The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-08-09

I1OW OLteh one nedrS TINS aploauF IL
comes from some perplexed traveller
whose knowledge of the country's Ian
guage in which he is staying is nil or
limited.
Time and again In my old student days
in Paris, Berlin and Vienna I have heard
1t from the lips of Americans and it
was always my pleasure to go to their
assistance, but frequently hard to make
bunch of jolly tourists who wanted to
take me into their party realize that L
had lectures to attend and that sight
seeing was diversion that I had to in
dulge in between times.
Do you speak good English? If so, can
you write it? If not, why not? Now.
here in Alabama 1 have a very charm
ing and cultured friend, Miss Claudia
Crumpton. the daughter Of our beloved
DIR. w. B. Crumpton, who is not only
the teacher of English at the Girls
Technical institute at Montevallo, but
who for several years has been inter-
SS~S0 49, "tAdI ~ hAAOWA as 9cbSGA
Speech" week, and through whose initia-
tive a pageant was given at Montevallo
to bring the campaign before the public.
Unfortunately, / was unable to be
present. but when Miss Crumpton
ment in Alabama by giving it notice
in this column, / felt that she had been
very kind to overlook the slip shod way
An which under stress I frequently
write.
finnicky, nor do 1 shy at colloqualisms.
and without shame I have at times de-
Tended the use of slang, not only my
own, but that of others; and yet I am
in sympathy with those who wish to
encourage the use of good English in
dence.
The subject of American speech I'M
provement has behind 1t galaxy of men
and women who have won their spurs
in the university and literary world, and
am too little known to criticize the
experts even though I might have 1t in
my heart to attempt any such a fool
ish thing. And yet a study of the works
OF the classics in English will reveal that
our Idols have feet of clay IL we meas
ure them by the thumb rule Of the
grammarians and rhetoriclans.
I am ready, therefore. to adopt the
statement made somewhile back at
convocation of the American Speech
our literature and language was set
forth in no unmistakable way by Re-
gent Alexander OF the University of the
State of New York, who said: I'VE do
not treat the English language with re-
spect." If you think this is an over
statement go to vaudeville and listen to
what is known as stage "patter," and
If not convinced sit under some latter
day "slangy' evangelist, and IL still in
doubt try and understand the CONVEX
sation of the average college lad and
high school girl or strive to interpret
the baseball dope in any paper or
read this column daily.
Can you wonder then that Prof. John
M. Clapp points out with sadness that
our current speech Is a modern Babel
and has yet to be forged into a living
language, and yet about all that any
Of us are saying or doing to remedy it
is 'Ishke Bibble!" But perhaps the
hardest blow of all the lone that killed
father Is that Professor Bliss Perry,
with delightful sarcasm recently re-
marked: IT do not think that the Amer
leans Of the United States understand
one another yet, although they all talk
American" I wonder If this was an up
percut' at George Ado or a solar
plexus'' meant for the creator Of Mr..
Dooley. Either of whom might from
their standpoint give the poet a knock
out blow by admitting that they couldn't
write good English. but to say the least
of 1t, 1t was paying English. but this
admit that their English had been COM
mercialzed.
But when the reformers can't find
anything else to feed 20 the public
they talk about the corrupting effect
of newspaper English, and here-is where
I put in a word for the boys of the
press. They may not write stuff that
high brows approve, but they do turn
out copy that the man in the street
reads and while in the eyes of the liter
airy shut-ins he has no rights yet he
comes nearer representing true Amer
icanism than a whole college full OF
poetasters and blue stockings
Now. it's out Of my system. and I am
ready to help Miss Crumpton. for
know she Is worth helping. and that She
Is too brcad-gauged to be a stickler for
mere purisms, but wants her mother
tongue to grow stronger on the lips Of
the average man or woman even though
1t may lose bit Of its literary flavor.
She also wants to see the written word
gain in virility and not be dried up in
euphuisms.
easxlatelXll0apn1l11
F. S.-Don't waste stamp to write
me that can't write decent English.
u 49, a.