,,ingersollia  ,by ,robert ,g4          
,ingersoll  ,,gems ,,of ,,thought ,,from
 ,,the ,,lectures1 ,,speeches1 ,,and    
,,conversations ,,of ,,col ,,robert ,g4 
,,ingersoll1 ,,representative ,,of ,,his
 ,,opinions ,,and ,,beliefs  ,edited ,by
 ,elmo  #ahhb4     ,,ingersollia        
,,introduction  ,colonel ,robert ,g4    
,ingersoll occupies a unique position4  
,he is to a large extent the product of 
his own generation4 ,a man of the times1
 for the times4 ,he has had no          
predecessor1 he will have no successor4 
,such a man was impossible a hundred    
years ago2 the probabilities are that a 
century hence no such man will be       
needed4 ,his work needs only to be done 
once4 ,one such voice crying in the     
wilderness is enough to stir the        
sluggish streams of thought1 and set the
 reeds of the river trembling4 ,it was  
said of ,edward ,irving1 when he went to
 preach in that great wilderness of     
,london1 that he was not a reed to be   
shaken by the wind1 but a wind to shake 

the reeds4 ,it would not be flattery in 
any sense if similar words were spoken  
concerning the man who has uttered the  
words of this book4  ,daring to stand   
alone1 and speak all the thought that is
 in him1 without the miserable          
affectation of singularity1 ,colonel    
,ingersoll has reached a point from     
which he wields an influence both deep  
and wide over thoughtful minds4 ,for the
 last few years he has been sowing      
strange seeds1 with unsparing hand1 in  
many fields2 and probably no one is more
 surprised than he is himself to find   
how thoroughly the ground was prepared  
for such a seed-sowing4  ,time is much  
too precious to discuss the mere methods
 of the sowing4 ,no doubt many who have 
listened to this later ,gamaliel1 have  
been startled and shocked by his bold1  
and sometimes terrific utterances2 but  
after the shock--when the nerves have   
regained their equilibrium--has come    
serious1 calm-questioning thought4 ,and 
whoever sets men to asking earnest      

questions1 whoever provokes men to      
sincere enquiry1 whoever helps men to   
think freely1 does the ,man and the     
,state and the ,age good service4 ,this 
good service ,colonel ,ingersoll has    
rendered4 ,he has sent the ,preachers   
back to a more careful and diligent     
study of the ,bible2 he has spoken after
 such a fashion that ,students in many  
departments of learning have been       
compelled to reconsider the foundations 
on which their theories rest4 ,above    
all1 he has awakened thousands of       
thoughtless people to the luxury of     
thinking1 and he has inspired many a    
timid thinker to break all bonds and    
think freely and fearlessly for himself4
  ,in referring some time ago to the    
subject matter of ,colonel ,ingersoll's 
teachings1 ,prof4 ,david ,swing1 of     
,chicago1 laid special emphasis on the  
point1 that the man speaking and the    
thing spoken were entirely separable1   
and that no wise criticism of these     
words could proceed1 unless this fact   

was kept in view4 ,this word of caution 
is as timely as it is wise4 ,we are too 
much prone to judge the music by the    
amount of gilding on the organ-pipes2 we
 are too apt to forget that gold is     
gold1 whether in the leathern pouch of a
 beggar or the silken purse of a king4  
,the doubts expressed1 the truths       
uttered1 the questions proposed by the  
so-called ,infidel1 demand of us that   
for their own sakes we give them        
generous1 patient audience4 ,the point  
of supreme importance is1 not whether   
,mr4 ,ingersoll is an authority on the  
grave questions with which he is pleased
 to deal1 but are these teachings truth8
 ,there's the rub4 ,if we are wise we   
shall judge the teachings rather than   
the teacher4  ,affrighted orthodox      
,christians are perpetually warning     
their young friends against ,mr4        
,ingersoll4 ,he is portrayed as a very  
terrible personage1 going up and down to
 work sad havoc amongst the unsuspecting
 youth of the ,time4 ,orthodoxy would   

prove itself wiser1 it would be bolder1 
and it would give some slight guarantee 
for honesty1 if it left the man alone1  
and addressed itself seriously to the   
grave questions at issue4 ,colonel      
,ingersoll shares with ,huxley1 ,darwin 
and ,herbert ,spencer the high          
distinction of being criticized most    
vehemently by those who have never heard
 his voice1 and have never carefully    
read a page of his published works2 and 
as is always the case in such           
circumstances1 the most absurd and      
exaggerated statements of what ,mr4     
,ingersoll never said have become       
current1 and the speaker has been       
transformed into a very ,gorgon of      
horror6  ,but this is nothing new1 this 
is one of the many tolls that every man 
must be willing to pay who marches on   
the grand highway of freedom4  ,the     
pages of this book deserve a careful    
study1 and if it be true that out of the
 fullness of the heart the mouth        
speaketh1 we may judge from what sort of

