The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-02-07
Secretary Of Anti-Profanity So
Ciety Here-Earnest in
His Work.

w. r. Lett, national secretary and
founder of the Anti-Profanity Society
of the World, is in Honolulu, guest
at the Young Hotel. He is here in the
interest of mainland dry goods con-
cern, but his real mission is connected
with the regeneration of the profane
man and he is not slow in voicing his
sentiments.
The man who stands on the street
corner and fills the atmosphere with
cuss words and the young boys just
emerging from school into the great
stage of life wn swagger about, inter
larding their conversation with pro.
fame words, are among those whom
he aims to regenerate. Having been a
commercial traveller for seventeen years
chiefly through the Pacific States and,
to use his own expression, "having
heard the Masters name profaned,
hearing His Name battered about on
the tongues of men as though the God
of the Universe were nothing more
than bootblack or tramp he de-
clded to do something to prevent such
a proclamation and planned and perfect
ed the organization with which his
name has been prominently identified
all over the United States.
"'Profaners of His holy name" says
Mr.. Lett, "use the sacred name with
less reverence than they do a boot
black s, for in addressing a bootblacK
or tramp they sometimes say Mr..
Dootblaek or Mr.. ramp, but they
never say ut. God, but slash it off their
tongue in saloons, on the street corners
and in all places of debauch hearing
and seeing these things daily with
nothing being done to check this ter
rible crime, weighed heavily on my
neart Something told me to organize
against this proclamation and finally l
Welded. | discussed the matter with
two godly men and it was proposed to
perfect an organization to fight Satan IS
language. Accordingly, on December
80, 1904, we three met and drew up
constitution and bylaws for society
and called it the Anti-Profanity So
ciety of the World.
Profanity Crime.
Profanity is a crime. 1t is so prev
alent on our thoroughfares that one
cannot ride on street car, or walk
on the street, but all the time our moth
er s, SISTERS or children hearing is
shocked by the profaner who tramples
on our rights as citizens of this coun-
try, disregarding the holy name of the
God that the nauion worships.
during the first year of this So
ciety's existence 1 demonstrated with
one hundred and seventy-fve profane
men and one hundred and seventy
three admitted the terribleness of their
crime. OF all the societies that know
of not one offers the same opportunities
to do good as does the Anti-Profanity
} Society of the World. Why2 Because
the moment person, profanes God Is
name in your hearing in conversation
with you, you know at once that he is
away from God, and there is your op
portunity to talk to him of his crime
and then talk eternal life at the same
time.
Where Pilgrims Progress Started.
John Bunyau was turned to God be
caus a woman called him down or
his notorious profanity, and the Pill
grims Progress was the result. VIZ
want a united crusade of all Christians
and moral people against the devil'i
language. Such a united effort will g
far toward making wholesome sup
) preston of the prevalent blaspheminl
of the sacred name of our God.
"The motto of our society is tha
t we never converse with a man whit
: swears without calling his attention tt
e the crime. 1t is poisonous because i
I teaches the boys to swear from hear
. ing men swear. We do not jump OF
4 every person we hear using profan
language, but We get in touch with him
:, but if he swears in boisterous man
! ner in the nearing of women and chill
= dren we get after him at once an,
may bring him into court.
$ Corner Cursers Especially.
g "The profane men who hang aroun
K street corners are the ones we are pai
ticularly after as many of them d
y not respect the presence of women an
children. Under the California law tn
man who does this is guilty of mis-
Q demeanor and may be fined not exceed
1t ing 5000, may be imprisoned for mint
IA ty days, or both. Not everybody know
y there is such law. 1t would be we
le for such n law to be strictly enforce
u in Honolulu.
IL cit is startling fact, establishe
y by careful statistics kept for thirt
~ years, that profane mems live
80 are short, Because profane man fine
!" himself ostraeised by the moral an
~ Christian men he falls naturally int
n bad company and becomes a profigat
:. and very often winds up in a roost
70 evil, that soon either ends his Iii