The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-02-18
DESTINED TO LIVE
Not All War Phrases Likely to Ee
Forgotten.
Some of Them Are Welcome Additions
to the Language. and Those That
Are Not Will Not Long
Retain Favor.

The Buffalo Express appeals for
new war vocabulary. 1t cites SIX
phrases in common use and declares
that they have been used so much tha'
they mean nothing. 1t demands that
writer's cudgel their brains to hnn ne"
phrases 20 take their places.
Here are the six phrases that nave
occaSioned this attack:
"Hun." drive" "over the top" 40
ing your bit" carrying on" and
"strafe"
+ Though possibly all Of these words
and to them should have been added
.Boche" and "camoufage" at least
are being overworked. there is mucn
to be said in their behalf. and most OF
them doubtless will stick till. in the
natural and unprecedented course OF
word manufacture. new ones devel
70 take their place, the Duluth Herald
observes.
And the main thing to be. said for
them is that they are very useful. be
cause every one of them expresses
Indignantly an important thought. The
purpose of language is to convey
thought. Language that conveys
thought most effectively to the mosf
people. especially at a time when
clearness and defniteness of thought
are so important as now, is the best
language to use.
"Hun" isn't likely to so out of use
so long as Americans remember Bel
eium and northern France and the
bombing of cities and the destruction
of churches by long-distance guns ana
the work of the submarine. Not TO
speak of the rare availability Of the
word for the uses of head writer's. who
have helped to make it common. the
connotations of the word fit SO ac-
curately the common opinion of the
character of the Germans as devel-
.oped in this war that there is small
chance of it's retirement.
aOver the top" has been worked
hard in the same connection. used aft
er quota has been filed; and In that
sense WEAKNESS of it has led to It's
gradual disuse. Moreover. there Is like
" to be less trench warfare and more
war in the open henceferth. and as
"over the top" means leap Of the at
tacking force out of it's trench this is
the phrase most likely to be dropped.
Yet its significance in stouthearted
valor and daring among those who
have gone "over the top" is so deep
that it will never be forgotten by them
or by US.
Doing your bit" it is well enough
to retire, not because it has been over
worked, but because it has been mis-.
understood. In Britain. where it start
ed. it means doing your share" II
doesn't mean doing "a little Bit" 1t
means doing all you can. But our
sense of the word having that large
difference, it isn't good phrase for
us to use. and we should retire it on
pension and substitute do your ut.
:
most"
Garry on" another British phrase.
is splendidly and nobly Anglo-Saxon
and should not be sacrificed for any
consideration. When the British at
Mons and after were overpowered and
overwhelmed and outnumbered and all
but crushed by the enemy's superior.
ity in strength and equipment they
simply carried on" and so made the
reversal at the Marne possible. What
ever betides, however black the hour
may grow. however hopeless the out,
look may seem, it is the Anglo-SaXon
habit to carry on" and the courage
and persistence it stands for have
plucked victory out of many defeat.
Garry on" will have won this war; so
let us, who share the same spirit witls
our British cousins. never forget the
word and the spirit it stands for.
"Strafe." being German. We could
. spare readily enough. as we'll as the
spirit of venom and hate that it sig
nifies.
F, Words don't win or lose wars. Let
us launch our "drive" "over the TOP" !"
each man doing his Bit and let US
carry on" until we "strafe" the Hun"
forevermore.