The Penn's Grove record., 1907-07-05
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"A SERMON XNE&
DY THE REV AVmM
fFAMHtNDERSONW1
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Subject: Profanity.

pastor, took as his text Exodus 20.7
1hou salt not take the name of the
LORD tiny God in vain" He said:
IL there is anything that is disgust
Ing 1t is unbridled profanity. And
the prevalence of useless, pointless.
unJust1fied swearing merits the atten-
tlon not alone of the Church but al
SO OF the civil authorities whose duty
II is to keep the moral atmosphere
OF this and every other community
Tree OF verbal pollution. The COM
mand ought to be obeyed and the
CIVIL law on the point ought to he
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 ~proDerlv
be put under lock and key until san
ity has returned; but any man with
out a sense of moral responsibility or
even elementary decency may satin
rate h moral atmosphere, in which
we have to live and to rear orr youth
with all manner of verbal disease and
the average policeman will but smile
or perhaps add to the sum total of
lie Lldu WHO mas Sucn
poverty of language and such an ab-
solute lack OF common ems that
profanity is to him the one way to
dignity and emphasize the express
sion OF ideas, should be jailed with
n a other man who %endangers our
physical health. The third command
ment has, we know from experience,
a very practical and forcible applica-
ton 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 p%rofiigate language
II they are ever to amount to much in
life, both and all are guilty of the
most shameful d~epravities of speech.
AS 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 our
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
the vilest of language is the means
he uses to set speed to hand and
mind. Not nee but hundreds of
times I have seen 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 l have seen
the same men take more liberties
with the name of Almighty God than
| 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 our 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
to a short and sure death. To plead
thoughtlessness in eXtenuation of sin
is to play the b~aby-act. Men should
think and cut the cursing out.
The third commandment has solid
sense behind it, as have all of Gods
commands. The misuse of the name
of God, or of the name of our 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. 1t rather dem
onstrated the paucity of thought of
the swearer. Oaths never convince
a person of the validity or strength
Of an argument, but they do show up
the poverty of language of the man
who 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-
ing 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; its
misuse damns not the man who is
maligned but the cursor. There is
no problem in life that can not be
| solved without curses. Sense, indus
trU Juicn Qocnninn ond onnd ind0-
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 one sure sign of manliness
is to be able to swear with vigor, pro-
ficiency and volume. There never
was a greater mistake in the world.
Instead of being a sign of manliness
1t 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
a denial of the value of education
and mental growth. In any man, ed
ucated or ignorant, it is degrading
and altogether unmanly. Manliness
Is purity, SAlClOHCyB pOMClS AOISSIui-
ness. The curse is impure, inef-
ficient either for expression or proof,
powerless to do productive work,
forceful in no way. BY these tests
it is humanity.
Profanity is indecent. That which
is decent is BETTING, becoming, hon.
orable. / will leave it to the judg-
ment of the citizens of this or any
city to decide how much swearing
BELTS a normal. rational human be-
ing. Creatures of reason as we are,
we find that the curse flies in the
face of sober thought. Used as We
are to logical processes VIZ find the
curse devoid of logic. Profanity
reeks with sulphur and sends Satan
to our hearts. 1t is utterly unbe-
fitting and ~unbecoming.
To say that it is dishonorable is
just to begin the damning count
against profanity. The curse is with
out honor for it is used only to spread
dishonor. 1t looks toward Coz
but rather uses His name to invoke
the aid of the powers of hell. 1t is