Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-11-17


say that Mr.. Ingersoll swallows it
whole. He believes, or at least he
practices, the Christian doctrine on
the subjects of marriage, paternity
ana property, not because he is bound
oy the Divine commandments, but be-
cause he JeeLs like It. Others, reject
ing as he does the golden meiwand
OF the law" have an equal right to
take their own feelings as the measure
OF righteousness. So one set of athe.
lists curses marriage and another
blackguards polygamy, and they are
both right if there be no God above
all and over all.
do not intend this as a substitute
for the answer which | would have
made if the presiding genius of the
Reeieio had been propitious. My prin.
cipal object is to show that his "circu.
lar abuse" amounts to absolutely
nothing. A regular reply would prove
that in every line Of his last article he
has either falsified history or applied
20 it an erroneous Interpretation. But
| am tempted not to quit without Civ
ing a sample Of bis efforts at scientific
reasoning.
If he does not deny the existence of
a God his occupation is gone. The oh
ject, therefore, of his highest ambition
ever since he took the stump against
Christianity has been and is 10 ami
hilate the evidence which shows that
the world has Maker and Moral
Governor. This being his great CEN
tral point on which all other points
must turn he has, Of course, laid him
self out TO do his very best for it. Let
us see what be has achieved.
thought | was giving a true and
accurate account of his theory when
said that he regarded the universe as
natural that 'it came into being of
its own accord - that lit made its
own laws at the start, aud afterward
improved itself considerably by spon-
taneous evolution" But he denies
that this is true exposition of his
views, aud he exercises his conceded
right to define them again more sharp
ly than he did before. Now he says
that the universe did not come into
being at all; that it alroays 'oas nor
did it makes its own laws, for it hds
no idWs.
If the material universe existed,
Just as ii does now, from all unbegun
eternity, there is, to be sure. not much
chance for a Creator TO have done any
work il its harmony is preserved and
the uniformity of its action maintain.
ed without any rule or regulation pre-.
scribed by a superior power, there is,
then, and has been no need of q law.
giver; God is. therefore, 50 useless a
being that he must be theoretically
blotted out of existence.
For the proposition that the uni
verse always was without CREATOR
and will be forever without a preser-
ver) he offers only one proof, 10 wit
that it is according to his idea. This
he considers potent enough to overrule
all the evidence, direct and cireum-
s;antial, by which his idea" is oppos-
cd. All testimony borne by the com
mon sense Of mankind. all the deduc-
tions Of reason, all philosophy, and all
faith in Holy Writ must be swept
aside, so that has idea may have free
course to run and be glorifed. But
this ascription of supreme authority
to an idea, merely because il happens
to be his idea, will hardly be con-
CURED in. The assertion of il, indeed,
proves nothing except that his bump
of selsesteem Is in a state of chronic
inflammation.
He started another idea, which has
the same special merit of being his
own, that the material universe is not
governed by laws. The planets move
at a rate and in orbits which can be
calculated with absolute certainty !;
the earth revolves on It's axis with such
perfect regularity that the very second
of time at which the sun will rise at a
particular place can be predicted q
thousand years beforehand chemical
substances combine always in exactly
the same relative proportions: in the
animal and vegetable worlds like pro.
duces like; 10 ell organized beings
certain causes are known to produce
certain effects favorable or unfavora.
BILE to life and health. Mr.. Ingersoll's
idea il that these are not tho results of
law OF any sort of intelligent arrange.
ment but they are phenomena which
happen, and the world is by mere ac-
cident prevented from falling into
chaos. In his wisdom he decides ''as
matter of fact that there is no rule
back of the phenomenon which a con-
trolling power compels the subject
matter to obey il merely happens,
but it happens so uniformly that il
creates the idea of law in our minds,
which is, however, q mere delusion.