Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1882-08-31
Pm .ir pI!a AAcTtrau
EIplctlYes.

The apparent Necessity for the use IL rN-
plrtNr, a, Art u human speech j, a my
icr.pu. bu, well a,CrrtalucI fact, and ~r
must say there = no ua..ou. kindred, tongue
or people where the Voice of the ,uprrtiuou,
rNpirtiye i no, heard. 70 small effect do
mnrail',, and ,agr- preach against profanity
ii thrt themselves stray INTO any ui the
side paths that skirt the great highway Of
swearing. Even the good Quaker VINO re-
proved IN, prufane pio~man for the oa,ns
with Whica he accomplished the brtaking-up
Of a particularly stoul piece Of ground
when dared 10 make the trial for himself
lapsed into continual ejaculation, Of ''Wru,
| never | never saw the beat WHICH, as
the profane one pointed out meant swearing,
and had an element of STORY y-telliug" count
ed in. MANY aud various are the formula,
that have been inSented 70 serve the need
OF poor human nature in stress that calls
for eNpletlye~, while conscience torhlds the
use Of the big. big D." and all lis SINFUL
Kin; they range from the coarSeness Of the
mouth-tilling and formidable "gorm it" to
the prim mldness of dear me" and the
nanlty Of la SUI" They are biographical,
personal, legendary witness ''ChrIstopher
Columbu, :" Great Scott :" The piper
that played before Moses :" ANYTHING will
answer the purpose Of an eXpletlNe, what
ever that mysterious purpose may be, but
there l. class of sounds that seem 70 an
swer the hidden need-"tn 20 to the right
spot"-better than others words beginning
with soft appear To have peculiarly sat
isfyIng effect. The rruarka able compound
"geewhiokety" was probably invented to
secure the sound Of that favored letter;
also the adjurations for "Jerusha !" SO tre-
quenily heard. Jerusalem :" Is a popular
iavorite. possibly having some family sacred
association: but none such can appertaln to
the ejaculation OF JOB Jackson - which is
used With apparently satisfying effect, though
having no association with any citizen OF
that name. Where other sounds are pre-
ferred. there is generally some meaning or
shadow of meaning attached to them. The
mysterious ejaculation of good grammany"
is probably a modification of words more
distinctly traceable IN the negro "goramlty.
''COnshocken," a geographical expleuve
when might have been chosen simply for
its sonorous qualities, was probably derived
from the more ordinary "my conscience
"Lawamassy' needs no Interpretation; and
prm little "dear me" turns out to be only
the Italian "Dio mo in disguise. Whether
matters are much improved by all these
weakening notifications OF the big "D"
aforesaid NAV be doubted. II was counted
grace in Lady Heron to swear
'iier pretty oaths by yea and nay
but Hotspur, revolving utterly against such
''mincing sarceneG oaths," bids his Kate, if
she must swear, to use "a good mouth filling
OATH" perhaps in the style of those for
which Queen Bess was SO justly famous.
If progress in that direction is not now to
be recommended, it would do no harm, on
the other hand, to guard little more close
ly the portals of our speech, refraining as
much as may be, from the use of expletives
which at the best are idle and inexpensive,
and at their worst only one remove from
open profanity.