Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-11-25
MORTALITY OF SLANG
WORDS AND PHRASES THAT RUN
 WILD AND ARE SHORT LIVED.

The Use of Slang as A Habit Compared
 to Swearing and the Incorporate Use
 of Tntoxioants- Harm That Results
 From tho Nonsensioai Custom.
 The Italian method of prefxing an 8 to word to give 1t damaging signlfi- canoe can be employed with good effect in christening that wayward and de- generate offspring of English known as slang. In it's present state slanguage has attained to such a luxurious com pleteness that it warrants serious treat ment. So eopiouB and comprehensive has 1t become that there is hardly hu- man want feeling or emotion of the heart that cannot be translated into the yernaeular of the bootblack In study ing the philosophy of slang the first natural query is, How and why did it originate? To the first question one might give, with certain notifications, the same answer that would be given to the question, Why do people swear? The human animal, like @ locomotive, seems to require escape valves for oeca- sIons when there Is too much steam in the boiler When man is overhowing with admiration, anger or wonder, the ordinary ad jeetives do not Cor he thinks they do net) meet the emergency. They do not relieve his pent up fullness any moro than @ sip from dewdrop would queneh man 8 thirst The natural man and the natural woman sometimes find relief under strong emotion in explosive utterances. h the case of anger the es- cape valve expletive is an oath unless the man in question happens to be 8 gentleman and sometimes, though very rarely, when he is
 It will thus be seen that slang, being of emotional ancestry, is first cousin to the oath, and both are used by those who mentally resemble the man whose use of intoxicating drinks has made him forget or underestimate the attractions of pure water. Slang, in sooth, is a whisky distillation of language. It is so strong that it may be taken only very rarely with impunity, and herein lies the chief danger in it's use Not only does the slanguist find ordinary English tame, but he ends in not being able to find any English at all,
 Another fatal characteristic of slang is tho very one which at first secures it's adoption-namely, it's pungency. The same law that makes quiet colors and shades wear well in the world of fabrics has it's counterpart in the world of speech. We tire very speedily of a start ling costume, in high co1ors. and just as speedily do we tire of slang, which is startling, high oolored speech.
 Still another reason why slang can never gain 0 permanent foothold in the language is it's utter lack of dignity No subject can be seriously treated in slanguage. Its sole function is to tickle by it's patness or its grotesqueness. It reflects fugitive iridescence upon cur rent wit and humer, as like the bub- ble catches prismastic colors, but, like the bubble, it vanishes even while you behold it. Naturally there are slang phrases of all degrees of goodness and badness, ranging from the word which is only slight remove from a forcible but perfectly decorous adjective to slang of the most daring, deep dyed or der. At one end of the scale, for in- stance, one might place fetching" and at the other end it's superlative rum. J Again, the injunction Hplay ball'' is gentle and seemly, in comparison with tho brusque command ''get move on. J Along certain lines the slanguist seems to revel in extravagant synonyms and antonyms, especially in those express ing some infirnity in the upper story. Da, J.ys f, H~e popularly known as "nutty. cracked" or ''of his trolley" Again, if he comes from the country, he is "eorn raised, has ''seed in his hair, or his "faoe doesn't fit him. ' Gall" nerve" "oheeL, !" sand, l" '.brass" and "face' are also nearly synonymous terms for qualities whose universality has made them target for popular satire. Equally prolific is the slanguist in coining terms for money Dust, ''tin, " "sand, :" rocks J "chink" and "spon- dulicis" are only few of the words that translate filthy lucer. ]"
 Two of the slang phrases now in gallingly frequent use are, That's right, " and "That won't cut much ice. !" The latter, it must be confessed, has certain cool flguratiye qualities which give it saving color of grace. But most of these phrases rely chiefly upon their condensed expressiveness, which is the trademark of their Amer ican manufacture. They are but one of the many devices of the masses to com pass o crosscut and avoid circumlocu- tions Thus "snap" and "cinch" are time economy for moneyed sinecure and an assured competence.
 One of the surest tests of the rapid mortality of slang is the extremely pain fu1 sensation produced by hearing anti quated slang phrases used-and there are always people who are two or three or ten years behind in their use of such phrases. Whom other people are saying Mot on your tintype, the user of mildewed slang feebly ejao- ulates II should smile. The piquancy and natness of certain phrases make it