The Nicodemus cyclone. [volume] (Nicodemus, Graham County, Kan.) 1887-1888, 1888-04-13
CURSING AND SWEARING.
DE- Ialmage's Discourse on the
Habit OF Profanity. =.

y
:. BROOKLYN, April 8.-One of the hvmr
sung at the Tabernacle this morning, begin
with the words
so let our lips and lives express
y The Holy Gospel we profess"
u AFTER reading appropriate passages of Scrir
ture' the Rev. 1. De Witt Talmage, D. D.
preached on the habit of cursing and swear
Ing. His text was from the Book of job
Chap 2. " z and g. $50 went Satan fort
) from the presence Of the Lord, and smote Jol
WIN sore boils from the sole of his foot unit
} us crown. And he took him potsherd t.
scrape himself withal; and he sat dow
among the ashes. Then said his wife unit
nim, Dost thou still retain thine integrity
Curse God, and die"
A story oriental and marvellous Job wa
the richest man in all the East. He hat
camels and oxen and asses and sheen. and.
, "naC would have made him rich without any.
lung else, seven sons and three daughters
IL was the habit of these children to gathe,
together for family reunion. One day. Job is
'ninklng OF his children as gathered together
at banquet at the elder brothers. house
WnlIe the old man is seated at his tent
door, ne sees some one running. evidently
from his manner bringing bad news. What is
the matter now: "Oh," says the messenger.
"a foraging party of Sabeans have fallen I'D,
on the oxen and the asses, and DESTROYED
them, and butchered all the servants except
myself" Stand aside. Another messenger
running. What is the matter now? "Oh. ~
says the man, 'the lightning has struck
the sheep and the shepherds. and all
the shepherds are destroyed except myself.n
aside
What is the matter now? ssOh.n he saws
the Chaldeans have captured the camels'
ana slain all the cameI-driVers except myself
6Ganu aside. Another messenger running
what Is the matter now? "Oh," he says, "a
hurricane struck the four corners of the tent
hmneIe your cnlldren were assembled at the
banquet and they are all dead"
But the chapter of calamity has not ended
100 was smitten with elephantias;s or black
leprosy. IumOrs from head to foot-forehead
rldged with tubercles-eyelashes fall out
noStrlls excorlated-Voice Observation-Disclosures
able exhalations from the entire BODY. until
with none to dress his sores, he sits down in
Tue asheS with nothing but pieces of broken
pottery to use in the surgery of his wounds.
Al tnls moment, when he needed all encour-
agement, all consolation. his wife comes in,
In fret and rage, and says: This is in
tolerable. Our property gone, our children
fa, ana now you covered up with this
ioathsome and disgusting disease Why
don't you swears Curse God, and dep
All. Job knew right we'll that swearing
Mo9id not cure one of the tumors of his agon-
lzed BODY, would not bring back one of his de-
stroyed camels, would not restore one of his
oead children. He knew that profanity
would only make the pain more unbearable,
ana the poverty more distressing, and the
bereavement more excruciating. But iudg-
ny 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
ge s carl s Eef sewing Ssg the tan
the long line of tr oGdaSans f1 guresg
Swearing at the store, swearing in the loft, |
swearing in the cellar swearing on the street |
swearing In the factory Children swear |
NE men swear. Women swear! Swearing from |
the rough calling on the Almighty in the low |
restaurant, clear up to the reckless 20 Lordn |
OF gllttering drawing-room and the one is
as much blasphemy as the other.
mere are times when we must cry out to
Inc Lord by reason of our physical agony or
our mental distress, and that is only throwing
OUT our weak hand to the strong arm of a
father: 1t was no profanity when James A,
Garheld, shot in the Washington depot, cried
out: MY God, what does this mean?" There
IS no profanity In calling out upon God in the
gay OF trouble, in the day of darkness, in the
Eeavement; but | am speaking now of the
ttrlVialitY and of the reckessness with which
the name of God is sometimes managed. The
whole land is cursed with it.
A gentleman coming from the far west sat
pa the car day after day behind two persons
who were indulging in profanity. and he
made up his mind that he would make a rec
ora OF their prOfanites, and at the end of
Two days several sheets of paper were covered
. W. Inefe lmprecations, and at the close of
Va tae Journey ne handed the manuscript to one
u the persons in front of him. as it posi-
Ole, said the man, "that we have uttered so
many profanities the last few days" at is.n
'eplled the gentleman. Then" said the
man who had taken the manuscript, ~ will
never swear again."
But it is a comparatively unimport-
our improprieties of speech. The more
memorable consideration is that every i'm
proper word, every oath uttered, has record
q the book of Gods remembrance, and that
ne gay VIII come when all our crimes of
lemnation. l shall not to-day deal in abstrac-
IONS l hate distractions. l am going to
laVe plain talk with you, my brother. about
n pa that you admit to be wrong.
The habit grows in the community in the
he fact that young people think
manly to swear. Little children, hardly
Die to walk straight on the street. vet ,
ave enough dstinctness of utterance to let
ou know that they are damning their own
ouls, or damning the souls of others It Is
n awful thing the first time the little feet :
re lifted to have them set down on the burn
ng pavement of hell! !
between sixteen and twenty years of age. :
mere is apt to come time when a Young :
nan is as much ashamed of not being able to ,
wear gracefully as be is of the dizziness of
is nrst cigar. lie has his hat, his boot, and {
us coat OF the right pattern, and now, if he :
an only swear without awkwardness, and as i
Tell as his comrades, he believes he ia in the :
ashton. There are young men who walk in ;
d atmosphere of imprecation-oaths on their
ps, under their tongues, nesting In their :
nock OF hair. They abstain from it in the :
iegant drawing-room, but the street and the :
clubhouse ring with their profanities. They :
ave no regard for God, although they have ;
reat respect for the ladies! NV Young
rother, there is no manlineSs In that The =
lost ungentlemanly thing man can do is to I
wear. - - l
Fathers foster this great crime. There are :
arents who are cautious not to :
wear In the presence of their child =
rem; In moment of sudden anger. thew :
Dok around TO see if the children are r
resent when they indulge in this habit. +
10 you not know, o, father, that your child !
aware OF the fact that you swearl He has ;
Verheard you In the next room, or someone :
as informed him of your habit He is nrac- Il
cing now. In ten years he will swear as :
ell as you do. Do not, o father. be under
he delusiOn that YOU may swear and ro,,- |