National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-22

ana other places, lie arrived yesterday
Saturday afternoon, and will leave on
Monday His audience here was no excep-
tion TO the rule that no church for the last
twenty years has been large enough to hold
the audience when DR.. Talmage is an.
nounced to preach. The preachers sub
ject was "Heredity," and his text Samuel,
xviii 3d. "Whose son art thou, thon young
MANI" Following is his sermon In full,
which is the eleventh in the series on "The
Marriage Ripgi"
Nevor was there n more unequal fight
than that between David and Goliath
David FIVE feet high; Goliath ten. David q
shepherd boy, brought UP amid rural
scenes; Goliath warrior by profession.
Goliath mountain of braggadOcia; David
marvel Of humility. Goliath armed with an
iron spear; David armed with a sling with
smooth stones from. the brook. But you
are not to despise these latter weapons
There was a regiment Of singers IN the
Assyrian army and regiment Of singers
in the Egyptian army, and they made terri
bic execution, and they could cast stone
with MS much precision and force as now
can be hurled shot or shell. The Greeks in
their army had singers who would throw
leaden plummcts inscribed with the irritat-
ing words "Take thisn So 1t was Almighty
weapon David employed in that famous
combat.
A Jewish rabbi says that the probability
is that Goliath was in such contempt for
David that, In paroXysm Of laughter, he
threw Ills head back, aud his helmet fell oil,
and David saw the uncovered forehead, and
his opportunity had come, and, taking this
sling and swinging II around his head two
or three times, and aiming 1t at that uncov-
cred forehead, he crushed it like an egg
shell. The battle over, behold tablcau;
King Saul sitting, little David standing, his
fingers clutched into the hair Of docapitated
Goliath. AS Saul secs David standing
there holding in his hand the CHASTITY, reek-
ing, staring trophy, evidence of the COM
plete victory over Gods enemies, the king
wonders what parentage was hOnored by
such heroism, and in my text he asks David
his pedigree; "Whose son art thou, thou
young manW
The king saw what you and I see, that
this question of heredity is mighty ques-
ton. The longer live the more believe
in blood-good blood, bad blood, proud
blood, humble blood, honest blood, thicv-
ing blood, heroic blood, cowardly blood.
The tendency may skip q generation or
two, but 1t is sure to come out, as In little
child you sometimes sec o similarity to
great grandfather whose picture hangs on
The wall. That the physical and mental and
moral qualities are Unbeatable is patent to
any one who keeps his eyes open. The
similarity Is so striking sometimes as to
be amusing. Great familes-lCgal or liter
ary-are apt to have the characteristics all
down through the generations, and what is
more perceptible In such families may DO
seen ON q smaller scale In all families. A
thousand years have no power to obliterate
the difference.
The large lip Of the house of Austria Is
seen in all the generations, and is called
the Hapsburg lip. The house of Stuart
always means in all generations cruelty and
bigotry aud scnsualtty Witness Queen OF
Scots. Witness Charles | and Charles IL.
Witness James | and James ii and all the
other scoundrels Of that imperial line.
Scottish blood means persistence, English
blood means reverence for the ancient,
Welsh blood means religiosity, Danish
blood fondness for the sea, Indian blood
means roaming disposition, Celtic blood
means fervidity, Roman blood means con
quest.
The Jewish facility for accumulation you
may trace clear back to Abraham, of whom
the Bible says "he was rich In silver and
gold and cattle,n and to Isaac and JACOB
who had the same characteristics. SomC
families ere characterized by longevity, and
they have tenacity Of life positively
Methuselish. Others are characterized by
Golathian stature, and you can see it fol
one generation, two generations, five gen
eratlons, IN all the generations. Vigorous
theology runs on In the line OF the Alex
anders. Tragedy runs on in the families o.
the Kembles Literature runs on in thu
limo Of the Trollopes. Philanthropy rum
on in the line of the Wilberforces States
manship runs on In the line of the Adamses
Henry and Catherine Of Navarro religious
all their families religious. The celebrated
family Of the Casini, all mathematiclans
The celebrated family Of the Medicl-grand
father, son, and Catharine-all remarkable
for keen intellect. The celebrated famll!
of Gustavus Adolphus, all warriors,
This law Of Leredity asserts itself withou
reference to social or political condition
for you sometimes find the ignoble in higl
place and the honorable in obscure place
A descendant of Edward | toll gatherer
a descendant Of Edward III doorkeeper
descendant OF the duke of NOrthumber
land u trunk maker. Some of the mighties
families OF England are extinct, while som
of those most honored In the peerage e
back TO an ancestry Of hard knuckles ant
rough exterior. This law of heredity
entirely independent Of social or politica
condition. Then you find avarice AM
jealousy and sensualty and fraud hayin
full swing In some families. The .violen
temper of Frederick William is the inherit
ance of Frederick the Great. 1t Is not
theory to be set forth by worldly philosoph
only, but by divine authority. Do you nc
remember how the Bible speaks of +"
chosen generations" of "the generation o
the righteous" Of "the generation of v
pers," Of an 'untoward generations" G
ia stubborn generation" of "the iniqult
of the past visited upon the children unit
the third and fourth generation 2" 5
that the text comes to-day with the fore
of proieCtle hurled from mightiest cat.
pult; "Wlose son art thou, thou youn
mani"
''Well,n says some one, shat theory di
charges me from all responsibility. Bor
of sanctifled parents We are bound to
good and we cannot help ourselves. Bor
Of unrighteous parentage we are bound
be evil and we cannot help ourselves"
AS much as If you should say "the Gel
tripetal force In nature has tendency
bring everything to the center, and, Their
fore, all things come TO the center. II
centrifugal force In nature has tendenc
To throw out everything to the peripher
and, therefore, everything will go out TO u
periphery You know rs well as l kno
that you can make the centrlpetal overcon
the centrifugal, and you can make the Gel
trifugal overcome the centrlpetal. AS whC
there is mighty tide OF good in famil
that may be overcome by determination
evil, as In the case Of Aaron Burr, the llbe
tine, who had for father President Bur
the consecrated; as in the case Of PIER
pOnt Edwards, the scourge of New YoI
society seventy years ago, who had Chrl
tian ancestry; while, ON the other han
some of the best men and women of tn
day are those who have come OF an anco
try Of which 1t would not be courteous
speak IN their presence.
The practical and useful object of Tn
sermon is to show TO you that If You ha'
come OF Christian ancestry, then you q
solemnly bound TO preserve and deyclt
the glorious inheritance; or, If you la
come Of dopr0yed ancestry, then 1t is yo
duty to brace yourself against the evil te
dency by all prayer and Christian detcrn
nation, and you are to find out what are d
family frailtes, and IN arming the cast
put the strongest guard at the weakest g0t
With these smooth stones from the brook