Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-16

comes 10, hit MIN again little narder
than You hit him before, and will
stand by and, IL necessary, help you"
That spirit which my friend showed
toward the porter who swore at his
little girls body you, o blasphemer,
would show toward any one who
would insult the fair name Of n pure,
noble daughter, whom you devotedly
loved!
Now, my sinful brother, you who are
addicted to the habit Of swearing In
public. did you ever stop to think that
nearly always there are Christian men
and women around you who love the
name of Jesus Christ more than they
love their father or mother or wife or
daughter, or you love your child? Did
you ever stop to think that by your
profanity you are dishonoring the
name of that Christ for whom those
men and women, if necessary, would
be willing to die? Have you a right to
insult their Christ's name any more
than they have a right to insult your
child? Oh, my disappearing brother, |
called you cruel coward. l take it
all back. l take that statement back,
because you may have sinned thought
lessly. I cannot believe that you have
deliberately intended to do this cruel
thing. In the past you have not real
lied the enormity of the injustice
which by the public habit Of profanity
you are doing against some OF your fell
low men. You are so kind hearted you
would not hurt a dog or cat. Surely
after this you will cease to use bias
phemous words In public and not fur
Their cut and lash into the bleeding
hearts of your Christian brothers and
sisters with the sharp, mercilcss i'm
picty which has heretofore proceeded
from your profane lips.
4 Cruel and Foolish Habit.
Profanity Is not only cruel, but
also very foolish, habit. My profane
brother, can you cite me one instance
in all your life when the Indulgence in
the habit of swearing helped you in
the least? Did the stone over which
you stumbled get out of your way and
apologize to you because you cursed
Il? Did the winds ever abate when
you were crossing the seas because you
blasphemed them? Did your employ
ees ever love you better or work for
you harder because you lost your tenn
per and hurled at them n whole lorna
do of oaths: Did your horse ever drive
better because you swore at him until
you were red in the face? Did the
blood stop flowing when you cut your
finger merely because you made the
air sulphurous with your denunciatory
imprecations? MOI you answer. Il
cannot think of one good result that
ever came from the evil habit of pro
family. 1t is such foolish habit that
sometimes wonder why God does not
let the sticks and the stones and the
dumb brutes have power of speech to
rebuke me, as he once babe the long
cared beast of burden open his mouth
and speak to the quick tempered and
unreasonable prophet Of old. l ought
to have better sense"
And yet this evil habit of profanity
would be absolutely ridiculous and
ludicrous II it were not SO helnous in
its results. We have read how one of
the kings OF old in order to prove that
he was master of the seas as we'll as of
the lands ordered his soldiers to come
down to the seashore and with whips
lash the waves as they tumbled upon
the beach, and when we read of that
royal order we have laughed at the
cf If J,,,o
and of an cgotistic, cracked Drained
person. Wherever we have noted the
imbecie act Of an unbalanced mind
we have compared it to the insane am
billions Of the hero of the celebrated
Spanish romance which CervantCs
fighting the waves with whips and
lashes or the escapades of n Don Quix-
ote ever more ridiculous and imbecile
than the act Of a grea-, big. strong
man cursing stone merely because
his toe stubbcd against it or swear.
ing at the axle merely because the
grease ran dry or disappearing the
iron head of hammer merely because
he, as a carpenter, was clumsy fingered
and hit the end Of his thumb instead
of the nail in the plank? Was ever n
sight more ridiculous, If there was no.
eternal misery In it's outcome. than
man standing at the gate Of an ele-
waited depot cursing the train and wish
ing that its platform wheels and glass
windows and wooden seats might be
consumed in the fires of an inferno
merely because he was too lazy to get
up In time for breakfast to catch that
elevated express which would have
landed him at his office in time to
meet the important business appoint
ment? l tell you there is something
weak about mans head who will con
tinually swear at everybody and every
thing. There is something soft about
his brain as well as something very
sinful about his heart,
Profanity From Dcprnved Hearts.
Profanity is a monstrous habit. 1t
either comes from totally depraved
heart, because that heart wishes to
condemn fellow human being to the
awful agonies Of an eternal condemna-
ton, or else it teaches the users of pro-
fame words TO have an utter contempt
for the name of God and for his COM
mandments
Blasphemer. have you ever stopped
TO consider what would be the effect OF
your profane words by which you con-
denim your fellow men If they were lit
orally carried out? Have you eve,