Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1884-01-25

VI D. senSaClOu IN w asnIngtOn ClLy as an
opponent of the bible, going as far with
her denunciation and scorn of that book
as Boo Ingersoli who introduced her to
the audience on the occasion of her re-
cent lecture in that city. She is repre-
sented as young lady of beauty, intelll
gence and purity of character whose ap-
pearance commands respect. She de-
clart d that the christian religion is wick
ed, unjust, unreasonable, cowardly and
Infamous; that q religion which says we
should be miserable in this world that we
may be happy in the next has false
philosophy; that religion that says that
believing vice is holier than unbel1evlng
virtue is wrong; that most of the church
goers are women, which will make
heaven queer kindergarten, in who Sc
classes will he few male voices, and
those chiefly tenor. Grant that our bible
is more just than any other and what
does it prove? That murder is a greater
crime than arson does not prove that the
man who sets fire to our home is a gen.
tleman. That wherever woman is men
toned IN the bible it is an insult to her
purity and rlvet in her chain. What
does woman owe 10 the bible? A father
may sell his daughter to shame, may
sacrifice her purity to a mob, may murder
her and yet be good father, a holy man
A man may have any number Of wives,
may give them away, swap them around,
or kill them and at the same time be one
Of Gods chosen. The bible classes
woman as property, just like sheep. 1t
seemed to her time to retire Moses. A
woman should spurn the bible and en-
deavor to destroy its influence and she
meant to do all that she could in thai
direction. The bible might be kept in
the library as curious old literary work
but it should be kept on the top shelf
and out of the reach OF the children.
Miss Gardner falls into one of the errors
Of Col. lngersoll in dealing with the
church and bible question, that of cor
structlng creed of straw and then
knocking it down. No christian church
teaches the false philosophy that 1t is
necessary to be miserable in this world to
be happy in the:next, but they teach the
reverse, that religion is happiness here
and hereafter. There are circumstances to
be considered IN making up fair estim
ate of the bibl:. 1t must he remembered
that the hnman race has progressed NOR
ally and intellectually many de-; rees since
the days of the patriarchs and kings OF
Isl ael, in which state Of society and Of
tue race the old testament scriptures
were written, and that these circum-
stances had more or less influence upon
the writers, just as the surrounding in
fuences now affect to some degree the
ideas and manner of expression Of our
ministers. For this reason there is prob
baby great deal in the oil testament,
which IS the principal point of attack
upon the authenticity and inspiration et
the the bible, that is not only not insplr-
ed of God but is inspired of the depraved
passions which prevailed among the
people in that day and age of the world.
Skeptics seize upon these evil out CROP
pings of human nature and brand the
whole fabrication, and on the same
principle one might reject gold because
it IS lntermingled with alloy.
1t is indeed time to retire Moses, as
Miss Gardner suggests, and if skcptlcs
would leave him and his writings in the
retirement where they belong neither she
nor Col. Ingersoll would have much to
say against the bible. Because we use
gang plows and self-binders now oes
not prove that the wooden mould board
and reaping hooks were not good agri
cultural implements in their day; and be-
cause we have had for over eighteen
hundred years the greater light of the
gospel dlspensation and have morally
and intellectually attained to much
higher strata in these than those who
lived in the Mosaic and patrlarchal dis
pens atoms, it does not prove that the old
testament scriptures were not a good
guide and rule of practice for those ages
of the world.
The old testament scriptures are to us
what the articles of confederation ale to
our government. They have been
sLrogated by the new, as the articles of
confederation have been ahrogated ty
the constitution. There was time in
the memory of many of us when the
minister was required by public senti-
ment to preach hell which consisted of
a lake that burned with fire and brim-
stone, but that idea is now almost wholly
discarded by the more intelligent of the
clergy. There is everything III the new
testament to raise mortals to the skies
and nothing in it to drag angels down.
1t has taken the place of the old, and 1t
is our rule and guide of action There is
nothing in the new Testament that ap-
proves or even permits any of the things
MISS Gardner alleges in her arraigument
of the bible, and If the old testameu,
1roo n q, III oiopf onSwar fn ~,