The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1899-08-03
Robert G. Ingersoll.

Robert G. Ingersoll,
A great sermon from the pen OF Edi-
tor w. H, Haywood in the Dyersburg
Herald.
Robt G.. Ingersoll has knocked at
the door of knowledge where shadow
becomes light and mystery is dissolved
in truth. Here, he believed nothing;
there, he must acknowledge every
thing. He answers at the judgment
bar in eternity, converted and con-
yicted; what will his Judgment be?
Let those who loved him her have hope
for mercy from God of love, and those
who follow him fear his fate at the
throne of u God of justice.
He was a wonderful man, though he
denied the spirit, he was spiritual.
His mind was an ocean bedded with
pearls, and jewels, and wrecks. and
deaths heads; the storms of doubt
and skepticism dashed it from cliff to
cliff and shore to shore until the Mas
ter said, "peace, be still"
Words, beautiful words, fell from
his resourceful lips like a shower of
stars from a boundless armament, un-
til his star jeweled night merged into
eternal dawn.
His life was as bright as meteor;
let us not forget it was as vain; il
warmed no blossom Of hope in the cold,
damp earth of despair; its rays penetrn-
ted no dungeon; it hallowed no souls
Gethsemene; it tempted not the birds
to song, or the children to laughter; il
lighted the path of no weary wanderer
Trackless, purposeless, rudderless, il
shot for an instant between faith anC
It's star and then it was lost forever.
"Prove your faith by your works,
said he, laughing, to the world, as h
dared to reproach God with the weak
ness of man and drag down the infinite
to the measure of finite.
He said religion made men unhappy
and whispered in the ear of the dying
"dust thou art, to dust returneth.
He told the mother whose first-borl
lay shrouded that they could not NEE
again. He put the arms Of sympathy
and hope around the PROSTATE form al
he plunged the dagger of doubt int
the heart of grief. He dropped tn
crumb of charity to the unfortunat
while he told them to hope for nothing
better beyond. He watered the woe
of humanity with tears, while he fec
it's heart on gall. He said to the Chris
tian, you bear your cross to the Col
gotha of eternal death. He told virtu
to look for its reward at the hands @
men. He told charity to expect it
crown from human ingratitudc II
directed men to lay up their treasure
on earth. He offered nothing else be
yond.
His career was supreme pity,
sublime failure. He sustained blame
full purpose with blameless life. Fl
bore upon his bosom the pure whit
lily of spotless character, while in hi
heart lurked deadly contagion for hi
fellow men.
He hated, SO he told the world,
hollow mockery and miserable sham
, He steered clear of dogmas and cieeds
He was broad enough to accept moth
ing that did not appeal to his reason
but he was narrow enough to deny ths
which he could not understand. Fl
avoided the pitfalls Of blind faith, bu
he plunged headlong into the abyss c
a binder unbelief.
So he scattered his hell-born poison
to corrode the minds and hearts an
limit the possibilities of men. Fl
planted the seeds OF agnosticism in tn
: garden of life to contaminate the flow
ers of virtue and wither the blossom
of hope meath the shadow of the obno1
ious weeds of doubt. Gas We SOW s
shall We reap" What will his harves
be? With this terrible question, lie
men pause over his grave and learn
!, good lesson from his pathetic history