The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-02-21

I
determine the Horoscope Of our lives.
LESSONS LEARNED IN THE HALL or BUsTs OF
ROMAN ENPERoRs.
Never shall forget standing in the
hall of busts Of the Emperors at Rome
| think | must have here some notes
made in the presence of the marbles
studying the face Of Agrippina, mother
Of Nero. and the organization Of Nero
himself at different ages, and finding in
the predecessors of Nero just the traits
which reappeared in himself You know
what a sensual thickening OF the lower
face, and of the space between the neck
and the chin. existed in Agrippina, Nero
mother, in spite Of the general symme
try OF her face, and the fneness Of fiber
OF her Italian temperament. She had
ability, peridy, ambition, capacity for
intrigue, and cruelty also, in the service
Of her predominant traits. You can not
look into her face in marble even, with
Il out noticing that she was one Of the fools
who are caught by the pleasures which
Cicero has justly said are by no means
| the greatest-the sensual class of indulg
ence. Her organization was not coarse,
and yet it was low. From such a mother,
whom he finally caused to be murdered,
this Nero inherited just the same neck,
the same perfidious expression, the same
tendency to cruelty, the same forehead
/ There is in Nero, think, much more Of
the mother than OF the father, for the
bust of the latter looks like that OF a
weakling He amounted to almost moth.
\ ing, except that what little force he had
was evil. Ahenobarbus, the father Of
/ Nero, was stained with crimes of every
/ kind. lie was accused Of murder, adul
terry and incest, and escaped execution
only by the death of Tiberius. You re-
member that, when congratulated on the
birth Of his son, afterward Nero, be re-
piled that whatever was sprung from him
and Agrippina could only bring ruin TO
the State. We have in Nero, at different
ages, a repetition Of what must have been
the mood Of Agrippina at different ages.
l remember a bust of Nero at eighteen or
twenty years Of age, exhibiting brutal
coarseness, perhdy, and the puffy face Of
physical indulgence. A bust represent
ing him later in life shows a withered
lower face, contrasting oddly with the
dewlap in the chin and the thick neck.
His last busts show these same traits,
together with a wrinkled forehead and
scornful and lawless lips, and yet the
fiber OF the mans brain and face was not
so bad as the form OF both
Turn to the other side Of the hall, how
ever, in Rome, and you will see Marcus
Aurelius the most virtuous, perhaps, OF
all the Emperors. AS surely as internal
traits went down upon Nero, celestial
ones went down upon Marcus Aurelius.
| suppose the latter was no more to be
praised for what he inherited than Nero
was to be blamed for what came to him
exclusively through the laws of heredi-
I Ill
Some historians have gone so far as to
suppose that his bad traits quenched in
him moral responsibility but he had
freedom of will and was responsible for
the bad use he made of his inheritance
Marcus Aurelius. on the other side. seems
to have been pushed from before birth |
into the position Of a philosopher, and a
saint of the pagan sort. He had by in
heritance a predisposition to the virtues |
which his reign exhibited
Now, was Providence unkind to Nero /
Was Providence partial to Marcus Azure /
Illus ? To the third and fourth genera /
tions, bad traits 90 down. To the third |
and fourth generations good traits go 1
down. These are facts What does /
Providence mean by them2
There are the seven laws Of hereditary /
descent. Ii turns out that a good initial |
heredity may produce virtue in the de-
scendant by predisposition merely from /
a temporarily enobled nature, although \
there was in general vice in the parents, i
and so a bad direct heredity. The appar- |
ent injustice Of Providence is mitigated .
by this seventh law. If you are in a lofty |
mood, Providence is on your side; but /
when a drunkard, on the one hand. or
when on the other, a man generally tenn
perate but in a temporary de6aueh, .pla. /
ces himself under the power Of these .
laws Of heredity, that seventh principle I
acts just as surely TO produce an, inherit
ance OF evil as it does in the opposite .
case to produce an inheritance OF good. /
Have you not known some idiot born in .
an able family2 / know one who all his .
life goes about congratulating his friends, /
Good morning, sir, good morning. F.
sir. Nobody without similar experience /
can measure the long reaches OF the 4
knives that must pass up and down in 4
the soul of the father of that idiot, for be 1
was one of the ablest men of the town in /
which he lived but he was temporarily a 4
and God cursed him through |
that law of initial heredity Have you .
not known children more highly gifted 4
than their parents: or inheriting the /
excellences OF one or both in a higher 4
degree than was attained by the parents, \
except temporarily
Initial heredity is a law which has two 1
edges, both belonging to the same sword, \
which has but one hilt. and is held by .
but one Hand. Let US not accuse God .
too early.
HEREDITARY INTENPERANcE.
That may not seem to be uttering .
blasphemy, let me transfer the unspeak-
able topic Of hereditary descent to a low /
er plane. Here is the Commonwealth OF .
Massachusetts, What il she should make /
a law that every man who is habitually F.
incorporate shall lose good Judgment
We should say that she il terribly in
That is fearful thing to do .
Would you vote for any such regulation .
Probably not, il you have been educated 4
literally Laughter Take away a I
mans judgment for habitual intemper .
ance? Why, tine thing he most needs 4
under such temptation is sound iudg 4
ment; and to crush in his good sense is 4
to tempt him more. and perhaps to ruin 1
him! Ask me TO vote tor law that /
every man who is habtually intemperate 4
shall lose good judgment Not |. | Z
have been better brought | was born \
in Boston Laughter. There is Com /.
monwealth of which we have heard, 1
where the laws are not passed by count 4
OF heads and clack Of tongues Com 4
monwealth governed by superior powers, 1
among which there is no vacancy waiting .
TO be filled by any human election, aud /
in that Commonwealth such is the law, .
and it is executed every time. Ap-
plause. What do you think that Com /
monwealth means? IL is terribly in .
earnest 1t is terribly partisan. 1t has /
an opinion as to the difference between /
intemperance and temperance. II across /
the vault of the sky were written that I
opinion in letters of fire, it could not be T.