Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-05-13
THE BAD HABIT OF SWEARING.

THE BAD HABIT OF SWEARING.
1t may be grievous truth, but it is true
that very many men and women are addicted
to the use of expletives, some Of which are
profane, some simply silly, some in bad taste,
some meaningless, and all unnecessary if
you criticise them closely. Many men use
oaths which are terrible in their intensity
and bitterness, and yet their utterers have
no feelings which need such language. They
will condemn people to everlasting torment.
curse their eyes, and call down the direst
judgments Of Heaven on persons who cause
them slight annoyance, and when anything
goes wrong with them they will curse and
swear like pirates and yet really they would
do no man any harm and as to sending any
body's soul to hell, their lives would be mis-
cradle if they thought they had done it.
1t is plain, therefore, that swearing gener.
ally is only habit into which men fall, and
thatit by no means indicates that they are pro.
fame in their thoughts or disposed to arrogate
to themselves the divine function of passing
eternal judgment on their fellows. The ex-
clamations expressive of wonder or delight or
indignation which women so freely use, and
which serve the purposes of a safety valve
for their feelings, and the darns and gollys Of
the boys, are, in their essence, about the
same. Of course it is foolish to use them,
and their employment is in bad taste. They
do not strengthen the speech, for they have
lost any real meaning; their free and care
less use has destroyed the force they may
once have had. If men always had at
their tongues ends the fit words to express
their ideas and feelings, they probably would
not swear so much. But when the right
word dosen't come easily, an oath is handy
for emphasis. That is all there is in swearing.
1t can't be defended, for it is bad habit;
and oaths, beyond question, greatly dis6gure
speech, which is most effective when it is
calmest and simplest. Yet that men took to
swearing in a very early period Of their de.
velopments, is probably unquestionable; and
that they have gone on in the practice, how
ever civilized they have become, is a truth
everbody's experience sustains. Christians,
or those Who nominally profess Christianity,
often swear as much as the heathens, and
probably there was not more swearing Before
our era than there is now. We have even
retained some of the pagan oaths in their ex-
act form, and to others we have given Lew
forms learned under Christianity, while we
have manufactured for ourselves supply.
The DUKE OF WELI1NeroNs PER1LoUs
NAP.-Selfrelianc may be carried too far,
and selfreliant great men are often very diff
cult to take care of in old age, when their
habits have survived their. strength.
The late Duke of Wellington was accus.
toned, during the latter years of his life, to
drive himself about in curricle, a habit
which caused lis family considerable uneasi
ness since, from his increasing years and fail
ing vision, it seemed probable that he would
meet with some accident. q
The Dukes well-known character, However,
was such that nobody dared to hint such a
thing to him; andall the roundabout methods
taken to induce him to abandon his chariot
eering, having failed, he was left to enjoy its
pleasures in peace.
What rendered this so extremely dangerous
was his habit of going off suddenly to sleep,
which brought him so many hair-breadth es-
capes that, at last, it was arranged for some
member of the family to accompany him
whenever he could do so without awakening
his suspicious.
One day his second son, Lord Charles, con.
trived to be honored with the perilous invita-
ton. After driving a certain distance along
the road, the Duke went off into nap, and
one of the reins fell from his hand, while he
kept hold of the other, still feeling the horses
mouths with it. The result was that the ami
mails were gradually edged toward deep and
steep ravine which bordered the road.
Lord Charles watched things meantime and
prayed that his father might, as be had done
many times before, awake in time to prevent
the else inevitable smash. The Duke, how:
ever. continued to nod and to pull, until at
last. as the horses were on the very edge Of
the ditch, Lord Charles seized the fallen rein,
and giving it pluck, pulled them short round
into the road again. With sharp turn the
Duke awoke, and seeing the rein in his sons
hand, asked, angrily, "What are you doing
with the reins, sir ?"
"Well, Jir," replied Lord Charles, "the hor-
ses were going straight over the edge, and l
just pulled them off to prevent us being
smashed to pieces
The Duke looked at him sternly, and said:
"Ill trouble you to mind your own business" y"
"OLD DoMINIoN."-This term, which is so
impressive and significant to every Virginian,
is said to have its origin as follows: During
the protectorate Of Cromwell, the colony of
Virginia refused to acknowledge his authority
and declared itself independent. Shortly
after, when Cromwell threatened to send a
feet and army to reduce Virginia to subjec-
ton, the Virginians sent messenger to
Charles H., who was then an exile in Flan-
ders inviting him to return on the ship with
the messenger, and be King Of Virginia.
Charles accepted the invitation; and was on
the eva of emharkinp when he was called to