Birmingham age-herald., 1895-10-03

All items of social interest will be gladly noted in these columns if sent to Mrs. George c. Ball, Nineteenth street between Tenth and Eleventh ave nues, South Highlands. Telephone 9SS.
 One of our characteristics, which has excited anew the admiration and en- thusiasm of northern correspondents, is the musical and fascinating voice of southern women. They even commend us for ignoring our ''r's' and for softly running some of our words together This is very cheerful information to those of us who love the sweet southern ac- cent and esteem it superior to the in- novations of speech which have found their way into our midst of late years As we all know, the highest and best form of pronunciation is that which indicates no particular nationality. We also know that this degree of excellence Is rarely attained by the best scholars and men and women of the world An0 If we find 1t almost impossible to ac- complish this result the question arises,i Why should we desire to substitute for our soft, musical sounds the rolling, na-A sal ITS" and those forms of speech which emphatically belong to people of colder climates? More than that, all affecta-, tons of pronunciation imply most un- fortunate dissatisfaction with our early training and educational advantages, Certain provincialisms are in themselves attractive and possess peculiar charm in indicating the local surroundings of the talker. Take. for instance, the broad ''a.' This vowel, pronounced as the natives of certain portions of Vir-i ginia do, is very sweet and attractive and at once indicates the state and sec ton in which the speaker or the speak CTS parents have originated. But when this broad sound is given to "a" by per xr1t. i, Ttr o+ e.n1,. or adopted it because of fancy it is a most amusing affectation. The pecu- liar accent of Virginians and South Car olinians Is very sweet and magnetic. and certainly is as correct as that of other sections. Because 1t is peculiar does not make 1t erroneous. And the well edu- cated southerner can boast of as abso- lutely correct pronunciation as the well educated person of any other section, and when We grow ambitious to i'm prove our speech it is well to avoid all affectations and the inaccuracies of other sections. Granting that our habit of running words together is open to crit iciSm, 1t is not nearly so ugly or so ab- surd as the new fashion of separating with great distinctness all words and ire quently the syllables of the same words. For instance. the words venture, ma ture,' 'viiture" and many others are far more euphonious pronounced as has been the habit of well educated south erners until recently, when instead of this pronunciation we have "Ven-ture," mature" and so on. And to the aver age southerner doubtless the old fash toned way of saying don't you" "cant you" and so forth, is much more agree able than "don't-you" and "can't-you," as is, now taught in many schools and classes. Our form of speech may not be, certainly is not faultless, but it is quite I as correct and far more agreeable than many innovations recently adopted by many of us. Perhaps the renewed ad miration of the southern tongue" which is becoming one of the fads of the day, may prevent any further inroads of harsh and unmusical vernacular.
 Haryot Holt Cahoon in recent edition of the New York Recorder says pleasant things of the southern women. In com plimenting Us she has shown the very bad taste to detract from southern men, and exhibits in so doing an ignorance of our people. No country could boast of such a womanhood as the Recorders correspondent claims for us, and yet have an inferior race of men. The fact that our splendid women are the mothers, wives and sisters of these men at once gives a reason for their noble and supe r1or traits. It is d lesson we all should learn, that it is not necessary to detract from either sex in extolling the virtues of the other. The claim of excellence in one in no wise interferes with the esti- mate due the other A nation to be thor oughly great must have it's men and i women, in their different spheres, the highest possible opponents of the human race. But this is what Haryot Holt Ca hoon says:
 ''The southern woman is the flower of American womanhood. The sunny cline in which she lives shines into her very nature, and she is sunny herself. To live among southern people is a liberal education in itself, an education in the philosophy of life, in generosity, hospi- tality, unsalfishness, courtesy and in genuineness. The northern woman will not agree to this, but she does not un- derstand. The eXpension of the spirit to which the south leads itself is more likely the result of climatic influence than of anything else. Leisure must have it's effect upon temperament. The southern woman has no aspirations bearing upon living two or three lives in one. There is less change of seasons in the south---this means less variety in attire There is less bric-a-brac in the parlor--that means less dusting and care. There are less stairs to climb, and there is less form and ceremony in social life. There is less necessity for woolen underwear that irritates. and it takes fewer dollars for fuel It may be that women are less ambitious about suits and trappings. and play less at precedence with their neigh borS. Be that as it may the southern
 
 It even bears the hot weather no malice and cherishes up nothing personal against the year. The southern woman meets the northern woman two-thrds of the way and the northern woman learns from the experience what it is to be ap- preciated and to become responsive. The southern woman is guileless in her iudg- ment. She believes you honest and up- right till you prove yourself to the con trary, and then she is sorry. All of the best there is in you rises to salute you and reveals it's excellence when you come under the gracious influence of the southern woman. The social life of the ! daughters of Dixie suggests that they appreciate the favor of fate in making them women instead of men, and they are very superior to the southern man.
 'In the opening of the fair at Atlanta the women of the south make their debut on the field of action No one doubts their ability. At the close of the war they exemplified that. Did they not then welcome the me-coming heroes with good cheer, and then. to prove their ap- preciation, did they not gather up the burden and adjust 1t to their hitherto IrfN in1 cln