The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-07-25
Their Recent Religious Debate
at BOZeman.
A AT BOTH.
A Comparison Of the Two Men and
Their Style and Manners---
Brilliant Ideas.

give the reader our candid impression OF
them. Both are looked upon as men of no
ordinary celebrity, and after listening to
them for one week, each one speaking two
hours a day, n would readily arrive at
the conclusion that they are men of vast
erudition, ripe in scholarship, and skillful
in polemics.
DIR. Ditzler is a wonderful man. Wonder
full in the keeness OF his analysis, the acute
ness of his logic, wonderful in his philosophic
penetration and in the fervor and grasp of
his brilliant imagination. He seems to
have the faculties of a poet and philosopher
happily combined.
His mind is we'll trained and disciplined
and well stored with the scholarship and
knowledge of his day. He is m~etaphorical,
logical, poetical, and his power of pictorial
description is great. His sermon on ''Tri-
umph of Character" delivered at Bozeman,
may be fifty compared to a ripping amber
stream OF poetic versatility, sparkling with
the diamonds of true genius and the pearls
OF inspired thought that scintillate from a
bed OF golden sands. As we listened to this
inimitable production the impressi n made
upon our minds was a shower OF pearls amid
cataracts of light.
HS RECONSIDERATION or 1hCSd
was Miltonic. He portrayed truth as hav-
ing a form of perfect symmetry, Il face the
fairest in creation, beaming in the roseate
light of beauty, grace in her movements,
wealth in her conceptions, rythm in her
cadences, heaven in her eye and in every
attitude dignity and love, coming down
through the vista ofages, lovely us Aurora,
the superb goddess of the morn, scattering
the germs OF highest civilization, and shower
ing it's blessings on the world. And as the
speaker portrayed the return OF truth to
the heaven she had left, angels enclosing
her dazzling track, sweeping in queenly mag
! n%iticense upward and homeward, cherubs
| supporting her astral train, and music
| floating through the welkin rings, the audi
ence looked amazed.
In DIR. Ditzler the essentials OF ~eloquence
| are embodied. He has the emotional en-
dowment, and is generously equipped with
emotional forces. His emotions gleam in
the eye, glow in thefeatures and burst forth
1 in the exq~uisately modulated cadences OF
! his voice. He has intellectual vigor, an
| exalted understanding, and while truth
| enthralls him, it is logically and symmetri-
cally arranged. He has Il lucid perception
OF it, therefore it becomes lucid to his audi
ence. He always has a clear and distinct
outline ofhis argument, thus truth becomes
to the listener a luminous, living reality
seen and felt.
IN THE ARENA OF DEBATE
He is fair, honest and always maintains
his serenity and equipoise. He is a gentle
man by the nobleness OF his nature, a YER
satile scholar by virtue of his diligent
search for the truth. a living syllogiom by
his logical endowments OF intellect, and
child like by the simplicity and ~affability
OF his manners and the humility OF his
actions.
His mind, so trained that he can see at
once whether or not the arguments OF his
opponent are detective, whether they con-
tain the slightest bit of sophistry, aud
hat intellectual realm of a pure philos-
ophy seem to him luminous and resplend-
emit, where all are em~ancipated from the
tyranny of traditional theories, and where
truth unfolds her banner and gains the vic
tory with stubborn and substantial facts.
In the domain OF pathological science he
has delved and explored for many years.
With the Oriental languages he is familiar.
His researches in ancient and modern his
tory are immense. His knowledge of the
classics, literature and political philosophy
OF various countries is wonderful. And
with the native strength of his great intel
lect, the happy combination OF inductive
and demonstrative faculties, the infinite
ease with which he utilities his knowledge of
the past and present.
THE A~srUTENRss Of HIS REASONING,
the keenness and maturity of his analytical
faculty and force and vigor of his language
make him a formidable foe in The ~intellec-
tual arena.
He is self-reliant. self-pOssessed, calm,
clear-visioned, fearless, prudent, Thought
full, conscientious, rigid in logic, rich in SEN
sibilfties, a heart and soul open to all
things lovely, and a devout lover and adj
mirer OF the true, the beautiful, the good,
wherever found. DR.. Ray is an honorable
and wonderful a Wonderful for his
unmoditied apprehension of the truth and
the boldness and even i%mpetuosity in dis
closing it. Wonderful in his erudition,
breadth and scope OF biblical and ecclesias-
teal knowledge, and his familiarity with
the main-tracks and side-tracks Of debate,
wonderful in his refined and sublimated
forms OF ~sophistry and in evading and
lodging the points OF his opponent he seems
at times almost inimitable.
Wonderful in his grasp and tenacity to
old things. DIR. Ray honestly thinks his
views OF truth manifests a more supernal
light than the vestal virgin OF otherdenom-
national fires, therefore reposing in this
belief, he acts as if it becomes the finest
philosophy for the soaring aspirations OF
Christian hope, and a more immortal realm
for the superlative powers and charms of
Christian charity.
DR.. Ray gives evidence that he has en-
joyed the advantages of scholastic drill,
He is an ecclesiastical soldier OF no ordinary
greatness. We believe
THE LIGHT OF HIS BRILLIANT GENIUS
shoots out it's luminous rays into literary
circles beyond the proper compass OF his
denominational periphery. Generous in
disposition, he is anxious that his individual
,~~,o1opoion IF tho fr1fh shn,11d mako
Others free from error. At times his mill
tary evolutions are arresting. He has the
valorous spirit and intrepidity OF Il
Napoleon. He is manifestly honest and
SINCERE and seems to love truth Tor the sake
of it's intrinsic exccllency. He labored as a
faithful soldier to crush out the alleged
heresy in religion and place it beyond the
reach of dangerous assailants, and if the
learned doctor did not successfully ac-
complish his plan it is not because Of his
ineficiency but because there was no such
heresy to eradicate.
We have great regard for his manifest in
tegrity, supreme respect for his ability, and
nothing but superlative admiration for
that inimitable dexterity by which he has
proven himsely capable OF lodging points
and arguments.
In the realm of oratory he is not a star
OF the first magnitude. But he can re 'sOn,
stIldly Z dIlu NllSSCCC. IL 1lS SOul SCClllS
to be filled with noble thoughts, and has ii
strong conviction Of their truth, yet
HIS UrTERANCEs DO NOT RUSH FORTH
in fiery torrents1 or cataract sublmity.
He lacks that ideallzing f~aculty-the imagi-
! nation to vivify. group, illustrate, adorn
truth, to seize analogies and weave meta
phors. But his life is sworn to duty, given
up to truth, consecrated upon the altar OF
humanity, yearning to benefit his fellows,
devoting his talents and gifts to the mental
and moral enlightenment and elevation OF
his age. This is the sublimity Of the sub
lime, it will outline the ages, and outshine
the gun. May these two intellectual giants
approach that ''better country" in serenity
and peace, where the Christian philoso-
piers dreams are realized in the rapturous
visions of triumphant truth, and the rich
possessions o. imperishable glory.
j. B. WEXFORD.