The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1879-07-18
THE DESPAIR or THE sKErrIc.

The sad, pathetic and almost hope
less cry Of Robert g. Ingersoll ever The
grave Of his brother has been widely
read 1t is eloquent with feeling, and
shows that his heart is tender and affec-
tionate, and one cannot but sympathize
with grief which is not soothed by
any hope Of reunion hereafter: He
says, speaking Of death: "Whether in
mid-sea or among the breakers of the
farther shores wreck must mark at last
the end Of each and all; and every life
= will at its close become TRACE
dy as sad and deep and dark as can be
woven of the warp and woof Of mystery
and DEATH" And "Iife Is narrow
vale between the cold and barren peaks
of two eternities. We strive in vain TO
look beyond the heights. We cry aloud,
and the only answer is the echo Of our
wailing cry
This, then, is the despairing moan Of
one Of the brightest infdels Of our coun-
try-of one who is doing more to de
stroy faith in God and Immortality than
any other! How striking the contrast
between such wreck" as TngersolI
calls it, and the joyous, happy death of
a Christian.
have lately been reading an account
Of the last hours Of Sir Walter Scott.
AS death approached this great and
healthy.minded Scotchman, he asked
Lockhart to read to him.
"What shall readl' asked Lock-
hart.
"Need you askl" said Sir Walter.
'There is but one book" And the
words that have comforted the dying
and soothed the living for 1900 years
fell gratefully upon his ear:
"Let not your heart be troubled. In
my Fathers house are many mansions.
| go to prepare a place for you"
"Lockhart," were the last words OF
Scott, 81 have but moment to speak
to you; my dear, be a good man; be vir-
tuous, be religiousl Nothing else will
give you any comfort when you come
to lie here"
Ingersoll sadly says over the remains
of his beloved brother: 1--WE cry aloud,
and the only answer is the echo of our
wailing cry" and, speaking Of his dead
brother be says: He climbed the
heights, and left superstition far be-
low"
If such are the results Of 'scIimbing
the heights" if to climb is only TO look
into the black gulf of despair, to hear
over the grave only the "echoes of our
wailing cry" who would not rather
stay in the warm valley of faith and
hope
would kindly ask IngersolI: Are
not faith and hope better than doubt
and despairl And. if so, why make it
your life's mission to ridicule, satirize
and destroy the faith and hope of the
thousands who find in their religion the
only refuge from the sufferings and sor-
rows of this lifel Why labor to make
your brother Of humanity believe that
he is but
The pilgrim u dayf
Spouse u the worm and brother Of the clay
Frall a. the leaf Ia Autunn's yellow boSer
Dnss 10 the wind, OF dew upon the fower2
child without sirc,
Whose mortal life and transitory Ere
tAght 20 INC grave MS ctiAncf-cft1ted tufh
As ocean wrecks illuminate the STORM
And then
To night and silence sink foreyermoFe.
II these
The t.smpous teachings We proclaim
Lights Of the world and dcui gods of faEie,
| The laurel wreath that murderer rcars,
Blood nurecd and watercd BY the widows tears,
/ Seems not foul tainted. and - dread,
As the deadly nightshAde round the skcptles head
Infdelity is, indeed, the "deadly
nightshade," deadly alike to happines.
and to virtue. There are exceptions
ike Ingersoll, who have inherited from
their Christian ancestors natures so gen
erous that their 1turdy virtues have re
sisted the deadly influence.
But every blow this modern apOstl'
Of infdelity strikes against Christianity
is blow in favor of vice and immorali
ty. To the young man whose faith In
gersoll, by his wit and eloquence, ha
shaken, / would say, listen to his cry o
despair over his dead brother, and com
pare it with the Christians triumphan
death and joyous hope, and choose th'
truth.-Isaac ". Arnold.
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