Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-09-18
Gentleman Swearers,


getting worse instead of better, or that any rep
rehensb BILE habit is becoming more prevalent and
common. Especially in Christian land, and
under the influence oftbe purer religion of which
Americans ere somewhat inclined to boast, one
might look for higher style OF morals and a
more uniform outward regard for sacred things.
But the worlds standard is lower than it used
to be when men were less enlightened. The
catalogues of mortal sins and of venial offences
have changed their proportions as we have
grown in wisdom. So long as we desire to re-
tain a respectable social position, We are called
upon to abstain from murder, except it be done
according to the code; and theft and lying are
acknowledged to be offences against society,"
The decalogue has dwindled down to these mar
row limits, and in the place of the comprehen-
sive law that applied to all relations and crcum-
stances of life public opinion has established an
other code stringent enough, it may be, but
which only affects to regulate actions that have
no moral quality whatever.
To discuss the subject of profane swearing, e.
ven upon this low ground, it would be difficult
to show how the practice is profitable to the
swearer. If it is important that an excited in
dividual should get off extra steam by the agen-
cy Of such safety valves, why would not some
more innocent expletive answer as well as an
oath2 Or if nothing else will do in the moment
of strong excitement, how does it pay to toss a.
bout the Name that is above all other names in
ordinary conversation-to play with the royal
titles of the King of Kings as though he were
some idol diviuity9 If there is profit in the
practice, we have never been able to find it out.
There are great numbers OF men in the world
who are weak enough to abhor profanity and to
shun the society OF the chivalrous gentlemen
who cannot utter a sentence without one or
h., s,,. - thoir = IL
squeamish individuals should ever happen to be
necessary to the habitual swearer he is tolerably
certain to go without it. Ii the good opinion OF
the moralist has any value it is great folly to
throw it away for the sake of momentary graf
ifcation. Very young men swear because they
desire to look manly and important, and in our
day the quantity and quality of the blasphemies
are generally in inverse proportion to the swear
re There is some show of reason about this,
but the matured man must find better excuse.
We wear boards now a days, and the hirsute a.
dornments that Dame Nature furnishes better
prove our manhood than any quantity of flip
pant appeals to the Deity can do.
The time was when one of the most infallible
marks by which the'gentleman was distinguished
from the blackguard was the total avoidance of
profane expressions on the part of tho for fner.-
We know that swearing was a fashionable vice
with some of our ancestors. The Court of the
first Charles was a vast mandatory of blasphe-
mics, and the gallant cavaliers of that day swore
by exact rule. But the tremendous fulmnations
which they had invented in more peaceful times.
were of very little use at Marston Moor and
Naseby. And the descendants of the men who
were victors in these battles settled in America
and brought with them stricter code OF morals,
and the swearer was tabooed upon principle
Whatever may be said about these rare old wor-
thies, they were certainly men of purer lives
than their degenerate successors are apt to be.
lieve, and the power of their example was felt
through one or two generations low fellow
was expected to call down curses upon his own
head, and he was an outcast because he swore,
but no gentleman was gailty of a practice that
was considered utterly degrading.
If there is no God Of the Universe it is great
nonsense to swear by Him, and to lug in His
name to strengthen an argument or to polish a
sentence. And if there as-One, holy and su-
prelne, noting the fail of a sparrow, and heed
ing the lghtest words of man-sone better foot
ball should be found than His reverend name
Baltimore american.