The San Francisco call., 1905-03-23
PRIEST FLAYS
BLASPHEMERS
Father Harvey Declares Only
Hell's Warming Fires Can
Keep Men From Profanity
OATH LEAVES ITS MARK
Divine Says That False Use
of Gods Holy Name Is a
Treachery to the Past

THE name OF Jesus, at which the
very devils in hell bow in awe, Is an
expletive in the mouths OF those who
would cover their lack of brains and
poverty of speech by the blasphemous
repetition of their Savior's name"
Thus spoke the Rev. Father Francis NJ.
Harvey In a sermon on The Second
Commandment" at ST. Mary's Cathe-
dral last night
Father Harvey said in part:
II God had not hedged his sacred name about
with laws entailing dread punishment man.
kind would be in far greater danger Of viola
ting the first and greatest commandment. for
so free and SO nippant are We with this dread
gift OF speech that only warning fires OF he'll
can keep US all from a light profane use
of this name.
Take away the love Of God from a mans
habit OF using Gods sacred name lightly and
soon God himself Will be thought OF disre-
spectfully. Infidelity will spring up rankly
from soil fed with profanity.
A profane OF the divine name reacts
take the name of God In vain habitually with
out corrupting and polluting our very con-
ception of the divine being
Profanity stulthes and degrades all that is
high and noble in man: vulgarzes him and
eventually shuts him out from lofty thoughts
and aspirations.
The PROCLAMATION that strikes every truly
Christian heart with the greatest horror Is
that OF the holy name OF our Savior. Though
offered the Eternal Father In words that dis
honor the first person OF the blessed Trinity,
yet II strikes the and the heart with
special malevolence. 1t partakes OF the
ture OF those insults OF the rabble that gath
cred about the cross and vomited Its vile abuse
at the defenseless figure dying before them
The name OF Jesus. TO which the very devils
IN hell bow In awe. is made expletive in the
mouths OF those who would cover their lack
OF brains and poverty OF speech by the BIAS
phemous repetition Of their Savior's name.
We have but TO think OF the manner in
which our Savior spoke OF his Heavenly Father
TO see how fatal is the effect of profanity on
Justice. on law and on sanctity. He has
taught US. that the Eternal Father is the
source OF all authority, consequently disre-
spect to him Is movement toward anarchy.
Every false and ignoble OF this name Is
treachery to the past. to the noble deeds OF
the past and to the saints and heroes Of the
past. 1t is q dishonor done to our fathers,
as well as to the God OF our fathers. and II
reacts In fatal injury on the soul.
The profane word, the oath the blaspherny,
nave left wide the marks OF destruction on
human society, destroying characters. defiling
minds. driving away domestic and social peace,
converting blessings Into curses. running souls.
working havoc in the temple Of Christ into
which We all have been built.
AS we contemplate the scene Of destruction
and misery wrought by the abuse Of the glo-
rtous gift of speech. by the sneer at holy
things. the yelled doubt at the things Of faith
blasphemy. the bitter curse which takes the
name OF the most high God and hurls II as 50
much filth at fellow-creature-when we see
all this. do We not realize the truth OF the
description IN st. James. The tongue Is a ire
world of iniquity: is the tongue among
our members that Ii dehleth the whole body
and setteth on fire the course OF nature and
Ii Is set on fire OF help"
God grant that all here can gaze upon this
dark scene with feelings only Of horror and
condemnation.