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CORRECT SPEECH

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, May 13, 1880

FromAdvent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 20

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CORRECT SPEECH.

Nothing bespeaks a true lady and gentleman or well-bred child more than the use of correct language; pure, clean speech. Cultivate good English in every-day conversation. Unclean speech is in keeping with a smutty face, begrimed hands, and soiled clothes. Strange how easily and almost unconsciously one slides into a careless slipshod way of talking, even when the rules of grammar are quite familiar. It is not uncommon to find people who are thoroughly acquainted with the rules of syntax, apply them in writing, yet habitually talk incorrectly.
Early culture and association with people of refinement are quite essential to purity of speech; but if one has unfortunately been deprived of these, he should continually watch his words till he gets in the habit of using decent English; for nothing so unmistakably marks one with vulgarity, no matter how elegant is the outside covering, as shabby, low-born speech.