The age-herald., 1900-09-25
.WoMl4ANN ANc;nrv
The American Woman
 Is Perfectly Lovelv''


 My. Alphonse Dubois is the name of 8 cer- tain wellknown Frenchman who after A recent visit to this country. feels called upon to criticise the perplexities of the Eng gish language, which perplexities he de- clares are the result of the frequent use of slang on the part of American women. It seems that during his visit to America, he had the happiness to meet 8 number of American girls, who by their extravaganza in speech converted the English language Into slang and hyperbole. Some pretty girl declared In his presence that she was ''tickled to death," while another young wo- man was so indiscreet as to be overheard in the remark that "she just thought she would die." If through politeness as prompted by the sole desire of making him. self agreeable to the American girl he ven tured to speak of any subject of which she was in ignorance, she lost little time in telling him that she was dying to hear it." On other occasions he was shocked to be told by a beautiful girl that some thing was lawfully good" as perfectly lovely"-phases that described anything from the war In China to a golf game. In- deed so slangy were the American women with whom he was thrown, that he Is mak- ing published statements in regard to Eng fish as she Is spoke.
 These criticisms, unhappily, must remain unchallenged, for the average American girl is sadly given to extravaganza in speech. Indeed, one has become so accustomed to these "eccentricities'' that they are accept ed in a sense as good form; and to be told that 'it is awfully good of you" creates no spirit of criticism among well-bred Amer icans So it is with other phrases that fall lightly from the lips of the American girl. She is so distinctive in her way of speaking, however, that If her conversation Is punctu- led hU Hft1e a they nt- tered in an adorable manner, and with far less emphasis than those shruggs of the shoulders and lifting of eyebrows that char acterze the manner of the French. Where an American girl would lightly exclaim that she was dying to see something, the phrase conveys only a contagious spirit Of enthusiasm, but were 1t repeated by a Frenchman, and given emphasis by in- numberable "shrugs,' one would instantly recall duels to the death.
 The phrase perfectly lovely" Is prob- ably the only slang that is serious Of the many "extravagancies" of which tho American girl Is accused, it is the one luxury that should be copyrighted. To her 1t conveys as much as the word "chic'' to the French woman, and when an American woman declares that anything Is per fectly lovely all the adjectives in the French language, all the "shrugs' are odi- ous in comparison. For instance, while the American press has been somewhat scath- ing in the notices of the Paris Exposition, the American women declare that 1t Is perfectly lovely" It is so distinctly feminine phrase that even American men pronounce it sentimentally, and while there are other phrases, slang" "extravaganc- ies," "eccentricities," what you will, and for the coinage of which the American girl is said to be responsible, her perfectly lovely" is at least one of her extravaganza ies of which the extremely cultured for eigner must not complain. It is really the only description that has saved the Paris Exposition from being universally regard ed as an huminating failure. The Worlds Fair to the French may have been re- garded as "chic" exhibit, but the Paris Exposition has been repeatedly declared by the American women to be perfectly lovely"