Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-04-15
Ingersoll's Church.


which he can demonstrate the "Mis-
takes of Moses, "or knock the bottom
out of HI.
True the Canucks are biggoted
very narrow.minded and ignorant
and are tied to Queen Victoria's ap-
ron string. Still their shutting their
doors against Bob introduces some
reflections. How does it come to
pass that the sect which Bob leads
at the present day has never built
churches, chapels, temples, syna-
gogues, balls and forums for them
selves. Bob finds they are necessary.
This sect has had q fair chance in the
race of life through the centuries. We
hear of them in Apostolic times. The
Sadducees neither believed in angel
or spirit or in resurrection. Long
before this era we read Of the Sage
of Greece hammering out of shape
a rank Atheist with his logic. II
strikes US that a sect SO ancient, sc
learned, rich and devoted to the re.
formation of the world and quieting
the apprehensions of the people Of
feeble minds, should by this year Of
our Lord have had as many syna
gogues as the jews, as many church
es as the Methodists or Catholics
and as many mosques as the Moham,
medans. We are inclined to believe
that the neglect of Bob's co.religion
lists in this respect is, that they Sc,
no particular value on their owr
creed, don't believe that the creed
of Annihilation is impervious enough
to hide the next world from view
or they don't care enough about nit.
igating the terrors of their delused
fellow men, to lay out their money
and lives in turning the gulf stream
of human thought from the mex,
world to that of the blessed oblivion
which Bob offers in exchange for oul
slim chances of getting into Heaven
1t may be reproach 10 human
nature, but history shows that bold
unbelief, bundle of mere Negative,
with reference to religion has nc
power to organize, build or supper,
positive institutions or ideas. The
negative is only capable of existing
in sort of desultory, guerrilla war
fare against the positive, or if it doe.
organize, such concert falls to pieces
when the positive is overthrown.
Moses doubtless has made some
mistakes, but we rather guess Mr.
Ingersoll has excelled him in thi,
line. 1t is an awful mistake to sup
pose his oratory, brilliant az it is, car
reverse the tendencies of human ma,
ture and sever its relation, real o,
imaginary, with future state of ex.
istence. The weakness and poverty
of his negativism, its inertness, and
not having built churches with spires
pointing downward, long ago, ought
to satisfy him that he has undertaken
a job beyond his power. and should
lead him to something possible, prac-
teal and useful. A system of mere
negativism will never overcome q
positive one however absurd. The
followers of Joe Smith or Mohammed
will make sacrifice for their faith, and
build mosques and temples and semi
naries, but the bald unbeliever never,
or very few.
He is grand when he denounces
the tendencies ofsoms religious dog.
mas-when he points out the wars,
prosecutions and cruelties which in.
directly at least are chargeable to
christianity. But he should learn
from this, that he is contending with
force too strongly intrenchsd In
the thoughts of man to be over
thrown unless he should introduce
something positive and better adapt
ed to satisfy the inersdioable hopes
and fears Of the human mind than
this system. Christianity, if it has
not introduced new motive TO bear
on the mind, has vastly augmented
the spiritual instinct, and that force
must increase with the advance of
knowledge and civilization. Intro.
ducing new class of inquiries and
questions and clothing them with an
infinite value and Importance to each
human mind, it has individuallzed
society. enlarged and sharpened the
humblest as we'll as the Hottest intel.
lect, and to these questions Mr.. In
gersoll as well as st. Paul or Luther
is in great part indebted for his emo.
tional power and mental acumen.
This new spiritual force has mani
tested its power as well in those sys.
TENS which under the name of Chris
tiauIty have endeavored to enslaye
the human mind as in the thousands
Of martyrs whose deaths made the
conscience free, and led the masses
of man to oppose temporal despotism
as well. True the energy inspired oy
this force has occasioned a great
many wars, because 1t has greatened
the individual and reduced
the ruler to the condition of q ser.
want of the people.
As an abstract question, had we
the making of the human
mind, we do not believe that we
should have shorn it of the power of
imagining or hoping for a future