The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-02-11

UfncerS OF an OrganlzaJloH Known
as the Society of the Holy Name have
sent me some cards bearing the i'm
ploration, "Please Do Not Swear"
The society is conducting a crusade
against profanity. 1t is a good cru
SADIE. | myself swear like the army of
Flanders upon occasion; indeed, upon
too slight occasion; but don't believe
in profanity. 1t is bad habit. 1t is
indicative of lack of intellectual CO.
ordination. 1t exhibits lack of vo-
cabulary.
A man swears for lack of thought.
He puts in swear words just to fill up
gaps in his speech while there are
dropping stitches in his thinking. One
ought to be able to "burn up" anybody
or express his opinion condemnatory
of any situation without the use of
the trite oaths that come tripping to
the tongue. One would be, if one would
just hold back the "cuss" words.
The men who do not swear do not
miss the accomplishment: They are
at no disadvantage whatever in acer-
bitous dispute or in explanatory en-
phasis. Swearing is no sign of
strength, not even strength of feeling;
especially when it is too profuse.
Cursing is perfunctory. 1t doesn't
mean what it says.
Now when Ernulphus formulated
his sublimely inclusive malediction, as
you find it in "Tristram Shandy", he
meant it and therefore it meant some
thing, but since Laurence Sterne play
ed it up in that aposiopesic tale and
since Barham worked it over in "The
Jackdaw of Rheims" in "The Ingols-
by Legends" it has been joke. In
deed, a much greater curse is "The
Curse of O'Kelly" against the town
of Doneraile, because he was robbed of
his watch there; but his watch was re-
covered for him and he withdrew the
curse in general and all its multitud-
nous particulars.
When you come to thinks Of it, how
absurd it is to call on God to witness
for you in every triffiing incident, to
ask God to damn someone or some
thing, or to use the name Of the Saw
ior as an exclamation over unimpor-
tant surprises or disappointments. We
laugh at the Frenchman's "Mon Dieu!'
If one use in English its equivalent il
is somewhat unmasculine and certain
ly less musical. No one wants God tc
damn anybody these days. No one
needs to swear by God because it does
not strengthen any hearers faith ir
the swearer, in the least.
To tell man to eco to He'll" means
nothing at all. Swearing by Godfrey
by Criminy or such evasions is only q
compromise smacking of hypocrisy
So with oaths by the Great Horn
Spoon or the Toe-Nail of Moses of by
Heck, that vile decentralization of 8
classic oath. How silly it is to curse
things, like a child who beats chair
against which he has hurt himself.
The Society of the Holy Name has
good sense, to say nothing Of good
morals and to say less of good taste,
on its side. One should not swear as a
matter of aesthetics. 1t weakens ex-
preston. It is verbal supererogation
1t is little better than meaningless
babble. Note how we giggle when
anyone says "damn" in stage play,
or tells someone to Ego to hell" Our
oaths and curses are cheapened by ov-
cruise. They are over-emphasis and,
therefore, weakness.
1t may not be easy for fellow
who's been swearing all his life to
break off the habit at once. It might
be well to begin by withholding ones
flow Of obiurgation, imprecation. OBJ
secretion, malediction and Hartarean