Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-11-03
ouRE EoR SWEARING.
A New York Preacher Thinks Ho Has
 Discovered Good One.

Discovered a Good One.
 There is in one of Dr. George Mao. donald's novels very good little boy, who has never said a 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 a 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 explosives. 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 att tract the envy and mischievousness of their fellows; and, as far as moral guilt goes, it is obvious that the youngster, who, when upside down, came out with a solemn "Domn" in broad Scotch, was not responsible for remarks uttered un- der such circumstances of coercion. The question of what constitutes ''bad lam guage" is rather difficult to determine. There is borderland of vigorous ex- clamations which can hardly be digni- fled with the title of oaths.
 The reform emanates from America, and the plan for curing habitual swear CTS is the copyright of a Baptist minis ter, who has chapel in West Twenty 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- tion. The beauty of most discoveries lies in their simplicity, and nothing can be more 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 barks his shins badly against the leg of a table, he at once remarks in loud voice: Beef steak and onionsl'' 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 plate of ice creamr' 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, 'Hs 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 a re- mark, or to assist the speaker, then it can not be contended for moment that Great Cesar!" or Great Hailstones"- both American ejaculations- are really to be confounded with ordinary ''swear words" A favorite transatlantic ex. clamation is By Golly," borrowed originally from the negroes; but can ii be said that calling upon a non-existant 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 ftt cth&%end thnn fahs G Gnaatcaf eS clamation "Shiver my top-lights!' as g good substitute, especially for naval men. 'Jiminy Cripps!" and By Hick. ory!' are also ejaculations for which a good deal may be said. They do not err on the side of excessive intelligibili- ty, but they perhaps sound a little less trivial than the "Beefsteak and onionsr of the reverend reformer.-N. Y. Sun.