The times., 1899-02-27
COLONEL INGERSOLL
TALKS ON THE devil" !"
An Audience That Fills the
National Theatre.
His Sequel TO His Lecture on
Superstition"
The Speakers Views On the ortho-
doN Belief in the
EVIL One.

Heav, skies and rainy streets did not
prevent the National Theatre from being
filled to its full seating capacity last night
on the occasion of an entirely new lee
ture on The Devil by Col Robert G.
lngersoll.
The lecture was a sequal to the pre-
ceding one given several months ago by
Colonel Ingersoll on the subject of 'Su-
perstition, in which the stand was taken
that the Christian world could not deny
the existence of the devil. and that the
devil was really the keystone of the arch,
which. if taken away. would destroy the
entire system. This statement was an
swered and severely criticised by the
clergy. The lecture of last night was in
many respects reply to these criticisms
Colonel Ingersoll spoke with his charac-
teristic wit. satire eloquence, and vigor
The audience was an intellectual one in
cluding Senators and Representatives and
Government scientists and professors.
Applause was frequent.
The lecturer began with three ques-
tions, whether the devil does really exist.
whether the Scripture teaches the exist
ence of the devil, and whether belief in
devils IS necessary in what is known as
orthodox Christianity. Speaking of the
origin of the devil. Colonel Ingersoll said:
Fear is an artist-a sculptor painter
All nations having suffered, having been
the sport and prey of natural phenomena,
having been struck by lightning. poisoned
by weeds, overwhelmed by volcanoes, de-
stroyed by earthquakes. believed in the
existence Of a devil. who was the ruler of
innumerable smaller DEVILS
Various Devils.
After enumeratng the devils of the
Ganges, Persia, and all the ancient ma
tions, the lecturer said that devils were all
made by the people and exhibited the
prejudices of their makers. Europeans rep
resented their devils as black and the Afri-
cans believed theirs were white. Belief in
devils had been universal. The conse-
quences had been terrible beyond imagina-
tion. Millions had been sacrificed upon the
altar of this ignorant and idiotic belief
Colonel Ingersoll admitted that people in
the past did the best they could TO account
for what they saw and that devils as well
rs gods. were naturally produced, being
the effect of nature upon the human brain.
The cause OF phenomena, he said,
filled our ancestors with wonder and ter
ror. The miraculous and supernatural
were not only believed but always expect
ed. A man walking in the woods" he
continued, at night, just a glimmering OF
the moon. everything uncertain and shad
owy, sees monstrous form. In the gloom
he sees the eyes of an ogre. With cry
of horror he takes 10 his heels, reaches his
hut, falls at the door, tells his story, and
his children of course believe father ac-
tually saw a devil.
Through all ages people have mistaken
dreams and visions of fear for realities.
To them the insane were inspired, epilep-
tics We're possessed by devils. apoplexy
was the work of an unclean spirit. Some
devils were made out of degraded gods.
Frequently the gods of one people were
the devils of another. In nature there are
opposing forces. Some work for what man
calls good some for evil Back of these
forces our ancestors put will, intelligence.
and design. They could not believe good
and evil came from the same being. Back
of good they put God, back of evil the
devil.
Creation OF the Evil One.
THE religion known as Christianity
was invented by God himself to repair in
part the wreck and ruin that had resulted
from the devils work. Take the devil
from the scheme of salyation-from the
stonement from the dogma OF eternal pain
and the foundation is gone The
devil is the keystone of the arch.
He inflicted the wounds that Christ
came 10 heal. He corrupted the
human race. If the Old Testament teaches
anything ii does teach the existence of
the devil, the enemy of God and man, the
deceiyer of man and woman. Those who
believe the Scriptures are compelled 10
say that this devil was created by God
that God knew when he created him just
what he would do; the exact measure of
his success: that he would be a success
full rival; that he would corrupt the chill
dren of men; that millions would suffer
eternal torment in the prison of pain.
Why did he create him. Ii is no answer
TO say this devil was once an angel of light
and fell from his high estate because he
was free. Eve ate forbidden fruit On
account of this God cursed the earth with
weeds. thorns, and brambles, cursed man
with toll, made woman slave. and cursed
maternity with pain and sorrow. There
is no escape. If the Old Testament is
true the devil does exist, and il is i'm
possible TO explain him away without ex-
planning God away.
In the wilderness II God was not
tempted by the devil. the temptation was
born in his own heart If that be true
was he divine? Is the story OF the devil
true, or is ii poetry. metaphor, mistake. or
faisehood? Why did God wish TO be tempt
ed by the devil2 Was God ambitious to
win victory over Satan? Was Satan
foolish enough TO think he could mslead
God, and is it possible that the devil Of
fered to give the world as bribe to its
creator?
According TO Christian theologians, the
devil has always done his utmost TO gain
the souls of men. At the time he entered
into Judas, persuading him TO betray
Christ, he knew that II Christ was be-
frayed he would be cruciied and that He
would make an atonement for all believers,
and that, as a result, he tthe devii) would
lose all the souls that Christ gained. What
interest had the devil in defeating him
self?
The CoIoneIs Battle.
DIR. Parkhurst denounces the Apostles
as worthless crayens. / think they were
good men. ! don't believe any of them ever
tried to reform Jerusalem on the Park
hurst plan. ! admit that they honestly
believed in devils-they were creduolus
and superstitious. If devils do not exist
Christ was either honestly mistaken. in
sane, or an imposter. If devils do not ex-
list the fall OF man is a mistake and the
atonement an absurdity. If devils do not
exist, hell only becomes a dream of re-
renge. For centuries the church filled
the world with devils. No man has
genius enough 10 describe the agonies that
have been inflicted on innocent men be-
cause Of this absurd belief How it
darkened the mind, hardened the heart,
and poisoned life. II made the universe a
madhouse presided over by an insane God
Amy clergyman who can read the BIZ
bic and then say devils are personifica-
uons of evil is himself a. personilcation Of
stupidity or hypocrisy. Some preachers saw