The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-05-24
Bob Ingersolrs Evolutionary
Ideas.

There 10 IN my judgment no slavery
except ignorance, and no liberty except
intelligence. feel tha. there is an
excuse nseded for my race. l will state
why man has no. attained a higher con-
dition of mental and moral growth. i
have come 10 the belief that this world
is not very good place to raise folks.
Laughter In the first place. it is
only small part of it that Is fitted as u
dwelling place for man. Another OBJ
stacle 10 the climate the North i. too
cold. and the South too tiercely hot,
leaving only narrow strip called the
temperate zone. in which q great aud
grand population can be produced
This fact is beautifully symbolized IN
nature In the valleys the tender
plants are easily choked by weeds
Further up the mountain side are the
sturdy oaks and the naples Still
further the naked underbrush, and
/ stunted pines. like weak old men. until
even these disappear, and nothing is
seen but moss and lichens, and finally
uaught but little freckles on the face
of Storm barred rocks. so 1t Is with
man. Going North no grows small aud
brainless. and going south he grows
weak aud brainless. Another obstacle
which We have ba to contend with Is
the fact that we carne up from lower
animals. This | firmly believe, for
how otherwise are We 10 account
for men acting like snakes and
hyenss, aud tigers aud wolves (
Laughter stand eight to seven OIL
that proposition. Prolonged laughter
aud cheers To be sure, the doctrine
is rather hard ON people who have moth
ing 20 boast Of tut ancestors. but |
would rather belong To race that has
grown up thaa one tha. has come down.
| saw recently models Of the weapons
used by mankind from the ru lest Clu b
IL the needle gun; musical instruments
from the totuton 10 the creations
which make the common air blossom
with poesy; armor from the turtle she'll
10 the mau-ot-war clad Ia steel and
iron: houses from the floors OF caves to
the most magnificent palaces; water
craft from the hollow log, which once
carried naked savage. 10 tho wond-
rous steamship With these saw al
array of skulls from the lowest savage
10 the greatest inventors. stat smen,
and philosophers. and there was nluC h
difference betweeu skulls A. hvtwtc II 81
dug out aud steamship. urtle-sLcll
aud man-of war The same differ
ehce must have existed between the
ideas Of the men who sailed in hollow
logs and those who set atloat ocean
steamers saw agricultural imple-
ments, from the crooked stick fastened
TO All ox's horn by wisp of straw. TO
the mowers and reapers of the present
day
The world has gradually learned -
make better clothes, better houses. IN
plemeuts of war and industry, and t.
give the human intellect frcsr scope
in every direction. But. said the lee
tursr, suppose III the early times some
powerful association Of men had sai'i
You shall not invent a plow, that
crooked stick was handed down by
God, that twisted hay is the best Of s!l
twisted things. and you mus, use
them" What If some one had said :
That dug out was go, up by the Triu-
ity combined. and il is the best tloater
that ever struck = wave" hat pro
eress would there have beeu in agrl-
culture and navigation Yet that Is
Just what the Church and State have
done in some things The Church had
said you shau't take book from the
devil or remove single dart FROM his
fiery tall You must let that alone, for
he il the best devil that can be made
The Church succeeded. and while We
have beeu advancing. overcoming the
obstacles Of nature III other directions,
we still hold the ideas of the skull that
CROPPED in the cave. What the speaker
pleaded for was that every man, wo-
man and child should enjoy the same
liberty of thought which he claimed
for himself. lie Was not saving Nho
was right or who wrong, hut he di'i
assert that those who refuse 10 permit
every being 70 investigate tor hlm>c!i
or herself was wrong