Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-22
TALMAGE ON HEREDITY.
INVITE NIIsFORTUNES NOT M
POSSIBLE TO OVERCOME,

Protesting against wicked Act-The
Unwritten Will of Dying Parents.
FAYETTE, Mo-, March 2i.-At the invi-
tation of the chief citizens OF this place
the Rev. Il. Dewitt Talmage, d. D.,
stopped here to preach on his way to Kan
sas City and other places. He arrived
yesterday Saturday afternoon and Will
leave on Monday. His audience here was
no exception to the rule that no church
for the last 30 years has been large enough
TO hold the audience when DR.. Talmage is
announced to preach. The preacher 8
subject was "Heredity," and his text 1.
Samuel xvii, IS: "Whose son art thou,
thou young man ?" Following is the SER
mon in full, which is the eleventh in the
series on ''The Marriage Ring"
Never was there a more unequal fight
than that between David and Goliath.
David five feet high; Goliath ten. David
a shepherd boy, brought up amid rural
scenes; Goliath a warrior by profession
Goliath mountain OF braggadOcia; Da-
Vid a 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 desplse these latter
weapons. There was regiment of sling
ers in the Assyrian army and regiment
of singers in the Egyptian army, and
they made terrible execution, and they
could cast stone with as much precision
and force as now can be hurled shot or
shell. The Greeks in their army had
singers VINO would throw leaden plum
NETS inscribed with the irritating words,
Take this'o So it was mighty weapon
David employed in that famous combat.
A Jewish rabbi says that the prOba-
billtY is that Goliath was in such con-
tempt for David that in a paroXysm of
laughter be threw his head back and his
helmet fell off, and David saw the unc0y-
cred forehead, and his opportunity had
come, and taking this sling and swinging
it around his head two or three times, and
aiming at that uncovered forehead, he
crushed it in like an egg-shell. The bat
tie over. behold tableau: King Saul SIT
ting, little David standing, his fingers
clutched into the hair of decapitated Co.
Hath. AS Saul sees David standing there
holding IN his hand the CHASTITY, reeking,
staring trophy, evidence of the complete
victory over Gods enemies, the King
wonders what parentage was honored by
such heroIsm, and in my text ne asks
David his pedigree: Whose son art thou,
thou young man?
The king saw what you and see, that
this question Of heredity is a mighty
question. The longer l live the more
believe in blOod-good blood, bad blood,
proud blood, humble blood, honest blood,
thieving blood, heroic blood, cowardly
blood. The tendency may skip genera
ton or two. but it is sure to come out, as
in little child you sometimes see a simil-
ariLy to great-grandfather whose picture
hangs on the wall. That the physical,
ond t11nnfaI and moral guaIitipG q 70 in har
liable is patent to any one who keeps his
eyes open. The similarity is so striking
sometimes as to be amusing. Great fam
lilies, legal or literary, are apt to have the
characteristics ali down through the gem
eratIons, and what is more perceptible in
such families may be seen on a 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 and sensuality. Witness
Queen of Scots. Witness Charles l. and
Charles III. Witness James /. and James
H., and all the other scoundrels Of that
imperial line. Scottish blood means per-
sistence. English blood means reverence
for the ancient, Welsh blood means relig-
iosity, Danish blood means fOndness for
the sea, Indian blood means roaming dis
position, Celtic blood means ferVidity,
Roman blood means conquest.
The Jewish facility for accumulation
you may trace clear back to Abraham,
of whom the Bible says she was rich in
silver and gold and CATTLE" and to Isaac
and Jacob, who had the same character
istics. Some families are characterized
by longevity, and they have a tenacIty of
life positively Methusehsh. Others are
characterized by Goliathian stature, and
you can see it for one generation, two
generations, five generations, in all the
generations. Vigorous theology runs on
in,the line OF the Alexanders. Tragedy runs
on in the families OF the Remblds. Litera-
ture runs on inthe line of the TrollOpes.
Philanthropy runs on in the line of the
WilberfOrces. Craftsmanship runs on
in the line of the Adamses. Henry and
Catharine OF Navarro religious, all their
families religious. The celebrated family
OF the Casini, all mathematicians. The
celebrated family OF the Medici-grand-
father, son and CathaVine-all remark
able for keen intellect. The celebrated
family Of GustaYus Adolphus all war
riOrs.
This law Ofheredity asserts itself with
out reference to social or political condi-
ton, for you sometimes find the ignOble in
high place and the honorable I'm obscure
place. A descendant of Edward /. a toll
gatherer. A descendant OF Edward II a
doorkeeper. A descendant OF the Duke Of
Northumberland a trunk maker. Some
Of the mightest families OF England are
extinct, while some of those most hOnored
In the peerage go back to an ancestry OF
hard knuckles and rough exterior. This
law OF beredity entirely independent Of
social or political condition. Then you
find avarlce and jealousy and sensuality
and fraud having full swing in some fam
lies. The violent temper OF Frederick
William Is the Inheritance OF Frederick
the Great. IL is not a theory to be set
forth by worldly philosophy only, but by
divine authority. DO you not remember
how the Bible speaks Of "a chosen genera
tiOn," Of "the generation Of the right
eous," Of ''the generation OF vipers," OF an
"untOward generation Of "a stubborn
generation" OF 'sthe iniquity OF the past
visited upon the children unto the third
aud fourth generati0nW SO that the text
comes to-day with the force aprojectlle
hurled from the mightiest catapult,
Whose son art thou, thou young manp
"Well," says some one, "tnat theory dis
charges me from all responsibility. Born
OF sanctihed parents we are bound 10 be
good anu we cannot help ourselves. Born
OF unrighteOus parentage we are bound TO
be evil and we cannot help ourselves"
D. As much as II you should say, "the cent
ripetal force in nature has a tendency TO
bring everything TO the centre, and there
fore all things come 10 the centre. The
centrifugal force In nature has a tendency
TO throw out everything TO the periphery,