Milford chronicle., 1902-10-17


Exodus Xxx. Z, "Thou shalt not take the |
name of the Lord thy God in vain"
The blasphemer's condemnation is a
mighty theme. Its curse indirectly af- |
fects the whole human race Every !
man belongs to one Of two classes-ei-
Their he is blasphemer and ther afore,
on account Of his profanity, comes d.
rectly under the condemnation Of Cod,
or else he belongs to that large class
whose ears are polluted by his profane
utterances. In which class are some
who listen with indifference or con-
tempt. while others shudder witt hor-
ror as they hear the blasphemous men,
ton of the name of their Master and
King.
No street car or factory or shop or
camp is entirely free from this shock
Ing plague. In our streets and public
resorts there is daily and hourly evil
dence Of the prevalence Of this PERM
cious habit Not only does the hus-
band and father swear, but his exam
pie Is sometimes followed by his wife
and his son and even his little chill
dren. AIotormen swear at the trucks
Engineers swear at their fires. Boys
swear at their lessons In the school
room and at their baseball bats upon
the playground. Merchants swear at
their clerks. Employees, under their
breath In the store and out loud when
they are away from the counters, swear
at their employers. Men swear when
they are buying goods. Fishermen
swear at their hooks and lines and at
the fish they do not catch. CONNER
cial travellers swear because the train
or the hotel meal Is late or because
there is no water pitcher in the bed
room. Sailors swear at the ropes and
the winds. Farmers swear at the cat
tie and the grain and the weG ther
Men swear at the gutter Into which
they tumble and at the wagon wheel
which spatters them with mud. Bias
phemers swear when they are happy;
they swear when they are snd; they
swear at everybody and everything.
The popularity of this habit of profan-
ity is that it so permeates the bias
phemer's mind and conversation that
he gets to swear unconsciously. He
can swear automatically in the same
way that the lungs can breathe auto
matically or a childs eyelids can open
and shut automatically or as a speak
er, when he is thinking and planning
nm o1 n, nh aud u
his study automatically. 1t is about
time that Christian pulpts should ut
ter their protest against the universal
evil of sacrilegious imprecation.
Profanity is u cruel and cOwardly
habit. because it shocks the hottest
feelings and pierces the hearts of
thousands and hundreds of Thousands
Of Christians who are unable by law
to stop this awful and blood curdling
infamy. Only the other day a tele-
phone girl had a Chicago merchant ar
rested and fined $50 and costs in the
police justice court because the de-
PENDANT swore at her over the wires,
His defense before the justice was that
he was hungry and wanted to order
his dinner from neighbOring restau-
rant and that the girl in the central
office Of the telephone company would
not give him the right connection. But
when the justice heard the young girls
statement that she could not make the
necessary connection because the lines
were busy at that time he decided
against the defense Of the Chicago
merchant. He said, "No man las {
right to hurl profane words at any
public servant when that man or WON
an is trying to do his or her full duty
But Christian people cannot as class
stop the profane remarks which the!
hear every day from the passTsb!
upon the different public thorough
fares.
The Blasphemcr n Coward,
The blnsphemer is essentially a COW
ard. because he inhicts suffering Oh
persons who are powerless to resist o
retaliate. 1t is hard word, but | US
the plain, unvarnished Anglo-SaXOl
word which describes the cOwardly act
want you swearers to realize the eS
: tent of the injuries which you are dc
ing against some of your fellow me
when you swear in public. / wan
you to fully realize how you are cut
ting and lacerating Christian heart
with your blood curdling oaths by try
ing to put yourself, if possible. in you
Christian brothers place, who is con
PEELED to listen every day to the publ
= utterances Of profanity. You can jlldg
: perhaps, how your Christian neighbC
/, feels by suppOsing that some one
r speaking slightingly and disrespectfu
r ly and slanderously of some one 70
y very dearly love. You have a mothC
/, or a wife or, perhaps. to use a bette
illustration. a young daughter who
you fondly cherish. Suppose in SON
public place you should hear her nan
> vilted. What would you do? WI
need you answer? Even now CT
see your cheek flush and your tee
become set and your hands clinch I
gether. You would Immediately d
mNnd an apology from the vilifiar
- perhaps. if you are an impulsive ma
you would raise your fist and kno
q, that man down. You would do ju
what a friend of mine did some yea
In ngO in Waynesburg. W. Va. He W
&c, bringing home the dead body of
les little girl. who was his idol. As
&c; great. rough. brutal porter took t
in coffin out of the baggage car he.
e's father, said to him: "Alap, please
careful. Don't handle that box IOu
ms ~" But when the porter in spite
Ili1Is that plea swore at the coffin and III
a cOntemptuOus epithet about tile
IN IN loved form within it and roughly
the box tumble upon the platform,
IL. an average expressman let's trunk
. to the ground, my friend doubled
NJ his fist and knocked that porter cl
M into the tracks. He hit him so b
that the policeman who ran up at f
thought him dead. But, though
policeman was about to arrest the {
7 fering father he did not, for when
4, heard how the porter had sworn ut
body of the dead Child he turned
said, Brother, If that brutal POI
comes to, hit him again a little haI
Dtat than you hit him before, and
stand by and. If necessary, help "
That spirit which my friend sho'
toward the porter who swore mt
TO. little girls body you, o blaspter
would show toward any one
. would insult the fair name of a p
noble daughter, whom you devot
air loved!
~ Now, my sinful brother, you wlo
-.
~ nnhlie. did XOn ever Et0n to think