The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-07
INGERSOLL As A WIT
Bon Mots That Characterize
His Conversation.
T. c. CRAWFORD INTERVIEWS HIN
Strong SDsSSever in Having Convictions
The Story Of His Lyentful Life
Letold.

tFor THE SUNDAY HERALD-Copyright 1892
Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll is one Of the
most striking and individual men among
the prominent people Of the United States.
He has now lived in New York nearly ten
years, ana is oftener heard of in tue courts
than in the lecture room or In the field of
politics, where he used TO be so conspcu-
Gus figure. The colonel has gone through
wide range of experience and has come
to the conclusion that there is more TO in
terest him in the practice of his profession
than there is to be found in the field Of pol
itics. Politics he has almost dropped He
occasionally appears as lecturer. and con-
tinues as Of old to occupy his position of a
bold and advanced thinker
l asked him, during recent call, if be
had modified in any way his views con-
corning religion. Was he, with ripenlng
years, as earnest an opponent of orthodoxy
as when he first began. His reply 10 this
was most emphatic, although shall NOT
pretend to quote his language. He said
he was more OF an enemy today TO every
form Of eo-called orthodox religion than
when be first began his career as a critic
He describes from his point of view the
spirit Of orthodox religion as & com bina-
ton of ''meekness ana malignancy."
saw the colonel in his Office In Nassau
street. He was perfect picture OF radi-
ant health, and does not look so old as
when he left Washington some ten years
ago His round full heard is now nearly
bald. The hair that remains is snow white
and close cropped. His round fun face
was smooth shaven ard with scarcely a
line or a wrinkle. His forehead was
broad and full. His eyes are keen blue
gray, with twinkle in their depths of the
latent humor always underlying nearly
everything the colonel says. Ills nose is
prominent and straight. His mouth is fine
in its lines and small. His chin is round
pronounced and very strong IN its contour.
he is as smooth shaven and as fresh cell
ored as an English country squire. He
has the high color OF a man OF health. and
the upmislakable air of success which al
why's goes with men who accomplish some
thing in this world. When l saw him the
other morning he was dressed IN
dark frock suit, with a great bunch OF
pink and white sweet peas in his but
tonhole He was debating TO his secre-
tary, Mr.. Baker. man with a French type
Of face, sRllow il color, aquiline features
with the lower half covered by q dark
moustache and short square trimmed
beard. Mr.. Baker is the colonels right
hand, his shadow. He is a perfect private
secretary. He was formerly very orthO-
dox, but 10 the atmosphere of the colonel's
life he has become as radical d free thinker
as his employer. He has been with the
g colonel for many years and will always be
with him. There is a compact between the
colonel and Mr.. Baker that the latter shall
be with him always. Mr.. Baker preserves
religiously the record OF the colonel's life.
Every thing that he says of any Importance
upon current things-speeches, lectures,
his writlngs-are all part OF 3 complete
record kept by Mr.. Baker. He is more
than q private secretary, in that he is a de-
voted friend, and has as much of an inter
est IN preserving an honest record Of the
coloneps life as has the colonel himself |
once heard the colonel say that Mr.. Baker
had instructions TO register truthfuliy his
opinions beliefs and disbeliefs for future
record. be has special ms tructions concern
ing the coloners death. The latter has often
discussed the subject OF his own taking off
He has 3 perfect horror of any misrepre-
sentation concerning That time. His life
has been a peaceful, happy and oontented
one, and he believes his closing hours will
be equally happy and contented. Neither
does he believe that be will change single
iota OF his opinions up TO the verge of the
grave, and Mr.. Barker is to be there abso-
luteiy TO record just what he says, so there
can be 40 dispute about il and no misrep-
resentation-
! have seen Colonel Ingersoll a great
many times during the last fifteen years,
and / have never seen him so averse 10
public compliment and SO anxious, in plain
words TO keep out OF the newspapers as
now In my talk with him l said some
thing about writing q character sketch,
and he said with evident shrinking, that
no mans life should be written until he
was dead. who can know anything about
any man!n said ne. "Who can under
stand the motives that control himl What
man understands himselfl; He then went
on to say with funny twinkle in his eve,
that there were just two things in the
world very hard TO bear. One wss to be
hated by the public and the other was to
be loved by it. If you are hated you are
constantly misrepresented, lied abou.
and prosecuted in thousand ways which
maignancy alone can devise. IL you are
loved, then people come and walk all over
you and use up all your valuable time for
nothing. The ideal thing was TO be ignored
by the public and be TO it an object Of in
difference.
In speaking Of the public, he told the old
story of the man who owned the ass and q
dog. He was always beating the ass and
petting the dog. The ass did all the work
and served his master faithfully and could
not understand why the dog was always
the object OF his most affectionate regard.
He thought it all out one day, and observed
thst when his master came home the dog
few at him with joyous barks Of welcome
and Jumped up IN his lap as he sat down.
the ass thought he would demonstrate his
affection in the same way and so came
brayinR at his master upon his return one
day and jumped up on his lap Ia about the
same way that the affectionate public run
at one of its fayorites, and with about the
same happy result.
Colonel Ingersoll made his first appear
ance in the field OF national politics in tae