The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-15
IngcrsoiI aud Jencr,on

the r.ultor OF rho Times Dispatch:
sir-The attempt, made by cor
respondent, to class Thomas Jefferson
with Robert Ingersoll is unjust to JET
irrs unfair ,r to the public and I'M
He was bold and blatant in his in
nueiity. and devoted his intellect and
Ssi nm to blowing out the lamp of
MT. Jefferson, on the contrary. was
quiet and reserved in his religious
views. and devoted his brain and pen
all the citizens of the United States.
While Jefferson lived he was charged
by. oFerzealous Christians with being
an inhdel and an atheist. and he de-
S!ared that these charges were Sian
ders Now. that he is dead, he is
Claimed by .inndels as being one of
their number II the Sage OF Month
aepulchre would he not say of the in
hdcls' claim as he said of the zealots'
cherge You Islander meg"
Jcnerson's unbiased intellect and In
.dependent spirit have been misund err
stood ny Christian and inndel. He was
as far from being n disbeliever in God
as as he was, from being-an orthodox
he was The truth seems to be that
Unitarian in theology. But he did
not belong 10 the atheistic school.
fortunately we now have "The
Writings Of Thomas JEFFERSON" which
contain private correspondence as we'll
rs public papers. His own words, free
from cant or cowardice, are the best
ligion He was a deeply reverent and
religious soul: Ills faith embraced G)
Belief In God. Answering the theory
OF Spinoza ct al. of the eternal pre-
the principle OF reproduction, he says:
so. irresistible are these evidences
Grom nature) OF an intelligent and
powerful Agent, that. of the INFINITE
~ hnNF -a,ka
through all time. they have believed,
in the proportion of million at least
to unit. IN the hypothesis of an eter-
nal pre- existence of a Creator, rather
verse" Vol XIV 427.
(2) Belief in prayer. HIS first in
augural address as President ends
Unite Power which rules the destinies
of the universe. lead our councils to
what Is best. and give them a favor
perlty." Vol. III. s2s. Language even
more beautiful and trustful is used in
his second inaugural address
go Belief in immortality. To Mrs.
life: Our next meeting must be in
the country to which they have flown-
q country for us not very distant. For
this journey we shall need neither
vision for IT more easy than the prep
aration had been kind" Vol. XIV. 90.
To John Adams. with whom he con-
Quoted an extensive and Instructive
correspondence. he wrote: "The time
is not very distant when we are to
deposit in the same cerement our sor-
row and our suffering bodies and to
ascend In essence to an ecstatic meet
ing with all the friends we have loved
and lost. and whom we shall still love
and never lose again" Vol. XVII. s.
"a Belief in a Judgment Referring
to his defemers. whom he might have
sued In the courts. he says: ''I leave
them to the reproof of their own con-
sciences If these do not condemn
them. there will yet come a day when
tho false witness will meet Judge
who has not slept over his SANDER"
Vol. XVII. II.
surely, the man who acknowleds ed
and adored an overruling Providence;
who supplicated the favor of the God
of Israel; who cherished the hope Of
an existence beyond the grave whore
friends would meet and part no more {:
and who believed in Just and right
eous Judge. before whom all must
appear, was not All infdel of the type
Of Robert G.. Ingcrsoll,
GEO. w. MCDANIEL
MI.