t again be taught
to talk in a plain, straightforward, manly way. In the lower order
of ladies' boarding-schools, and indeed, too much everywhere, the
same sickening, mincing tone is too often found. Do, pray, good
people, do talk in your natural tone, if you don't wish to be
utterly ridiculous and contemptible."

1994. Vulgarity.

We have adopted the foregoing Paragraph because we approve of some of
its sentiments, but chiefly because it shows that persons who object
to affectation may go to the other extreme--vulgarity. It is vulgar,
we think, to call even the most affected people "jackanapes, who screw
their words into all manner of diabolical shapes." Avoid vulgarity in
manner, in speech, and in correspondence. To conduct yourself vulgarly
is to offer offence to those who are around you; to bring upon
yourself the condemnation of persons of good taste; and to incur the
penalty of exclusion from good society. Thus, cast among the vulgar,
you become the victim of your own error.

1995. Avoid Swearing.

An oath is but the wrath of a perturbed spirit. It is _mean_. A man of
high moral standing would rather treat an offence with contempt than
show his indignation by an oath. It is _vulgar_, altogether too low
for a decent man. It is _cowardly_, implying a fear either of not
being believed or obeyed. It is _ungentlemanly_, A gentleman,
according to Webster, is a _genteel_ man--well-bred, refined. It is
_indecent_, offensive to delicacy, and extremely unfit for human ears.
It is _foolish_. "Want of decency is want of sense." It is
_abusive_--to the mind which conceives the oath, to the tongue which
utters it, and to the person at whom it is aimed. It is _venomous_,
showing a man's heart to be as a nest of vipers; and every time he
swears, one of them starts out from his head. It is _contemptible_,
forfeiting the respect of all the wise and good. It is _wicked_,
violating the Divine law, and provoking the displeasure of Him who
will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

1996. Be a Gentleman.

Moderation, decorum, and neatness distinguish the gentleman; he is at
all times affable, diffident, and studious to please. Intelligent and
polite, his behaviour is pleasant and graceful. When he enters the
dwelling of an inferior, he endeavours to hide, if possible, the
difference between their ranks of life; ever willing to ass