Rensselaer Union and Jasper Republican, Volume 8, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1876 — GREETINGS AND NICKNAMES. [ARTICLE]

GREETINGS AND NICKNAMES.

The other Sunday, before going into church, I stopped to let my dress down out of the dust, and was by chance witness of the choice manners found where they should not lie . to-day. Two well-, dresssed girls of thirteen came in, wh?m I know belonged, to the best families in the society, and met on their way to the gallery, where our young folks like to have the full benefit of the organ and view of the congregation. These girls were pretty and nice in appearance, from the trim French- boots to the checked silk and pale chip hats they wore, which matched, in blue, ruffles, and trimming. They carried themselves well, which means that they walked straight and easily, without being so shy that they seemed made of wood, or holding their heads so high as to look haughty. But as the elder put her dainty foot oh the ’stairs, the them was, “ Hallo, Sid!" from her, and “Hallo, Tude!” from her friend. It was just what two lounging young men might have said, or two stable-boys, for that matter. It would not have been out of the way for them, but it sounded odd from a pair of well-bred girls. There was nothing else coarse or fast in their manner; but they used unconsciously the words they heard from the rest of their mates. It sounded as it does to hear a beautiful gray and rose-colored bird begin to swear with a croak in his throat. Or it was as little in keeping as if one had found an end of soiled tape hanging outside of their delicate dresses. It is common enough to hear girls say “ Hallo” at meeting, but one can’t like it, nor get used to it. It’s a trifle, but you. might as well leave off going to school and learning manners at once, if you despise trifles. They make all the aifference between nice things and common ones. You ought to know better, and you do know enough to prefer sweet, lively, gentle people to those who are rough and careless. Girls fall into the free and easy ways of because they are easy; and one habit leads to another, till it is no longer sweet and quiet company we find in them, but the rapid ways ar.d short speech of young gentlemen in flounces. The ways of boys are pleasant enough in their place; but there Xvas meant to be a difference between them and girls, for the sake of giving us a variety, I suppose. And if girls try to be like boys, where will we get our sweethearts, please? You can’t sweeten with allspice and cloves. Of course, when you meet a friend you see every day, you don’t want to say, “ How do you do ?” as formal as to a person you see less often; but wouldn’t it sound just as pleasant to pass with a “ Well, Sidney,” and “ Well, Gertie,” as as to “Hallo” like teamsters? If you want to bo a little more precise, goodmorning always has a kipdly sound when you think that it means one is wishing good to you that day. It is a little prayer of good-will for., everybody we say it to, and dach one needs it in this frying world. We don’t need to ask people whom we see often, “ How do you do?” because we know pretty well without asking; but when friends have been away from us awhile, it sounds indifferent to throw them a good, morning without caring to ask if they are better or worse in feelings or body since they left us. How do you do, doesn't mean to ask merely if one is sick or in health; but it wishes to know if all is well with him. All the forms of politeness have the friendliest meaning; and if we can only feel all that they express, we shall find ourselves the politest people in the world without any more trouble.

