The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-04-05
INeERsoLL, THE MAN.


and he is now ready for new worlds to
conquer. In order to get himself prop
erly wound up, he starts off by claim
ing that my feeble efforts have been
only reflection of Ingersoll and then
manufacturers a falsehood in endeav-
oring to weaken the admiration peo-
pie have for the famous agnostic. He
makes the statement that Ingersoll
fought the Christian system because
he failed to secure the nomination for
governor of Illinois. In order to show
this pious prevaricator that he has
either been misinformed, or is know
ingly peryeg.ing facts, viii give facts
and my authority. Col Robert G.
lngersoll, rs a doubter from early
youth, but the first time he had any
serious difficulty on account of his
beliefs, or rather non-beliefs, was,
subscription school in Illinois and was
boarding round. The Baptist brethren
were holding a revival in his neigh
borhood and there were some five or
six of those web-footed elders stopping
at the same boarding house with him,
and in a discussion he was pointedly
asked by one of the aforesaid depu
ties for Christ what he thought of
baptism Ingersoll replied, that he
thought Baptism with soap and water
would be a good thing. This remark
caused him to lose his school as the
people in that vicinity lived in the
actual presence and such a remark
from STRIPPING school teacher was
blasphemy and could not be tolerated
by the descendants of the Christian
Gentlemen who came over in the May
flower. Perhaps IngersoHs first pub
lie utterance against Orthodox religion
which he called Superstition, and
which by the way is a term that can
not be improved on, was his lecture on
Progress in 1860, delivered again in
1864, and | quote from that lecture
the following paragraph:
I'VE are standing on the shore of
an infinite ocean whose countless
waves, freighted with blessings, are
Welcoming our adventurous feet. Pro-
gress has been written on every soul.
The human race is advancing. For
ward oh sublime army of progress,
forward until law is justice, forward
until ignorance Is unknown, forward
while there is a spiritual or temporal
throne, forward until superstition is
a forgotten dream, forward until the
world is free, forward until human
reason, clothed in the purple Of au-
thority, is king of kings
This lecture was delivered in 1860,
and in 1864, while the republican con-
vention at which time Ingersoll failed
to secure the nomination for governor
was in May, 1868, so the P'ous ap stle
Marcus, is off on his dates. Ingersoll
once remarked that his opponents al
ways had two arrows left in their
culver, SANDER and Falsehood. and it
seems that in this case the Judgment
of the Colonel is correct. But more Of
that governorship race Hon Clark
u. Carr, (ex-minister to Denmark, /,
who was intimately and personally ac-
quainted with the political history of
Illinois for fifty years, said in a mem
orial address in Chicago August 6,
1S99-an Ingersoll memorial address:
I'VE remember how, on account of
NAs splendid services, and his sublime
patriotism, We in Knox county and in
our part of the state, united in seeking
to place him in the chief executives
office, and we remember that by modi-
flying certain views he held, he could
have been nominated by acclamation
and elected to the high office of gov
ernor of Illinois, which would have
opened the way to even higher emolu-
ments and positions; and we remem-
bef with what tenacity and firmness
ie held to his convictions, and that
either public sentiment, the appeal
ffriends, nor the allurements of posi-
on, could move him to accept as true
hat he could not believe"
In other words my dear Marcus, he
as not a hypocrite. Do you know of
" orthodox preachers who would be
true to their convictions? Look in
your mirror and ask the one you
there what would have happened
the same Mess of Pottage" had been
Id out to you as there was TO Inger-
H. OF course the paid defenders of
lperstition feel called upon as mat
r of business to try to defend their
aster, the Book. whenever oppor-
uity offers, but it sometimes seems
vange to me that they are able to
ag to the cause as long as they do
en- they perhaps average in the
uted States soc each for their ser-
ms, an deven then the public is
lndled. They are guilty of obtain
money under false nretances