The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-09-06
Che aichita 1aIu Eagle gnesday oniue September 1892

OF religion, in what relates to the comfor
and happiness of those about him he i
anything but that. When he lived il
Washington he kept an open house. Hi
hospitality was of the most genial West
ern West. He found this hospitality ire
mendously abused. The tribes of crank!
who flourish in Washington swarmed int
his house until he was obliged to practi
cally shut it up to guard himself agains
the horde of crack Drained visitors. Ont
night, during one of his Sunday evening
receptions, DR.. Mary Walker came to the
door and insisted on coming in. Tit
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 l 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.
1t 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
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 Coloners 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
plimented, 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 a real lady, and
who came there animated by high
purpose. This lady came to the Ingersoll
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 l have witnessed in the Colonel's
career occurred at supper given by an
uptown club in New York several years
ago. Around the table there were
actors, authors, newspaper men,
dramatic writer's and club men. Col.
was one of the honored guests of
the club. 1t was the habit of this club
at the dinners thus given to have a special
subject for discussion. This night the
subject was, els Marriage q Failure~
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 Colonels turn came. and I
have never seen more triumphant dis
play of the influence of serious and digni-
fed treatment of what is the most serious
and dignifed thing in life. 1t was like a
,ool wind displacing an atmosphere of
malaria. The Colonel with brush of
lis hand waved aside that idle talk of the
moment and said that the man who SAYS
hat marriage is failure has never stood
With his hand locked in the loyal grasp of
. wife and mother at the side of q child's
gave. The tribute which followed to
to love and its duties was so
.ouching that there was hardly dry eye
n the room when he finished. His speech
,ut an end to the discussion. The Colonel
s by nature loyal enthusiast He is a
irm friend, and does not understand
clouded by personal interest.
lis devotion to his family is one of the
most marked traits of his nature
As he comes to be better understood |
here is less misrepresentation of his atti-
ude before the world. People have
ONE 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 |
ot find good deal of change in public |
sentiment in the last few years upon the t
ubject, in the direction of greater toler- |
nee of the views of free thinkers. To /
his he gave the most decided affirma- |
i've. People have greatly changed in the
asst fifty years, he thought. eff they 1
ad not, said he, Il could not live
He finds, however, that the clergy
len are as unrelenting as ever, and from
hem he receives no concessions. In
peaking of this he said "There is such a
Elm of snobbery that runs all through the
visiting systems Of religion" No one, in
is judgment, was so snobbish as a serv-
Mt in standing up for the Importance Of
is master The more important
le master the greater the snobbishness.
o what must be the feeling OF the serv-
Mt toward free thinker who has criti-
zed the master which he regards as in
nitel
a recent caller upon Colonel Ingersoll
hid: You are too critical. Why, l be-
eve you would even criticize the Lords
rayer" 1T is a subject for criticism"
i'd the Colonel
I'm what wayi" was asked.
''ln the phrase Lead Us not into temp