The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-13
"UNTIDINEss OF SPEECH"
Examples as They A-e Pointed ont ~
Two Critics or Sens two Ears.


To THE EDITOR OF The srN-Sh: In your
editorial on the remarks Of Henry James 10
Bryn Mawr graduates concerning 'nntidi-
ness" In the speech Of persons considering
Themselves educated, you say in regard 70 MS
statement about lacking the r" TO the emo OF
words to which 1t does not belong that you
have not discovered hnreabouts this par
ticular sin against English speech" 10 any
alar ming extent. but probably it is glarins III
other parts Of the country"
Now, to an car ne W to the atrocity. 1t Ia the
most marked feature in the speech OF the
majority of native New Workers. Those VINO
call themselves educated" are as far as any
from being free from the fault for nave
heard eminent minstcrs. learned )nrists'
college. profe ssors and public school teachers
SPEAK OF drorines' and tell Of things they
1t is now more than thirty years since !
came to New York. to hear for the frat time
to IL Gan master it without marked eforD, yet
" still strikes ma with disgust. ! 40 nor
hearing the sweet Girl rraduate eS for van-
authors Of her being as Pepper Hpd MGr
for the speech OF his child as for it's being,
have a son horn in Brooklyn and. with the
brought UP in the vicinity Of New York, When
be began to attend school l listened j., WITH 4
Providence that though l may have suffered
some disappointment IN my child ] have rave
never had to hear myself addressed as Nom
mer," Other things could endure.
Years ago, when was full Of youthful zeal:
tried to reform these c1prs %ho h cane re.s mg
OF the inability of q person whose ear was
perverted to recognize. this particular sin
70 a, Western or, southern born person.
unless he has a strain Of New York or New
England blood, the sin is a. very apparent
MoNTCLAIR. June II. JERSEY.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN--Sir; am
glad to observe the notice you have taken OF
Mr.. Henry James g criticism of our careless
misuse of the English language. but feel that
you might have gone further and pointed out
that in this respect our newspapers are the
worst offenders. Beneath historical head
lines, which convey about the same i'm
preston az a man yelling into ones ear
through a megaphone. exaggerated descrp-
tons OF everyday events. interlarded with
big" smash" "stupendous," &c, are con-
veyed in words shove!ed together with little
regard for their fitness or true meaning.
The gaps in a vocabulary most pitifully lack
ing in verbs. adjeotives and adverbs are
stopped by the substitution OF words but
family suggesting those which the writer's
ignorance or Incidence renders unavailable.
with the result that the ignorant reader Is
misled and the educated alternately amused
and disguised.
pair of horses is called team" hound
or a terrier dog" a pony horse" any
kind Of cruiser or a guEboat battle ship;
shooting Is called hunting" when Mr.. and
Mrs So-and-So sail for Europe in 1000
ton ship IL is announced that they sailed on
boa3 h hey n %sn go boat ,Sp Ss We
often read that in the civil war our troops
carried smooth bore rifles" while after the
were burned partly because shells from our
ships cut their IRE mains and il was ANNOUNCED
by the Navy Department. that thereafter
the fire mains in our ships must be worked
beneath the protective decks, New York
papers announced that the main batteries
to e t df His
in his head. 4 few days, ago, our leading
of the Apache labeled The three masted
barge Apache Even the President Of the
United Stncs is rarely accorded the courtesy
OF Mr.. before his name.
DO not let us suppose that breyty or econ
omy Of words is achieved by the sloyeniy'
Re dn reSd M So
and SO drives tits said that he Is out riding.
white If he really rides he is said TO be horse.
called "s,ccplcchase races. oar, poor old
mother tongue. loaded down as it Is with sl-
pernos t sa5es and si" 1nre eons9nan,s
for recently strateg ic has become "strategi-
cal. the product Of nation Is now. its pro
ductions,' its economic police Ns "economi-
cal policy" DC. Sooner or later We shall be
travelling In electrical cars. listening TO conf
cal operas and sailing for Liverpool in the
BaltiCal.
The absence Of courtesy and good manners
shown by Americans TO one another. which
IN pubic ana paaySs ssFHants ,aSes inc
to deliberate insoiencc. is only natural in a
comparatively new country. Precisely the
and New Zealandcrs but that is no reason
why the rising generation should not be
taught to overcome a falling which cannot
If ANYTHING. to bc increasing rather than
diminishing. y.
NEW YORK. June ~.