Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-11-08

i
 to swearing end tha Intemparate Use
 Of 1afoxioants The Harin That Results i From the Nonasnsieai Custom.
 The Italian method of prefxing an 5 to word fo give il damaging signif- i canoe can be employed with good effect in christening that wayward and de- 1 generat offspring Of English known as dang. In its present state slanguage has attained to such luxurious com l pleteHe that if warrants serious treat- ment SO eopiaus and comprehensive has 1t become that feore is hardly a hu- pHm want feeling or emotion of the heart that cannot bo translated into the FeTnacu1ar Of the bootblaok In study ing the philosophy of slang tho first natural query is, How and why did it originate? IO the first question one might give. with certain notifications the same answer that would be given te the question, Why do people swears The human animal, like q locomotive seems to require escape valves for oeca- sions when there is too much steam in the boiler When man is oyerAoWing with admiration, anger or wonder. the ordinary adjectiYes do net Cor he thinks they do not) meet the emergency They do not relieve his pent np fullness any moro than Il sip from dewdrop would queneh man S thirst. The natural man and the natural woman sometimes find relief under strong emotion in explosive utteranccs In the case of anger the es- cape valve expletive is an oath unless the man ill question happens to be a gentleman and sometimes, though very rarely, when he is
 It will thus be seen that slang, being of emotional ancestry, is Q first cousin to the oath, and both are used by th3se 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 8 whisky distillation of language IL IS so strong that 1t 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 the very enc which at first secures its 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 eolofs, and just as speedily do we tire Of slang, which 1s startling, high oolored speech.
 Still another reason why slang can never gain T permanent foothold in the language is its utter lack Of dignity. No subject can be seriously treated ill slanguage. It's sole function is to tickle l by it's patness or its1 grotesqueness. It reflects a fugitive irideseenee upon cur rent wit and hnnor. as lilze the bub- 1 ble catches prismastic eolors but, like fhe bubble ib 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 q slight remove from 9 fagfnl5I6 ! lt}it6 perfectly deeorous 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 al the other end it's superlative rum. Again, the injunction play ba11'' is gentle and seemly, in comparison with the brusqne command get q move on. Along certain lines tbe slangnist seems to re9el in extrayagan5 synonyms and antonyms, especially ill those express ing some infrmity in the upper story. The man who has wheels" is also popularly known as "nutty5 ; cracked or off his trolley" Again, if he comes from the country, he is corn raised, ? has ''seed in his hair, or lis tfaee deesn' it him. " Gall, !" nerve, @eheel, '' sand, 7 brass and ''face' are also nearly synonymous terms for qualities whose uniyersality has made them a target for popular satire Equally prolific is the slanguist in eoining terms for money. Dust, " stin, sand, rocks, chinke and spon- dulicl1s" are only few of the words that translate filthy lueer.
 Two of the siang phrases now il galliHgly frequent use are, That's right, and That won't cut much lee. The latter tt must De e0lleSSeu, las certain cool figuratiyc qualities which give 1t saving color of grace. But most of these phrases rely chiefly upon their condensed ezpressiyeness, which is the trademark of their Amer iean manufacture pkey are but one of the many devices Of the masses to com pass !. erosseut and avoid cucumlocn- tias Thus snap and cinch are time economy for a moneyed sinecure and an assurad competence.
 One of the sures6 tests Of the rapid mortality of slang is the extremely pain ful sensation produced by hearing anti Quated slang phrases used--and there axe always people who are two or three or ten years behind iii their uss of such phrases. When other people are saying Not on yor tintype the user of ndlacwed slang feebly eiac- ulates l should smile. The piquanoy and patness of certain phrases make 1t hard to declare that slang has no legiti- mate use. But concerning itamisuse.