uld make any man rich even if he had nothing else--seven sons
and three daughters. It was the custom of this man's children to
have family reunions. One day he is at home, thinking of his darling
children, who are keeping banquet at their elder brother's house.
Yonder comes a messenger in hot haste, evidently, from his looks,
bearing evil tidings. Recovering himself sufficiently to speak, he
says: "The oxen and the asses have been captured by a foraging party
of Sabeans, and all the servants are butchered except myself." Another
messenger is coming. He says that the sheep and the shepherds have
been struck by lightning. Another messenger is coming. He says that
the Chaldeans have come and captured the camels, and killed all but
himself. Another messenger, who says: "While thy sons and daughters
were at the feast, a hurricane struck the corner of the tent, and they
are all dead!" But his misfortunes are not yet completed. The old man
is smitten with the elephantiasis, or black leprosy. Tumors from head
to foot; face distorted; forehead ridged with offensive tubercles;
eyelashes fall out; nostrils excoriated; voice destroyed; intolerable
exhalation from the whole body; until, with none to dress his sores,
he sits down in the ashes, with nothing but broken pieces of pottery
to use in the surgery of his wounds. At this point, when he needed
all consolation and encouragement, his wife comes to him, and says,
virtually: "This is intolerable! Our property gone, our children
slain, and now this loathsome, disgusting disease is upon you. Why
don't you swear? Curse God and die!"

But profanity would not have removed one tumor from his agonized body;
would not have brought to his door one of the captured camels; would
not have restored any one of the dead children. Swearing would have
made the pain more unbearable, the pauperism into which he had plunged
more distressing, the bereavement more excruciating.

And yet, from the swearing and blasphemy with which our land is
cursed, one would think there were some great advantage to be reaped
from the practice. There is to-day in all our land no more prevalent
custom, and no more God-defying abomination, than profane swearing.
You can hardly walk our streets five minutes without having your ears
stung and your sensibilities shocked. The drayman swearing at his
horse; the tinman at his solder; the sewing-girl imprecating her
tangled thread; the bricklayer cursing at his trowel; the car