The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-07-21
CHRISTIANITY DISCUSSED. .
Col. Bob IngersOll and Judge Black In the North
American Review,

Col. Bob IngersOll and Judge Black In the North
American Review.
The North American Review for August
contains an article from Col Bob Inger.
soil against Christianity, and one in re-
ply from the distinguished Judge j s.
Black. The Judge handles Bob like a
skilled operator. He speaks OF Inger.
soil as one whose mental organization is
full of those peculiar defects which fit
him for the station he occupies, noted
for imagination, but has no discretion.
His inordinate self.confdence makes
him fercCious and fearless, but he is far
from being the most formidable oppon-
ent Christianity has encountered since
theIdays of Julian the Apostate. Judge
Black don't think there is enough in him
or in what he says and writes, to endan-
ger Christianity. He has capacity to
"spit the ears of the groundlings" and
make the unskilled laugh, and that is
about all.
In meeting Ingersol's disbelief in God,
the Judge says it would be mere waste
of time and space, to enumerate the
proofs which show that the universe was
created by a pre-existent and self con
scious Being, of power and wisdom to us
inconceivable. Should Ingesoll admit
that God made the universe, he would
admit the working of stupendous mir
acle, and this would overturn his sOphis'
tical reasoning and spoil his entire case
That admission once made, he would not
have a peg left whereon to hang an ar
gument,
Judge Black says to undertake to de-
fend the creator of the world against In
gersoll's foul ar alignment is about as un'
becoming as to make the accusation that
this world had no divine creator, because
it is a bad savage, cruel piece OF work.
with its restilenCe, storms, earthquakes
and volcanoes. After noticing Inger'
soils objection to the Mosaic laws, Judge
Black touches upon the Jewish sacrifices
which the Colonel terms "a horrible sys'
tenn" shedding of innocent blood. u
The Judge thinks Carnivorous Ameri'
| can. full of beef and mutton, who mourns
with indignant sorro y, because bulls and
goa,s were slain in Judea three thousand
years ago, has reached the climax of SEN
timental goodness. In spite of this 81 n
timentality, IDgersoll himself was out tC
war in the days Of the Rebellion, and
Judge Black is at loss to know how
ma0y of the enemy he slew, how many
mothers he unbabed, or how many oxen
he sacrificed to the Moloch of war and
the soldiers appetites. "These inCon'
sistencies," says the Judge, "are the nec'
"essary consequence of having no rule oi
faction and no guide for the conscience
"When man throws away the golden
"metewand OF the law that God has pro-
"vided, and takes the elastic cord of feel.
'ing for his measure of righteousness,
"you cannot tell from day to day what
"he will think or do"
We should be glad to follow Judge
Black through his able article, if our
space permitted. He meets the atheis-
tiCal opinions of Ingersoll as to the ex.
istence of Supreme Being, Of the doc
trines of the atonement, Of future re-
wards and punishments, ETC., with an
ability worthy OF a champion of the
great cause. The eminent jurist is a
heavy gun, too heavy for Col. Bob in ar
gument and power. We give his closing
remarks
"This religion has come down to us
through the ages, attended all the way
oy righteousness, justice, temperance,
mercy, transparent truth(ulness, exulting
hope and white winged charity. Never
was its influence for good more plainly
perceptibIe than now. 1t has not con-
verted, purified and reformed all men,
for it's first principle is the ireedom of
the human will and there are those who
choose to reject it. But to the mas of
mankind, directly and indirectly, it has
brought unCounted benefits and bless.
ings. Abolish it--take away the re-
straints it imposes on evil passions-si.
lence the admonitions of its preachers
let all Christians cease their labors of
Charity-blot out from history the record
of its heroic tenevolenCe-repeal the
laws it has enacted and the institutions
it has built up-let its moral principles
be abandoned and all its miracles of
light be extinguished-what would we
come to? / need not answer this ques-
ton: the experiment has been partially
tried. The French nation formally re.
nounCed Christianity, denied the exist.
enCe of the Supreme Being, and 30 sat-
isfed the hunger of the infdel heart for
a time. What followed? Universal de-
pravity, garments rolled in blood, fantas-
tic crimes, unimagined before, which
startled the earth with their sublime at.
roCity. The American people have not,
and ought not to have any special desire
to follow that terrible example of guilt
oud misery"
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