The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-11-24
PREACHERS SONS
ARE NOT THE WORST
Sermon by the Rev. !. D.
Steele.
THE EXAMPLE OF PARENTS
Many of the Great Men Of the World
Have Been Sons of Preachers.
Two Who Are Elk
ceptlons.
THE EXAMPLE OF PARENTS

At the Cumberland Presbyterian
church yesterday morning the pastor,
the Rev. I. D. Steele. delivered sermon
on the theme, Children Of Righteous
People, the text being taken from the
seventeenth verse of the one hundred
and third Psalm, His Righteousness unto
children's children
DR.. Steele said:
"One of the most important matters to
any free people is the integrity and
purity of the families. The most i'm
portant duties in any family are to the
children of the home. The greatest eff
feet on the world In the future genera
lions. will be made by the children of to-
day. Their usefulness, their happiness,
their misery, their crime will depend on
how they are trained In morals, religion
/ and intellect. This will influence their
destiny and the destiny of the coming
age.
Great sons of great fathers are few,
and why this is there are doubtless more
great oak is broad and beautiful but
notable plants do not rise in this shady
circle. Children OF ilIustrious men and
women begin life with great advantage
over others. As a rule this vantage
ground is poorly improved and avails
but little. It is easy to rely on fathers
success. or family prestige. This is the
foreshadowing of a dead failure. The
children of the righteous, who follow
hard in the footprints of a righteous
father or mother, may expect to be
blessed with useful and successful lives.
It is not true that righteous people have
the worst children; the reverse is true
1t is not true that a preacher has, as a
rule, the worst son in the community.
1t is saying that his sons are the worst
children in town or city. If this is
true. Gods promise to the children Of
righteous parents is failure
Good Mothers.
MANY of the most distinguished NEW
owe their steadfast upright lives to their
godly mothers. John Marshall the great
est constitutional judge this country ever
| produced and George Washington, one
or the worlds greatest men, had godly
mothers. These great men never ADAM
| doned these Influences The list of great
men who were Influenced by godly pa
rents is too great to quote.
What Is the record of ministers fami-
| lies? l assume they are representative
class of righteous people, who train their
| sons to live honestly and religiousiy.
submit a list of those among the most
useful and distinguished men of the
| world; they are not only sons of righteous
parents. but sons of gospel preachers
Take the statesmen: Everett, Allen G.
Thurman. William E. Foster. John B.
| Balfour. Sir William Harcourt These
/ mo anrad nf fh<
who signed the declaration of independ-
ence are such men as John Witherspoon,
John Hancock, Geirge Taylor, George
Ross, Samuel Chase, Robert T. Paine,
Frances Lewis. William Williams Some
of the great poets who blessed the world
with the best literature. were sons of
| preachers; such as Joseph Addison Oliver
W. Holmes, Ben johnson, Oliver Gold
smith, Lord Alfred Tennyson James Rus
sell Lowell. Samuel T. Colderidge VIII
| liam Cowper and Clement c. Moore out
| of the manse have come some of the
| truly great justices, such as William
| Strong. David Brewer of the United
| States supreme court, David Duley Field.
| Stephen ]. Filed and Lord Ellenborough
chief Justice of England. 1 might also
mention as historians who were sons of
the pulpit. such men as George Bancroft
Archibald Alison, Henry, Hallam, VIII
liam Robertson; and as essayists Matthew
Arnold and A. Frances. Lord Macauiay's
grand father was a Presbyterian minis
ter.
THE sires of some of the men who
have greatly honored and blessed the
world in business and who have been of
notable service to the country and COM
merce, were godly preachers, such as
Samuel B. Morse, the great inventor of
the telegraph. How much is the world
indebted to him? Cyrus w. Field who
al hn aoh
president; Chester Arthur. President;
Levi p. Morton. Vice President, and Hor-
alto Nelson, admiral, who fought Eng
lands greatest naval battle, were sons
of preachers.
Sons Follow Fathers.
Some of the greatest men of the pull
pit. had fathers who filed the sacred
desk. such as Charles Spurgeon, Canon
Farrar Jonathan Edwards John Wesley.
Charles Wesley, Robert Hail.. Richard
Storr, Norman Macleod and Henry Ward
Beecher. 1t is useless for me to add to
this distinguished gallery other names.
The array would embrace seventeen of
the greatest vocations in life. and men
| who shine on the pages of history.
| There are two men, sons of preachers
! who lived distinguished lives, but re-
| nounced the righte lives of their ia
| theirs, and lived to an ignoble purpose;
| these are Aaron Burr and Bob Ingersol.
Where are the blessings these two have
left to humanity? What heritage to the
world of commerce, literature or the
homes of the people? 1 declare this day,
| that one Cyrus Field. one Charles Spur
geon, one John Wesley, or one Joseph Ad-
olson, who followed the righteous life
of a preacher father, did more good for
the world than ten thousand lives like
that of colonel Ingersol. I give these ex-
amples to show that children of Cody
| parents usually do well. Sons and daugh-
ters of Cody laymen make up the lead
ing element Of the world. Some of the
reasons for the success of ministers sons
are; as rule, his father has a limited
amount OF goods of this world, the son
is forced to painful blessing OF economy
and industry. He has the purest and best
books and wide range of literature In
the home. He has the example and pre-
| cept of holy life ever before him.
The promises of Gods blessings are
to children of those who live pure before
| God and men.