The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-08-05
POWER OF HEREDITY.
REv. DR.. TkLMAGE ON PROCLWTlES
DUE TO ANCESTRY.

But, No Matter What Onr Hirthrlght May
BE, We Can .:e Sons and Daughters OF
God and Heirs of hmm ortality-!a GlorI-
Gus Inheritance.
WASHINGTON, July 2G.-This ser,
mon by Rev. DR.. Talmage on heredity
will bring ali the family records into
requisition and lead people to stady
their own proclivity toward good or
evil The text chosen was Samuel
xvii, IS, Whose sou art thou, thou
young man.
Never was there more unequal
fight than that between David and Go
Hath; David feet high, Goliath 10;
David q shepherd boy brought up
amid rural scenes. Goliath a warrior
by profession Goliath 4 mountain OF
brapeadocio, David i marvel of hu-
mility: Goliath armed with an iron
spear, David armed with sling with
smooth stones from the brook. But
you are not to deSpiSe these latter
weapons
There was regiment of singers in
the Assyrian army, and regiment of
singers in the Egyptian army, and
they made terrible execution, and they
could cast stone with as much ascu-
racy 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 irritating
words Take thisr So it was mighty
weapon David employed in that fam
Gus combat. A Jewish rabbi says that
the probability is that Goliath was in
such contempt for David that in pa
| roxysm Of laughter he threw his head
pack and bis helmet fell Off, and Dav-
id saw the uncovered forehead, and
his opportunity had cone, and taking
this sling and swinging it around his
head two Or three times and aiming it
at that uncovered forehead crashed it
in like an e1gshell. The battle over,
behold the tableau: King Saul sitting,
little David standing, his fingers
clutched into the hair OF deca plated
Goliath. As Saul sees David standing
there holding in his hand the ghastly,
reeking, staring trophy, evidence OF
the complete victory over Gods ene-
mics, the king wonders what parent
age was honored By such heroism,
and in my text he asks David his ped
igree, "Whose son art thou, thou
young nan?"
The king saw what you aud [ see,
that this question OF heredity is a
mighty question. The longer live
the more I believe in blood-good
blood, bad blood, proud blood, humble
blood, honest blood, thieving blood,
heroic blood, cowardly blood.
The tendency may skip generation
or two, but it is sure to come Gut, as in
a little child you sometimes see a SIM
ilarity to a great. grandfather whose
picture hangs on the wall. That the
physical and mental and moral quail
ties are inheritable 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 charac-
teristics ali down through the genera
tions, and what is more perceptible in
such families may BE- seen on q smaller
scale in all families A thousand years
have no power to obiterate the differ
ence. Tie large lip Of the house OF
Austria is seen in all generations and
is called the Hapsburg lip. The house
Of Stuart always means IN all genera
tons cruelty and bigotry and sensual
ity. Witness Queen OF Scots, witness
Charles I and Charles IL, witness
James I and James IL and all the 9th
er scoundrels OF that line. Scottish
blood means persistence, English blood
means reverence for the aucient,
Welch blood means csligiosity, Danish
blood means fondness for the sea, In
dian 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 characterist-
les. Some families ara characterized
by longevity, and they have a tenacity
of life positively Mathuselish. Others
are characterized by Goliathian stat
ure, and you can see it for one genera
ton, two generations, five generations
III all the generations.
Vigorous theology runs down in the
line of the Alexanders. Tragedy runs
on in the family of the kembles. Lit
erature runs on in the line Of the Trol.
lopes. Philanthropy runs on in the
line Of the Wilberforces. Statesman
ship runs on in the line OF the
Aaamsas. You see these psculiarltes
in all generations. Henry and Cath
crime ofNavarre religious, ALI their fam
lies religious. The celebrated family OF
the Casini, all mathematicians. The
celebrated family of the Medici, grand
father, son and Catherine, all re mark
able for keen intellect. The celebrated
family of Gustavus Adolphus, all war
riors. This law OF heredity asserts It
self without reference to social or po
litical condition. for you sometimes
find the ignoble in high place and the
honorable in obscure place. a de-
scendant of Edward | 4 tollgatherer.
A descendant of Edward III door.
keeper. 4 descendant OF the Duke OF
Northumberland trunkmaker. Some
of the mightiest families OF England
are extinct, while some OF those most
honored in the peerage 60 back to an
ancestry of hard knuckles and rough
exterior.
This law OF heredily is entirely in
dependent OF social Or political condi-
tions. Then you find avarice and jeal'
ousy and sensuality and fraud having
full swing in some families. The vlo-
lent temper of Frederick William is
the inheritance of Frederick the
Great. It is not q theory founded by
worldly philosophy, butby divine au-
thority. Do you not remember how