The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-10


ing morality would grow up, like that in
Hindostan, dwsrfing the best in al the rels-
tons OF life.
A mans vision is limited by his percep.
tons. His perceptions are determined by
his physical organism and the accidents of
birth, education and environment. He can
act and think only so far as be can see. For
him, reason is an arbitrary standard ed
by himself and changed as often as his per-
captions change. There is no possible stand
ard of reason that can be fixed, nor can one
for right and wrong be fixed. A mans per-
captions deter mine his ideas. That which is
evidence to him makes those ideas belief.
What is evidence to one may be none at all
to another and go of reason. Hence, there
can be no such thing as making reason into
god or standard. That for one generation
is none st all for another generatI IN. Dat
OF these various perceptions grow the numer-
Gus church organ zatiens-those having like
perceptions associahng together; and new
perceptions bring secessions and new asso-
cisti ions. With the fixed Roman Catholic
organization and sutocrstic government on
one side and hun dreds of differing progress
sive Protestant organizations on the other,
all classes of perceptions find g place ID rest;
religious despotisn is chained, and liberty
hangs between.
The dread of humiliation aud the longing
for another and higher life is universal; aud
slight things are evidence enough to create
hope. With hope We can strive for the best
here and secure it, and we pass away with
hope for those we leave that in their turn
they will come to us; and even if it proves
to be delusion we shall nsver know it. II
there be 8 higher life wa will be more likely
to attain il.
Take from humanity this hope and no
doors sIe open but those leading TO Nthilism,
Communism, and Agraria1ism. The world
becomes desert filed with human brates,
whose only consistent religion must be,
Might makes right" Eat drink aud be
merry, for 10 morrow We die" Drunkenness,
licenuiousness and every vice have no re-
strsint The mother who smiles up2r her
infant and gees its velvet cheeks dimple with
smiles in return lives on hope. Take il from
| her and what is left for her or her child?
| Nothing, save like the brute, 70 forget her
| offspring with the weaving OF IL. Ny God
/ what an endiDel RI she can be taught to
| tirst doubt AID then desrair, is it say won
der che takes its life and then her own? That
the father. who has no hope nd is burthened
with trouble, takes her life the childs, aud
( then his own? IL all men and women were
! gifted With great intellects, clear perceptions
\ aud strong moral tendencies, they might
! live Quiet lives though they could not con-
template annihilatlon without sorrow. But
they are not so gifted.
There can be no middle ground. 1t is
| either hope or despair. Some may live
| Indifferent, but even the most satisfied uu-
| believer in anything except chance would
hone an0thGr and a
under great adversely more often resorts to
1 suicide than continues the struggle for more
| food, shelter aud temporary enjoyment.
Since Ingersoll began his style OF teaching,
and by his wonderful eloquence commanded
hearers, crime has increased many fold. The
whole basis Of a moral life-the anchorage
| for healthy and elevatiDg emotions has dis
appeared wherever the influence he exerted
found Judgment. With those so Influenced
humanity drifts steadily away from that un-
defined hope and fear that spring from the
so called supernatural the forces We see but
can not comprehend). and for itself forms the
supernatural into the intelligent power in
personal shape that can reward and punish.
Personal responsibility disappears. Simple
fear OF results here creates no tsngibilities
that deter from qualification of present i'm
pulses. Reverence, love OF appreciation and
self esteem grow less, while cupidity, acquis-
itiVeness, secretiveness, continue and all the
animal instincts increase. AS when Syst
phus chained Death, both hope and fear
powerless for good but al powerful for evil.
IL we start as far down as scientific inven-
ton enables us TO go-witn proioplasmic
forms-and come up to ourselves, We find
successive stages of life and intelligence,
plane after plane. On each plane we find
the life, intelligence aud surroundings con-
sistent with each other, and a harmonious
connection and adaptation extending
throughout all. Our vision stops with our
selves as the highest form. We 60 out into
space with the means science has given rs,
and We find that we are but speck In an IL
iimitable universe OF matter-a speck 50
small that the largest telescope at Jupiter
would not reveal our earth to the observer
there. Yet ii all seems TO be governed by the
same laws we have discovered here aDd 20
move as If governed by intelligence Now,
if there be any such thing as a Reason that
can be set up as guide. that reason says TO
us: There is an intelligence somewhere,
coexistent and consistent with the infnise
whole Of the universe, just as We here ind
intelligence coexistsnt and consistent with
our whole, and with each separate plane,
from the lowest 10 the highest. Aud. there
is nothing inconsistent in believing in such
an intelligence and living In fear of
a bstter life hereafter from or through its
provisio Nor, in clothing ii with attri-
butes consistent with the perceptions OF each
individual that tries TO contemplate such an
intelligence"
The lowest OF human beings do this in
some form; at least, believing the dead exist
as spirits, and they try to propitiate them
and secure their favor; though thsy may
form no conception OF what we call God.
The churches and the Bible-when they
are left free-with slI their sbeurd ideas, in
constituencies irreconcilable differences aud
actual superstitions, take the piacs OF n
standing army in preserving Dulic order,and
especially in this country. They afford 10 a
very large number an outlet for everg kind
OF perception and ali kinds OF zeal born OF
the emotions, held in check by the unde-
fined fear and hope created by the forces we
see but can not comprehend or contend with