The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1885-10-17
lNGERsOLL's MISSION.
rDaily Graphical

Daily Graphlc.J
CLEVELAND, Sept. 2S.-Col. Robert
q, Ingersoll, who was here recently on
legal business, was interviewed prior
to his departure for the East.
eft Is said that In the past four or
five years You have changed or modi:
fed your views upon the subject OF re-
liaion !; is this SOP" asked the cores.
pendent.
ssIt Is not SO. The only change is, if
that can be called q change, that am
more perfectly satisfied that am
right satisfied that what is called or
thodox religion Is simple fabrication
Of mistaken men satisfied that there
js no such thing as an inspired book
and never will be j; satisfied that a
miracle never was and never will be
performed; satisfied that no human
being knows whether there is God
or not, whether there is another life or
not satisfied that the scheme of the
atonement Is mistake, that the inno'
cent cannot, by suffering for the guilty,
atone for the guilt satisfied that the
doctrine that salvation depends on be-
lief ia cruel and absurd satisfied that
the doctrine of eternal punishment is
UNANIMOUSLY false satisfied that super
stition Is of no use to the human race
satisfied that humanity Is tho only
true and real religion. No, sir, have
not modified my views. 1 detect new
absurdities every day In the popular
belief. Every day the whole thing be-
comes more and more absurd. OF
course there are hundreds and thou.
sands OF most excellent people who be-
lteve In orthodox religion-people for
whose good qualities have the great.
est respect; people who have good
ideas on most other subjects-good citi-
zens, good fathers, husbands, wives
and children-good in spite of their
religion. I do not attack people.
attack the mistakes Of people. Ortho
doxy Is getting weaker every day"
eDo you believe liz the existence OF
Supreme Being?"
"I not believe In any Supreme per.
sonality, nor In any supreme Being
who made the univer,e ard governs
nature. I do not say THAI there Is nc
such Being-all say is that I do not
believe that such Being exists.
know nothing on the subject, except
that know that I do not know and
that nobody else knows. But If there
be such q Being He certainly neve,
wrote the Old Testament. You will
understand my position. I do not say
that q Supreme Being does not exist
but do say that I do not believe such
Being exists. The universe-em
bracing all that is-all atoms, all stars
each grain of sand and all the constel-
latious, each thought and dream o
animal aud man, all matter and al
force, ali doubts and all belief, all vir
the aud all crime, all Joy and all pain
all gfowth and all DECAYS all Their,
is. Itdoes not act because it Is movet
feom without. It acts from within. 1
is actor and subject, means and end
II Ii inHnite the infinite could no
have been, created. II is indestructi
BILE. and that which can not be destroy
Cd was not created. / am q Pantheist.
ssD0n't you think the belief of tn
aeuostic Il more satisfactory to the be
lever than that Of the atheistP"
ssThore Is no difference. The agnos
&c & an atheist. The atheist is a
aeuostlc. The agnostic says, Il do nc
know. hut do not believe there is an
y God The atheist says the same
Tho orthodox Christian says he know
there Il Z God but We, know that h
docs mot know. He simply believes
He cannot know. The atheist canne
know that God does not exist. -
ssHaven't you just the faintest =
nner Of hope that In some futursOsht
= <. -. 80 ~ .-g--f y "a