The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-11-15
a Reply 10 nnsersoHl.


ticle IN the San FraRciscda of October
Sd, is bufore me, ] regret to say / /
have no manuscript can, however,
indicate the line Of thought presented,
and haye no objection to its pubica
ton in the columns Of your bright and
enjoyable journal. 1t should be said, |
ut the outset, that the discourse was
not intended as full and exhaustive
reply to the positions taken in Colo
mel Ingersolls paper, Recognizing
the impossibility Of discussing satisiac-
tor,ly, in the time usually allotted to
an evening discourse, the several
points in his paper, all that aimed to
do was to meet its general conclusions
to wit; That christianity is inimical
to human welfare, and consequently
its claims may be rightfully ignored.
1t seemed TO me that the simplest and
most effective way of doing this was
to call the public attention to what
christianity has actually done for the
well-being OF our race, There is no
more satisfactory way Of answering
stout assertions about poverty Of soil
and impossibility Of fruit, than to
point men to vines bending low under
the weight Of purple and 5ountiful
clusters, In like manner, when chris
tisnity is assailed and condemned, if
its real fruitfulness can be gotten fair
ly before the eyes OF the people, there
is little danger Of their being carried
away, either by specious arguments or
by violent assaults, My theme, there
fore, was "The Fruitfulness and Worth
of Christianity as Related to Ciyiliza-
ton In developing this subject the
following points were especially en-
phasized:
One. Non-christianity civilization
in the past have either disintegrated
and persisted by their own corruption
like the Roman and Grecian, or, like
the Chinese, have been arrested and
become stationary. ION this point
see Prof Names Ancient Law"
whose authority no one will ques
tion.) .t
Two lii the present it is the chris
tian nations that are in the van Of
the worlds progress Outside of coun-
tries illumined and quickened by
christianity we look in vain for signs
and tokens Of hpMan advancement.
Non-christian civilizations everywhere
are unexpected, unprogressive, stag
nant. The conclusion reached was, not
that christianity creates civilization,
but that it imparts to it those moral
and spiritual forces which arc ind;spen-
sible to its purity, completeness and
perpctui!y.
Three. The power and potency q
christianity as civiIi2ing and emo
bling agency has been abuuoail!ly ycr-
fled in these eighteen christian cen
turtles. Reference was here made %
to the ancient Britons, who were %;lj
men OF the woods, wearing the skins
of beasts, practicing polygany and
Offering human sacrifices to their
gods (2) to the ancient Scots who
were cannibalS, delighting in thet
of human flesh; (3) to the ancient
SaXons, who were accustomed to de-
vote one-tenth Of their captiyes taken
in war as Il bloody thank-oilcring to
the deities they worsAiFped "a to
| the ancient Gauls, who were wont to
hang the skulls Of their dead enemies
about the necks of their horses, and
to use them as drinking cups in their
uproarious feasts; (5) to the uplifting
influence Of christianity observed in
our own age upon the inhabitants Of
the South Sea Islands, and also upon
the Hindus and Mohammedans in
India
Concerning these latter Sir Bartle
Frere, late governor of Bombay, says
81 speak simply as to matters of ex
perience and observation, and not o.
opinion, just as Roman project
might have reported to Trajan or the
}, Antonines; and | assure you that
whatever you may be told to the con
trary, the teachings Of christianity
r among the 10000 Hindus and Mo
: hammedans is effecting changes, NOR
al, social and political, which for ex
: tent and rapidity of effect are far more
extraordinary than anything you 0.
! your fathers have witnessed in Modern
Europe Equally emphatic is tn,
testimony of Mr.. Lecky as to the in
Auence Of christianity for good upon
the early inhabitants Of Europe, II
:. his second volume Of the "Intellectua
Development Of Europe" he uses TIL
following language: Europe haC
3 made u vast step during its age 0
e faith. y 1t was occupied
| by wondering savages. Six hundret
years organized it into families, neigh
, borhoods, cities. These centurie
l;4 Eu - Ll. etAr