The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-05-30
INGERSOLL'S DAUGHTERS
a NEWSPAPER MAN INTERVIEWS
THEM.

THEM.
Two Beautiful Girls Without ReIi-
gious Education.-TheyD Do Not Like
the Bible and Never Go to Church.
From the Philadelphia Press.l
"Yes, Miss Ingersoll is in,' and the
Empire coated butler leu the way to
the drawing-room at 400 Fifth avenue.
The room, with its book lined wallis,
bits of colored porcelain. carved
on canvas, was beautiful enough, but
the slim, sweet, timid creature in her
silver gray dress was radiant. She
might have been taken for Quaker
maiden, for member of some new or
der of nuns, but for the daughter of
Col. Ingersoll--never
But there sat Miss Eva Ingersoll in
a little slipper chair, beaming in the
loveliness of her youth and beauty,
and this is what she had to say regard
ing the Rev. DR.. Peck's address before
the General Conference of the Sonth
ern New England Methodist Societies.
wherein, he stated that Mr.. IngersolPs
daughters had become church mem
| hers:
"Th,. is about the fifth 'tifinfea tifne>l -haY -haY7
| joined the church in print, and it is so
ridiculous, because neither my sister
nor myself have ever attended ser
vice. Once Mr.. Carnegie invited us
to hear Henry Ward Beecher. 1t
was in the evening, and the address
he delivered was the only one we have
ever heard. Another tiIoe we went TO
DR.. Collyer's church to attend
friends wedding, and that is the ex-
tent of our knowledge of churches"
"But why haven't you gone out of
curiosity p
"Well, don't know. 1 never had
any desire, somehow. | have been
told that the music might be entertain
ing, but I'm sure that it can't COM
pare with operatic music, and we go to
some opera or concert three OF four
nights a week. nave read great
many sermons, but never was suffi
GENTLY pleased or interested to care to
hear one. Our parents are not respon-
sible for our attitude. Indeed, sister
and I are more radical than they.
Father has always told us that he
wanted US to realize the gree test hap
piness in life, and adviseG us to ex-
anime for ourselves, and to act in ac-
| cordance with our convictions. We
| have had books of all kinds and all
sorts, and friends to exchange ideas
| Win. Father has read with us, and
together we have looked up references,
localities, and proof, but the more we
know about Christianity the less ad-
miration we have for it.
"Just now we are studying the His
tory of the Inquisition, and can't
bear to think of church or ereeds. My
grandfather, you know, was Con
gregational minister, but most of our
relatives have been extremely liberal.
They all believe in religion, and so do
we, but neither they nor we are Chris
tians This distinction often amuses
the people we meet for the first time,
| and they in turn amuse us by almost
demanding an explanation"
AS she talked her beautiful hands
were playfully tying the long, silky
ears of a magnificent hunting dog
across his face.
"Rust is one of the family. We've
had him FIVE years. His temper is
absolutely perfect. They tell us we
have spoiled him, and perhaps that is
a fact, but father is too kind hearted
to be hunter. He wouldn't Kill, a
bird or see one killed for pleasure, and
that's why Rust has been allowed to
live in the family and get spoiled.
Standing against her knee, with his
lace in her lap, and the perfect golden
brown of his coat contrasting with the
delicate silver gray of her dress, the
two were picture for a Landseer.
"Did l ever pray? Never. We
were never taught prayers as children,
but when old enough to reason, mother
selected the prayers that are consider
ed most beautiful and touching, and
told us, as she always did in making
selections of poetry and prose, to read
them carefully and learn the ones
that pleased us. None pleased me
especially, aud didn't commit any OF
them to memory. could not see the
wisdom of praying for or against
things / knew were beyond human in
f1uence.
/ "And | never priced a Bible as most
girls do, not even in silver or ivory
covers. don't like the book because
there are too many improbable and
impossible things in it, and, worse
than that, it abounds in cruelties.
"We doubtless seem horrible people
to you believers, but we are very
happy together, and ifmy parents are
:. as odious as some people faucy them,
they must still have many very re-
deeming qualities of mind and heart,
because it is tax for them to make
new friends, the old ones are SO nu
merous and 80 exacting in their. .affec-
tions. In all my life have never
heard cross word spoken by my par
ents, either to one or the other, or to
my sister or myself
School? sWe never went TO school
day in our. lives. Mother preferred
to have US trained at home under her
own supervision, and father made out
the course of study, and allowed us te
make Optional whatever we liked. We
are stupid enough, but it is all oul
own fault.
The modesty of Miss IugersolI did
not permit her to state that she is 9
close student, and takes great pride in
her lessons: Every day she !earns j
lesson for French, German, and vo.
cal teacher, fluids time fer eevera
hours Of practice, and personally cares