Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-01-29

those vast Pre-historic piles, and the grand
and imposing pyramids Of Christianity can
not BE- damaged by the pellets OF mud hurried
at them by -ueb pigmy assailants as Robert
G. IngersoI. The Bible has withstood the
assaults OF Volney, Hume, Noltsire, Paine
and the whole race Of infidels, and it has
nothing to fear from the literary thief who
il peddliug out their blasphemy Is his own.
No one who believes in the christian religion
can have any doubt of its ultimate triumph,
aud az discussion is the vital breath Of
good cause. Those who would silence
controversy, do more injury to the
cause OF religion than can possibly be &C
complished by a dozen chattering infidels.
In time OF war a flag il hung out over the
hospital, TO prevent magnanimous
enemy from firing upon the IN
valids, and the imid professors OF
religion place themselves on the sick list and
humili ate themselves by asking the mag
unanimous ipfidels not TO fire upon their hos
pital. Discussion is the fulcrum and lever
which moves the wo6id. In worldly matters
the warmth and vehemence of discussion are
increased in proportion 10 the magnitude and
interest in the questions At issue, and the
cause of religion is not exalted but belittlsd
and made contemplate by those who fear
the onslaughts of the in6dels upon The Bible.
1t is only the ignorant, those who have not
read history, that are alarmed about the lee
lures Of Ingersoll, and the cheers, laughter
and applause which his blasphemy calls
for.b rrba world "a diaouaaine Investigating
sitting and winnowing the truth from the
chat. Mems views have been changed or
liberalized, but infdelity has not increased.
The world is steadily growing better. Truly
has it been said that nowhere in the Savior's
teachings does He dictate a creed, nowhere
does He iudite confession of faith. But He
did proclaim what pure religion and I'M
defiled ia, and that included the nursing Of
the sick, the cherishing of ones fellow-man
as brother, and kindred things" The ig
norant who see in IngersolFs plagiarisms
destruction to christianity are impressed
with the belief that men are failing away
from the ancient faith that bound their souls,
and that a rule the people of christendom
are gravitatIng to the bad with alarming
swiftness. But the truth is, at no time since
the world commenced have the sick been 50
tenderly nursed as at present; at no time
have such sums been lavished upon
hospitals, asylums and schools; at no
time have the hearts of men been so
near together in all works OF good and
purse-proud fools; of course there is still
plenty of avarice and meanness. This is not
strange. A horse, the life of which is only
twenty years, cannot be lifted from a scrub
to thoroughbred without careful breeding
for seven generations. 1t is hardly t. be
expected that in the creation OF a race like
ours perfection can be secured at once.
But We can say that toward the debtor, to
the sick and MANNED, and to the poor there
is more generous sentiment than there was
forty years ago, and this speaks nobly for
the great outside church. Some influence OF
good has smitten the hearts OF men and
softened them. And then, within the church
there has been change. In the church
Sunday is no more day OF terror to child
hood; it is no longer taught children that
it is right for the birds 10 sing and for the
sun to shine on the Sabbath day, but that
loud laughter from them will surely be
counted as insult by the Being who,
out Of the darkness Of chaos lighted the
fires which make the far-off worlds glitter
through all the fields of space, and set to
music the roll of the axles OF the morning
stars. From the pulpit there are not so many
anathemas prescribing eternal horrors and
torments for the wicked; there are but few
who teach that an infinite and merciful God
created mankind, knowing ages before their
birth that to atone for brief career of sor-
row here they were to suffer untold SORROWS
to all eternity. The world has surely soft
ened down, and with the terror removed,
there wells up geaerous sentiment in the
human heart for the hearts around. There
is progress because there is more charity, and
men are beginning to discover that after all
the "Man of Sorrows" was right when among
earthly graces He named charity as the
fa