The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-03-19

are times when swearing mas q pnysi-
illogical justification. The refractory
collar button annoyance is lessened by
the expletive damn" The traveller. arr
irving at the depot trine late. has
momentary relief as he dams the de-
parting train, The woman at his heels
thanks him and virtually swears by
proxy. The bishop at the banquet, upon
whom the careless waiter spills the soup
is hempered by his ONCE and appeals to
his lay neighbor 10 use appropriate Lam
guage. thus relieving the episcopal con-
science Of moral obligation.
The oaths OF eastern peoples are
redolent of light and air and sun. $50
help me, SUM- so help me, earth"
the Serbi9ns say. In the west oaths
they swore on the spear sacred 10
Juno; In Christian Europe on tho
sword, sacred because of the hilt cross
Dying without priest to shrive him, the
knight gazed on his crosS-hilted sword
and from his fevered lips there was
hreathed PRAYER for pardon. In the
spacious days OF Elizabeth the fencing
masters were required to take oath on
the rapier's hilt and Hamlet says:
Never to speak OF this that you have
seen, swear by my sword"
swearing has been regarded by Eng
tsh writers as necessary part OF the
social life to he duly checked, II IL true,
but never entirely eradicated, Swift
said 1T Is the opinion OF our most re-
fined swearers that the same oath or
curse cannot, with true politeness. he
repeated above nine times In the same
company by the same person and At
one sitting" Hotspur SAYS to Lady
Percy: Swear me Kate like a lady.
as thou art, good mouth filling
oath" Mr.. Gardiner In Middlemarch
bearings stamping tho speech OF a man
who had good position. II was n
lad OF the true gentleman. Bob Acres
called II quite genteel. He says damns
have had their day but the new oaths
enable man to swear with propriety.
In the diary OF THE Sussex Trades
man" we read there was no business
OF the moment for the vestry TO trans
act but oaths and imprecations re-
sounded from all sides of the room"
Some writer's blamed tho clergy for
making profanity popular by calling II a
sin. II should he described as q virtue
and then all people would avoid II.
AntlswearIne Laws.
Laws we're frequently enacted IN
many countries against swearing.
mstinian punished by death those who
''swore by tho limbs ~ God" In
northern England the swearer's tongue
was cut out and Philip II, OF France
had offenders thrown into the Seine.
In England the house OF commons UNI
der Puritan influence passed law
against this ancient privilege, but the
House OF Lords rejected II. To swear
like lord was n vested right In the
nobility. However. statute INJECTING
a hne of ~ pence was finally enacted.
The Scotch law was more severe. The
penalty for a nohleman was a fine ~
100 pounds. 10 for commoner. and for
n clergyman half of HIS annual Sti-
pend,
laaN AIa~ sd
m excuse for an oath. As Msceulay
says, the iron duke was fond OF the
word damn. hut declared n was the
name of a small Indian coin Anstey
saws In HIS Bath Guide":--
Absurd a. I am,
! don't give damn II
For you or your valet de- siiani. H
One might 70 through England, says
French writer knowing only one word
" the langunge--dam Don Juan de-
dared: 'Never can | say l heard them
wish God with you save that way"
rhe Maid OF Orleans, rising from sleep
q lead her army against Tournellos a
soldier brought her a fish for break
asst She put aside tho splendid shad
saying I'm the name OF God II shall
never he eaten till supper and ] viii
bring back Goddam 10 eat g." When
and Stafford visited her she
laid;
you think when Won have slain mo
YOU win conquer France. No not even
L their were 100000 Goddams I'm this
and more than there are" She for
babe her soldiers TO use oaths and even
ler fnvorite general La Hire. who had
declared the habit indispensable. was
forced 10 give Il up, Lord Hailes says
n ITO that when the Dutch see the
English people in Holland they say
there come the GoddamH"
Origin OF the "Deuca."
The deuce In perhaps tho most an
,icnt Of all the oaths that have come
down TO US, II dates from tho Norman II
IN It's present form and had
Il origin I'm the Latin Deus. The Saxon |
homeiy speech changed tho word 10
ieuce. II was adopted IN England as a
,oclal necessity fostcred by the French
'onrt. II
Tristram Shhndy thought that In good
,ociety there was danger OF using small
'ursos upon Inadequate occasions. He
maintained that tho student ~ swear
ng should mistrust his extcmpore pow
,rs lie should have composed forms
iuitnhe to all degrees Of provocation
lung over his nantlepiece for daily ref
'roncc.
Montaigne said he loved stout opin-
ons among gentlemen and was accus-
omed 10 swear quite Justify himself, II
out he says more by limitation than