The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-20

| inJect q substratum OF sAVagery into the race.
And Christian nations are stu In war or 10 prep.
GRAFTON for war. and this is the strangest
fact OF all. The preacher pointed out certain
characteristics OF nations so totally opposed to
| war as to make wars between them tho strangest
| part or their experiences. Such, for instance as
/ the conscien tiousness or the Scotch, the per-
| sstence OF the English. the home love and the
| freedom love or the SWISS the suavlty and reck-
lessness or the French the stolidity OF the Spanish
the patience OF the Germans the thrift ana enter
| prise OF the Yankees aud the excusiveness OF the
Jews. And, Notwithstanding the lntermarriages
OF nations, these great distinctions atm exist The
preacher also referred 10 certain social facts such
as the existence among enlightened nations or
slavery un al a recent date. Like war, slavery IS
opposed to every instinct Of justice, humanity and
self-interest, so that It's existence until a recent
| period is a great problem 10 be accounted for. The
1 reconstruction problem OF the South, i'll which
four elements-the old Shareholders the ex.slaves.
| the poor whites and the imnIgran isis another
| TACT In social science. The first subverted and
! embttered the lives OF the slaves psychoogicaLy
and physically, and degraded the poor whites,
| who, though demoralized, are still capable OF
doing something; and the fourth class, compris-
| Ing ell sorts, these are elements with which the
| Southern problem is TO be solved. What an out.
come from our boosted liberty and enlightenment
| That such problem az reconstruction can exist
| at all Is great enigma Then there are
| SOCIAL VICES COMMON TO ALL CIVILIZED NATIONS
| These are matters that command the profound
| est wisdom OF statesmen, philanthropsts, pslioe
authorities and health boards In all civilized
| lands. The yagaoondage ana thievery OF the gyp-
| sizes is another singular and significant fact.
| Dwelling In every nation OF Europe, some in
America, childish and purely animal IN sentiment
and morality, they are stu incapable OF setting
down 10 the ordinary industries or n!e And to
show their IncapacttY for higher and better
things Mr.. Platt cited the case OF Burroughs. who
undertook to evangeilzo them, ana translated the
Gospel OF ST. Luke for them But they only hung
IL around their necks whom they went out to steal
and 10 rob. The individual vices, sucn as alcohol
ism, tobacco and opium eating which are inner.
ited by childrsR from their parents received
elaboration at the hands of the preacher, ana
Illustrations were given OF persons who had SUCH
uncomfortable appetites In these directions that
their best Efforts to escape the power or the par
ticuar vice failed.
That children should be sprung into the world,
with predispositions TO vice to such an extent as
indicated, Is one or the confounding mysteries OF
| the world. And the Same remarks will apply TO
| gambling, for which vice many persons have
propensity strong that they cannot control Il.
| The .hoodum" class OF our large cities furnish
Illustrations of the same facts. The larger pro-
portion OF criminals now IN our large cities are
young men known as street corner loaters; in
California designated "hood!ums.n These ill our
prisons, hospitals and asyums with an amount or
youthful perversion that becomes a serious threat
to the superiority and morality or the rising gen.
eraiions The unnatural criminal, like
THE WHITEHEAD MURDERER OF BOSTON,
Pomeroy, who commits crimes without any me-
tive, Is another Illustration OF this law or trans
mission. Sometimes whole families seem to be
wiz he's in1iua Al fam
like tuat OF Jean CREIGHTON, whose three cons had
four children and those four had eight, and OF Inc
twelve children and grandchildren four
were murderers and seven robbers, making
eleven out OF tho twelve criminals. The
idiotic and insane and the constantly dis
eased existing in such numbers all about US are
frequently such Lot by any fault or theirs, but ny
the presence OF some forces in them over which
they have no control In one family, In three
generations, tnlrty-seven persons became blind
between the ages OF seventeen and eighteen years.
The physical infe;iority Of enlightened nations,
owing TO toe prolonged life OF the feeble. In consc-
queace or better care and better medical Skill in
dlcates the presence OF ike force. Now he
grand question Is how can Ali these aud o multi
tude OF other mysterious facts be accounted for
The answer 10 found in Jeremiah, XXI, 29-'sThe
fathers have eaten sour grape, and the caildren's
teeth arc set on edge.n The warlike propenslttes
fact that In the MIDDLE Ages tho Church thrass
into the retirement OF monasteries the amiaole,
the kind the religious leaving the feudal lords
and their bands to propagate the race. slave
holding has ever found lts chief strength in the
tendencies organized into the ohdren OF slave
holders 10 dominaer over those within their power.
National characteristics have been handed down
from generation 70 generation oT this law Of
transmission. Gypsies are gypsies and Jews are
Jews because OF the strong tribal or cannish pro-
pensities OF the parents. Ths social Woes reap
In I'm linz m haaa
virus has been received from the preceding gen.
Grafton. DypsomanIa and gambling propensltes
nauIeence q se passion IN the fathers fuensss
and criminal instincts shoot forth In the 'hood-
luns" because they have been implanted and
fostered by parental conditions ana example Tho
appetite OF the at1er freely INDUCED becomes the
mourniul cases the tendencies or parental coust-
tutions appear a. abnormal Physiological or
Psychologist developments IN the child.
TWO IMPORTANT CONCLUSIONS.
All this leads 10 two conclusions. Pirst-H
transmission mas such power for eyll il must nave
corresponding power for good. Hence tt should
be the aim or Christian parents 10 induce religious
temperaments in their children. second-As
upon tine coming generation il should be tue
noblcst ana best posstoe. DR.. Bushnelrs work
on the "Populating Power Of the Christian Stock
contains a proposition That Is worthy OF tue
attention OF all Christian people. 1t is
not only that religious temperaments may be
produced In individuals, bat that tho religious
variety OF humanlty-that l., those with rehglou5
tendencies from their COMMISSIONING be produced
And the Scrlptural Illustration OF this idea Is
found In the emphasis given 70 "the cody seed
In the Old Testament IL has been proved that
children born IN war time become themselves In
a1ult years warlike. The history or our own coun.
try demonstrates this,
The psychological Law or heredlty Is just as per-
maneat as the physical. Mental states depend on
the condition OF the brain, and any competent
physician has the power, by a careful manipula.
ton OF phys lcal remedies, 20 bring about any men.
tai condition OF his patients, And tho philosophy
and cause OF this fact Is found In this, that all
bodies are creations OF cells and every portion OF
the softer, and, perhaps, Of the harder texture
too, OF bodies mas the power OF developing and re-
producing ITSELF It's law OF nature that every
one OF these cells can reproduce ITSELF so that
whatever was In the old will be Ia The new
This Ia the law OF uniformity whereby
IKE begets Ike and this grand law
runs through the human and animal
kingdoms. And then there Is another law-the
law OF diversity, growing OUT OF the fact that
where two unliKes go TO make third that third
Will DO unlike either OF It's progenitors. Every
man IT, the efOre, sort OF concentrated essence
or generations who have gone beiore him. lie
may difer IN many respects rom his predecessors,
but the type remains substantially the same. We