The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-14
B. H. Roberts Discusses the Great
Agn0Stic.
GAVE POWERFUL ADDRESS
CROWD AT TABERNACLE HEARD
THE TALK.
Speaker Said the Subject of His Ser
mon Was Brilliant, But Not Pro-
found-He Attached Creeds Rath-
CT Than Religion-Admired Col
den Rule Laid Down By Christ.

Robert G. Ingersoll. Americas most
brilliant agnostic, was the theme of a
powerful address by Congressman B.
ing. The address was delivered under
the auspices of the Young Peoples I'm
provement association and large
audience was out 10 hear It.
Mr.. Roberts opened his address by a
definition of the word agnostic, a
word invented by Professor Huxley.
In matters of intellect. said he, follow
your reason and believe nothing not
capable of demonstration. This is
Huxlely's idea of an agnostic. In
reality his work is TO destroy mans
faith in God and in this work Colonel
1ngersoll employed his talents. He was
lawyer but not famed as a iurist;
he was soldier but not famed as
military man. He was known princi-
pally because he had drawn into the
arena to defend the Christian religion
the greatest minds of the day among
them Judge Jerry S. Black. Cardinal
Manning and William f. Gladstone.
Brilliant, Not Profound.
Ingersoll was brilliant but not pro-
found. gifted but not learned, poetical
and witty but not sincere. He attempt
ed the dangerous Path to fame by
railing at all things sacred. He lacked
the profound intellect of Payne. the
ridicule of Voltaire. the learning and
patience of Gibbon. the research and
capacity of Hume or the boldness of
Bradlaugh, England's great agnOstic.
But he had gathered scattered rays of
light from all these and combined them
into flash light without power or
originality. except as to rhetoric.
Ingersolls batteries were aimed at
the mistakes in the creeds of men,
not at religion itself. Mr. Roberts at
this point took up the subject of I'm
FAINT damnation'' and the Old Jewish
law IAN eye for an eye" and demon
strated that this is not the religion
of Christ 1t was also argued that
Ingersoll's attacks on the Old Tesla
ment were childish and weak when |
analZzed in the light of reason.
Chief Points of Attack.
The chief points of Ingersoll's at |
tacks on the New Testament were the |
miracles and the atonement of Christ. |
A miracle is something contrary to |
the fixed laws of nature. If a sailor |
100 years ago had seen an ocean |
Gus speed against wind and ocean cur |
rents he would have cried, miracle, |
Yet we who understand the laws of the |
and expansion of steam |
it commonplace. In these |
days when the ocean is made a high |
way, when men on opposite sides of |
the globe are brought into instant !
communication, when the human eve
sees through the most Opaque sub |
stance. who shall say what is a mira
,le. If man can do these things what
IAN not God do?
Mr.. Roberts next took up the life and
character of Christ to show that in
the grandeur of that life it was ma
-ural for himto sacrifice himself for
MS fellow men. Ingersoll himself was
quoted at this point as saying that
-hrist's golden rule was loftier than
he teachings of Socrates. Plato,
Moses and Confucius; the
perfection of religion and morality.
Napoleon was quoted along the same
inc.
Ipgersoll is dead and the Christian
'elision lives on. Mr.. Roberts closed
~ drawing an eloquent contrast be-
ween the death of Colonel Ingersoll
md Judge Black. the latter devout
Christian. Ingersolrs domestic life
vas sweet and pure. His sweetheart
became his wife; hand in hand they
passed through life; he spent his life
rying to enthrone the specters of the
LIQUIDS and dispely the ghosts; dying he
eft the worst of all ghosts-doubt-in
he heart of his disconsolate wife.