Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-06-24
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The Fruits Of Christianity.

EErIY To- col. EoBtET iNGfK>uII :
EIcf~r LIrTt El,. ~ RFy. !. &. SNOW
IAri oF AUBURN.
Rev. J. {. Snow. formerly q Auburn. la,
SUNDAY evening preached all able sermon Al
hI, church IN \cuarS, y. j.. reviewing Rob
er; lngcr,oll's intldel SirV. as expressed Ia
hi. las, lecture. We copy from a Newark
paper the following abstract Of Mr.. SNOW :
sermon .-
lnger>oll had chosen 20 arraign aud con
denim Christianity a. evil because Of its
evil fruits Nr Snow Vas willing 10 ties;
the matter on that ground. and had chosen
for his text the words BY their fruits yc
.haI know them" Mr.. lngersoll's first
charge was tina, Christianity vas lnimlcal
to freedom Of thought. II this BE- true. said
Mr.. Snow. the history Of Christianity must
be a his,or, Of intellectual torpor and the
Christian church must be- marked bl a want
Of grca, thinkers. On the other hand. no
nations have been so distinguished for in
tcllcc,ual activity A. Christian nations No
other ha, gwen 10 the world such lltera-
turc To ind the lar.e.t Libraries one
would not 90 to pagan land, but 10 CHRIS
iian Europe. Another evidence Of the 10
iellectual activity ~hioir< hristianity inspires
Is seen in the progress OF science IN Chris
tian countries. II j. commonly supposed
that Christianity has arrested the progress
Of science, Vet We find that it i in Christian
lands the whole round of sciences have
/ achieved their greatest triumphs. II science
has been opposed by the superstitions OF the
church. which all admit. Yet the stronger
Christian influence has been ON the slde
OF science. Inventions and discoveries
are likewise the product of Christian lands.
All these are simple facts, patent to every
one. and we set them over against the as
sertion that Christianity has been a barrier
TO intellectual progress. There have, 1t is
true. been times Of extraordinary tyranny in
| the church. but history still shows that more
successfully than any other agency has
Christianity resisted tyranny and given a
| field for intellectual effort. Ii Is true there
are still thumbscrews that have not been
| laid aside They are employed in politics,
and also in religion to some extent. but
these relics Of despotic Christianity, in
stead Of fostering, is driving from the earth.
And against tyranny Christianity must war
until human freedom, intellectual as well as
physical, is completely achieved.
Again Mr.. Ingersoll charged Christianity
with the promotion Of war and bloodshed.
Mr.. Snow did not propose TO deny that wars
had been waged in the name of Christian
religion, but they were opposed to the spirit
of Christianity and did not spring from the
teachings of Christ. Religious wars arose
probably from that very freedom and activity
OF ,houg ght which Mr. lngersoll denied 10
| Christianity. Christianity itself was not
warlke, but characterized rather by kind
ness 0bnsideration and justice. According
to Mr.. lngersoll, the man who would invent
a gun blowing the greatest number of Chris
tans into eternity would become million
/ aire This is true, for so long as war con-
tinued improved weapons Of warfare will be
appreciated, but 1t is disingenuous argu-
ment. The same might be said. and would
| be true to a greater extent of inventions
which lay in the line of peaceful industry
and material improvements. The produc-
ton of machines for the benefit of mankind
were as ten to one compared with imple-
ments Of destruction, and it would seem
that Mr.. Ingersoll might have found some
thing better to say of Christian civilization
than that it is given TO war and bloodshed.
Mr. Ingersoll's next charge was that pow
erty, drunkenness and crime were the fruits
of Christianity. This Mr.. Snow emphatically
denied. The same are found in all lands.
and devolyes upon Mr.. Ingersoll to point to
a nom Christian country having less of crime
and poverty. They are everywhere, and
grow out Of human passions and the imper-
fections Of human systems. But, while
they exist everywhere, the reforms started to
cure them are not everywhere, but only in
Christian lands. Mr.. Ingersoll pointed to
the appalling record Of poverty and crime,
with their accompanying wretchedness, as
presented by London, the foremost city Of
Christian civilization. As an American, Mr..
Snow said he was no apologist for England,
but he was willing to test the matter on this
ground. London, looked at it in its worst
aspects, was not worse than the great cities