The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-04-13
So let our lips and lives express
The Holy Gospel we profess

1 pOtSDefQ 70 Scfdp6 ululk3l Wttnhis ana ne
sat down among the ashes. Then said his
wife unto him, 'Dost thou still retain thine
integrityi Curse God, snd die.'n
A story oriental and marvellous. Job was
the richest man in all the east. He had cam
els and oxen and asses and sheep, and, what
| would have made him rich without anything
else, seven sons and three daughters. 1t was
the habit of these children to gather together
for family reunion. oneday Job is thinking
of his children as gathered together at a BAN
quet at the elder brothers house.
While the old man il seated at his tent
door he sees some one nlnning, evidently,
from his manner, bringing bad news. What
is the matter nowl "0h,' says the messen-
ger, ga foraging party of Sabeans has
fallen upon the oxen and the asses, and
destroyed them and butshered all the ser
wants except myself" Sand aside. Another
messenger running. What is the matter
now9 "Oh,n says the nan, ''the lightning
has struck the sheep and the shepherds, and
all the shepherds are Destroyed except my
self" Stand aside. Another messenger rum
ming. What is he matter nowi "oh," he
says, "the Chaldeans have captured the
camels and slain all the camel drivers except
myself" Stand aside. Another messenger
running. What is the matter nowi "Oh,"
he says, "a hurricane struck the four cor
ners OF the tent where your children were as
sembled at the banquet, and they are all
dead"
But the chapter of calamity has not ended.
Job was sndtten with elsphantiasis, or black
leprosy. Tumors from head to foot-fore-
head ridged with tubercles- eyelashes fall
out-nostrils excoriated-voice destroyed
intolerable exhalations from the entire body,
until with none to dress his sores, he sits
down In the ashes with nothing but pieces of
broken pottery to use in the surgery Of his
wounds. At this moment, when he needed
all encouragement, and all consolation, his
wife comes in, in fret and rage, and says
'sThis is intolerable Our property gone,
our children slain, and now you covered up
with this loathsome and disgusting disease.
Why don't you swears Curse God and diel"
All, Job knew right well that swearing
would not cure one Of the tumors Of his ago
nized body, would not bring back one Of his
DESTROYED 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 bereave-
ment more excruciating. But, judging from
the profanity abroad in our day, you might
come to the conclusion that there was some
great advantage to be reaped from profanity.
DI~sPIemy is all abroad. You hear It In
every d1recCon. E1uo muyman swearing at
his cart, the sewing girl imprecating the
tangled skein, the aco5uns s9nrsing the
long line of Troublesome hguresT Swearing
at the store, swearing In the loft, swearing
In the cellar, swearing on the street, swear
ing In the factory. Children swear. Men
swear Women swearl Swearing from the
rough calling on the Almighty in the low
restaurant, clear up to the reckless "Oh
LordI" of glittering drawing room; and
the one is as much blasphemy 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 only throw
ing out our weak hand toward the strong
arm of father. It was no profanity when
James A. Garfield, shot In the Washington
depot, cried out: 'My God, what does this
meanP' There is no profanity in calling out
upon God in the day of trouble, in the day
of darkness, in the day of physical anguish,
In the day of bereavement; but / am speaking
now of the triviality 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 persons
who were indulging in profanity, and he
made up his mind that he would make
record of their profanities, and at the end of
two days several sheets Of paper were COW
cred with these imprecationS, and at the close
of the journey he handed the manuscript to
one Of the persons In front of him. SIS it
possible" said the man, 'that we have ut
tered so many profanities the last few
daysF sit is" replied the gentleman.
''Then," said the man who had taken the
manuscript, 81 win never swear again"
But is a comparatively unimportant thing
If man makes record Of our improprie-
ties of speech. The more memorable consid-
Grafton is that every improper word, every
oath uttered, has a record In the book Of
Gods remembrance, and that the day win
come when all our crimes Of speech, If unre-
pented of, viii be our condemnation. shall
not today deal in distractions I hate alb
stractions. I am going to have plain talk
with you, my brother, about a habit that
you admit to 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 dis
tinctness Of utterance to let you know that
they are damning their own souls or damn
ing the souls Of others. It Is an awful thing
the first time the little feet are lifted to have
them set down on the burning pavement Of
hell
Between 10 and 20 years Of age there is
apt to come time when young man Is as
much ashamed Of not being able to swear
gracefully as he is of the dizziness Of his first
cigar He has his hat, his boot and his coat
of the right pattern, and now, IL he can
only swear without awkwardness, and as
well as his comrades, he believes he is In the
fashion. There are young men who walk In an
atmosphere of imprecation-oaths on their
lips, under their tongues, nesting in their
shock of hair. They abstain from 1t in the
elegant drawing room, but the street and the
club house ring with their profanities. They
have no regard for God, although they have
great respect foo the ladiesl My young
brother, there is no manliness in that. The
most ungentlemanly thing aman can do is to
swear
Fathers foster this great crime. There are
parents who are very cautious not to swear
in the presence of their children; in moment
of sudden anger they look around TO see II
the children are present when they indulge
In this habit Do you not know, oh father,
that your child is aware of the fact that you
sWear2 He overheard you In the next room,
or some one has informed him Of your habit
He is practicing now. In ten years he win
swear as well as you do. Do not, oh
father, be under the delusion that you may
swear and your son not know 1t. II Is an
awful thing to start the habit In q family
the father to be profane, and then to have
the echo Of his example come back from other
generations; 50 that generations after genera
tions curse the Lord.
The crime Is also fostered by master
mechanics, boss carpenters, those who are at
the head Of men In hat factories, and in dock
yards, and at the head of great business
establishments When you go down to look
ct the work Of the scaffolding, and you find
It Il not done right, what do you sayi It is
not praying, e If The employer swears--
his employee Il tempted to swear. The man
says: 81 don't know why my employer,
worth $4,000 or 800, 600, should have any
luxury should be denied simply because
am poor. Because am poor and dependent
on days wages, haven't as much right to
swear as be has with bis large incomeF'
Employers swear, and that makes % many
epploy9 evaagl