The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-04-20

cursing aud swearing Rev. +. Dewitt Tai
mage took his text from the Book Of job,
ii. z, 8. Q: 80 went Satan forth from the
presence Of the Lord, and smote Job with
sore boils from the sole OF his foot unto his
crown. Aud he took him potsherd to
scrape himself wthal; and he sat down
am ing the ashes. Then said his wife unto
him, 'DOst thou still retain thine integrity
Curse God, and de-" The pastor said:
| A story oriental and marvellous. Job
was the richest man i'm all the East. He
had camels and oxen and asses and sheep,
and, what would have made him rich with
out any thing else, seven sons and three
daughters. It was the habi. Of these chill
dren to gather together for family reunion.
One day, job is thinking Of his children as
gathered together at banquet ut the
| elder brothers. house. While the old
man is seated ut his tent door, he sees some
one running, evidently from his manner
bringing bad news. What is the matter
nowa co." says the messenger. "a for
| aging party OF Sabeans have fallen upon
the oxen and the asses and destroyed them,
and butchered al the servants except my
self" Stand aside. Another messenger
running. What is the matter nowl TO-"
says the man, 1.-THE lightning has struck
the sheep and the shepherds, and all the
shepherds are destroyed except myself"
stand aside. Another messenger running.
What is the matter nowl 90" he says. 1.-THE
Chaldeans have captured tho camcls and
slain ali the camel drivers except myself"
Stand aside. Another messenger running.
What is the matter nowi TO-" he says,
"a hurricane struck the four corners of the
tent where Your children were assembled
at the banquet and they are all dead"
But the chapter Of calamity has not
ended. Job was smitten with elephant
iasia, or black leprosy. Tumors from heal
to fOOt-fOrehead ridged with tubercles-
eyelashes fall Out-nOstrIls exc"riated--
voice destroyed in, olerable cxhalatlons
from the entire body, until, with none to
dress his sores, he sits down in the ashes
with nothing but pieces OF broken pottery
10 use in the surgery Of his wounds. At
this moment. when he needed all encourage
ment, and all consolation, his wife comes
in, in fret and rage. and says "rhis is
intOlerable. Our property gone. our chill
dren SLAIN. and now you covered up with
this loathsOme and disgusting disease.
Why don't you swearl Curse God, and
dep
All, Job knew well that swearing would
not cure one OF the tumors of his agOnizing
body. would not bring back one Of bis de-
stroyed camels, would not restore one Of
his dead children. He knew that profanity
would only make the pain more unbearable,
and the poverty more distressing, and the
bereavement more excruclating. But judg-
ing from the profanity abroad in our day.
you might come to the conclusion that
there was some great advantage to be
reaped from profanity.
Blasphemy is all abroad. You hear it in
every direction. The drayman swearing at
his cart, the sewing girl imprecating the
tangled sken, the accountant cursing the
long line Of troublesome figures. Swear
ing at the store, swearing in the loft.
swearing in the cellar, swearing on the
street, swearing III the factory. Children
sweari Men sweari Women swear!
Swearing from the rough calling on the
Almighty IN the low restaurant clear up to
the reckless 20 Lord I" OF a glittering
drawing room; and the one is 40 much
blasphemy as the other.
There are times when we must cry out
to the Lord by reason Of our physical
agony or mental distress, and that is only
throwing out our weak hand toward the
strong arm Of a father. 1t was no pro-
family when James A. Garfield, shot in the
w
what does this meanl' There is no pro-
family in calling out upon God in the day
Of trouble, in the dny Of darkness. in the
day OF physical anguish, IN the day Of be-
reavement; but am speaking now Of the
trivialiiy and Of the recklessness with
which the name Of God is sometimes
managed. The whole land Is cursed with it.
A gentleman coming from the far West
sat in the Car day after day behind two per-
sons who were INDUCING in profanity, and
he made up his mind that he would make
record VI their profanities, and at the end
Of two days several sheets Of paper with
these imprecations, and at the close of the
journey he handed the manuscript to one
of the persons in front Of HIM. rs it pos
sible," said the man, ''that we have uttered
so many pr"fanities the past two daysi
ut is," replied the gentleman. ''Then,"
said the man who had taken the manuscript,
81 will never swear again"
But it is . comparatively unimportant
thing if man makes record Of our lmpro-
prieties Of speech. The more memorable
consideration is that every improper word.
every oath uttered, has . record in the
Book of Gods remembrance, and that the
day will come when all our crimes Of
speech, il unrepen ed Of, will be our con-
domination. shall not to-day deal in alb
stractions. I hate distractions. / am 60
ing to have PLAN talk with you, my
brother, about habit that you admit 10 be
wrong.
The habit grows in the community in the
fact that young people think it manly to
swear. Little children, hardly able to
walk straight on the street. yet have
enough distinctness OF utterance to lei
you know that they are damning their own
souls, or damning the souls OF others. 1t lis
an awful thing the first time the little feet
are lifted to have them set down on the
burning pavement of helll
Between sixteen and twentyyears Of age,
there is apt to come . time when young
man is as much ashamed Of not being able
to swear gracefully Is he is Of the dizzi-
ness Of his first cigar. He has his hat, his
bot and his coat Of the right pattern, and
now, II he can only swear without
awkardness, and Is well IS his comrades,
he believes he is in fashion. There are
young men who walk in an atmosphere OF
lmprecation-osths on their lips, under
thcir tongues, nesting in their shock Of
hair. They abstain from it in the elegant
drawingroom, but the street and the club
house ring with their profanities. They
have no regard for God, although they
have great respect Tor the ladiesi My
young brother, there is no manliness in
that. The most ungentlemsniy thing q
man can do il t. swear.
Fathers foster this great crime. There |
are parents who are very cautious not to
swear In the presence Of their children; in
u moment of sudden anger they look
around to see il the children ore present
when they indulge in this habit. Do you
not know. o father, that your child is
aware Of the fact that you swearl He