The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-04-16
ADDRESSED BY PAGAN BOB.
INGERSOLL SPOKE TO \ CHICAGO
CHURCH CONGREGATION
YESTERDAY.
HIS VIEWS OF DIVORCE QUESTION
Lovely Woman Should Be Given Di.
vorce for the Asking, But Not SO
With Poor Mana Panacea for
the Demon Poverty.

Chicago. April 12.-Col Robert G. In
gersoll spoke before the Militant church
congregation today in response TO an
invitation extended by the pastor. Rev.
John Rusk.
In his letter Of invitation Rev. Rusk
said: "The Militant church. which is
organized for the purpose Of lettering
the condition Of mankind, regardless Of
creed or lack of il, desires 10 extend TO
you an invitation to preach for US some
Sunday morning in the near future on
the subject as 10 your views as to what
the Christian church should do, and
howf'
In accepting the invitation Mr.. In
gersoll said: II was much pleased with
the spirit Of intellectual hospitality of
your letter. and what say. if anything,
10 your people, will he IN the same spirit
Of Kindness and candOr.'
Col Ingcrsolfs address was given in
Hooley's thcater. On the stage were 100
or more representative citizens.
As Col. Ingersoll stepped TO the rOs-
trum he was welcomed with applause
that lasted for over a minute. With the
suggestion that while his hearers and
himself might be travelling different
roads they were all trying to add TO
human joy and happiness.
He took as his text the quotation from
Shakespeare, whom he characterized as
the greatest Of human beings.
'There is No Darkness but Ignorance"
was the text, and for two hours he spoke
upon the necessity of arbitration as
substitute for war, the need for new
methods in treatment of criminals, the
desira bility of the occupancy of the
prairies of the west as homes as n pana-
cea for the tenement system the ques-
ton of divorce. the relations Of capital
and labor and the need Of reform in the
education of children.
In speaking Of homes. the orator said:
''The home is the unit of the nation.
The more homes the broader the founda-
ton Of the nation and the more secure.
Everything that is possible should be
done TO keep this from being nation of
tenants. The men who cultivate the
earth should own il. Something has al
ready been done in our country in that
direction, and probably in every state
there is Il homestead exemption. This
exemption has thus far done no harm to
the creditor class.
when we imprisoned people for debts,
debts were as insecure to say the least.
as now. BY the homestead laws a home
of a certain value or of n certain extent,
is exempt from forced levy or sale. and
these laws have done great good I'm
doubleday they have trebled the homes
of the nation.
Il want to 20 n step further want,
II possible to get the people out of the
tenements, out of the cutters of degrade
ton, 10 homes where there can be privacy. |
where these people can feel that they are
in partnership with nature: that they
have an interest in good government.
with the means of transportation we
now have there Is no need of people be- |
ing huddled in the vile, filthy and loath-
some parts of cities, where poverty |
breeds rags and rags breed disease
Il would exempt Il homestead of n |
reasonable value, say of II value of $1,000 |
or $4,000, not only from sale under exc
cution, but from sales of taxes of every
description. These homes should be alb |
solutely exempt. They should belong to |
the family so that every mother should |
feel that the roof above her head was |
hers; that her house was her castle, and |
that in its possession she could not be dis |
turbed, even by the nation.
Nothing is more important to America |
than that the babes of America should be |
born around the firesides of homes"
Passing on the to the question of di- |
yorce. Mr.. lngersoll said:
After all, marriage is contract, and |
the parties to the contract are bound to |
keep its provisions and neither should |
be released from such n contract unless |
in some way the interests of society are |
involved. / would have the law that |
any husband could obtain divorce when |
the wife had persistently and flagrantly |
violated the contract, such divorce to be |
granted on equitable terms. would give |
the wife a divorce if she requested it;
If she wanted il.
And / would not do this for her sake,
but for the sake of the community, of |
the nation. All children should be chill |
dren of love. All that are born should |
be sincerely welcomed. The children of |
mothers who dislike or hate or loathe the
fathers will fill the world with insanity
and crime.
II make the difference between grant
ing divorce to Il man and Il woman for
this reason A woman bowers her hus-
band with her youth and beauty. He
should not be allowed to desert her he
cause she has grown wrnkled and old.
Her capital is gone, her prospects in life
lessencd, while. on the contrary. he may
be far from able to succeed than when
he married her. AS rule the man can
take care of himself and as "A rule the
woman needs help. So | would not allow
him TO cast her OIL unless she had ma
GRAVITY violated the contract. But for
the sake of the community. and especially
for the sake of the babes, ! would give
her a divorce for the asking.
There will never be n generation of
great men until there has been a genera
ton of free wOmen-of free mothers.
The tenderest word in our Language is
In that word is the divine
Of ecstasy and agony: of love
and self-sacrifice. The word is holy"
When the great orator concluded his
sermon the applause was long and loud
continuing for some time. many of those
in the foyer waving their handkerchiefs
and hats.