The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-27
USES or PROFANITY.
ridiculous INGENUITY OF MAN IN
DEVIsING CUsS WORDS.
College Boating Couldn't Get on
without It-Queer French Oaths.

race is VIGOROUSLY The mast profane Oh
earth: II has been 20 ever stree the days
Of SIS 1oundz ton By the fusion Of the Sax
ons with their Norman conquerors. Il Is
recorded that the Saxous we're astouished
Al the strength and prOfuseness Of Nor
man profanity. but thar they PROCEEDED to
add il TO their vocabulary without loss Of
time 50 much for the beginning. Chau-
Ger leaves the declaration that in his tine
swearing was Practiced by everyone, high
OF low. both sexes alike Sumberless rec
ords show that the custom had become
. anything but obsolete at the time OF Eliza
be.h's jolly reign. II was during that per
iod Il history. perhaps. that men and wo-
men took to swearing By single details Of
/ the body Of the cruclhed Christ Wounds
blood. sides. death. heart. nails. foot. we're
made the oaths that are nov 10 Be consid-
cred Characteristic Of the E1izabethan age.
I Ire words were prefaced by the posses
sive 's-as 'sblood. 's5eath, 'snails-in alb
( breviation for Gods b.ood Gods death.
Gods nails. Gods wounds" was ANAL
/ gama-e into POUNDS, an exclamation still
/ preserved in the tank melodrama and a.
certain stilted species Of so-called litera-
! ture. The ejaculation nowadays IS put
/ into the mouth Of the villain as the ex-
. precision Of his chagrin at the first indi-
/ cation Of the approach Of his deserved
/ downfall; It's use IS accompanied with ges-
| ture and stage business indicative Of
/ confusion.
Il Is not to be inferred from the freedom
/ Of their indulgence in profanity that our
\ British ancestors were an ungodly people
/ Their continental neighbors. while perhaps
! not addicted 10 the habit of consigning
/ things 70 the realm Of everlasting blazes.
aud certainly not possessing an obJurgative
| vocabulary as rich and varied as that Of
! the English, used the name Of the Al
/ mighty with the utmost familiarity So
| do they to this day. in fact
| Is u 10 be regarded IS sacrIlege2 No
| When the German lady exciairns: Herr
/ Goit!'- Nr. God'-she means no irrever-
| cnce. Nor does the Frenchman when he
I declares that God knows that the picture
! is beautiful. Such linguistic usages are
I simply hebits that do not happen TO op-
pose national prejudice The name is 50
! commonly used in the romance Ian
guages that their ordinary farewell is a
committal to divine protection. "Adios."
says the Spaniard, in parting for short
separation; To God" IL the direct vans
letion Italians have it 'Add.o." and the
French "Adieu," adopted intu English, is
| used million times day witHagt thought
OF the sentiment and beauty Of its signid-
canoe.
The French are subject to frequent
sPasms Of indignation, and of these they
readily relieve themselves through tho me
dunn of EXPRESSIONS which strike the Eng
| lish speaker as most hopelessy unfit for
the purpose. one Of the old English poets
| incidentally expressing his nations we'll
known opinion Of French valor and dignity
has left the following stanza:
| It's strange the French prove
When they take TO aspersing,
SO inferior to US in the science of cursing;
Kick Frenchman downstairs
How absurdly he swears,
And how odd It's TO hear him,
When beat to a jelly
Roar out in a passion: Blue
DEATH" and "Blue Bellyr
"Morbleaur' and 'VentrebIeuw were the
explosives which the old ryhmester trans
lated literally. They should not be trans
lated; 1t Is an injustice. The weight OF
blue" in these words, and "sacrebleu''
and "corbleu," seems 20 be known, and
movable only to the French themselves.
Others should not make French profanity
ridiculous by trying TO find 1t out by
means OF translation.
National "cuss' words might make an
interesting Bit OF study, but il could not
very well be carried on In this country.
There is a reason. Every foreigner land
ed at Castle Garden abandons his ances-
trail forms of blasphemy in favor of the
American system just as soon as attention
and practice will enable him to effect the
| change. Immigrants who cannot speak or
understand a word else of English can
| damn each other most cTedltably. 1t Is to
| be added that the lower classes of them
! quickly add 20 this knowledge a list of
terms expressive of the disgusting and
| the obscene.
! Everybody has seen those fellows who
| are always in danger Of forgetting them
! selves In the presence of ladies. Such fell
| lows are nothing more nor less than the
| victims of brains trained to translate GER
tain casual conditions into profanity. The
strain of attention they labor under while
! trying to talk politely must be something
| frightful Fancy having to pause just
| about as you are going TO use your natu-
| raj expression for the admirable qualities
| or utter uselessness of an absent person
| and search for an unfamiliar synonym
| that will cover your meaning. mo wonder
| that habituaily profane men don't talk
much in polite society.
! Some Of the most profane classes of men
stoutly vindicate their habit. Western
| stage drivers undoubtedly are possessed of
| the most varied and elaborate repertoire
| of swear words that exists on American
| soil seas. They can spin out longer
| exclusively profane sentence without re-
| peatng than perhaps any enc else In the
| business. Now, those gentlemen claim
! that 1t Is not for mere qualification OF a
| taste that they swear; they maintain that
nothing else produces the proper effect
on a tired or fractions team. Coaches of
| athletic teams and boat crews occupy In
a measure the same position as stage drv-
crs, and justify the same offense with the
same argument
A college graduate and old crew cap
tain. who gives some days of each year to
the development of his alma matters boat
ing material, said: Some of the fellows
20 back TO teach the youngsters the sci
| ence Of It. They depend on me to stir
them up and keep them out of frances.
Having tried every other means, l can
say without hesitation that plenty of pro-
family Is the only thing that will accom-
plish the purpose. There are men, TO be
sure. of a high-strung temperament who
get ratified if they are talked to sharp
ly. Profanity is a stmulant that must be
applied to a crew iudiciously, but a med
icine that most young athletic men can
take a good deal of without dlsadvan-
tage."
Swearing Is the rule with all men who
live free open-air lives, favored with eX-