The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-05-04


When modern thought began to
study the individual as the type of
the whole race, it soon began to take
issue with several of the claims of
theology.
Theology has stated its opinion
concerning this type of life thus:
Man is a complete outcast, depraved
by nature, the inheritor of Adams
guilt, a probable victim to endless
punishment. If he is to be saved at
all it is by the blood of Christ.
Modern thought began to study
the nature and destiny of the
race by the study of the individ-
ual, and it has found that this
theology has much misrepresented
conditions. 1t has taken traditions
for facts, and doctrines for diagnoses.
From any analysis of facts it con-
cludes that man comes into this world
the inheritor of elements from his
past ancestry, which may be good or
evil, and SO be riches or poverty to
him, and that what he makes of his
inheritance depends on his situation
in respect to the world, and his pow
er to control his possessions and
opportunities.
The newborn child is largely ami
NAL in it's nature and tastes. The in
FAINT man and the infant brute mani
fest quite similar traits for few
months. Then the babe begins to
express hints of supernatural traits.
Something not animal begins to dom
mate the animal. Selection is based
on human instincts. Higher forces
subordinate lower forces. The tend
ency is in every way toward better
results.
Theology seems bound to have this
child weighed down with depravity,
natural impulses to evil, the inheri-
lance of ancient guilt, and it's only
method of saving those which it con
dennis as outcast, is to provide an ar
| tifcial form of salvation.
Modern thought has taken up the
cause of this much abused child, and
makes it's defense of this child-man
by answering the assumptions of
theology. In introduction it says
this child is in the world not through
any fault or desire of it's own, but
because it could not help itself. IF it
is true that it is disowned of God for
being, because it could not help be-
ing, then God is most inhuman,
not to say ungodly, father. But mod
ern thought denies that this is the
attitude of God. On the contrary, it
affirms that God has ever had and
expressed a complete interest in the
progress of man, his child. Man is
result of past life. In body and
mind are traces of the peculiarities of
countless generations of ancestors.
Men usually resemble most their
nearest predecessors. But often there
will be skipping of several genera
tions-a family popularity will SEEM
ingly be lost through many genera
tions-and then unexpectedly it will
appear again. There is no doubt
that great minds owe much to clean
ancestry, and to peculiar combina-
ton of mental and physical elements
in their ancestry eliminating in
them. Likewise it is true that weak
minds owe something of their weak
ness to the evils of their families.
Great pains is being taken by scien-
fists in tracing the appearance of
certain marked pecui:arities of mind
and body, and new facts are being
adduced to show the extent to which
the makeup and habits of parents
affect the child. One of the notable
problems of the coming age is bet
ter parentage, for, as has often been
said, if you would improve the child
you must begin with the great grand
parents.
That we do inherit traits and pee
uliarities is admitted on all sides,
but two diverse conclusions follow:
One, that of theology, is that the child
inherits its moral quality also. Mod
ern thought denies this conclusion,
and afirms that, no matter how much
of the nature and habits of the par
ent the child inherits, he inherits no
moral quality. Because the father
may have sinned does not make the
son guilty of the fathers crime. Be-
cause Adam sinned, does not make
his children guilty with him. Doubt
less the life of the ancient ancestors
has modified our natures-this is GER
tainly so if evolution is true-but it
has done so in the line of tendency.
The son of drunkard may inherit
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