National Republican., 1881-10-22
INGERSOLL'S REPLY.
MOTHER CHAPTER IN HIS DEBATE
Tlth Judge Blsck-A Universe without Maker
and the Human Race without = Redeemer-
Polygamy aud Slnvery-An I'm.
believers Belief

tnt huHutN Ot lnC NOTW dWtFhuH htNtWt
was far from being concluded in that issue. In the
November number of the same Rcvc,0, justout Col
publishes alengthy rcjoinderto toJudge
Blacks reply to his first article. lie states that not
until his first paper written did he know that
Judge Black was TO reply to 1t. lie expected an
answer from some professional thcologian, and
was surprised to find that a reply had been written
bya policeman who imagined that he had an.
bwered my arguments by simply telling me that my
statements were false" Amer deprecating certain
objectnbe portions Of Judge Blacks article as
blown and tainted with malicious words" Mr..
ingersol addresses himself to reply, which oe-
cupies almost half the entire magazine, and
ofwhich we give the following extracts:
THE UNIVERSE, ACCORDING TO NY IDEA
is, always was, and forever will be. II did not
"come into being" It is the one eternal being
the only thing that ever did. docs or can exist II
did not make its own laws" We know nothing
ofwhat we call the laws Of nature except we
gather the idea Of law from the uniformity of
phenomena springing from like conditions, To
mako myself clear; Water always runs down hill.
The thcist says that this happens because there is
behind the phenomenon an active law. As mat
ter Of fact law Is this side ofthc phenomenon. Law
docs not cause the phenomenon, but the phenom-
enOn causes the idea oflaw in our minds, and this
idea is produced from the fact that under like cir
cumstanccs the same phenomenon always hap
pens. Mr. Black probably thinks that the differ
ence in the weight Of rocks aud clouds was created
by law that parallel lines fil to unite
only because II Is Illegal that diameter
and circumference could have been so made that
1t would Oe a greater distance across than around
a circle; that stright line could imcloso tri-
angle " not prevented by law, and that little
legislation could make 1t possible for two bodies TO
occupy the same space at thesamc time. Itseems
TO me that law cannot be the cause of phenomena
but is an effect produced in our minds by their
piccession and resemblance 10 put God back
az the universe compels VS. to admit that there
vas a time when nothing existed except this God
Siat this God had lived from eternity in an infinite
: scuum and IN absolute idlenesS. The mind of
very thoughtful man is forced to one of these two
conclusions: either that the universe is selfex-
stent, or that IL was created by n self existent
icing To my mind there are fnr more Difficult
tes In the second hypothesis than in the first OF
'oursa, upon question like this, nothing can be
absolutely known.
WE LIVE ON AN ATOM
called Earth, and what we know of the infinite
Is almost infinitely limited but little as we know,
oil have all equal right TO give their honest
thought. Life is a shadowy, strange and winding
road, on which we travel for Il little way-a few
Ehort stops-just from the cradle, with its lullaby
Of love, to the low and quiet way side inn, where
all at last must sleep and where the only saluta-
ton is-Good night. know as little as any one
"design," know just as little. 1t will not do to
sny that the universe was designed, and there
fore there must be a designer. There must first be
proof that 1t was designed" twill not do to say
that the universe has "plan," and then assert
that there must have been an Infinite maker. The
idea that design must have beginning and that
a, designer need not Is n simple expression OF
human ignorance. We find q watch, and say:
$50 curious and wonderful thing must have had
maker" We find the matchmaker, and we say:
$50 curious and wonderful thing as man must
have had maker"
WE FIND GOD, AND WE THEN SAY:
"He Is so wonderful that He must not have had
amaker" In other words, all things little won.
derful must have been created, but 1t Is possible
for n something to be SO wonderful that It always
existed. One would suppose that just as the won
der increased the necessity for creator increased
because 1t Is the wonder OF the thing that suggests
The idea Of creation. Is II possible that designer
Exists from all eternity without design? Was
here no design in having an infinite designer? ?
For me, tits hard to see the plan or
design in earthquakes and pesti-
lences. 1t is somewhat difficult to dis
eern the design or the benevolence In so making
ihe world that billions Of animals live only OH the
igonies OF others The justice OF God is not visible
TO me in the history Of this world. When think
Of the suffering and death, of the poverty and
crime, of the cruelty and malice, OF the heart
lebsucss Oi TINS ueSlBn ana plan, Wnefe bcak,
and claw, and tooth tear and rend the quivering
hesh of weakness and despair, cannot convince
myself that 1t is the result Of infinite wisdom, be-
nevolence, and justice, OF course, 1t is admitted
that most of the Ten Commandments
ARE WISE AND JUST.
In passing, It may be we'll enough to say that the
commandment, Thou shalt not make unto thee
any craven image, or any likeness Of anything
that Is in Heaven above, that is In the earth be-
nnnth n That IL In mndar 10 orth y
was the absolute death Of Art, and that not until
after the destruction of Jerusalem was there He
brew painter or sculptor. Surely a commandment
Is not inspired that drives from earth the living
canvas and the breathing stone-leaves all walls
bare and all the inches desolate. In the Tenth
Commandment we fnd woman placed OH an ex-
act equality with other property which, 10 say the
least of it, has tended to the ameloration Of
her condition.
VERY CURIOUS THING
about these Commandments is that their supposed
author violated nearly every one. From Sinai
according to the account, He said "Thou shall
not kill" aud yet he ordered the murder of mil.
lions; Thou shalt not commit adultery" and
yet he gave captured maidens to crafty the lus
of captors; "Thou shalt not steal" and yet lie
gave to Jewish marauders the flocks and herds o.
others; Thou shalt not coyet thy neighbort
house, nor his wife," and yet he allowed hi
chosen people to destroy the homes Of nelghbor
and to steal their wives; Honor thy father al,
thy mother" and yet this same God had thou
sands OF fathers butchered and with the sword G
war killed children yet unborn; "Thou shalt nc
bear false witness againt thy neighbor," aud ye
lie sent abroad "lying spirits" 10 deceive his ow
prophets and IN a hundred ways paid tribute
deceit So far as we know, Jehovah kept only on
ofthese Commandments-He worshlped no othe
god,
INSIST THAT If THERE rs
tnn, on1 nl hold
with pity the misfortunes Of His children. in
sist that such God would know the mists, tn
clouds, the darkness enveloping the huma
mind. He would know how few stars arc visibl
In the intellectual sky. His pity, not His wratl
would be excited by the efforts of His blind chi
dren, cropping IN the night to find the cause
things, aud cndeavorng through their tears TO Sc
some dawn Of hope. Filled with awe by the
surroundings, by fear of the unknown, He woul
know that when, Rneeling they poured out the
gratitude TO some unseen power, even TO a vlsib
idol, II was in fact intended for Him. An IL
hnitely good being, had he the power, would Al
swer the reasonable prayer Of an honest sayag
even when addressed to wood and stone
NEVER FOR AN INSTANT
did suppose that any respectable American ell
zen could be found willing at this day to defer
the institution Of slavery and never was mo
astonished than when found Mr.. Black denyiI
that civilized countries passonately assert III
slavery Is and always was hideous crime. VI
amazed when he declared that the doctrine tn
slavery is a crime under all circumstances and
all times was first started by the Gdherents Of
political faction in this country less than for
years ago" He tells us that they denounc
God and Christ for not agreeing with them" b
that " they did not constitute the civilized worl
nor were they, If the truth must be told. We
resnpQiabla DOrtiOn of IL Politically lley W(