The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-09-06

! controverted he thinks that "a few more
years, few more books, and it will appear
that Lee and Longstreet and a one armed
orderly and casual with shotgun fought
oil the battles of the rebellion and killed all
| the union soldiers except those who ran
away" In like manner, if few more books
like General Palfrey's are written we fear it
will occur to most readers that the war might
have ended in trice provided all the union
generals had been foot soldiers in the ranks,
and few more foot soldiers had been i'm
provised into generals with swords as sharp
as their pens.
THE HARD WORDS.
Some Remarks About Skipping Them.
| George May Powell in the Christian Union
The prevalence of the vice of profanity
in our country is really alarming. Ladies
on public highways and in public convey
ances, are subjected to having their sensi-
bilities shocked by it to On extent that is
! painful in the extreme.
In like manner, children and youths are
| made liable to having their souls SCARED by
| oaths flying around them which are literally
| darts of the devil. Damage may often thus
| be done to the jewels of the homes Of our
country, compared to which the loss sus-
| tanned by the parents of Charlie Ross will
one day be seen to have been slight. A
contagion may thus take effect which had
far better been small -pox or scarlatini
Remedy Of this evil seems difficult. Ap-
plication of the civil law, which in most
| states makes swearing Unable offense,
| seems usually to be inadvisable. It is q
good rule, however, that "nothiag will be
done unless somebody tries.'' The press,
h1th ~ II.
future, even more than in the past call at
tention to this fact. Profanity is against
the laws of the land, and against the laws
of good society. Therefore those who find
themselves practcing it have cause to in
quire if they can do SO and yet consider
themselves good citizens, or even entitled
to be called gentlemen.
We know good men who have seen SO
| much Of the world that their ears have be-
come dull to this horrible vice. Though
disappearing it, they hardly notice it when
only casually hearing it. To us, however,
it is always and only pain to which we
are keenly alive. We have almost sicken-
ing remembrance of hearing Turkish boat
men swearing at each other in English as
their swift crafts passed each other, cutting
the waters of the Bay of Alexandria.
friend of ours once succeeded in so
preventing this point of it's being painful to
him and to others to stage passenger who
had been torturing them by his profanity.
that the offender offered public and o
hearty apology to all present.
We have often spoken kindly and in
quiet tones to those who were swearing.
Almost without exception, they have re-
ceived the reproof in the same spirit in
whicE it was given. The whispered words,
Skip the hard words, please" coupled
with a kindly, quiet glance of the eye, has
almost always conquered. We have had
this experience among rough men, and
sometimes in wild, dangerous places. It
has thus also been the entering wedge
almost as often of word or two of invita-
ton to join us in the journey to the better
land.
Among the cases of the latter kind which
we have in mind was that of STAGE driver
on the frontier. We sat beside him on the
high seat. The twilight was rapidly deep
ening. Dark clouds, ineessantly cut ty Vi
vid lightning, were rolling up, and peals of
such magnificent thunder as is seldom
heard exceptin the far west, were reverber-
hearted sociable follow, but there was an
intensity and frequency of his utterance of
oaths positively unique. We might say,
he had genius for swearing, he was so en-
Enthusiastically profane. Our admiration of
horses, especially of his splendid "four-in-
hand" was genuine, and won the way to
his heart. We finally asked him, in an
easy, of hand way, to please oblige us by
skipping the hard words. He promptly
both thanked US and made an apology, cor
daily volunteering the admission that it
was all wrong. He was then ready for talk
about mothe-, home, and heaven. He
promised to ase Bible his mother had
given him on his leaving home, and to at
tend religious instead Of bar-room servi-
ces; also to read any good papers we should
send him. We took his address, and af-
forwards mailed him reading matter, which
We hope has cultivated the good seed sown
Another case was in crowded street. car
in Philadelphia en- route to the great CEN
tennial exposition. The profanity of one
of the passengers, who was consider
ably under the influence of liquor, was so
sions of pain on the faces of all the ladies
within earshot. Words of disapprobation
were heard also from both ladies and gen.
tlemen. Some of the latter said-sotto
voce-''he ought to be put out of the car. ;"
He looked, however, like. man to make
violent work if That were attempted. Soon
a companion OF his expressed wish, which
we overheard, to know the time of day. We
promptly consulted The watch, and gave
the desired information. This opened the
way for pleasant word with both parties.
Then, leaning over, we whispered in the
ear of the troublesome one, to know if
favor might be asked without giving Of
fense. That granted, the request was made
to omit words that gave us pain. There
was not another rough word from that man
on the trip. He and his associate soon
followed this act of poiteness by giving
their seats to ladies who had long been
standing, and by their listening to sugges-.
tons Of how we all may find "wisdom:s
ways" those Of p1asantness.
The military orders of both Washington
and Lincoln against the PROCLAMATION of the
day or name of the Most High are well
known. Also the testimonies of many
others of the great men Of the world.
Mr.. Nye of Maine assures us that he is
coupling an anti profanity pledge with his
temperance work among children. He has
thus led l 300 of the lambs in the green
pastures and beside the still waters Of truth
on this great subject. No: doubt many q
dear boy who has taken this pledge Ands 1t,
as the years pass on, barrier to- bad be-.
ginnings Of sad ends.
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