Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-07-28
Calnnase
sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. ID. ID.


world. and shows that physical. men,
tai, moral and spiritual development
ought to proceed tremendously together
TO produce the best type of manhood
and womanhood. The text is Psalm i,
8. 1.-The way of the ungodly shall per-
ish.'
Great was the scientific galaxy of the
Victorian era. Herbert Spencer and
John Tyndall and Thomas Henry Hulk
ley and Michael Faraday and Sir Hum.
phry Davy and Sir Charles Lyell and
Sir William Hooker and John Stevens
Henslow and scores Of other botanists
and physicists and chemists aud geolo-
gists Will make the reign OF Victoria
famous during the coming centuries, as
the contemporary poets of Shakespeare
immortalized the Elzabethan reign.
Yet among all the naturalists who liv-
ed IN England during the nineteenth
century not one will be more quoted by
future generations than Charles Oar
win. The son and grandson OF two
great ancestors, he was the greatest OF
the three. From under the overhang-
Ing dome Of that great forehead there
locked forth penetrating eyes which
read the prehistoric genealogies of ami
mails and vegetables As n geologist he
read the open leaves Of rocks. The past
ages were 10 him rs seconds of time.
He lived not in generations or in cen
turtles, but in ages and in millenniums.
Though, like GalilN, he was excom-
municated by the church and looked
upon rs an enemy of the Cross. his re-
a,.o1,, 4
now being used. to prove that true sci
ence and divine revelation are one.
OF all the books which Charles Darwin
wrote not one has had greater influence
upon the scientific world that his Cor
1gin of Species by Means of Natural Sc
lection" We do not accept that book
in any of its goddess teaching, but in
that book is one sentence which in
narrow sense we do accept. 1.-The sur
vival of the fitteSt'' is n sentence which
will go ringing down the corridors of
time. We find the survival of the fittest
everywhere. We find the stronger
plants crowdlng out the weaker. We
ind the stronger species living upon
and driving out the weaker species.
We find the stronger creatures of the
various species trampling upon and
destroying the animals and plants OF
their own kind.
Stronger Versus Weaker
The other day | was sitting on a
porch overlooking beautiful yard
filled with roses. Suddenly 1 heard
great commotion I'm the hencoop.
With that 1 saw big cat gracefully
leap over the fence with little chicken
In her mouth. Then. off in the distance.
i saw that cat run away i'm terror from
pursuing dog. Then. in imagination.
saw that little dog being seized by a
hungry wolf. Then / saw the wolf
being killed by Il mountain lion: Next
saw the lion being slain by the bull.
let OF man. In imagination, every
where / saw the stronger preying upon
the weaker. As | sat on that porch /
said To myself. as not Charles OAR
wins sentence. the survival OF the
httest.' not only the law Of nature, but
also the law OF God:" Yes, yes. 1
said, IL is true. Goj deals with the
human race just e. he deals with the
vegetable and animal kingdoms, as
Wei as with the mineral 1t IS not
Tor us To vlndicate that law. Our In
terest and our duty lie in recognizing
Its existence and adapting ourselves TO
It's operation. The penalty of indo-
lence In this world Is subsection and
nnally extinction The men who are
weak through liStlessneSs fail in the
race against strong limbed rivals.
Those who would win must strive.
Strong physically should we be.
Whyg Because In this rustling. bus
Ting. pushing. jostling and high pres
sure age IL is almost an impossibllity
Tor any man TO make Il success in life
unless he Is broad OF chest, stout of
limb and clear or eye. Even under
the very brightest OF conditions the
physical strain Is awful. With poor
physical equipment successful life
Is well nigh an lmpOssibility.
Many man OF clear brain, true
heart and noblest aspirations has been
trampled underfoot merely because
he had not the physical vitality to do
the work which he was called upon to
do. The physical weakling OF the hu-
man race Is almost in the same posi-
ton as Is sick cow amid herd OF
stampedlng buffalo. If she cannot
keep UP In the mad race for life, she
falls She Is crushed under hoof. Her
sisters and brothers pass over her
PROSTATE form and quivering flesh.
The physical weaiIling is in the same
position as is the stunted tree. The
stouter tree and the taller reaches IN
and reaches down. With its broad
branches II absorhs all the sunlight
overhead and makes the stunted tree
live under its shadow. With its deep
er and stronger roots the tall tree
absorbs most OF the nutriment out of
the soil. Thus II n man is not able to
stand the physical strain and do as
much work as his stouter and broader
chested brothers. he falls, another
takes his place and the world marches
on. The physical wealxling inevitably
Is either trampled underfoot or an
other pushes him out of his position in
the line OF the advancing human army
or progress.
Survival of the FIttest.
If You do not believe in the physical
survival or the fittest, sound the chests
or some OF our successful men. Wher
the great Henry Ward Beecher for the
hrst time entered the office OF DR..
Orson Fowler the phrenologist ex-
claimed TO his partner, MY, what a
me animalr' Mr. Beecher was a fine
animal. AS you look upon the picture
OF that magnificent head you are not
surprised to hear that young Henry
ward Beecher was the finest football
kicker or his class in Amherst college.
But as look upon long row of pic
lures OF the worlds most eminent min
listers or the past generation 1 find that
almost without exception they were all
good animals. 1t is almost an impos-
sibliity for any man to stand in the
front rank OF the ministry today with
OUT being physical athlete. Rev.
robert Coiiyer, the poetic preacher of
New York. graduated from the black
smiths forge but many ministers
VINO are preaching in our large cities
today could easily step from the pulpit
10 the blacksmith forge and strike n
herculean blow. so great is their phys.