The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1896-08-04
LAW OF RRDl11, =:
DR.. TAIMAGE's DAY THEME.
1t Asserts Itself Wit Reference to
Social or Politiyondition.
Tcy1, tfWhosa crT Sr.I. }hor ro1

NSSS |
Dan?"-I Samuel xviii.
Never was there a moreoual fight than :,
that between David and ath; David five
Ieet nigh, Goliath teni Dsa shepherd BOY
| brought up amid rural ,es Goliath a
! warrior by profession; Go. mountain OF
| braggadocio, David NIL Of humility;
| Goliath armed with al spear. David
armed with sling, with s1h stones from
| the brook But you are NO: 6esoise these
latter weapons. There Wa regiment CT
! slingers in the Assyrian arntsd regiment
OF singers II the Egyptian ", andsthey
made terrible execution, andey could cast
astone with as much accurasnd force as
soW can be sent shot or shel;The Greeks
IN their army had singers wsyould throw !
ieaoen plummets inscribed IT.: the irritat- |
ing words, "TaEc thisl'' -.
SO It wa5 mighty wear David en-
ployed in that famous combs a Jewish
rabbi says that the probability hat Goliath;
was II such contempt for DAB that in a
paroZysm OF laughter he TIM his head
back and his helmet fell of. antDaTid sew;
the uncovered forehead, and hispportanity
had come, and taking this sling iii swing"
Ing 1t around his head two o. ,ree times,
| and aiming it at that uncovere breiead, :
crashed it il like al egesheI!. Tae.atle over, :
behold the tableau: King Saul s;ti!g, little
David standing. his fingers clutch q ilto the
hair Of decapitated Goliath. As.Sa'l secs
David standing there holding in hs had the
ghastly, reeSing, staring trophy, eFidelce OF
the complete victory over Gods eEeulis, the
KING wonders what parenta2e was hoored
by such heroisn, and IN my text he asks
David his pedigree, "Whose son srt hou,
thou young man." Tho king saw wha you
and I see, that this question OF heredn, is
mighty one.
The longer I live the more I believe il
plood-good blood, bad blood. proud blood,
humble blood, honest blood, thieySng
blood. heroic blood, cowardly blood. The
tendency may skip generation or two, but
1t is sure to come out, as in a little chfsd
you sometimes see a similarity to q great
grandfather whose picture hangs on the
wall. That the physical and mental and
moral Qualities are inherltable is patent 10
any one who keeps his eyes open. The SIM
llaSity is so striking sometimes as to be
amusing. Great families, regal or literary,
are apt to have the characteristics all down
through the generations, and what is more
perceptible in such families may be seen on
a smaller scale in all families. 4 thousand
years h.te no power to obliterate the diff
ference
The large lip Of the house OF Austria is
seen in all the generations and is called the
hapsburg lip. The house OF Stuart al
ways means in ell generations cruelty and
biSotry and sensuality. Witness Queen Of
Scots. Witness Charles I and Charles II.
Witness JaC1as I and James II and all the
other scoundrels OF that line. Scottish blood
nears persistence, English blood means
reverence for the ancient, Welsh blood
means relisiosity, Danish blood means fond
ness for the sea. Indian blood means roam
ing disposition, Celtic blood means ferVid-
ty, Roman blood means conquest. The
Jewish facility for accumulation you may
trace clear back to Abrah am, OF whom the
Bible says. "he was rich in silver and gold
and CATTLE" and to Isaa; aGd JacoJ, who
had the same characteristics. Some families
are characterized by longevity, and, they have
atenacity OF life positively Iethuselish. 9th
PRS are characterized by Goiathian stature,
and you can see it for cne generation. two
generations. five generations, in all the gen
srations. Vigorous theology runs down in
the line Of the Aleyanders. Tragedy runs.
on in the family of the Kemoles Literature;
runs on in the line Of the Trollopes. Phil
anthropy runs on in the lines Of the Wilber-,
forces. Statesmanship runs on in the line Of
the Adamses. You see these pecuiarities il
all generations EsnrE- and -Catha1iae~aS Of
Navarro religious, all their families religious.
The celebrated family OF Casini, all nathe-
nsaticians. The celebrated family Of the
Medici. grandfather, son ard Catherine all
remarkable forkeen intellect. The ce;eDrat
ed family Of Gustavus Adolphus, all wer-
riors.
This law of heredi.y asserts itself without
reference to social or political condition. for
you sometimes find the ignobIe in high place
and the honorable in obscure place. A de-
seeniant OF Edward toll gatnerer. a
descendent OF Edward III doorkeeper. a
descendant Of the Duke Of Northumberland
E trunk maker. Some Of the mightiest fam
slies 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 heredity IS entirely
independent of social OF political conditions.
Then you find ayarice and Jealousy and SEN
suality and fraud having full swing in some
families. The violent temper Of Frederick
William is the inheritance OF Frederick the
Great. It is not theory founded by world
~ philosophy. but by divine authority. Do
you not remember how the Bible speaks Of
chosen generation, Of the generation OF the
righteous, of the generation Of viperS. OF an
untoTard generation, Of a stubborn genera
ton, Of the iniquitY Of the fathers visited
upon the children unto the third and fourth
generations? So that the text comes to-day
with the force of projectile hurled from
niShtiest ca1apuE. Whose son art thou,
thou young man?"
"Wcll," says some one, :sthat theory dis
charges me from all responsibility. Born Of
sanetifed parents, we arc bound to be good,
and we cannot help ourselves. Born OF un-
righteous parentage, we are bound 10 be
evil, and we cannot help ourselves" Two
inaccuracies. As much as if you should say:
''The centripetal force in nature has ten
dencyto bring everything to the center, and
therefore all come to the center. The CEN
trifusal force in nature has tendency to
throw everything to the periphery, and
therefore everything will 90 out to the peri
phery." You know as we'll as know that
you can make the centripetal force overcome
the centrifugal. and you can make the cen
triiugal overcome the ceutEipetal, as when
there is a mighty tide Of good in family
that may be overcome by determin alton 70
evil; as in the case Of Aaron Burr, the hber-
tine, who had for father President Burr, the
consecrated; as in the case Of Pierrepont Ed
wards, the scourge OF New York society
eighty years ago, who had a Christian ances-
try, while, on the other hand, some Of the
best men and women Of this day are those
who have come Of an ancestry Of which II
would not be courteous to speak in their
presence. The practical and useful object
of this sermon is to show you that If you
have come of Christian ancestry ~. you
are soennlv bound to preserve and develop
the glorious inheritance, or if you have come
OF a depraved ancestry then it is your duty
to brace yourself against the evil tendency
by ali prayer and Christian determination
and you are to find out the family 1ralitles
and in arniIs the castle put the stronges
guard at the weakest gate. With these
smooth stones from the brook hope t
strike you, not where David struck Goliath
in the head. but where Nathan struck David
in the heart. "Whose son art thou, thor
young nan?'
There is something in all winter holiday!
to bring up the old folks. think many o
our thoughts at such times are seE TO tn
tune of "Auld Lang Syne.'' The cid folk:
,ra-a cn bncv o+ euch times in making u: