The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-01-05
REWARD OF FITTEST'
The Rev. Or. Talmage's Sermon
on Harmonious Development.
Truth In Dnrwin's Theory, "The
survival of the Fittest." In the
Physical. Mental, Moral and
Spiritual Worlds.


this sermon the preacher demonstrates
the rule Of natural law in the spiritual
world. and shows that physical, men
tai, moral and spiritual development
ought to proceed harmoniousy together
TO produce the best type Of manhood
and wOmanhoOd The text Is Psalm /,
y. The way Of the ungodly shall per
sh."
OF all the books which Charles Darwin
wrote not one has had greater influence
upon thc scientific world that his or
igIn Of Species by Means Of Natural Sc
lection We do not accept that book
ia amy of It's goddess teaching. but in
that book is one sentence which in n
narrow sense we do accept The sur
viyll OF the httest" is sentence which
will 20 ringing down the corridors of
time. We find the survival Of the lttest
everywhere We find the stronger
plants crowding out the weaker We
nnd the stronger species living upon
and driving ont the weaker species.
We find the stronger creatures of the
various species trampling upon and
destroying the animals and plants Of
their own kind.
The other day / was sitting on
porch overlooking beautiful yard
filled with roses. Suddenly | heard
great cOmmotiOn in the hcnco0p
With that / saw big cat gracefully
leap over the fence with little chicken
i'm her mouth. Then. of in the distance.
I saw that eat run away I'm terror from
q pursuing dog Then. In imagination.
saw that little dog being seized by a
hungry wolf Then ! saw the wolf
being killed by mountain lion. Next
saw the lion being slain by the bul
let Of man. I'm imagination, every
where ! saw the stronger preying upon
the weaker. As sat on that porch
said to myself. "ls not Charles Oar
wins sentence. the survival Of the
Gttcst.' not only the law of nature. but
also the law of GOdr Yes. yes.
said. II IS true. God deals with the
human race just as he deals with the
vegetable and animal kingdoms, as
well as with the mineral. 1t IS not
for us to vindicate that law. Our in
tercst and our duty lie IN recognizing
lis existence and adapting ourselves 10
its operation. The penalty Of indO
Ience I'm this world is subJection and
finally extinction. The men who are
weak through listlessness fail I'm the
race against strong limbed rivals.
Those who would win must strive.
Strong physically should we be.
Whyf Because I'm this rustllng. bus
Ting. pushing. jostllng and high pres
sure age it is almost an lmpOssibillty
for any man TO make a success In life
unless he is broad Of chest, stout Of
limb and clear Of eye. Even under
the very brightest Of conditions the
physical strain Is awful. With poor
physical equipment successful life
is well nigh an lmpOssibIity.
II you do not believe in the physical
survival Of the fittest, sound the chests
of some Of our successful men. When
the great Henry Ward Beechcr for the
first time entered the Office Of DIR,
Orson Fowler the phrenologist eX-
claimed TO his partner, "My, what IA
fine anlmalw Mr.. Beecher was 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 Of his class I'm Amherst college.
But as | look upon long row of pie
fures OF the worlds most eminent min
listers Of the past generation find that
almost without exception they were all
good animals. II Is almost IN impos
sibllity for any man TO stand In the
front rank Of the ministry today with
out being a physical athlete. Rev.
Robert Collyer. the poetic preacher of
New York. graduated from the black
smiths forge. but many ministers
who are preaching in our large cities
today could easily step from the pulpit
70 the blacksmith forge and strike a
hcrculean blow, so great is their phys
lcal as well as mental stamina.
"Thc survival Of the fittest." oh. yes.
we find II I'm the law Of physical equip |
ment Young men, young women. IN
this struggle OF life are you going TO
allow yourselves TO be trampled under
foot merely because you do not look |
after your physical healthy Are you
going 10 let the great opportunities OF
life slip from your grasp merely be |
cause you have not taken the proper |
physical exercise and food and sleep |
for your lungs and heart and stomachi |
oh" said William T. Sherman to |
General Grant one day, 81 feel just as
able 10 carry on another war as l did |
twenty years ago" You may feel so
Sherman" answered General Grant |
"but feeling so does not make you able
We may be mentally as bright as we
ever were. but we could not stand the /
physical strain" The civil war was
fought and won just as much by /
Grants stomach as by Grants brain.
Young people by the law Of the surviv-
nj Of the ittcst God bids you take care
OF yourselves physically. This is a tru'
ism. but # is a trulsm the Darwinian
teachings, as we'll as the divine com
mandments, never tire Of pressing
home TO human hearts. see the broad
stout chested farmers boy coming 10
the town and pushing the pale faced
physical weaklings TO right and left.
/ would also tell you that there is an
inexorable law Of the survival Of the
fttest IN the mental world. The man
who can think the quickest. the mar
who can supply some long felt want IN
the community, Is the man who Is going
~ crowd his competitors 10 the wall
and there is no help for II. The same
law which makes It possible for cat
to pounce upon little chicken or
4 - 4. f.o,N ,,t.op Tho hQpk Of |