The daily sentinel., 1913-08-05

respectively me lawyers children
of note numbered $40; the physi-
clans children $50; the ministers
children l.2l0." In Great Britain, at
least, it would not seem to be a severe
handicap to be a minister's child,
when such children have outnumber-
ed by almost so per cent in notable
achievements the children of the two
honorable professions of law and
medicine combined.
But what OF the United States?
Some time ago a STUDY OF the census
/ by Mr.. ID. o. S. Lowell brought out
the following facts. For every 221
men in the United States there is 1
minister's son. On that basis, out of
every 221 men who serve the nation
in a conspicuous way, l should be a
minister's son, provided ministers
families furnish their full quota and
no more. By examination of the
book. Who's Who in America" it
was found that the ministers sons
should supply 81 out Of the ten or
twelve thousand names 1t contained.
As a matter of fact, instead of con-
tributing 8 names they crowded to
the front with S9S. or nearly / S times
as many as their normal proportion
should show. In other words, while
put OGl VI VI Tue htutIdl Uldlt
population distinguished themselves,
nearly one out of l > ministers sons
served the nation in a conspicuous
manner. Or, to put it a little differ
emily, the ministerial stock of less
than one-half of one per cent of the
total population gained per cent of
the honors.' One out OF every 221
presidents of the United States should
be a minister's son. As a matter of
fact they have furnished 3 out of 2S
presidents, or nearly 25 times their
normal proportion. And sons of the
manse constitute almost 20 per cent
of the names in the nall of fame at
the New York university.
These facts and many similar ones
make it perfectly plain that DR.. Hun
ter was speaking without the book.
He was perpetuating an ancient false
hood without taking the trouble to
ascertain the real situation. If, as he
says, the moral produce immoral
offspring and the old joke about the
minister's son is founded on history"
il, in other words, there is no virtue
in pure blood and righteous training
and good example, then let christian
home training cease; let us close up
our Sunday schools run at so much
] lsRbpl bAh tNPNhots lNL un bloNOlNlllht
demanding moral teaching in our
public schools. What's the use?
But the Doctors inference is alb
surd. Either he has not made any
observations worth while, or he has
not read history, rather biography, to
any account, or else he has no faith
| in the moral universe. Each OF these
would make strong case against
him.
That some well-trained children 20
wrong no one will deny, but 1t is not
the rule. Th1re is law as old as
the raca announced by God thousands
of years ago, namely: Il, Jehovah,
thy God visit the iniqulty of the faith
ers upon their children unto the third
and fourth generations of them that
hate me, and show mercy unto thou
sand generations of them that love
me and keep my commandments
| That law is as dependable as the law
of grayitation, and makes effort in
the right direction worth while. We
cannot look to moral and physical de-
generates to furnish the leaders of
the race. They never have; they
never will. | venture the assertion
that the vast majority of the people
who are serving the nation in a con-
spicuous way today are not more
than one or two degrees removed
from strictly religious families.
These words are not written to
laud ministers families, but TO help
to put down the senseless notion that
christian training makes it harder
than usual to live a decent life, and
that ministers sons and deacons'
daughters are a conspicuous proof
of it.
Very truly,
CHAS.. +. SETTER.