The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1860-11-08
Gentleman Swearers.


Gentleman >Swearers.
II IA not pleasant to admit that the
world is getting worse instead Of better,
or that any rerrehensibIe habit is be-
coming more prevalent and common
Especially in Chris inn land, and un-
der-the influence Of the purer religion
Of which Americans are somewhat in.
clined to boast, one might look for q
higher style of morals and more uni.
form outward regard for sacred things.
But the worlds standard is lower than
II used TO be when men were less en-
lightened.' The catalogues Of mortal
sins and OF venial offences have changed
their proportions as wa have grown in
wisdom. So long as we desire TO re-
tain respectable social, position, we are
called upon 10 abstain from murder, ex-
cePt il be done according to the code; /;
and theft and lying are .acknowIedg.
ed TO be offences against society. The
decalogue has dwindled down 10 these
narrow limits, and in the place of the
comprehensive law that applied 10 all
relations and circumstances Of life, pub-
lie opinion has established another code,
stringent enough, may be, but which
only effects to regulate actions that
have no moral quality whatever.
To discuss the subject of profane
swearing. even upon this low ground,
it would be difficult to show how the
practice is profitable TO the swearer, If
1t Is important that an excited iudivid-
ual should get off extra steam by the
agency Of sucl, safety. valves. why
would not some more innocent expletive
answer rs well as an oath : Or If moth.
ing else will do in the moment of strong
excitement, how does il pay to toss about
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 divinity =
If there is profit in the practice, we have
never been able 10 fad 1t out.
" There are great numbers Of men in
tke worl who are weak enough 10 ab-
hor profanity and TO slIun the society of
the chivalrous gentlemen who cannot
utter a sentence without one or more
blasphemies in it,, If the influence of
these squeamish individuals should ever
happen to he necessary TO the hal,itual
swearer, he is tolerably certain to 90
without il. If the good opinion Of the
moralist has any value it is great folly
to threw it away for the sake Of mo-
mcntary. qualification. Very young
men swear because they desire TO look
manly and important, and in our day
the quantity and quality Of the bias
phemies are generally IN inverse proper
ton to the age of the swearer. There
is some show at reason about this, but
the matured man must find better
excuse. We wear boards nova days,
and the hirsute adornnents that Dame
Nature furnishes better prove our man
hood than any quantity Of lippant ap-
Peals to the Doity can do.
The time was when one of the most
infaiible marks by which the gentle
man was disguised from the hlackguard,
was the total avoidance Of profane ex-
pressions on the part Of the former
We know that swearing was fashion
able vice with some of our ancestors
The court Of the First Charles was
vast manufactory Of blasphemies, and
the gallant cavaliers Of that day swore
by exact rule. But the tremendous ful.
limitations which they had invented in
more peaceful times, were of very little
use at Marston Moore and -Naseby.--
And the descendants Of the men who
were victors in those 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 oil wor-
thies, they were certainly men Of purer
lives than their degenerate successors
are apt to believe. and the power Of
their example was felt through one or
two gene, ations. A poor fellow was
expected 10 call down curses upon his
own head, and he was an outcast be-
cause he swore, but no gentleman WAS
guilty Of practice that was considered
utterly degrading. .,. s...s..a.. ..
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 is--one holy and supreme.
noting the fall Of sparrow, and heed
ing the Tghtest words Of man---some
better football should be found than
his reverend name.
| H.. ,u baltimore Anerican.
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