The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-06-09
THE HOME VOCABULARY.
Verbal Refuse That Should be
Swept up and Burned-Fxpres-
slons Picked up in Youth
Often Mar Ones Ian
guage in After Years
Crn;An Cnhnnl

Some one has said "Tell me the
songs of nation and 1 will tell you its
morality" So we may say, give US the
vocabulary of home and we will tell
you its moral status and its degree of
refinement.
Often we are in a home but few
hours, when, from a chance sentence
or word an interesting family history is
disclosed to you. "This here,' "that
there" "his'n," "her'n,'' etc, at once
reveals faulty education or the ming
ling with uneducated people. A slangy
word or sentence betrays the lack Of
mental culture. Often vile word or
allusion is not the "absence of heart
culture" merely, but, like the boil on
the surface, represents foulness within.
The "home vocabulary" like the
home living room, needs daily atten
ton, to keep it in proper shape. Our
sentences need rearranging, while some
words should be swept up and burn
ed" as other refuse. But in how many
homes, think you. does the anxious,
loving mother, straining at the gnats of
neatness, economy, ETC., swallow this
camel?'
TONGUE HABITS HARD TO BREAK.
Possibly some may think this matter
of language, as regards its purity and
allegiance to grammatical rules, is of
little import. Such parents believe
that Mary and John will "take on" all
this when they go to boarding school
or college, or "come out" in society.
But they are mistaken. Habits of ex
preston, like physical habits, are often
difficult and sometimes almost impos.
sible to break. This is the testimony
of more than one eminent scholar, who
in spite of his scholarship culture, must
ever be handicapped by this early
"home vocabulary
SOME MOTHERS POOR MODELS,
Watch the expressions of your neigh.
Dor; 1t is easier, you know, than watch
ing yourself. hear the rude, low, vul.
gar words that are constantly used be-
fore the family of growing children.
Shut up your mouth "mind your
own business" II will 60 for your
meat shop and many others that
smack strongly of "Billingsgate" and
worse places.
Such expressions as these are by no
means uncommon even in fairly intelli-
gent and respectable families. Then
there are those several shades less often
sive that seem to be tacitly believed to
be quite indispensable to family govern.
ment: as, "Ill box your ears" "Tll
give you something to remember. or
cry for" etc, all of which the tired
and exasperated mother uses freely and
thoughtlessly.
The remedy in such cases is worse
than the disease. The child might far
better 60 unrebuked for his ofense than
receive this kind Of reproof, for in
nine cases out of ten more harm is
done than good. The child's evil
nature is aroused; he feels insulted by
such language.
Ought parents require their children
to use more proper and respectable
language than they themselves use?
But some mother, buried in household
affairs, with no time to seek instruction
about "participles' and "infnitives,"
turns from this artical as of no practi-
cal value to her. But there are many
people who speak quite correctly with
out remembering one rule of grammar.
Watch and compare the expressions Of
the learned and ignorant; study the use
of words in the books and periodicals;
watch your own words and expressions
carefully, correcting them when wrong.
THERE'S FUN IN 1T, TOO.
Much good and no little fun may be
had in the home if the young folks will
test their own remarks and expressions
and those Of their parents by the rules
they are daily learning in their gram
mar and rhetoric. A fine might be
imposed on one member, guilty of the
most blunders, and a reward given to
the one discovering the greatest num-
Der of such errors. If you have never
tried some such method of remedying
your mistakes you will be surprised at
the excellent results.
know lady of careful habits who
has long made it rule to watch her
expressions and to correct them at once
when mistakes are made, no matter IN
whose presence she may be. 1t il