The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-10-04
Bob Ingersoll's Opinion.


In q pleasant conversation with Colonel
Robert G.. Ingersoll at his cottage at
Long Branch recently. a reporter asked
the veteran orator, free-thinker and
lawyer, between showers, what he
thought of newspaper interviewing.
II believe" said the Colonel, shat
James Redpath claims to have invented
the interview This system opens all
doors, does away with political pretense,
batters down the Notifications of dignity
and official Importance, pulls masks
from solemn faces, compels everybody
to show his hand. The interviewer seems
to be omnipresent. He is the next man
after the accident. If a man should be
blown up he would likely fall on an in.
terviewer. He is the universal inter-
rogation point. He asks questions for q
living. II the interviewer is fair and
honest he is useful! if the other way, he
is still interesting. On the whole, 1 re-
gard the interviewer as an exceedingly
important person. Bnt whether he is
good or bad he has come to stay. He
will interview us until we die, and then
ask the friends few questions, just to
round the subject of.
"What do you think the tendency OF
newspapers is at present."
"The papers Of the future, think,
will be news papers. The editorial is
getting shorter and shorter. The para
graphist is taking the place Of the heavy
man. People rather form their own
opinions from the facts. Of course,
good articles will always find readers, but
the dreary, doleful, philosophical dis
sertation mas had its day. The maya
zines will fall heir to such articles; then
religious weeklies will take them up,
and then they will cease altogether"
do you think the people lead the
newspapers. or do the newspapers lead
them?"
The papers lead and are led. Most pa
pers have for sale what people want to
buy. As a rule the people who buy de-
termine the character of the thing sold.
The reading public grow more discrimi-
mating every year, and. as a result, are
less and less "led." Violent papers
those that most freely attack private
charactsrs-are becoming less hurtful
because they are losing their own repu.
tations. Evil tends to correct itself.
People do not believe all they read, and
there is growing tendency to wait and
hear from the other Side"
do newspapers to-day exercise as
much influence as they did twenty-five
years ago."
More, by the facts published, and
less by editorials. As we become civil
lied we are governed less by persons
and more by principles-less by faith
and more by fact. The best of all lead
ers is the man who teaches people to
lead themselves"
"What would you define public opin-
ion to be?"
"First, in the widest sense, the opin-
ion of the majority, including all kinds
of people. Second, in narrower sense,
the opinion of the majority of the intel
lectual."
Third, in actual practice, the opinion
of those who make the most noise.
Fourth, public opinion is generally q
mistake, which history records and pos
terity repeats"
(which do you regard as the results
of your lectures?"
"In the last fifteen years I have de-
livered several hundred lectures. The
world is growing more liberal every day.
The man who is now considered 'ortho-
dox" few years ago would have been
denounced as an infdel. People are
thinking more and believing less The
pulpit is losing influence. In the light
of modern discovery the creeds are
laughable. A theologian is an intellect
ual mummy, and excites attention only
as q curiosity. Supernatural religion
has outlived its usefulness. The mira
cles and wonders of the ancients will
soon occupy the same tent. Jonah and
Jack the Giant Killer, Joshua and Red
Riding Hood, Noah and Neptune, will
all 60 into the collection with the famous
Mother Hubbard"