The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-05
Why Do Men Use Profanity
Some Forks of Swearing Were Punishable by Death
in Ancient Times.

oatn every DAY. which would yearly
produce i~.s25.o00. which number OF
pounds"
10000 with a swearing capacity Of
100000 oaths. yielding an annual
revenue Of $4,000 pounds. From the
remainder Of the people he estimated
from 10000 to $4,000 pounds. As to
the army. he was rather inclined to
a partial immunity from the tax. or
rather a scale OF fines considerably
half Of the soldiers was not on ac-
count Of any especial love for them.
but he believed that IL the law we're
enforced against them the result
would be to I'LL the stocks with pris-
oners and the pawnshops with mill.
tary accoutrements.
1T Is true" he adds, cit would be
impossible to turn all Of them into
money. for a shilling Is so great a duty
exacted the common people might as
well pretend to drink wine as to
swear. and an oath would be as rare
among them as a clean shirt"
II some such plan could be adopted
In the city of New York there would
soon be enough money In the public
strong box to build subways In all the
boroughs-even in Brooklyn
II we go back into the history OF
swearing we shall learn that in the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
the greatest inundation Of verbal ours
ing that the world has ever known.
descended upon England. In those
periods h most indecent forms Of
execration that a depraved mind could
devised was hailed as acquisitions.
Under George II. another hoodgate Of
profanity was opened. and at different
swearing mania, but nothing like that
horrible craze that took possession Of
Great Britain.
But swearing is not confined to the
men by any manner Of means. al
though the habit is not now as preva-
lent among the fair ones as in the
days gone by. During the middle Of
the eighteenth century. when jacob
inism was at its height and contro-
new styles in vi~tuperation were Sc
dulously courted by all factions. swear
ing among women was the rule rather
than the exception.
No less IN authority than Horace
Walpole asserts that the letters of the
countess of Grosvenor, read on the
occasion of the memorable trial Of
LOU III which Her IdIr name was at
stake. were literally besprinkled with
oaths much more masculine than ten
der In their expression. When the
duchess of Marlborough one time
called at Lord Mansfeld's lodgings his
lordship happened to be out. Upon
his return he asked the doorkeeper the
name of the visitor.
IT cannot tell you," replied the man,
but I know she swore like a lady OF
quality"
1t is said that Charles II. taught
the ladies of his court to swear like
parrots. and that the vice became
atrical style. Nice distinctions were
drawn in the formation of oaths. and
ones breeding was determined by the
way in which he. cursed. People
either swore like cavaliers or bias
phemed like characteristics. One Of
the gravest charges brought against
those who had no claim to courtly
manners during the Elizabethan age
was that they dared to swear courtly
oaths. Hotspur was -1ps.of the most
scrupulous Of tie ,al3t9cratic. swear
ers. and he reproaa&ed Lady Percy
for swearing like 4 comht-maker.
Swear me. Kate. like a lady as thou
art" said he.
Queen Elizabeth herself. however,
we uOl dl oil puHCtlllOuB III neF ma0s
ner Of swearing. and 1t isr said that the
ladies of her court AT. their breakfasts
of steak and beer used language that
might be considered too rough at a
horseman's club. As for the queen,
h never spoiled a good story for
relations sake nor spared an oath in
public or private when she thought It
added energy to her language.
But why do men swear? They have
sworn for the health Of the emperor,
BY h head Of the king. for good luck
because Of bad luck. They have sworn
IN anger and they have sworn in 10y,
but VIII can say when they have not
sworn?
st. Paul's cathedral was built with
out an oath or one offensive word be.
ing uttered by the workmen during
the process Of construction. King
Henry vi. was eve known to swear.
even under h greatest provocation.
This shows clearly that the matter
can be controlled by the will. Men
swear for the mere sake Of swearing.
and the habit Is moderated or becomes
worse at different periods Of civiliza-
ton.
Yet with all the profanity, with all
the oath-taking, 1t is unquestionably a
fact that swearing had its orisin az a
religious rite performed as a guaran.
tee of truthfulness. The horrifytna
expletive Of Today is but an echo Of
the deliberate oath of Christian pietv.
The stronger the religious sentiment
the greater the vocabulary Of oaths.