The American Negro., 1890-10-25
CURE FOR SWEARING.
A New York Preacher Thinks He Has
Discovered u Good One.

New York Preacher Thinks He Has
Discovered Good One.
There is in one of DR.. George Mac
donald's novels a very good little boy,
who has never said naughty word in
his life. Unfortunately, this is feat
ure Of his character which fails to elicit
the profound admiration of his school
fellows, and wicked plot is concocted
to force the good little boy to swear.
He is caught and held head downwards
over a stream, from which painful
position he is not suffered to escape
until he has more than satisfied his
tormentors by the unexpected strength
of his expletives. What particular
lesson DR.. Macdonald attempted to
teach by this story we do not know, and
should be afraid to guess. He could
hardly have intended this moral that
boys ought not to be so good as to at
tract the envy and mischievousness of
their fellows; and, as far as moral guilt
goes, it is obvious that the youngster,
who, when upside dawn, came out with
a solemn "Domn" in broad Scotch, was
not responsible for remarks uttered un.
L
question Of what constitutes 'bad Ian
guage" is rather difficult to determine.
There is borderland of vigorous ex.
carnations which can hardly be digni-
fed with the title of oaths.
The reform emanates from America,
and the plan for curing habitual swear
ors is the copyright of Baptist minis
tor ho boc oho,
fifth street in New York. Unlike the
owners OF copyright, however, this
gentleman invites the whole world to
make use of the property in his inven-
ton. The beauty of most discoveries
lies in their simplicity, and nothing
can be moro delightfully."- simple than
the Baptist clergyman's method of ban
ishing bad language from society. When
he is unexpectedly stung by wasp, or
encounters a nail on the floor when de-
nuded of stockings, or barlls his shins
badly against tharleg of a table, he at
once remarks in a loud voice: "Beef-
steak and onions!" preceding directly
afterward to observe: Ham and
eggs' and if the tendency
to swear has not by that time
passed off, he adds: Bread and butter
and a plate of ice cream!' The rev.
erend gentleman assures the world that
armed with this simple weapon, no.
body need in future ever swear at all.
Just as much satisfaction" he quaint
ly observes, 'is derived from saying
Pork and BEANS, as from emitting a
string of swear words"
If the essence of an oath is the call
ing on outside powers to witness re-
mark, or to assist the speaker, then it
can not be contended for q moment that
Great Cesar!" or Great Hailstones''-
both American CALCULATIONS are really
to be confounded with ordinary "swear
words" A favorite transatlantic ex-
is "By Golly," borrowed
from the negroes; but can it
be said that calling upon
and entirely chimerical
divine of this sort of person is real
Iy guilty of invoking outside powers?
The same thing may be said with equal
truth of by Gosh" Still, it will be al
lowed that these exclamations have a
somewhat unpleasingly suggestive
sound about them, and we. therefore,
can heartily commend the nautical ex-
clamation ''Shiver my top-lights!' as a
good substitute, especially for naval
men. Jimmy Cripps!' and ''By Hick-
ory!" are also CALCULATIONS for which a
good deal may be said. They do not
err on the side of excessive intelligibili-
ty, but they perhaps sound little less
trivial than the "Beefsteak and onions!"
Of the reverend reformer.-N. Y. Sun.
Often the Case.