The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-11-03

by anything within the same period of time
the world has ever known.
MIR. INGERsoLL AND THE NORTH
AMERICAN REVIEW.
In our associated press dispatches yester-
day morning the announcement was
made that the collector ofthe port at To-
ronto, Canada, had seized a consignment of
Tom Pane's cage of Reason" and Vol
taire's "Pocket Theology" both infidel
works. This act it was said, had been de-
nounced by all the provincial press ofoan-
ada, except the Toronto Mail, classed as
the organ of Colonel Patton, the collecto'
who made the seizure. 1t seems that the
affair has caused great excitement through
out the Dominion, especially in Toronto,
where a number of citizens contributed
money to the amount of 81 900 and donated
it to the bookseller to whom the books
were consigned to test the matter in the
courts. So great is the excitement caused
by the seizure that the ministers in the va
rious churches felt themselves called upon
to preach sermons defending the action OF
the collector and the secretary of"the Sec
ular society,"" an infidel organization,
we presume, under Instructions,
wrote to Colonel Robert lngersol
asking his assistance, asking him to come
to Toronto and deliver lis lecture on Tom
Paine, and characterizing the action OF The
collector in Selling the books in question
as 'the tyranny of the government IAN
ada being province Of Great Britain. with
a local government of its own, but on the
same model of that of Great Britain, we are
not prepared to say whether the laws there
Justify this seizure or not. If such thing
was done in this country, we would unhesi-
tatngly denounce it as tyranny and-oppres-
sidn. Such action only brings these books
into undue prominence and notoriety; it
assumes the form of an invasion upon the
rights, privileges and liberties of that class
of our citizens who may believe their teach
ings and who may desire to read them and
to ineulcate their principles. Whenever
this is the case, the inidel, the deist-the
man or woman who doubts the Bible and
its lessons, who denies the Divinity of
Christ, assumes the role of a martyr. He
cries out persecution and thereby he
strengthens his cause and builds up
friends for himself and for his cause. The
Philadelphia Inquirer and several other
papers have severely, indeed in some instan-
ces bitterly, criticised the North American
Review for publishing Col. Ingersoll's inf
del articles in his controversy with Judge
Jere Black. We must take issue with the
Inquirer and the other papers that have
sided with it in their attacks on the North
American Review. In this free land ofours
every man has constitutional and legal
right to worship God according to the die
tates of his conscience. He may be a Bap-
fist, Presbyterian, a Methodist, Luther
an, Catholic, q Jew, Mohammedan, a
bunker, Shaker, Quaker, an Adventist
be anything his judgment and his con-
science may approve, or he may be an inf
del, disbeliever in the Bible and in God,
and he may preach his faith whenever and
wherever he pleases so he does
not infringe upon the rights. land
prerogatives Of others in so doing.
This being true, who then can
question Mr.. Ingersoll's right to scott at the
Bible and its teachings, to.deny the Diyini-
ty of Christ, 10 preach that there is no God2
Ifhe has as an individual and as a citizen
Of this country a legal right 10 do this thing,
why animadvert upon the North American
Review, public periodical, published in
the interest Of no one class Of people, but
for all the world who may choose 10 read.
for publishing Colonel Ingerxoll's utter
ances7 II the Bible and the Christian re-
lieion, il the word Of God and the revela-
tons from His Son cannot survive or stand
up under the onslaught Of Colonel Inger-
soil, or any other man or set Of n1in, then
the Bible aud the Christian religion would
seem to be 1ailures, are bat as dead SEA iruit
20 Che lips Of the weary and tie seeker aiier
light and happiness since lie sine ths,
Christ lived, in all countries. in all o.
and IN all times, there have been mer VI
scolIed at the Bible and at the rel sion u
Christ. Great minds have ridicu.si
the one and blasphemsl ~ ctr
er. and the Tom Pnines. so 80
Jacques Rousselus. The Foltaira ave
poured forth the. thunders q their ,'lie
the neliuinrs Of their sarcssm and thrif
satire seninsi the Bitls and against the re-
lirson of C1lrist To-Day tie Bible i read
in almost every tongue knorA 20 re earth.
and every lard and cline. On evefy rresn
Island in TIE So the temples AID the a.
fars 81 God have been reared. and|ths bean
ties and elo-is q the rtliei1n fhaf Chria
Taught il inst1led into the niD1t and hc1zz(
Of he people From n Grlf nl.ni
mountains % In5ias c1r1l 81
tbs czss. ard al TIE js1t1r
snvs thai Colonel Inrz--<
puhlish c1nn1t I'D '.
R,tls OF rsHr11.-