The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-07-29

niZe that rubin ont. It would serve US
well on both sid,s in the long and low
ing effort TO re .ci the eternal con-
ciusion which he seeks most wisely who
wishes to find it. 1t is possible results
might prove that the atheist is not the
only good father in the scheme of
things. 1t is not impossible that even
the Almighty might De found qualified
| to vie with him in the parental virtues.
Without this simply common ground
of respect for the truth in question,
how can we-God teach US ail!-how
can we aver reason together" of Him
or His? 4
Robert R. Condert, in commenting
also upon the discussion in the North
american ReUitw, has the followiI g to
say:
"a discussion upon any grave subject
OF religion, philosophy, ethics, or the
like, presuppoSes rdVersaries using the
same weapons, bound by the same rules,
subject to the same requirements and
starting from some common pOstulate.
The remarks of Mr.. Gladstone
show very plainly the confusion into
which an experienced debater and acute
logician may ba thrown by endeavoripg
to akapt himself to circumstances which
he can Dot consistently turn to adYan-
tage. The tone of his paper is, I need
not say, marked by grace and
thoughtful decorum which is due as
well to the subject under discussion as
to the character of the writer. He
shrinkS from levity upon sacred themes
as child from physical pain. 4
Colonel IDgersoll made no promise and
entered into no pledge that he would
respect Mr.. Gladstone's theories Or be
guided by his rules. He presented him.
self in his own person, with his known
peculiarities of warfare, with his avowed
disregard for the opinion of decorous
Christian disputants. 1t is the
brazen wall between the school of which
Colonel Ingerso)l is now The most bril-
liant and active advocate, and the class
which Mr.. Gladstone represents and
defends.
Whethe- the stories CT Jephthah and
Jonah are literally true, whether or not
they are to be taken in this sense or in
that, is not the question of great and
vital moment. Ii is easy to make witty
comments upon these narratives, but
no man will cease to be believer be-
cause he fails to understand and is IN
able to explain why God commanded
the dreadful sacrifice of Abraham, or
whether Ananias and Sapphire deserved
death for their lie. The men of to-day
need to learn what Christianity has ne
and is doing for the human race. They
must be asked to refrain for a moment
from laughing at the bright sallies of
brilliant DISCLAIMERS and to inquire into
the possible results of successful cam
paign against the system of belief that
has been interviewer with the growth,
strength and progress of the world for
the last eighteen hundred years. None
more wisely and eloquently than MIR.
Gladstone could have warned So
ciety of the dangers and evils
which reckless eagerness for
uptried systems and an impatient
sufferance of whatever is, may produce.
For the first time in the history OF our
modern life, the law looks on IN silence
and leaves mems tongues and pens free
to malign and Caricature the religion
which was and still is part of the law of
the land. The fear of punishment be-
ing removed, nothing is left but the self
imposed restraint of him who decries
sacred things to fix the measure and
violence of his attacks. Whether DR..
Field and Mr.. Gladstone may or may
not outshine Col. Ingersoll in debate, is
not, after all, so important. The ques-
ton remains whether the Lord s Prayer
may be abolished and the Sermon on
the Mount derided into general con-
tempt, without changing the whole
structure of our moral and social world.