The Portland daily press., 1865-05-18
Profane Swearing.
To the Editor Of the Press:

To the Editor Of the Press:
Allow me to say through your column
that am much obliged to "a Lady" VIII
halls from Bangor-that "Queen city of til
East"-for noticing my suggestions abou
Profane Swearing in the streets OF Portland
AS The Natural Seaport" was in my eye, j
ala not occur to me, at the moment, that ~
remai Ks would be observed elsewhere. Bu
SO tits; there are more eyes and ears In thu
world than we are apt to imagine. ss
As that "Lady" speaks of my communica
ion as "a very sensible article presume
she does not intend to condemn it as whole
however she may differ from me 10 some par
| ticulars. She thinks Il am mistaken in SUP.
posing that law and preaching can exert any
influence in removing the evil referred to
On the contrary, she believes they might give
it "a fresh impetus"
When she afiirms that Swearing is extreme
ly vulgar and silly-an indication of low
breeding"-I quite agree with her. 1t is al
that and good deal more. It is undeniablt
evidence Of depraved heart. But it is not
confined to any particular class Of society
high or low, educated or ignorant, refined Of
british. Undoubtedly, ladies have 1t il
their power to exert a salutary influence in
this regard; still, that influence has a limit
What do those boys and young men gathered
about the doors of grog-shops on Fore Street
or elsewhere care for the opinions of ladies in
any circle OF society, refined or unrefined Z
Just nothing at all. 1t may be true, that no
gentleman will be guilty of uttering profane
language before ladies in refined circles
still, there are some gentlemen, SO called,
who find 1t rather hard to "hold in" till they
are fairly out Of the house. A little annoy
ance about their overcoat or rubbers, in the
ante-room, will not unfrequently start little
profanity which the ladies d, not hear, and
before that charming young man has reach
ed his home, for aught the ladies may know,
he wiIl"swear like trooper Their Influence
upon him was not deep enough; 1t did not reach
the core. = eaaq K1E sis7 s-
am sorry that "a Lady" of the Queen city
of the East should have so low an estimate Of
"Law and Preaching" Beyond question,
these two powers have done more to reform,
elevate, civilize and refine human society, du
ring the last eighteen hundred years, than all
other human instrumentalities combined. The
whole Christian world is an illustration and
proof of this fact. Our good old Puritan fathers
understood the subject we'll, and acted accord.
ingly. Mayhap that profane little boy viii exer-
else his dexterity in trying to evade the
grasp of policeman; but what them The
same is true of all criminals. Thieves, rum.
sellers, burglars, assassins, as well as profane
swearers, all try to evade the penalty of the
law. Some of them had rather die than be
arrested. But is that a satisfactory reason
why good and wholesome laws should not be
executed? The very idea is absurd. All
laws are intended to be put in force. In this
way they become power. - - ~
So also preaching is power-perhaps the
mightiest moral power welded by man.
When the great Founder of Christianity told his
disciples to "go into ALT world and preach
he kenw what he said. Behold the results
which followed Nearly everything good and
desirable in the civilization of the nineteenth
century, oweEits origin, primarily to preach
ing. This power, like every other power en-
trusted to man may be and has been pervert-
ed; still it is power, and may be made in
strumental of greatly checking all the moral
evils which now infest our society. If every
preacher in Portland, Catholic and Protestant,
would take up the subject of Profane swear
ing, and speak out boldly and faithfully, there
can be no doubt as 10 the result. 1t would
set in motion a train of measures and in
huences that in a little while, would be felt
in every dwelling in the city.
Will not every preacher in Portland, who
wishes well his flock, bring this subject be-
fore them9 II this we're done as it should be,
the city authorities might be induced to take
the matter in hand. HARBERToN.
May II, 1865. s s44s8 'lse as7