Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-15
Our Unspeakable Speech
by Frederic J. Haskin

not II those storm ccntcrS ni nililtant cui-
ture, the Womens Clubs, can help it.
The Illinois Federation of Nomcns 8
Clubs already has nm American speech
committee, and it has launched move
ment, or perhaps we should say, initiated
an endcavor, to purge our national speech
of the horrors of slang, bad grammar, and
slurred pronunciation.
! There are many who hope that the
ladies will deal mercifully with slang.
1t is by slang that our language grows
and becomes our own. by its slang you
NAV surely know that it is a live language.
As for grammar. If the ladies can do any
thing to drive it into the academic con-
fines where it is supposed to stay, they
deserve applause Some of the popular
changes in the school book grammar are
logical and effective, TO be sure but many
are merely slipshod. And a certain
amount of agreement in grammar is un-
doubleday a help to human intercourse,
As to pronunciation, all one hundred
per cent Americans arc back of the club
women. Let lis by all means learn to
open our mouths and speak out Let us
park our chewing gum before we begin to
converse. Let us give our great language
the full melody Of its sonorous cadences.
COMPREHENSIVE TRAIN ANNoUNCERS.
Think of having a bell hop page you. a
train announcer call trains, an elevated
guard ask YOU to step lively, all IN dulcct
and understandable tones. The morale
Of the whole nation would move up several
degrees nerves would relax, smiles would
appear, courtesy would abound. and
everything would he sweet and lovely.
The better speech movement has nj
ready accomplished much III the ono wear
in which it has had the help of the Illinois
Women's Clubs The idea is to get the
schools. churches and big stores 70 co
operate with the clubs in a Wcll-organized
campaign against slany and slovenly
diction The campaign is usually nitro
ducctbv holding a Better speech Week
During this week posters made by the
artists and school children Of the town
appear in prominent places. bearing such
slogans as Good English Can Never Die.
Don't Try to Murder Itf', Better
Speech for Better Americans. Poor
Speech Means Poor Wages Minister'S
aid the campaign by making addresses
on the subject Shopkccpcrs urge their
employees to respect their mothcr tongue.
And Of course the schools are most active.
The children sign pledges promising
to speak the language beautiful. they give
allcgorical plays showing the awful fate
of SlangSlingers. they organize DO With
out Clubs. in which each member agrees
TO do without some such pct expression
as Say, listen or Some kind. or 'hw,
cut ID out In one town where the school
children were allowed 70 hnc All offenders
against grammar their activities nctted
them thirty dollars III ono day.
CHILDREN PREFER RAD GRAMMAR.
Mrs katherine knowles Robbins SAYS
that wonders can To done hy approaching
children IN the right way But ono must
be very careful NOT 10 approach them IN
tho wrong way Il Is a strange but true
fact that correct speech is looked upon as
sort Of disgrace among the young /
The boy who cschcWS slang and respects +
his vlVclS and ing usually has hlS life i
made burden BY his school mates. The
girl who uses cultivated accent IS usually
regarded rs prude 1t is the jazzy
maiden with The loud voice and the Jar
gon Of the streets who Is popular with her
Our young people arc using the
language Of the underworld. says Mrs
Robbins. and its effect upon their
characters is far-reaching and serious /
Cheap, vulgar language soon induces 4
cheap. vulgar attitude Of mind. II Is bat
Stbif 4IOtI laA4l ~ SkfCGbAt ~ ~
morals Think OF our grandmothers
mentioning the shinmy for instance
Mrs Robbins shuddered and changed the
subject
1t IS not only for the sake Of our own
children that We should work for better
speech she continued we have s
certain responsibility for our foreign
population.
THE POOR IMMIGRANT AGAIN.
Besides making the foreigner a better
citizen better speech viii give him richer
life, by giving him a finer means Of self
expression 'Ihe Lithuanian glrl VINO
lost her coat in q hospital during the
recent epidemic gave a pathetic example
Of the inadeQuanv of q limited vocabulary
For three DAYS she wandered VI and down
the hospital halls moaning, Gee, ma
plusha coata. Gee ma plusha coats,
Gee. Gee Gee was the only word
America had gwen her 70 express feel
ing
.'As Q matter OF fact We aren't much
better of than the Lithuanian girl. Cute.
swell, and fierce, seem to be the only
three adjectives III the language as far Is
the growing generation Is concerned.
Good speech Is decadcnt Ia America. II
is our boast that we are satisfied with
ncthing but the best when it comes 70
the convenlences and Injuries Of cIytllza-
ton But apparently we are satisfied with
d very inferior brand Of language. Our
speech Is becoming not only less beautiful
but less efficient
MANY business houses through the
country are realizing the value Of the
better speech movement as an aid to etil-
cheney. Among these Is the Marshall
and Ilsey Bank Of Milwaukee For three
years they have held classes in grammar
and literature for the Young women en-
ployes in the bank, knowing that q
stenographer with q real interest II
English will be more valuable To them az
well as 10 herself Tie bank contributes
half the time devoted to tie class from
working hours and the stenographers
give tie other half
The object of these classes Is To get
young women 10 read. talk over and final
III study the best IN literature says Mr..
Puellcher, president 81 the bank They
are enthusiastic about them and agree
that they derive immeasurable good from
them Does the bank Vel imagine
a stenographer with a real interest III
English and your question is answered. 4
We are also working with the bank
We want these young cltl
zens to speak English correctly; we want
to help them with the little courtcsies
and the big truths, that they may be-
come strong and earnest men.
A cynic might say that Mr. Puchchcr
expects lot from the human race If ic
thinks that an hour or two devoted to
grammar Will develop q race of strong and