San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-08-25

reaches behind him, to all that
which went before him, in so far
as it directly or even secondarily
affects his welfare, 1t includes the
best popsible beginnings of life as
we'll as the best possible after con-
dltions.
The natural deduction from all
this is that every human being
who is born into life has an inalien-
able right to be born into the
world under the best possible con-
ditions. II he is not thus born he
is deprived at the outset Of that
which can never be supplied to
him, under any possible conditions
afterward arising. Those who are
responsible for his unfortunate
birth under this clouded title to
the best possible in HE life, have
defrauded him of dearer thing
than mere existence. They have
decreed him to live, and in that
very act SO placed him that to live
properly, wisely, improvingly and
enjoyably is an impossibility. What
power on earth or In hell has the
right thus to create, with the GER
tainty of entailing only evil upon
the innocent subject of that crea-
ton? And this is being done every
day and is SO common that it
evokes no comment, the public
and the pulpits alike having the
lockjaw on this subject. II there
was less preached about conditions
after death, and more about con-
ditions before birth, the world
would be neap better off and the
babies would bless the new gospel
Of proper birth.
1t is not the province of this Sc
ries of LIGHT sermons to deal with
n eredity." 1t is too broad and
too subtle, and beyond the posi-
bility Of present control, under the
existing social order and the legis-
lative trend Of the present. 1t will
come in as one OF the latter day
truths towards which the best
thought Of this present is strongly
and fearlsssly leading. 1t is the
design OF these discourses to point
the way Of a better life for the
child, consequently better chance
for the man, by clearly showing
the personal rights" Of that child
after he comes into his inheritance
Of conscious being, regardless Of
the influences that lie back of that
coming, dealing strictly with the
present.
The first right of person that the
child comes into at birth is its
right to recognition as a person a
seeing, feeling, hearing, thinking
human. That babe, lying in that
cradle, is the product of forces of in
telligence. The character and ten
dency of those forces are wrapped
up in that little bundle OF just
awakened life, and every one Of
them have stamped themselves
upon it. 1t is the personal right Of
that new life to have the brain and
body marks that these past forct g
have stamped upon it recognized.
There is not q whim Of that lit
tie Intelligence, not a distortion Of
mind or body, not a feature Of
either but has had its legitimate
birth, and being legitimately born
1t has a legitimate right to recog.
milton. Recollect, we are not JUS
tifying these conditions, only legit-
imatizing them In so far as the
child is concerned. This then is
what fronts the parents who wonld
intelligently assume the duties Of
their station-a close study Of
these inherited characteristics with
which the child is born and a Just
recognition of their right to be.
This recognized, the next step is
to respect those conditions and
maintain for the child its rights
thereto, unimpaired by any harsh
measures OF coercion. The very
fact that the parent, who is now
the autocrat Of that child's life, is
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