The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-07-03
QUEER FACTS ABOUT oATHs.
How People Swear. and where the Cu.-
Words. Came Prom.

How People swear. and Where the Cu.-
Word. Came From.
"You need not have looked severe be-
cause ] said that ] didn't care "a DAM
said a gruif old senator in conversation
with che Sunday school reporter Of the
Washington Star. THAT il not swearing.
The expression has a very different
meaning from what Is popularity supposed
and was originated by the duke of Well
lingion. A dam in India is the smallest
piece Of money known, and not 10 care
that much means simply that one Is very
Indifferent. That was all the phrase was
intended to signify. The word damn
from the Latin verb meaning TO con-
denim is a very different thing. Curiously
enough. IL seems almost invariably Ia DE
the first word in our language acquired
10y foreigners, and u has always been
such "a fayoritc with the English that in
the last century The French always re-
fcrred to them as 'Goddams.' A dis
tingnished Gallo writer Of that queen said
thai English was a beautiful tongue and
that 'Goddam' was the basis Of IL. 'Peo-
pie of that nation. he remarked. have "a
few other words which they use in con-
versation, but the principal u is Cod
dam. You can go anywhere in England
IL you know that
"A funny misapprehension also exists as
to the expression, Go to the deuce Peo-
pie generally suppose that deuce means
devil whereas as a matter OF fact II ~
derived directly from the Latin Deus
Cod So, when any one tells you to go
10 the deuce lac is unconsciously uttering
the best of good wishes for your welfare.
Speaking Of Latin reminds me that
among the ancient Romans IL was con-
sidered the thing for each man 10 have
some particular god to habitually swear
by. Some swore by Jupiter, Others 10y
Mars. others still by Minerva, M so on.
The deIni-gods, like Hercules. and tas-
tor, and Pollux. we've also made Use of in
the way Of oaths. Castor and Pollux were
usually appealed to as the "Twins","By
Gcmini,'-the phrase whence whence we
get our exclamation by Jiminy!' IL was
thought very proper for Roman ladies Ia
swear by the male gods, but they were
permitted To take the names Of the Twins
in vain, aud also especially that of Venus.
In moments of great aggravation they
might go 50 far as To cry "Mccastor''
by CASTOR" The Greeks sworc by
the cabbage. which was the most priced ~
vegetables. and even to this day the same
oath is often heard in Italy. while in
France a lover is being intensely alice
tionatc when he he calls the lady Of his
heart his petit chou" or little cabbage
by jingo'' is from '~'Jincoa," the Basque
name for God. Barbarous tribes have
been known la swear 10y the read OF their
ruler. Queen Elizabeth was said To have
been "a very HARD swearcr, as the die OF
her day were very apt Ia be-. Louis IN. of
France forbade the use by his courtiers of
such oaths a. "Pardicu,' "tordleu,'
"Tetedieu.'' aud so on. There hanccd
To belong to one 81 the ladies Of the court
"A small pet dog named "Bleu.' The
courtiers made up their minds 10 swear
by the dog instead Of the deity, and hence
came the parbleus and corbleus Of later
times. Pythagoras had a f~avorite oath
which most people would consider NOT
sufficiently forciblc to be satisfactory.
lac swore by the number four, which the
/ s.a,.