The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-10-20
lNGERsoLus NEW LECTURE.
The Eloquent lnAdel Holds Chicago Spell.
r- 3. hnuud. H.-

lNGERSOLES new LECTURE.
Eloquent indie Holds Chicago Spell.
bound.
CHICAGO, Oct. 16.-Four thousand
people leaned forward in the Audit
orium to catch the words of Robert G.
Ingersol's new lecture, about the
Holy Bible" delivered for the first time.
One familiar with the Ingersollian
methods discovers that there are hint
ings of change in them. Ingersoll last
night was less v~ituperative. less In
clined to ~butfoonery, more dignifed
and more serious than in previous lee
lures. He was not u whit less caustio
n his criticisms of the Christian reli.
sion, nor more merciful in his handling
of the holy scriptures.
An %eloquence that has been failing.
A fire that has been dying, famed up
again aud Mr.. Ingersoll duzed his hear
ers with the dramatic force Of tho cli-
max of HIS lecture. He spoke in part
MS follows:
If Christ was in fact God, he knew all
the future. Before him like a panorama
moved the history yet to be. He knew
how his words would be interpreted. He
infamies would be committed in his name.
He knew that the hungry flames of perse-
cution would climb around the limbs OF
countless martyrs. He knew that thou
sands and thousands of brave men and
women would languish in dungeons In
| 1nrknAaa ftIaH tyith, min HA hnnry that
his church would invent and use instru-
ments of t%orture: that his followers would
appeal to whip and fagot, to chain and
rack. He saw the horizon Of the
future lurd with the flames OF the
auto da fe. He knew what
fungi from every text. He SAW the igno-
rant sects waging war against each other.
He saw thousands of men, under the orders
of priests, building prisons for their fellow
men. He saw thousands of scaffolds drip
ping with the best and bravest blood. He
pain. he heard the groans-saw the faces
white with agony. He heard the shrieks
and sobs and cries of all the moaning, mar
tyred multitudes. He knew that common
taries would be written on his words with
swords, to be read by the light Of fagots.
He knew that the inquisition would be
born of the teachings attributed to him.
He saw the interpretations and falsehoods
that hypocrisy would write and tell. He
saw all the wars that would be waGed and
he knew over these fields of death, these
dungeons, these rackings, these burnings,
these executions for a thousand years
would float the dripping banner OF the
CrOss.
He knew that hypocrisy would be robed
and orowned-that cruelty and credulity
would rule the world: knew that liberty
would perish from the earth; knew that
pones and kjnoc IN Ina pnrno would on.
slave the souls and bodies OF men; knew
that they would perseoute and destroy the
discovers. thinkers and inventors; Knew
that his church woul extinguish reasons
holy light and leave the world without a
star.
He saw his disciples extinguishinR the,
eyes of men, haying them alive, cutting
u their tongues, searching for all the
nerve of pain.
He kne that in his name his followers
would trade in human flesh; that cradles
would be robbed and the women's breasts
unbabed for gold.
And yet be died with voiceless lips.
Why did he fail to speaky Why did he
not tell his disciples and through them the
world: You shall not burn, imprison
and torture in my name. You shall not
persseute your fellqw men" Why did he :
or, II am Godf' Why did he not explain
the trinity Why did he not tell the mode
of baptism that was pleasing to hims
Why did he not write a creed? Why did
he not break the chains of slavesS Why
did he not say that the old testament was
or was not the inspired word OF God? Why
did he not write the new testament him
self? Why did he leave his words to ig-
norance, hypocrisy and chance2 Why did
he not say something positive, definite and
satisfactory about another worlds Why
did he not turn the tear stained hope Of
heaven into the glad knowledge of another
life? Why did he not tell us something Of
the rights of man, of the liberty of hand
and brain?
Why did he go dumbly to his death.
leaving the world to misery and to doubt!
| will tell you why. He was a man and
did not know.
When MIR. Ingersoll reached tho
words, "He did not know" q great
sigh went up from the mighty audi
snce. There was an %instnnt's silence,
and then a storm of applause that rose
and surged and echoed from stage to
topinost gallery. The handclapping
died away, then rose again; this time a
great burst Of cheering accompanied it.
lngersoll stood silent, flushed, trem-
bling with emotion. He perhaps, like
his hearers, knew that he had Just
achieved Il of the great triumphs Of
o lifo that has been crowded with tri-
umphs. Men who have heard him time
and again in the years past shook their
heads gravely and and that he had
never done anything 50 masterfui, SO
superb and SO full OF resistless elo-
qucnce.
Here are some OF the things he said:
Is the bible any nearer right in It's ideas
pr justice, of mercy, of morality, or of re-
ligion than i'll its conception of the sci
encess
1t upholds slavery; it sanctions polyg-
amy.
Could a devil nave done worse!
Is it mercifuls
In war it raised the black flag; it COM
manded the destruction, the massacre, Of
all-of the old, infirm, and helpless, Of
wives and babes.
Were its laws inspired2
hundreds of offenses We're punished
with death. To pick up sticks Sunday, to
murder your father Monday, We're equal
crimes. There is in the literature of the
world no bloodier code The law of re-
venge-of retaliation-was the law Of Je-
hovah. An eye for an eye, a tooth for q
tooth, q limb for a limb.
b Is savagery-not philosophy.
It Is the enemy of art. Thou shalt
make no craven image" This was the
death of art.
Palestine never produced a painter or
sculptor.
Is the bible civilized?
1t upholds lying, larceny, robbery, muir
der, the selling of diseased meat to strang-
ers, and even the sacrifice of human be-
ings to Jehovah.
Is 1t philosophical2
1t teaches that the sin of a people can be
transferred to IN animal-to a goat. 1t
makes maternity All offense, for which q
sin Offering had to be made.
WAR ON MADAGASCAR.