Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-11-11
A ON NGERsOLL.
A vigorous Defense of COmmOn.
Iy Accepted Religious Ideas.

the belief, that religion and politics
cannot be mingled together without
endangering both. The most perfect
system Of human government that
ever was invented by the wit Of man
and the hottest religion that God has
revealed to his creatures when united
together form a monstrous compound
highly injurious to the best interest OF
the human race. Such a union is pro-
nounced by Christ and his Apostles to
be impure, and the fathers OF this re,
public so shaped their fundamental
law as to make it a wall OF perfect
partition between them. Without
such complete separation there can be
no security for either civil liberty or
the rights OF consciences in matters
of religion. The worst form OF this
adulterous connection is not assumed
when a legal union is formed between
church and State. 1t is when a pop
ular party in a free government under
takes to mingle its coarse interests and
its vulgar passions with the religious
sentiments of the people. That is
what pollutes and falslies both. The
history of the world, and especially
that Of our own country, has been
written in vain if this be not the
lesson it teaches.
These convictions not only disarm
me Of the power to repel MI. lnger
soils assaults by a political argument,
but force me to admit for the purposes
of this case that he is right on all the
points of that kind which he chooses
to lug in. l can do that, argumenti
gratia, without affecting the real ques-
ton in controversy.
He thought he was striking a terri
bic blow at the Almighty when he
showed that the Jewish Constitution
contained a provision which confieted
with the platform of the Abolitionists.
The had determined and resolved that
under all circumstances, and at all
times and everywhere the federation
of slavery or servitude for life was a
crime. By this and by other means
not now to be described they got
money, power and great personal con-
sequences for themselves and their
fellows. Mr.. IngersOll could trust
them to unite with him in bowling
down Christianity or anything else
that diminished the profits OF their
business. Directly before him he had
the successful example of Demetrius,
the silversmith, who raised a tremend-
Gus uproar against the gospel Of
Christ by simply believing out:
Great. is Diana Of the Ephesians. -
"Sirs, ye know hat by this craft we
have our wealth"
l could only protest that these ap-
peals to the interests and passions Of a
political party we're unfair. Diana OF
the Ephesians and Abolitionism may
both have been great, and they we're
great in the sense of being popular,
but that does not prove that the Cos
pei Of God is a pernicious imposture.
The Jewish Constitution, which toll
Grated the e~nslavement of savsges in
Judea, and the resolve of the Adolf
ton caucus, which condemned it in
America might both be right, since
the two systems were not TO be judged
by one another each should be con-
sidered with proper reference to cir
~cumstances widely different. But the
suggestion that the infallible God
might be believed to have proceeded
on Just grounds without impugning
the righteousness of the Ab~olitionists
met with no favor. The practiced
demagogue cannot forego the tricks OF
his trade, and SO he makes the pane
gyTic Of his political faction an excuse
for casting contempt in the face Of his
Maker and for insulting the faith aud
reason Of all Whs believed Christ. The
barest thought that the Judge Of all
the earth did right fills him with
rancor, which he pours out over page
after page and then repeats it again
and again:
Unpscks his heart with words
And falls to cursins like a very dab
Asculhon-
l have said thus much about the
slavery point, not as an answer to Mr.
Ingersoll, but because | will not have
it understood, if can help it, that |
permitted or provoked the introduo-
ton of partisan politics into the dis
cussion Of a religious subject.
These furious outbreaks of intern
perate abuse upon God. his laws and
institutions do not disturb anyoae's
intellectual belief or at least diminish
the awful reverence which a Christian
feels for the supreme object of his
alteration. Mr.. Ingersoll thinks he is
raising a storm on the ocean oil
thought; he is not producing a ripple
He is merely doing the part Of a com
mon scold, to whom the idle listen for
the sport Of the thing, while others.
taking counsel for their outraged
feelings, think him a nuisance that
ought to be abated. This is. perhaps.
not very easy to do. A woman, for
such an %offense, would be ducked
under the rule Of an ancient law. but
when communis vixatrix Of the male
gender vexes the peace of a neighbor
hood in this way the remedy is diff
cult and doubtful.
To learn how gratuitious these anil
ties are-how be scolds for the mere
sake Of scolding-look at his fanfaron
AIDE on polygamy. By the unaided
influence Of the church alone this vice
has been extirpated completely and
perfectly. In Christian countries the
universal rule is that one man should
be the husband of one wife and no
more; and it is neither the rule nortbe
practice anywhere else on the face Of
the globe. Now, a person who has or
binary sense must see that the moral
merit Of Christs Gospel in this
respect is directly proportional To
the magnitude Of the evil
from which it has relieved human a.
ciety. But Mr.. Ingersoll tries to black.
en- the character of the Christian re-
ligion by railing at the bad practice
which 1t has opposed and DESTROYED,
Ii ne had flung out at HOMOGENEOUS
marriage, which Christianity upholds.
his act, though unjust, might have
had an apparent object not altogether
preposterous. Indeed, monogomy Is
as open TO mere vulgar vituperation
as polygamy. When an unclean mind
eXerts itself to imagine what may take
place It Is as easy to talk about brutal
lty and the animal degradation Of wo-