Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-04-12
4 CHEERLESS TASK

'Pope" Ingersoll continues to TAX
infdelity. and there are those VINO
think he is wasting his time at It, but
he is not. He makes money by IL ana
thus receives much comfort in TINS
world. while he will not probably get
a great deal more discomfort in the
world to come than the hypocrlJes VINO
preach different doctrine. by TINS
tits not intended to say that even
very large number of those VINO
preach religion are hypocrites. tar
from it. But we do believe that II
there is a hot place in the hereafter
for sinners that those who are hypo-
critics will find the most torrid Spots
provided. 1t is hardly to be supposed
that a man Of Colonel IngersolIs in
telligence can seriously believe that his
orations against religion will do true
religion any harm. When Mr.. lnger-
soil dies and goes-we know not where
there will be more believers in relig-
ion i'm this world than there are now.
The experience Of all ages has
shown that religion is neces-
sary to mankind. There are
some men so peculiarly constituted
that they abhor it, but they are com
paratively few. A few days ago tele-
gram told US that a well-known East
ern writer had sailed for Europe for
his health. He was suffering from a
rather remarkable malady-an aver
sion TO solid food. Now, were THIS
man as Intellectually gifted and pos
. sessed of as glib a tongue as lngersolI
, he might make as much money. lie
. might 90 around the country, telling
! people that the eating Of solid beer
steak and slices from joints OF meat
and so forth, was folly; that he had
; natural aversion TO such food, anC
a that unless they should acquire thu
same aversion, he should have TO con
slider them fools. 1t is easy for sucl
an orator as Ingersoll TO make an
subject interesting, and an equal
{. brilliant orator could, no doubt, max
an anti-meat lecture very entertain
ing. Crowds would go to listen 30 him
but most of them would go on eatin
meat all the same. Why? Because
u would be a necessity Of their nature
n So. also, will people go on believing
God and conforming their lives, MOI
or less, to their belief, because II IS
S; necessity of human nature, apparently
q that a man should have somethln
higher than himself to depend upc
and believe in: and were Mr.. lngersOl
himself. somewhere where vanity
tv pride had no room for display, az
r, only danger and death near him,
no mipht himself feel an uncomfOrtdb
degree of belief in that at which
I'm now so lightly SCOTS. Besides, NJ
I Ingersoll says nothing new. Atheist
nv that have been dead for centuriC
nd have said all that he says, and some
them have said it better, because tn
os. have said it more tersely. They a
o., gone and even their nameis not knON
m. to one in ten thousand, while religl
ice is stronger and wider spread than ey
I the Christians Of those days ever
fra lieved it could be. We may go a
hear Ingersoll as we would 60 to h'
div a trumpet. Some power created h
ion Of finer metal than ordinary a
bv something-he says he knows
what-breathes through the fine me
an and the wonderful crooks and pi
and a wild and outre music CON
do which is extraordinary and rare,
,tra we listen to it, but, as we think IN
of the maker and the breather Il
he we do of the trumpet, in listening
music, so we must think of then
Per. listening to Mr.. Ingersoll wonderir
xtra little and perhaps regretting N
, Of that so much talent and so much
and quence should not be devoted t
IL - nobler cause than that Of infidelli
on at dollar a head.