The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-12-16
THE IsE or SLANG.

/ want 10 talk little 10 tho girls
about slang. There, / image you will
sigh, and think it is to be the old, old
story, and j am going TO tell you no
lady ever uses slang, etc.,-but am
not, 30 you needn't be afraid 10 keep
on reading. There is an evil result
ing from tho use Of slang which is
quito as bad as, il not worse than, It's
mere coarsness. / suppose there are
many Of you who ute slang expressions
at home, when you would never think
Of using them IL talking to strangers.
and You imagine that, as long az you
are speaking to people who know you
we'll, It makes no difference, and you
need not be particular.
But the habit Of expressing yourself
thus will narrow and warp your pow.
ers Of conversation more than you
dream Of. By-and-by, when you at
tempt 10 converse with persons with
whom you wish TO spppear at your
best, you will find yourself at stand
still, where bad you been at home you
would use slang, but as il is, you
hesitate and are at a loss TO end the
right words, and perhaps fail altogether
10 express your idea. You will find
this trouble again and again, when
ever you enter q serious conversation,
and it will mortify you exceedingly.
Nothing eripples one in the use Of
language more than the habit Of not
calling things by their names. For
instance, there are many people who
call everything a "thing." If they
want you to give them a stick; they
will say, "Please let me take that
thing" or what is worse "thingamy."
or "thingumbOb," or "tbinganagig."
After time they will be unable 10
remember the real names, and If any
one should say, "Wbat thing r. in
stead Of answering the name, they viii
DO obliged TO say, "Why, that thing
on the table" or wherever it is. /
have even known people, when driven
70 extremity, compelled to describe
the "thing" they meant even when
it was a very common article Of daily
use, whose name they knew perfectly
well, but were unable to remember.
This dwarfng Of the vocabulary is
even worse in its eject upon writing
than in speaking. When writing we
cannot absolute say "that thing" be-
cause no one knows what Is meant
unless there is also a description Of it.
1t would scarcely do in congratulate
ing lady on the success Of her party
70 say that sit took the rag of the
bush, even if we put it in the more
polished % way and said, ''It removed
the dilapidated garment from the
shrubbery."
Slang looks great deal worse writ
ten than it sounds said. In any writ
ing at all serious the introduction of
one slang word ruins the effect, though
sometimes it seems in our thought to
express our thought better than any
thing we can think of. Suppose, in
Stead Of saying above "you will Hnd
yourself at a standstill," I had said,
'you will Hnd yourself 'up stump
and confess / have used that in
elegant expression 80 much that 1 was
strongly tempted to use il there what
effect do You think all of my preaching
could possibly have
You see, ] ana not altogether unac-
quainted with slang, and may as
well own that write from bitter ex-
Perience.
Please, girls, before you get to Dy'
deplorable condition, call things by
their right names don't cripple your
selves with slang, and be as little
slovenly in your talk a. pessible.-
"POly," in ClspelaAd Hernld