Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-11-22
HIS PAGAN PHILIPPIC
A CINCINNATI CLERGYMAN ON NIGER
SOILS LECTURES.
Saint of the ViciOus-Candid ExcOriatiOn
of tho Great Infldel.

At the Walnut Hill Congregational
church, Cincinnati, the Rev. Sydney
Strong devoted his remarks on a recent
Sunday to Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll,
the well known lawyer and lecturer. He
said
"Mr. Ingersoll has made his annual
pilgrimage to our city, speaking his usual
philippe against orthodox Christianity
under a new title, The Foundations of
Faith When l read the announcement,
l had hopes that ut last Mr.. IngersOll had
emerged into the ripper, constructive period
of life and would give to the world the
foundations of his religious belief Mr..
Ingersoll is getting along in years and has
talked so much about religion that the
world has a right to expect to hear some
thing about his religion. In this we were
disappointed. Instead, it is only fair to
say he severely criticised the religion Of
other people. Criticism is perfectly fair,
yet when a man is about threescore years
old and has made himself the religious in
structor of thousands we should expect
him to occasionally say something positive
and define his own religious policy. Mr..
Ingersoll's lecture on The Foundations of
Faith was, however, an attempted de-
laying of no other foundations.
81 take up the discussion of Mr.. Inger-
soils position not TO make a personal at
tack, but because he is the exponent of the
religious life of muttudes. Mr.. Ingersoll
does not draw crowds by his eloquence
alone. He is really the mouthpicce of the
doubts and opinions of thousands. Great in
fldels Tor doubters) rise by the same means
hat nil T1,fr nd
Paine and Voltaire are natural products
of their age Thousands of people first get
into the stage of doubt, of opposition to
existing beliefs, when along comes some
gifted man, who gathers their doubts all
together and gives them utterance. That
such men do much good in helping to de-
stroy hoary headed error there can be no
doubt. They perform service also in
drawing mems minds back to essentials.
Even Jesus did great deal of destruction
work likewise Luther and Wesley. Had
they done no more they would have been
great inadcls. But while they were de-
stroying they were building. Here, may
say, Mr.. Ingersoll fails.
81 freely grant that he has done good by
his criticisms-though open minded men
can hardly applaud his spirit-yct we can
not take for our leader u man who is only
great dOubter. Men cannot lean on
doubts am willing to thank Mr.. Inger-
soil for helping to remove some outgrown,
shaky foundations. Yet he fails as u leader
for not pointing out other foundations on
which to build Mr.. Ingersoll's follow
ers' should keep this clearly in view.
Grant that his criticisms are correct, yet
he fails as leader.
81 wish to make it clear whom Mr.. In
gersoll represents, that we may under
stand the strength and weakness of his po-
sition. He is the spokesman of the vicious
classes in society. He may not desire to
be- yet he does not escape it, His position
as a destroyer and not constructor makes
it almost inevitable. The vicious classes
are opposed to existing institutions and
accepted opinions and naturally find in
Mr.. Ingersoll an ally. His words are quot
ed with approval in houses of prostitution.
The gambler who attends his lecture is
not checked in his career of villainy, is
rather encouraged, and he treats Mr.. In
gersolls beautiful words on love and jus
tice as he does the red lights of the theater.
Mr.. Ingersoll-it may be far from his in
tentions-has become the patron saint of
the vicious classes.
"This fact becomes serious when we re-
fleet that he could help it. Jesus drew
great crowds when he talked against the
priests and scribes, but when he turned
upon the men before him and told them
to repent of their sins "a GOODNESS came over
his followers, and they fell away He
came to save, not destroy. If Mr.. Inger
soil wishes to escape from the applause of
the vicious, let him picture the evils of
drink and prostitution and gambling and
prize fighting, not pass them over by say
ing that hypocrisy and bigotry are worse;
let him with burning eloquenCe call upon
his hearers to repent of the sins. 1t can
be helped. The reason the vicious classes
regard Mr. IngCrsoll as their spokesman is
because he joins with them in opposition
to accepted institutions and opinions. Let
him begin to build up on righteousness,
and he could be freed from the embarrass-
ing applause of the gambler, prostitute
and other vicious ones. Here is where the
great doubter fails.
Il account also for his hold on the COM
munity because he voices the protests of
hundreds of Intelligent men against IRA
tional views of the Bible held by large
number of Christian people. Ingersoll-
absurdum of the doctrine of plenary in
spiratiOn. II is curious to notice how Mr..
IngersOll takes a doctrine of the Bible
most tenaciously held by many Christians
and uses it rs his best weapon in attack.
There are many men who do not wish to
discard the Bible who are yet pushed to do
it because the church, they think, insists
on their holding that every word is historic
ally, scientifically, chronologically true.
Mr.. lngersoll expresses their minds. They
do not sanction his spirit perhaps, yet be-
lieve that he is right He represents
large and increasing number of intelligent
men who protest against the traditional
views of the Bible. The strength of the
eloquent doubters position lies in the fact
that his criticisms, not. of the real Bible,
but of IA current view of the Bible, are
well taken. To be frank about it, am
willing to thank him for his good service
in this line. His not always sweet attacks
will, think, help us to recover the real
Bible, which will tell nightly for spirit
ual freedom and growth.
"Mr Ingersoll clearly is the spokesman
of many people. For this reason 1 proceed
to point out where his views seriously fail
"He is not serious. Levity will answer
in some themes and will answer in all
themes in places, but when the gravest
subjects are treated throughout with wit
1T Il l. IL