Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-08-14

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vertlsers.
Mr. ThurlOw Weed on Col EngersOli.
MIR. Thurlow Weed recantly published acom
muncaiion iu the New York Herald. in reply
to cortsin skeptical utterances of Col. R. 6.
IoGeraol from which the following extract is
| taken:
Col. Iogersd, whom do not know, has the
| reputation OF baing gentle man of educ,tion,
| with we'll stored mind aud attractive persoopl
manners, who speaks Auently and elcquautIy.
A mau thus gifted cac do much good, but
much more evil, according to the principles
espous= d and the line of conduct marked out
for himself. Colonel IDgersolI. it seems, upon
bis entrsnce into active life, chose the left in-
stead OF the right pathway, and becomes re-
viler Of instead of believer in religion which
has been making the world wiser, better and
happier for aim ,st nineteen centuries With.
| out questioning Col. lDgersolPs sincerity or i'm
pusu,cg bis motives am pc shaded that if
| half the time aud labor expended in fortiying
himself with arguments against religion bad
been devoted to an intelligent and impartial
C ,nsideration of the evidences establishing its
truths the country would have had instead of a
reviler gifted follower of Him whose mis- sion,
lsbprs and character, viewed merely from O
worldly standpoint, inspires admiration, sffeo
tion aud gratitude. Is it not therefore painful
to see men richly endowed pervertiug their
gifts, misus0g their talents in presumpucus
revilings and ribald stiugs against Creator
and q Saviour from wrcm every earthly bounty
and blessing m ,pste N act of the Saviour's
life and 90 word He ever uttered has been
or N be construed or tortured into hostility
10 the welfare and happiness of every mem
Der of the human family. Human laws are
founded upon the divine law. ALI that concerns
our happiness here and our hopes of happiness
hereafter is derived from the Scriptures. On
the other haOd,. what has in6delty done for
US? Who pr-f5s by its teachings? After de
privug its followers of their belief 10 a future,
how does it compensate them? What does it
off 10 exchange fur life of Immortality? IF.
tor tx,mpe, Colonel Ingersoll should be sum
moned to the bedside of dying friend or rela
live, uhat words Of comfort or of hope c,ud he
of r? o. what service eoul1 he DO to that
| stricken friend? Would he aggravae the sut-
ferloas of one whose lsst hours needed soothing
by telling him there was nothing but the cod
dark grave awaiting him? This cru | theory
is reDellsd not only by revelation but by the laws
OF nature N ture is Instinct with evidences
ani corhfmations of tho truths of revelation,
The vegetable and horal world only die to I've
| again. The produces of the earth live and dis
| aohually. The buried acorn reproduces the
| living oak. Aud yes infi !elity iuss e that mao,
the image of his Creator, wordsrful, endowed
and gifted, uoder whose auspices the world has
been enlightened, elevated and adorned. is after
| brief existence to bs as though he bad pever
been Contrast the labors of Voltaire and
Psloa 1ish thoss of John Wesley. Gan it be
| said with truth that the fo,mAr Two made any
one better or happier Hundreds of thous
aDds of the followers of John Wesley have
| lived and died and other hundreds of
thousands survive, rejoicing in their conversion
from sinful to Chrstiso life. The memory
| of Wesley is everywhere cherished By the good
and the pure. while Votaire and Paiue are only
remembered for the evil rather than for the
good they did. In6dels of sll ages found their
| strongest argument against revealed religion
upon what they regard az improbable. And
yet We are not called on to believe anything
| more lno1mprehensible than our own existence
| We might with about the same degree of rea
SOD deny this facs as to refuse to believe 10 a
future existence. We know that We live 10 this
world. ls it unreasonable to believe that We NAV
live ln another world? If We are 10 believe
nothing but what We understand We shonld 20
through life iocredalous aud simless We are
ready enough to believe on information the
| things that relate to this world. But we are
slow to believe 10 prophecy and revelation
| though both are corrobersted by observation,
experience and events. Iu6del;ty, claiming
superiority 10 reason" and common sense,
asks us to believe that all of grauduer and
subimlty. all of vastness aud power 10 tho
beautiful heavens and upon the bountiful earth
comes by chspci; that everything is self created
and self existing aud that law, order and hsr-
| Dho
theory would it'd its application to their bust,
ness sff,rs anything but advantageous. Io
fidelity and communism ara kindred in oharao
ter and aim by different methods to no.
dermine the sanctions aud securii4s upon
which the world welfare and happiness rest.
lUhdellsy Strikes at religion, Communism at
property. One seeks to weaken our faith cod
the other demands for the idle and worthless sn
equal share 10 the savings of the industrious and
frugal. Agrarisoism (o1mmuoism of milder
type) came to us some forty years ago from
EugIsod. With Fanny Wright and R,bert Dale
| 0 geu as its apostles. This bad element has
bsen.reiDforced by communism from France
and Germany. All three are working out their
destructive mission 10 city where unhappiIy
they 6od cooperation and sympaty. To these
birds OF i'll omen comes ln6dsIity equally 81.
gressive, with Robert g. IugersoIl as it's teaoher.
1t 1t be said that, uuiiks the commuoisic lead
ers. MIR. loger,oll is "geutemao and q
! scholar" the danger is thereby Intensified. The
wooder is why man of good character and as
suciations sbocd take pleasure 10 teachings
whose practical effect is to make bis bearers and
readers worse ins f better ctjzens,
The strongest steuueut urged agaipst
| Christianity, from the days of Voltairs
and Paine, is that bad men make pro-
! fesson of it; that bypocrites are found
in all our chuIcnes. This is true. But is it not
equally true that everything intrinsically yslu
anie Gets debssed. Frauds are prsctsed in bns;
nese. The richest fabrics have their limitations
Gold and silver coins are debasedo or counterfeit.
ed The evils, however, resulting ON imposi
tions of this nature are not serious The incl.
Ggence of our people and the penalties to which