The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-12-22
NO SLANG IN THE OLD SOUTH.
People Spoke Good English all the Time
Some illustrations Of Modern Vul-
ydrity and COdrSeneSS.

Now we turn our d-times
kaleidoscope again, and il comb
nations fall into figure that looks
very much like the word slang.
Forty-fivc or fifty years ago in the
south there was nothing like slang
absolutely nothing-and we are
exceedingly proud to say so. If
there was, one cannot remember it.
The nearest we can come to any
such recollection is this: We re-
member hearing an accomplished
lady sing Schubcrt's Scrcnade"
at an evening party. That pure
and elevated style of music was
just beginning to dawn upon our
people. We remember leaning
against the piano, as q very small
boy, and gazing at and listening to
the lady with unbounded delight.
At the end of the song young
man said: Yes, that is very fine,
but rather 'highfalutin. ;" At this
everybody near the piano started
and stared, while the singer, with
the peculiar grace and softnes of
the southern woman, said: High
tluting, did you say? | do not
quite understand you The young
man tried to explain the meaning
OF his slang word, 'highfalutin,
but nobody rclishcd it, and nobody
laughed. They all thought it
awfully coarse to use such word.
In these days, however, slang is
actually a distinctive language, all
pcrvading, expressive, convenient,
funny and atrociously vulgar-al-
most vulgar as the chewing gum
habit. The slang of the present
day is almost endless in its variety
and coarscncss. And, strange to
say, the most amusing, and per-
haps most shocking, slang nowadays
is that used among young men and
young women of the best and high
est classes.
During the past carly spring we
were walking on the streets of a
very large and very gay city, not
two hundred miles out of South |
Carolina, with youthful, yellow
haired niece by our side. The
young girl had paid Il visit in this
city two months before, and haT
made many friends. We had ~ |
rived in the city the night befDt,
and, like country people. ucfe out
shopping quite early. AS we passed
through an extremely fashionable |
and aristot:ratic street, mostly of |
private residences, we heard a sharp,
noise, as Of window sash |
being thrown up. And so it was.
An oxquisitcly beautiful and slender
girl, white as lily, in an exquisite
blue embroidered wrapper, stood |
in the upper window on the oppo-
site side, and cried out to the yell
low haired girl at our side: Hello!
hello! Glad to see you back. You
seem to be getting a pretty consider
able pull on this old town. The
truth is, the boys all treated You so
nicely when you were here before
that ! am afraid you consider your
self the only tin can on the dump,
but wish you to understand that
] am a good many on the dump
myself" "A good many on the
dump!" Then followed q con-
siderable and very loving chat in
this peculiar style. And as we
passed on the slender girl in the
blue wrapper cried out again ''You
must be sure to stay to Mrs. is
swagger german. She's going to
give the swaggerest sort of a german
on Thursday night"
Then, going further, and ap-
preaching the court house, we met
a good-looking, graceful young fell
low, who, when he saw the yellow
haired girl, ran forward with hand
extended, and in reply to the girls
query as to how he was, said: ooh,
| am not many. am trotting be-
hind, | am still on the beach, but
not many" Then tbs girl said:
'Oh, yes you are; you are the shin
INCEST pebble" Then the boy
said: But why did you send
back my ring? / tell you | was
ratified and tattooed and double up
when that ring came back" The
girl replied, II did not like to keep
the ring, simply because it was
such handsome one, but if you
wish me to wear it while am here
am more than willing, for it is
much handsomer ring than any !
ever had" Thereupon he drew off
of his little finger an extremely
handsome diamond solitaire and
slipped it on one of her fingers;
StcDDlnp back ono Stnn he nnd1nd