The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-01-04
LANGUAGE rs SWEET.
EXPRESSION BY THE TONGUE Is
NECESSARY TO HAPPINESS.

Gould We Make This Existence II We
Took More Pains in Talking.
How would you enjoy life with sweet
words left out? My littlest one runs to
me and with both arms about my neck
pulls me down to kiss me, and whispers
as il 1t were a new secret Papa, love
you. Oh, how just do love, love you!
What pest it is to be pulled about so
when one is busy! How it dislocates
ones collar and ones thoughts! But
what would you take for such prattle?
How would you like it checked, and in
stead of such spontaneity be compelled
to imagine you are loved? Dear me, old
man, but why so fussy? Do you not
know you are loved? Do not actions
speak louder than words2 Does not your
wife cook your meals, and does not your
| girl put your room in order? Must you
also be mussed over and gabbled to in
order to be satisfied?
Then comes my oldest boy, grand
fellow, stout and wholesome and brainy,
and before am aware his arm is about
my neck, and he pulls my head over on
his shoulder with kiss and Papa.
| you are awful dear to me-" Pshaw, what
is there in words? A few sounds-noth-
ing else! l am not so certain about that.
/ only know that would not take n mint
of money for that small bouquet of my
boys words. No, not for the world would
l have to guess at his affection and get
hungry for solid certainty. There is not
enough such eloquence, as have looked
about the world. And yet it should not
flow too easily. Tonguy love is quite
another thing from open heartedness. In
my opinion we should bring up our
young folk to easily and frankly express
their feelings, only not to express any
more than they feel. The art and trick
of speech is to be more eloquent than
true, and so to turn love into a lie.
Somewhere have lately read a good
story Of married couple that from
some spleen vowed not to speak to each
other. Well, if they had not really loved
they could have got on without talk, but
in this case they could not. SO by happy
inspiration they used the household cat
| as a go between. 60" said BETSY,
"and tell John that dinner is ready"
60" answered John, ''and tell BETSY
l am on hand" "Here, puss," says John.
"tell Betsy this pudding is remarkably
good, and l will take another plate of it
if she pleases." $50 tell John" answers
Betsy, that l am glad he likes this
peach shortcake, and he shall have three
pieces if he will"
So for years they kept their vows, but
told their love and got on famously. Ii
is general fact that friendship grows
stronger by short separation and cor
respondence by pen. A man or woman
will say sweet or true things in letter
that they would not say first by mouth.
/ do not quite understand this, but
know it is true. Friends treasure let.
tiers, and friendship never is quite itself
until few letters have passed. en-
courage young folk to write letters to
learn the art of talking we'll. One would
suppose it would be the other way-that
good takers should write well.
How came it about that the tongue
and adjacent organs got control of Ian
guage? Possibly Dido can explain this.
She leaps and bounds about me in over
whelming joy. Her nose is in my face
and her paws on my chest. AT last, ut
terly unable to express all her emotion,
she throws back her head and explodes
in bark. 1t is nothing but an explo-
sion, but it is great relief to her.
That is the beginning of speech in all
creatures-only noise made by the
rush of emotion through the mouth.
By and by this noise is modified to ex-
press different emotions. The dog can ex-
press dozen passions and resentments,
and yet most of these are told by the
tail and the body in general.
The next step is, or was, to modify
these sounds into musical roles. The
bird does not enunciate first, but sings.
The lower races sing well and talk
badly. The highest art is to sing well
and talk equally we'll. So language
slowly gets stolen by a certain set of
organs that at first had little to do with
it. The legs and hands come less into
play to tell emotions; the tail, which
has done SO much animal talking, is
aborted- ] think it is aborted mainly
because its functions are mostly passed
over to the tongue. have not heard
whether the tailed tribe of Africans wag
those appendages in friendly greeting
like dogs or not. Iwould not own
tailless cat or have horses tail even
clipped of its hair. 1t is to abbreviate
speech; it is to lop off the organ of ex-
preston.
You will see that my theory about the
development of language accounts for
many abnormal forms of speech. Pro-
family is mere explosion of sound,
closely allied to the dogs bark and the
cats squall. 1t is not 80 wicked as it is
beastly. 1t is the natural language of a
vulgar fellow who has no art Of high
language. Half the world talks by ex-
plosion and expletives. The more beast
ly a mans habits the more profane he
becomes by necessity. 1t is his natural
language. What stretch it is from
such man to Coleridge or Emerson or
Lowelll .