Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-02-14

PROPAGATION.
Beecher Drops the Subject Of
Future Punishment and
Takes Up the Subject
of Generation.
An Influence Demanded. to BRING In
to the World Superior Race
OF Beings.


or Beings.
think the Gospel spirit was
caught early and shut up in box
said Mr.. Beecher Sunday. Certainly
the world has not seen much of it.
Not until whole communities began
to 'enthuse' would it be apparent tina,
the spirit Of Christ was abroad. The
very heart of Christ and tho essence
of His Gospel were contained in that
bsentimentality which men call the
Gospel of Gush.' If it had not been
for the spirit of Christ in individuals
the church would have gone with
the world 10 the devil long ago. /
am led to make these ramarks in the
course OF a sermon, the object OF
which is to convince my hearers
that there are cardinal deficiencies
in all those methods which have had
for their aim the saving OF the world
and 10 prove that there is needed
some influence anterior to education,
and which shall bring into the world
race superior intellectually and
physically to the present, and pre-
disposed hereditarily to good rather
than evil. Much had been accom-
plished in the culture Of plants and
in the purely physical culture OF an
imaIs, but very little has been al
tempted 10 the direction of animal
intelligence or disposition, for that lie
a realm complicated, subtle and lit.
tie known. In he kingdom where
10 man is found there had been no
attempt TO give scientific symmetry
to the development of the body and
mind, including intelligence, moral
sentiments and affections.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
The development of bodily condi-
tions without regard to mental has
been attempted in very limited
and empirical way, but no effort had
exerted to improve the race stock alb
iaitio. No attempt had been made to
renew the earth through the instru-
mentality of natural laws. We had
simply waited for generations to be
born, and then attempted to educate
them. Yet the principle of heredita-
bility was not modern one-it an
to- dated civilization. Ii was recog-
.nized 10 the.very earliest period of
history and no grander enunciation
of it bad ever been made than that
in the passage read by the preacher
as the text of his discourse wherein
Paul describes the character of God
and declares that the virtues and
faults of the parents are carried over
20 the third and fourth generations.
How little had been done, even to.
ward the education Of mankind was
pointed out, the vast swarms Of men
that people lndia, Africa and the is-
lands of the sea far beyond the infiu-
ence of the schoolmaster, being re-
ferred to as evidence that the people
who have been trained intellectually
bear the same proportion to the race
as a little cream does to the body of
milk on which it floats. The exist.
ing efforts to elevate the race was
compared TO the acts OF one who
should stand below Niagara Falls
and attempt to cleanse the water
with a tiny filter while vast agen-
cies above were grinding out mud
and sending it over in torrents. Is
there. then, nothing by which the
source far back of the point where
education begins can be improved
and purified The mould itself can
be changed, not alone the image that
comes out Of it polished little.
TRANSMISSION OF INFIRMITIEs.
With education Mr.. Beecher found
fault. cit has bsen," he said, "per-
sonal and not generic, and the OPP
erative forces have hardly been
touched Then he discussed the
marriage relation, oriticizing the
existing state of society which rem
ders marriage optional and causal.
On marriage depended infinite
consequences to the human race, and
yet man might marry though he
were consumptive and was certain
to transmit the disease to genera
tions. Such man might have in.
sanity and yet there was nothing to
prevent his transmitting it to pos
terity, and it was the power of an
aaimal man to embrute his descend
ants. There was mourning over
these things. yet there was. nothing
in systems philosophy or theology
against them. In consequence of
this state of affairs preachers and
teachers found themselves in every
age fighting against organic dis
eases inside aud outside. To at
tempt to reform the trouble by ed
ucation was like giving one born
cripple work on health to read.
In discussing the terrible condi-
tion of mankind Mr.. Beecher broke
down and in tears said :-"I can't
think Of these things" The con-
gregation was visibly affected by
che scene. Then he proceeded to
discuss some of the causes why MOTH
ing had boon done in the directions
he had indicated. One was the lack
of knowledge arising from the
fact that the great mass OF men
were obliged to exert their whole
physical force to obtain existence
simply.
CHANGES OF MEN NECESSARY.
But we must change our theories,
else we should never have better
things. The man who looked upon
the world as simply bearing de.
PRAYED race which existed in former
spheres and was put over into this
world for second time would have
to abandon their notion that the
earta was sort of convict ship.
Those who believed that Christ was
to come upon earth again to make
things lovely would also have to see
the world in another light, and all
would have to see that such q long