The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-09-28
The Battle of Life.


text: with what m easure we mete,
it shall be measured TO you again"
ST. Matthew, vii, 2.
There is a great deal of unfairness
in the criticism of human conduct.
In the first place, in estimating the
misdoing of others, we must take
into calculation the hereditary tell
dency. There is such a thing as
good blood, and there is such thing
as bad blood. There are families
that have had n moral twist in them
for a hundred years back. They
have not been careful TO keep the
family record in that regard. There
have been escapades, and maraud-
ings, and scoundrelism, and moral
deficits all the way back, whether
you call it kleptomania, dipsomania,
or whether il be in a milder form
and amount to no mania at all.
The strong probability is that
The present criminal started life with
nerve, muscle and bone contaml-
mated, as some start life with nat
ural tendency to nobility and kener-
osity and kindness and truthful
with just the opposite tendency, and
they are born liars or born malcon-
tents or born outlaws or born swim
dlers. In this country we are taught
by the declaration of American in
dependence that all people are born
equal. There never was a greater
Misrepresentation put in one SEN
tence than in that sentence which
implies that we are all born equal.
You may as well say that flowers are
born equal, or trees are born equal,
or animals are born equal. Why
does one horse cost SLOGAN another
horse cost $4,000? Why does one
sheep cost $40 and another sheep
cost SCOOP Difference in blood.
We all are wise enough
to recognize the difference in
blood i'll horses, in cattle, in sheep.
but we are not wise enough to make
allowance for difference in human
blood. Now, l demand by the law
of eternal fairness that you be more
lenient III your criticism of those
who were born wrong, in whose an
cestral line there was a hangman's
knot, or who came from a tree the
fruit of which for centuries has been
gnarled and wormeaten. The world
is five hundred per cent better now
than it used to be. But supposing
now that in the age when there are
so many good people, you are the
very best. Surprising all that, L will
come down into this audience and
will select the very best man in it.
will take you out from all your
Christian surrounding. L will take
you back to boyhood. 1 will
put you in a depraved home.
After while you are old
enough to go abroad, and you are
sent out with a basket to steal. If
you come home without any spoil
you are whipped until the blood
comes. AT fourteen years of age
you go out to fight your own bat
ties in this world, which seems to
care no more for you than for the
| dog that has died of a fit under the
fence. You are kicked and cuffed
and buffeted. Some day. rallying
your courage, you resent some
wrong. A man says: "Who are
you? know who you are. Your
father had free lodgings at Sing
Sing. Your mother. she was up tor
drunkenness at the Tombs court.
Get out of my way, you low lived
wretchw My brother, suppose that
had been the history OF your advent
and the history of your earlier sur
roundings, would you have been the
Christian man you are this morning,
seated in the house of God? l tell
you nay. Again 1 have to remark
that in our estimate of the misdo-
ing of people who have fallen
from high responsibility and
usefulness, we must take into
consideration the conjunction of
out OF ten a man who goes astray
does not intend any positive wrong.
Before you let all the hounds out of
their kennel to maui and tear that
man find out if he has not been
brought up in q commercial estab-
lishment where there was a wrong
system of ethics taught; find out
whether that man has not had an
extravagant wife, who is not satisfied
with his honest earnings, and in the
temptation to please her he has
gone into that ruin into which
enough men have fallen, and by the
same temptation, to make process
sion from New York battery to
Central park. He is wrong, he is
wfully wrong, and he must be con-
demned, but there may be mitiga-
ting circumstances. Perhaps under
the same temptation you might have
fallen. The reason some men do not
steal 100000 is because they do not
get a chance. Have righteous in
digDation you must about that mans
conduct, but temper it with mercy.
Don't you remember how hard you
were in your opinions of those who
went astray? Don't you remember
when you ought to have given help
ing hand you employed hard heel
Mercy! You must misspeak your
self when you plead for mercy here.
Mercy tor others, but no mercy for
you. "Look," say the scribes of
heaven, "look at that inscription
over the throne of judgment-the
throne of Coda Judgment" see it
coming out letter by letter, word
by word. sentence by sentence, until
your startled vision reads it and
your remorsetul spirit appreciates
it: "With what measure ye mete, it
shall be melted to you again." "De-
mart. We cursed"