Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-11-13
BLACK TO INGERSOLL.
A Caustic Review of the ALatter's Latest
Magazine Article.
Phi ladelphia Press.

Phi ladelphia Press.
To the editor of the Press: Among the
great metre polit4n journals you alone, rs
lar AS | know, took any apparent interest
in that number Of the North American Re-
view which contained what it's editor
called "a Debate on the Christian Reli-
giun 1t seems right, therefore, that you
-and, if you please, your Teaders-- Should
KNOW why it is that the NUMBER last out
appears with an article from Mr. 1ngersoll
unaCcom panied by Any remarks from me.
| was not volunteer 10 This business.
The editor of the Review made two Jour>
neys to my house and besougbt ne to fur
nish him with n refutatIOn OF 1ngerso is
blasphemOus dOctrinrs, which he IA q were
every where puzzling religious t. &C hers and
leading people astray. | did Lot believe
that Mr.. IugersOll's utterHnCes were Mt AL
harmful, and if the faith Of the Christian
world WAS III danger | was unworthy and
unfit to be its defender. There were. in
my opinion, ten thousand protest. al the
ologians who could and would DO 1t bet
ter and were, IN fact, dong 1t most Ell
fectually at that very time by their words
and their deeds. But this editor was alb
surd enough to insist that if did not an
swer III =. Ingersoil he could not be an
swered at All and it would thence be in
ferred that the Christian system WAS false
Moved by his opportunities and inf fenced
IL
friends whose loves l might not drop"
sgreed that | would append 10 MIR. Inger-
soFs article my own opinion Of lis fallacy
snd thus make tbs two ogether rs fit as
| could for publication in decent maya
zine.
From the beginning it was distinctly I'M
derstoOd that my defense was to be printed
IN the zane number with the accusation
be editor was Tor at Least pfeieuedea &c
be- firm believer in Christianity, ard be
would not for the world publish IngeEsoll'
poisonous stuff without putting the anti
dote right beside ito do so wou no.
only at1lict his conscience, but greatly in
jure the character of his Review.
AT the time of the publication l agreed
that if Mr.. Ingersoll had any fault to fnG
with the result it might seem cowardly tt
refuse h m smother chance on the same
terms. l was not afraid of any new result
be might make Il he was not afraid of my
defense.
Three months afLerward fifty pages OF
the fuu'eSt ami talsest libel that ever Wa:
written against God or man Was sent to
me wos entirely willing to treat it as
had treated the otner; that is, give it the
answer | thought il deserved and 1t both
go together. But 1t came when l was dis
aoed by al Injury, from which l could
not hope 10 get well for some weeks, and
So notified the editor. To my surprise
WAS Informed thft 10 contra iiction, cor
rec:ion or criticism of niue, or any body
else, would be allowed to accompany thus
new etfusion of filth. 1t YVES TO be printed
immediat ly and would occupy so much
space that none could be spared for The
other side | proposed that if its bull
could not be reduced so rs ID admit of al
answer in the same number 1t should b
postponed until reply could be mad
ready tor publication IN the next succeed
mn 10. flN4,I- a 4
We're rejected for the express reason ina
Nr. lngersoll would not consent" Find
ing IN" Review controlled by him TO sui
himself, L do not think l was bound t
go further.
True, L was offered the change of reply
ing IN future number, but that WAS ne
the privilege had bargsined for nor tn
duty L agreed 10 perform. Besides, if
would Wllte an answer, what Cunhdenc
could have that they would not suppress
II! "A promise of theirs, expressed or i'll
pied, is not, in my estimation, worth
straw, II they have an interest in breakin,
It, Their object was not what they pro
tessed to get the truth vindicated but &
make sensation and il CT ease the sale Q
their paper.
l am specially blamable for ALLOWING
my self to be taken in by them on this oc
casion, because the same treacheruus con
Germ mad basely betrayed me once before
Alter tracing me out and hunting me dow
to get an article from me on the great frau,
OF lol6-a subject then of much genera
interest, and making by It's publication, a
we proprietor himself told me, not les
LAah ten thousand dollars, they banded M
ana my friends, living and dead, over /,
oe covered with Irrelevant SANDERS on
O@rgaiG that | should not be permit {,
Ie'eSe them IN their pages. The panphle
70 winch L was driven could net reaci
T. a n uTla,.r to ID ~
9tner nail probably believe TO this day tina
and certain other men. some of the hes
n"N "orthlest IN the land, were guilty 0
ne most etroclous crimes known to an
lew, ulVlhe or human. 1t was weak in m
~ prosecute those llbelers it, a court o
justice Sill weaker TO Condcne the utfens
aDu puI my sell IN the way of beir sini
lar'y hlhi5reated again. PERHAPS. also,
wa. uhWlse at the beginning TO look f.
peter behavior from adventures conduc
Iihg magazine Without ayoWed conyiC
tloLs or pfln' lples and without capa city I
contribute an original thing of their ow
except rags and lamp black
1t would be pleasant to believe that som
professional theologian other b lieve
IN the truth may be permitted to addres
the readers OF the magazine in question
But l expect not 1t seems probable tn,
the North American Review will be pro
tltute1 entirely to he service OF Athesn
Ahio NJ personal WThDS q WIN M
1ngersOll He mas said nothing II .nsi,
about me. His Indignation nj fn ling hin
self confronted, not by professional To
ologian, but by a iayman WHO applied Il
judicial tests to his assertions, was natur
and espre SD with tolerable moderatio
On the ether hand, tried, sEd think
tried successfully, to confne myself ri
idly to the square issue between US. A ju
or even an Intelligent iticism could u
be made without some reference to
mental peculiarities, which, with habits
shallow thinking and rash talking, MAJ
him an utterly Incompetent judge Of Il
subject he pretended TO argue. But
found the proofs of this within the 70,
corners of his own paper. There. also,
learned that he was without any acknoW
edged standard of right or wrong. It W
legitimate to notice thai, because it a
counted satisfactorily for his other ute
ances.
Neither is there any question of parts,
ponies between US. l nave certain poll
an are; CONVICTIONS, which you may call pref
u ie9 Il You will. But whether they q
wen or ih>founded, they have no mann
oi Just connacton with The snhiao,- mot.
OF AR, lngersolrs diatribs srsinst Ghr
tlanity; | believe, and has sans ns.o On ~
pressed the belief, that raI;,,;e oi1en .: