The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-12-20

of the Followers of Jesus Predict
ed-What Has InfideIity Done?
Gen. j. H. Baker addressed the Nor
NAL Literary society Saturday night,
in answer to Robt. Ingersoll. 1t was
an eloquent appeal on behalf of the
teachings of Christ, and the following
is complete synopsis or condensation
of the address, which Will interest
all:
In every age, the world has produc-
! ed men whose mission it seems to be
to destroy institutions which have
great merit, without offering ito sub
stitute anything in their stead. No
one objects to Investigation, to hon
est and intelligent criticism. But
when man only tears down some set
| tied order of things, reasonably or
grandly good, and makes no offer to
build up anything in it's place, he is
radically wrong and does society in
finite harm. You would point to a
man who should seek to destroy our
government because of some trivial
evils as to an anarchist. Yet here is
a great temple, the mighty republic
of Christianity, whose life and soul is
Jesus of Nazareth, touched and trou-
bled with many human errors though
it be, yet bringing contentment, hope
and better life to millions of our
race, and strength and power to
civilization itself-this beautiful tenn
PIE Mr.. Ingersoll desires to over
throw without offering "a substitute
of church or creed or institution of
any kind for the betterment Of man.
kind. A perpipetetic Voltaire, he
travels the country over for the pur-
pose of infidelizing modern society.
AS philosopher, he is but faint
imitation of Hume, and as a reasoner
by no means to be compared with
Thomas Paine. He has not added a
single new thought to the artillery of
skepticism or infidelity. 1t is the au-
dacity, the wit, the eloquence of the
man which attracts. But his infiu-
ence is bad, especially upon the
young, who are facinated by his
pleasing address and bold declama-
tions. They look upon him with
novelty and surprise, as though he
was new star, with real mission
not thinking that in every age just
such men have appeared, and flashing
like a meteor, have gone out, leav-
| ing no mark and scarce a memory be-
hind. The poor widow, who sits in
| ''unwomanly rags" and has no COM
fort on this earth but her God and
her Christ of these he would rob her,
and for her beautiful hope of eternal
happiness, he would give her moth
ing, absolutely nothing but coroding
doubt.
Mr.. Ingersoll appears to read the
Bible, not for the purpose of seeing
and grasping the august truths, the
royal beauties, the lofty morality
which illuminate it's eternal pages
but, like that bird of the falcon spe.
cies, which flies oblivious over the no
blest landscapes and the most charm
ing scenes, to seek some decomposed
body, whose salacious order agrees
with it's unnatural appetite. Mr.. In
gersoll is growing old without hav
ing made any observable breaches in
the citadel of Christianity
4 The intidel philosophers argument
is that if the Old Testament be not
true and free from blunders and er
rors, Christianity falls. l am here tt
deny the truth of that proposition
Christianity is not the Old Tesla
ment, it is not the church, it is mo-
: thelogOy, it Is not the catechism. II
it's core and essence it is simply thu
person, teachings and principles O.
Jesus, the Christ, as announced by
himself. You can throw the Ole
Testament out of the window, if yol
are so minded, and every essentia
principle of Christianity survives il
unbroken strength and unblemishec
beauty. Moses no more gives the
teachings of Christ than did Confus
cius. Nevertheless, the Old Tesla
, ment is no common collection of an
cient records. They are of the high
est antiquity, of the greatest value
by consensus of all learned smen. an(
command our most respectful con
7 sideration. But it is Jewish histor,
and Jewish polity which is Their,
given. 1t contains remarkable pro
phesies, great truths, and the mos
unique and lofty poetry in the litera
} ture of the world But Christ neye
endorsed or approved any one O