The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-08-31
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON
Measured BY YOUR OWN YARD
STICKS.
Preached at Asheville, N. C.l

preached at Asheville, N. Gil
Text: "NVith what measure We mete, II
shall be measured to you again" Matthew
vii. g.
In the greatest sermon ever preached-a
sermon about fifteen minutes long, according
to the ordinary rate Of speech-a sermon on
the Mount Of Olives, the Preacher, sitting
while He spoke, according to the ancient
mode Of oratory, the people were given to
understand that the same yard stick that
ployed upon themselves. Measure others by
a harsh rule, and o will bs measured by q
harsh rule. Measure others by q charitable
rule, and you will be measured by a charita-
bic rule. Give no mercy to others, and no
mercy will be given to you. with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again."
There is a great deal Of unfairness in the
criticism of human conduct. 1t was to smite
that u~nfairness that Christ uttered the words
Of the text, and my sermon will be q re-echo
of the Divine sentiment. In estimating tho
mlsbehavior of others we must take into con-
is never right to do wrong, but there are de-
grees of culpability. When men misbehave
or commit some atrocious wickedness we are
disposed indiscriminately to tumble them all
over the bank of condemnation. Suffer they
ought and suffer they must; but in difference
of degree.
In the first place, in estimating the mis-
doing of others we must take into calculation
the hereditary. tendency. There is such a
thing as good blood and there is such a thing
as bad blood. There are families that ave
had a moral twist in them for q hundred
years back. They nave not been careful to
keep the family record in that regard. There
have been ~escapades aud maraudinps and
scouudrelisms and moral deficits all the way
back, whether you coll it kleptomania or
pyromania or dipsomania, or whether it be
in a milder form and amount to no mania at
all: The strong probability is, that the pres
ard bone contaminated. AS some start life
with q natural tendency to nobility and gen
crosby, and kindness and truthfulness. there
are Others who start life with Just the oppo-
site tendency, and they are born liars, or
born m~alcontents, Or born outlaws, or born
Swindlers.
There is in England . school that is called
the Princess Mary School All the children
in that school are the children of convicts.
The school is supported by high patronage.
:! had the pleasure Of being present at one of
their anniversaries in 1879, presided over by
the Earl Of Kintore. BY q wise law in Eng
land. after parents have committed a certain
number of crimes and thereby shown them
children, the little ones are taken from under
pernlcious influences and put in reformatory
schools, where all gracious and kindly iniu-
entes shall be brought upon them. or course
SHS SNpSi Nv Ao youAS uuu IL uuS ROU 20 De
demonstrated how large a percentage of the
children Of %convicts may he brought I'D to
respectability and usefulness. But we all
know that it is more difficult for CHI ldren of
pad parentage to do right than for children
of good parcntago.
In this country we are taught by the De-
claretion of American Independence that all
people are born equal. There never was a
greater Misrepresentation put in ono sem
tence than in that sentence which imc!ies
G1aG we are nil horn nurro1 Vo, =, =, nc ,,.oll
say that flowers are born equal, or tree; are
porn equal, or animals are born eJual. Why
does one horse cost 800 aud another horse
cost S5O, 0Jo2 Why does ons sheep cost $40
We are wise enough to recognize the differ.
ence OF blood in horses, in cattle, in sheep,
hut we arc not wise enough to make allow
ance for tho difference in the human blood.
NO" demand by tho law Of eternal fair
ness, that you be more lenient in Your criti-
clSm OF those who were born wrong, in
whose ancestral line there was q hangman's
knot, or who came from a tree the fruit Of
I~nrn I9r Gently fes ha: been gnarled n
marvellous statistics in his story of
what he called Margaret, the mother of
~Inlnals Ninety years ago she lived in a
village in Upper New York State. She was
not only poor: but she was vicious. She was
houses tasre. The public, however, some
what looked after her. hpt. chiefly scohed at
and derided her, pushed her further down
iG her crimes, That was ninety years ago,
There have been 6as persons in that an.
branch OF that family there r,'' Wsre t We Hn.
State Prison, and n.ariy all Of the
others have turned out tally. It is esti-
mated that that family cost the County and
State sloo,o 3o, to say nothing Of the prop
as sensible people, to acknowledge that it is q
fearful disaster to b. born il such an ances-
trail line? Does it not make a great differ
ence whether one descends from Margaret.
Inc = eth mother ia OF criminals, or from some
OF Ahab or tho sou of 10 shua! 1t is a very
different thing to swim with the current
from what it is to swim against the current,
as some of you have no doubt found in your
s self ip recreation rec anon:trd # n MAJ find him,
there is good blood flowing smoothly
from generation to generation it is
not a very great credit to him if
ne turns out good and honest aud pure and
noble. He could hardly help it. But sup
pose he is born in al ancestral line--in a
hereditary line-where the influences have
been bad and there has been q coming down
over q moral declivity, if the man surrender
TO the influences he will go down under
the overmassering gravitation unless some
supernatural aid be afforded him Now,
such a person deserves not your excoriation'
but your pity. Do notsit with the lip curled
in sroln, al / with an assumed air of angelic
innocence, looking down upon such moral
precipitation. You had better get down on
your knees and first pray Almighty God for
their rescue, and next thank the Lord that
you have not been thrown under the wheels
Of that Juggernaut.
In Great Britain and in the United States,
In every generation, there are tens of thou
sands of persons who arc fully developed
criminals and incarcerated. 1say, in every
generation. Then, I suppose, there are tens
OF thousands of persons not found out in
their criminality. In addition to these there
are tens Of thousands Of persons who, not
naSifiualu no, orninn criminals noronfbnlae.