Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1886-08-25
9tARY ALLEN WEST.


ing sovereign.
Thus our ycrnacular, which is a |
disqualification of tho deeper thots
Of the generations forming it, test
fees to the value of character by link
ing its expression with the coin OF
the realm, the standard of value.
Character is the one thing Of in
trinsic value in the universe, the on
ly thing we can take with us; all
else we leave at the grave.
AS with the nation, so with the
individual, the law of heredity de-
cides in large measure, what the
character Of the child viii be.
"Thoy enslave their childreu's
children, who make compromise
with sim"
This thought, it seems to me,
should keep every man and woman
pure for the sake of the children
that are to be.
This, thor, lies at the very foun-
dation of life and character building.
A foolish prudery--and wicked as
we'll as foolish, when we consider it's
| rosults--has too long kept it in the
background. Never till men and
women study this subject in the
light Of Gods truth as revealed in
the Bible and in science, and hay
ing learned iIis laws regarding he
redity, sacredly obey them, shall
there be generation of children
having fair start in the world
| Most children commence life handi-
capped by the sins,or the foliies Of
their parents. An intense absorption
in either business or pleasure, to the
| exclusion Of soul culture. results in
Chi'dreg, with moral natures warped
or undeyeioped The mothers cor
set often leaves its mark upon the
child, In The fathers wine-cup is
often dissolved pearls more precious
than Cleopatra 's-tho viii power OF
his children while the Btaadiness
Of nerve which is their rightful In
heritance, is too often pulled away
in the smoke Of his cigar. God gave
the world an impressive lesson in
heredity when he would make the
strongest man on record, and COM
lnenced the process by sending an
angel from heaven 10 give the strict
est possible total abstinence pledge
TO the mother of Sampson. All
through Ills word he recognizes the
law Of inheritance, and orders that
spiritual opportunities be transmit
ted with temporal estates. He clear
" shows that both good and bad
traits may be transmitted, and also
that sin can cancel the inheritance
OF good traits, aa we see in the case
OF degenerate children Of good pa
rents, or that grace may cancel bad
inheritance.
We have been very slow in "think-
ing Gods thoughts after him." in
this direction, but have at last rec
ognized the fact that it was by no
accident he sent the angel to Samp-
sons mother instead of to Manoah,
but that he thus pointed out fixed
law of heredity, which is, that the
line of transmission is between the
sexes, from mother to son, from
father TO daughter. True, we may
have many instances of transmission
of traits from father to son, from
mother to daughter, as well as a
transmission Of traits to child
equally by both parents, but the
general law seems otherwise, and
experience proves this. No race Of
heroes ever sprung from mothers
who were slaves. The mothers Of
great men have become almost as
noted as the great men themselves.
Witness tho mother Of Alfred the
Great, Of Napoleon, OF Luther, Of
Washington, of John @, Adams, Of
Lincoln, Of Garfield, of John j.
Cough, and scores of Others. Close
study of Bible history reveals the
same fact.
Concluded next week