Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-04-14
ACCOMAC G. II, VA. SATURDAY. APRIL 4,
CU.RSEyG AND SWEARING.

CU.hQllsU AND DAYEAlLlNU
REV. DIR. TALMAGE olscoURsES ON
THE. HABIT OF PROFANITY.
There5Is no .Ezcuse- for. It When w,
HavoS sueh Magnificent Language
1t Comes from Inflrmlty of Tempe
and the Proiuse- Use of Eywords.
BROOKLYN. April S.-One of..thc hymn.
sung ut the Tabernacle this morning begins
! with theswords:
SO let our lips and lives express
Tho Holy Gospel we profess.
After reading tho appropriate passages OF
Scripture, the Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, D.
D., preached 6on the habit of cursing and
swearing His text was from the Book OF
job, ii;ss7, s and 8: $50 went Satan forth
from the presence of the Lord, and smota
Job with soro sboils from the solo of his
foot unto Ibis crown. And he look him q
potsherd to scrape himself witlal; and he
sat down among the ashes Then. said his
wife unto Dost thou still retain thine
integri tyss stIaeS
a std 'aTidl iisloiIs STas
thericbost Tnan In al the east. BE Ind cam-
elsnnd oxon and asses and sheep, and, what
would have matlc him rich without anything
else, seven SONS aud three daughters 1t was
tho habit OF these children to gather together
for family reunion. One day Job is thinking
Of his children asgathered together at q BAN
quet at the elder brothers; house.
While tho old man is seated ut his tent
door he secs some ono running, evidently,
from his manner, bringing bad news. What
is the matter nowl "Oh," says tho messcn-
ger, 20 foraging party of Sabeans has
fallen! upon the oxen and the asses, and
destroyed them and butchered ill tho SER
wants except myself" Stand aside. Another
messenger running. What is the matter
nowl "Oh," says the man, 'the lightning
has struck the sheep and the shepherds, and
all the shepherds are destroyed except my
sclfn Stand aside. Another messenger run
ming What is he matter now! "Oh,n he
says, 'the Chaldcans have captured the
camels and slain all the camel drivers except
myself" Stand aside Another messenger
running What is the matter now7 "Oh,"
he says, "a hurricane struck the four cor
ners of the tent where your children were u.s.
sembled ut the banquet, and they are all
deadn
But the chapter Of calamity has not ended
Job was srnitten with elephantiasis, or black
loprosy. Tumors from head to foot-fore-
head ridged with tubercles-eyelnslies fall
out-nostrils OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES destroyed
intolerable exhalations from the entire body,
until with mono 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 momont, when he needed
all encouragement, and all consolation, his
vito comes in, in fret and rage, and says:
"This is intolerable. Our property gone,
our children slain, and now you covered up
with this loathsome aud disgusting disease
Why don't you swear7 Curse God and diol"
All, Job knew right well that swearing
would not euro ono of tho 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.
Blasphemy is all abroad. You hear it in
every direction. The drayman swearing OF
his cart, the sewing girl imprecating the
tangled skein, the accountant cursing the
long line of troublesome figures. Swearing
NJ he ceiiar, swearing on tno screcp, swear
inc in the factory. Children swear. Men
swear. Women swear! Swearing from the
rough calling on the Almighty IN tho low
restaurant, clear up to the reckless "Oh
Lordr''of glittering drawing room; and
the one is as much blasphelny ns 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. 1t was no profanity when
James A. Garfield, shot in the Washington
depot, cried out: "11y God, what docs this
meanY' 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 tho day Of bereavement; but am speaking
now of the triviulity and of tho rccklessness
with which the name Of God is sometimes
managed. The whole land is cursed with it
A gentleman coming from tho far west sat
In the car day after day behind two persons
who were indulging in profanity, and he
madc I'D his mini that he would mako
record of their profanities, and Mt 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. us it
possible said the man, "that we havo ut
tered so many profanities the last few
daysY at isl replied the gentleman.
s'Then," said the man who had taken the
manuscript, II will never swear again.
But is comparatively unimportant thing
if q man makes record of our improprie-
ties of speech. Tho more memorable consid-
Grafton is that every improper word, every
oath uttered, has q record in the book OF
Gods remembrance, and that tho dly Will
como when oil olir crimes of speech, II unre-
pented Of, will be our condemnation. ] shall
not today deal in distractions. hate ab-
stractions. am going to have plain talk
with you, my brother, about habit that
you admit to be wrong.
The habit grows in the community III the
fact that young people think it manly to
swear. Little children, hardly able to walk
straight on tho street, yet hnye enough dis
tinctness of uttcrance to let you know that
they are damninS their own souls or damn
ing tho souls of others. 1t is an awful thing
tho first time the little feet arc lifted to have
them set down on the burning pavement OF
hell
Between IL and 20 years of age there is
ant to como d time when young man is Us
much ashamed OF not being able to swear
gracefully as he is of the dizziness of his first
cigar. lie has his hat, his boot and his coat
of the right pattern, and now, II he can
only swear without awkwardness, and as
well as his comrades, he believes be is in the
fashion. There are young mon who walk in an
atmosphere of mprecation-oaths on their
lips, under their tongues, nesting IL their
shock of hair They abstain from it in the
L. II. ID, ,,,,J%