The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-10-31
THE PRIME LNGKRsOLL DEBATE.

The Courter.JOur1dl thus happily |
disposes of the most tedious aud use
less display of rhetoric known to
modern newspaper experience:
Bob Ingersoll and DR.. Prime, of
the NeK York Observer. are engag-
ed in an acrimonious controversy
over the condition Of Tom Paine's
mind when he died. It appears to
be very dead subject for a news
paper controversy, and it is difficult
to perceiye.what good can come of
it. We have DR.. Primes assertion.
with voluminous proof TO back it,
that Paine died a drunkard and q
blasphemer, and was by no means
sustained in his Last hours by the
system of reasoning which he had
made a substitute for the Christian
religion, essentially a religion of
faith, and the acceptance of much
which human reason fails to ex-
plain. Bob Ingersoll has replied to
DIR. Prime. with an equally volumi-
nous amount of proof, that Paine has
been grossly slandered by the Chris
tians, and that he died as absolute
ly sublime a death as Socrates.
There were probably moments
in Paine's last moments when his
system of philosophy failed to sus-
tain him. and according to the testi-
mony of two Roman Catholic priests
who visited him the day before he
died, Whose testimony is not mem
toned by DR.. Prime.) he exhibited
bitter antipathy to the bare men
ton of the Christian religion, and
ordered his visitors out of the room.
Paine's case, however, was excep-
tional. Had he RETAINED from liq.
uor it is probable he would have
passed off the stage as camly as st.
Simon, or Blanco White, or any
other prominent reflector OF the
Christian system OF religion. 1t does
not follow that because a man re.
pudiates the dominant religion of
civilization he will die q death of
horrible mental torture. unless some
dark crime has blotted the conscience
and the mind recoils at the bare
possibilities of a future existence
stormy with remorse or limitless
punishment OF any other kind. A
man Of strong will, who has lived
solidIy. Indifferent to either Christi
anity or philosophy, can, when the
hour of death draws near, wrap him
self in his covering and turn his face
to the wall and die without a sigh.
The Ingersoll- Prime controversy pre-
sents no overwhelming arguments
in favor Of either Christianity or
materialistic philosophy as ancillary
to triumphant death. Ingerson,
the blasphemer, may die with
smile upon his face. while DIR. Prime
himself, however confident of realiz
ing the beatifc vision of heaven he
may be, may exhibit trepidation and
nervousness at the touch of death.
The human mind can school itself to
the contemplation of death, and may
calmly and satisfactorily reflect up
on extinction Of both body and soul
at death rejecting entirely the beau
tiful and hopeful Christian doctrines
with a cold bloodedness which to
the Christian seems marvellous. So
that had Paine died as sublimely as
Ingersoll says he did, it would prove
nothing as to the truth OF the Inger-
sollian religion. Nor does DIR.
Primes version of Paine's death add
feather weight to the accretion
of evidence in favor of the Christian
religion, for the presence of death
terrifies or enraptures just in proper
ton to the amount of will or faith
possessed by the human subject.
The philosophic system OF the world.
which are supposed to have savable
qualities, depend on will. The
Christian religion depends for its
final triumph on faith