American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-12-02
from the New York True SUM-
BLASPHEMY AND PROFANE SWEARIN

bLhSfhEMf AND PROFANE SWEARlNG'
1t is an old saying, that "custom makes law
If this be true, we may reasonably expect, ere
long, law requiring every man to attain a
certain practice of profanity, before he can claim
the rank Of a full qualified citizen ofthe Union;
certainly the custom is sufficiently observed,
especially in all our large towns, to warrant the
law. But, as another proverb hath it, "old-
sayings are time-honored fibs," and this, that
''custom makes law, " is one of the fibbing class,
for the custom has disgraced mankind in every
age, and land, and people, from the Garden of
Eden to the city of New York.
In this city, one may almost say every body
swears. The traveller swears at the bootback,
and the black swears at the boots. The sailor,
who has from time immemorial ell Dyed the
privilege "shvering his timbers" and "blast-
ing his toplights," has cut all such milk and
water phrases, and like confirmed topper, who
began upon wine and beer, now uses nothing
else than stone-fence and blue ruin. The ad-
venturous and boyish country oath of "Dam-
nation take it ALL" is here metamorphosed in
10 the awful phrase, &C d-n my h-t!"
an oath too horrible to put in type, yet as COM
mon among the young men of this city as the
simplest curses were in pilgrim times. This
general use of oaths has infected the whole sys-
tenn Of society, and is daily propagated, by ex-
ample, among the swarms of children in our
streets. 1t is one of the malignant moral cpl
denies natural to large city; and the idea of
sradicating it by law, is as preposterous as to
attempt to drive the yellow fever from New
Orleans by express statute.
The only corrective of this foolish and wick
ed practice, is in the reach Of every individually
and simply to begin the reform at home. If no
sailor swore, there would be no swearing en-
,shpboard; if no puritan swore, there would
have been no blue laws to punish profsnity if
no American swore, we should not be held up
to the world, by foreign critics, as the 'nation
ofblasphemers."
In the early settlement of this country, Sc
we're laws were enacted for the purpose of Grad
icating the pernicious habit of profane swear
ing; but the effect Of this legislation was of
doubtful utility-men ,oould swear, in spite of
scourging, branding, fines, or sitting in the
stocks.
In 1889, the rulers of the Plymouth Colony
enacted,
THAT whosoever shall profanely swsare or
curse by the name ofGod, or any Of his titles,
attributes, word or works, upon proofe thereof
made by sufficient testimony or confession of
the party, he shall pay for every such default
Kid, or be set in the stocks so that it exceed
not the space of three hours, or put in prison
according to the nature and quality of the per-
son."
Among the capital laws of New Plymouth,
revised and published in June 1911, we find the
following in relation to blasphemy:
''if any person within this jurisdiction, pro-
Tossing the true God, shall Willingly or willing
" presume to blaspheme the Holy name Of
God, Father, Son. or Holy Chest, with direct,
express, presumptuous, or high-handed Bias
? phemy, either by wilfu or obstinate denying
of the God, OF his Creation or Government of
the World, or shall curse God, Father, Son or
HolyGhost, such person shall be put TO Death"
In 1912 the same law was enacted by the
General Court of Connecticut Colony; also the
following in relation to rebellious and profans
children:
mYf any childe or children aboue (above)
sixteene yeers old, and of sufficient understand
ing, shall curse or smite their natura. father or
mother, hee or they shall be put to Death;
unlesse it can be sufficiently testified that the
parents have been very unchristianly negligent
in the education of such children, or SO provoke
them by extreme and cruel correction that they
have beene forced thereunto to preserve them
selves from Death or Manning"
The New Haven Colony passed laws, IN
1865, to punish profanity by whipping and put
ting in the stocks, in these terms:
"If any person, within this jurisdiction, sha
swear rashly and vainly, either by the holy
name of God, or any other oath, or shall from
distempered passion, or otherwise, curse ano-
Their, he sha forfeit toshe plantation where he
&C offends, for the first offence los And it,
after such conviction, he offend the second
time, he shal pay for that second offence eos
And it shall be in the power Of any Magistrate
alone, or when there is no Magistrate, Of any