, 1880-09-06
T'hurlovv Weed ON Ingersoll,

The following letter from Mr.. Weed
appears in the New York Herald:
Men entertaining intidcl opinions for
the last twenty or more years, and until
tie appearance of Robert G. Ingersoll,
have seldom obtruded themselves upon
the public. There is nsthing in the man
ner or matter of modern divines either
to provoke or invite antagonism. Cler-
gymen do not, as formerly, dwell and
linger upon the dark features of theolo
gy. Nothing is now heard of the fate
of infants not span long" The min
istry of our day is = ministry of peace,
charity and good will. This generation
learns to love and serve rather than to
dread and distrust our Creator and Sa-
vleur. Whatever grounds existed forms
erly to tempt scoffers and revilers, the
religion of our time disarms and silences
unprejudiced criticism.
| Colonel Ingersoll, whom l know, has
the reputation OF being gentleman of
education, with a we'll stored mind and
attractive personal manners. who speaks
fluently and eloquently. A man thus
gifted can do much good, but much more
evil, according to the principles espoustd
and the line of conduct marked out for
himself Colonel Ingersoll, it seems, up
on the enterance into active life, chose
the left instead of the right pathway,
and becomes a reviler of, instead of a
believer in, a religion which has been
making the world wiser, better and hap
pie, for almost aineteen centuries. With>
out questioning Colonel Ingersoll's sin
cerity or impugnlng his motives. l am
persuaded that if half the time expended
in forti.ying himselt with arguments had
partial consideration OF the evidences
establishing Its truth, the country would
follower OF Him, whose missions labs RS
and character. viewed merely from q
worldly standpoint, inspire admiration,
affection and gratitude. Is it not, there
fore, painful! to see men richly endowed
perver,ing their gifts, misusng their tai
eh,s in persnmptuous revllings and rihald
testing against a Creator and a Saviour
from whom every earthly bounty and
bl ssing cminates?
n" act of the Saviour's lite and M
word He ever uttered as been or can he
construed or tortured into hostility to
the welfare ard happiness OF every mem-
ber of the human family. Human laws
are founded upon the Divine law. All
that concerns our happiness here and
hopes of happiness hereafter is derived
frsm the Scriptures. On the other hand,
what has intdelty done for us? Who
profits uy its teachings? After aepriv-
ing IT'S followers of their belief in fu>
ture. how does if compensate them 3
What does it offer in exchange tor life
ot immortality? II, tor example, Cello
mel Ingersoll should I've summoned to the
he'side Of dying friend or relative,
what words OF comfort or Of l,ore could
he offer? OF what service could he be
to that stricken friend? Would he ag-
gravate t. sufferin.s of one whose last
hours need soothing by telling him there
was nothing but the cold, dark grave
awaiting hlm2
THIS cruel theory is repelled not only
by revelation but by the laws OF Nature.
Nature is instinct with evidences and
combinations OF the truth of revelation.
The vegetable and floral werld only die
to live again. The products of the earth
live and die annually. The buried acorn
reproduces the living oak. And yet in.
fidelity insists that man, the image Of the
Creator. wonderfully endowed and gifted,
under whose auspices tho world has been
enlightened, elevated and adorned, is
after brief existence to be a. though he
had never been. Contrast the labors Of
Voltaire aad Paine with those of John
Wesley. Can it be said with truth that
the former TIVE made any one better or
happier? Hundreds Of thousands of the
followers of Jshn Wesley have lived and
died and other hundreds of thousands