The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-02-25
EGERS0LL A WINNER
Futile Attempt to Suppress the
Colonel in Hoboken.
THE MAYOR R1soINDs HIS ORDER.

As the Result OF n Protest by Leading Min
listers Mayor Pagan Decided to Prevent
the IngersoIl Lecture, but Yielded to the
City Attorneys Opinion.
HoBoKEN, n. j., Feb. 25-The attempt
made to prevent Colonel Robert Ingersoll
from delivering his lecture on "The Holy
Bible" at the Hoboken theatre last night
proved II failure. AS tho result of a pro.
test issue by the pastors of three OF the
most prominent churches in that place
Mayor Pagan on Saturday issued orders
that the theator be closed yesterday,
thereby practically debarrlng Colonel
1ngersoll from appearing. The mayors
decree oceasioned a great deal of comment
Saturday night, with the result that the
matter was reconsiderod yesterday
Before noon Corporation Attorney Min
turn and Mayor Pagan called upon the
Rev II. T. Beatty, the minister who is Mt
the head and front of tho reform move
ment in Hoboken, and stated to him that
it was the opinion of the corporation at
torney that no steps could be taken by the
authorities to stop tho lecture Shortly
after noon consultation was held in the
Office Of Chiefof Police Donovan, at which,
in addition to the chief, the mayor and
Mr.. Clark, manager for Colonel Ingersoll,
and Mr. Davis, the manager of the thcater,
were present The two managers were
informed of tho decision of the corpora
ton attorney, and they departed with the
assurance that the lecture might take
place.
To prevent any disturbance on the part
OF the audience, and also to stop any bias
phemous uttcrances on the part Of the
lecturer, Detectives Nelson and Gallagher
were sent to the theater from police head
quarters. Beyond frequent bursts of APP
plause, the audience was most orderly
and the speaker confined himself almost
entirely to his text, with an occasional
ironical allusion to the clergymcn of Ho-
bokcn and the statute of New Jersey law
to which the reformers had been clinging.
He began his well known lecture with
out any reference to the attempt to stop
him until he had reached a point in the
discourse for which evidently he had been
waiting-whcre he alluded to the ignor-
ance and savagery in the Bible He broke
away from his text long enough to sny:
There was enacted n statute in the
state of New Jersey hundred odd years
ago, when most of It's inhabitants were
sayagcs, which says that nobody shall ever
discuss tho Bible except on one side. Since
then the inhabitants have grown more
civilized They have grown to have a
knowledge of fair play; they have been
civilized to "A degree where they can real
ize Its absurdity, and to realize that the
statute sleeps in the dimness of the past.
1t has been invoked by II number of mar
row minded persons who should have died
three hundred years ago. l do not blame
them. Their heads are that shape and
they are not to blame"
He said his audience could mako up
their minds "in secret" about what he
had to say for he believed There was no
statute against that" That the Bible
was inspired he had some doubts but"
he added, "if the legislature of New
Jersey says the Bible is inspired, it is, and
that settles it,
Colonel Ingersoll grew a little more bit
ter as the lecture progressed, and declared
there never was any kindness in the heart
of priest, and he believed that there were
persons in Hoboken today who would
gladly light faggots and build fire
around one Of their enemies. He said that
no criminal lawyer in the state of New
Jersey would allow a minister on the Jury
that was to try a client OF his. 1t Is sur
prising, he said further on, how much
these parsons knew of God and how little
they knew of human nature.