The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-10
ROBERT G. lN6ERsOLL.
(By G. P. MASSEY.l

Ine death of Mr.. Ingersoll is not SO
remote, but that some additional word
respecting his beliefs and the influence
upon the world of those beliefs, may
make some little claim upon the inter,
est OF the public. Amid the flood or
praise or dlsparagement which has FOL.
lowed hard upon this so called great
agnost1c's death, there is but little that
mas chanced to meet my eye, that has
seemed to express a just and discrimin.
atlng Judgment upon the work for
which Mr.. Ingersoll has somehow come
10 be especially distinguished.
Regarding Mr.. Ingersoll's life as
man, criticism seems to be entirely dis
armed, for as a citizen in his relations
70 the community at large, and in those
closer and more intimate relationships
or family and friendship. the virtues of
ms character stand especially proml-
nent and his memory fingers with US,
as of a kindly affectionate man, to
whom all injustice was intolerable.
while the generous sentiments of his
nature were ever prompting to mag
unanimous deeds And even if this were
not so, de mortuis nil nisi bonum would
still have place, for of the private
character of the departed no deroga-
tory word would be uttered here.
But Mr.. Ingersoll of his own volition
stepped outside the sacred pale which
protects the citizen in his social and
family relationships. and stands promi-
nently before the world as sceptic
of the truth of that to which the gem
erations of manhind have chung as to,
their most precious inheritance, and !:
is of Mr.. Ingersoll in this public at
titude of thought and expression, that
a careful and discriminating judgment
is required.
What criticism then I may have to
offer is entirely upon this aspect of
Mr.. Ingersolls work. for not only in his
private character is he unassailable
but as a champion of liberty, the pro-
claimer of freedom for man and wo-
man, and child. as denouncer of op.
preston, and as the generous defender
of man such as Thomas Paine, who
because of views antagonistic to the
received theology of the time, fell un-
der popular displeasure, that was in
tended to dwarf his greater contribu-
lions to the welfare of his country and
the race, there can be nothing but praise
for genial and generous enthusiast.
But of Mr.. Ingersoll as philosopher,
as an investigator into the foundations
of religious truth and faith, a different
and less generous judgment is not to
be avoided. 1t has always appeared
to me, however. that this man great as
he was, and great particularly in his
power of graceful and eloquent express
sion, was carried forward in his career
by something of intellectual conceit, to
court especial prominence as an an
tagonist to much of the received re-
ligiouS opinion of the time. The key
note of his religious belief or unbelfef
was perhaps struck in some eloquent
utterance, before he had fully con-
ceived of any definite purpose of en-
tering the lists as a champion of what
he afterwards came to define as a
larger liberty in the Interpretation of
religious truth. But that keynote once
known and sounded. the singing upon
it displayed little of variety, and soon
became distressingly and wearisomely
monotonous.
AT first there was something of nov.
city and interest attaching to the
methods and manner of Mr.. Ingersoll' s
assaults upon the Christian faith. A
wit of no ordinary endowment, a man
literally gifted with the power resi-.
dent in satire and sarcasm, the bril-
liancy of his handling of his theme i'm
mediately aroused a popular interest.
but an interest that was curious rather
than profound. The gamut of his ac-
complishments was. however, speedily
run Two or three extended articles
in the North American Review af-
forded ample opportunity for the state
ment, not of what was new, for Mr.
Ingersoll has given us nothing that ~
new in all his criticism of the received
religious opinion of the world, but of
what was Ingersollian in manner and
method. Mr.. Ingersoll afterwards al,
lowed himself to be exploited, however
because of the popular interest that
was attaching to his name and those
of US who followed his arguments, or
so-called arguments. in later issues of
the same publication. detected a very
marked deterioration in the strength of
the reasoning itself. as well as in the
weakness or inapplicability of the il,
1ustration.
Mr.. Ingersoll has been characterized
by men possessed of something of a
philosophical type of mind, as a man
of marked limitations of thought, and
this not by the orthodox believer ex-
liberal Christian thinker. who finds in
this agnostic's reasoning nothing but
the negation of truth. when it is for
affirmation that the human heart is
ever hungering. How great We're his
limitations 1 am not prepared to say,
for it would sometimes appear that the
limitations we seemed to detect, were
especially indicative of the advocate
attitude of accepting of no qualification
in the defense of that for which he
had undertaken to prepare the briet
The great agnostic. by which title he
undoubtedly was not unwilling to
have himself described. seemed to feel
that any, even partial recognition, OF
any other revelation of higher things
than that which is supposed to come
through Bible purporting to be plen-
arily inspired. was inconsistent with
his attitude as denier of that inspira-
ton. His celebrated lecture entitled
1.-THE Mistakes of Moses" would be H.
Illustrative of these limitations if it was
not that we cannot forget Mr.. Inger-
soils attitude as an advocate. How
else could a man of his broad and lib
eral intelligence ever appear to assume
that questions of number or distance
details of the commissariat or what
not, which throw doubt upon the actual
story of the Exodus. could invalidate
the foundations of any faith, Jewish
or Christian? These things of which
this debater takes account are of the
senses exclusively. the things of the
soul have other and more appealing
sanctions