Year: 1861

The day has been when it was rare thing
to hear children or young men swear, but ifa
stranger were to walk through our city to-day,
he would not imagine that he was in the land
of churches and model schools Along our
wharves, through our streets, upon the malls
of the Common, he would hear monstrous
oaths from mere urchins, many of whom are
not vet in their teens, and il he should make
general tour through less f.oquent localities,
he would naturally conclude that protane
swearing was habiturl in our city. Not only
strangers notice this but our own citizens
must be impressed with the prevalence of the
habit. We do not propose to speak of the
matter in language which would become the
pulpit or theologians, but only in regard to
conventional property and taste, believing that


if our readers would look at it in these lights,
they would not only abstain from swearing
themselves, but be particularly careful that
their children did not acquire the habit. Pro-
fame swearing is habit, and in most cases,
we are convinced, nothing but habit But
what are the effects Of it He who uses ex-
pletives except upon particular occasions,
weakens the force Of his general conversation,
and man who introduces proiane words every
two minutes into his conversation, can never
be listened to with respect or attention.
Some Of his hearers believe the practice to be
sinful, others believe il to be foolish, and very
many others believe it to be ungentlemanly.


The first class will not listen to any conver-
sation. which is disfgured with oaths the
second have too much respect for themselves
TO talk with TOOL. except in so far as their
business may compel them to do so; the last
mentioned class become indignant, plainly see


ing. as they do, that the speaker if conversing
with gentlemen would omit the oaths and by
using them in some kinds of company he real
ly says to his auditors that they are no gem
tlemen Inaccuracy of speech is induced also
BY this habit Of swearing, which is not an ell
ement Of serious conversation, but belongs
only to those frivolous and puerilo colloquies,
which distinguish so many circles person
seldom swears when he is serious, unless he
is angry, and then his oaths unless he has
good reasons for being angry, are certificates
of his irritability and potulance which are
anything but commondable traits of character,
We know many parents who are in the habit
of using oaths occasionally but who are SUR
prised and mortified when they hear such Lam
guage from the lips Of their children. But
all efforts to check this propensity in their
children will be abortiye, until they can so
far control themselves that no profanity shall
issue from their own lips. Nobody swears in
the presence of ladies', then why swear at all
II is unrefned, aud always ohends good taste,
and gentlemen who claim any regard for pro-
priety should abstain from swearing in each
other presence. lfblaekguards and rowdies
did all tho swearing it would soon die out,
and what was distinguishing mark of such
people no gentleman would desire to have at
tached to his character Nothing tends so
much to lessen the sef-respect and yitiate the
character of the young as the practice which
we are condemning. Among the vicious,
oaths are constantly heard, and when boy
commences the use Of oaths. he very soon be-
aims TO associate with the vicious his better
companions leave him, and he rapidly falls in