Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-03-12
A Remark able IDfcryieu

4 Remark able Interview.
MR.. BEECHER'S FREE THINKING TENDENCIES
HE SAYS INGERsOIL BELIEVES In THE BIBLE
AS MUCH As HE DOES.
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was interviewed
by Buffalo ETpresS Reporter day or two
ago, upon tie modern aspect of thought and
its effect upon biblical influence and the Chris
tian faith. Mr.. Beecher first discussed Col
onel Ingeis3ll as the ablest extremist of the
age. He said: Now the great fault find with
Mr.. II gersol is that he suffered himself to pick
flaws in the mere exterior Of the Bible, and
that the marrow of IT,, the reason of it, he
believed in the most part of the Bible juS.. as
far as 1 do, but he hid his light. He. N, ,a as
himself a special pleader. and inSti. ,uted arSn.
and not against its internal. q, S;S ar ,nT nse
against the Bible he alta Ks the weateSt mart
OF II, the language OF melaphor the ianrnage
Oh Ola ara htnhI md'ch las used as symbolization
th sR Of P% Sd R Hs er wt1
1t as ii ,iod was a stern tyrant. Such a
m,e'n III St argument would be rejected by
'r ! c0url IN the United States. While l see
great many things that he said are true they
are no more true now than they were before,
Tor they have been recognized true from time
immt mortal. II he said them in a different
ent spirit, but
THE AN1Mus sPo1s THEM.
think it is one of those transient waves
that will Just pass over the country and spend
itself. think that Mr.. IngerSOl with the best
intentions doubtless in the world, has made a
representation of religion and of the Bible that
would De rejected by every Intelligent demon
nation OF christian men under the sun. They
are the criticisms of a man who sets out % ridi.
cute DOCK, without taking into consideration
It's many excellent features, aud simply makes
special pleas, as an employed counsel on one
Ice. hold the Scriptures 10 be inspired not
sn the same way that Milton and Shakespeare
were SeVerally inspired, literary inspiration. to
sit Gown and write out a whole book | recog-
nZe that it is the sum of the religious litera-
tnpe OF one people through period of more
imam 2,ooO years. 1t has been gathered into
one book. and it is the records through that
Ieliod oi tiIne and is like any other poetry so
iar as J. is poetry. IT is religious book. Ii
is DOCK OF the experience of the paSt-belongS
10 me past IL 1oiI ns lht record, not Of the in
Splratlon. lit rary inspiration of any one
man but OF that divine inspiration which be-
longs TO the whole nation TO the life of gen
ing it back through long periods of time So
that it gives to us an inspired book, record
o. Gins inspiration S which, through Divine Provi-
dence, has been working OH the human race
MR.. 1NGERSOLL'S CRITICISMS
do not invalidate the Bible any more than
wheat IS lnvadated or its value leSSened
Wnen man brings me the straw upon which
IL grows and asks me TO eat that. Now, there
are great many things in the growth of the
book which stand in the same relation to it as
the straw stands in relation to the grain. The
word OF God contains good simply the grain.
the bread of life as We might say but it also
contains historical statements which we have
r.
on0my, &c. all these institutional statements
which the people of the present age have out
grown? Now, take the New Testament 1t
represents a more advanced period. The
points which Mr.. IngersOll criticiSes and which
men generally criticise. are matters about
VIM when me human brain has no competency
verse, the absolute nature OF God the theory
OF human government, and the doctrine of last
things: They lie beyond the horizon We have
no means of investigating them OF the fu-
ture of Christianity, Mr.. Beecher said: at is
what l regard as the breaking up of spring.
swollen rivers, damaged bridges and ice and
various cataStrOphieS, and yet it is infinitely
petter than winter and constant cOngelatiOn
! think the growth of the human mind the in
coming OF scientific knowledge and scientific
methods, is going to disarrange to a large ey.
tent, the old ways of looking at moral Truths.
and there has got to be a growth gradual-nOt
yer very gradual, elIher, but pretty rapid, and
ty is at hand: and if you do not restate these
MEDI.EvAL THEOLOGY.
you are going to lose all thinking men. They
are going to drift away from the church. and
leave it to conventionalities and shams. II
has been the labor of my mind to give EXPIRES
SION 70 al Ideas that would give to all denomi-
nations an expression of universal conscious
ness OF mind SO, whatever my preference
may be for this creed or that creed that fun
damental relations of man to God would stand
changes of form or statements. There is a
ehange going on in regard to the subject of
future punishment; not that the punishment
IS stricken out, but the kind of retributiOn and
the powers OF retributiOn. believe that men
are getting more and more to believe that
suffering is not to be eternal cannot con
celve OF anything that is more prepOsterOus
IMAM the continuation Of suffering when il has
no 0Iher end IN view than suffering
Then you do not believe in the doctrine of
eternal punishment?" "
II do net. was long time i'm getting to
that point where l could feel free TO say so,
but have reached it. l believe that men will
carry out OF this life essentially the DISPOSE
tons in which they die, and will pass into
improve them, they will depart and be ami,
hllated. one part, but such of them as will by
further decline be improved will be brought
back