The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1858-12-20


We wonder that no believer in the progress
Of mental and physical morality, OF the Ma.
oaulay and Buckle school, has ever thought it
worth while to comment on the gradual de-
crease of profanity in good society during
the past century. From the time OF Charles
the Second to the Georges profanity gradn
ally diminished in variety though it lost moth
ing in intensity, until it eliminated in the
boxing, 'ast driving, gilded blackguardism
OF George the Fourth. Since his time it has
sbbed without recovering itself, until, in
England, it is seldom heard, sAYe from very
angry gentlemen, or from gentlemen OF tho
old school," who have retained the habits Of
their youth. And while mentioning these
latter, we may ~ we'll say that their adni-
rers are prone to give them incense for court
liness, AZ though they had derived it from
some golden source when young; when the
fact is that it 10 merely the natural result Of
old age, which tones down and renders dig.
mites almost every sort Of = character. The
gentlemen OF the old school, 20 much admired
in novels, belonged, as a general rule, to a
very hard school indeed in their youth, and
one into which very few Of the young gentle
men OF the new school of the present day
would like to enter.
1t il . curious fact that while the Teutonic
race swear theologically, using formulas
drawn from the Roman Catholic excommuni-
cations Of the Middle Ages, their litAny Of
profanity is otherwise very limited indeed
So far rs spiritual condemns ton 10 concerned,
the Saxon or Teuton 10 certainly earnest
enough. But for the most elaborate formu-
las Of cursing, for the very ne plus ultra OF
filth, biasphemy and horror, for those phrA-
ses in which the one angered unpacks his very
heart and wrings and squeeses out % il were,
the last feeling Of his soul in vilencss, We
must look to the East. What there il 90 pc
culiarly revolving in Spanish and Russian
oaths, oil comes from the old worship Of Ba-
al Psor---from those rites in which the utter
ance Of the intense horrors, (ss Fabsr informs
us, was o religious duty.
We were reminded Of this popularity Of
the Oriental by the following anecdose, which
sounds very like = fabrication:
''lt 10 related by DR.. S., that on his mis-
sion in India, after long absence, be Was
standing on the deck Of = steamer, with his
son, youth, whom he heard gentleman
using loud and profane language. See, my
FRIEND said the doctor, accosting the swear
Or, this boy, my son, was born and brought
up 10 heather country, and q land OF pagan
ido!atry; but in oil his life he never heard .
man blAspheme his Master until now Tbs
man coloFed, blurted ont an apology, and
looked not little ashamed Of himself"
Unless travellers fib, that good little boy
must have been brought up in India, out OF
hearing Of the natives, If no escaped learn
Ing much viler language than he could ever
have picked up ''on board ship" Those who
read the interesting article which appesred
some time ago in the Atlantic Monthly on the
life of child in India, will remember wha,
It says on the due profanity which children
pick up from the natives; and how IN Eng.
lish lady "hearing her darling Give >
repeating such exprsssions, was perfectly de.
lighted ~ the dear child's progress 10 Hin
dustani, being ignorant herself Of the Ian
guage.
Profanity 10 much moro common in Amer
ca than in England-at least we hear NOR,
decsntly dressed men swear here than there
But even here il 10 decreasing and the change
II is perhaps the best test OF merit in actors
and especially Of those who play "the gen
tleman,S when il can be said with truth o
| them that they never volunteer An oath, =
some Of the ignorant and would-be sprightl
once are fond Of doing. Actors and dra
matists who represent gentlemen - Of iibera
| profanity are ignorant old fcgies or misera
BILE outsiders, and unqualified for their bust
ness. We commend careful consideration
| Of this curious fact to one or two we'll know
tsartists," who seem TO think themselves no
we'll "made up" for their parts until the
/ have clothed themselves with cuYses % vii
/ q garment. Phil. Bulletin.