The Man with the Book; or, The Bible Among the People.Weylland, John Matthias
History
The Man with the Book; or, The Bible Among the People.
Weylland, John Matthias
City missions; London City Mission
THE KING'S HEAD.--One afternoon, while the visitor was speaking with
several respectable men in this bar, the barman addressed him with the
exclamation, "Blessed are your lips." He was so surprised at the words
that he approached the young man, and inquired what he meant. "Well,
sir," he replied, "I hear cursing and swearing all day long, up till
twelve o'clock at night, and you are the only man who speaks really good
words. Why, we have some tradesmen come in here for lunch who are known
religious men, and they talk politics and all sorts of things, but they
haven't a word to say about religion. It's as if they were ashamed to
acknowledge God when they get in here: now, you condemn sinning and
swearing, and I, therefore, made the remark 'Blessed are your lips.'"
"I am glad you are at leisure," was the reply, "as you have started a
subject upon which I want the help of the trade, both master and man.
This habit of profane swearing among the people is a crying evil, and
you are the victims of its pollution more than any other class of
tradesmen, which need not and ought not to be the case. In this part of
London the habit is too general; but the abomination is still worse at
the East end. I have with me a copy of the _Church and State Review_, in
which a gentleman gives an account of his visits the other night with a
detective. He writes: 'We stopped before one house in which all the
crusts that are begged in the streets are turned into gin. Everybody
blasphemed at intervals, except the women, who never stopped at all.
There were old men and old women--everything that is made after the
image of God, down to the little child--and the foulness of all was
equal. It was fearful to hear the words that rolled from the lips of
the crone, who was full of years and spirits; but it was agony to hear
the curses stream from the baby-mouths, when midnight had passed and it
was far away in the morning.' Now, we have a Missionary who visits the
houses there, and he was deeply grieved at the pollutions that met his
ears; so he had a card about a foot square printed, and illuminated with
a double blue border containing four mottoes between: 'Be sober;' 'Swear
not at all;' 'Be sure your sin will find you out;' 'Thou God seest me.'
The requisition in the centre is printed in scarlet characters, forming
a pretty contrast to the border, and is as follows: 'It is respectfully
requested that persons attending this house will refrain from using
improper language.' He took them round to the landlords, and to their
credit, nearly four hundred placed them in their bars and taps; and many
joined heartily in the effort to suppress the evil. Though scarcely a
year has passed, the result is most satisfactory; and I should like to
introduce the cards into this part of London: the trade and myself can
work together in this matter and I trust that your master will allow one
to be placed in this bar."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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