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Show The Habit of Profanity My Constant Use It Becomes Second Nature to Thot Unfortunately Addicted to It Remarkable Case in Point "Profanity," said a Chicago clergy-man, clergy-man, "becomes such a habit that some men uso profnno lnnguago In absoluto Ignoranco of tho fact that they aro doing do-ing so. I havo known several men of this kind, and their virtues wero such that I could not honestly blame them as I should when thoy woro guilty. The habit I condemned, and did what I could to correct It, but tho sinning Itself seemed to bo so much a part of them that I treated It with a leniency which I knew was not right, nnd yet I could not wholly con demn thorn for It. "I remember particularly tho caso of old Bon Stiles. Ben had been a sailor for many years, nnd when I first know him ho was tho most profano mun I had over heard talk. In every other respect ho was ono of tho finest characters char-acters I ever knew ln his walk of llfo. Ho lived near me, and frequently did odd Jobs about tho parsonage. In this wny I came to know him qulto well, and In the course of two or three years I had almost broken him of his profanity. pro-fanity. But not entirely, and whenever ho was deeply moved ho waB suro to swear In ono way or another. "At first Ben would not como to church, but by and by ho was present overy Sunday, and when wo had -n great revival on ono occasion ho confessed con-fessed his sins and asked tho prayers of tho church. Ho only needed tho rovlval Influence to come out squarely on tho right Bide. Wo wero all profoundly pro-foundly rejoiced when ho arose ln tho meeting nnd asked for our prayers. I took htm by tho hand and told him ho must pray himself, whllo wo wero prnylng for him. "Wo knelt together, and for somo 5 tlmo Bon could not speak. Finally ho found utterance, nnd I am suro I shall nover forget thnt prayer, and I know thnt tho tears of the Recording Angel blotted out tho ono word In It that should not havo been thcro, yet waa no sign that ho was not truly repentant. re-pentant. '"O Lord,' he prayed, 'help mo, a poor sinner. I'm sorry, O Lord, for tho sins I hnvo committed, and help mo to bo better, If I ain't too d d bad. Amen.' rm( "It was unllko any other prayer I had over heard, but it was from tho nenrt, and Bon novor knew that ho had used tho wrong word. Ho died n Christian, ton years nftcr his conversion, con-version, ami after that last unexpected oath I never heard him swear again." |