Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-08-05
REV. DR.. TALMAGE
The Eminent Iliv:ne's Sunday
Discourse.
Subject: "The Law OF Heredity."

man?"-I Samuel xviii, So.
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
warrior by professions; Goliath a mountain OF
braggadocio, David a marvel OF humility;
Goliath armed with an iron spear. David
armed with sling, with smooth stones from
the brock. But you are not to despise these
latter weapons. There was a regiment OF
singers in the Assyrian army and a regiment
Of slingers in the Egyptian army, and they
made terrible execution, and they could cast
stone with as much accuracy and force as
now can be sent shot or shell. The Greeks
in their army had singers who would throw
leaden plummets inscribed with the irritat-
ing words, Take this!''
SO 1t was mighty weapon David en-.
PlOyed in that famous combat. Jewish
rabbi says that the probability is that Goliath
was in such contempt for David that In a
parOxysm OF laughter he threw his head
back and his helmet fell off. and David saw
the uncovered forehead. and his opportunity
had come. and taking this sling and swing
ing 1t around his head two or three times,
and aiming 1t at that uncovered forehead,
crashed 1t In like an eggsheil. The battle over.
behold the tableau: King Saul sitting. little
David standing, his fingers clutched into the
hair of decapitated Goliath. 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 he asks
David his pedigree, "Whose son art thou,
thou young mani" The king saw what you
and see, that this question of heredity is
mighty one.
olood-good blood, bad blood, proud blood,
humble blood, honest blood, thieving
blood, heroic blood, cowardly blood. The
tendency may skip generation or two, but
1t Is sure to come out, as in little child
you sometimes see similarity to a great
grandfather whose picture hangs on the
wall. That the physical and mental and
moral qualities are inheritabie is patent to
any one who keeps his eyes open. The sim.
ilarity 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
smaller scale in all families. A thousand
years have 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 all generations cruelty and
bigotry and sensuality- Witness Queen of
| Scots. Witness Charles and Charles II.
/ Witness James l and James III and all the
| other scoundrels of that line. scottish blood
means persistence. English blood means
/ reverence for the ancient, Welsh blood
/ means religiosity Danish blood means fond
/ ness for the sea. Indian blood means roam
| ing disposition, Celtic blood means fervid-
/ ity, 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 characteristics. Some families
| are characterized by longevity, and they have
| a teuacity of life positively Methuseiish. 9th
] oh a aster zaI hy Gnliafhi.p ra
and you can see it for ne generation. two
/ generations, five generations, in all the gem
erations. Vigorous theology runs down in
the line of the Alexanders. Tragedy runs
on in the family of the Kembles. Literature
runs on in the line of the Trollopes. Phil
anthropy runs on in the lines of the Wilber-
forces. Craftsmanship runs on in the line of
| the Adamses. You see these pecu iarities in
all generations. Henry and Catherine OF
Navarro religious. all their families religious.
The celebrated family of Casini. all mathe-
maticians. The celebrated family of the
Medici, grandfather, son ard Catherine, all
remarkable for keen intellect. The ceebrat.
ed family of Gustavus Adolphus, all war.
riors.
This law of heredi.y asserts itself without
reference to social or political condition. for
you sometimes find the ignoble In high place
and the honorable in obscure place. A de-
seen liant of Edward / toll gatherer. A
descendent of Edward III doorkeeper- A
descendant of the Duke of Northumberland
trunk maker. Some of the mighliest fam
lilies OF England are extinct. while some OF
those most honored in the peerage go back
| to an ance-try of hard knuckles and rough
exterior. This law of heredity is entirely
Independent Of social or political conditions.
Then you find avarice 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. 1t is not IL theory founded by world
ly philosophy. but by divine authority. Do
you not remember how the Bibe speaks of a
chosen generation, of the generation of the
righteous, OF the generation OF vipers. OF an
toward 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 a projectile hurled from
nghtieSt catapuf. ''Whose son art thou,
thou young manf'
swell" " says some one, that theory dis
charges me from all responsibility. Born o
sancfue parents. we are bound to be good
and We cannot help ourselves. Born OF un
righteous parentage, we are bound TO bt
evil. and we cannot help ourselves" Two
inaccuracies. As much rs II you should say
1.-The centripetal force in nature has ten
dencyto bring everything to the center, ant
therefore all come to the center. The cen
trifugal force in nature has u tendency tC
throw everything to the periphery, ant
therefore everything will &c ont Ia the peri
phery." You know As well as | know thai
you can make the centripela al force overcom,
the centrifugal. and you can make the cen
rifugal overcome the centripeta as whel
there is mighty tide OF good in Il famil,
that may be overcome by determination t.
evil; as in the case OF Aaron Burr, the liber
tine, who had for father President Burr, th'
consecrated; as in the case OF Pierreponi Ell
wards, the scourge of New York societ,
eighty years ago, who had Christian auces
/ frv Uhile. hp ofhpr hand pf th
best men and women of this day are thos
who have come of an ancestry of which l
would not be courteous to speak in thei
presence. The practical and useful objec
of this sermon is to show you that if yo'
have come of a Christian ancestry then yol
are solemnly bound to preserve and develol
the glorious inheritance, or il You have com
of a deprayed ancestry then II Is your dut.
to brace yourself against the evil tendenc.
by all prayer and Christian determination
and you are to find out the family iraiities
and in arming the castle put the stronges
guard at the weakest gate. With thes
smooth stones from the brook l hope L
strike you, not where David struck Goliath
in the head. but where Nathan struck David
in the heart. Whose son art thou. tho
Young mann
There is something in all winter holiday
to bring up the old folks. think many o
our thoughts at such times are set to tn
tune of "Auli Lang Svne." The old folk
were so busy at such times in making
happy and perhaps Oh less resource mad
their sons aud daughters happier than vo
on larger resources are able 10 make you
sons and daughters. The snow lay two fee
above their graves, but they snoo& OF III
white blankets AMI mingled in the boiida
: festivities-the same wrinkles. the sam
stoop of shoulder undei the weight of az.
The same old stvie of dress or coat, the sam
smile, tire same tones II voice. l hope yo
, remember them before they went away.
not 1 hope there are those who have recite
you what they were, and that there m'
be in your house some article OF dress
furniture with which you associate the
| memories. want TO arouse the most sacr'
memories OF your heart while l make Il
impassioned interrogatory in regard to yo'
pedigree, "Whose son art thou, thou youI
MANI"