Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-03-21
SWEARING AS A HIGr Ak.
Tho LuNurinncc Of Bln~phcmy Prevalent
Among the Oricntals.

Tho LuNuriancc Of Bin~phcmy Prevalent
Among the Orirntals.
Professor GarSuylv. You must un-
dCrStand. has travelled to and fro in
the earth culling these flowers of
speech II KIND of recording angel
but without any sentimental tears
His collection. however, only APP
prOachUS completeness in the west
Urn d"pa ,;...ntS of European Ian.
gl:'.;". Going eastward he found
such AN appalling and tropical lux
urlanCc of these ornaments aS to de
spar at last altogether of even a rep
rcsrntativc selection, says an Eng
hSh writer.
They do not curse. he sayt.. "at
door handles and shirt studs and
such other trltlCS as will call down the
mcagor disCharg" of an occidental,
but when they do begin. | hired
Il promising looking man Mt Calcut-
ia, and after a month or SO refused
to pay his wages. He was unable to
get at me with the ing knife he car
RED, because the door was locked, so
he sat on his hams outside under
the Vcranda from 6:l5 in the morn
ing until nearly 10, Cursing-cursing
III ON" steady, unbrokcn fl0w-an
astonishing Spate of blasphcmy.
First, he cursed my family, from
me along the female line back to Eve,
and then, having t0yVd with me per
sOnally for u little while. he started
off along the line of my possible DOS
terity to my rcmOtUst great grand
children. Then he cursed me by
this and that. My hand aChed tax
ing it down, he was SO very rich 1t
was a perfect anthology of Bengal
blaSphcmy-viv scorching and
variegatCd-nOt two alike, and then
he turned about and dealt with diff
fcrcnt parts of me. | was really
very fortunate i'll him. Yet it was
depressing to think that all this was
| from one man and that there are
| COO, 600, 600 people in Asia
"G0ur common Englisnman now
scarcely curses at all A more color
less and conventional affair than
what III England is called swearing
one can scarcely imagine. 1t is Just
common talk. with some half dozen
! orthodox bad words dropped III here
! and there III the most foolish and il
logical manner. Fancy having or
pthOdOX words. / remember one
day getting INTO third class smok-
ing carriage on the Metropolitan
| railway about l o'clock and find
ing 1t full of rough workingmen.
Everything they said was seasoned
with one incredibly stupid adjective,
and no doubt they thought they were
very desperate characters. At last |
asked them not TO say the word
again. One forthwith asked me
what the -, II really cannot
! quote these puerilitirs). what the idi-
otto CllChp that mattrred to me- So
| looked at him quietly over my
glasses, and | began. 1t was revela.
ton to those poor fellows. They sat
open mouthed, gasping. Then those
that were nearest me began to edge
away, and at the very next station
they all bundled out of the carriage
before the tram stopped, Us though !
had some infectious disease. And
the thing w;ls just Il rough, imper-
feet rendering of some mere com
mOnplaCeS, passing the time of day,
a. 1t were, with which the heather
of Alrppo used to favor the servants
OF the American missionary. In,
deed if it We're not for the ladies
there would be nothing i'll England
that one could speak of as swearing
at all. They have agreed to consider
certain words, for no very good rea-
son, bad words. 1t ID pure couven
ton. 1t has little or nothing to do
with the actual meaning, because for
every one of these bad words there
Is paraphrase or synonym consid-
cred to be quite suitable for polite
| earS