Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1896-04-16
OCCUPIES A PULPIT.
Robert Ingersolli Tells How Man
IA kind Gan Be Reformed
His Address ina Chicago Church Accom-
panied by Prayer and the Singing 3
of Hymns-..There Is No Dark
ness but Ignorance"

OF Hymns-''There Is No Dark
ness but Ignorance"
Chicago, April 13.-With prelude
that included the pronouncing of an in
vocation, the repeating of the Lords
Prayer in unison, the reading of the
tenth chapter of Luke, commenc
ing with the 25th verse, the sing
ing of an hosanna, of Nearer, Ny God,
to Thee" and "America," the greatest
living agnostic of the age stepped to the
restrum Of the Church Militant Sunday
morning and for nearly two hours ex-
pounded to the congregation his views
upon ''How Mankind Can Be Reformed"
Church Militant is composed of the
major portion Of the former adherents
of the Fullerton Avenue Presby terrain
church, one of the strongest parishes of
that denomination in the city, and who,
with their pastor, Rev. DR.. John Rus,
branched off into an independent organ
ization some months since as result
of opposition of the minority of the
congregation to the introduction of rad
ical changes in the conduct of the serv-
ices, including the use of an instru-
mental orchestra and the attachment
to the parish of employment, hospital,
clubhouse and other guilds. :,
Some time ago an invitation was ex-
tended to Col. Robert G. Ingersoll to de-
liver an address under the auspices Of
the congregation, and it was in response
that he found himself in it's rostrunl
A %10 4, 10
extended the congregation held it's serv-
ices in the Women's Christian temple,
but so much feeling was manifested by
the managing board of that structure
over the idea of an agnostic speaking
within it's precincts that the Columbia
theater was secured for term of years
and it fell to Col. Ingersoll to inaugurate
the services in it's new meeting place.
An Enormous Crowd.
Although admission was strictly con-
fined to ticket holders, the street in
front of the theater was blocked with
people long before the opening of the
doors, and even after the interior had
been packed to suffocation over thou
sand men and women besieged the en-
trance, On the stage were 400 or more
representative citizens, including near
~ every member of the appellate and
superior judiciary, several federal ana
county officials, delegations from every
medical and law college and institution
of learning in the city and suburbs and
number of retired divines. Every sect
and denomination without an excep-
fiOn had II Recommendation
s--4 ~ Warmly Greeted.
When Col. 1ngersoll made his appear
ance arm in arm with DIR. Rusk there
was loud applause mingled with muir
murs from some who seemed to regard
such a demonstration as foreign to a
religious service. In the prayer that
followed the musical exercises DR.. Rusk
asked for special blessing on their
guest Of the day, who was endeavoring
to show the world how this life might
be made one of usefulness and 10Y,
and also invoked a dispensation for his
wife and children, while in his intro
ductory remarks DR.. Rusk character
lied Col. Ingersoll as "the man who is
endeavoring to do this world good and
to make it BETTER" This, he said, was
no time to reason, no time to disagree
with the faiths of men, or beliefs of
men, when they were trying to make
the world better than they found it.
No matter, he said, whether a man be-
lieved in God or not, if he expoundecl
the truth, then the truth was there and
God was there
Main P0ints Of tho Tooruro
AS Col. Ingersol stepped to the rost-
rum he was welcomed with applause
that lasted for over minute. With tbs
suggestion that while his hearers and
himself might be travelling different
roads, they were all trying to add to HUI
man joy and happiness he took as his
text the quotation from Shakespeare,
whom he characterized. as ''the greatest
Of human beings:'A .'There isno dark
ness but ignorance" and for two hours
spoke upon the necessity of arbitration
as substitute for war. the need for new
methods in the treatment of criminals,
the desirability of the occupancy of the
prairies of the west for homes as IL
panacea for the tenement system; the
question of divorce, the relations Of
capital and labor and the need of reform
in the education of children. =
Must Work and Wait.
In concluding his address COL Inger-
soil said:
'The reforms that I have mentioned can
not be accomplished in day, possibly not
for many centuries, and in the meantime
there is much crime much poverty, much
want and consequently something must be
the limits of the possible he self-supporting:
let everyone take intelligent thought for
the morrow and IF a h,n,a n haino, s,,nr,,orrt.