Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-08-13
SWEARING BY TELEPHONE.
New York SUM-

OF St Louis who made that great and
memorable decision which established
the right of a married woman to visit
and search her husbands pockets Tor
appropriations. II was Judge Sidener
who ruled with equal reason and hui
manity that a dog to which tin can
has been tied has a right to proceed F.
with Jaws and teeth against the tier. |
II is Judge Sdener who has just eN-
planned with his habitual luminosity |
the law of imprecations as applied TO !
telephones. A physician was arrested |
for swearing through telephone at an
employe in the central Office. The doc
tor confessed but avoided. He had
sworn by telephone. but he had 'Cuss-
ed the system. not the employees" The
Court found that defense insufficient
and fined the profane man of pills s.
for using abusive language.
Judge Sidener came to this decision
after a profound consideration of pro-
| family. II Is easy to agree with him
that the principles Of the law have not
been changed by modern inventions
and that swearing by long-distance or
! short-distance telephone is not differ
ent in essence from swearing by word
of mouth in the presence of the
swearee. with regret and even with
pain. however. we find ourselves for
the first time compelled to withhold
assent from an opinion flowing from
that fOunt of law. Judge Sidener's ut
terancos as to profanity are obiter die
IA. interesting by reason of their
source. but not absolutely binding and
authoritative on the prOfane or on
those who hate the profane. Judge
Sidener holds:
l. that profanity has no sufficient
TrOvoCation.'
>. that profanity is always aggres-
sive, never protective. and is therefore
never eXcusable by the plea of self
defense"
Now. we hold these truths to be self.
evident |. Profanity may be either
exterior or interior, uttered or uneN-
pressed. 4 court OF conscience or
equity may he unable to review and
punish the unspoken oath, but such
an oath swallowed. absorbed into the
system, is an anger unsatished, and
may be more depraving TO the swallow
:. err than an open oath. Swearing is 4
81 safety valve. a moral ventilatOr.
II. There are at least a million prov
ocations for swearing. Was Judge Sid
ener, as youth, ever stung in the
! eye by wasp just as he was sallying
@ forth TO visit the fair the chaste. the
4 INEXPENSIVE She? DO iO0-pounders
step on his feet and not apologize? Do
gripmen see him standing on corner,
: efuse to stop their cars and put hand
TO nose derisiveiy as the car jumps
by? A million reasons? There must he
q billion.
III. Swearing Is not necessary ag-
I Gressive. Most Of II is in self-derense.
Il makes the swearer feel better and
Injuries no one else. Most swearing is
u purely ejaCulatory and Is not used
. against anybody. The swearer relieves
Z himself without assaulting his neigh
bors.
". Vulgar, virulent, or obscene
profanity is a misdemcanor or crime
70 Of the very ignorant, very coarse. II
S may be compared in a way with eXpec'
~ toration in public places. Distinguish
h between impermissibk ana permitted
swearing.
V. The language Is full OF filling
picturesque and soul-soothing oaths
D, which may be regarded as practical oil
a figurative language. Our collaborator'
- on the Dictionary OF Profanity have
collected bales of such ornamental in
d terjections. For example:
IS ALFRED" birthstone and beef
[. steak" "botheration," "cripes and tn,
IN cows loose" creation of cats" dog
goned," "doddasted," Eli Beals." "fv,
" forks of Foley" Great Scott" "hoopin
l. hoodoo," Israel Riley" Sam Hill,
Is "Jimanetty." "Jehoshaphat Judas
II JOSH" lord o. land" Holy Moses,
=, "Humped-up John Rogers" etc,
" Such strong and beautiful expires
Al slons as Hell and red niggers" are 70
l. the collectors cabinet merely, not 70
Dr. daily use. They are OF the older ruder
~ impoliter speech.
~, VI. The telephone often acts as II /
" were possessed. To swear "by tn
J. Telephone" would he much the same a
saying the Devil" and as good-natur
!, ed as that pleasant rich oath May tn,
-, Devil ate you" Swearing through
telephone in self-defense II there are NJ
y ladies at the other end. Often the tele
n phone is the aggressor.
ct VII. or the high, reconcile, mys
{ terious uses OF profanity in all age
of the world the Hon. Philip Hale viii
treat at length in the Prolegomena o
&c the Dictionary of Profanity and Curse
l. Lore. All we need say here is thai
m swearing Is often a means of avoiding
Nemesis. Think OF that If ever you
hear a man of prosperous look emf
E strange Oaths. Swearing and contume
a lious language are still fashionable a
=. weddings and other high festivals
4 among savage or barbarOus folk. The
powers of evil must be hoodwinked
- and made to pass over a scene of union
81 and happiness. So profanity has even
Il ceremonial uses. For the Roman Sat
y urnalia, the elegant extracts Of abuse
W. at Roman triumphs and so forth, SEE
HoTCus on "Oaths."
= VIII. Stick to strictly diocanOl OF