Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-05-30
Are These in Hellp

Under the above caption the. Ce
dar Rapids Republican says: arhe
Rev. William Sunday-we believe
he writes it Billy" himself-preach.
ed the other day on some people
who are in hell. He carries with him
a sort of directory of that place.
Where he gets his information we
do not know. But it is enough to
know that he has the information.
/, And here is the list, as far as he
enumerated it. Jezebel, Catherine
OF Russia, Henry the VIII, Herbert
Spencer, Tom Paine and Robert G.
lngersoll. When he gave the list
at Keokuk few weeks ago he in
cluded Theodore Parker, but some
where between Keokuk and Burling-
ton he had a new revelation and
Theodore Parker was taken off the
list Of great men and women who
are positively in hell.
Far is it from us to defend Jeze-
bel, or even Catherine of Russia.
They were bad enough, but perhaps
not so bad as to deserve eternal
punishment in the form of burning
at one end and growing out at the
other, which, we take it, is the kind
of hell that Mr.. Sunday is still
preaching. We are inclined to think
ill enough of Jezebel and Catherine,
but in this enlightened age we can
not help thinking well enough of
God TO believe that he could not be
guilty of cruel and inhuman and un-
usual punishments which are for
hidden by all civilized governments.
Of course, mobs down south some
times burn a negro, but that burn
ing is only for the instant.
AS to Henry the Eighth, his main
offending was too many wives. He
had whole harem Of them, but,
we believe, only one at a time. The
pope was too particular. He thought
Henry was too rapid in discharging
women. And by one of those strange
Inconsistencies of history that same
Henry became the re-establisher of a
church which, next to the Catholic
church is the most drastic in its re-
fusal tosanction marriage ofdivorced
persons. But whether Henry is in
hell or not, we leave for the Rev.
Billy" Sunday to debate with the
Episcopal authorities. AS to Herbert
Spencer, we have some well defined
notions Of our own, for he belongs
to the great sect of the agnostics
with whom SO many are nowadays
enrapport. Why should Herbert
Spencer be burned in hell? He was
the gentlest, the kindest, the wisest
philosopher of his time. In intellect
he towers over all his fellowmen.
His mind gathered the whole world
into its consciousness and lie turned
out that world in analyzed and |
classified knowledge. He may not
have been able to say, off hand, as
BILLY" Sunday can, where was life's
goal and the phrase, quit chewing
the rag, pay attention to Goo"
would have shocked all his intellect
uality and all his spirituality, but
he never did any man a wrong. He
did not lie, he did not steal, he did
no evil. he loved his fellowmen, but |
because he could not shout with the
revivalists he is consigned to hell.
AS TO Tom Payne and Bob" Inger-
soil, we do not like to speak, for
they have been the subject of too
many controversies in this country. |
bob" Ingersoll was a good man,
though an unbeliever, and if he is
really in hell, he is probably doing
his share of the comforting and the
cheering that would seem to be
in that country and climate.
lie did that sort of work while he
was on earth. Theodore Parker,
good man and great man.-but his
name is not in the revised directory
of hell as issued by the Rev. BILLY"
Sunday, and SO we will not comment
on him."