, 1870-11-20
PH1I0s05PHY-oF SWEARING


one 3ooAT Thsv ha1u oo1un 10 lke dsaouaaian :
y shit The ComiHts would call . theoiogl9A :
q;,it4 be- ac,ing on tho diosats Of tho i,rele-
r..,t r,les tbst pecause swearing Ia N :k6d, tne
nstinctiye grasp Of osth67 tho pasdaon ioe n {
;nv tbem 1n,o the creyiocs uf common speech !
nd tho inability OF any aoa to- walk without
he cru,ches Of impseeation, lie. therefore,
.cn ea1h tho dignity OF phiiosophio research ;
1ot, in reality, faw subteeta Will moro iicn.y
award. Us thinkers wnuA SAY, tbs lAnofs OF
1oduclivs and inductiSe Asudy. sEearns lsaa
mir Tersl "a hin. Just as every faeo .na
,Vnry individual makes use Of some stlmH9'
~. rhether it be tobacco or Gaastp: PoSA-
sm or eernou-huntiuE, drnr'-dHnklng OF
norniug calls, 30 all OF US, whetner pious os
thnnsand fashion. which lie open 10 the Wit OF
the stupidity Ct m.n. Men swesr io1 so IeA-
snr that children scre1m, because theyNAsn
Of words, md because an oaIn, nso
a loud cry, has often the force of waolo tea
tenee Essent.ly ne1sftsosh 3 tha san nfosines of
The Psychologist or the Iheto,1uan. ana noI
th.t of the theoloEisn. Hence, prolAno SWEAT
inc must ho put down, not pF eatinohn, uuS
b. lessons il correct thinking And 6ooo WIZ
II NO sppToaeh tho diseutsion IN tho seion-
tifc apirit for which We arc indebted 10 tnS
example OF La Phlosophie Posnare, We eaAn
find that oaths do not stand By taem selves
ia the hierarchy Of moral Heieece. nas s.e
eetisntsf3e ecintf3 EXPRESSION, When an illitessse |
Itishman answers summons iot tne pf
1nsrt of bis rent with the threat that 10y
SAINT Patrick he will let daylight through
his laudlord's head. he means. 81 con1se' 10
the most poten. fo.m OF Rnt onssaa she
ranre Of imprecstou, his armory Of pnraees
IL sHall aud Ill furnished. The bald ktate-
ment Of the fact that he means 10 shooe n4s
iardiord uould. he feels. be as feeble ana pfne
sac ~ tie mAudAto Of bank CHECK. tas 20
John smith, Esq, OF bearer, tho sum OF one
lie Weakuess Of such . phrase, IN irs1man
.rnrin lika to make the check emphatic oy
addirc threat and an oath1 80. thai me
SUMMONS to the banker would run saus =.
pas1ics. / viii shooty you tho next time am1n
town. Now here, IA Mr.. Mill would ssv, tue
| ,nnen1 Ia 81. Patrick - connotas" Dsoiound
| store Of ira1ticulste resolution. What IN, the
l,ishmau mcApB to imply ts soncthtns nss .s
this: s'st. Patrick i. the patron SAINT
OF the island that owns me.
lie ia the symbol, both OF mT owa
land and or that heavenly Guartisn shtp whlen
dl spite the btse Saxon. has m1de the Ntesn
ltle tho first county on e.Isa. ano :, nGs
Il nv e2e eisl saint, the only SAINT whom can
couple with the soiemnittes Of the shillelagn
| cr rntheen. Hence, when CAL St PAtflck 10
witnces that viii ahoot my landlord or my
barkcr, cfter tho sttestat'on oi ~ tnoss ela.
nents Of my naturc whisa s!S x rene,oas @ @ats Az
AZ eutely as I believe in St. Patrick and bo'
long to The Green sle."
S1ch. when anAtyzed. is the assurance con-
vsyed by the Hibernian osth. The oa.n o.1
save1 him from tho trouble Of thinking V!sn
c,earueKs, and expressing bis meaning W! VII
: nrteisiou, It il a eynbol which vaguely gtsca
! emphasis. Oaths, therefore, have tnsu.
bt, cs!!cd tho italics Of tho vulgar. Whei
Young lady wishes to maze any pa1t o.
letter Ra.tsculsfls emphatic, SHE feels w
! tuo ANAL to convey tho re1ui''te EsF1a q
: foTce; 20 she follows tho example ct tn
. | u1.hroau, and resorts 10 mechanical deV1cs
: by undeIecc1ing the words On which sn
means the reader to lay special stre,a. Asnes
Of pioua and half edacatcl young ladies'
= ie:tcrs often pctrAy = like inability to ss
i what they mean without !eserting e ss'e
It vague symbols . ~ the SAINT ras3'en "a nnda
"a rcoripg Of the boardiug-schoo1 1nlss. :,
u liko in1rmity OF expression makes Il
70 French people habltuals resort to what
+. NAV cali oaths Of gcsticulatlon. Theit d'
r tincsire mark as talkers is the'E inability :.
