The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-01-28

Divided into petty states they wers
continually in condition Of anarchy
robbery and murder went unpunished,
and craft and deceit were considered
honorable. These arc the people
noble and heruic, according to Mr.
Tngersoll. How chivalrous and re
fined they were. how noble ana up
right a man could not take Q day.
journey in company with his family,
without losing his own life and
having his wife and daughters sacri
feed to the brutal lusts Of thes<
heroes, and his Sous hurried away "a
toll beneath the lash Of the taskmastei
nice state Of society indeed and in
the face Of repeated warnings as to
the destruction which would inevitably
come upon them If they persisted ia
their misconduct. they plunged deeper
and deeper in wild and wanton
wicIedness. Everything that VAS
vile. dishonorable and cruel was
applauded. Indeed. the only thing
which astonishes me il, that God
permitted them to enjoy land which
was then the garden spot Of the earth.
But the fate OF those people remains
to dav q testimonial Of the slow com.
ing but terrible vengeance Of the
outraged Jehovah. and I venture TO
say that if a people existed to day as
wicked aud dead to all morality as
were those Canaanites. the allied
armies of the civilized world would
destroy them with a relentlessness
nearly if not quite equal to that Of
Joshua.
Again, he says God NO longer in
flicts famine and pestilence upon the
human race. ~ tho improved medi-
cinal advantages and the great
facilities we enjoy Of transportation
renders such q thing impossible. 1t is
very strange indeed it has not been
very many weeks since the yellow
fever made its appearance on our
southern coast-it spread with fright
full raridity there was certainly no
lack of skillful physicians. but their
efforts were all unavailing. and many
tell victims to their own heroism, the
disease instead of being checked
only increased until that agent Of God
a very early frost, conquered it. To-
day in the papers We read Of the fierce
snow storms in England. Of men. wo
men and children turned out into it
by their EMPLOYERS. who have been
driven to the wall BY American
competition. We also hear the NUT
terings Of q starved and famine
stricken people. whom the slightest
event may drive into deeds OF blood.
England il crossed and recrossed by
railroads, it is connected with America
on the one hand and the continent of
Europe Oh the other and certainly does
not lack for anything in the way Of
transportation, and yet her laboring
class are starving. yes. literally
starving at the present moment. Then
in China last year forty millions of
human beings were suffering for want
of food. men feasted upon the enact
aied bodies of those who had sue
cumbed. and destitution without a
parallel was going on and the civilized
nations with all their railroads aud
steamships did literally nothing. and
God alone knows what is the state of
those poor wretches now that winter
has begun. 1t was the same not long !
ago in India. Yet Mr.. Ingersoll says
famine and pestilence are things Of
the past.
Then he eulogizes the devil a. por.
trayed in the Bible considers him a !
very mild and tender devil says he !
has always been the friend Of down.
trodden humanity. He is kind indeed,
is this devil he tortures men on earth |
with the mental horrors of the mind
after they have executed his commands
and then in the future how tenderly
will he take charge of Mr.. IngersolI.
how soothingly will he talk to him
and how mercifully will he consign
him to eternal punishment
And then what is this mans object!
He wishes tn take from 10 our religion,
ret he gives US nothing in exchange.
1t Is impossible to believe in nothing.
We most emphaiically cannot do it.
What terrible thing indeed it would
De if Christianity were overthrow
1t would revolutionize the world, it I
would destroy the foundations on
which society rests. it would remove
les that are now sacred aud binding
n short, man fearing No punishment I
hereafter would become unscrupulous.
Believing that mere earthly existence &
; all there Is Of life, he would of
ourse endeavor to enjoy it to its I
ullest extent and would have no re- q
ard for his fellow beings. in short. he d
7ould become prominently greedy. :
elfsh and vile.
Although Mr.. Ingersoll does not
cny the existence of a future state, a
till if he destroys religion. be destroys
ur belief in it. aud If there is no
lture existence after death, the c
octrine Of the immortality of the
,ul is q falsity then of course there =
no such thing as soul. and If man ,
as no soul. he is merely brute with n
ell developed instinct. Of course &
nv man who has any intellect what. \
ver will utterly reject such 40 idea. it o
too terrible to be thought of for n
lOment. q
In this land Of ours. where in the i,
titled portions there is q school house \
very few miles. Mr.. IngcrsoIl says q
lat Christianity is the open and &
'owed enemy Of education. 1t is &
range that man who is so shrews il
Ill careful NOT To commit himself "