The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-04-16
SPIRIT OF FAIRNESS.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Discourses on
Criticism of Human Conduct.
circumstances We Should Take Into Con-
sideration in Estimating the Short
comings of Others-Meas-
ure for Measure.

ure for Measure.
Rev, L. Dewitt Talmage, in the fol-
lowing sermon. talks upon the prevail
ing disposition to measure others by
ones own yardstick. The text is:
With what measure We mete it shall be
measured to you again. Matthew VIII 3.
In the greatest sermon ever preached
"a sermon about Is minutes long, ac-
cording to the ordinary rate of speech
"a sermon on the Mount of Olives, the
Preacher, sitting while He spoke, ac-
cording to the ancient mode of oratory,
| the people were given to understand
| that the same yardstick that they en-
ployed upon others would be employed
upon themselves. Measure others by
a harsh rule, and you will be measured
by harsh rule. Measure others by
charitable rule, and you will be meas
ured by charitable rule. Give no
mercy to others, and no mercy will be
given to you. with what measures
We mete, it shall be measured to you
again"
There is great deal of unfairness
| in criticism in human conduct. 1t was
to smite that unfairness that Christ
uttered the words of the text, and my
sermon will be re-echo of the Divine
sentiment. In estimating the misbe-
havor of others, we must take into
consideration the pressure of circum-
stances. 1t is never right to do wrong,
but there are degrees of culpability
When men misbehave or commit some
atrocious wickedness we are disposed
indiscriminately to tumble them all
over the bank of condemnation. Suf-
fer they ought and suffer they must,
but in a difference of degree.
/ In the first place, in estimating the
misdoings of others, we must take into
calculation the hereditary tendency.
There is such a thing as good blood,
and there is such thing as bad blood.
There are families that have "a moral
twist in them for hundred years
back. They have not been careful to
keep the family record in that regard.
There have been escapades, and ma
raudings, and scoundrelism, and moral
deficits all the way back, whether you
call it kleptomania, or pyromania, OF
dipsomania or whether it be in mild
er form, and amount to no mania at all.
, The strong probability is that the pres
ent criminal started life with nerve
muscle and bone contaminated. As
some start life with natural tendency
to nobility and generosity and kind
ness and truthfulness, there are Others
who start life with just the opposite
tendency, and they are born liars, Oh
! BON malcontents, or born outlaws, OF
born swindlers.
There is in England school that il
called the Princess Mary school. AL
2 the children in that school are tn,
] children of convicts. The school is un
S der high patronage. had the pleas
= ure of being present at one of their an
b niversaries, presided over by the ear
T of Kintore. BY wise law in England
e after parents have committed certain
] number of crimes, and thereby shown
Y themselves incompetent rightly t.
/. bring up their children the little one
e are taken from under pernicious infu
i ences and put in reformatory schools
n where all gracious and kindly inhu
= ences shall be brought upon them. 0
o course, the experiment is young, an,
v it has got to be demonstrated HOY
e large a percentage of the children o
!. convicts may be brought up to respect
4 ability and usefulness. But we al
know that it is more difficult for chill
,. dren of bad parentage to do right thai
= for children of good parentage.
: In this country we are taught by tn
). Declaration of American independence
q that all people are born equal. Their
a never was greater misrepresentation
put in one sentence than in that sen
|. tence which implies that we are a.
! born equal. You may as well say tina
flowers are born equal, or trees ar
y born equal, or animals are born equa
, Why does one horse cost 500 and ar
. other horse cost SIS 900? Why does on
y sheep cost $40 and another sheep cos
e $500? Difference in blood. We az
II wise enough to recognize it in horse.
IL in cattle, in sheep, but we are not wis
l. enough to make allowance for the di
ference in the human blood. Now
Is demand by the law of eternal fairnes
a, that you be more lenient in your crit
Is cism of those who were born wron;
n, in whose ancestral line there was
te hangman's knot, or who came from
d, tree the fruit of which for centurit
to has been gnarled and worm-eaten.
'e DR.. Harris, reformer gave SON
E. marvellous statistics in his story of
20 woman he called Margaret, the Moth,
W of Criminals. Ninety years ago 81
:! lived in village in upper New Yor
ID state. She was not only poor, but sf
ID was vicious. She was not we'll pr,
is vided for. There were no almshous
i'd there. The public, however, som
Of what looked after her. but chief
IS scoffed at her and derided her, al
rs pushed her farther down in her Grim
T. That was 80 years ago. The
have been 623 persons in tn
e. ancestral line, 200 of the
so criminals. In one branch of that far
r. lily there were 20, and nine of the
s. have been in state prison, and near
to all of the others have turned out ba
m ly. 1t is estimated that that fami
cost the county and state 100000,
say nothing of the property they d
stroyed. Are you not willing, as sens
bic, fair people, to acknowledge that
BY is fearfRl disaster to be born in SUI,
an ancestral line? Does it not make
great difference whether one descen