10 tslk for fiye min utea without sbrugElng tht
-, SHOULDERS. None but Freushman, Or tat4
.. French woman, can raise their sltou!de
J., with th1t quick. graceful lcrk, and lite tut
od e7eArovB with that air Of GLAND bew1ldermeI
Ai snd cover the face with that air OF bAtllea y
= dom. wllieh.conesitute the shruE OF 5000 aoe.s
IN Some future Darwin, when tracing tae gene
he Of national manners, will expcnd volumes
d: nroye that. just as ages were needed for
nd transformation Of monkeys into men, 30
Tor took ages OF breeding to give that epei
70. pliancy Of Gbrcs and litheness OF muscle: !!
lis In the capaci1y to condense sentence 0!
rr- rage into an epiGram Of gestlcusasion-
esq sl,c ehrug belongs 10 the same family ~
tor oath, since I. substitutes mech3nics! for1
on, expression for that constantly changing :
on essentially individual device .of phrase VII
as stvle. When Frenchnaan is asl
out Why Dazaine has not gono away Il
ins Sletz IN a balloon to organize the Gar
eks Mobiles, why the Franes-T,reurs do not
his to pieces tha railway lines on the way II
mi Pa1,s to the Rhine, OF why Victor Hugo fint
By that he eau save France BY marks Of exca'
cod t1on, the puzzled lietener ehruGs his aht
col dtrs, ard thus replies. "Ihe thlng y = u
pu- bett. Are a. inscrutablo AZ the functions
] to tho East wind fste eeeus TO have cussed
his Ee,le France, and the satuxtion II e1ecfae
San An Enelishm.n or IN American would ms
en-. such question ty letting on hsayy o
Of Inst az, when tl,s safety-ralvc is lifted, An
nal. emo lets oN steam. Yot tho pzotane excla
ltcd tlcn would mean 10 more than tho shrut
'oon tie Frelchmnn. He nwears With his sh
,uco jers. while bis less refiued neighbour ss
lace With their mouths. OF couzso l,e is also
ring richcd with an armosy Of verbal oaths. V
OBJ hew1e1ds with much more effect than ne
veS- recently handled the Chsssepot: but
for armcfy il only all nuxiltaF5 force. and hi
asnt e1haustible Etors Of shruEss gives him
:: his mxrd over the resources OF the impreca
dary to which, "a M.c.ul.y wnuld hayc said
uss. | hisfory Of Erofkne swearing ptesenta
snts, ra,uliel.
Max Il men swear at all, they. oush. to, 8
u we'll. We mean, not that they should 3
i:ice, profusels. but that they should Am at
Upon rality and ratiety OF style. ln England
Sit Is lille or no chance that swearing vii
the peoye in s.yle, because the art Las now
ntle- cast aside By men OF education, AMI has
10 oe- Loft 10 tue iliitera.e and pFofane. In
uring countries a. 1t.ly, on the ether hanu. to
stab hss bcon saved from decline BY the past
ing It Of Of lie itaIi.n people, and b. tie e1cspuo
o0h. rich deposits Of theological or myuaole
tlrst tradition. An Italian peasant can sTel
of its any ono Of the thousand eaints with who
time has been made acquainted by ths Church
. IN some Of whom ths Church has borrowed
50 1sn tie pey q
dsy- aeas- An English peasant, on The COZ
re- knows nothing about es,nss, those M Or
us, by lud having al been killed three hu
New years ago b Henry VIII; and lhus the
) vol fellow ia thrown back on the resources
re re- own sis. So also, il il true, are the peo
crable America, wko left all santa and other
lie re- Of popery behind them whom thcy set I
:. lta the MAyaower to make themselves subj
aniazy the Cons tuition OF the United state'
helesa who have subsequently discouraged the
pa5lie fac.u1e Of saints, lest auch . branch Of
J upon TN should Ecnaca republican insiitt
Il 3has But for tue lack Of hagiology, A1ne1ie
aerous more than made up by the mental actt
during her people, and by the culture OF th'
I tho Who 1e.d her swcasing population
!, 1868, Willie England las lett tho art Of il
estat- cation 10 caS-uep, coal-heayera, and me
ID en- 20 10 music-halls, America E:it' cora'
n this 10 Lcr lawyers, Senatass, and regular
ifornia ants at church. 4 citizen Of the United
.uek OF filde command over the resources
rtner," fsne speech compatible With tcrTe1
almost {esslon Of faith in Roman Catholicism
chea Of ta1iscism, Aud cvco when men hay
The educated 1t Harvard. when theJ - aass
ume IN to tho lectures OF NJ. LoWell, anu Mns
l. Co., scholastic culture would escape repte
/ Roar- Enc1snd. they resort to the enphasi.
,blished preCatiou. Thus tho swearing OF a
l., Dos. and especially that Ct the south and
~, and Vest, displays N orlstnaity q ecn CO.
issued md variety OF image 1or Wuen ~e
for the vain when the eupEasts o. oaths ts
ing him the last refuge Of ignorance. Indeed,
sr rank nlsusib|g b. krguza that II Ameris
volume aeyote as much y1gor of NH
led By ekil Of phrase 70 Writing ~ a.
nj ha1 fans gWeaIinE, nn6le Gene1as.ou
. aeon eufsee 10 take a<.5 the zeI roach th.'
blishers, destitute ct a great lit. Eature: She =
Iiei by ! Tscne cursea tie vocabulary Of a sbak
life and Prtaehera might also find fault WIN
appeared en- The ground that to bla;pnsme = = =
acknowl- te Comte, We dispen.e With tne enls
Q was, ,te Biological spirit ,aud We et'tle1set
men.- Atlantic habit Of i1nrreea:ion on tne
Harvard that il be.11ya \ want o. real ealtafe
) Of CALI ci.jon OF mind. that it fo-tess 100.
Professor ttoucht. and that it prociatns #ao
I the LIZ 40 10 lsck the faculty Of exact express;
Z To that be15cpepdeut for emphasis On tae NJ s
.o1cN in itslics, Tho Americans obey one Ate
, ~ [or I -I. .-,-n, -3,r 1xn1I but tbrv Elm 4