The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-11-30

EdIton IntellIgeneer.
1t has been asserted that the famous lec-
turer, Mr. Ingersoll, is not original in his
ideas; but unscrupulously borrows
thought from other thinkers,to serve it up
after his coarse but powerful manner, in
his infdel lectures.
In so doing he sometimes, perhaps fire.
quently, appropriates as his own the strik-
Ing, poetical images OF nobIer minds, who
little thought their conceptions would be
used to illustrate such profane assaults on
religion, such illogical arguments Of athe-
ism.
am reminded OF this by reading the
report OF Mr.. IngersolPs lecture con some
mistakes OF Moses" delivered at the Opera
House last evening.
did not hear the lecture, and conse-
queptly. these remarks are based on the
newspaper reports and what ] already
knew OF his sayings, opinions, and history.
According TO the newspapers, his peror-
alton was constructed around the follow
ing image: that "he was on ship sailing
from whence he could not tell, whittier he
did not know. He did not know the Cap
tain, and had no acquaintance with the Of
tlcers" &c.
This image is obviously taken from
lecture on 'rhe Times" read by Mr..
Ralph Waldo Emerson, at the Masonic
Temple in Boston, December I'd, 1871.
Let me quote the beautiful language OF
the poet OF Transcendentalism:
"T6e main Interest which any aspect Of the times
have for usis the great spirit which gnEes through
theni the light which they shed on the wonderful
questions What We are? aud Whittier We tend' We do
sails across the Wild ocean, now bright on the wave,
now dArkllng IN The trough Of the sa but from what
port did We nlls Who Knows! Or % what port are
but such poor, Weathor-OSScd mariners Is Ourselves
whom We spOak Is we pass, who have hoiIted some
signal OF a0ate t0us some letter In bottle from afAF
But what know they more than wei They also found
thelnSelvcs on this WondrOus sea- MOI from The SjIsf
sailors nothing Over all their speaking.iEumpelI the
great sea aud the loud WInds answer Not III US not
In Time"
Did Mr.. Ingersoll ever give the world
any original thought so beautiful as this?
Think not And this leads me to contrast
the two men, alike In the single respect,
as reiornRrs OF thought, but in all else
how different! Both have speculative
minds that refuse to follow in the old
beaten track OF the worlds opinions.
Mr.. Emerson, with modest deferencet to
the opinions OF other men, equally enti.
tied with himself to individual belief, ad.
vances his speculations usually as wise
and acute as they always are noble and
generous, and adorns his philosophy, with
so many poctical beauties, so much that
we at once appreciate as the light OF pure,
strong mind considering all about It, and
often looking forth into dim realms OF
Shadowy imagination, that the world &C.
knowledges to-day It's debt OF gratitude to
the seer Of Concord.
Mr.. Ingersoll, on the other hand, SCOTS
at all opinion that disagrees with his own
stands up before large audiences saying, in
effect, coarsely, ~ am right, and all those
who do not agree with care fools, dupes,
or knaves;" exhibits no reverence for
native religion OF the heart which all the
world has revered through all recorded
time; says detiantly, THERE'S no God, no
meaning In Nature-at least cannot see
Il, and hence 1t Is not" He has been called
a poet because be has the power oiimaktng