 a heart-fountain these streams have    
flowed4  ,one purpose steadily kept in  
view in the editing of these pages has  
been to present in compact and          
reasonable space1 a thoroughly          
representative consensus of the opinions
 and beliefs of ,mr4 ,ingersoll4 ,ha has
 been known chiefly by his severe       
attacks on theological orthodoxy2 but   
there are a thousand other questions on 
which he has spoken wise and impressive 
words4 ,there are few things in heaven  
and earth that his philosophy has not   
embraced1 ,the quiet life of the farm2  
the romance and sanctity of home2 the   
charm of childhood2 the profound secrets
 of philosophy2 the horrors of slavery2 
the dreadful scourge of war2 the        
patriotism and valor of the soldiers of 
the ,republic2 the high calling of      
statesmanship1 churches and priests2    
infidels and christians2 gods and       
devils2 orthodox and hetrodox2 heaven   
and hell2--these1 and a thousand other  
questions have been discussed with wit1 

and wisdom and matchless eloquence4     
,this volume might have been increased  
to twice or thrice its present size1 and
 then there would have been material to 
spare4 ,but in these busy days economy  
of time is of great importance4 ,this is
 a book for busy men in a very busy     
generation4  ,it is matter of some      
little surprise that ,mr4 ,ingersoll    
should have yielded--without protest--to
 the conventional use of the term       
,infidel4 ,the general sense in which   
the word is used is a gross             
misrepresentation of its accurate       
meaning4 ,infidel1 is the last word that
 ought to be applied to any man who is  
loyal to his mind2 whether that mind    
summer in the light of steadfast belief1
 or wander through the mazy fields of   
doubt4 ,what is ,infidelity8 ,there is  
no man more able1 none more suitable    
than ,col4 ,robert ,ingersoll to rise   
and explain4  ,mr4 ,ingersoll has been  
called the ,apostle of ,unbelief4 ,but  
the title is a misnomer4 ,his mouth is  

full to the lips of positive statements 
of strong conviction4 ,his creed has a  
thousand articles4 ,he is above all     
things the ,apostle of ,freedom4        
,freedom for ,nations1 for ,communities1
 for ,men4 ,freedom everywhere6 ,freedom
 always6 the zeal with which he blows   
the trumpet of ,liberty1 the enthusiasm 
with which he waves the banner of       
,freedom1 reminds one of ,tennyson's    
fine words3--       ,of old stood       
,freedom on the heights1      ,the      
thunders breaking at her feet1          
,above her shook the starry lights2     
,she heard the torrents meet4      ,then
 stepped she down thro' town and field  
,to mingle with the human race1         
,and part by part to men revealed       
,the fullness of her face--      ,her   
open eyes desire the truth1      ,the   
wisdom of a thousand years      ,is in  
them4   ,may perpetual youth      ,keep 
dry their light from tears2      ,that  
her fair form may stand and shine3      
,make bright our days and light our     

dreams1      ,tuning to scorn with lips 
divine      ,the falsehood of extremes6 
,,the ,,romance ,,of ,,farm ,,life      
#a4 ,ingersoll as a ,farmer  ,when ,i   
was a farmer they used to haul wheat two
 hundred miles in wagons and sell it for
 thirty-five cents a bushel4 ,they would
 bring home about three hundred feet of 
lumber1 two bunches of shingles1 a      
barrel of salt1 and a cook-stove that   
never would draw and never did bake4    
,in those blessed days the people lived 
on corn and bacon4 ,cooking was an      
unknown art4 ,eating was a necessity1   
not a pleasure4 ,it was hard work for   
the cook to keep on good terms even with
 hunger4 ,we had poor houses4 ,the rain 
held the roofs in perfect contempt1 and 
the snow drifted joyfully on the floors 
and beds4 ,they had no barns4 ,the      
horses were kept in rail pens surrounded
 with straw4 ,long before spring the    
sides would be eaten away and nothing   
but roofs would be left4 ,food is fuel4 
,when the cattle were exposed to all the

 blasts of winter1 it took all the corn 
and oats that could be stuffed into them
 to prevent actual starvation4 ,in those
 times farmers thought the best place   
for the pig-pen was immediately in front
 of the house4 ,there is nothing like   
sociability4 ,women were supposed to    
know the art of making fires without    
fuel4 ,the wood-pile consisted1 as a    
general thing1 of one log1 upon which an
 axe or two had been worn out in vain4  
,there was nothing to kindle a fire     
with4 ,pickets were pulled from the     
garden fence1 clap-boards taken from the
 house1 and every stray plank was seized
 upon for kindling4 ,everything was done
 in the hardest way4 ,everything about  
the farm was disagreeable4     #b4 ,the 
,happy ,life of the ,farm  ,there is a  
quiet about the life of a farmer1 and   
the hope of a serene old age1 that no   
other business or profession can        
promise4 ,a professional man is doomed  
some time to find that his powers are   
wanting4 ,he is doomed to see younger   

