Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-01-03
MORTALITY OF SLANG
WORDS AND PHRASES THAT RUN
 WILD AND ARE SHORT LIVED.

slaHB. Ill &9 present state slanguaga has attained e9 such luxurious cong pleteness tiEsa tt warraats serious treaE ment. So oEsdous and comprehensive has 1t beco1S& shat there is hardly a hy- man want, feeling or emotion of the heart that cannot be translated into the veTnacular of the bootblaek In study ing the philosophy of slang the first natural query is, How and why did it originate? To tho first question one might giye, with certain notifications. the same answer that would be given to the question, Why do people swearf 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 oyerfiowing with admiration, anger or wonder, the ordinary adjeetives do not tor he thinks they do not) meet the emergency. They de not relieve his pent up fnllness any mort than q sip from dewdrep would quench man s thirst. The natural man and the natural woman sometimes find relief under strong emotion in explosive utterances. In tho case of anger the es- cape valve expletiye is an oath unless tho man i'll question happens to be 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 n 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 its use. Not only does the slanguist find ordinary English tame, but he ends i'll not being able to find any English at all.
 Another fatal characteristic of slang is the very one which at first secures it's adoption-namely its pungency. The same law that makes quiet colors and shades wear well in the world of fabrics has it's counterpart i'll the world of speech. We tire very speedily of start ling costume, in high colors, and just as speedily do we tire of slang, which is startling, high colored speech.
 Still another reason why slang can never gain permanent foethold in the language is its utter lack of dignity No subject can be seriously treated in slanguage It's sole function is to tickle by it's patness or its grotesqueness. It reflects a fugitive iridescence upon cur rent wit and humor, as like the bnb ble catches prismastic colors, but, like the bubble, 1t yanishes even while you behold 1t. Naturally there are slang phrases of all degrees of goodness and badness, ranging from the word which is only a slight remove from forcible but perfectly deeorous adjective to slang of the most daring, deep dyed or der At one end of the scale, for in. stance, ono might place fetching" and at the othex end its superlative rum " Again, the injunction play ball" is gentle aid seemly in comparison with the brusque command ''get move on. 7" Along certain lines the slanguist seems to revel ill extravagant synonyms and antonyms, especially in those express ing some inirmity in the upper story. The man who has "wheels" is also popularly known as "nutty, " cracked or ''off his trolley Again, if he comea from the country, he is "corn raised, {" has seed in his hair Tor his "face doesn't fit nim. .' "Gall, /" nerve, '' check, !" sand, brass" and "face'' are also nearly synonymous terms fer qualities whose universality has made them target for popular satire Equally prolific is the slanguist in eoining terms for money. Dust, " tin. ' sand D rocks, , "chink" and "spon dulicks" are only few of the words that translate filthy lucer. ;"
 Two of the slang phrases now il gallingly frequent use are, That right, and "That won't cut nucI ice. " The latter, it must be confessed has certain cool figurative 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 oi tho many devices of the masses to com pa;s q erosscut and avoid circumlocu. tions. Thus snap and "einch" are time economy for q moneyed sinecure and an assured competence.
 One of the surest tests of the rapid mortality of slang is the extremely pain ful sensation produced by hearing anti qlated slang phrases used-and there are always people who are two or three or ten years behind ip their use of such phrases. When other people are saying "Not on your tintype, the user of mildewed slang feeblv eiac.
 White Slaves of Old England.
 Eight hundred years ago all of the large cities of England had regular slave markets for the sale of white slavea from all parts of the kingdom. In the Life of Bishop Withstand" the writer says: ''It was a moving sight to see in the public markets rows of young peo. pie of both sexes tied together and suld liIya cattIe-men unmindful of theil