Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-02-09
ANCIENT HE'LL.


what Bob InGersOI says on the Sub.
New York SUM-
The discussion of hell was con-
tinued in many city pulpits yester-
day, and Colonel Robert Ingersoll
spoke on the subject in Chickering
Hall in the evening. Every seat
in that large auditorium was occu-
pied. Hundreds of people went
away because they could not gain
admittance. Spectators sold tick
cts at two dollars apiece. The col
onel began his lecture at fifteen
minutes past s o'clock, by saying
that the idea Of hell was born Of re.
yenge and brutality on one side,
and Of cowardice on the other. 81
have no respect" he said, "for a
man who believes in hell, and shall
never have until meet him there"
Learned men had overturned one
religion after another, and Chris
tians had applauded them. They
were now oyerturning our religion,
and by the same methods of expert
ment and research. IF books had
been created before men, he might
have believed in a sacred volume.
1t was fact that a man never got
an idea except from his surround
ings. One might imagine a strange
animal, but the hoofs would be
those of a bison, and he would have
the pouch Of a kangaroo, the beak
of a bird, and the tail of Il lion.
There was nothing on this sphere
that had come from any other
world. In no book was there
knowledge superior to the people
that had produced it. Our religion
was made by barbarians. We were
making religions to-day. Science
was improving them with the aid
of the growing heart of man. If
the religion of to-day was to change
as fast in the next fifty years as it
lad changed in the past twenty
five, it would have to DO remon-
etized, or else would not be a legal
tender.
The speaker was frequently in
terrupted in his rapid utterance
with loud applause.
elf Brown" he continued,
"should meet Smith, and should
say'he had seen man arise out of
the grave, and Smith should reply
by telling Brown that he had also
seen a man arise out of the grave,
they would probably tell each other
that they had lied. Yet, if Brown
had really seen a man arise from
his grave, he would have believed
that Smith had also, and would
have regarded him as a valuable
witness of the probability of his
own story. Moses said he went up
into Mount Sinai and saw God.
Brama said he went up into a
mountain of Judea and saw God.
Then each denies the statement Of
the other, and | believe that they
both-spoke the truth, Laugh
ter. Truth needs no miracles.
Let religion take care of itself. If
| die and find myself on some far
off shore, | shall be just as ready to
60 into some remuneratiye business
there as ] ever was here. If people
really believed their religion, l
should not be allowed to speak to.
night on this platform. 1t is from
The GOODNESS and infdelity of the
churches that / get my right to
speak, and | ain wiling to give
them credit for it" Laughter.
Some believed that the Bible was
the foundation of liberty. lie be-
lleved ~ was the foundation OF hell.
The only way to find out whether
an all-merciful God wrote it was to
read it. lie then read many pas
sages OF the Old Testament to show
that God wRs reYengeiul and cruel.
If living according TO his reason
would take him to perdition, then
he would 90 there with his reason
rather than without it. Applause.
The Old Testament made man
the head Of the woman, though 1t
was from the mans side that the
outlet was taken for her creation.
If she would know anything, it
bade her go to her husband,