The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-16
ORTHODOXY BREAKING DOWN
Why People Rush to Read Rob
ert Rlsmere.-
They Are Seeking . new and Better
Religion Tsgersoi1's
Latest AsssuIt.
Robert Irgersoll In San francisco Er
ssuIner

Latest Assault.
Robert IugersoT In San Franeiseo FL,
smIDer.
Why do people read book Ike
Robert Elsmere, and why do they
take any interest in it7 Simply be-
cause they are not satisfied with the
religion OF our day. The civilized
world has outgrown the greater part OF
the Christian creed. Civilized people
have lost their belief Ia the reforming
power OF punishment. They find that
whips and imprisonment have but lit
tie influence for good. The truth has
dawned upon their minds that eternal
punishment IL infinite crueity--that u
can serve no good purpose and that
the eternity OF he'll makes heaven I'm
possible. That there can be IN this
universe no perfectly happy place
while there Is perfectly miserable
plsce-that no infinite person can be
good who knowingly and. as one may
say. wiIIfulIy created myriads Of hui
man beings, knowing that they would
be eternaiIy miserable. In other
words. the civilized man Is greater
tenderer, nobIer, nearer just, than the
old idea OF God. The IDEAL OF lew
thousand years ago Is far below the
real of to-day. No good man now
would do what Jehovah Is said to have
done four thousand years ego, and no
civilized human being would now DO
what, according 10 the Christian re
ligion, Christ threatens 10 do at the
day OF judgment
A few years ago the deist5 Denied
the inspiration OF the Bible on account
OF It's cruelty. At the same time they
uorshiped what they were pleased 70
call the God OF nature. wow We are
convinced that nature Is as cruel as
the Bible; 40 that II the God OF nature
did not write the Bible, this God at
least has caused earthquakes ana
pestilence and famine. and this ood
has allowed millions OF his children 70
destroy one another. 80 that now We
have arrived at the question--~not as 10
whether the Bible Is inspired ana not
as to whether Jehovah Is the real 1oJ'
but whether there y God or not-
The intelligence OF Christendom to-day
does not believe in an inspired Religion
any more thsa IL believes in an in
snfred art or an inspired literature. IL
there he an infinite God Inspiration IN
some PARTICULAR regard would be a
match III would be the purifying OF a
crack the hiding OF deiect--in other
words IL would show that The general
plan was defective.
good man. living In England.
- salary for reading
certain prayers on stated occasions,
for making = few remarks on the sub
iect OF religion, putting on clothes of a
certain cnt. wearing a gown with GER
tain frilIs and fiounceS starehed IN an
orthodox manner and then looking
about him at the suffering and agony
of the world, would not feel satisfied
that he was doing anything OF value
for the human race. In the FIRST place,
he would deplore his own weakness,
his own poverty, his inability to help
his fellow -men. He would long every
moment for wealth, that might feed
the hungry and clothe the naked-for
knowledge, for miraculous power, that
he might heal the sick and the lame
and that he might give % the de-
formed the beauty Of proportion. lie
would begin to wonder how being OF
infinite goodness and infinite power
could allow his children 10 die, TO suf-
fer. to be deformed by necessity.
to be tempted beyond resistance; how
he could allow few 10 live in luxury
and the many in poverty and want,
and the more he wondered the more
useless and ironclad would seem to
himself his sermons and his prayers.
Such a man is driven 10 the eonclu-
sion that religion aceompiishes but
little-that 1t creates as much want as
il alleyiates and burdens the world
with parasites Such man would be
forced 70 think of the millions wasted
in superstition. In other words, the
inadequacy, the useiessness Of religion
would be forced upon his mind. He
would ask himself the question: rs
il possible that this IL q divine insti,u-
tom 2" as this all that mar can do
with the assistance OF God1 Is this
the best7f
The moment man reaches the
point where he asks himself this ques-
ton no has ceased TO be an orthodox
Christian. II will not do 20 say that In
some other world justice will be done.
II Gcd allows injustice % triumph
here, Why not therel
Robert Elsmerc stands in the dawn
OF philosophy. There Is hardly light
enough for him TO see clearly. but
there Is so much light that the stars in
the night OF superstition are ohscared.
There Is one thing that IL is impossi.
bic for me to comprehend. Why
should any one, when convinced that
Christianity Is superstition, have or
feel sense OF loss2 Certainly a man
acquainted with England, with Lon
don, having at the same time some
thing like heart. must feel over
whelmed by the failure OF what j.
known as Christianity. Hundreds Of
thousands exist there without decent
food, dwelling in tenemeuts, clothed
with rags, familiar with every form OF
vulgar vice. where the honest poor
eat the crust that the vicious throw
away. When the man of intelligence,
of heart, visits the courts, when he
finds human liberty Il thing treated a.
of no value, and when he hears the
Judge sentencing girls and boys to the
penitentiary- knowing that a stain Is
being put upon them that all the tears
OF all the coming years can never wash
knowing, too, aud feeling that
this is done without the slightest re-
greet, without the slightest sympathy,
rs a mere matter OF form. and that the
Judge puts this brand OF infamv upon
the forehead of the convict Just as
oheerfully as Mexican brands his
cattle; and when this man Of intelli-
gence and heart knows that these poor
people are simply the victims of so
Ciety, the uniortnnates who stumble
and over whose bodies rolls the jug
Eernanl--h he knows that there is. or at
least appears 90 be, no power above or
below working for riehteousness-ih that
from The heavens is stretched no pro
teciing hand. And when man Of
intelligence and heart Ia England
visits the work-house, the last resting
place OF honest labor, when he thinks
that the Young man, without any
great intelligence, but with Q good
constitution, starts In the morning 81
his life FOR the wofkhouse. and that Il
is impossible for the lahOiing man. one
who simply has his muscle. to save
anything; that health is not able 90
lay anything by for the DAYS uf dis
easewhcn the man 81 intelligence
and heart sees all this he j. compelled
to say that the civilization oi "a lav.
the religion ol to-day. the charity ~.
to-day no matter how mnch of good
there may he behind them or ia them
are failures.
A few years ago people were sstiS
fed when the minister saia All TIN.
will be made even IN another Narld s
crust eater here will SIT az the bead al
the banquet there, and the king her,
will beg Ter the crumbs that fan from
the table there" When this Ma s8i.
the poor man hoped and che KIM
laughed. 4 few wears ago the churcl