The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-09-10

some principe. Ano A
for principle, let 1t be protection, honest
money, honest elections, or whatever 1t
may be, is respected if he goes down.
He has got something, but the man who
fights for mere Office, for mere position,
and fails to get it, goes down and dlsap-
pears. He has no trough, no supply Ior
it; consequently he is lost"
While the Colonel may be cynical in the
field of politics and skeptical in the neid
of religion, in what relates to the comfort
and happiness of those about him he is
anything but that. When he lived IN
Washington he kept an open house. MS
hospitality was of the most genial West
ern West. He found this hospitality ire
mendously abused. The tribes OF cranks
who flourish in Washington swarmed into
his house until he was obliged to practi-
cally shut it up to guard himself against
the horde of crack Drained visitors. ons
night, during one of his Sunday evening
receptions, Dr. Mary Walker came to the
door and insisted on coming in. Inc
servant did not know what to do. Dr.
Mary was dressed in full suit of broad
cloth and carried high hat. The Colonel
came himself to settle the difficulty he
said to Dr. Walker: 81 never yet have
closed my door in the face of any human
being, and do not say that my doors now
close in your face Dressed as you are you
cannot come in here. If you care to come
back in the habiliments of your sex you
are welcome" 1t is needless to say the
Doctor went away angry.
It is in the household that the Colonel
is seen at his very best. His wife is as
keenly interested in life and in the mental
occupations of her husband as he can be.
The atmosphere of the house is the hap
piest conceivable. A spirit of kindness
rules everywhere. The Colonel is de-
voted to his family, and his life is as
pure and as clean on the private side as
the most severely critic could demand
One day in Washington lady called
at the Colonel's house for the purpose OF
converting him to the cause OF religion.
She represented some missionary society.
She came into the hall of the house trem-
bling at her own audacity in invading
the household of this great free thinker.
The Colonel was called and she explained
with trembling voice the object OF her
visit. She expected to be overwhelmed
with rude and sarcastic laughter, but
she met only the polite and smiling good
nature of the Colonel He said: 81 feel
complimented, but let's not make the
matter too serious. I'm just going out to
dinner. Won't you come out and dine
with us, and you may have an opportunity
there of saying what you want to me-
She accepted. The Colonel introduced
the lady to the Ingersoll family, who were
prepared for everything always, and who
showed nothing but cordiality to the
missionary, who was real lady, and
who came there animated by high
purpose. This lady came to the lngersol
house and made several attempts to con-
vince the Colonel Of the error of his ways.
In the end she was SO affected by the
atmosphere of kindness and content in
the house that she came to the Colonel
at last and begged his pardon for attempt
ing to convert him, saying that she be-
lieved that he was in practice much
better Christian than she.
One of the strongest and best things
that I have witnc in the Colonels
career occurred at IA supper given by an
uptown club in New York several years
ago. Around the table there were
gathered actors, authors, newspaper men,
dramatic writers and club men. Col.
Ingersoll was one of the honored guests Of
the club 1t was the habit of this club
at the dinners thus given to have special
subject for discussion. This night the
subject was, "Is Marriage a Failures"
The tone of the talk was commonplace,
vulgar, insane, almost idiotic. One guest
after another made some commonplace
attempt to be witty at the expense of the
institution of marriage. In the midst of
this talk the ColoneIs turn came, and I
have never seen a more triumphant dis
NAV of the influence of serious and digni-
fed treatment of what is the most serious
and dignified thing in life. Tt was like
cool wind displacing an atmosphere of
malaria The Colonel with brush Of
his hand waved aside that idle talk Of the
moment and said that the man who says
that marriage Is a failure mas never SUOOu
with his hand locked in the loyal grasp of
a wife and mother at the side of child's
gave. The tribute which followed to
marriage, to love and its duties was SO
touching that there was hardly dry eye
in the room when he finished. His speech
put an end to the discussion. The Colonel
is by nature loyal enthusiast. He is a
firm friend, and does not understand
friendship clouded by personal interest.
His devotion to his family is one of the
most marked traits of his nature.
As he comes to be better understood
there is less misrepresentation of his atti-
tude before the world. People have
come to believe that he is sincere in his
disbelief, and are not disposed to quarrel
with him about it, I asked him if he did
not find good deal of change in public
sentiment in the last few years upon the
subject, in the direction of greater toler-
ance of the views of free thinkers To
this he gave the most decided afirma-
tive People have greatly changed in the
last fifty years, he thought 'If they
had not" said he, IT could not live" !
He finds, however, that the clergy