The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-07-31
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"a SERMON XINS&
81 ThE REV.; &Saa@M
fAWHENDERS0NWR
~''J"s 7SE"En
Subject: Profanity.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-Preaching at the
Irving Square Presbyterian Church,
Hamburg avenue and VERIFIED
street, on the theme PROFANITY"
the Rev. Ira ". Wemmel Henderson,
pastor, took as his text Exodus 20:7,
Thou salt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain" He said:
II there is anything that is disgust
Ing it is unbridled profanity. And
the prevalence Of useless, pointless,
unjustif1ed swearing merits the atten-
tion not alone Of the Church but al
80 Of the civil authorities whose duty
1t is to keep the moral atmosphere
Of this and every other community
free OF verbal pollution. The CON-
mand ought to be obeyed and the
civil law on the point ought to be
enforced. The silly fool who spreads
the germs Of diphtheria or typhoid or
smallpox broadcast throughout the
community will soon feel the iron
hand Of the law laid heavy on his
shoulders and he ought very properly
be put under lock and key until san
ity has returned; but any man with
out a EMS of moral responsibility or
even elementary decency may satu-
rate the moral atmosphere, in which
we have to live and to ear our youth.
with all manner of verbal disease and
the average policeman will but smile
or perhaps add to the sum total of
uncleanness. The mar who has such
poverty Of language and such an alb
solute lack of common sense that
profanity is to him the one way to
dignity and emphasize the express
sion of ideas, should be jailed with
that other man who endangers our
physical health. The third command
ment has, We know from experience,
a very practical and forcfble applica-
,tion to this day. Nowhere may we
escape the man of unwholesome
speech. Men with gray locks and boys
just out of kits, men who should
know better and boys who must learn
the disgrace Of profigate language
II they r eve to amount to much in
life, both and ali are guilty of the
most shameful d%epravities Of speech.
las things stand to-day, no man can
rear a child with a pure mind. We
walk our streets and curses every
where fill the air and fall upon
ears. Does a horse balk the Almighty
is invoked to move him.. Is the dray-
man delayed a moment he curses the
fellow just ahead. 1t is impossible to
sit by an open window on any prom
inent thoroughfare without being
morally poisoned. Does the boss in
the shop wish to hurry up the men
Fthe vilest of language is the means
he uses to set speed to hand and
mind. Not once but hundreds of
times I have Eel foul mouthed in
|%spectors, o%verseers and gang bosses
invoke the maledictions Of heaven
and hell upon poor dumb driven
|brutes made in the image Of the
Maker, lest forsooth they straighten
weary toll bent backs to sieze a mo-
ment's rest.
OF course these very men will tell
you that they have no desire to dis
honor God nor to offend our moral
sensibilities. They lay it to habit,
thoughtlessness and a hundred other
causes. I am convinced myself that
much of the swearing of the day is
due to thoughtlessness rather than
to wilful sin. And yet I have seen
1.-The same men take more liberties
with the name of Almighty God than
II would allow them to take or they
would dare to take with my name
either thoughtlessly or wilfully.
Thoughtlessness is no excuse. God
gave US brains and tongues, and 1t
is Jul duty to exercise our wills and
to use our tongues for the express
sion of worthy thought alone. Of
course men don't think, that is to say,
the most of them do not, for if they
did swearing would go by the board
Ito a short and sure death. To plead
|thoughtlessness in eXtenuation Of sin
lis to play the baby-act. Men should
think and cut the cursing out.
f The third commandment has solid
sense behind it, as have all Of Gods
commands. The misuse Of the name
of God, u of the lame Of u Lord,
|profanity, swearing, cursing, all
should be abhorred for several good
and sufficient reasons.
Profanity Is unnecessary, unmanly,
Indecent, immoral, ungodly. There
ARE five good reasons why it should
be put aside.
Profanity is unnecessary. A curse
never prove a point. It rather dem
onstrated the paucity of thought of
1.-The swearer. Oaths never convince
Ia person of the validity or strength
|of an argument, but they do show up
1.-THE poverty of language of the nan
Ewho Uses them. Curses never made
|any workman do better work; they
have, however, been the excuse for
many a murder. Sense and no swear
words will unravel many a perplex-
Hing problem. The name of God is to
|be hallowed not hooted on the
|~streets. The name of Jesus is wor-
|thy of reverence and alteration; it's
misuse damns not the man who Is
maligned but the cursor. There is
mo problem in life that can not be
solved without curses. Sense, indus
TRY, wise reasoning and good judy
ment will settle any difficulty. Pro-
family is useless, unnecessary and
WHOLLY improbable.
Then, too, profanity is unmanly.
Many boys seem to have the idea
that the sure sign of manliness
Is to be able to swear with yigor, pro-
fciency and volume. There
was a greater mistake in the world.
|Instead of being a sign of manliness
it is a sure mark of moral instability
and bad manners. 1t reflects small
credit either upon the youth himself
or upon the family whom he repre-
sents. For an educated youth it is
q denial of the value OF education
and mental growth. In any man, ed
Eucated or ignorant, it is degrading
and altogether unmanly. Manliness
is purity, efficiency, power, forceful-
ness. The curse is impure, inef-
lficient either for expression or proof,
kpowerless to do productive work,
Fforceful in no way. By these tests
it is unmanly.
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