The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-03
INFIDELITY REBUKED.
A Vigorous Reply to IngersOn by Rev.
III. L. Hastings.
An Audiance of 5000 People Filled City
Hall Last Night-A Generous Donation
by the Audience.

Hall Last Night-A Generous Donation
by the Audience.
A great audience packed city hall last
evening drawn out by the announcement
that Rev. H. L. Hastings. the famous Bos-
ton preacher, would reply to the lecent
lecture.of Col Robert G.. Ingersoli. The lee
ture was free, but collection OF about Sl00
was taken up at the close as the audience
passed out of the hall. The following gen.
tIemen We're on the platform: j. K. Libby.
A. f. Smith, Rev. DR.. blanchard, Rev.
E. P. Allen, Rev. 1. Luce, Rev. Dwight
NJ. Pratt, Rev. S.F. Pearson, Rev. Thomas
S. Sampson, and Rev. E. P. Woodward.
After singing. led by the Hatch family.
Rev.E. P. Woodward of the Advent church,
introduced Mr.. Hastings, who DIT once
p.unged in 20 a vigorous reply to Col. IngeT-
soil, mentioning the great infidel leader by
name very freely. Mr.. Hastings is very
much in earnest, and some of his points
showed that he is hardly below Ingersoll
himself in wit. He denied Col. Ingersolls
statement that defenders of the Bible
burned other men at the stake. That was
to be counted as one of the mistakes of In
gersoll. Those who were opposed to the read
ing of the word of God did burr some of
the Bible readers. "It will be hard to make
tho people of Portland believe that 1t was
the fault of the. Bible that men were burned
at the stake for reading it,"
Mr.. Hastings said he proposed to quote a
statement. and that too statement OF a
lawyer and about II law, the law of Moss.
Now if there is anything that a lawyer
should tell the truth about 1t is a law, that
is unless he is paid to lie about it..
Qaughter.) Col. lngersoll says that hum
dreds of crimes were punished by death un-
der the law Of Moses. while as matter Of
fact there were just seventeen that might
be SO punished. TheL Col. Ingersoll talks
of the Jews having murdered $4,000 sub
jeots of the King of Persia. As matter of.
fact they stood for their lives under de
cree of their king, and if 1t WAS murder fo
people to stand against men who pro-
posed to wipe their nation from the face Of
the earth, making that stand by authority
of their king. then every colonel who goes
to war is a murderer (LaughterJ
1.-THE Bible can not be given ur without
giving up education. In 1851, out Of 22.OGo.-
600 of the people of Italy. 100000 were un.
able to read. believe that is where the
very respectable old gentleman lives who is
SO anxious about our public schools. (uaugh-
terJ A nation with the Bible has common
schools and free government. without the
Bible it has neither. There is not nation
IN the world without the Bible that has
con stitution.
"Slayery was something fearful in Bible
less lands. On some of the great works of
Egypt no Egyptian labored all was the work
of captives taken from their homes. The
master had the power of life and death in
the case of his slaves. Col. Ingersoil says
that the law of Moses provides for slavery.
Neither the word slavery or the thing itself
is in that law. There were bondmen, but
the power Of redemption remained, and
cruelty dissolved the connection"
Mr.. hastings claimed that there can be
no family life without the Bible. He grimly
suggested that Col. Ingersoll might take
some Bibleless land and reform it. but he
won't do it, not liking to go where people
have taste for cold missionary. Naughter)
lnfielity must have something to worship,
and in France it tore down God and eie-
waited human reason. Col. IngersolFs con-
ISOLATION administered to the sick and the
unfortunate is $50 hang yourself" Mr..
Hastings repeated the XIII. Psalm, and
said ''That is better than to have Col. In
ger soil tell you at fifty cents head. to
commit suicide"