Evening star., 1909-04-18

pleasing aspirant to social honors may
be shattered. This abominable word.
no legitimate place in the English Ian
guage. One says a dish is 'appetizing.
not tasty" SO turn your memory away
from the word when you see 1t. FOR.
though cooking receipts may give II. II -
tabooed by polite society.
A splendid English authority on tho
propriety Of speech gives the following
simple rules:
Always select words calculated 70 give
an exact impression OF your meaning.
Let your articulation be easy, clear. corr
rect in accent and suited In tone and em.
phasis to your DISCOURSE.
Avoid q muttering. suffering suttureA
or lisping pronunciation.
Let your voice be preferably low ana,
quiet and eschew a garrulous propensity d
Great takers, unless of SURPRISING wis~l
dom or OF delightful delivery. are gem
orally great bores.
Beware OF such vulgar interpretations
as you know" you see" I tell you
Pay a strict regard to all tho rules OF
grammar, even In q most intimate ana
private conversation. for bad habit once
caught is difficult to overcome.
Above all, let your conversation be ln-
tellectual. graceful. chaste.l discreet, edi.
flying profitable and kind.
In this simple and short list are COM
prised all the fundamentals OF correct
speech, for II one follows the rules OF
grammar and avoids coarse. unkind ana
Improbable discussion speech cannot
help wearing the right stamp.
-
One IL never too old to acquire the
right methods Of speech. and q little cul-
tivation in this respect 10 nothing to
blush for Correct language and cer-
tain elegance OF delivery are mag
nificent weapons for business and social
success and they are edged tools be-
sides, for warding of vulgar and un-
desirable acquaintances. The woman
who says dandy" with every breath. who
talks of ''fellers" who says sure" and
commits dozen other sins of rhetoric
has no fondnesS for the one of well bred
speech and noble thought.
Water seeks Its level. and so while
getting rid Of the wrong acquaintances
the way is being paved all the time for
the right ones.
Begin your private lessons by listen
ing to the sound of your own voice. II
1t is loud and harsh. drop your tone and
ern dialect is good practice for nasal.
unmusical voices. though. of course. such
lingual gymnastics must be taken In
private and dropped before the world.
Read good books after the grammar
lessons are learned for a good book Is
the finest teacher Of language the world
knows. Stevenson and Emerson are IA
nous knights Of the beautiful word and
thought
However. you are not asked to follow
in the footsteps of these great readers
in elegant language. All that the polite
world requires is that you shall be correct
in grammar. and employ tone of voice
which is pleasing to the decent ear.
4 4
For those whose vocabulary Ii so linn
tied as to produce shyness in company
the study of another language Is often .
great help. Even reading big. good
dictionary is an aid to fuency with words.
and since. thereby. the reader gets an
exact knowledge of their meaning. there
is no danger OF their being misapplied.
It is wonderful thing to have rare
and beautiful words at ones command.
but we must look out always for the
foolish vanity which created Mrs. NAL
aprop Sheridan took this famous name
for this delightfully."- funny character from
the French expression NAL a propos.
which means to do a thing wrongly.
Mrs Malaprop cannot open her mouth
without raising shrek from the au-
dience. So IL we cannot be really fine.
let us cultivate a speech so simple that
II will pass unnoticed.
Simplicity Is, after all. the basis OF
fine language. while absolute silence TX
allied to dignity of presence, may even
give the impression of learning. The
Bible warns US of the folly of vain
words. warns US that out of the heart
comes speech. To look to the thought
first-see that II is as shining as a star.
Then proceed with your simple English
""o al " u TpDTnEN,U, cT,Nprcu