The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-02-27
GOOD ENGLISH AND GOOD CLOTHES.
Slang md Coarse Language to be
Avoided -. Loose Fitting Clothes
and Loose Fitting Words Betray
the Fac: OF Unrefned Associates.
Charleston Sunday NeWs


A New York Club Man. who has written
lection OF Inaxims and suggestions by saying
"Avoid the habit OF using Slang and coarse
common language. II you offend In this way,
your speech despite your clothes, VIII 6etray
the fact that your associates are not refined
The New York Club Man might have gone
farther than this with perfect safety. The ha-
bltual use of slang 10 something more than an
indication that ones associates are not rehn-
ed, 1t Is an evidence that the person who
uses the slang is not himself refined, or Is In q
fair way TO become as coarse In mental char
acter, and as careless In intellectual attire, as
In putting his ideas in words.
II is one of the canons Of taste, OF course,
that clothes should fit we'll and should not be
so pronounced in style or color as to make the
Wearer conspicuous. This is equally true OF
the attire of the mind. There is. In pure and
! every thought, and every shade OF thought. OF
which the human mind Is capable, and with.
out having recourse to ephemeral phrases,
which are the coinage Of idleness, or barren:
which is almost infinite in its application and
It's meaning, Is as useful to the negligent and
careless rs q coat that can be worn in all sea-
sons and all weathers. But It's constant use is
evidence Of Intellectual poverty or mental
slovenliness. whichever you please. They
who read Will haye their clothing ready for
every possible occasion, and have no serious
use for the American "ix," any more than for
the French machine"
But such loose-f1tting words as have been
mentioned are not nearly as bad as actual
slang This comes In the beginning from lg-
norance Of words, or their misuse; or else
from the wanton perversion of words, or the
desire to conceal the meaning from the unini-
tiated. Many OF the slang words In common
use are taken from the vocabulary OF profess
sIonnl criminals. There Is no need OF them;
There Is no proper place for them. Each and
every slang word thai Is used is q reproach TO
him who utters 1t, and an Injury to the grand
Epo ltcG tuh
deavor to maintain in its strength and clean
ness. The New York Club Man lays stress on
the importance of being modest In ones Jew
elry and In ones neck ties and the rest. How
much more important Is 1t to be simple and
unaffected In speech. There Is reflex action
in such things. They who fall into the habit
Of talking slang will, iE time, think slang, If
Flashiness Of expression becomes the COM
plement of vulgarity Of thought. And the
risk Is in the egnning. 1t Is natural enough
perhaps to laugh at the slang word that falls
from O schoolgirls lips. or drops unexpected
ly from the mouth Of the shame-faced school
boy. But the safe way is TO begin at the be-
ginning, and condemn II from the first. With
be difficuIt 70 make children as much asham-
ed of slang as Of any other thing that Is coarse
and unbecoming. For the children Of larger
growth-especiaIly for the girls OF sixteen and
the youths of the cane and cigarette period
the cure Is more likely to come by example
than by preccpt, but precept need not be de-
spiscd. ---
In plain truth, newspapers are more respon.
slbe for the dissemination of slang than any
other modern agency. What is worse still is
that most newspaper men are fully aware OF
this, but are unwilling TO Sacriflce the appear
ance of smartness to old-fashioned Ideas OF
prImness and precision In speech. What
would the average newspaper man OF to-day
think of himself. IL he could write such Eng
lish as Addison and Southey wrote? NO
doubt he would expect the newspaper reader
to miss the customary spice Of iIlegltimate
words and complex phrases. But 1t would be
worth while to try the experiment for time.
and see whether the puplic taste Is so vitiated
that 1t cannot appreciate directness Of express
sion and simplicity OF speech.
This, however, Is travelling away from the
subject. The New York Club Man takes 1t for
granted, in all that he writes, that the reader
is "honest, gentle. generous. brave and wise"
Else, he says, "what lie learns herein will ben-
eft him little In his efforts TO ben true gentle.
man." But If he be all that the author hopes
for, there is no danger Of ill-behavior, or that
he will use "slang" or "coarse, common lam
guage." How IL 1t with you?