The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-12-29
HAS THE RARE GIFT or PUTTING THINGS
The Golden Rule AS IL LAW for Men To
Live Ey-Jesus' SniI No one Gun
he II Christian who Does Not steer
by The Golden RuIc-Iight and
Life Ahead.
(By Rev. Charles T.. Dole, Jamaica
Plain, Mass.)


hear what he will say 1t is u good
and live question why they like to
hear him. 1t is q good question for
those who believe in religion and for
those who do not care about it. Let us
see where this question will carry U.S.
Every one must allow at the start
that there are some excellent reasons
why people like to hear Mr.. Ingersoll.
The American people like man who
strikes from the shoulder and hits hard.
They like II man who tells them pre-
cisely what he thinks. And they like
to have such man use fitting and elo-
qucnt language. 1t would be q good
thing for many of the preachers If
they would take lessons of MIR. lngcr-
soil. Let us give him his due. Hc
has the rare gift of putting things"
BESIDES. MIR. lngersCll is witty, and
II is in human nature to like wit and
fun. Even when the wit plays about
subjects which it should not touch, it
is often hard not TO laugh ut IL.
Moreover Mr.. Ingersoll goes straight
for shams and "humbugS." II t'ces not
make any difference to him that the
'humbug" has respectable name. He
takes 1t down just the same. We
Americans rather like this. Ii is honest
democratic treatment II things or men
cannot bear the daylight, We have no
use for them. II religion must he kept
In q dark place, in II closet or n church.
and cannot stand out in the sunshine
or the market, If il will have no qucG
tons asked, 1t is not the kind of reli-
gion that men IN America want
| Now. II must be fairly owned that
Mr.. lngersoll has put his finger on 4
good many weak points in what goes
lby the name, of religion. He has said
right out In meeting" what the Schol-
airs have been saying in their books.
What is II that great scholars like
James Martlneau and preachers like
DR.. Gordon, of the Old South Church
in Raston agree with Robert Ingersoll
in saying? They say that it was il
great mistake ever to suppose that the
| Bible is not Il human book. OF course
| 1t is human, and, what Is more, it was
written by men hundreds OF years ago
| before there was science. and when
the world did not begin TO be half-civ-
ilized. The wonder is land here |
| think that MIR. lngersoll himself would
agree with what Mr. Huxley has saidD
| that in this book. coming out of the
lbarbarous past there are things about
human conduct immensely in advance
of our age. Why. then. does any stu
dent minister want to be apologizng for
the barbarities Of the early Hebrew
| people any more than he Apologies for
the Turks? Why does he not let Mr.
lngersoll have his way with the things
in the Bible that the world has ont
grown. and so the quicker find the
things that the w<Gld has not out
grown?
There are some reasons why people
like To hear Mr.. lngCrsull that are not
so respectable The boy, or the ami
NAL in us. Is, q little too apt to like to
see Il fight, n conflagratiun, Il smash
up, without thinking at first of what
fires and fights mean. MI. lngcrsoll
caters somewhat to this "old Adam" in
us. 1t is easy and cheap work 10 de-
stroy.
There is Il mean streak also in human
nature. The mean man. like the saw
ages, wants to look down on his neigh
bors as though he were superior. He
enjoys laughing at their faults and fool
isiincss, as though their folly made him
wiser. Does not Mr.. lngersoli cater a
little 10 this ugly streak In us? The
fast Is when 4 man is living a sham
life himself. ii makes him feel better,
for moment. to think that other rco,
pie are @hnms. too.
After all has been said let us see
what Mr.. Ingcrsoll has left us. y good
many people who think him n terribly
dangerous man forge; to ask this.
have too much respect for his human
ity to suppose that he wants to burn
up anything solid or valuable. III fact
I have good deal of sympa thy with
him. II this strpendons universe Is bad.
or IL il is hollow, have no wish. II |
could. to bolster ii up. think. as Ait.
Lowell the poet. once said. that Tho
Almighty has made the framework OF
his universe iircproof.' and have no
fear. except. 70. burnt fingers Of what
the children can do by getting at tho
matchbox"
HISS MI. Ingersoll done the SLIGHTEST
harm 10. OF thrown any contempt on.
genuine downright goodness? Never.
They say that he has 10 reverence. I
do not believe it, Has lie ever mC,cllet:
at II jus; act? Would he scott at Wash.
ington or Lincoln? Would he hold up
Jcanic Deans to yidcuie? II any speak
or dared to riiiculc kind pure, true.
generous men and women. an American
audience would hiss him off the plat.
form. take this to lie reverence. Is II
not reverence 10 admire goodness? Now.
my point Is that goodness is one OF the
solid things that Mr.. Inge,scll leaves
untouched. Show him a true man or {,
good woman, ana Mir. IngcrSOll will tell
you that here is what the world wants.
wonder what would happen if Mir.
lngcrsoll tried To persuade people. az
lie pcrsuades q jury, 10 become good?
Let MS see. now. IF Mr.. lnrcrscil really
has anything to say against religion
tie has plenty to say against certnin
kinds of religion. SO had Jesus. If n
tree here no fruit, Jesus ussd to say.
cut 1t Down The fact Is, one reason
because reeilion is really very big ana
interesting subject. No one would want
to hear about IT. If il was dead Would
You 20 To hear n man pick flaws in q
picture? Or would YOU 30 to hear an
/ orator attack the Democratic party
aft"r tho party was dead? No! Mi.
lngersoll knows. and every one ought
TO know. that there is something real
| in religion