, a. well as of speech by such emitting t
give things their right names, and whel
our English becomes thus perverted, 1t
time that gentle folk and it part company
! Mr. Wares paper was full Of touches Q
humor. aud was fresh and original ana en-
l tertainrug in a high degree. 1t was r.
5 ceiyet With applause.