Telegram-herald., 1890-11-03
STUDY OF INCERSOLL
A Thoughtful sernon Preached -
xenpls kE1manusl.
BQanS ESrIXlIE OF A CgElI ny
Mrs- e1reiaze .. Bartissa. - K@i2as&1se
kainss a. fasstiissat a. tisse~s <Ha
t&Ss~AAs t2s fk4iEs sA4 faFtaes ~
tsl. <. u. l4x~rsslL

"A lAr t-acc q Ll41 usual elfi sft41 a.
.esson. Mrs hsrsleGt read tie funeral
address delivered by Col. Robers q.
ingsfsol at ne grave Of hs
brother TIE purpose of reading tbs
address vac 70 Sfford an introduction
- the sermon which was 70 follow.
The subject Of the sermoa VAS, The
Truths and Errors Ia IngersoPs
Methods OF Argument" The following
i a condensed analysis Of the reverend
lady : address.
ot Col. Ingersol's methods, il may be
SAID that rs distinguishing character
isiies are diFectness and courage.
Whatever else may T. said OF il, i s
honest, and honesty 5 = great thing.
The fearless ntterances OF an honest
man, Untrammeled by what Others
may have thought in the past, or
may dictate IN the present, are ad-
mlahle.
Bat ~ al his writings, Mr.. ingers0l
/ betrays the LAWYER an not the Judge
I lie IS merely aud advocate. HIS ann
Is 20 marshal all the available charges
against the defendant, and, when
I taken 10 task for Jmltung one side of
7 the case, 20 take TsfugelO the reflection
I that il Is the duty of the attorney on
/ the other side 20 look 70 the reasons
/ that exist on the other side. But tins
I is not reason. lt may DO very woll for
| the humOrists, but not tOrthe log.clans.
lou can, with joke, dismiss the
/ greatest questions that appeal 10 the
thought and the conscience OF man.
Coz. lngersoll's Impeachment OF the
| moustrOus dOlngs OF the church Is
/ we'll. Wrong 5 wrong. by whOmsOever
/ done; but 10 say that religion and the
church are organized for the purpose
| or perpetratlng the Incidental wrongs
that have been done IN their name Is
ne ther logically nor historically
true. The church partakes OF the
good, as we'll IS OF an evil OF It's day.
and not TO recognize this is one of the
mistakes of Col. lngersoll. The history
of the church has been both infamous
and glorious.
The Colonel says that the infidel has
been IN All ages the true friend of li0-
erty, While It's only real enemy has
been the churchman. But We know,
that in this, ory own day. there Is much
tyranny and want OF charity III the
name OF liberality.
Let us now see what he arragns be-
fore his immense audience. First, he
assails the infalihility Of the Bible, and
all = specific doctrines and teachings.
But the doctrines OF God and minor
tality, are not the exclusive possession
of the Bible, which Col. In
gersoll himself admits. Yet he
assails these doctrines with the neg
atlve force OF ms agnoshclsm, with the
some apparent warmth with which he
assalls those biblical doctrines which
are peculiar to that book. And the fu-
neral oratiOu we have just read. where
IN Col. IngeIsoll says, "hope sees n
star, ;" shows that the agnostc may now
and then be rs inconsistent as the more
positive believer be assalls.
But tor all these errors of methods
and inconsistencies of position. | think
Col. lngersOll has done Il real service
10 mankind. First, he has so assalled
the old doctrines OF eternal punishment
that 10 now stands actually discredited
before the world. la the main, his
reasOnlngs on this line have been valid.
When he says that, # there be a God
that God Ought to be as good as We are.
nc Is right. | freely say that have 10
desire TO cast my lot with beng such
as the older orthodoxy has represented
the God of judgment to be.
Secondly, Colonel lnge.soll has dis
pelled many false viewsFJf the Bible.
That book Is actually quoted in our
own day 10 uphold the wrong. We all
remember when American slavery was
defended by quotations from the
Mosaic writings. That those writing.
enlOIued many mOnstrOus things Is
true, and tins ought - be conclusive
that, either the Bible IL not the lnfalli-
ble word OF God. or else God IS un-
worthy. Ii Is these things that prompt
IngersOll to say that the Bible is not
InfallIble. and IN this commend him
But he forgets that the infancy of the
Hebrew race, IN its science and rell
gion, Is not the maturity OF the Nine.
teenth century IN Its advancement and
loeTallty. Grant that the Bible con.
talns much that is aOnstrous, il IS the
record of those things which wcrt
greatest and best IN the days to whlcl
the book refers. Though the penta
teuch IS not our ideal, yet we mast say
that It contains the seod OF the
good that enters into the better
convictions of later DAYS. Thai
Bible is the great treasure
house OF the aspirations Of the
human soul. and has Outhved many q
more promising and 20 etentons Ot ln
tslil'a.lty, aud Mr.. lngersoi ought tc
Snow This and knowing tins, ought O
speaS and act upon it. During th0s,
years when the bibie was drawing mer
upwards. NJ. lugsrsol's ancestors were
roaming Wild in tne forests.
Vow Col. Iugcrs0l's grounds O..
8ssault upon tic distinctive te iching'
oi ine bible. are. that Nature ACCORDING
- science, fills and includes all th ngs
and that. consequently, there = %,
1lace Tor God ia the universe. a gcoa
t5od vouit not have mad,
yich wor'f. 1he character o
the belief of God s shaped and colore.
ov the theory of tha universe adj tns
character ~ Che men boldIrg the sac
ery. Nh7n science made ibe earth th.
center of the universe. trod vasa Bern.
away outsfae cf 70. bat when g. eaca 81
enlarged She world as to make 70 strf tfl
out indefinitely Col InEers0l Goa &
nos mod anv room for trod Aud bel
tns way iugrrs1d srguea Co3 ogt o
che world Intc IectusHy.
Rutthe moral erll ol Che world s In