The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-03-17
HOW WE TALK
The Subject Of DIR. JohnW w. sImp.
sons Lecture Last Night
IT WAS MOST ENTERTAINING
Te the LArEo Audience thGt Gathered At
the y. n. c, A. HalI--IEs Make. Plea
fortAo Right WOrIsIn ths Right Places.
ThsuEht BhoulG Conlo Before spassil.
1slf' About Evord sentiment 'rhS ia.
P'rlatlve In speech an EvlI.

The mld.winter lecture course Of The
2. NJ. 9, a. concluded last night with the
lecture Of Or. John W. Simpson, on "How
We Americana Talk" While the audi
tnrlum was not packed. II contained y
large audience which was delightfully."-
entertained.
The lecturers experience as college
president, and close student Of language,
have peculiarly fitted to make him well
Versed with his subject. During the
time he spoke he covered q large Aeld
being rapid and fluent speaker, HIS
lecture was strong plea for tho use OF
right words In the right places. and that
thought should so before speech. He
TIdicpled the fashion " Americans using
high sounding phrases for trivial things,
and lamented that the simple words
should be replaced by exRggeratiVe
words, Interpreting his lecture. and
giving point 20 many Satlrical hits was a
pleasing lot OF anecdotes,
In speaking Of the true application Of
words ne briefly sketched the historical
origin, and the sentiment CllHgIng around
words religious In their bearing, as
church." Puritan" etc, and In military
history such words Us Lexington"
valley Forge" "Vicksburg," ETC., or in
civic and political history. taxation by
representation" "lndivIduaI liberty"
protection" free trade" etc.
DR.. Simpson said that the Americans
are tmpstuUuS and impatient. They turn
aside from the language Of their grand"
fathers. What was once q home" II
now q 'palRtI0l mansion" and similar
exagEeradon9 OF speech are common.
Americans exhaust their vocabulary in
descriptions: they use nothing but super
latives, and firing Of those flee 10 hyper.
boiler, and finally pause for want OF
breath. One Of the examples OF superIa-
tives given was the word "awfully." Said
the speaker: "Yon listen TO 4 group Of
American girls talking, and u half an
hour, you will be surprised to hear how
many Gensations, adventures, and rap
tures they haVe experienced. They had
an 'awfully Jolly time, AN awsuIly hOr-
rible time, and 30 on, until you wonder
if they have ever thought OF the mean
Ing OF the words they use.
He scored the present tendency 10
smooth over the oRenses OF man. by
saying THAI 'he specialized in stocks"
where gambling" was the true word; or
OF calling "GluttOns" aud wilma bgbberB"
"connOlEseurs." He said that the Eng
llsh language 10 being stripped OF ltS !m-
prEsEiVeness. One instance given was by
teTmlnE the digging Of a ditch. "the eX-
cavation OF O Subterr0nean canal"
Words are often used falsely, The man
who SlRna himself "Your ObedIent ser
want" would lh1Eh u the command TO
obey. A similar instance Is the donor OF
a wedding present sending along the
word that the present couleS from his
heart. whereas he cursed tho wedding,
and his necessity Of giving q present.
In like manner, words may be 70 dettly
used that they do an injustice to the per-
son spoken Of. BY Sktllful use OF words
almost synonymous, we may dstrace
from persons reputation, by saying OF
him that he Is possessed OF cowardsce' or
shame, when the qualities possessed by
him are dIffldence and m0deSty.
DR.. Simpson showed the many pecul.
taritIes Of speech among Americans. and
at times grew quite eloquent, denounclnE
the abuse Of words HIS lecture, how
ever, was not strictly confined TO the
proprety OF words, He spoke OF the
manner IN which so many Americans
talk, and In speaking OF the SANDER and
abuse heaped upon men aspiring TO pub
lie life, and the inSlnuationS thrown out
against legislative body whenever 1t
makes an appropriation. he laid particu-
lar stress on the fact that Americans are
ton critical. They are rapidly losing
their enthusiasm, and modern writer's
and the new journalism" seek only 20
bring to light the flaws OF the human
character. The critical American loves
10 Ventilate his knowledge In the parloT,
ana he spcakS only OF the defects. On
ne other hand, tho true mark Of refine
mont and good breeding ia to cherish only
kindly thoughts OF others.
DR.. Simpson Is q polished speaker, ana
his talk was replete With many scholarly
references. His was an earnest tAlk Tor
the purity Of speech, and he incidentally
Eaia many helptul things.