Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-07-14

~ I'VE hgJloNIN0Hnt 0NOW
not inherited rs the three children aud
| by the graiIdcli!L.y Dr. Strahan. in
| that wonderful book entitled Suicide
anI Insanity" gives Illustration after
illustration Of parents afflicted with
suicidal mania whose children and
| grandchildren aud great grandchildren
| layc suffered from the same fatal az
fiction.
Now IL wa can inherit the Mental
weaknesses Of our forefathers we can
:lsO inherit their mental strength II is
| surely something more than Il colncl.
.aucc that we have had in our national
| history statesmen and patriots whose
SOILS or gr;indsons have served their
country with the ability of their an
ccStorS aud have rcscmbled them In
iarntal calihcr The Adamses, father
ahd son. the llarrisOns. grandfather
and grandson. IN our list VI presidents,
are conspicuous Illustrations So we
| have sccn the Beechers produce min
listers because their ancestors were
ministers aud the llothschlds produce
| bankers because their ancestors were
bankers. | always did admire the pol
| ICY of the presidents Of the United
Staics. which IL TO give Il preference
To the SONS Of the noted American
soldiers when they make their appoint.
ncntS TO West Point. As n rule 1t Is
far easier to make II soldier ont OF
boy whose father and grandfather were
| soldiers than 10 make a soldier out Of
the son of merchant or out OF one
whose ancestors were tlllers OF the soil
Learn the tendency Of your minds by
studying the records Of your ancestors
mental accomplishments. our mental
acumcn comes from them as we'll as
orr physical equipment. Whose son
art thou" From whom dldst thou
g't the gray matter Of thy brain:
Inheritance of Capacity.
We inherit our physical and mental
tendencies. then, but we do more than
that. We also Inherit our capacities
| As some people are born with mu-
Seal gift or an artists gift or with
weak lc.S or with weak eyes. SO some
| people are born impulSivc or lethargic
OF gruif or gentle or lazy or energetic
or brave or cDwardly. our way OF
dealing with the brain or the body Is
| just aS much an ancestral heritage as
the body and the mind themselves.
Let me Illustrate my thought by II
very common incident of everyday life:
| Here. for instance. is II child born
with the quality of cauti0usness well
! developed This chld's father and
mother ana grandfathers and grand
mothers were all cautious. The male
ancestors We're not men OF adventure.
They were not fishermen. defying the
storms Off the banks of Newfoundland
| But these ancestors were quiet mer-
chants of the city. What is the result?
| The country boy who roams over the
| fields barcfooted laughs AT the city boy
as a coward. BY birth and education
he Is in direct contrast 10 him and is
afraid Of nothing. The horses hoofs
and the barking dogs and the squirm-
| ing snakes and the deadly tarantulas
mean no more 10 him than 80 many
harmless doves or fleeing cottoutall
rabbits. In the one ease the child both
by birth and hy education is cautious
child while IN the other. the country
boy. by birth ana education, knows not
what physical fear means
lint let uS 20 further and find this
Inherited tendency Ia the moral and
the spiritual life. Here, for instance,
is a child born the son and the grand
son AMI the great grandson Of crirni-
nails oh. yes. those ancestors may
have been physically brave. They may
have been brave as highwaymen to
halt tile sta@ccoach NJ the point OF the
revolver or brave rs unurmed crimi-
mails 10 wrench the pistol out OF the
grasp of the officer who came 10 ar
rest them, But for years those ances-
tors may have been living In the witt
ating atmosphere of immortality and
sin. Now. can any one affirm that that
child. coming from such morally dis
eascd ancestry, has as much DISPOSE
ton 10 live II good, moral life as has
the child who is the son and the grand
son and the great-grandson OF Chris
| tian parentst No. no, Their inherited
dispositions are different. The one dis
position almost sweeps the child of his
feet ana leads him like running
stream away from God. The other in
hcritcd disposition. like II swift moving
current. carries him toward God. The
body Is iuherltable The mental acu
men Is lnlicritable The dispositions Of
that body mind and soul are also in
heritablc
Make Allowances For Them.
The sins of the fathers aud mothers,
~ we'll rs their virtues, are visited up
on the children even to the third and
the fourth generations. believe his
tory and statistics prove II. Now,
what are 10 be the great practical de-
ductionSf Ia the first place. | would
charge you To have sympathy with
those who prenatally as we'll as by en-
virunmcnt in childhood had Il bad
start IN life. DO not be too harsh upon
the maynard ones unless You lind out
who WAS their father ANA who their