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Show THE ORIGIN OF PROFANITY. Llnnulstlcally It Is Primarily Due to a Desire for Emphaslo. Ore pio-iosltion tlii'.o Is which neeai. j lm btutod emphatically at this polu., writes I'lOi. Tho-ius It. Louns-'bur, Louns-'bur, In Harper's. Wnn.a uml phrases which n.o amply sumclont for the understanding un-derstanding uru often altogether inadequate inade-quate for the expression of tho feelings. feel-ings. Tho result of this mental dissatisfaction dissat-isfaction with tho communication of moro knowledge Ib most conspicuously conspicuous-ly Illustrated In tho wldo provnlonco of profanity. Into tho discussion of this prnctlce its moral nnd religious ns-poet ns-poet does not enter at nil. It Is pure-ly pure-ly from tho linguistic side that It is hero to ho considered. So looked at, its existence and tho oxtent of the Indulgence In-dulgence In It bear out tho truth ot tho principle Just announced. What-over What-over Intellectual Justification there may be for profanity Is based upon tho fact that men nro nlmlng to Btnto strongly what they feel strongly. The habit is. In consequence, subject to tho general law governing Intenslves. To a very great extent tho prncttco of swearing Is specially characteristic of n i udo and Imperfect civilization. With the advance of culture profanity declines. It declines not so much bo-causo bo-causo men becomo peculiarly sensltlvo to its vlciousness, but thoy do to Its Ineffectiveness. Tho growth of refinement refine-ment both In tho Individual nnd in tho community tends moro to Its disuse dis-use than all tho exhortations of moralists mor-alists or tho rebukes of divines. Much must always bo allowed In tho caso of particular persons for the Influence of early training mid association. Exceptions Ex-ceptions are, therefoie, too numerous to lay down any positive mlo; still, it Is safe to say In general that n man's Intellectual development Is lnrgely determined de-termined by tho extent of his Indulgence Indulg-ence In profanity. No ono, Indeed, doubts Its wldo prevalence nt tho present pres-ent time. Hut compared to tho practice prac-tice of the past, Il has been steadily, even If slowly, diminishing for centuries. cen-turies. This does not prove thnt men nro better morally or Intellectually than they were. It does show, however, that there exists now a higher over-ago over-ago of cultivation, which renders tho habit distasteful to Increasingly largo numbers. |
