The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-12-12
miscellaneous.
DIR. WISE ON COL. INGERSoLL--
LECTURE ON "SOME MISTAKES
OF MOSES.0

a lecture In the flum pTeeJ lenple
Cincinnati, of which the following is an
abstract
He said the God of Moses was too sub
lime to be touched by the pyrotechnit
displays Of even such man as Col. In
Rersoll. In truth, the latter seemed tC
feel that the God of Moses was too great
for his humor, for in speaking of that
God he passed over the subject reverent
ly. The speaker did not believe that
Col. Ingersoll was half as bad as his rep
utation. lie was persecuted by his
countrymen, and he was defeated in his
political ambition. He credited that de-
feat to the Christians, and mainly to the
Presbyterians, and he has become lee
turer.
Thus the story runs in Peoria. 1t was
not hard to see why the people went to
hear the Colonel. They go to the circus
to see the clown, they go to the theater
TO look and to laugh at the comedian,
and they 90 to Col. Ingersoll's lecture
because the lecture is full Of fun, and
fun is what they want. There is a lack
of good humorisls, and there is plenti-
tude ofslander, and the Colonel in choos.
ing his field chose that which paid best,
humor and ribaldry. He chose to sneer
at human virtue and human piety, and
as a business man he has chosen well,
for the business has paid. He makes
plenty of money, and he hurts nobody.
His lectures can have no moral effect,
for they are only fun, and have no force.
He is no Tom Paine, no Tom Jefferson,
no Strauss. He lacks the power Of re-.
search, he lacks the erudition, he lacks
the systematic learning, and he lacks the
backbone.
There is one thing, however, which
Or. Wise could not forgive in Col. Inger-
soil. That was that he allowed himself
60 be sent out by the Boston Lecture Bu.
reau. A greater fraud than that never
existed. 1t is worse than patent medi
Cines, worse than book agents, worse, to
use Col. Ingersoll's words, than the Pres
byterian church. 1t is a worthless, heart.
less, money making institution. If you
want taking lecture on Mormonism,
send to the Boston Lecture Bureau. If
you want lecture on Communism,
send to the Boston Lecture Bureau. If
you want taking lecture on Free Love,
send to the Boston Lecture Bureau. You
pay your money and take your choice.
The speaker said he was not angry be.
cause Col. Ingersoll spoke of the mis-
takes of Moses. The lecture was only
ridicule, and thing over which we laugh
leaves no impression behind. Scorn is
terrible weapon to achieve momentary
success, but it is worse than worthless
when the second sober thought comes
Col. Ingersoll is no reasoner. He can
speak, but he cannot think with philo-
sophie accuracy. He never says anything
original. He shows that he has never
read the great philosophical works of
this age. He makes gross mistakes even
in natural philosophy. When he speaks
of the infinite, he becomes infinitely ri
diCulous, Such man cannot upset the
theology of Moses. The law of Moses is
also secure from his assaults. When
Hugo, Grotius and Blackstone, and all
the great writer's on law during the past
$500 years of history, say that the best |
Law system is founded upon the code Of
Moses, their conclusion cannot be upset |
by any one man to day. Col. 1ngersoll |
sayS he can write O better decalogue |
than that Of Moses. You may rest Sc
cure. He will never do it. and if he
cannot successfully attack the theology |
and the jurisprudence of Moses, why |
object to his lecturesP He makes fun
for the masses.
"We are not Literalists," said the
speaker. eve do not really believe that
the serpent spoke to Eve; we do not be-
lieVe that Balaam's ass spoke to him; we
do not believe that Jonah was in the
whale three days. These little stories
do not change the jurisprudence Of Mo
ses. Here again comes a point which
makes me feel bad; would like to see Col.
Ingersoll; l would like to hear him for
his eloquenCe and his humor. But why
does he repeat the old things which have
beea said again and again, and which
have been repeatedly controverted?
Worse than that, he ignores his oppo
nents. He shows that he has not read
the late works on the subjects on which
he speaks. There, for instance, is the
work of ]. W. Dawson, of Montreal, that
he does not mention, yet which COM
pletely upsets his statements. If the
man cannot read he ought to give it up.
The speaker then began to instance a
number of blunders made by Col Inger.
soil. The book of Genesis does not de
scribe the creation, but the beginning of
the world after the creation. The Colo
mel jests about the production of vegeta-
ton before the creation of the sun.
Genesis does not mention the creation
of the sun, but only says that God dis
tinguished the day from the night by
name. Moreover, Col. Ingersoll does
not seem to know that there is such a
thing as cosmic heat and Cosmic light.
Yet science shows that there has been a
high degree of heat within the earth.
Is this all ignorance of natural philoso.
phy2 He says that if NOah's ark had
raised 250O feet on the water, the water
there would have frozen. tits disgrace
to be 30 ignorant as not to know that
water develops heat. Does the eloquent
lecturer tnlnk that every man In Clncln-
natl is SO ignorant as not to notice his
bluuders?
Col Ingersoll says that labor is not a
curse, but blessing. The Colonel,
however, does not seem to labor hard
The sweat of the brow points to hard
labor, which rests like curse on the
poor man. He jests about the creation
of woman, and does not know that it is
one of the most difficult questions in bi.
olOgy to determine the origin Of the sex.
es. He talks about the smallness of the
ark; yet there he smites Charles Darwin
In the face, for on that very smallness
Darwin Pounds his theory of the multip-
lication Of the species He scorns at
the God who destroyed his own children
aud undertakes to teach the Colonel, of
Peoria, how he should educate his. It