The Wilmingtonian., 1888-06-09
NORTHUMBERLAND
INGERsoLL AND THE wooDCHop.
PER OF HAwARDEN.
Our Correspondent Walks Around ths
Famous Skeptio as the Psalmist Went
About Ziop-Has Col. Ingersoll a
Prejudice Against webster's Diction-
nrY as Well as tho Bible ?


imagination was taxed to invent new
forms of strife and the barbarian wilds
were ransacked for strange monsters. 1t
therefore often happened that the Chris
tian victim found himself confronted by
q savage opponent of whose existence he
till that moment had been entirely ignor-
ant.
can easily understand that the strange
ness Of the monster-supposing 1t to be an
enormous python-would perplex and
battle the hapless gladiator And I can
readily see that this very perplexity,
added to the unequal nature OF the con-
fict, would furnish to the heartless en-
sanguined aesthetics of the circus an ad-
ditional thrill of pleasure.
Mr.. Robert G Ingersoll has succeeded
In getting himself pitted against Mr..
Gladstone.
say he has succeeded for the effort
was, Of course, all on his side, and whether
he is worsted or not he is advertised.
There is to some men distinction by
contact as well as by effort, and whatever
may be thought of the combat by the
trained gladiators who watch it narrowly,
the Unlocking populace will have new
admiration for the pagan, even though he
80 far to cross swords with him.
It is not of so much consequence, per-
haps, whether the makers Of this match
were thinking of the glory or the gate
money. What interests us first is the
striking dissimilarity of the contestants.
One is regarded by Anglo-Saxon civiliz-
alton as representative man.
The other is regarded by his school dis
4yfo fao n Niu,. tot i've A
Their methods, their weapons and their
purposes are wholly unlike.
When, therefore, the English statesman
and scholar found himself In the arena
confronted by this antagonist, he must
have felt something of the wonder and
astonishment of the Christian in the cir.
Gus who was suddenly met by an oppo-
nent that he had never heard of and
whose means and methods of attack were
entirely new to him.
Now, as then, the almost grotesque dis
similarity of the contestants. brought
from far distant and unrelated realms
gave a new interest to the old game.
Innocence, wonder and certain order
of heroic weakness betray themselves in
Mr.. Gladstone.
He was innocent of the status of his an
what might be an American Bolingbrokt
he did not suspect that he had Joined is
sue only with an American Bradlaugh.
We who know his antagonist Of old car
hardly repress smile at the Grand Olt
Mans reproachful wonder, caused by tn
new order Of corruscating extrayaganc
against which he finds himself pitted.
BY some right of rhetoric and not o
reason Mr.. Ingersoll always has the frs
and last word in the North america;
ReUteag, and the English scholar, lik
Judge Black, will find himself SAND
wiched between an effusive exordium an
a triumphant peroration of the Pagan.
But the conditions are not only prt
scriptive; they are unequal
If it were race instead of scrimmag
Mr.. Ingersoll would count on his antal
onist being weighted with little NOR
than the usual reverence, good taste, d,
liberation and n decent regard for th
opinions and beliefs of his fellow-mer
He would insist while he was putting o
his brass knuckles and girdipg himsel
round with all the weapons of yitupers
tion and literary unscrupulousness, tina
his opponent should be correct, serious
honest and accurate and stand up in th
naked integrity Of truth without th
shield Of the sophist or the foil of the ca
uist.
Mr.. Gladstone's astonishment breai
out early.
after studying some things for Il
third Of a century," he says, II at lengi
began to hope that ] had some parti
comprehension of them-some inkling
what they meant. But here is an anita
onist Who can dispose in half an hour
all the problems, dogmatic. historict
religious and moral, that ever puzzl
and perplexed the brain of man"
Then this dauntless old scholar boy
his head with a masterful humility al
says:
81 cannot do that"
What n superb weakness this is VIII
you think of it.
In the presence of Mr.. Ingersoll, N
Gladstone is speedily impressed with o
pensive thought.
1t is that Mr.. Gladstone is finite.
A fine patriarchal erudition, we M
learn from headquarters, cannot do eyel
thing.
1t cannot, FOR example, write beti
book than the Bible, and it cannot bani
the Deity from His own domain ia ct
sciousness and the universe.
1t is therefore naturally surprised
find that we have man over here W
can.
Its surprise is intensified to find Q
man doing it with what Mr. Gladsto
calls, zone back-handed stroke, j" and wi
what we call lightning dispatch"
But we have got accustomed to Il
sort of thing. Whether our sensible
has been blunted by the coarseness or
continuity Of the blows is of little con
quence.
The spectacle of an Illinois lawyer, W
has drank deep of the peorian sprir
swelling about on the basis of n persor
difference with God, may have lost no
of its irreverence, but it has lost much
its novelty.
1--WE might seem, says Mr.. Gladstol
ITO be dealing with writer whose cC
tempt for authority in general is fu
balanced, perhaps out-weighted, by j
respect for one authority in particular.
Seems? llonorcd sir. Nay, it is. A
you are right in suspecting that that 3
thority is Robert g. Ingersoll
You start with aStonishment to fint
man fixing with wave OF his hand /
exact moral aud intellectual superior
of Shakespeare and Buddha.
DlI we nave nthrt nm tlX in the sal
instantaneous and final manner, witho
hope Of appeal, the status of the Inflnit
You ought to hear him whistle the h
toric Christ down the wind.
You have suspicion that he has no
spect for any authority but his own.
We have heard him say so repeated
with double ground swell of rheto
and ribaldry, and can quote him do
whole pages to that effect, ifit were edi
ing or il he dared to deny it.
Your amaZement at the authoritatt
and swift iinaity of his opinion on Shak
peare is natural
But you ought TO hear his opinion
Robert G.. Ingersoll
That, | think, would temper va
amaZement with awe,
You may not know it, but this is [
man who said that il there should hapu
10 be"ahy grand assiZe after this life, a
he found himself to be wrong, he'd wa
up to the judge like man and saw
asking him to overlook the personal 4
ference that existed between them q
call things square.
l do not deny that there il a pIct
esque merit to this The merit is in c
rying over the free and easy audacity
the Illinois court room into the posi-
issues of eternity.
The picturesqueness is in the unayo
able implication that he intends TO VIZ
his silk hat on the side of his head a
keep his thumbs in his waistcOat duri
the examination.
You are little surprised at his inaccl
ate treatment of the Bible, and say ii
so lar flOm suspecting from his 0uo