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　would　perish。　　For　words　carry　with　them　all　the　meanings　they　have　worn；　and　the　writer　shall　be　judged　by　those　that　he　selects　for　prominence　in　the　train　of　his　thought。　　A　slight　technical　implication；　a　faint　tinge　of　archaism；　in　the　common　turn　of　speech　that　you　employ；　and　in　a　moment　you　have　shaken　off　the　mob　that　scours　the　rutted　highway；　and　are　addressing　a　select　audience　of　ticket…holders　with　closed　doors。　A　single　natural　phrase　of　peasant　speech；　a　direct　physical　sense　given　to　a　word　that　genteel　parlance　authorises　readily　enough　in　its　metaphorical　sense；　and　at　a　touch　you　have　blown　the　roof　off　the　drawing…room　of　the　villa；　and　have　set　its　obscure　inhabitants　wriggling　in　the　unaccustomed　sun。　　In　choosing　a　sense　for　your　words　you　choose　also　an　audience　for　them。

To　one　word；　then；　there　are　many　meanings；　according　as　it　falls　in　the　sentence；　according　as　its　successive　ties　and　associations　are　broken　or　renewed。　　And　here；　seeing　that　the　stupidest　of　all　possible　meanings　is　very　commonly　the　slang　meaning；　it　will　be　well　to　treat　briefly　of　slang。　　For　slang；　in　the　looser　acceptation　of　the　term；　is　of　two　kinds；　differing；　and　indeed　diametrically　opposite；　in　origin　and　worth。　　Sometimes　it　is　the　technical　diction　that　has　perforce　been　coined　to　name　the　operations；　incidents；　and　habits　of　some　way　of　life　that　society　despises　or　deliberately　elects　to　disregard。　　This　sort　of　slang；　which　often　invents　names　for　what　would　otherwise　go　nameless；　is　vivid；　accurate；　and　necessary；　an　addition　of　wealth　to　the　world's　dictionaries　and　of　compass　to　the　world's　range　of　thought。　　Society；　mistily　conscious　of　the　sympathy　that　lightens　in　any　habitual　name；　seems　to　have　become　aware；　by　one　of　those　wonderful　processes　of　chary　instinct　which　serve　the　great；　vulnerable；　timid　organism　in　lieu　of　a　brain；　that　to　accept　of　the　pickpocket　his　names　for　the　mysteries　of　his　trade　is　to　accept　also　a　new　moral　stand…point　and　outlook　on　the　question　of　property。　　For　this　reason；　and　by　no　special　masonic　precautions　of　his　own；　the　pickpocket　is　allowed　to　keep　the　admirable　devices　of　his　nomenclature　for　the　familiar　uses　of　himself　and　his　mates；　until　a　Villon　arrives　to　prove　that　this　language；　too；　was　awaiting　the　advent　of　its　bully　and　master。　　In　the　meantime；　what　directness　and　modest　sufficiency　of　utterance　distinguishes　the　dock　compared　with　the　fumbling　prolixity　of　the　old　gentleman　on　the　bench！　　It　is　the　trite　story；　…　romanticism　forced　to　plead　at　the　bar　of　classicism　fallen　into　its　dotage；　Keats　judged　by　BLACKWOOD；　Wordsworth　exciting　the　pained　astonishment　of　Miss　Anna　Seward。　　Accuser　and　accused　alike　recognise　that　a　question　of　diction　is　part　of　the　issue　between　them；　hence　the　picturesque　confession　of　the　culprit；　made　in　proud　humility；　that　he　〃clicked　a　red　'un〃　must　needs　be　interpreted；　to　save　the　good　faith　of　the　court；　into　the　vaguer　and　more　general　speech　of　the　classic　convention。　　Those　who　dislike　to　have　their　watches　stolen　find　that　the　poorest　language　of　common　life　will　serve　their　simple　turn；　without　the　rich　technical　additions　of　a　vocabulary　that　has　grown　around　an　art。　　They　can　abide　no　rendering　of　the　fact　that　does　not　harp　incessantly　on　the　disapproval　of　watch…owners。　　They　carry　their　point　of　morals　at　the　cost　of　foregoing　all　glitter　and　finish　in　the　matter　of　expression。

