The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-02-14
DESTINED TO LIVE
Not All War Phrases Likely to Be
Forgotten.
Some of Them Are Welcome Additions
TO the Language, and Those That
Are Not win Net long
Retain Favor.


The Buffalo Express appeals for a
now war vocabulary. 1t cites six
phrases in common use and declares
that they have been used so much that
they moan nothing, 1t demands that
writer's cudeel their brains 10 tind new
phrases to take their places.
Hero are he six phrases that have
occa@oncd this attack:
Hun" drive "oyer the top, "do-
ing Sor Bit carrying On" ana
"strafc.7
Though possibly all Of these words
land TO them should have been added
"Bochep and "cainouhagea at least
are being overworked, there is much
10 be said IN their behalf. and most Of
them doubtless viii stick till, III the
natural and unprecedented course Of
word manufacture. new ones deyclop
to take tier place, the Duluth Herald
observes.
Ana the main thing TO be said for
them is that they are very useful, be.
cause every one of them expresses
poignantb- an important thought. Tile
purpose Of language IS TO convey
thought. Language that conveys a
Thought most effectively to the most
people, especially at time when
clearness and definiteness Of thought
are SO important as now, is the hest
language 10 use.
'Jiun' isn't likely TO 80 out oe use
SO long as Americans remember Bel.
GUM and northern France and tlic
bombing Of cities aud the destruction
of churches by long-distancc 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 10 make IL common, the
connotations of the word fit so &c.
curately the common opinion OF Che
character Of the Germans MS devel-
oped IN this war that there is small
chance Of its retirement.
cover the top" has been worked
hard in The same connection, used aft
or quota has been filed; and in that
sense WEAKNESS Of it has led 10 its
gradual disuse. Moreover, there is llkd
" to be less trench warfare and mort
J war III he open henceforth, ard as
over hcfop' means a leap Of the al
tackng force ont OF It's trench this ~
the phrase most likely TO be dropped.
Yet its significance in stoutheartea
valor and daring among those WIS.
have gone ever the Top" is SO deef.
that It viii never be forgotten by therAl
cr by us. 4
Doing your bit" tits well enousG
to retire, nor because it has been ovelf
worked but because II has been mls
understood. IN Britain, where it stars,
ed it means doing YOUR share II
doesn't mean doing gN little btu 1t
means doing ar yoh can. But our
sense Of tlie word having that largb
/ difference II isn't a good phrase fols
rs 20 use, and we should retire it Of
a pension and substitute do your ut
most ~ s
Garry on" another British phrasG
is splendidl1 and nobly Anglo.Saxoa
and should not be sacrificed for any
consideration When The British at
Mons and after were overpowcred anu
overwhelmed and ouinumbercd and all
Nut crushed by The enemy's superior.
+ Ivy In strength ana equipment they
simply Carried on" anu so made the
lroversal 80 The Murine possible Whal-
ever bcidcs. however black The hour
imay grow, however hopeless the out
lock may seem, II Is the Anglo-saxon
habit 20 "c0rry on" and the courage
land persistence it stands for have
{pmckel victory out of many defeat
i"Cagc on viii have Won this war; SO
Ict ne WIN share the SAME spirit vita
loar british couHns, never forget ihe
word ard the spirit It stands for.
"Strafc," being German. we could
spare readily enough, rs woll as the
spirit Of venom and hate that II sig
niles.
Words don't win or lose wars, Let
ius launch our drive "oyer the ton. +
each man "doing his Bit" and let Us
carry on until we "strafe' the 'Huny
iNeyormore.