Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-18
lNoERsoLL's LECTURE LAST NIGHT.
Heard by n Good Audience-He Is Eloquent
But Not Convincing.

But Not Convincing.
Colonel Robert G.. Ingersoll. the fa-
nous orator and atheist, delivered his
lecture What Shall We Do to Be
Saved?" at the Theatre last night before
a large audience. Couched in beautiful
language. delivered with a perfect enun-
citation and appropriate gestures, Colonel
Ingersoll chained the attention OF his
hearers for nearly an hour and a half.
With hooking smile and scornful laugh
he derided, ridiculed. and dashed with
keen irony and incisive wit religion and
its votaries. closing his brilliant oratori-
cal effort with a flight OF eloquence that
was supreme in its mastery and It's art.
The lecture was replete with brilliant
flashes OF thought, subtle reasonings, and
satirical deductions, which, after ali, car
ried less conviction than appreciation Of
their subtlety and eloquence.
Colonel Ingersoll commenced his lee
ture by advocating freedom OF thought.
which he declared was trammelled by
religion. Passing on to a review of the
New Testament" he declared that since
all the extant MSS. OF the Gospels OF
Saints, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
were written in Greek. IL was impossible
for those disciples TO have written them.
He said that as a matter OF fact, the
Gospels were not written for many years
after the death OF those 10 whom they
are attributed. and stated that the rea-
son none OF the apostles wrote anything
was that they believed the world was to
be destroyed almost Immediately. and
that there was TO be another coming
WORKS, NOT FAITH.
Speaking OF the Gospel OF St. Matthew,
Colonel Ingersoll said that II was a
Gospel OF works, not faith, and that he
agreed with the sentiment OF II substan-
tally. though he took exception 20 the
verse which reads: And every one that
hath forsaken houses, or brethren. or
sisters, or father, or mother. or wife. or
children, or lands for My names sake
shall receive a hundred-fold, and shall
inherit everlasting life," declaring II TO
be an Interpolation. Speaking OF the
Second Gospel. Colonel Ingersoll said that
It agreed substantially with the First.
with the exception OF the parable of the
Sewer and the addition OF the verse,
who so beleveth and Is baptized shall
be saved; and who so believeth not shall
be damned" 10 the last conversation
happening between Christ and his apos-
Ties, which verse does not appear In the
Gospel OF St. Matthew ST. Luke, he
said, agrees with St. Matthew and st.
Mark, teaching that God will be merciful
TO the merciful, forgving TO the for
giving, kind to the kind. loving TO the
loving, Just to the just. and mercifui to
the good; but the Gospel or ST. John.
he declared, taught another doctrine.
That Gospel, he asserted, was not writ
ten until long after the others, being. In
deed, mostly written by the Church.
MATTER OF REGENERATION.
Speaking OF the regeneration alluded 70
in the Gospel, he declared IL unworthy
of credence, because IL was not men
toned by the other reputed evangelists.
IL preached, he said the efficacy OF faith
without works and quoted many pas
sages. Speaking OF the verse. who so
eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, "
&C., and kindred passages In this Cos
pei. said, go ind In the Book OF John
that in order TO be saved we must not
only believe In Jesus Christ. but we
must eat the flesh and we must drink
the blood OF Jesus Christ II that Cos
pei IL true. the Catholic Church Is right.
But Il Is not true. / cannot believe II.
and yet for ali that. II may be true.
But do not believe t.
Colonel InEersoll then turned his at
tention 20 the tenets OF the various
sects and closed his lecture with an ex-
position Of his own views. which avow
malice toward none and charitNfo for ALT"