The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-06-08
ROBERT G.

In New York popular interest is about
equally divided between politics, lately seeth-
ing at almost boiling heat, and the lectures
which Col. Bob. Ingersoll has recently been
delivering for the edification of the Gotham
ties. Ingersoll lectured in Booths theatre,
the. vast building being filled to its utmost
capacity at every appearance of this latest
apostle of unbelief. The audiences gathering
to hear him are 80 superior in point of intel
ligence to the average public assemblage, that
the difference has become a matter of com
ment. And thisi is not to be wondered at.
The re!isio-philosophical questions raised
within the past few years by the discoveries
of geology, the doctrines of Darwin and
other philosophers, have of late received more
or less attention from all thinking minds,
and it is natural to desire to hear both sides
of the question. Every Sabbath the pulpit
in the various churches presents one side of
the controversy. The views advanced may
differ in matters Of minor importance, but
as opposed to the school which %rrpudlates
them all, they are substantially the same.
OF this school lngersoll is tho most noted
graduate. Taking the various denominations
OF the Christian Church as the representatives
of one extreme, Ingersoll is the boldest,
ablest and most aggressive exponent of tho
opposite. He IS the modern Peter the Hermit
who would enlist his followers in a crusade
against every form of religious belief which
has for its tourdation the book believed to
owe its authorship 10 divine inspiration and
for its precepts the mandates delivered from
the cloud-cncircled summit of Sinai. In
place of this religion he offers us nothing to
satisfy the natural %yealning of the heart of
man for a home more in consonance with his
better nature than is to be found amid the
petty material cares of this world. His mis-
sion is to pull down, to destroy; not to build
up. He does not trouble himself to ask what
is 10 take the place of the religion which in
the hour of danger or suffering never fails to
bring balm to the heart of the believer. All
such considerations lie leaves out of view.
Before him he sees a mass of doctrines which
in the main he believes to be errors, and
these nc attacks with every weapon at the
service of his bright. keen intellect. His
work is Tie work IF a critic: and as such it
claims the attention Of thousands VINO are
far from accepting or sharing his views. The
time has gone by wien men were willing
to consider ANYTHING as too holy for debate.
too sacred to lave the light of human
reason thrown over and around it. What
is asked for is truth, and in 10
arena can truth possess greater advantages
than in the field of free, open discussion.
Those who belire themselves secure in its
possession, SO far as concerns the main body
Of their belief, have no fear of untruth armed
the truth really is the truth. then the more it
is combatted the more firmly Will it be
established, and merely through Il kind
of intellectual curiosity are they attracted
within lnScrsoll'> lecture hall, only to leave
it more sincere than ever in the faith he failed
to shake.
On The whole the appearance of such men
as l~ngelsoll must be welcomed by every true
FREUD Of religion. When we considerthe mon
strous encroarhments made on human liberty
in times past by religion when pervcte,. from
its true nature and mission. We have reason
to hail the appearance of champions whose
attacks will bot fail to put its supporters on
their bestl line Of defense, aid whose trencllant
sword of ridicule will not fail to lop off any
branch of error that may possibly became ell
grated on the living tree of a true faith