The times., 1899-07-31


of them. too, when the pains of hell get
hold upon u.s. We shall be awfully sorry
that we brought such woe upon us, and if
we are as charitably inclined as the rich
man in the parable we shall even want to
save others from such a fate. But it won't
avail. In the view of DR.. Talmadge, the
way TO pardon or TO goodness is closed for
ever when death takes us hence.
What Ingersou Thought.
Now, it was against such teaching as
this that Colonel Ingersoll arrayed the
forces of his wit and logic, his sympathy
and Imagination. He began his attack
with the natural assumption that the his
torical system known as Christianity fairly
represented the teachings of thu books, or
documents, from which the Church pro-
fesses to derive it. In assailing Christian
ity, therefore, it was this system he had in
mind, and against this all the shafts of his
argument and ridicule were directed. He
began his work at time when scientists
we're generally materialistic and inclined
TO believe that matter held within itself
the promise and potency of all life He
embraced this materialistic philosophy, not
only repudiating the idea of an eXtra-mun-
dane deity, but the idea of God in any and
every sense. He proclaimed the sufficiency
is. and pronounced the God idea superfiu-
GUS and unscientific. Thought. he declared
is only form of force and form that
can only exist in connection with an or
sanism. Therefore he argued if there is
God he must have an organism and must
eat or appropriate and assimilate that
which can be transformed into thought
force. But as this is unthinkable, he
thought it scientific to deny the existence
af (rnas ia
By the same, or similar. course of
reasoning from premises he supposed to
be scientific. he denied the doctrine of a
future life. The intellectual and moral
powers are born of the physical organism
and perish with the bodily life. Nature
he says, so far as we can discern without
passion and without intention, forms,
transforms and retransforms forever. She
neither weeps nor rejoces. She produces
man without purpose and obliterates Linn
without regret. She knows no distinction
between the beneficial and the hurtful.
Poison and nutrition, pain and joy. life and
death, smiles and tears are alike 10 her.
She is neither merciful nor cruel. She
cannot be fattered by worship nor melted
by tears. She does not even know the
attitude of prayer She appreciates no diff
ference between poison in the fangs of
snakes and mercy in hearts OF men. Only
through man does nature take cognizance
of the good, the true and the beautiful,
and SO far as We know man is the highest
intelligence.
A Wholly Materialistic Doctrine.
This you perceive is wholly mate
rialistic philosophy, if We may call it
philosophy at all. 1t not only denies a
creative deity in the sense of being an
tecedent to. apart from, and Independent
Of nature-with this most intelligent
people would agree-but it denies also
anything in nature corresponding to that
energy which wells up in US in the form
Of consciousness, and SO leaves us without
any rational account of the Cosmos, as
it reveals itself to man. 1t may well be
that the words by which We characterize
our human powers and faculties very i'm
perfectly and inadequately apply TO that
eternal energy that is not ourselves but
that the evolution of these powers IN us
involves the prior existence of kindred
powers in the universe, is as certain as
that man is the product of his environ
ment, and that the stream cannot rise
higher than its fountain. We call that
goodness which puts a man at one with
himself, with the good in his fellows, and
with the universe about him. 1t is that.
then, toward which the universe works,
that which ii contemplates, therefore, and
that which il consistently and persstcntly
demands. 1fT
Mr.. Ingersoll's argument against the
common conceptions OF God and prayer
is unanswerable, but the fact of an inti-
mate connection between desire and attain
ment, purpose and achievement; between
our dominant thoughts and wishes and the
kind of character We develop, is too much
a matter of common experience to be
argued out OF court. And this prime fact
Of natures responsiveness to man; Ter
readiness to work with him and for him,
yet to work with him even when he is
working against himself that she may
teach him the sooner the error of his way.
This steady purpose of nature to lead
and impel the race TO higher. nobler living.
and this ready responsiveness to every
effort of the soul to find and keep the path
of right and progress; this is the great
fact that has led the seers of the race TO
proclaim the parenity of God and the
immortality of his children.
Mr.. Ingersoll had no hostility 10 this
conception, but his philosophy did not en-
brace il, and he strongly inclined to the
view that religion at its best is only un-
discovered superstition. He had no sym
pathy with anything that sayored of the
and even the liberal view he
IelI Was NtUSSu at feast VIII luis,
therefore outside of the realm of the scien-
Gods he used this language: While utterly
discarding all ereeds, and denying the
truth of all religions, there is neither III
my heart nor on my lips a sneer for the
hopeful, loving, and tender souls who be-
lleve that from all this discord will result
a perfect harmony; that every evil will in
some mysterious way become a good, and
that alone and over all there is a being
who in some way will reclaim and glori-
fy every one OF the children of men, but
for those who heartlessly try 10 prove that
salvation is nearly impossible; that damna-
tion is almost certain; that the highway of
the universe leads to hell; who fill life
with fear and death with horror; who curse
the cradle and mock the tomb, IL is impos-
sible 10 entertain other than feelings Of
pity. contempt. and scorn. Reason, obser-
walton. and eXperience-the holy trinity of
seience-have taught us that happiness is
the only good; that the time to be happy
is now. and the way TO be happy is TO make
others so. This is enough for us. In this
belief we are content TO live and die.
If by any possibility the existence of
a power superior TO, and independent OF.
nature shall be demonstrated, there will
then be time enough to kneel. Until then
let us stand erect
Doubts I'm Later Years.
'It would appear from some of the ut
terances of Mr.. Ingersoll that during his
later years he had some doubts of the
soundness of his materialistic philosophy,
and was content TO be an agnostic. He
never had any doubts, however, as to the
falsity of the popular creeds. and never
showed any signs of regret for the things
he had said against them. While feeling
n nossThle. perhaps. that science NAV war