The times., 1899-07-22
SATURDAY. July o. 1899.
Robert G. IngersolI.

Robert G. InEcrsoIl.
To many of those who knew Robert G.
IngersolI, either personally or through his
lectures and books, the news of his sud
den death will bring a sense OF bereave-
ment 1t is not an eXaggeration to say
that to thousands of people in this land
his less will seem not so much that of
public man as of personal friend. What
ever may be said OF his opiuions-and
they were so radical in nature. and so
pointedly expressed. that they could hardly
fail to arouse controyersy-there is no
question that in his private life he was
d sunny-natured. great-hearted, generous
man. without bitterness, without vanity.
and absolutely sincere. His domestic re-
lations we're singularly free even from
small blemishes; he was a staunch friend.
a fearless and ineorrupiibIe advocate. and
the benefaetor of numbers of poor folk.
There are few men, in any class of So
ciety. Of any type of theological or nom
theological belief, whose death would have
been so sincerely regretted by those who
knew them.
Regarding Colonel Ingersoll's public ca
reer it may be said that he was one of
the remarkable men OF his century and
people. view of his life would be in
complete without the background of the
conditions under which he lived worked.
wrote, and made his reputation. He was
born in 1888. in western New York. which
was at that time hardly to be considered
a settled part Of the country. Certainly
the opinions of the people had not that
mellowness and tolerance characteristic of
many older communities, even at that
time When he was ten years old he went
10 Illinois, thus growing up almost on the
frontier. As those who are familiar with
the theological history of this country
know. there is generally a well-defined
positiyeness and crudity about the theol-
ogy acceptable to a newly built village
The old-fashioned Methodists who settled
Ohio demanded of their preachers doc
trines which would not be listened to with
patience by the Methodist church of the
modern city. During the second quarter
OF the present century the theology of the
whole country was in a somewhat chaotic
and crude state. This was especially true
in the regions where civilization was ad-
yaneing. or had recently advanced, into
the wilderness. There were fierce feuds
between the Congregationalists and Bap-
lists. the Presbyferians and Methodists. and
all the Protestant sects combined against
Catholicism. "DoctrinaI sermons and
literature were in demand, and the point
on which many churches laid most stress
was not what man was. but what he
believed; not the faith which leads one to
be just. generous, sincere, self-sacrifcing.
but that which partakes either of intel
lectual inclination for the subtleties of
theology, or OF unTeasoning oredulity.
Most Of these controversies over fine dis
tinctions in oreeds. which used to alI the
columns Of religious and even secular
newspapers. are now moldering TO dust,
but into that whirlpool of argument, imag-
ination. factional strife. and general big
otry. young Ingersoll was cast al the crit
ical period Of his life. There is nothing
like it now; there will never be anything
Ike it again; but one has only to 90 into
some cld-fashioncd house and dig up the
fles Of old-time denomlnationaI organs
from their dusty rspose in the attic. 10 get
some inkling OF what II wac u its height
Edward Eggleston. one OF the ehron
iclers CT the Middle West. once said that
il was bad thing. from a worldly point
of view. for man to be both scrupulous
and logical; and this remark applies ex-
aetly 10 Ingersoll He was too logical not
10 see the inoongruity between all this fac
tionai discussion and the facts and laws
OF the Christ-like life; and he was alto
gether too scrupulously honest 10 MAKE
any pretensions on the subject He would
not say he believed what he did not be-
iieye nor would he allow 1t to be suppos-
ed that he accepted opinions which ran
contrary to his ideas of truth. Those
were days when there was no place for
the man who did not agree with the Church.
Again and again it was asseverated. from
ehe pulpit and the press. that such a man
could have no real morality; that his house
was house built on the sand; that NOR
>Iity was a matter OF faith, not Of works,
and hundred other statements which, II
logically carried out. would be destructive
10 civilization. Coming into this atmos-
phere as young man. full of enthusiasm.
as every righ;-t thinking young fellow is. for
the really fine and noble things in life.
and furnished with brain OF extraordi-
nary keenness and force OF reasoning. In
gersoll made his choice of 4 career. He
swept the whole theological fabric aside
as Of no consequence, and took his stand
on the general principles that character
was the important thing in life; that it
is what man is. not what he thinks.
which makes him worthy member OF so.
eiety; and that any Ruler Of the Uni
verse who should condemn conscientious.
kindly. and honest man TO eternal suf-
fering because OF an error of belief was a
logical impossibility. because such a God
would be lower than man. his creature.
This was a stand which, at the time
he took IT. was fatal to IngersoH's pros
poets in life. He had come into the world
In an era when 1t was absolutely i'm
possible for a man to attain any high Of