Year: 1878

.


Of wives and Of these little ones who ar'
, not responsible for coming into the world


Surely liberalism will have no support Il


give to a law by which habitual intem
perance incapacitates a man for the sup
porting Of his family. There is, however
a power yonder which seems not 10 bs
governed by sentiment like this which


has made a law that every habitually in
temperate man shall have his veins tor


tured, and shall have every nerve seized
in red hot pinchers That government


is terribly in earnest That Is what il


does. Ii does that every time. You


know that There is not a particle ol
doubt on this subject There is not q


scintilla Of unrest in mems minds on this


whole topic What do you suppose the


government means2


Bot, now. what il il should be enacted


in Massachusetts,, in addition to both


these other laws. that every habitually


intemperate man shall transmit dis


eased constitution to his offspring. and


that this injury TO the health OF the chill


dren shalt endure to the third and fourth


geneTation2 Who would vote for such a


regulation Where is the man educated


in Arnoldism, where is the man brought


up on the platitudes OF Spencerian Mes.


cience. where is the person who thinks


that, on the whole. whatever we do. the


nature of things is on our side-where is


the man that believes that il is safe 10


teach the people to rely on an opportu


nifty for repentance after death, that


would not exclaim with horror il a prop


osition were made to him to pass such a


law, rs thy servant a dog that he should


do this thingT" IL Massachusetts should
adopt such a law, and execute it every
time. you would be sure Of two things, at
least-that she is terribly partisan, and
that she is terribly in earnest. Tho Su.
preme Powers have enacted such a law,
and executed il every time; and they
have not made an apology for 6 600 years.
! LApplause.


Evidently. the first thing to be said
about this terrific earnestness Of the Pow.
ers above is what has already been hinted.
that the law Of initial heredity belongs to
/ virtue Just as much as to vice. Suppose
/ that when these laws were passed in
/ Massachusetts,. il should also be enacted
that every man who lives a virtuous hfe,
every man who fills his soul with the
/ Divine Spirit, every man who BY self
surrender to natural laws puts their pow
eT on his side, shall be blessed above his
anticipation, shall have good judgment
given him when he did not possess il
before. shall have health as a kind Of
perpetual intoxication. shall have the
power to transmit to another generation
better conditions than his own. You say
that you would vote for such a law. but
not for its opposite or course not
Mans vote is not asked for in the passage
of natural laws IL is not TO be supposed
that because you would vote for what
you call the kind regulations, you would
for the stern ones. Not you Every
thing must be callow and .mucilaginous
in your government. Laughter The
government Of the universe j. not callow
At all. There is an Ebal yonder and
Gerizim also. With you. however. there
must be an upper, but not an under;
there must be a right hand. but not a
lett hand; there must be a before. but
not an after But up youder different
ideas prevail. The truth is that your
regulations, the moment they were put
in force. would become a curse, deep,
multiplex, immeasurable.


PROCLAMATION TO REFORM.


Who does not see that the terrific seri-
business Of the laws of hereditary descent.
instead Of being an injustice, is a procla-
nation TO every man to institute a re-
form2 Who does not see that the stern.
ness Of what is done on the left hand.
pushes humanity into the softness OF the
right hand2 Who does not see that God
makes all His chas stisements like the
mothers tossings OF her infant upon her
knees? This is Tor the sake Of health
He makes them TO be like obstacles laid
down in the path OF a child learning to
walk. A little elambering is an educa-
ton.


II, after all their allurements Of prom.
ise and their threat of doom. there il at
last no hope of reform. what do the laws
of hereditary descent do2 They put an
end to the earthly existence OF the trans
gressors When I mediate on the Sc
verify Of the laws Of hereditary descent.
| am relieved by remembering that the
earthly career Of vice is short. Before
the eyes Of exact observation Is this
world, the thoroughly vicious family j. at
last burned up. So much we know be.
yond a peradventure as TO the fires Of the
universe. One Of the greatest curses
pronounced alike by the Scriptures and
natural law upon evil is that shall have
no name long in the earth.


But, you say that sometimes evil dis.
positions last q great while. Sometimes
people who are half vicious and half vir-
virtuous, If such expressions may be
allowed. puzzle the world in families that
live century after century. Yes In
spite Of the severity Of the laws Of hered-
itary descent. God gives every half
a chance. He suffers long with a man
who has taken out Of the ancestral spaces.
burdens. and comes weighted into life -
He gives him an opportunity and puts
by his side these laws OF heredity. rever
sional. collateral, PRENATAL, prenatal
and initial Direct heredity does not
choke him. Five other laws Of heredity
stand by him, if natural law is obcyed-
Every human being has all the chances
represented by the seven laws Of heredi-
tary descent


But when the Supreme Power sees that
no chance l. improved. then il allows the
laws Of heredity TO shut down upon the
transgressors, and they are removed from
the earth.


What good does that Tiddance or re.
moyal do2 IL has been justly said that
the ages are kept from being insane hy
the cradles and by death. IL we could
not get -id Of disordered human orgaui.
zations, what would happen to the centu.
ries2 Oliver Wendell Holmes remarNs
that most people think that any difficulty
OF physical sort can be cured IL a ply
sician Is called early enough. Yes be
replies, but early enough would com
monty be 2U0 years in advance Laugh
ter Concerning the terrific earnestness
OF nature, IL is certain that she means
we'll even in her seventies, and that we
must treat her as we would q kind com
monwealth


There is one service that the Supreme
Powers are willing to do for u. and
which have not supposed human power
TO endeavor TO effect in parallel case
The Supreme Powers have law. Of the
existence Of which we have seen the
proof here that whenever man submits