The Monitor-register., 1896-07-31
WHOSE son ARE YOU :?
THE REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S ELOQUENT
THOUGHTS ON HEREDITY.

relity - Christian Ancestry, Its Power
and It's sResponsibiIity-Kings and Queens
of God and Heirs of Immortality.
WASHINGTON, July 26.-This sermon
by Rev. DR.. Talmage on heredity will
bring all the family records into requi-
sition and lead people to study their
own proclivity toward good or evil.
The text chosen was Samuel xvii, 6S:
l"Whose son art thou, thou young manr'
Never was there 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 profession
Goliath q mountain Of braggadocto,
David marvel of humility; Goliath
armed with an iron spear, David armed
with q sling, with smooth stones from
the brook. But you are not to despise
these latter weapons. There was a regl-
ment of singers in the Assyrian army
and a regiment of singers in the Egyp-
tian army, and they made terrible exc
oution, and they could cast a stone with
as much accuracy and force as now can
he sent shot or she'll The Greeks IN
their army had singers who would
throw leaden plummets inscribed with
the irritating words ''Take thlsl
So it was q mighty weapon David
emnloyed in that famous combat.
Jewish rabbi says that the probability
is that Goliath was in such contempt
for David that in paroKysm OF laugh
tor he threw his head back and his
helmet fell off, and David saw the un-
covered forehead, and his opportunity
had come, and taking this sling and
swinging it around his head two or
three times, and aiming it Mt that un-
covered forehead crashed 1t III like an
eggshell. 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 ghastly, 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 question.
Blood Will Tell.
The longer l live the more l believe
in blood-good blood, bad blood, proud
blood, humble blood, honest blood,
thieying blood, heroic blood, cowardly
blood. The tendency may skip a genera
ton or two but it is sure to come out.
as in little child you sometimes see a
similarity to great grandfather whose
picture hangs on the wall. That the
physical and mental and moral qualities
are Unbeatable Is patent to any one who
keeps his eyes open. The similarity 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 q smaller scale in all fa,ni-
lies. A thousand years have no power
to obliterate the difference.
The large lip of the house of Austria
is seen i'll all the generations and is
called the Hapsburg lip. The house of
Stuart always means i'll all generations
cruelty and bigotry and sensuality. Wit
ness Queen of Scots. Witness Charles l
and Charles II. Witness James and
James ii and all the other scoundrels
of that line. Scottish blood means per-
sistence, English blood means reverence
for the ancient, Welsh blood means re-
hgiosity. Danish blood means fondness
for the sea, Indian blood means roaming
disposition, Celtic blood means fervidity,
Roman blood means conquest. The
Jewish facility for accumulation you
may trace clear back to Abraham, of
whom the Bible says ''he was rich in
silver and gold and cattle, " and to Isaac
and Jacob, who had the same character
istics. Some families are characterized
by longevity, and they have tenacity
of life positively Methuselish. Others
are characterized by Goliathian stature.
and you can see it for one generation,
two generations. five generations. in all
the generations. 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. Philanthropy runs on
in the lines of the Wilberforces. States.
manship runs on in the line OF the
Adamses. You see these peculiarities In
all generations. Henry and Catherine
of Navarro religious, all their families
religious The celebrated family OF
Casini, all mathematicians. The cele-
brated family of the Medici, grandfa-
ther, son and Catherine. all remarkable
for keen intellect. The celebrated family
of Gustavus Adolphus, all warriors
This law of heredity 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 descendant of Ed
ward l q toll gatherer. A descendant OF
Edward Ill q doorkeeper A descendant
OF the Duke of Northumberland trunk
maker. Some of the mightiest families
of England are extinct, while some Of
those most honored i'll the peerage &C
back to All ancestry of hard knuckles
and rough exterior. This law of heredity
is entirely independent of social or politi-
cal conditions. Then you find avarice
and jealousy and sensuality and fraud
having full swing in some families.
The violent temper of Frederick VIII
liam is the inheritance of Frederick the
Great 1t is not a theory founded by
worldly philosophy. but by divine au-
thority. Do you not remember how the
Bible speaks of a chosen generation, OF
the generation of the righteous. of the
generation Of vipers, of an untoward
generation, of a stubborn generation. OF
the iniquity Of the fathers visited upon
the children unto the third and fourth
generation? So that the text comes TO-
day with the force of projeotile hurled
from mightiest catapult. Whose son
art thou, thou young mani"
Natures Two Forces.
"Well" says some one, THAT theory
discharges me from all responsibility.
Born of sanctified parents, we are bound
to be good, and we cannot hlep our
selves. Born of unrighteous parentage.
we are bound to be evil, and we cannot
help ourselves. )" Two inaccuracies. AS
much as if you should say: THE centrip-
etal force in nature has a tendency to
bring everything to the center, and
therefore all come to the center. The
centrifugal force in nature has tend
ency to throw every thing to the periph-
cry, and therefore everything will go
out to the periphery" You know as
well as 1 know that you can make the
centripetal force overcome the centrif-
ugal, and you can make the centrifugal
overcome the centripetal, as when there