The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-10-20
FATHER KRESS AT
THE AUDITORIUM
HIS SUBJECT WAS, "cHRIsr OR
iNGERsoLL."
The Difference Between InfdeIity and
christianity-"Pursatory" SUBJ
Ject Of Tonight's Lecture.


cred this week at the Auditorium by
Fathers I.ress and Martin of Cleveland,
the second was given by Father Kress
Monday night, the subject being,
Christ or Ingersoll?" About $500 per-
sons were in attendance. The special
numbers for the evening were vocal
solos by Miss Florence Weilandt. The
services Tuesday night will begin at s
o'clock, the subject of the lecture be-
Ing "Purgatory." This subject is gen.
orally misunderstood and misrepresent-
er, and, owing to that fact, the matter
will be treated In full and satisfac-
tory manner.
Speaking ON 'Ingersoll or Christi"
last night at the Auditorium lecture,
Father Kress said:
"Ingersoll's tannt that Christianity
has done little or nothing to benefit
the human family is not borne out by
history. There was a long period, last
ing thousands of years, during which
reason ruled the world, unaided by any
revelation from above If 1t be true
that unaided reason can give us the
highest type of civilization, 1t should
have done so in the tens of centuries
preceding the advent of Christ. Dur
ing this long period men were not liv-
Ing In savage state; there we're Ho-
mer and Virgil, princes among poets;
Solon, the greatest of law givers; Aris-
totle, the profoundest of philosophers;
Julius Caesar, the greatest Of field cap
tains; Demosthenes, the peer of ora
tors; Chaldea, Babylon, Persil, Egypt,
Greece and Rome, among common
wealths. Yet the people at large, af-
ter 1000 years or more of reasons
reign were In most pitiable condition.
Rome was the proud mistress of the
world, but st. Paul, in the first chapter
of his Epistles to the Romans, tells
us Of its utter moral degradation. The
picture that he draws in mere outline
is filled in with living colors by con-
temporary secular writers.
More than half of the population
was held in helpless slavery. Count
less numbers of them were butched in
the arena for the delectation of idle
Onlookera. Cruelty was the besetting
sin of the Roman and of the provin-
cial. Men like Aristotle, Plato, Socra-
tes, found themselves helpless; they de-
clared the reign of reason a failure;
they looked forward to one who could
speak with authority. Reason was
weighed in the balance and found
wanting.
Christ came, bringing to the world
at large a divine revelation. Under its
genial warmth humanity rose to re-
alization of its dignity and of its duty.
The gospel hammer broke the shackles
of the slave; woman, from being a
mere toy of mans unclean passions,
was lifted to his side to be his equal
and helpmeet; children were defended
against unnatural parents; orphans
were picked up and housed; the old
and infirm were cared for; there was
law for the wife as well as for the
husband, for the child as well as for
the parent, for the weak and poor as
well as for the powerful and rich. The
Sermon on the Mount introduced a
great change into society. We can
safely say that all that is good in our
present civilization is the effect of
Christ's example and teaching; what
ever of evil may be found in it today
exists because we fail to apply Chris
tian principles to their correction.
"Ingersoll and other unbelievers say,
DO away with religion and we will
have perfect civilization Look at the
conditions existing when the French
revolution was in progress. Do we
want such conditions to exist today?
We can trace the cause of this revolu-
ton back to infidelity. This occurred
during the reign of reason, but we can
justly call it the reign of terror Now,
II we must choose between Ingersoll
and Christ We will say, Give us the
good shepherd, the hero of Calvary
Why should men follow in the paths OF
agnostics, and why should they accept
their statements against Christ? Ag-
nostics say II your life is not one of en-
joyment, or such as you want 1t to be,
commit suicide; that is a right that you
have. Is this the thing to do? II we
would 60 to Christ with our burdens,
Will He tell US to take revolver and
blow our brains out? No. He will tell
you that He will help you to bear your
burdens. He will put new courage into
your heart and recreate you. II we be-
live in God, We will not have to fear
death, and we will not allow elements
to enter into our lives that will make
them unworth living"
Great interest is being taken in the
question box. Evedience of this was
shown by the number placed in the hox
at the meeting Monday night. Only
about one-fourth Of the questions put
IN the box were answered. Three-quar-
ters of an hour was devoted tc this
part of the program. The following
are some of the questions and answers
rs given by Father Kressi
''Jf MARRIAGE is gO sacred an affair