The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-25
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Of the pyramids; saw him conquer the
Alps and mingle the eagles of France
with the eagles OF the crags. saw him
at MarengO. at Ulm. and Austerlitz; saw
him in Russia, where the infantry OF the
snow and cavalry of the wild blast scat
tered his legions like winters withered
leaves. 1 saw him at Leipsic In defeat
and disaster-driyen by a million bayonets
back to Paris, clutched like a wild beast.
banished to Elba. saw him escape and
retake an empire by the force OF his
genius. I saw him upon the frightful
field Of Waterloo. where chance and fate
combined to wreck the fortunes Of their
former king; and saw him at st. Helena
with his hands crossed behind him, gaz-
ing out upon the sgd and solemn sea
thought fthe orphans and widows he
had made, OF the tears that had been shed
for his glory, and of the only woman
who ever loved him pushed from his
heart by the cold hand Of ambition. And
I said. would rather have been a French
peasant and worn wooden shoes. I would
have lived in a hut with vine growing
over the door and the grapes growing
purple In the kisses Of the autumn sun.
I would rather have been the poor peas
ant with my loving wife by my side. knit
ting as the sun died out OF the skies,
with my children upon my knees and their
arms about me; would rather have been
that man and gone down into tongueleSs
silence of the dreamless dust than To
have been that imperial impersonator OF
force and murderer known as Napoleon
the Great. And so would, ten thousand
times"
Colonel Ingersoll's sentiments on relig-
Ion and other topics are set forth in the
following brief quotations from various
of his addresses and writings:
On the Christian Religion-"What a
commentary on the Sebastian religion
that, after they have been preaching Il for
1900 or 1 500 years, a man attacks It for
the sake of pOpularity--a man attacks IL
for the purpose of winning applause.
When I commenced TO speak upon this
subject there was no appreciable applause
most OF my fellow citizens differed with
me, and was denounced as though had
been a wild beast But have lived 10
see the majority OF men and women OF
intellect in the United States on my side.
I have lived to see the church deny her
creed; I have lived TO see ministers apollo
gize in public for what they preached.
and a great and glorious work Is going on
until. I'm a little while. you will not find
one OF them unless II is some old petrt-
faction OF the red stone period, who Will
admit he ever lived in the Trinity. the
Atonement, or the doctrine OF eternal
agony"
On the Stage-"The children Of the stage
with fancys wand rebuild the past The
dead are brought To life and made 20 act
again the parts they played. Who are
the friends OF the human race? They
will hide with flowers the cruel rocks OF
fate the children Of genius; the sons and
daughters OF mirth and laughter. Of imag-
inatIon: those whose thoughts. Ike moths
with painted wings. I'LL the heaven OF the
mind"
On Heaven-''There may be place call
ed heaven. the home Of God. where angels
feat and fly and play on harps and hear
with 10y the groans and shrieks Of the
lost in he'll. but of this there is no evi-
dence. All rests In the dreams and vis-
ions OF the insane"
On SuperstItion-"The foundation OF
superstition is ignorance. the suDerstruc-
ture f. faith, and the dome r. q vain hope.
Superstition Is the child Of ignorance and
the mother Of misery. Spain gave her
gold TO superstition. her brains 20 priests
but she faithfully counter her beads.'