The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-11-30
Some Mistakes of IngersoH.
Cincinnati Sunday Enquirer.

Some Mistakes of Ingersoh.
Cincinnati Sunday Enquirer.
One of the most talented takers
in the United States will deliver a
brief series of lectures this week in
Cincinnati. His theme this evening
is ''Some Mistakes of Moses" He is
an orator of captivating phrases, Of
brilliant rhetoric, Of abundant and
graceful vocabulary, and he fashions
thoughts almost original into pie-
turesque and beautiful shape. He is
gifted with imagination, is an artist
in his way, and, with better inspi-
ration, might almost become a poet.
He is a fascinating weaver Of words.
He molds sentences into weird, wild
shape, till they dazzle by, their sbeat-
ty and startle by their freshness. He
has the power of what men call elo-
quence. His thoughts sparkle into
gems Of speech like a torch at mid
night. His opinions glitter aid flash
so bewitchingIy that it is the flash
and the 81 tier that we admire rather
than the idea they We're meant to
adCrn. Mr.. Ingersoll appears as
really an artist in language and the
artist in speech, like all artists, should
be measured chiefly by the end at
which his art aims. The lecture
platform in this country is one Of the
teachers and preachers Of this gener-
alton. 1t is the Church without a
creed, the journal without party,
the pulpit without congregation to
please. 1t is less known here than in
New England. for there it is to
large extent library and school and
newspaper. How does Mr.. Inger-
soil, standing on this eminence, use
that pedestal? What is his mission
as teacher? How does he compare
with the other teachers in our time
and civilization? What is the end
Of his teaching? Does it add to the.
happiness or Worthiness of men?
The chief errand of Mr.. Ingersoll
seems to be to batter down the belief
in God and the Christian religion. Is
that an errand of mercy to men?
Even if he could entirely succeed in
this mission, he would be rObbing
hundreds Of millions of Christian
people of great sOlace, of hope
that carries them through the ills Of
this life quite to the moment of leSv--
ing it for we never heard that any
one, after leading a Christian life, re-
nounced the Christian religion on a
death bed. There is very little dan
ger Of too much Christianity, and
any religion in the lives Of men and
in the story Of the race, for all are
clevating. Even though the Chris
tian religion were deluSiOn, why
rob millions of the sweet Solace it
gives? One Of the themes of Robert
Ingersoll this week is Robert Burns,
one of the gentlest and most-heartful
and one of the longest lived, of poets.
In this lecture the brilliant orator
will pay tribute to one of the highest
of the arts, and one of the most 10y
able Of its representatives,. Religion
has certainly been as beniicent
minister in the affairs of man as poe
try. 1t has contributed as much to
the cultivation. and elevation of man
kind as either of the arts. Indeed, it
has summoned all the arts as its mes
sengers. Mr.. Ingersoll would do less
harm and would be more logical in
Waging war on poetry, or music, or
sculpture. or picture, or even on elO-
quence itself, than in Waging war on
the foundation of the Christian rei-
giOn. No man in the extreme mo-
ment ever relied on his art. But
there is the beautiful story OF the
martyrs, whose aspiring spirits the
flames that consu ed their bodies
could not quench. And we are fresh
ly reminded of story of horror and
of beauty, more than decade o.
that came from New England toy
of jaded faces and weary feet, whe
seven hundred and fifty people were
suddenly plunged. into a lurid trage-
dy out of which more than fOurscOre
were brought not alive. And a gift
ed pen has told the story of the
hump backed daugter of the cobbler,
whose requiem the Merrimack sang,
and how from out and above the
crackle and roar of the burning ruins
1--WE quote from the thrilling report)
"a woman's voice rang like IA bell;
"We're going home to die no more;"
and how a child's notes quavered in
the chorus and from sealed and un-
seen graves, white young lips swell
ed the glad refrain
Were going home, we're going home;"
and how. while the crawling smoke
turned yellow and turned red, and,
xuhila xnina u ftnr x,Aion hrply m ap.l