Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-01-07
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Cnaries ". Stohe
n M Cooper Git.
y:Q: Dove
ELI Mundorf.
B. W.
John 2. Ardinger.
CO. Parent. Waveri
SLANG THE DESTROYER OF CON
VERsATION.
from the Philadelphia Americsn.l
The enormous increase OF slang o
late years, and the conspicuous part j
plays in the conversation OF young mel
and women who can lay claim to tn,
best birth and education that . republi,
can afford, marks the absence of some
OF those instincts which 60 to produce
brilliant society. Slang is simply slip
ping ones thoughts into the cheapes
and most slip-shod ready made clothing
and, instead of being an evidence OF WI
or originality as is sometimes ignorant
" supposed, it Is only an indication o
laziness or a limited command Of Ian
guage. There is nothing tnat nor en-
tifely robs conversation OF all FRESHNESS!
and orlginality than q free indulgence,
III oS1uks AuOLC 10 w IOVGl lOk uuy III
dividuality OF expression, Tor n effor
at appropriateness of epithet or business
of opinion; but an idea which nigh b.
expressed in fifty different ways, b,
different people, is stereotyped into
some meaningless slang formula ant
becomes common property. 1t is within
the limits OF moderation to say tina
ninety girls ont Of. every hundred woult
describe every variety of social pleasure
or amusement by declaring that they
had s.had q good time," or a .'lovely
time" or q ''beautiiul time" lawfully
nice,'' aud lawfully Jolly' are sufficient
" indefinite to quality almost any nour
In the dictionary, and are q convenient
way OF conveying ones impression
without requiring that the impression.
shall be too closely defined or analysed.
and they dispense with the troublesome
necessity of fitting the words to the
thought which becomes unavoidable il
q is obliged to find ones self in ex
%pressions. Slang phrases Constantly
present themselves as the easiest and
most obvious thing to say about people.
or places, OF books, or sensations, when
it would involve some mental effort to
describe them more accurately. An,i
then such indefinite judgments do nu,
compromise ones powers OF discrimina.
ton AID cannot be a 8 up as an intel
iectual reproach by people of moro pen.
etrating faculties anu announcement
memories.
The field of slang offers no restric-
tons, and is as open to women as to the
privileged sex ; and such expressions "A
put IN q good time" .'put in, an ap
pearance." stake the cake,' take the
rag off the bush," ..glve a ran the
mitten," or .the gum drops,n ..kick a
free fot," .9have a mash on" some one,
''sit in q girls pocket" thigh jinks,''
.cut up" ''brassv," s'cheeky," etc .
indefinitely. may be heard coming from
lips 60 pretty as almost for the moment
to make one tolerate anything they
might choose to utter. This s~lovenly
co~nventionally unconventional way OF
expressing ones IDEAS has more posi-.
tive i'll results tina merely suppressipg
freshness and maivete OF style. 1t exter-
inmates all dignity and refinement of
thought and speech. and makes a woman
not only commonplace but common. Ii
makes a girls mind seem a place open
70 all comers.-a court without a sanctu.
ary. This accessibility and .shail-fel.
low-wsll-met" air goes far to destroy
the distinct, definite charm of a woman's
conversation. 1t is not necessary that
people who speak good English should
be elaborate. or stiff, or pedantic. The
very best and most vigorous English Is
made up of short, simple words, and
tdiomatic, natural expressions, and is "a
lar removed from Journalism or affec-
tation as slang itself. The charm OF a
clever. fascinating woman's converse.
ton. like the ch,rm of some of the most
beautiful poetry, often lies more in the
manner than In the matter. A free.
facile, graceful use OF language was
one OF he most conspicuous accomplish.
OF those charming elegant women
moulded modern society in their
salons and made conversation a fine
arr. 1t is a very generally conceded fact
IN the societies of the most civilized
countries there are more agreeable
women than men, reckoning purely
from a social point of view; and one
reason of this is that most educated
women are dfliettanti, and dillet,anti
are proverbIally peasant people. They
are not hard workers, but thew o y
easily from flower to flower and gather
2 great deal of sweetness from them all.
lnrre IS not often much that is very
solit to show for all these sunny flights,
but they get the full q .vor and sweet,
ness OF the gu and the flowers, and
are lighter and more graceful Creatures
than b steady plodder- who keep the
Glover and buckwheat fields, with a view
70 the excellent yield and quality oil tbs
honey, and the monument OF wax which
10 to crown their labors.
one cause that helps to destroy re.
anement and reserve OF manners is the
society OF one kind or another
hat Hills up the life OF a girl in gay 60
ciety, The principle OF cooperation
- not confined to trade or business
one. 1t now seems impossible for a
girl who has left school, to learn a for. |
sign language or to gain a knowledge
d Inc literature oil her own, to study his
'ory, or science, or art, to paint china. |
'r to acquire the rudiments of fancy
COOKING, or even sew tor the Door, or !
Jay her prayers. or read her bible in
emit, without tire active assistance of
'ome or more young women who
ire individually as helpless as herself;
naturally, when two or more girls
ire gathered together with no one to
impose discipline, the programme is not
igldly adhered to, aud a great deal
Is not history, or literature, or
cookery, or ediicatlon finds its way into
heir conversation. Many girls are, in
ess degree, like the young lady who had
'forty Intimate friends" and was much
embarrassed when che was Obliged tn
between them in forming a
'twenty-question club" Individuality
thought and character is stifed by
uch constant association. A girl whose
.hole day ia parcelled out between
ooklng clubs. and Shakespeare-classes.
nd readIng-classes, and sewine.classes'
as no time to help herself TO
nd out whether she has any opinions
hat she can honestly call her own. and
they are; and slang expressions
nd cheap English are unfortunately
lore infectious than thoughtiulness and
OF MUD and conduct. The
to even OF q man of pleasure can hard.
: be such an utterly %purposeless, irivo.
'us thing as such an existence. A more
srIous view OF lie is almost necessarily
upon men, even men who are