Show ERA OF THE SLANG PHRASE common speech of modern day has become a curiosity to old fogies bogies regret at this time the people call a man a guy a woman a skirt and a dog doe a mutt other samples ot of the speech ot of the people are not essential the truth is that few can say anything in the old fashioned direct way says the new york sun all have become so accustomed to the use ot of slang that the common speech is no longer common it is become a curiosity relegated to the obscure haunts ot of the highbrows highbrown high brows and treated with scorn by the workers 0 of the world while this undoubtedly gives much joy to prof brander matthews it saddens some old fogies bogies who mourn the departure of earlier and more elegant ways of speaking as they mourn the decadence ot of earlier and better manners per haps the two were unrelated but they were at least companions Ls s it not probable that it if the young ceased to call their elders ciders old guys or geezers geeters ge ezers to refer to other peoples mothers as skirts or rags and generally began to lilt lift their terminology toward levels ot of a decorum less figura tive it if more prosaic they might also improve their manners at any rats rate Is there any overwhelming reason why the youth ot of this time should be al most unacquainted with the plain english tongue and unable to say the simplest thing except in slang it is a matter worthy ot of the consideration of those teachers and professors who may perhaps not agree with the columbia sage safe that everything goes |