Year: 1878

zation. Both physically and mentally


disproportions in their animal, social,


moral, and intellectual powers-come in


to life. many Of them, and 90 through


it with practically no effort TO improve


their condition. Look at the myriads OF


human beings, whose intellectual and


moral condition is below that Of the ami


mails themselves, who live and have lived


in Africa, in Central Asia, the Montezu


mas, the American Indians, and hosts OF
others A man may take map Of the


world. and with the points Of two Of his
fingers cover all the portion Of the earth


that is Christianized Always. in all com


munities, vast numbers inherit diseased


or depraved conditions. Countless thou


sands are born physically depraved. Some
/ are born without enough backbone and
| others have too much and are hump


backed. We see them limping through
/ life. on cFutches. and crawling through ;
\ and others Of them, small, dwarfed, with
/ an inherited blight, three feet high, four
I feet high, suffering for the transgressions
Of their fathers, and their fathers fathers.
/ IL would be almost as reasonable to ex
I pect to change the stature Of these men,
after they have reached their growth. as
to expect to improve their mental condi-
ton; and which of you, by taking
thought, can add one cubit to his stature.
No practical or theoretic effort has ever


been made to prevent the reproduction Of


these conditions Marriage is optional


and casual with all classes. There is no


limit to the hereditary spread OF con


sumption. insanity, intemperance, ami


malism, brute disposition they may be


transmitted without rebuke OF law or


public sentiment So that, at every gen


81 he


same conditions, sweeping against and


almost overwhelming the good that Chris


tanity has done to these unfortunates.


There is very little gain, and what there


is is very slow and insecure. The great


mass of men are obliged to exert their
whole force to obtain physical support
Then men who have time to educate and


improve and ennoble and elevate them
selves, as compared with the great mass
who are slaves, are as the cream to skim
milk. The overwhelming majority OF
men have in all time and in all ages been
So ground down with the mere physical
effort to obtain food and raiment that
they have been almost as the beasts OF
the field, with their heads bent down to
the grass. | cannot think OF this.


In speaking of the lOwly condition Of
the great masses Of the human race. Mr.


Beecher was so overcome that he was
compelled to pause, and there were many
fearful eyes in the church.


The conditions OF society keep the
masses IN a heated. nervous, struggling
condition. The barriers OF society are
among the strongest to keep men in
place in a civilized community. There
is not a man in this church, nor a woman
either, who dare defy them. No ade-


- 4 -
or State for the elevation Of men who
have not enough will stamina To act as
independent individuals. II is the spirit
OF Christ in mems hearts that holds the
Church from corruption There have
been more quarrels and more wars on
account of religion than there ever were
from any other cause II the Church had
been left in the hands Of the priesthood
it would have gone to the devil long ago.
They have no sympathy with anything
that combats their ideas. Ii is in the
household, by the iireside, and in loving
mothers hearts that the Gospel has been
sustained. Religion will wed science and
science will wed religion | hail the day
when the two shall unite. They will
come together coyly at first like other
lovers, but there will be the kiss and the
warm embrace, and at last they will mar
ry, and there will be no more trouble be
tween them than is generally found in
wcll-governed families. These are two
in the natural world
and God in the spiritual world. We
must have ethics for nations and for
races, including all conditions. for phys.
ical health and social environment. civil |
liberty and light. and the wholesome in
heritance OF well regulated minds Do
you think tho beautiful valley Of the Am |
azOn was put in this world to produce
nothing but enormous plants and useless
trees | cannot believe L. You and !
may not live TO see it. but the day will
come when the whole world will be chris
tianized. when every knee will bow, aud
every tongue confess. You will not SEE
it here. will not see it here. But ]
shall see it there, pointing heavcnward ]


Mr.. Beecher at several points in the
sermon broke out into bursts Of eloquence
that held his audience spell bound After
the services hundreds OF the members OF
the congregation pressed forward and
congratulated him. The sermon was
considered one OF the great
est that Mr.. Beecher has ever preached
from Plymouth pulpit A number OF the
Oldest members OF the church accompan-
led him to his house to express their
warm appreciation of what they declared
ore OF the greatest sermons of his life.