The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-04-08
A "Long.Felt Want"

At last there is a demand for some
thing new in the way of exclamations,
ejaculations and expressions of sudden
surprise, fear and astonishment Just
think of it. For six thousand years or
longer men have been pegging away at
the "great horn spoon, thunder and
lightning" and "by gum' And it is
only during the last twelve months that
any dissatisfaction was noticed. When
the children of Israel arose In the morn.
ing and saw the ground covered with
mama, they looked at each other and
exclaimed: ''For the lands saker' Ibid
you everw "Well, what nextw Just as
people of this age would do and say.
The expression: ''Ohl dry mp" is over
four thousand years old, and progress
sive and enlightene race should scorn
to use it ''Jewhittakerw which Is n
pcpular swear-word IN the agricultural
Regions, was perhaps N use In tlse-fsfn
of Nod when Cain first reached there.
Customs, manners, language, tools, crops,
buildings and ali else have changed,
and vet when an American plow strikes
q root the American farmer at the
handles scarcely has time TO come down
on the broad of his back before yelling
ont his favorite expression. ''Jewht-
lGAGLs AS l4OA llAt lAttLlt iA A4ti4As tklAAAA+tf
river or country. BY substituting
'FThree for n Quarter" we should not
only have something fresh and new, but
something that has a meaning.
When Nero become ruler Of Rome ne
was waited on by deputation of leading
citizen and asked to deal softly with them
His reply was: "YOu shall see to read
your prayers at midnight without the
aid of lamps, and don't YOU forget it,"
And ever since Nero's time we have
been telling Tom, Dick and Harry not
to forget it, and not one move has been
made to substantiate the expression.
The words born before the walls of Rome
hundreds of years ago are echoed III
every American city to-day. The express
sion "tBy Georgep is a favorite one with
clerks. 1t can be used to express either
disgust or pleasure, and Is always handy
when the knee attempts Grub the head
off n tenpenny nail. The ''by GeorgesI
are to be found on every street and
square, and yet they are making use OF a
swear word coined in England before
this country was dreamed of. We have
all the material for n new expression. /
Why not say ''by Davis" or ''by COnk-
,hngl" or ''by Blainei or "by Beecheri'
or ''by" any of the other Americans who
are daily noticed and daily talked about?
Not twenty-four hours ago a man
looked into Detroit saloon and yelled
to the bartender: ''See any moss on
my bacl1?" He might have believed it
new, but the fact is the ex-
preston originated in Russia six hundred
years ago. How easy it would be for
some one to say: ''Do you take me for a
strawstack?" or "Do l look like a last
years mince pie?" but they go right on
with the same old guys and gags as if
our people were blowing with sharp |
sticks and pounding their corn in mortars. |
But, as we said at the start, a demand |
las arisen for new class of swear words I
md expressions. This demand VIII !
broaden and deepen; and the need Of
something new will be so fully realizid
hat within ten years of this date no mm
who strikes an old hat with stone undl
It and yells, ''By Jingor' VIII be lookd
upon as a native-bOrn American
Detroit Free Press.