Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-02-14

Bob Ingersoll on Hell-A Writer for
the Herald Thinks there is
good deal of Bob and
good deal Of He'll in
this World.
/. The friends of Col. Bob Ingersoll
deeply regret the course pursued by
him in devoting and wasting his
splendid talents 10 denouncing the
Christian religion in terms the most
savage harsh and malignant that
tho English language could furnish
and when that supply failed him, he
wished "thcre were words mean
enough, contemplate enough, base
enough to express his feelings of
bathing on this subjeot. have no
respect for any human being that
believes in the idea of He'll. laugh
teri Wait until you see me in Hell
before enjoying yourselves laughing
at me- | have DO respect for the
man who pollutes the imagination of
childhood with the Infamous lie. /
have no respect tor the man who
would thus add to the sorrows of
the world. | have no respect | say
for anyone who would thus endeavor
to put "a infinite cloud or shadow
upon the heart of humanity"
Well, If we look at the horrors
of the war raging in the past year
between Russia and Turkey, dogs
and vultures fighting with each 9TH
or for tho delicacy OF human flesh
torn from the bodies Of the wounded
and dying-if We could have heard
the groans, yelIs and imprecations
of the tortured victims answered by
the growls and screeches Of wolf and
dog and carrion crow, "all regard
ing man as their prey, all rejoic-
! ing in his decay |" verify, verify
we might conclude that the Almighty
permitted the Russian and Turk to
create q He'll of the most frightful
proportions around Plevna. 1t
would appear TO US that If there is q
future state, He'll of even more
dismal character might exist there
| If bad, ambitious or wicked men
could not conceal their purposes,
character and designs from each 9th.
er as they can in the present world.
There is pretty bad condition of
affairs existing in our own country.
There is a good deal of suffering.
Many are turned out of employment.
Men that have capital will not in
vest in any great enterprise that
employs and compensates labor be-
cause they fear the Communist and
the Socialist will confiscate all prop
erty and manage it to suit them
selves. These fears may be ground
less; but can Col IngsrsolI assure
US that there will not be sort of
hell even In the United States,
should the Socialists carry out their
views. What would have become
of Chicago. had all its stores, ware
houses, wealth and it's owners fallen
into the hands Of those desperadoes,
Q few months ago. Col Ingersoll
says we get the idea OF He'll from
Volcanoes. We think there is ma
te-ial enough now in the United
States, oombustable material, which
if ignited under favorable circum.
stances might consume New York,
Philadelphia, st. Louis and Chicago
in the same funeral pile with Pitts.
burgh. If wicked, desperate and
ambitious men can cause such suf-
fering. loss and misery here in the
present state, so 80 to present US
with q vivid representation of an
Earthly He'll, volcano Of mans
own creation, why may not the
same agents act in the Same way in
q future statef
1t is true Mr.. Beecher says that
editors and reporters, especially the
latter, are profoundly ignorant on
the question of Theology and we are
out of patience with Col. Ingersoll,
that he should endeavor to introduce
theological issues into politics and
divide the Republican party on the
issue of an eternal He'll.
1t is true we have never studied
Theology. We do respect the
motives of Col. Ingersoll, in his de-
V0ti3n to the cause OF humanity. He
is ready to sacrifice the most bril-.
liant political prospeots that ever
dswned on an American orator. He
wishes 10 remove the "infinite cloud
and shadow" that the idea of q
He'll hos Cast upon the heart of
man. The object to which he has
devoted his life is as lofty and holy
as that of Luther, Wesley or Spur
ge0n. A man may have the heart Of
Bunyan or St. Paul, and carry the
head of Porphyry or Voltaire. No
truly christian man will ever hate
Bob. Ingersoll, however he may de-
spise the man who believes in or
teaches the doctrine of an eternal
He'll. The quotation that he makes
from Homer proves that the great
poet believed and taught that doc
trine before Christ appeared on
Earth. Christianity is not respon-
siDle for the doctrine. We know by
experience that suffering. mental and
physical, does exist in the present
world. As far as we can see, the men,
tai agonies of remorse must exist as
long as the soul endnres. The best
position for Mr. Ingersoll to assume
is that there ia no future state. But
be will doubtless fail and furnish
another demonstration that the loft.
lest intellect, intensest conviction
and zeal can not throttle and stran-
| gle to death the deep seated religious
instinct implanted oy The Creator in
the Hearts of men. Col. Ingersoll
has taught US nothing new-his sar-
casms however, may be of some BEN
eft. The idea OF literal lake of
| FIRE and birthstone, if it ever existed
among intelligent Christians, has
been long SINCE abandoned. Perhaps
the ologisus may be compelled to go
one step further to quiet the Colon
el's sensitive nerves. Can they not
assure him there will be no such
thing as punishment hereafter in the
or binary sense of that term, that a
mind wilfully and incurably perverse