The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-02-09
THE PULPIT.
I SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. HERBERT H. MOTT.
Subject: Can . Man Do .s He Likes:

THE REV. HERBERT H. MOTT.
Subject: Can . Man Do ~ He Likes?
Boston, Mass. - The following ser.
mon was contributed to The Christian
Register by the Rev. Herbert H. Mott
1t is entitled Can a Man Do as He
Likes" and the text is: Choose you
this day who you will erve."-JOShua
xiv. Is.
Can man do as he likes?
OF course not! you say. All sorts of
barriers hedge him round. He would
like to fly as the birds fly, but the
weight of his flesh and bones keeps
plodding along the ground. He is born
poor or stupid: consequently he can
neither buy steam yacht nor set the
| Thames on fire, though he would like
dearly to do both. The force Of public
opinion compelS him to don a tall silk
hat and frock coat when he would
much prefer to go about in golf cape
and a shooting jacket. The force of
public law compels him to run his auto
at ten miles an hour when he very
much wishes to spin along joyously at
the rate of thirty. Every man exists
under a set of compulsions. He is
obliged to submit to many limitations,
natural and artificial. and he is COM
PEELED, by pushes and pulls and press
ureS he is unable to resist. to DO many
things he doesn't want to do.
Nevertheless. in spite of mans alb
ject slavery in certain directions. is
there not some small space. some little
area. ain which. instead of being Il
slave HE is actually and truly free? 4
depafment Of life and conduct in
w llch he can do as he likes?
The old doctrine-the doctrine be-
lieved by our fathers, and by nearly
the whole Of humanity. civilized and
uncivilfzed. in every part of the world,
from the beginning Of recorded time
was that there is such department of
life and conduct: that in all vital mat
terS, in all matters that have to do
with the moral quality of life. man
can do as he likes. Our fathers held
that, whenever We stand at point
where two roads diverge, we are able
to choose select. determine, which
road to pursue. In such situation
the casting vote remains with US.
Whenever two or more governments,
leaders, employers. claim our allegiance.
We can Choose whom we will serve"
This is true. said our fathers. no mat
ter how severe the pressure The
temptation. urgency. force Of circum-
stances. may be so great rs to rescm-
bic compulsion- 1t appears as II we
were obliged to take one road rather
than the other. This, said our fathers.
Is appearance only. In reality, when
ever two or more alternatives pre-
sent themselves, whenever two roads
open before US, the decision remains
with US. 1t is with Us to say yes on
no. to lift the latch or not to lift It. to
take the left or tire right No matter
how great the pressure brought to
bear on US. in the Last resort we can
always choose poverty instead Of
riches. captivity instead of freedom
suffering instead Of ease. and instead
of life, rather than yield. II nsed be,
wS can always choose death.
This is the old doctrine. and. al
though it has stood both the test Of
time and the test Of experience there
appears to be. in these days, q widely
spread tendency to- ignore IT,. No ene
denies that circumstances exercise a
powerful influence over our lives. but
the tendency nowadays is to- aSeribe
everything to circumstances.
1t is related that the eminent natur-
alist, Professor Boriton,. placed the
eggs of caterpillars in differently COL
ored boxes. and left them there to-
hatch out. with the remarkable result
that the eggs in the blue box hatched
out into blue caterpillars, those i'm the
red boz into red. and those in the vel
low box into yellow caterpillarS. They
were. you see. the product Of their
surroundings. they were what the tint
Of their surroundings made them. And
so. it is declared. are your and L. we
are what our surroundings and those
Of our ancestors make u.s. We are tile
planes Of outside conditions. past and
present.
Here is n man who is an enemy Of
society. He preys upon his kind. His
career is divided between debauciery
and other crimes. He lis: the victim
the helpless victim. Of outward circum-
stances We are told. His mother WAS
a dIuuhdlu, NlS luiueI NNS IL tuicI-
He was reared in the slumS:. What
can you expect?. True, he has BEEN to-
reform SCHOOL, true;, he has been
helped and aided by various, phiian-
thropic people whom he has mprGiless-
~ deceived. But he. poor fellow!
could not help himself. Like Profes-
sor Boulton's- caterpillars. he took on
the tint OF his environment. Born in
black box. he turns out black. His
surroundings were evil. therefore. lie
is evil.
Or. again. there is the hero who. Ike
Charles Lamb, gives up ALL. i'm order to
support some one dependent on him.
or surrenders life itself In order to
save the lives Of Others. We are told
the same story about the hero as about
the thief He is not brave or Self-de-
nying Of HIS own accord. He is heroic
simply because the conditions I'm which
he was; brought up were favorable to
heroism. and so heroism grew out Of
his soul. Just as cabDages grow out Of
tho coil rhan tho. coil cont zine tho