The Forrest City times., 1888-04-14
CURSiNG AND SWEARING.
Dr. TaimRge's Discourse on th,
 Jabit Of Profanity.

q ' ing Ills text was from jhe Book of Jeb, ! Chap. ?. v :, 8 and g. "So went Satan forth i frem the presence of lho Lord and smote Job with sore boiIs from the sole of his foot unto bis crown. And he look him a poisherd to .crape himself withal; and be sat down among the ashcs Then said lis wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity Curse God, and dcn
 A story oriental and marvellous Job was the richest man iu all the East lie had cSmels and oxen and asses and sheep. and, uha: would have made him rch without any thing else seven sons aud three daughters. lt was the habit Of these children to gather together for family reunion. One day Job is thinking of his children as gathered together at a banquet al the elder brothers house.
 While the old man is seated at his tent door, he sees some one rum ng, evidently from his manner bringing bad news. What Is the matter nowl "Oh," says the messenger, "a foragiug party of Sabeans have fallen up- on the oxen and the asses, and destroyed them and butehered all tbe servants except myself" stand aside Another messenger running. What is the matter nowi "Oh 9 says the man, the lightning has struck the sheen and inc shepherds. and all the shepherds are destroyed except myself" stand as.de. Auother messenger running. What is the matter now! "Oh," he says, 'the Chaideans have captured the cameis. and slain all the cam-l-driYers except myself. 7" Stand aside, Another messenger running What Is the matter noNl Oh" be says. "a hurricane struck the foHr corners of tbe tent where your children were assembled at the banquet, and thcv are al dead h
 But the chapter a} calamity has not endel Job was snitten wlth eiephautia>.s or black leproFr. fumurs from hrad Co faat-farehead ridged with lubetclrs-e} clashes fall out nosiflls ckcuriAted-voice destroy ycd-intoier- able exhalatnus from inc entire body, unii with none Co dress lis sores, he it's down in the ashes with nothing but pieces of broken pottery to Use in the surgery Of hls wounds. Al ths moment, when he pecded all cueour- ngcment all consolation. hs wife comes in, in a fret and rage, and says: This is in- toerable. Our property gone, our children slain, and now you covered up with this loathsome and discussing disease. Why don't you swear! Cutse God and die!'
 An, Job knew right well that swearing would not cure one of the tumurs of hs agou- ized body, would not bring back one of his de stfoyed cameis, would not restore one of his dead children. He knew that profanity would only make the pain more uubearabe, and tue poverty more distressing, and the bereavement more eXcruciatiHg. But judg- ing from the profanity abroad in our day, you mi ght come to the conclusion that there was some great advantage Co be reaped from profanity.
 Basphemv is all abroad. You hear 1t in everg direction. The dfayman swearing at his cart, tue sewing girl impreeating the tan the long line of troublesome figures, Swearing at the store, swearing In the loft, swesriug ln the ccl.ar, swearing on the street, swearing in the factory. Children swear Men swear Women swcarl Swearing from the rough calling on the Almighty in the low restaurant, clear up to the reckless 70 Lord :" of glitteriug drawingroom; and the one is as much b.asphemy as the other
 There are times when we must cry out to the Lord by reason Of our physical agony or our mental distress and that is oniY throwing out our weak hand to the strong arm of e father IL was no profanity when James A. Garfield, shot in tle Washington depot, cried oul; "My Col, what dses ,h meantn There is no profanity iu calling out upon God in the day of trouble u ttc daf of darkness, in the day of ph cal anguish, in the day Of be re yemeut; but l am speaking nov of the triviaiitY and of the reckiessness with which the name of God Is sometimes managed. The whole laud A eursel " llt iL
 gentleman coming from the far west sat in the ear day afirr day behind two persons who were ndulgiag in profanity, aud he made up his mind lhat he would make Fec old Of their poiaHities, and at the end of two days sever | sheets ot paper were covered vi h these ImprpcatiOus, and at the close of the journey he handed the manuscript to one of the pVrsOns ID front Of him, "is it posi- bIc," said tho man, "that we have uttered SD many profanisies the last few dayst' ''It is, '" replied the gentleman. "Fheu," said the man who had taken the manuscript, II will never swear again"
 But it is comparatively unlmport- ant thing ii man makes record of our impropretes of speech. The more memorable cons iteration is that every i'm proper word, every oath uttered, has a record In Inc book Ol Gods remeubrdnce and that the day wll come when all our crimes of eech, if uprct eutet of, vii! he our con deunation. ] shall not to-day deal in absr C. tous. l hate distractions nm gong to have plain talk with you. my brother, about q habit that you admit 10 be wrong.
 The habit grows in the community in the the fact that young people think it manly 10 swear Little chiliren, hardly able 10 walk straight on the street, yet have enough d Stlnctness of ulicrance 10 let you know that they are dHmning their own souls, or damning the souls ot others. It is an awful thing the first time the little feet are lifted to have them set down on the burn ing pavement of he'll
 Between sixteen and twenty years of age, there is pt tu come a time when a young man is as much ashamed of not bring able tC swear gracefully as Ee is of the dizziness of his first cigar. He has his hal, his boot, and II $ coat ol tliF liE it EAAtfiht hlii HOW, IT ne . can Onlf swear WtthOUt aWkWardness, and as well as his comrades, he believes he IS in the fashion. There are young men who walk in an atmospterr oi ilnUreeat tion-Oaths on theii lips, under ther tOnEues nesting in theii shock of hair. They abstain from it in the elegant drawing room, but the street and the clubhouse ring with their profanitcs. They have no regard for God, although they have great respect for inc ladies, My young brother, there IS no manl ness in that. Tho most ungentlemanly thing man can do is tC swear
 Fathers foster this great crime. There are parents who are cautious not tC swear in the presence of their child drcu, in moment of sudden anger, the, look around 10 see II the children arc present when they inlu,ee in this habit Do you not know, 0, father, that your child is aware of the fact that you sWearl He ha; overheard you u the next room, or someone has informed him oi your habiL He is prac ticing uOr. In ten years he wilt swear as well as you do. Do uot, father, be under the deiusion that you mas swear and yoni son not know it lt is an awful thing tO starr the habit in a |. mily-the father tO be pro faue and then to have the echo of his exam ule come bat k from other generations; so thai generations after generations curse the Lord
 he crime is also iosteTeI by master mech anics, boss carpenters. those who are at tho head Of men in hat factores, and in dock wards, and at the head of great business es
 
 the work of the scaiIoldng and you find it i not done right, what do you says IL is no praying, is itf The employer swears-his cm ploye is templcd to swear The man says ''I don't know why my employer, wortl $50, 600 or Sl00, 001, should have any luxury should be denied simply because l am pool and dependent on a da}'s wages, haven't as much right to swear as he has with hi large incOmc.n Employers swear, and tha makes SD many employees swearl
 The habit also comes.frOm inhrmity of tenn per. There are a good many people who when they are at peace, have righteousness o speech, but when angered they blaze with im precatiOn. Perhaps all inc rest of the yea they talk in right language, but now thel pour out the fury or a whoie year in one ret hot paragraph of five minutes, knew of man who excused himself for the habit, say ing; T Only swear once in great while. ] must do that just to clear myself out
 The habit comes also from the proiuse use O 1 bvwords The transition from a bywOr, which may be perfec lT harmless 10 impreca ton and profanity, is not a very large transi tion. II Is my stars in and mercy on me 7