The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-12-10

New Testament is the Christianity which |
was preached by Christ against the Scribes
and Pharisees which are recorded in part
in the Old Testament. 1t is Leyitical pu-
rity without Levitical hair-splitting. 1t is
Essene simplicity without Essene asceti-
cism. 1t is broad, and free and tender.
1t is spiritual cleanliness thrilled with the
pulse-beats of divinity. The utterances of
fanatic can not sully it. The blood-stains
of conquest can not soil it. 1t is grand
spiritual poem instead of doubtful chron-
ology. What is outside is fragmentary and
it needs no additions. 1t is harmonious
whole in itself.
1t is easy for Mr.. Ingersoll to take
passage from the Old Testament ordering
the sack of city and then dwell patheti-
calIy upon the picture of babe being torn
from ''the thrilled and happy arms of
mother" This has been done often enough
before, though not in such happy phrases
as he employs. But there is no argument
in the position IF Christianity taught this
once, it would teach it now, and record
of what was done more than score of cen
! turies ago is no criticism of the present.
All the beauty and pathos of the home cir
Gle centre in Christianity to-day. What is
more exquisite and tender than child
kneeling at the feet of a loving mother and
Iisping with sleep-clogged tongue the sim
pie prayer which has been taught 1t?
Mother-love and religion are so enwrapped
as to be almost identical. The child grows
in years, and the wrinkles gather upon the
loving face that had beamed above him.
He goes out upon the world where there
are ambitions and hopes and disappoint-
ments and realizations, unrest and strife
the world in which he is unjust and lnJus-
tice comes to him in turn-the world IN
which childhood becomes tender reminl-
scence as vague as the perfume of a garden
| in the silence of summer night, and the
present grows hard and metallic. And yet
| though the years carry him on and away,
down devious and narrow paths, the bless
ing of the old tender time is ever with him.
| The head which bent over him then has
grown gray the voice has grown tremulous
and tired the feet step wearily and eau
tiously down the shadowy declivity, yet the
undying love still sends its message for him
to the heart of the Undying Love, which,
in the form of Galilean peasant walked
the struggling streets of Nazareth eighteen
eighteen centuries ago This is not born
of doctrine of rapine, Mr.. Ingersoll. 1t
may be superstition, but it is beautiful
one. 1t may be the scoff of intellectual
hardness, but it is tender nevertheless 1t
may be doctrine of folly and falsehOOd,
but it is only begotton of love, and false
hood which is beautiful idyl. Men may
sneer at it, but when the sneer comes one
can not help thinking of the wild, haunt
ing, despairing cry which came from Aired
de Musset on his death-bed: Poisoned
from youth with the writings of the ency-
clopedists, early imbibed the sterile milk
of impiety. Human pride, that god of in
sanity and egotism, closed my mouth to
prayer. How miserable are those men who
have rallied at that which can save human
soul l was born in corrupt age. l
have much to expiate. Pardon, 0 Christ,
those who blaspheme!
Because there are bad artists, one can
not condemn art Because there are bad
poets, one can not condemn poetry. Be
, cause there are bad Christians, one can not
condemn Christianity. There are dividing
lines between the false and the seeming,
and only the reason which Mr.. Ingersoll
boasts as the basis of his doctrine is neces-
sary to throw the distinction under the light
of calcium He holds reality responsible
for the pretense. He talks of genuineness
when he means hypocrisy. 1t is true that
men enter the church as a means OF indl-
vidual advancement. 1t is true that the
church is sometimes cowardly enough to
accept the one-tenth as tithe of that which
was not honestly earned. 1t is true that
pretentious piety can hold its own at times
against the purity which should overthrow
it. 1t is true that the mantle of the just
has covered injustice, and that falsehOod
has been a noisy partner of truth. Yet all
these do not alloy the pure metal.
They may deceive, but they do not change
the order and make untruth truth. Those
who attempt it are the victims. Those who
; suffer it are worse if they are willing knaves
they are to be pitied if they are pious dupes.
The shams which Mr.. Ingersoll talks of in
the cnuTCHSS, Ittc WdlCS WHICH, ltliho
of in the history of the churches, have
nothing to do with religion. A church is
merely the expression of truth. If it is
incomplete the truth is not hurt. 1t is not
: the less the truth 1t is still the express
sion that is awkward Because Raphael
be copied by fool, is he the less Raphael?
; Because God is travestied by man is he the
; less God?
The argument will not do. One must
deal with realities, and not with their imita-
tions. He must take things as they are
and not as they are represented to be-
There has been bigotry in the church. But
there has been none in religion. There has
been persecution in the church but there
has been none in religion. Persecution is
bigotry armed and in action, and bigotry is
the bastard of belief, but that which is be-
yond 1.-THE great living truth-can not
be held responsible. They are separate
and should be so held. The scornful analy-
sis of the Scriptures which free thought is
so fond of making can not be applied in
one case and ignored in another. To sus-
tain system of unbelief there must be 8
harmony ofmethod Justice can not charge
religion with the wrong-doings of its pre-
tended votaries, 1t must concede that il
their wrong-doing they are doing that which
is expressly forbidden, and, therefore, nc
matter what their protestations may be
they are as much the opponents of religion
as those who openly avow infdelity. In
deed, they are worse than the latter, fOl
, their hypocrisy makes them sneak-thieves
stealing name to which they have no right
1t is not fair to talk of St. Bartholo
news day in discussion. 1t is not fai
to take the exaggerated traditions of th'
Inquisition. 1t is not fair to quote th'
records of blood of the middle ages. 1t il
not fair to cite martyrdoms and imprison
, ments. As arguments against the cruelt,
and short-sightedness of ambition and ia
naticism, these are all effective. As argu