Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-06-09
fCoyri9hted. 1881

| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THAT ARE VUL0Ak ON
| INAPPROPRIATE.
| tCoyriehtsd. 1881
There Is one part OF his luggage which no Amer
lean should leave In Europe and that is his nation
atty. 1t too often happens that that is Just what
he does leave, and there have been weak Amer
| leans who have come home from Europe with but
slight knowledge OF their own language after six
| months abroad They are smitten with every
thlng French, and are constantly 1nterlardng
| their talk with convenient French phrases, are
disturbed In their belief In women, and not at
! all sure OF their belief In anything. Some Amer
! leans come home from England so heavily Britain
lied that we can only call them Br1tta2ia ware.
others get smattering OF German, can listen to
nothing but German music smoke German pipes,
and raise German beard. These are our green
travellers, and these are diseases like the
measles, whooping cough, and falling in love,
they pass away with experience and years.
knows that there is nothing like home. ONE 70
have any consideration in this world, must derive
IL from the place OF his birth. To come home from
Europe without ones nationality, is 10 have lost
consequence and the feeling OF citizenship. To
come nome discontented aid uproOted is to be a
Wa To coe homa shat most OF
and the poorer part Of Europe is to be even worse
an unworthy American.
THE ACCOMPLISHED TRAVELLER.
However, there is happy medium. To come
its newness all the old-world culture, all
that one can bring OF European art, refinement
and the products OF three thousand years OF civi-
zat1on Is TO be the good citizen, the accomplished
traveller. Especially should an American avoid the
apeing OF English speech, that is an afrectation
easily detected. Try for the clear elocution, the
strong ana perfect pronunciation OF words, the
absence OF sovenlinesS, and cultivate the care
which marks an English pronunciation, but do
not say In church ooh Laud, we do most haught-
lily beseech Thee, or affect the "Chauey Crauley"
nr0Vtncfpl
England, here it Is most transparent humbug
The apeing OF foreign manners has afforded the
many good comedies, and William Cowper said
How much fool who hath been sent to Rome
Exceeds a fool who only stad at home"
THE VOICES OF ENGLISH WOMEN
are beautiful, low and sweet; they never talk
through their noses. We might try to cultivate
such voice, and we might without loss or dignity
study their choice OF words, which is always
classic and captivating. IL would seem at flrsu
as II all good words In our old-fashioned English
speech were good words, and II well chosen ought
10 De fashionable, but fashion changes In words as
In everything else. Gentee, Tor instance although
derived from the beautiful word gentle, is now
tabooed. "A genteal thing is a vulgar and
feeble expression used only at minstrel show
and we no longer use the old-fashioned combina-
&C. beautiful lady" "Mr. Brown and his lady"
ian elegant lady," &C., are all old-fashioned "A
perfect lady" is however, proper; no one objects
propiate combinations we have grown so fond OF
the saxon word woman that lady has almost gone
out or the market. Still no one speaks or Mr. Brown
and his woInaL, they say Mr.. and Mrs Brown
The use OF the word woman is, however, to be
encouraged. She is fine woman, a beautiful
woman, a poor woman, is better than to put the
word lady in Its place. Do not say 'talented;" the
puriStS Say there Is no such word. Say such man
Is man or talent, or he is clever man; say that
josef Holman has talent, do not call him talented
musician
AMERICAN AND ENGLISH EPITHETs.
