TODAY MATTERS!
How does one person make a difference?
Richard Dugdale asked himself that question in 1874.
He was a member of the executive committee of the Prison System in New York and he was chosen to inspect thirty county jails. When he got to one county, he was surprised by how many people in jail were related by blood. He discovered that this family was notorious for their criminal behavior. He researched the family and discovered that their family tree could be traced back to a man called Max, who was born about 1720. He had six daughters and two sons. He was a heavy drinker and wasn’t fond of work or marriage. Of his 709 descendants, 180 were living in poverty, 140 were criminals, 60 were habitual thieves and 50 were common prostitutes.
Another kind of family.
Jonathan Edwards, the theologian, pastor and president of Princeton was born in 1703 and he and his wife Sarah, had eleven children. Of his 1400 descendants, 13 were college presidents, 65 were professors, 100 were lawyers, including a law school dean, 30 were judges, 66 were physicians, 80 were holders of public office, including 3 U.S. senators, 3 majors of large cities, 3 governors, a controller of the U.S. Treasury and a U. S. vice president.
(Taken from the book, “Today Matters” by John Maxwell)