This　sort　of　slang；　therefore；　technical　in　origin；　the　natural　efflorescence　of　highly　cultivated　agilities　of　brain；　and　hand；　and　eye；　is　worthy　of　all　commendation。　　But　there　is　another　kind　that　goes　under　the　name　of　slang；　the　offspring　rather　of　mental　sloth；　and　current　chiefly　among　those　idle；　jocular　classes　to　whom　all　art　is　a　bugbear　and　a　puzzle。　　There　is　a　public　for　every　one；　the　pottle…headed　lout　who　in　a　moment　of　exuberance　strikes　on　a　new　sordid　metaphor　for　any　incident　in　the　beaten　round　of　drunkenness；　lubricity；　and　debt；　can　set　his　fancy　rolling　through　the　music…halls；　and　thence　into　the　street；　secure　of　applause　and　a　numerous　sodden　discipleship。　　Of　the　same　lazy　stamp；　albeit　more　amiable　in　effect；　are　the　thought…saying　contrivances　whereby　one　word　is　retained　to　do　the　work　of　many。　For　the　language　of　social　intercourse　ease　is　the　first　requisite；　the　average　talker；　who　would　be　hard　put　to　it　if　he　were　called　on　to　describe　or　to　define；　must　constantly　be　furnished　with　the　materials　of　emphasis；　wherewith　to　drive　home　his　likes　and　dislikes。　　Why　should　he　alienate　himself　from　the　sympathy　of　his　fellows　by　affecting　a　singularity　in　the　expression　of　his　emotions？　　What　he　craves　is　not　accuracy；　but　immediacy　of　expression；　lest　the　tide　of　talk　should　flow　past　him；　leaving　him　engaged　in　a　belated　analysis。　　Thus　the　word　of　the　day　is　on　all　lips；　and　what　was　〃vastly　fine〃　last　century　is　〃awfully　jolly〃　now；　the　meaning　is　the　same；　the　expression　equally　inappropriate。　Oaths　have　their　brief　periods　of　ascendency；　and　philology　can　boast　its　fashion…plates。　　The　tyrant　Fashion；　who　wields　for　whip　the　fear　of　solitude；　is　shepherd　to　the　flock　of　common　talkers；　as　they　run　hither　and　thither　pursuing；　not　self…expression；　the　prize　of　letters；　but　unanimity　and　self…obliteration；　the　marks　of　good　breeding。　　Like　those　famous　modern　poets　who　are　censured　by　the　author　of　PARADISE　LOST；　the　talkers　of　slang　are　〃carried　away　by　custom；　to　express　many　things　otherwise；　and　for　the　most　part　worse　than　else　they　would　have　exprest　them。〃　　The　poverty　of　their　vocabulary　makes　appeal　to　the　brotherly　sympathy　of　a　partial　and　like…minded　auditor；　who　can　fill　out　their　paltry　conventional　sketches　from　his　own　experience　of　the　same　events。　Within　the　limits　of　a　single　school；　or　workshop；　or　social　circle；　slang　may　serve；　just　as；　between　friends；　silence　may　do　the　work　of　talk。　　There　are　few　families；　or　groups　of　familiars；　that　have　not　some　small　coinage　of　this　token…money；　issued　and　accepted　by　affection；　passing　current　only　within　those　narrow　and　privileged　boundaries。　　This　wealth　is　of　no　avail　to　the　travelling　mind；　save　as　a　memorial　of　home；　nor　is　its　material　such　〃as；　buried　once；　men　want　dug　up　again。〃　　A　few　happy　words　and　phrases；　promoted；　for　some　accidental　fitness；　to　the　wider　world　of　letters；　are　all　that　reach　posterity；　the　rest　pass　into　oblivion　with　the　other　perishables　of　the　age。

A　profusion　of　words　used　in　an　ephemeral　slang　sense　is　evidence；　then；　that　the　writer　addresses　himself　merely　to　the　uneducated　and　thoughtless　of　his　own　day；　the　revival　of　bygone　meanings；　on　the　other　hand；　and　an　archaic　turn　given　to　language　is　the　mark　rather　of　authors　who　are　ambitious　of　a　hearing　from　more　than　one　age。　　The　accretions　of　time　bring　round　a　word　many　reputable　meanings；　of　which　the　oldest　is　like　to　be　the　deepest　in　grain。　It　is　a　counsel　of　perfection　…　some　will　say；　of　vainglorious　pedantry　…　but　that　shaft　flies　furthest　which　is　drawn　to　the　head；　and　he　who　desires　to　be　understood　in　the　twenty…fourth　century　will　not　be　careless　of　the　meanings　that　his　words　inherit　from　the　fourteenth。　　To　know　them　is　of　service；　if　only　for　the　piquancy　of　avoiding　them。　　But　many　times　they　cannot　wisely　be　avoided；　and　the　auspices　under　which　a　word　began　its　career　when　first　it　was　imported　from　the　French　or　Latin　overshadow　it　and　haunt　it　to　the　end。

Popular　modern　usage　will　often　rob　common　words；　like　〃nice；〃　〃quaint；〃　or　〃silly；〃　of　all　flavour　of　their　origin；　as　if　it　were　of　no　moment　to　remember　that　these　three　words；　at　the　outset　of　their　history；　bore　the　older　senses　of　〃ignorant；〃　〃noted；〃　and　〃blessed。〃　　It　may　be　granted　that　any　attempt　to　return　to　these　older　senses；　regardless　of　later　implications；　is　stark　pedantry；　but　a　delicate　writer　will　play　shyly　with　the　primitive　significance　in　passing；　approaching　it　and　circling　it；　taking　it　as　a　point　of　reference　or　departure。　　The　early　faith　of　Christianity；　its　beautiful　cult　of　childhood；　and　its　appeal　to　unlearned　simplicity；　have　left　their　mark　on　the　meaning　of　〃silly〃；　the　history　of　the　word　is　contained　in　that　cry　of　St。　Augustine；　INDOCTI　SURGUNT　ET　RAPIUNT　COELUM；　or　in　the　fervent　sentence　of　the　author　of　the　IMITATION；　OPORTET　FIERI　STULTUM。　And　if　there　is　a　later　silliness；　altogether　unblest；　the　skilful　artificer　of　words；　while　accepting　this　last　extension；　will　show　himself　conscious　of　his　paradox。　　So　also　he　will　shun　the　grossness　that　employs　the　epithet　〃quaint〃　to　put　upon　subtlety　and　the　devices　of　a　studied　workmanship　an　imputation　of　eccentricity；　or；　if　he　falls　in　with　the　populace　in　this　regard；　he　will　be　careful　to　justify　his　innuendo。　　The　slipshod　use　of　〃nice〃　to　connote　any　sort　of　pleasurable　emotion　he　will　take　care；　in　his　writings　at　least；　utterly　to　abhor。　　From　the　daintiness　of　elegance　to　the　arrogant　disgust　of　folly　the　word　carries　meanings　numerous　and　diverse　enough；　it　must　not　be　cruelly　burdened　with　all　the　laudatory　occasions　of　an　undiscriminating　egotism。

It　would　be　easy　to　cite　a　hundred　other　words　like　these；　saved　only　by　their　nobler　uses　in　literature　from　ultimate　defaceme