Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-12-30
About Swearing Off.

The next holiday is New Years
day. There is no apparent reason
why it should be observed as holt
day, other than the fact that the
most of us are always glad of day
off. On New Years the plain people
quit for few hours their hustling
for livelihood, and make firm re-
solves to lead nobler and better lives.
This will be my last cigar" says
the smoker, as he lights his torch
after dinner and virtuous determi-
nation CLOVIS in his eye. People
say I can't quit smoking; we'll, I'll
show them and be dinged to them;
l am not a slave of any habit"
When he has smoked the torch
down to the last half inch, he throws
the fragment away, and remarks:
''That's what the shoemaker threw
at his wife" 1t is mighty easy thing
to quit smoking Immediately after
finishing a big cigar. The man
wonders as he throws the snipe away
why people make such fuss about
quitting tobacco. The hours roll on,
as hours will, unless somebody holds
them; and the man who has quit
smoking feels that something is
lacking; something that is absolutely
necessary to round out his life, and
make him feel young and blithe.
For awhile he can't think whatit is;
then suddenly he remembers; it is
tobacco. "Get thee behind me,
Colonel Satin" he says, and the
colonel gets behind him temporarily.
But the colonel keeps tempting him,
day and night, and on the 3rd of
January he locks himself in the
smokehouse and smokes cigar,
alone with his conscience and the
colonel. For awhile he smokes on
the sly, being afraid of the rude
taunts of his friends; but after a
little he smokes on the streets, IN
his Office, in church, everywhere,
and the colonel, being sure Of his
prey, goes after fresh victims.
It is true that nlaD occasionally
does stay sworn off for good, but he
becomes such bore that people
dread meeting him. Nothing is
more trying than 70 encounter a
man who wants to tell you how he
broke loose from a bad habit by the
exercise of will power. He always
has such blamed superior way of
talking that you feel like prodding
him with a red hot pitchfork. He
seems to hold you in contempt
because you don't do the will power
act yourself, and quit smoking and
chewing and using snuff.
The man who believes in improve
ment will swear off on swearing.
Ali day long as you paddle around
town, you hear people swearing,
and all about nothing Probably
when you pause to talk to friend
about the crops or the weather you
do some plain and fancy swearing
yourself and perhaps without being
conscious of it. When a man is
victim of the swearing habit he
sprinkles oaths around without
giving the matter a thought; and
yet, strange as it may seem, when
he is in the presence of ladies he
finds it just as easy to talk without
swearing as it is at other times to
do the opposite thing. Every man
who has any self respect wants to be
considered gentleman; he feels in
suited il anybody intimates that he
is not che. Yet he renders void his
claim t that distinction when he
goes around swearing as though
something hurt him. The man who
swearS when horse kicks him, or
when a windowsash falls on his
neck, has some excuse for it, and is
doubtless forgiven; but the fluent
extempOraneOus swearing over
nothing is an abOmination.