While you are thinking of these things, pray make up your mind to drop the stupid nicknames that girls seem to delightin. I say stupid ones; but you are not to think, as some good people do, that all nicknames are senseless. Whenever we are familiar with any one, it is an instinct to soften and shorten their names, and nicknames often express some peculiarity of a person with a good deal of pith. Trudie is a softer uame than Gertrude, Gertie is a shorter one; and some"how it is nature among all the nations In the world to turn a triend’s uame, shorten it, and pet it, to make a special name of it for those who love him. Pet names and nicknames are pleasant because they belong only to one’s family and intimates. But there are some names so harsh and uncouth, without any meaning or fun. that there is no excuse for using them. I know girls whose favorite nickname ior Gertrude is “ Toot,” or “Tute,” as you like to spell it. Besides making one think of a fish-horn, it isn’t in the least like the name it is taken for, any more than Caddie, or Cad, is like Caroline, or Wede is like Louisa; for which I've had the unhappiness of hearing it used. The worst and most sickishly silly of ail is Mamie for Mary, in any but a very little girl who cannot speak plain. Are names any sweeter for being spoken as toothless babies might mumble them in trying to talk? Don’t make dumplings out of your friends’ names, or gnaw them out of all shape. Boys have their whims that are past endurance. Geordie always sounds like a babyish nickname for that manly name George. To hear a boy called Gode, when his real name is Theodore, gives-most people a disposition to think little of the speaker and of the boy too. In the country, 1 believe, it is the height of manliness for a bov who goes to district school to be called Hank, if his tame happens to be Henry—for what reason I Cannot tell,' unless because it is the least like it of any name in the spelling-book. You must have the least grain of sense in ypur foolishness to make it fun, just as we have to put a pinch of salt into ice-cream to make it taste right. There are other nicknames, not pleasant to hear from older persons, but which we must allow to boys and girls—who appear, if they are not allowed small follies while young, to make up for it by large ones hereafter. When are the professors in our town ever called anything but “Prof” by the voting folks, while the buys of the 'preparatory school would feel as if one was chaffing them if they were called anything more than “ Preps.” 'the church on the hill goes by the name of the “ First Cong.” With never another syllable. Theiß is not the shadow of disrespect in this; it is only a boy’s natural dislike to long pedantic names; and I fancy most people would be sorry to have all these

whimsical ways of tncnklng dropped. They make a variety. But there in a fault In eo falling into the habit of lining slang as ricrer to apeak without it. One might as well talk pigeon-English that the Chinese use, as to learn the slang dialeet so thoroughly as to forget decent language. It will keep yottfrowthis to have one little rule about the matter—never to use slang in talking to older people. There are plenty of stories for children nowadays, in which the boys and girls speak the vilest slung, from beginning to end, to their fathers, tmd mothrrs,' Kffd tCflth-' ers. They cannot speak like well-bred, cared-for children, used to neat, sweet expressiooe abput them; but they borrow the talk of corner groceries, stat les and saloons, till one wonders if these young oiks were actually brought up on tlie street. They say, “cheese it," or “that’s the cheese,” like a grocer’s boy; and talk about the “cops," and “plug-uglies,” say “nary red,” and “ going on, the straight,” like the low roughs who hang about the ill smelling resorts of tlie town. These expressions are used so much by this class of persons that to hear them brings up the idea of the miserable places they come from. One actually seems to smell unsavory cheese and beer-spillings ac the sound of such words. And it always seems as if a boy’s boots smelt of the stable when he uses such talk. There are several sorts of slang, and some of it is thieves’ slang, and corner slang, which suggests nothing but what is vile and meau. Please to let that alone. As to the better sort of slang, be very careful not to get so much in the habit of using it that you can’t do without it. When you can’t describe a boy running down hill Without saying he went “ lickety split,” or “ lickety brindle,” or if you must always say “ cut. and run” when you mean merely to run, you had better engage somebody to correct you every time you speak, for two or three weeks, till you can use decent English when you wish to. You get the taste of your slang—that is, the fun of it—most by not using it often. Your teachers have probably talked to you enough against using line words for simple meanings, like saying splendid what is ugly or bad. You must team to choose words that mean just what you mean, no more and no less. When I hear girls saying anything is splendid. I don’t feel like getting out of my chair to go and see it, for they use the word on every slight occasion. But a splendid thing ought to be something that the world would bo glad to see—fine and rich together. It isn’t the word to describe caramel, or the ruffles on a debege dress, or a picnic in a grove, or a visit to town, for any or all of which things young people use it. Why do you take out your best words for such common occasions? It is like paying out Quarters for threecent stamps; and everybody would think you a fool for doing that. As for such words as “gent” and “pants,” you probably know that there are two good reasons for letting them forever akne. The first is, that there are really no such words; but they have been cut oft of the longer ones —gentleman and pantaloons. The second is, that these short words are used by vulgar people almost entirely. Now, to be vulgar in manners is likeJieing unclean in the face, and having one’s clothes torn, or displeasing in any other way. You are just as unpleasant with your coarse ways «f speaking as the dirtiest, raggedest newsboy in the street is in his appearance. As for these shabby and low-born words, we will have none of them.— Awake.