The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-08-06
InRersoll's Second Lecture.

To the Editor of the MINER:
Tonight Renshaw Hall was full Of people to
hear r. G Ingersoll. Promptly at the appointed
hour he stepped out on the platform In full
evening dress. wearing white cravat, having
on spectacles and looking for all tn world like
Presryt, rian clergymen of the old school.
But he had not spoken long b'fore any Que
could perceive that he was 4 wolf in Sleeps
clothing. There is evidently an excavation In
bis head where the bump of reveren, ought to
be, and his bump Of vanity, 1Or lack OF room
begins down on his shoulders and takes in his
entire neck and head.
10 ogather the lecture up and speak Of 1t would
he like trying to gather sinful of smoke
when the smoke is choking and binding you
To start out he must have g. ten revelation
since last night. Then he thought there might
be uod He was douMful-did not know any
thing about the subject. Tonight he not only
knows all avout Gud, bur he tell the people ali
about God, what He is what He has done. and
lays out a plan .y which men my he saved,
and gives God lew items us to what BE ought
to do to make salvation sue ess. He tells God
He can't do such and such things, for it He DIES
Ingersoll will be after Him.
His lecture does not CONSIST IN argumeut.
Wherever he undertakes argument he assumes
Q premise that Is false, and then nrgnes for
short time. His chief weapon Is rid cule. His
effort In his lecture la t night was 1T what hi
eff rt was In conducting the Star route cases--to
get rid of la y and fats an truth Every truth
he t. ok up ard cnnsid- red he distorted until it
became falsehood. HIS lecture w's railing
again>t all who were simple-minded enough to
believe TIE Bi lie He says 'Fear is the dungeon
of the mind, ana superstition Il dagger with
which hypocrisy as>a>sina es the sour" That IS
very good. but hold on. What are you t'lking
about the soul for? Have you got soul? How
big Is L.? Where is it in YOU, and how do you
know that hyp ,crisy will kill the soul?
Mr.. Inge so is lecture sh .ws he is not in favor
of free Thought. He will not, II he can help 1t.
allow anyone to believe the rible, unless 1t be
q few p 'sa .g.s of Mr.. Ingers,ll's choosing.
His biblical criticism is on par with his Star
Route case. Facts, trutu, justice, are In Ills
way 1omake up his case he must get rid OF
all these, so statements without any sha low Of
proo are made. IS. make these statements-let
others prove tn m to be untrue" He wants to
compel believers to prove negatives.
France. because the nearest infidel. Mr.. lnseI'
soil thinks is the bappiest country. Recently
new divorce law was passed there, and In less
than two days 5000 al plications for divorce
were made In Paris alone The family relation
is said to he very loose In France-probablyd due
to Christianity.
All churches are faulty, so are all church
members more or less faulty, but the average
church will co npare favorably with the aver
age free tn hiking society, and the average
church member will compare favorab'y with
the average Ingersoll follower in intelligence
and morality. Does free thinking produce rum
drinking, or does rum drinking produce free
thinking?
Mr.. Ingersoll is anxious to tell every one
What we must do to be saved" Let man go
to Eastern Montana and st, al few horse> and
he'll be saved soon-that is II Ingersolfs views
are correct, and If not COZ recr, what then?
He has issued q challenge to God. "Here, Goa
you |, as say and save men as I tell you. II
YOU don t I'll not believe in You; Will oppose
you and break You up in Business" G'o
NAV be able to hold out. A FREE THINKER.
Bette, August 2, 1884.