Yorkville Enquirer

A TRUE LADY. A true lady is easily recognized
in public places by her neat and tasteful dress, by
her quiet and unostentatious demeanor, and—if
there is occasion for her to speak—by her gentle
voice and choice language. A loud, harsh voice
and slang phrases coming from those who in
other respects appear to have been well brought
up, always jars unpleasantly upon the hearer.
There is a long list of unauthorized words and
phrases, which are in common use, and are supposed
to give a certain zest to conversation, but which
are very far from being elegant. They are coined
in various places—in the boarding school, in the
college, in the store, and on the street. One by
one, they enter the family circle, and become disagreeably
common. A man who continually interlaces
his conversation with words which the dictionary
ignores, does not, thereby, increase our regard for
him; and when we hear a woman habitually using
"slang," we cannot but feel that she is wanting in
that delicacy and refinement which are the brightest
ornaments she can wear. Indeed, it is very certain
that the frequent use of coarse and vulgar words
begets a disagreeable condition of mind, which may
not be realized by the possessor, but which is very
apparent to associates.