The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1888-05-15


They abstain from it in the elegant
drawing-ropm, but the street and the
clubhouse ring with their profanities.
They have no regard for God, although
they have great respect for the ladiesl
My young brother, there is no manli-
ness in that. The most ungentlemarlly
thing a man can do is to swear.
FATHERS EOsTER THIS CRIME.
There are parents who are very cautious
not to swear in the presence of their
children; in q momentof suddenanger,
they look around to see if the children
are present when they indulge in this
habit. DO you not know, o father,
that your child is aware Of the fact that
you swear? He overheard you in the next
room, or someone has informed him of
your habit. He is practicing now. In
ten years he will swear as we'll as you
do. Do not, o father, be under the
delusions that you may swear and your
son not Know it. 1t is an awful thing
to start the habit in o fatl1er-the father
to be profane, and then to have the
echo Of his example come back from
other generations; 80 that sgeneratfpns
after. generations 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 60 down to look at the work Of tho
scaffolding, and you find it is not done
right, what do you sayp 1t is not pray
ing, is itp The employer swears-
employee is tempted to swear. The
manssays: s'I don't know why my en-
ployer, worth $50, ,000or $100, 900, should
have any luxury SI should be denied,
simply because / am poor. Because /
am poor and dependent ON q days
wages, haven't as much right to swear
as he has with his large income?" EN-
ployers swear, and that makes so many
employees swear. The habit also comes
~ FROM INrIRMITY OF TEMPER. p
There are good many people who,
when they are at peace, have righteous
ness Of speech, but when angered they
blaze with imprecation. Perhaps all
the rest Of the year they talk in right
language, hnS now they pour out the
fury Of a whole year in one red-hot
paragraph Of five minutes. knew of
a man who excused himself for the habit
saying: II only swear once in q great
while. I must do that just to clear my
self out.''
The habit comes also from the profuse
use Of bywords. The transition from
byword, which may be perfectly harm
less, to imprecation and profanity, is
not very large transition. Itis ''my
starsI' and mercy on mel" and "good
graciousl'' ''by Georgel" and "by
Jovel" and you go on with that little
while, and then you swear. The words,
perfectly harmless IL themselves, are
next door to inpreoation and blasphemy.
A profuse use Of bywords always ends
in profanity.
THE HABIT IS CREEPING Uf
into the highest styles of society.
Women have no patience with fat and
unfarnished profanity. They will order
man out Of the parlor indulging in
blasphemy, and yet you will sometimes
under. chandeliers which bring no blush
to their cheek, taking on their lips the
holiest Of names in utter triviality.
language is comprehensive. and cayable
every degree Of energy. Are you happy
thousand words with which to express
your exhilaration. Are you righteously
indignant--there are whole armories in
the vocabulary, righteous vocabulary
whole armies of denunciation, and
scorn, and sarcasm, and irony, and
caricature. and wrath. You express
yourself against some meanness or
Hypocrisy, in all the oaths that ever
smoked up from tho pit, and I will come
right on after you and give you a thous.
andfold moro emphasis Of denunciation
to the same meanness and the same
hypocrisy, in words across which no
slime has ever trailed, and into which
tho fires of hell have never shot their
forked tongues-the pure, the innocent,
God-honored Anglo-Saxon in which
Milton sang, and John Bunyan dreamed
and Shakespeare dramatized.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR PROFANITY
when we have such magnificent langn-
age-such flow of good words, potent
words, mighty words, words to suit
every crisis and every case.
Do you know that this trivial use Of
Gods name results in perjury2 Do you
know that people who take the name Of
UOu OIL Cllell lips Ill IeCKleSSneSS anu
thoughtlessness are fostering the crime
Of perjury2 Make the name Of God a
football in the community, and 1T has
no power. when in courtroom and in
legislative assembly 1t is employed in
solemn ,adjuration! See the way,
sometimes, they administer the oath:-
"S'helpy you God-kiss the bookl" Snug
Cling, whichis always violation Of the
oath, becomes in some circles a grand
joke. You say to man: "How Is it
possible for you to sell these goods so
very cheapP I can't understand it,"
ga hi" he replies, with a twinkle Of the
eye, "the Custom-house tariff Of these
goods isn't as much as it might be-" An
oath does not mean as much as it would
were the name Of God used in reverence
and in solemnity. Why is. it that 50