Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-04-17
IngersOll,s Sunday Lecture.

heard BOD 1nGerSOll lecture Sunday night to
probably, for his private purse $500, or the sal.
airy or poor preacher like his father for
whole year. l saw only one Senator whom
knew, IIgleS, OF Kansas, in the audience, bat
several Congressman and many refined looking
women. The audience was decidedly above the
lecturer In appearance. He is ANNA Hooking
and curbs tendency 10 be coarse. He is no the
when he said that Christ never wrote anything
but once, ION the occasion of healing a blind
man, probably referring to the case OF the wo-
man taken in adultery, when he wrote ON the
ground In the dust He does not fairly ST ,te the
doctrines OF the Gospel. nor show ordinary
skeptical synthesis about its persOnages. He
Insists On the letter there in order to assault it
spiritually. His summary OF the sects. Episco-
palian and Methodist was novel and striking
but the Presbyterian sect was OverStl tad. lie
does not know, perhaps that they have always
been advocates OF an educated clergy and OF the
highest secular education. Mr.. Ingersolps mind
Is plausible and superficial. His theological and
literary model Is Charles Dickens, VINO was
Ike himself, an exaggerator OF the COLLINS he
exaggeratedly attacked, making the meat
he leeds on Ingersoll is a real come
dian in - manner mann, and the light passages
does not, however, surpaSS the late Joseph Bar
ker In cartcature OF the religious system-and
Barker died clergyman-nor give any earnest
OF the rough massiyeness OF mind of Thomas
Paine. He has taken the tide OF indifferentsm
and 1beraltty at the flood and it now requires
10 courage, as formerly, TO make such attacks
so that think he belongs to the school OF John
TetZel and John b. Cough, more or less mer-
cenary dealer In marketable commodity
Abundant brute health and a trifiing mind are
probably the basis OF his profitable diversions
Science thanks no such cOadjutOr, and prob
ably CLASHES him with the commoner preach
ers he belittles. as an avariciouS senttmentalist
Almost as soon as | entered the theater
where IngerSoll was awaited, saw the white
glossy locks OF Frederick Douglass the respect.
cd marshal OF the District OF Columbia sitting
In the back rows. Mr.. Douglass has always
been member OF church. Methodist, think.
belief. While Inger5ou was calling Calvin a
murderer, Ferdinand and Isabella Infamous
the must have included Columbus, logically
and described the meeting OF Knox and
Calvin as that between famine and pest.
Hence, and giving US his substitute for
deportment-I found myself tnSensibly occupy
Ing Frederick Doug laSsS place and applying to
II the lecturers severe confidence In his plan OF
salvation as so much better than either that OF
Moses or Jesus Ingersolrs strong suit use
the word because The poker phraseOlogy is
natural to his family, that Christians PACK. at
least, sitting lightly and probably on their
backS-iS his domestic virtue. He leaves It to
be inferred that he Is the sum OF perfection as
husband and father. / should call that point
his right bower on the rOStrum. Never has man
assumed more on the standard fact that he
does not whip his wife. IL reminds me OF visit
made fifteen years ago with detective officer
and some other journalists to the dance house
OF John Allen, called 1.-The wickedest man in
New York" After this wretch had made his
little son sing hymn and take the prize for
what even the dance girls must have felt to be
DlaSDhemy said, under tone, to one OF our
party: what low, worthless being :" At
which the detective, who was at my elbow list
mans independently rich. He's married to his
second wife !r-"Gdth" IN the Graphic