The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-09
INGERSOLL'S LECTURE.
He Tells the Audience Why He is
An Agn0Stic.
Old Arguments In Nsw Dress Given at
Providence Opera House.

Colonel Robert q. Ingersoll spoke at the
Providence Opera House last evening,
and although the audience was not as
large as usual. the theater was well
filled by people who wished TO listen TO
Colon el Ingersoll. He told them why he
was an agnostic, and after two hours
discourse there was not one person in the
house who was not sorry to have him
conclude.
sour opinions" he began, "like the
fashion of our clothes, depend upon
where we were born. was raised by
people who knew almost everything and
could tell the secrets of the why and the
wherefore just as easily as polly could
ask for a cracker. Tney knew that this
world wss finished one Saturday and
| just who Ii was who did it.'
Then Colonel Ingersoll proceeded to tell
the story of his life, detailing step by
step the course that he had followed In
passing from the orthodoxy Of his pa
rents to his agnosticism OF today.
AS boy he had listened to the stories
OF hell and Gods anger. He had heard
Of heaven, it is true, but the reports
from that country were very vague, while
the church people of that time deiig nted
to dwell upon the fury of the place of
torment. 1t was treated as IL it was the
tidings OF great joy and 1t Mortified him.
The books he read gave him no relief.
for they were all written by "sanctitied
idiots" but when he rerused the poems
OF Burns, Shelly, Byron and, above all,
Shakespeare, he observed that there was
an intellectual country that he had not
penetrated, and the studies that these new
companions led him TO soon taught him
that science sal d that the Bi be was not
inspired and tnat every star was a shin
ing witness to prove that the "Great
Book" was not true.
Colonel Ingersoll said that he did not
say there was no infinite goodness in
charge OF the affairs OF the world. All
he could say was that he had never been
able to find 1t when Vt was possible for
life to feed upon life until each drop of
water became battlefield and all nature
was redeemed by the blood of the Maker
who had been slain to give life to the
stranger. III mlSnt DC uhe schoue,
infinite goodness might have sat up
nights devising il. People told him that
1t was scarcely possible that God could
ever forgive men. After he had read the
history of the world and the book OF ma
ture he often wondereqfif 1t was possible
that mankind could ever forgive God.
in life Colonel Ingersoli had discovered
that a man might dielor leaf might
fail. The fssat provision was made in
each case, for there was for him no
master in all the wide world or in inn
mite space; no superior except the supe-
r ior in mind; no arbitrary mind to rule
events; no will to which a cause will
bow; no will that binds or fxes limits or
events.
And then asked Colonel Ingersol, what
can be the religion OF the agnostic In
place of all the superstition and cruelty
that he has lost? "Let him fill his life
with generous deeds and loving words;
let him mako a happy home; let him I'LL
| the year with sunshine; let him live in
the divine climate of happiness where
| the birds of the heart and Of love for
| ever sing. and let him drain TO the last
| drop the golden cup of joy"