St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1918-05-31
The Use of Slang

The following excellent paper
was read at the w. {. T. L.
meeting recently by Mrs. Mary
! r.. Kelley:
| Slang We first ask what does
SLAM. mean. Webster tells us
! a Iou and upiogaut. but often
.,pru igu form of cuIluQuial
| unMupn Many words which
Irivun.. as slang finally take
/ their place boo the language Of
literature and speech is It be-
uu.n IHup Ia something mod.
m lhGt wu bring this subject
before yuu' SO, for ID Wy but
scarch wc can find slang phrase
iu many Of our books OF read
Iuv Chauccr uses come off, -
and Ego $50 down." Shakes
pcarr has mot in it;" Sheridan
has "cut IL ont" The list mas
hr prolonged and when all cX
umplcs are put together one be-
gins to doubt whether all new
lang iB not old slang writ
large. Slang is not as modern
as Wc think; it has been Ia use
hundreds of years ago. one
writer tells us the slang phrase
% hy the skin of his teeth that h.
Ion use at this day aud aye. came
from the Scripture Job 1920
N Wp note tNe ,Euls ion used
here IL Is not meant as slang,
hut from This ONE example we
cam understand hnW necessary
.itfs for us tu watch oar speech,
sometimes slang ul.s not talk,
form lu words, NUl lies 900 facial
uNu. Iun "a N0Hk ul gesture,
.u whistle ti# UUa ui thn grl-
licaI ages of language, and 10
Is constantly boo tHy focus of
ur attention Slang ls the
boiling sur.uc W the melting
pot 0l language Wo burn ON
Iur"u No Nu try 90 handle il
without sense ot humor and an
intimate kuoWiydgg oi lbs ways.
Nr Mas Eastman says literary
professors are the sworn enc
mics Ul slang, they tylI us that
.Ng Use q slang word merely De-
cause We are Too laay 90 think
ur IUc correct NuJi. Why du
Nr hesitate tu uyNujruur words a.
meet our needs 10 is a non
sense question. There is mo-
reason, We are simply careless.
Nr .yt oar vocabulary ht limit.
yd and get along raWly without
refinement iu Our thoughts, tm
thoughts are as dependent on
words as words ng thoughts.
Ne mo- not consider whether om
words may uot hg rather dis
pleasing annoying, offensive
Disgusting and irritating As
Mr. prudhummy spoke prose
without knowing h. $40 do we
AN speak slang An elderly
woman. one of the old school,
with e proper scurU OF our
modern hryyity was heard to
cNclaim, Well tthat isn't IN,
IImIu' and believed it iucou.
,e,Eah'e that $50 convenient "a
word phrase was slang. A lady
used the expression "Gee," " Ii
has not occurred To her that
this was taking the name of the
Lord i'm vain, and probably few
ot ,hr many who indulge i'm
sugar coated profanity realize
that they are using careless
language. What is Gee"
though but a substitute eX
preston of Jesus, There are
other phrases too numerous TO
mention and you win every day
hoarpeople using them thought
lassIy. who would be shocked by
a genuine OATH I'm warfare
we have ceased poisoning wells,
and We shall not much longer
poison food, yet We still allow
phrases 90 pass current among
us which are more deadly than
malaria and typhoid fever, Slang
lis the great corruptiug matter.
IL is perishablc itself and cor.
rupts what is round il, order
and uniformity in language are
dts ,rable qualities, we should
and do seek them ever The
prejudice against this form of
speech is TO be encouraged, for
the prejudice against slang has
its Victories. Let anyone who .
TO see himself grow, /