The Wilmington morning star., 1946-02-12
Fair Enough
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1916, BY King Features Syndicate.

is not Madison Square Garden the United
States Supreme Court, Capitol Hill or Holly
wood, but South Boston, Mass The reason
| why Justice Felix Frankfurter is sometimes
| enormously regarded as the father of this
refinement of jabberwocky may be found in
the fact that, many years ago, when he was
teaching school at Cambridge, the Harvards,
at the depths of one OF their periodic football
depressions, invaded South Boston to recruit
some Irish to bring things into balance with
the Yales and Princetons.
It is possible that the Celts brought double
talk with them to Cambridge and that the
professors ear caught an impression, although
he certainly did not master the forms. And
it may even be that, by imparting his own
imperfect version to his theological proteges
in the law school, who later followed their
piper to Washington, he has been responsible
for the adoption of modified form OF double
talk as the language of our highest Jurispru-
| dence and our craftsmanship.
However, even though the professors opir-
| ions do not make sense when it seems they
should, ard the same is true of many state
papers and orations, this language Is not the
true mother-tongue Confusion it is, to be sure;
obfuScation and incoherence If you will; but
it is not double-talk.
Dan Parker, my colleague on the sports
side OF the New York Mirror, more-than-
casual rhilologian of uncodified tongues, has
READ me rather lofty essay on the subject.
But, while he cited such eminent authorities
as Professors AL WE'LL and Lew Raymond,
his research stopped short OF double-talk's ORR
gin. His lessons and examples were persua-
sive, though battling, as, in the nature of the
language, they should be. And yet he would
have left an impression that double-talk al
ways was.
For his education, therefore, as well as
yours, share an enlightening letter from Mr.
Johnny Rogers, Of Los Angeles, late Of South
Boston, a manager of 1.-the, lean bodies and
an earnest seeker, by proxy, Of course, of that
golden fleece POLITICALLY known as the highest
bauble in fstiana's realm, the heavyweight
championship Of the world.
Double talk Mr. Roger writes, 'has been
going on around South Boston for more
years than I care to remember. There it is
known es the swerve.' Mr.. Dan Carroll, the
| reformed policeman and former manager of
Jimmy Maloney, can swerve you out of your
chair. The purest double-talk I ever heard
was spoken by South Boston Johnny Downes
the lightweight who was dealing in terrific
flurries of lefts and rights to the face and
body in the twenties. Tommy Farmer of Los
Angeles another former Bostonian (South)
and manager Of Manuel Ortiz, the bantam
weight champion, is another expert, specialize
ing in speed, however, at some sacrifice of
svntax I agree that Professor Parker excels
all others at presenting swerve on paper and
assume that our beloved tongue travelled with
he Irish migration down to his native Water
bury I am filled with resentment when I
hear unqualified opponents numbering our
beautiful omitrad"
John Fahey, of the Boston Record-American
and Sunday Advertiser, likewise traces DIT
to Boston (South) and adds:
"You are right when you state that 1t is
| e.
double-talk and an offense to those who love
the language, to say that famous statesmen
and eminent jurists express themselves in
same. For 30 years I have studied double talk
and I scorn the gibberish of mere confusion
lists submit excerpts from a paper on the
subject which I read recently IN support of
my proposal that double-talk be adopted as
the universal language by the United Nations
in the hope that, if it should be, then nobody
ever would pondrive anybody e1se's quadis
and that. in time, therefore, the nations and
people Of the earth would rebrenerize in a
murvent sprattis, forever"
Mr.. Fahey's scholarly paper not only main
tains that double-talk was born in South Bos-
ton, but even theories as to the site of the
historic Darkroom. He agrees with Mr..
Rogers that its true name is "swerve."
AS an example of a sound approach to IN
ternational problems, he suggests the follow
ing: ''Well, it looks like they're getting reldy
to spemin the rossnet in Greece according
to the rieberstoff report
This, Mr.. Fahey submits, at least provides
an opportunity for persons of opposed oyinion
to lampain the stranafin, and I am inclined
to hear him out.
"Some masters swerve at every fifth or
| sixth word" Mr. Fahey wrote. II am purst
Of the CID school and swerve only by instinct,
not design, but usually otherwise"
| Recalling an occasion when committee
called or a Boston hotel banquet manager to
arrange dinner, Mr. Fancy wrote that In
| the midst of the negotiations, the spokesman
sprang to his feet and angrily exclalmed Il
want to know, frankly, is this the customary
ferbit TO offer to the most distinguished spaul-
dens, considering the type Of omitrads who are
expected to resperve?"
The manager was puzzled and another COM
mitteeman came to his defense.
II think" he said, ut would quebot the
HON atroves if the gentleman could codersperl
the apperloves but think for dessert, at this
price, we should have our choice OF grontiaub
or beelrnite.''
"They compromised" Mr.. Fahey recalls,
ION frozen fobanbren with ermot dressing"
Well, progress is slow in this world but we
have gained today. We are positive, now that
Felix Frankfurter's opinions are not written
| in double-talk more's the pity.
QUOTATIONS