The Red Cloud chief., 1886-08-13
CHAINS THAT NJ }.
How They MAY lie stuck O6 so rerseasi
and G~n~rai Advantage.

and G~nerai Advantage.
One Of the immediate results q mod
crn scientific though, i III. deepening
sense of the power Of her-dits and cir
cumstanCe- over Individual lives.
There j.. II course. m immense Gle
mcnt of truth in the facts which SCI
cnce ha, laid bare on this id. q: hU-
man activity. and in IN. inicrrncc-
which have been drawn from the facts.
No human being is independent IL his
ancestry. hi race or bis age. They
supply him with the tools with which
hc works out his destiny. But II -
very easy 70 ovcr>ta,e this truth, and
il i constantly oycr,tated in current
literature. Til, oYcr,taicmcnt. or,
perhaps. more accurately. thi, impcr-
feet >ta,cm-ui. Of the immense force If
herrdi,y anu surrounding. cNcrt> upon
many minds - depressing and para
living influence. The man who i
born with viciou, ,cndcncic, in hi,
blood. or the man who iin3> himself
on the threshold If his career without
the training which other men have r.
ceivri. often feel, that defeat j newt
able. and ceases To make any struggle
against what b" calls destiny. When
the teachings Of science are interpreted
in this way they become not oniy per
niciou>. but absolutely false. Society
j. full of the r~ciu,ations of any such
conclusion a. this. Men have risen 10
the high.>: places from beginnings. and
from Ia. midst Of influences. which
seemed specially comb ned - chain
them down forever. The artist
must work in the material which he
finds al hand. hu: hi conception i h.>
own; and that, after AL. i the soul Of
hi> work. He can not choose his ma
~tcrial. but he can always choo>r the
u>.. he viii make of IL This i tn"
very citadel of manhood; once >tornrd
and surrendered. the man NAV exist.
but he ceases to live. Men TO-DAY need
To have tly.ir faith in their pow cr To
>rIrmount circumstances and 10 create
their career, strengthened and
derpcncd. In order that they NAV
work intelligrntly they need To- under
stand the conditions under which they
are compelled Va work: they need t.
know the traits they have Inherited.
and they need Ia discern the kind ~
opportunities, At hand; but. above I'll.
they need a deeper and more vital
consciousness thai they thrm>rly", arr
greater than either inheritance or en-
,ironmcnt; and that they wcr" born.
not To be- made bv these. but 10 modify
and rcca>t them. Every human life At
the bottom j. a revolt again-, il, cn-
vIronmeni; every great reform il 4 re-
action against influences tht' ara at
the moment apparently Irresistible:
every great career il a tremendous
struggle against existing things: and
Vet great reforms are always on the
way. and great careers an. a,W avs be-
ii- Va III 49, 80 ht4't
there are born hosts of men AMI ~on-
rn whose great service To society i the
they make in IN. cNi>,iDy
order Of thing. They arrive at useful
Ness. eminencc and ability in the face
Of circumstances: and they attain
thing by virtue Of the individual
power which lie, in every human ,ssul.
MAI j. relieved from responsibility
Of that which his ancestors
have transmitted To him. ar becaus.
his own age i, inhospitable. No man
ought to despair because he il begin
ming The battle against odds. Every
who makes the honest cudea,or
10 live his own life sooner or later
of the chains that bind him.
and in making himself free becomes Il
force in the live, Of others.
-Chrts,idn IHioH-