Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-12-26
INGERsoIL BACKS DOWN.
Evidence That He is Relaxing in the
Rigor OF His Skepticism.

The Chicago Tribune on Tuesday con.
tanned the following as a special dis.
patch from its New York coTrespon.
dent. 1t will be read with interest by
the many local friends of the brilliant
atheist:
"It may be that we live no more;
that We go back to the unconscious
dust, and vet the heart will always say:
Perhaps there Is another life. '"-Col
Robert G. Ingersoll.
Has Col. Ingersoll begun to change
his views about the doctrines of the
christian faith which hitherto he has
been thought to have held in absolute
unbelief?
A lawyer of this city, well known in
professional life, has distributed among
some of his friends brochure in which
he has applied to the doctrine of i'm
mortality the law of circumstantial ev-
idence, and i'm the elaboration of this
theory he has employed much ingenu-
ity and much original thought; but,
although full of interest for itself, it is
still more remarkable and is likely to
be much more extensively examined
from the fact that it has inspired a let
ter, made public to-day, written by Col.
IngersOll to the author, Mr.. E. r.
Johnes, In which the great agnostic, as
he is considered, and as he has called
himself recently expresses some re-
markable ideas.
Col. Ingersoll's letter is still full OF
these denials which have placed him
at the head of the agnostic school in
this country; but there is in it tone OF
admission that is sunmistakable.
Mr.. Johnes' essay is an attempt to
show that there is circumstantial evil
dence enough to indicate that there is
a hereafter. OF it Bishop Henry G..
Potter says: ut is interesting and
shows great ingenuousness."
But Col. Ingersoll Is not content with
this, and it seems to have affected him
deeply and aroused in his mind a ques-
ton as to whether he were not, after all,
wrong in his complete reputation of a
future life. 1t is the first utterance
that he has ever made giving any indi-
cation that he believed in anything.
He says:
A WORLD BETTER THAN THIS.
off we admit the existence of a God
of infinite wisdom and compassion, we
may say that there must be a world
better than this; but how do we ae-
count for one worse-that is to say, if in
justice triumphs here, why not there?
IfhOnesty goes without bread in this
world, why not in another? Certainly
God will be no better then than now.
"Still, 1t may be possible that God
of infinite love and compassion will so
reward those who suffer-through suf-
fering itself-that all that happens will
be consistent with wisdom and com.
passion.
II do not see any evidence in this
world that it was created by either wis
dom or compassion. Nor do I see
what right we have to say that man has
a spiritual body any more than trees
have.
'"The tree springs from seed; so does
man. The trees produce others and
then perish from the earth. The same
is true of the human race You have
had the courage to accept the logic of
your position and give to all life the inn
mortality that christians give to man.
l hardly know the meaning of the
words spiritualtst and materialist. /
don't see that it makes the slightest
difference with the argument to admit
that everything is spiritual or to assert
that everything is material. He who
asserts that all is spiritual admits the
existence of everything that another
calls material, and he who insists that
all is material admits the existence of
that is by the other called
spiritual. Call it what you will, it re-
mains beyond the grasp of our minds.
| congratulate you on what you have
said concerning the wax figures of Mil
ton. His heaven was simply another
with a government some
what worse.
THE DREAM OF IMMORTALITY.
"You have endeavored to establish
your doctrine by something universal,
and you have wisely left the provinci-
alisms, the prejudices, the puerilities
of christianity Love and hope are uni
versal. AS long as men love and as
long as men hope there will probably
be In the heart and brain the splendid
dream of immortality. 1t may be that
we live no more, that we go back to the
unconscious dust, and vet the heart will
always say, Perhaps there is another
life.' But whether there is or not, let
us all paint on the canvass of the future
the picture that delights and satisfies
the soul. Weknow that in this world
after joy comes grief, as after day comes
night, and it may be there is some
world where after grief comes joy, as
after night comes day.n
This letter, when it was read by the
few who saw it, excited the utmost sur
prises because it gave at once the idea
that Col. Ingersoll had at last begun to
feel that agnosticism was but a poor
creed.
'Ithink, +" said distinguished clergy.
man to whom the letter was shown
"that Col. Ingersoll has certainly re-
vised his conception of the chief doc
trine Of christianity. He says that the
idea cannot safely rest upon the inspir
alton Of the Bible, but when he admit!
the universally of those principles
which alone have any basis when theb
are considered in connection with !;
future life and says that God of ina
mite love may bring happiness and 4.
reward to those who have sorrow ant
GRIFFIN this world, he admits a grea
deal.n
Col. FIngersoll has lately uttered
other words publicly which contain tn
same note of change in the rigor of hi
tskepticism. The effect of this letter il
the circumscrlbed circle who have rea,
IL has been striking.