The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1882-01-05
slang tIie Destroyer Of Conversa-
lion.

o republic can afford, marks the ab-
senee Of some Of those instinct
which 20 10 produce a brilliant soci.
ETY. Slang Is simply slipping one'
throughts into the cheapest anC
most slip shod ready-made clothing
and. instead Of being an evidence d
wit or originality as is sometimes
ignorantly supposed, it is only al
indication Of laziness or a Limited
command Of language. There il
nothing that more entirely robs con
versatioh of all freshness and origi-
nality than a free indulgence in slang
There is no room for any individual
ity of expression, for any effort al
appropriateness Of epithet or business
of opinion; but an idea which might
be expressed in fifty different ways
by different people, is stereotyped
into some meaningless slang formula
and become common property. II
is within the limits Of moderation to
say that ninety girls out Of everv
hundred would describe every variety
Of social pleasure or amusement BY
declaring that they had 'had a good
tlme," or q "loSely time" or q
"beautiful time lawfully nice"
and lawfully Jolly" are sufficiently
indefinite to qualify almost any noun
in the dictionary, and are a convent
emily vague way Of conveying ones
impressions without requiring tIat
the impressions shall be too closely
defined or analysed, and they dis
pense with the troublesome necessity
OF fitting the words to the thought
which becomes unavoidable If one is
obliged to find ones self in express
sions Slang phrases constantly
present themselves as the easiest and
most obvious thing to say about peo
| pie, or places, or books, or sensa-
tions, when it would involve some
mental effort to describe them more
accurately And then such indef-
mite judgments do not compromise
ones powers Of discrimination and
cannot be cast up as an intellectual
reproach by people OF more pene-
trating faculties and ineonvenient
memories.
The field of slang offers no restric
tions, and is as open to women as to
the priviledged sex; and such ex-
pressious as "put IL a good time"
"put in on appearance" stake The
cake" take the rag of the bush, -
"give a man the mitten,n - or "the
gum drops" "kiek a free ioot,'
shave mash on some one, "sit in
a girls pocket" "high iinks," "cul
up, brassy," cheeky" etc, indo-
6nitely, may be heard coming from
lips so pretty as almost for the mo-
ment to make one tolerate anything
they may choose to utter. This SLOW
enly, conventially unconventional
way of expressing ones ideas has
more positive i'll results than merely
suppressing freshness and aGiUete oil
style It exterminates all dignity
and refinement ofthought and speech
and makes a woman not only COM
monplace, but common. II makes
girls mind seem a place open Il
all comers.-a court without sanct
uary. This accessibility and "hail-
fellow. well met air goes far to de
stroy the distinct, definite charm o
a woman's conversation. 1t is hoi
necessary that people who SPEAK
good English should be elaborate
or stiff, OF pedantic The very tesl
and most vigorous English is made
up Of short, simple words, and idio-
matte, natural expressions, and is as
far removed from Journalism or affec-
tatioA as slang itself. The charm oi
a clever, fascinating woman's con-
versation, like the charm Of some o
the most beautiful poetry, often lies
more in the manner than in the mat
ter. A free, lacile, graceful use o.
language was one of the most con-
spicuous accomplishments Of thos'
charming, elegant women who
4 moulded modern society in theil
salons and made conversation q 6n'
art. tt q very generally oontendeC
fact that in the societies Of the mos
civilized countries there are NOR
agreeable women than men, reckon
ing purely from a social point Q
view and one reason OF this is tha
most educated women are dillettanti
aud dillettant are proyerbially pleas
ant people. They are not har'
( workers, but they rove easily from
, flower to flower and gather q grea
{ deal of sweetness from them all
There is not often much that is yer,
solid to show for all these sunni
flights, but they get the full tlayo
and sweetness Of the summer an
/ the flowers, and are lighter On
more graceful creatures than th
steady plodders who keep to th
! clover and buckwheat fields, With
view to the excellent yield and quail
6 Ity of the honey, and the monumer
; Of wax which is to crown their L
e bors,
One cause that helps to deslro
) refinement and reserve Of manuel
e is the constant society Of one kin
: or another that flls up the liio Of
i girl IN gay society The prioviplo (
e ca operation Is not confined to trad
- l. z.s.zlsss 81 sao Ifas.a naas..a ia