Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1880-04-10
A WOODEN GOD.

OF the United States. His utterahces
are treasured by partisan organs, ana
his speeches reprinted as masterpieces
of eloquence aad rhetoric, as are those
of Henry. Everett. Webster and Hayne'
He is an Atheist. This he has right
10 be. In this country eur forefathers
wisely framed the constitution and the
laws IN such a way as to secure to the
people the greatest liberty OF con-
science. While this is true.it appears to
us only seemly, in this ago, when chris
tianity has been the means Of extending
the blessings Of civilization to nation
after nation, and in christian country,
that Col. Ingersoll should speak OF the
religion of the people with common
courtesy.
We are always careful not to put the
poisoned challce of infdelity to the lips
of the young and needless. The ten
thousand-tmes answered sephistry OF
the Atheist may carry plausibility to the
uniformed and rost skepticism III the
mind which. while it may never wholly
amount to unbellef. will serve to render
the person unhappy. To the student
seeking after truth. all fountains may
be tasted, tested. used freely or aoan-
doned. We think we run no risk OF in
iuring the cause OF true religion by re-
printing a letter recently written by
Col. Ingersoll, to the Chicago Times.
in which he arraigns certain congress
men fer presuming to speak OF an
american system of religion"
To do this. Col. Ingersoll thinks
proper to belittle the religion Of Christ
| and to laud Buddhism. If Buddhism is
his ideal religion, by all means let him
be a Buddhist. If his ambition for his
soul be not above annihilation or trans
migration through brutes until it de-
scends to be vegetable, we'll and good.
1t is his soul, and tor it he alone Is re-
sponsible. But he has not even this
much religion. He believes all religion
superstition, worlds accidental births,
and the universe chance. To this we
have no objection-we differ from him,
that is all. But we do object to the ir-
reverence OF awfully sacred things
which prompts even the Atheist to speak
of John the Evangelist as the ''inspired
lunatlc of Patmos." 1t was hardly fair,
either. in Col. Ingersoll to 60 back to
the law made for the Israelites, a semi
} bar barous people, but the chosen people
of the s.real' God, for rites and ceremo-
MES by which to Judge the christian
world of the nineteenth century. The God
of the universe knew those people and
their conceptions. He worked cut His
great purposes through them, and while
the greatest sacrifice conceivable to man
. the voluntary sacrifice OF the blood Of
the Paschal Lamb was typified in the
blood of the lambs and goats which pre-
u ceded it, what conception of man ha:
ever equalled the grand. eliminating
: sacrifice of divine beng not only dying
upon the cross tor men, but taking upor
: himself their miserable load of SIM
l. Col. Ingersoll in alluding to the Chi
nese who have come to this country
j. sneeringly says Of christianity The!
" come IN contact with people who low
a, their enemies. They see that in chris
T. tian land men tell the truth; that the
As will not take advantage Of strangers
N that they are just and patient, kind an
"a tender; that they never resort to force
4. that they have no prejudice on accOun
of color, race or religion; that the
speak of God as universal Father, an
~ are willing to work, and even to sutfe1
ze for the good not only Of their own cour
r trymen, but of the heather as we'll. A
e. this the Chinese see and know, and wh
Se they still cling to the religion Of the
ny country is to me q matter OF amaz
us ment." If they see laws, human or
IL vine, violated, it can scarcely be attri'
u- uted to the teachings of the gospel, ar
especially is it ungenersus to attribu
se race jealousies and the curse of hums
ial slavery to christianity. An emine
tb. theological student says:-'The sla'
Ia. before Christ was piece OF property
y: less worth than, land or cattle. An
of Roman law enacted penalty of dea
an for him who killed plewing OK, b
! is the murderer of slave was called
It's no account whatever. Crassus, aft
tv the revolt of the Sparticus. crucified Il
md 900 slaves at one time. Augustus,
violation of his word, delivered to tn
masters for execution 10000 slaves W
as had fought for Sextus Ponpeius. Il
an' jan, the best of the Romans Of his d
III made 10000 slaves fight at one time
'of- the amphitheater, for the amusement
'uy the people, and prolonged the mas
sr'- ere 1913 days. The great truth of ma
lor universal brotherhood was the axe
Tree at the root of this detestable crime
wen sum of all villainies. By first infus
VIII kindness into the lot Of the slave, Il
'0ro by slowly undermining slavery its
ne'- each century has seen some advar
Llll III ldst Lu6 uou.oWuOh 10 uanuS
r in nearly every civilized country,
A., even Africa itself. the victim Of slav
~ Of in these later ages, is being aided
If christian England to raise its slaves
do, treemen." Which sounds the most
a., candid truth, the sneer of the infide
U. the simple statement OF the schel
hos believerp
stock There is no spirit of hatred or il
serv- erance in christianity. God is love,
redi- God 50 loved the werld that He
o ad- His only begotten sen, that whose
,enial believed in Him should not perish,
to all have everlasting lite.' The pref
taught by Christ were these:-"
shalt love the Lord thy God with al
'o" heart, and with all thy soul, and
'n'i'' all thy mind. This Is the first
ed a ,. Commandment. and tho s.co
> ano like unto it; thou shalt love thy n
u az Dor as thyself On these two comm
Il 'ne ments hang all the law and the p
ITO" ets." The humblest and poeres
sn'' here included, as they are every
pi's0n IN Chrlst's tender care-so much g
niao while In antiquity poverty was as
oiS a crime as was slavery, to-day th