The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-06-25
Verbal Etiquette.

There is distinction between GER
tain phrases, according to circum-
stances, which, when misused, become
vulgarisms. We give a few, taken
from a London journal.
The terms '1adies" and "gentleInen"
become in themselves vulgarism when
misapplied, and the improper applica-
ton OF the wrong term at the wrong
time makes all the difference in the
world to ears polite; thus, calling a
man gentleman" when he should be
called a "man," or the speaking Of a
man as a man when he should be
called gentleman; or the abiding to
a lady as woman when she should
be alluded to as lady or the speak
ing of a woman as lady when she
should be properly termed a woman.
Tact and a sense of the fitness of
things decide these points, there be-
ing no fixed rule to go upon to deter
mine when man is man or when
he. is a gentleman, and though he is
far oftener termed the one than the
other, lie does not thereby lose his at
tributes as a gentleman. In common
parlance, man is always man to a
man, and never gentleman; to wo-
man he is occasionally man and oc-
casionally gentleman; but a man
would far oftsner term a woman a
woman than he would term her a
lady. When a man makes use of an
adjective in speaking of lady he al
most invariably calls her woman, the
term young lady gives place as far as
possible to the term girl, although it
greatly depends upon the amount of
intimacy existing as to which term is
employed. Now, to turn to the real
tabooed words, stylish" and ''genteeP'
are rclegated to the showroom, where
they are very much used at home in
each others company, although con-
sidered decidedly vulgar when met
with elsewhere. stylish being bred
in the show room is the right word in
the right place; but it is hard upon
unfortunate "genteel," that, conveying
i'll itself so much it should have met
with such fate. "Nice" bids fair to
follow in the footsteps of discarded
words; standing alone as an adjective,
though pdSse, it still has its admirers,
but when to nice is added either "aw-
fully" or stoO," then nice is altogether
out Of favor.
"Jolly" is well enough on the lips
of a school-boy, to whom it now of
right belongs-a right which no one
disputes; but slang proper is and
never can be anything else than vul-
gar, and those who delight in its use
for the establishment of their speech
to all intents and purposes intend to
be vulgar.
The word "fellow," however much
in use it may be between men, sounds
very Objectionable from the lips of
women; and some women are given
to the foolish coIceit of speaking of
every man they happen to know as a
"dear fellow" charming fellow" a
"handsome fellow" a "clever fellow"
''Beau" and ''belle" are terms now
no longer i'll use; and for beau no
equivalent has as yet been discovered,
although the "beauty" has replaced
the "belle."
Out of the nursery it is not CUSTOM
arv for children to style their parents
other than by the good old-fashioned
reverential names of father and
mother" "Papa" and mamma" are
now nursery names only, but pa and
'na," those unpleasant authorizations,
are now happily quite out of date.
The courteous ''thank you" has in a
measure replaced the uncourteous
thanks" and it is no longer consid-
cred very fine to make this curt cur
tailment.