The times., 1899-07-24

life" was the subject of the sermon
preached yesterday morning by the Rev.
| Alexander Kent, pastor of the Peoples
Church. In the course, of his remarks he
took occasion to express his opinion of the
late Col. Robert G. Ingersoll.
DR.. Kent treated his subject in a most
interesting manner
| After speaking on his theme for some
time the Rev. Mr., Kent said:
May l not turn aside from my theme
at this point to bear word of testimony
to the valuable service rendered the
Churches and humanity at large by the
/ great iconoclast Robert G. lngersoll. No
other man has dealt more effective blows
at the lies and superstitions of the creeds
than be. He has often. indeed, confound-
ed these creeds with Christianity itself
and SO in the estimation of liberals did
! injustice 10 religion, the very fundamen-
tails of which constituted that gospel OF
cheerfulness and hope which he so fondly
proclaimed as his own. But no matter.
| whatever of truth Christianity or the
creeds contains will survive, and the er-
rors of both we can well afford to lose
Religion is more than either and religion
has too deep root in the nature of man
and in the constitution of the universe to
be in any danger from any assaults.
What InSersolPs Attacks Did
Mr.. Ingersoll, in attacking religion. has
only succeeded in tearing away from it
some garments of superstition, already
well worn and badly tattered from the as
saults of science, with which the ignor-
ance and cupidity of priestcraft had wrap
ped it about. Had his culture been broad
er and deeper he would have been spared
some OF the errors into which his super
! fcialness betrayed him. And had his logic
only been able to set the pace for his
| rhetoric he would have wheeled TO the goal
| in better form, and with more general
public honors TO attend his triumph. But
all in all. he was remarkable man.
Had he chosen to hide. or even to re-
frain from publicly expressing his hos
| tiiity to religion, he might have held some
OF the highest positions his country could
bestow.
we are glad to believe that he chose to
speak because he felt that he had a mes
sage to give which the world ought to
hear. He has given it brayely fearlessiy,
| and with such genuine good feeling and
! humor. withal, that even the people who
| were most sorely shocked if they had any
sense OF wit OF humor, could hardly refrain
! from joining in the laugh which his ridi-
cule so often caused. His death came, so
report says, as he hoped TO have it come,
suddenly and painlessly. We trust that
/ pleasant surprises attended his awaking
and that already life in his new surround
ings will not be less pleasant than 1t was
| in the old. | say in the new surroundings
not that | think of our dear ones as in
| some other and far away world; but as the
Matched bird freed from the shell, though
| having the same general environment that
1t had before, yet finds itself in the pres
ence OF much that it could not then see,
so fancy it must be with cur dear ones
when freed from the conditions that limit
our vision.
IF all that has been said of the beauty
and tenderness of his domestic life be true.
we maybe sure that, if conditions permit,
he is not far away. But near or far, as
space is counted. thought and affection
know not distance, and love can never lose
its own
In discussing his theme, Mr.. Kent spoke
| in part as follows:
This is the question of questions 1t is
OF supreme Importance not only to the
questioner, but to the world of which he
is a citizen.
1T differs very materially from the ques-
tions now commonly asked. Such as:
How shall l make most money! How
shall l most easily or readily win fame,
power, or honor?'
1T differs in very important respects
even from the question. How shall save
my own soul and make sure of heaven?'
No Passport to Heaven.
1T is possible, indeed, to put mean
in MI lac+
substantially at one with our theme, but
commonly it has a very different mean
ing. If saving the soul means the
development of manly and womanly
character and making sure of heaven
means making sure of ones own self
respect. and. of real delight in
truth and goodness that is all right. but
If II means the securing OF pass to post
mortem heaven on the ground of another's
sufferings and merits, then il is all wrong.
That sort of goodness doesn't count here.
Anything that anothers goodness does to
awaken a like goodness in us is of value.
But debt paying in the moral realm is
something one cannot do for another
Everyone has to settle his own accounts,
and there is no such thing as getting into
heaven on the merits of another. Charac-
ter-or purpose and faith that are the
germs of character-alone has value
How to make the most and best of life,
is not altogether a question of getting
and having; it is also a question of being
and doing. The way to get the most and
the best out of life, therefore, is to put
the most and the best into life.
What we SOW we reap. The life of
true man is a very complex matter. Man
is physical, intellectual. and moral be-
ing. On the physical, or animal plane,
he has much in common with the crea-
lures below him. There is possible to him
on this plane a life as full. free, and rich
in its pleasures and satisfactions as is
enjoyed by the most favored of the animal
creation.
Within the limits which nature has
imposed-that is. within the limits essen
tial to the making of this animal 1ature
contribute in the highest degree to the
growth and activity of the intellectual and
moral-all of pleasure and satisfaction that
can be gotten out of 1t is legitimate and
proper.
Desirable for Their Own Sake.
"The same is true OF the intellectual and
esthetic faculties. The pleasures. delights.
satisfactions, that flow from their exercise
and activity are ends in themselves They.
too. are things desirable for their own sake
and altogether apart from any relation
they may sustain to things above them.
But they are something more than ends
they are means TO something still higher
and better, and find their limitation at the
point where they best serve the purposes
OF this higher nature. There is doubtless
degree of pleasure in mere intellectual
gymnastics; in feats of strength and skill
altogether apart from the morality of the
aim or purpose in view. But any employ
ment of the intellect which is made in the
nj Of orr which
make the worse appear the better reason,
and defeats the ends OF right and justice