The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-12-17

gloried in the Gospel above all Things.
Or DIR. Parker, who said that the 1eaon-
ings of Jesus as related to man were per-
feet Yet Ingersoll sets up himself ana
his reason as superior to all these. 1
pray you "think of it," Again, tnls
deceiver would presume upon the sup.
posed Ignorance of his hearers 10 1aNe ~ ~
for granted that, as science mas Inaue
such rapid progress, there HusS nasS
been similar discoveries IN moTale anu
religion. But there is no necessary con-
nection between the two. The nrst may
advance, while the second declines, and
often does, as in France in the lasS
century, and in this. However, the
ablest scientists agree that no discovery
in science has weakened the evidences OF
religion. Hear the late Prof.. oook' Gne
first of American chemists, VINO IKE
Liebig, the first of German eheMlsts,
was a most devout Christian, valulng
his religious far beyond bis scientific
knowledge. Or Prof. Agassiz, the most
learned of our scientists, VINO regarded
the Creation as "the expression OF d.
vine thought"
IngersoiI says God is only "a guess"
and, think of it," rejects the existence OF
God in creation as much as IN Chrlstlan-
ity.
But what shall | say more? Time
does not permit me to dilate on the poets,
from Bryant to Whittier, all of whom are
SO reverent in their treatment of religion.
Whittier. the last was doubtless the most
devout, himself comparable to the seers
of old, even surprising some of them in
his most spiritual moods. Yet man
who would claim Shakespeare as ii his
poetical BILE. may have the audaclty
to claim our American poets and men OF
letters, nearly all of whom were the
antipodes of Ingersoll. So it was in
England, where Tennyson's Crossing
the Barr was claimed as confession OF
skeptlcism, compelling Tennyson's son
to declare that it was confession OF
ChristiansF aith, and so intended by the
poet. Browning is heard on the same
side, and these 5wo are the great English
poets of today. Then there is Words
worth. a still greater poet, and as good
Christian, also Scott. the Wizard of the
North, who dying said There is nut one
Book, the Bible"
If one asks for poets on the other side,
he is welcome to them, Byron and
Shelley. Byron, the sensualls6 In
word and deed, rhyme and reality; and
Shelley, who. deserted his young and
beautiful wife the moment he met
woman he fancied more-the result,
suicide of his first and only lawful wife.
Even the best known Agnostlcs give
their voice for Christianity as the
guide of life.
Witness Huxley, who has declared for
the Bible in schools. and JohE stuart MILL
who says that, 'sif man would live pei
feet life, let him follow the teachings ana
example of Jesus Christ. And YET niger
soil is given a thousand dollars to proclaim,
that Jesus is not fit to be heard or obeyed
Note also the united opinion and practice
of the English people as such. who almost
to a man are determined to have the blole
read in the schools and the young brought
up on it. Does Ingersoll know more, or Il
he wiser than all England? think of it,"
have appealed to Agnostics: Now let US
and Germany, Renan and Strauss. Renan
rejects miracles but surpasses others IN his
eulogy of the teachings of Christ. which In
that "Christ brought love into a world
which was without it, while Strauss
Claimed that the morality of the Gospel Is Is
imbedded in the conscience of Christendom.
Thus. We have the testimony of Christians,
Agnostics, and Infidels to the matchless
Throughout Ingersoll's lecture, there is
an assumption of superior intellectual pow
er and enlightenment as something, which
founded our public schools and colleges in
New England and Old England. the acade-
mics and colleges of Maine. or of Massachu,,
highest; Williams. which gave us Garfield.
and Amherst which gave Parkhurst to New
York and the country So OF Bowdoln, Col
kins, and the rest, ,Ingersoll talks as If he
had discovered Shakespeare. He knows
nothing of Shakespeare. properly speaking.
It is Impossible that a man should know
Shakespeare who decIies the Book of Job
and that of Isaiah. as dr1vel. repeat 1t.
there is not trace OF culture II lngersolIs
lecture: He asks, how any p6ok 81 sne
CTusoe and Gulliver's Travels Ingersoll
asks Sin what respect had the Bible made.
stass hs Indians ASK VIZ Working for
ddeI among them ali? Or the Negroes. Is
there s1as sa gN Treel his Of the
South? Or our eInigrantsf Is there an IN
fdel mission in any city. establishing
schools; OF soup houses; OF "a lnfi s, or
the United States like the Catholic Carney
Hospital in Boston. the Episcopal and Pres
byterian of New York and Philadelphia, or
the Johns HOPKINS Quaker) in Baltimore?
Well may the New York sun class lngersoll
with the moon struck philosophers who at
tempt the impossible. lngersoll is really
an Atheistic Agnostlc, just what all the an
archists are, to man
When Thurlow Weed was asked his opin-
ion of Ingersoll he replied SN w, T.. HERALD herald
Wherever Moody goes there is reformation
of manners and morals. Many turn from
their sins and forsaks them. But | never
Think of it, Mr.. Moody has received
thousands of letters from wives and mothers
blessing him for retaining erring sons and
husbands. and venture to say that lnger-
soil in all his life, never received one.
Liberty, after Reason, is lngersoll's word
to onjure with, and it was much applaud
ed. But did they know what are Ingersoll's
ideas Of s'liDerty.?" 1t is liberty for a man
to marry woman and desert her, at will.
youth and beauty being gone. It is liberty
TO send obscene books to boys -and girls in
school, whose names have been got fl I'm the
catalogues, crime more awful than that of
murder. l say that a man who has
mother, wife, or daughter, and does not
pronounce lngersoll's action on these vital
matters more detestabe than the doc
trine of demons. is himself 10 be ranked
with the lowest of mankind. Now choose
your guides and follow them. We are nots
left to conjecture consequences: James
Russell Lowell once asked Where is there
a place ten miles square outside of Christ
endom fit to live in?''
There is no infidel nation nor can there
be.
TheChinese are agnostics but
ssBetter fifty years of Europe
Than cycle of Cathay"
If You think otherwise, try China. A town
called Liberal was started in Missouri. a
few years ago by followers of Ingersoll. and
it utterly failed Too much liberty Go
hack a hundred wars and Won nav aee In