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."