The Americans are accused OF a profusion of
epithets Of an illy-expressed appreciation No one
should say OF picture thatt is perfectly sweet
Sweetness Din spite OF Matthew Arnold) is word
meant 10 express sensation OF the palate still
less should we say OF anything which we enjoy at
table 81 love IT," Il love melons" 81 love peaches
81 love grapes" All these are schoolgirl mis-
taxes we love our friends and our country Love
Is an emotion OF the heart, but not a tickling OF
the palate. We may like and prefer melons, but
appropriate language: Some OF them can be
equally expressed by the same words. There are
minor elegancies also to be observed in the words
take, and seat" We do not say now 81 take tea
with Mrs Montgomery" but II drink tea" Beau
BrumInel once rebuked lady for saying: Take
dlsh OF Tea" He said: madame, vulgar man
can take liberties, but gentleman drinks tea"
ON the other hand, we always say stake supper
The Ehgllsh, however, who are very particular as
their expressions. They say such a person is a
"HSrrid. nasty, 6eastly creature" Their
ETs Say to and their yoa friends Yor nasty
ling" Is familiar term OF endearinent. They use
many words which we need not adopt The iise nj
tne word nasty, as a term OF endearment and
praise, Is very false fashion. When our English
friends use the word "nasty," as describing their
own Climate, we can quite agree wita them, but
Again an English gentleman heard an American
mamma say To her little daughter my dear do
you leel IKE oeefsteak this mOrning?" He thought
1t q great blunder. She should have said. s.wouId
you like to eat beefsteak?" One can feel like a
Iooi, one can feel mlserably, but one can hardly
feel like beefsteak. These mistakes are slight
ll0TpnlV ri oft 10
AFFAIR. IL Is common fault in New England TO
drop the at the end OF words like sitting. living.
matron was once accused OF intruGing on the
poultry and announced that 'she did mt take any
comfort lay1n' or settin'."
ADVICE IN SMALL MATTERS.
One should speak all words "trippingly on the
tongue" English people have a stronger dia-
phragm than we have. They have to speak clearly
TO be heard through their own fogs. We have an
1ncorrig1D!e habit OF drawing, and great fault In
the use OF the letter SPAS, for instance, when a
PeOria-r-r-r, rather as II the words were spelled
vulgure, Peoriaur. IL is difficult to convey this
fault by any spelling. but Is what in England they
call burr. and II does make all speech decidedly
disagreeable. The letter "r" should ALWAYS be
held as a soft and agreeable sound. There is also
use OF the word ION" which Is decidedly improper
NO one should say ~ am going on East; say 81
am going East" Certain authorizations are iDele-
giant, as when one says in New York, THAT shop
Is on 6th:" "Tnat shop Is In 9th avenue" would
The word gentleman" although one OF the best
In the language, should not be used too much DO
not say "he Is a very fine gentleman" or a hand
some gentleman" or "a rich gentleman but one
can always say "a charming gentleman" IL Is a
dl1ncult tpng 10 make law on this subject but we
must trust TO that fine Critic the ear 1t is proper
10 say "a good looking man." '.strong man. ian
agreeable man. II one can find such an one, but
not "a rich gentleman" the latter sounds badly
somehow, although the reality might be pleasant
Stll less should one say 'can the gentleman come
in 10 fix the gaS?" The word vulo0r was once
thought TO mean indecency. 1t now Simply means
bad manners, common, mean, coarse plebeian as
sOciationS &c. TO be vulgar is TO be tnadmisstble
TO good society, but still curious are the fncOn-
slstencleS OF society and language that q vulgar
man may SIT On a throne, and a vulgar woman
may Dy mistake be mistress OF a fashionable
salon. The use % the word vulgar to mark ones
contempt OF rudeneSS, cOarSenesS, loud preten-
tious or intrusive manners, Is always proper 1t is
OF all that Is 70 be avoided II is a very cOmpre-
hensve word. The word goodbye is the best aGbre-
Walton In our language for leave-takng nor can it
be replaced BY any other. Never say good AFTER
noon, although good evening is proper. Farewell
Is 5tilted Adieu Is foreign; repor Is pretty put
affected. The good Old Anglo Saxon, God be with
you, shortened 10 goodbye, Is the best OF all.
ART OF CONVERSATION.
Old and middle-aged people talk Of the decay In
the art OF conversation and say that TO talk well
Is one OF the lost arts No doubt this Is true all
over the world II is no longer the fashion to tell
anecdotes 10 De amusing, and person who sets
up to amuse the company is considered a prig
All this is very unfortunate, and one regrets the
transition from that revolutionary period when
men talked learnedly and wisely and that lar or