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112 neither culture nor decency is considered, but, without fear of God or man, evil habits are practiced with words, demeanor and works, through which means the poor innocent youth are depraved, and cursing and swearing are so common that they are by many no longer considered a sin — that is, by older persons. The poor innocent youth learn to repeat these things. They are, as we all know, born into the world amid bad surroundings. They have nothing to say about it, so that we cannot blame them for it, when they bring such uses of shameful words into the world with them. Ah, no! when they learn to speak they learn to repeat the words they hear. The understanding is not there. They do not know whether they repeat good or evil. Since, as has been said, this land, under God's protection, has been kept free from the ravages of war, and many of the first settlers and beginners here were men who had God before their eyes, and walked in the fear of Him, up to this time there has been little heard of such words among young or old. But the more men come to this land the more of such wares come along, and if they are not yet recognized as valid and merchantable wares, there is so much of a mixture that the more time passes the more of them there are used, to the great injury of the youth coming along.

Secondly. The great depravity of the young shows itself in this, that when they have done something wrong and are spoken to about it, they usually try to hide and conceal it with lies. If this is not earnestly punished in children and such snake poison removed, they will be by it betrayed into destruction, through time and eternity. Therefore parents and schoolmasters, so far as they seek to further the welfare and happiness of the poor children, will be earnestly solicitous to guard against it early. This evil habit is very old and appeared just after the