The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-04-24
DIR. GEORGE TO INGERSOLL.
Nothing New in His Recent
Lecture Here.


recent lecture of Colonel Robert G..
lngersoll on GLOW to Reform Man
kind" at the Westminster Presbyterian
church last evening. DR.. George said
that there were many things which are
due to the enemies of Jesus Christ.
clad it not been for the forty days.
DEATH" he said, "we should have
missed many things. We are glad
that for forty days the devil tempted
Jesus in the wilderness" lie also
Instanced many of the sayings of
Christ which were made in response TO
criticisms of his enemies. "rhe best
parable which was ever spoken i'll this
world, the parable of the prodigal
son." he said t.was called forth by the
enemies, and not by the friends, of
Christ. That will be my apology for
using for my text the name of a man,
who, in the opinion of many, should
not be mentioned in Il Christian
pulpit
DR., George expressed wonder that
the people shonld go to hear the
lecture of Colonel Ingersoll, in which
''lhere is absolutely nothing new. ="
He advised his hearers to read Father
Lambert's book on Ingersoll, which he
said was a crushing reply TO all of the
arguments of the agnostic. The min
lister said the very title of the lecture
reforming, and that had been the
mission of the church for ages. He
saId it is easy to ridicule. 'There has
been a comic history of England, a
comic history of the United States,
comic history of Rome, a comic edition
of Blackstone, and it would not be
very hard for some one, with very
little brains, to write comic Bible,
and that is what Ingersoll does.''
The preacher quoted that portion of
Ingersoll's lecture which expressed the
hope that mankind would ultimately
reach a state of intelligence where it
would naturally reform itself. elias
that been the history of nations?"
asked Rev. George. "Have not the
Aztecs, the powerful American race,
fallen away?"
"You can read of the Romans, who
became the masters of the world, and
you can look upon the Dagos who
come to your shores today. Spain was
once the most powerful of nations, but
there is no country on the earth as
poor as she is today
DIR. George took up the text of
Ingersoll's lecture: 'sThere is no dark
ness but ignorance. He said: ssIt
was taken from clown in Shakes
peare- Now l would say it is good
thing to have good book to take n
text from, but when you say there is
no darkness but ignorance, how about
the moral darkness? How about the
man who says 81 know l ought to do
better but doesn't? Shakespeare
thought so much of that saying that he
put it in the mouth of a clown"
Referring to Ingersoll's injunction
that happiness should be looked for
only in nature, DR.. George said:
"Scientific facts regarding nature are
constantly changing. The text books
that are few years old must give way
to newer ones with more recent dis
coveries.
"One scientific man says that this
earth has lasted 100, 100000 years
Another, equally scientific, man says
it has lasted 1000, 900 years How
am | to know the facts of nature
which are to make me happyP"
DIR. George said that the things men
are hanged for doing are natures
everyday performances. "That," he
said, sis the nature l am to worship,
and by wershipping it am to become
happy when understand it,"
Taking up Ingersoll's statement that
the savage is Il believer in the super
natural, DR.. George instanced such
men as William Blackstone, Bismarck,
Sir Isaac Newton and many other
"savages" who were "believers in the
supernatural"
He admitted Ingersolls statement
that where natures seeds were sown,
the crop depended upon the soil, and
said "that is the reason why celestial
truth doesn't grow in Robert Ingersoll's
| heart
He called attention 10 Ingersolrs
advice that ministers preach history
from their pulpits, and to his declara-
tion at another point in his lecture that
history is for the most part record OF
events that never occurred.
A young lady friend asks: GLOW
can | tell an editor when | see himP''
Why bless your sweet eyes, it is the
easiest thing in the world. You can
tell HIM by his august air, by the
perfect fit of his clothing, by his
elegance of manner, and by his pro-
found silence when surrounded by the
herd of promiscuous society. You
may recognize him by the way he
spends money, scattering greenbacks
as lavshly as shavings from the
planning machine. He generally drives
a double team TO park buggy ano
makes things hum. He is decked in
profusion with the most expensive
jewelry, and sports a gold headed
cane with solitaire in the center
He does not invest in marriage asso
Citations, and is as modest rs Il schoo
girl. But the chief point is, he alway:
speaks the truth, the whole truth ant
nothing but the truth. Follow thes'
directions and you cannot mistake
l-Ex.
- 4Ln