Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-11-29
HORSE
EDITOR
MUSES.
Can at Least Be Thankful
That He Has Faith to Be
Thankful For

drawn into an argument recently, oil
that source of so much argument
the Bible and Christianity, in the
course of which the late Robert G
Ingersoll was largely quoted.
No one doubts Ingersoll's ability
his genius, his brilliancy; but ever
the humblest of us may be permit
ted to doubt his Judgment, as he
doubted that of God. He devoted
his great talents to pull down the
faith of others, and in the place oi
that uprooted faith, to offer them
nothing.
Ingersoll was perhaps the most
brilliant of all skeptical writer's
though not possessing the logic r
the profundity of Paine. And yet
when all his vivid imaginatic' MS
brilliant intellect, his wonde'ul now
of language, his kaleidascpic word
painting, his powers of yimicry ana
his mastery handling : pathos nave
combined to ruin thcfaith the hope
and the belief of 'thers, the Bible
stands. stlll the foundation of all
human laws, 10 teacher of morals,
of Justice. of irture; the light which |
illuminated the world, and made
modern Utilization possible. BY It
man ~. nation have been lifted up.
and y II neither man nor nations
I'm. been pulled down.
Why quarrel with Ingersoll or any
bne over its inspiration? why argue
with him as to It's divine origin?
Sufficient is the fact that It guides
safely the feet of humanity in this
world, and gladness the weary heart
with hope OF Immortality. Blessed
hope which like a bank OF flowers
softens the rugged pathway and
whose perfume delights the saddened r
soul.
Humanity cannot bring the evil =
ience such as 1ngersoll, such as our \
'ourts would require, to establish
he divine origin OF the Word. The 8
nortals who sat at the feet OF the
Nazarene, whose eyes looked into His. 8
whose ears drank in the parallels s
nd whose hands penned an account \
Il what they heard and saw, have \
ong since returned until that dust q
rom which they came. and their
pirits unto God who gave them.
hey cannot rise from the dust TO a
ear witness to what they saw; but 4
ould they do so would Ingersoll or
ueh as Ingersoll believe? Nay, YER d
". a
Ills arguments and such as his are 8
ain. He tells us that Brahma was I,
pure and as holy; that Vishnu T
'ught as sincerely. Concede il. But
q say to him and such as he TO lift
Is gaze from the earth at his feet Ct
nd gaze beyond the limits of his "
arrow sphere. and he Will see that
he civilized world is the Christian
orld. He will find that the civilized
orld takes the Bible for its guide n,
eeause ii recognizes in II. it's crea- q,
'r.
80 long as the red flowers of love b,
iall blossom In the human breast: lbl
long as the holy feeling a mother v,
As for her babe. and which. for lack of
stronger term We call maternal 81
We exists; so long as the strong r
an can wrap the sinews of his af-
euons around his first born; so long
the prattie of childhood can RI
ease or the suffering OF those we III
ve' pain; so long as the pathos of Itr
a age can touch our hearts with sp
rrow; so long as death can take IN
ON us those We love; so long as qu
" and woe and swell the foun- SC
ms OF our tears. that long the
omise, held out to us by the Bihlei
~""'"0' anu an immortal life, are
cessary to our existence. no
Let such as Ingerson use their tel
'd-given talents 20 rldieule the hii
BILE II they win. but as we part tn
I'M those whose image are engraved he
on our hearts; when on the CONN vi
falls the harsh-sounding and cruel trs
d; when our the mortal body "a an
Aped the earth. rounded roof tri
sr the last home, then one mustard I'M
I'm OF faith one ray OF hope that oul
the other side the loved one waits COZ
III our time shall come, and that We
re- where sorrow and sin enter AA
;, ana parting is unknown, we :"
" live again, brings mora ~