The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-28
REGARDING CUSS WORDS.
DEIISING SOME
Profanity That II r. thr Noun
Heart. nnd sScarins That \
ousiy, Deliberately, nnd

Heart. nud wearing That NAH
ousiy, Deliberately, nnd
From the Chicago Daily MIN
That Americans and English should swear
Is inevitable. Our Angle Saxon race il no
toriously the most ~profanc on earth; It. has been
30 ever since tho days OF its foundation BIZ the
fusion OF the Saxons with their Norman uoi,.
querors. II is recorded that the SnSons were
astonishcd Mt the strength and profuscncss IF
Norman profanity, but that they proceeded 10
add II to their vocabulary without loss of time.
SO much for tho beginning. ClOuccr leaves the
declaration that In his time swearing was prnc-
ticod by every one, high or low, both sexes
alike. Numbcrlcss records show that tho Gus
tom had become anything but obsolete at the
time OF Ellzabeth's jolly reign. 1t was during
that period of history, perhaps, that men and
women took to swearing by single details of
tho body Of tho crucihod Christ. Wounds,
blood, sides, death, heart. nails, foot. were made
.hc oaths that are now to he considered charac-
tcrlstic Of the Elizabothnn ngc. Tho words
wcro prefaccd by the pusscssivo 's-as 'sblood,
'sdcath, 'snails-in Authorization for Gods
blood. Gods death. Gods nails. Gods
wounds was ainalSamatcd into Zoundsl an
exclamation still preserved in the tank melo-
into the mouth of the villain as tho expression
rroach Of his deserved downfall; it's use is 40.
compnnicd. with gesture and stage business in
lCullNb VI lIlbIllt1ltl CbllluolbU.
II Is not to be Inferred from tho freedom OF
their indulgence in profanity that our British
tinentai ncighbors, Willie perhaps not addicted
TO the habit OF consigning things to the realm of
an objurgativo vocabulary. as rich and varied
as that of tho English, used the name of tho Al.
m,hiEhty WIN the utmost familiarity So do
Is 1t to be regarded as n sacrilcgea No,
When ;n the German lady oxcloims. Herr Cot"
does the Frcnchlnan when he declares that God
knows that the picture IL beautiful. Such
maine is so commonly. used in the romance Ian.
initial TO divine protection. ";Adios," says the
ssPEanierdI,. in parting for a short separation.
hove II "Addio,'", and tho. French "Adieu,'
adopted into English, is used a million timess
beauty OF its Significance.
The French are subject to frequent spasms
pressions which strike tho English speaker as
most hopelessly unfit for the purpose. Ono of
the old English poets, incidentally expressing
his nations Well.known opinion OF French
valor and dignity. has left the following stanzast
IT'S strange the French prove,
When they take to nspersing,
Kick a Frenchnan downstairs
How absurdly he swears.
When beat To a Jelly,
DEATH" and Blue Bclly!'
"Morblcu!" and "Ventrcblcu!" were the CT.
pletives which the old rhymcstcr translated
n1'fi%n njSsti Th'yr is0 %sig hGt Of be ] !bT"s'A ie 'th It is
words, and "sacIchlcn" and Icorbleu" seems
To he tRS%n o eRS fnN SSoniS 0 nGt 1 make ike Frsnss
profanity ridiculous by trying to find it OUT
by means Of translation. ,,
teresting bit of study. but 1T could not very well
be carried on in this country. There is n rsa-
a%bandons his ancestral forms of blusphemy in
favor of the American system Just as soon as
| ottnttinn md naf loo Ittl1 nt,u blp I ~, Ia M
the change. Immigrants who cannot speak or UNI
derstand a word else of English can damn each
the lower classes Of 'thom quickly add to this
knowledge a list of terms expressive Of the dis
Everybody has seon those fellows who are al
ways In danger of forgetting ,!hcmsclvcs in the
moro or less than victims of brains trained to
translate certain casual conditions into pro.
under, while ,iryinF &c, talk HilikS" politely WY must st' be
something frightfui. Fancy having to pause
expression for the admirable qualities or utter
usclessness OF an absent person and search for
%n n N No w s Il that thI %nb BTU fSvf prc Sf "a
mon don't, talk much in polite society.
s,S SHm9 v 4r d tas ~ tSsir pfE" aSi,. F M 9 of s1 nss
drivers undoubtedly are possessed of the most
varied and elaborate ropertoirc Of swear
They can spin out a longer exclusively profane
sentence without repeating Than perhaps my
claim that 1t is not for mere qualification Of a
taste that they swear; they maintain that moth
fractions team. Coaches of athletic teams
and boat crews occupy in &'measure the same
POSITION as stage drivers, and justify tho same
offence with the same argument
A college graduate and old crew captain,
who gives some days of each year to the de.
vclopmcnt of his alma matters boating mater
inl. said: Some of the fellows go back to teach
the youngsters the science of it. They depend
on me to stir them up and keep them out of
frances, Having tried every other means. l can
saw without hesitation that plenty of profan-
ity is the only thing that win accomplish the
purpose: There are men. to be sure, q q high
are talked to sharply. Profanity is n stimu.
liant that must be applied to n crew judlciously,
can take II good deal of without disadvantages.
Swearing is The rule with all men who live
The miner and the prospector. the cowboy, To-
comotiye engineers, woodmen-it is the excep-
ton when these and similar classes produce Q
man who does not reinforce his sentences with
OCCASIONAL well-rOunded oaths.
In battle some of the greatest leaders have
had the custom Of swearing as though, pos
oaths That are heard among the shouts OF IA charg-
Ing column. There is much ~ history that 10
whirlwinds in battle because they could not
turn loose "A few cd.hot explosives.
AS a means OF relief to an ovcrwrought tenn
per swearing has another at least apparent
value; 1t i" told of u minister learning TO play
golf that under certain circumstances he found
difficulty in hitting the ball. AS no pounded
snrroundins radius of turf. It was noticed that
t fS " the ' vcins in req his N fo 1eR ,"i' were srsH swPe HliIR1s;
and that his eyes had n baleful glitter. He
kept his lips compressed. however, and when
upon his self. control.
II don't know that I'm TO be congratulated"
no said. Il couldn't keen, II out Of my mind.
md I'm inclined to think | should be better 70
have said it,"
BELGIAN HOMEMADE BEER.