The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-13

mead ana nanuS INTO partnership. ma
ture, generous and heartless, extrava-
CANT and miserly as she is, is our
mother and
OUR ONLY TEACHER,
and she is also the deceiver of men.
Above her we cannot RISE below her
we cannot fall In her we find the
seed and soil of all that is good, of all
that is evil. Nature originates, nour-
ishes. preserves and destroys.
Yet for many years man in all direc-
lions has relied upon and sincerely be-
lieved in the existence of the super
natural. He did not believe in the
uniformity of nature. He had no con-
ception of cause and effect, Of the in
destructibility of force.
For many centuries his only con-
.ceptfon OF morality was the idea of
obedience, not to facts as they exist
in nature, but to the. supposed COM
mand of some being superior to nature.
BY experience, by experiment, possibly
by accident, man found that some dis
eases could be cured by natural means;
that he could be relieved in many in
stances of pain by certain kinds of
leaves cor bark.
THIS WAS THE BEGINNING.
Gradually his confidence increased
in the direction of the natural and be-
gan to decrease in charms and amulets.
The war was Waged for many CEN
turtles, but the natural gained the vic
tory.
So our ideas of morality have
changed, and millions now believe that
whatever produces happiness and we'll
being is in the highest sense moral.
Ceremonies, prayers and inspired
books, miracles, special providence
and divine interference belong to the
supernatural, and forms no part of
real religion. Every science rests on
the natural, on demonstrated facts. So
morality and religion must find their
foundations in the necessary nature of
things.
Ignorance being darkness, what we
need is intellectual light. Man should
cease to expect any aid from any
supernatural source. By this time he
should be satisfied that worship has
not created wealth, and that prosperity
is
NOT THE CHILD OF PRAYER.
Man should turn his entire attention to
the affairs of the world, TO the facts in
nature.
Colonel Ingerson said that there
should be stop put to the appeal to
years, he said, peace had been preach
ed, yet the civilized world had impov-
erished itself supporting vast armies
and navies. Instead of paying these
amounts out for the purpose ''of kill
ing and preparing to kill our fellow
men" they would better be applied in
building schools and supplying the
wants of the people. An international
court wherein national differences
might be settled was the proper solu-
ton of the question, he thought. There
was
ANOTHER DIRECTION
in which energies and wealth of man
were wasted. Immense amounts had
been paid for the erection of costly
church edifces, and vast other sums
were paid for keeping them up. The
returns are remarkably small, said he
the good accomplished does not appear
to be great. There is no great diui-
mutton in crime. The decrease of i'm
morality and poverty is hardly per-
ceptible. In towns of 1000 to 5000 peo-
pie Colonel Ingersoll would have all
churches combined in one, in a general
building. In this building should be
uhe library of the town. It should be
the club house of the people; plays
should be presented by home talent;
should be arranged. 1t should be the
intellectual center.
They could employ a gentleman of
ability, possibly Of genius said he,
ito address them on Sundays on SUBJ
jeots that would be of real interest, of
real Importance. He should base his
sermons on history, philosophy of the
art and the
GENIUS OF THE GREEKS.
Let him make his congregation con-
versant with the PHILOSOPHERS of the
world, with the great thinkers, the
great poets. the great artists, actors,
orators, inventors. captains of indus
try, the soldiers of progress. Let them
have a Sunday school in which tine
children shall be made acquainted with
the facts of nature, with botany, ento-
mology, something of geology and as
tronomy.
In spite of all that has been dorre
for stlle reformation of the world, IT is
still cursed with poverty and crime
Penitentiaries, he said, should be trans
formed into schools and workshops and
the convicts Should be educated and
paid a reasonable sum for their Labor
Colonel Ingersoll paid a. pretty
TRIBUTE TO THE HOME.
The more homes. said he, the broader