and stronger men pass him in the race of
 life4 ,he looks forward to an old age  
of intellectual mediocrity4 ,he will be 
last where once he was the first4 ,but  
the farmer goes as it were into         
partnership1 with nature--he lives with 
trees and flowers--he breathes the sweet
 air of the fields4 ,there is no        
constant and frightful strain upon his  
mind4 ,his nights are filled with sleep 
and rest4 ,he watches his flocks and    
herds as they feed upon the green and   
sunny slopes4 ,he hears the pleasant    
rain falling upon the waving corn1 and  
the trees he planted in youth rustle    
above him as he plants others for the   
children yet to be4     #c4 ,the        
,ambitious ,farmer's ,boy  ,nearly every
 farmer's boy took an oath that he would
 never cultivate the soil4 ,the moment  
they arrived at the age of twenty-one   
they left the desolate and dreary farms 
and rushed to the towns and cities4     
,they wanted to be book-keepers1        
doctors1 merchants1 railroad men1       

insurance agents1 lawyers1 even         
preachers1 anything to avoid the        
drudgery of the farm4 ,nearly every boy 
acquainted with the three ,r's--reading1
 writing and arithmetic--imagined that  
he had altogether more education than   
ought to be wasted in raising potatoes  
and corn4 ,they made haste to get into  
some other business4 ,those who stayed  
upon the farm envied those who went     
away4     #d4 ,never ,be ,afraid of     
,work6  ,there are hundreds of graduates
 of ,yale and ,harvard and other        
colleges who are agents of sewing       
machines1 solicitors for insurance1     
clerks and copyists1 in short1          
performing a hundred varieties of menial
 service4 ,they seem willing to do      
anything that is not regarded as        
work--anything that can be done in a    
town1 in the house1 in an office1 but   
they avoid farming as they would        
leprosy4 ,nearly every young man        
educated in this way is simply ruined4  
,boys and girls should be educated to   

help themselves2 they should be taught  
that it is disgraceful to be seen idle1 
and dishonorable to be useless4     #e4 
,happiness the ,object of ,life         
,remember1 ,i pray you1 that you are in 
partnership with all labor--that you    
should join hands with all the sons and 
daughters of toil1 and that all who work
 belong to the same noble family4       
,happiness should be the object of life1
 and if life on the farm can be made    
really happy1 the children will grow up 
in love with the meadows1 the streams1  
the woods and the old home4 ,around the 
farm will cling and cluster the happy   
memories of the delight-ful years4      
#f4 ,the ,sunset of the ,farmer's ,life 
,for my part1 ,i envy the man who has   
lived on the same broad acres from his  
boyhood1 who cultivates the fields where
 in youth he played1 and lives where his
 father lived and died4 ,i can imagine  
no sweeter way to end one's life than in
 the quiet of the country1 out of the   
mad race for money1 place and power--far

 from the demands of business--out of   
the dusty highway where fools struggle  
and strive for the hoi ow praise of     
other fools4 ,surrounded by these       
pleasant fields and faithful friends1 by
 those ,i have loved1 ,i hope to end my 
days4     #g4 ,farmers1 ,protect        
,yourselves6  ,the farmers should vote  
only for such men as are able and       
willing to guard and advance the        
interests of labor4 ,we should know     
better than to vote for men who will    
deliberately put a tariff of three      
dollars a thousand upon ,canada lumber1 
when every farmer in the ,states is a   
purchaser of lumber4 ,people who live   
upon the prairies ought to vote for     
cheap lumber4 ,we should protect        
ourselves4 ,we ought to have            
intelligence enough to know what we want
 and how to get it4 ,the real laboring  
men of this country can succeed if they 
are united4 ,by laboring men1 ,i do not 
mean only the farmers4 ,i mean all who  
contribute in some way to the general   

welfare4     #h4 ,roast the ,beef1 ,not 
the ,cook4  ,farmers should live like   
princes4 ,eat the best things you raise 
and sell the rest4 ,have good things to 
cook and good things to cook with4 ,of  
all people in our country1 you should   
live the best4 ,throw your miserable    
little stoves out of the window4 ,get   
ranges1 and have them so built that your
 wife need not burn her face off to get 
you a breakfast4 ,do not make her cook  
in a kitchen hot as the orthodox        
perdition4 ,the beef1 not the cook1     
should be roasted4 ,it is just as easy  
to have things convenient and right as  
to have them any other way4     #i4     
,cultivated ,farmers4  ,there is no     
reason why farmers should not be the    
kindest and most cultivated of men4     
,there is nothing in plowing the fields 
to make men cross1 cruel and crabbed4   
,to look upon the sunny slopes covered  
with daisies does not tend to make men  
unjust4 ,whoever labors for the         
happiness of those he loves1 elevates   

himself1 no matter whether he works in  
the dreary shop or the perfumed field4  
#aj4 ,the ,wages of ,slovenly ,farming4 
,nothing was kept in order4 ,nothing was
 preserved4 ,the wagons stood in the sun
 and rain1 and the plows rusted in the  
fields4 ,there was no leisure1 no       
feeling that the work was done4 ,it was 
all labor and weariness and vexation of 
spirit4 ,the crops were destroyed by    
wandering herds1 or they were put in too
 late1 or too early1 or they were blown 
down1 or caught by the frost1 or        
devoured by bugs1 or stung by flies1 or 
eaten by worms1 or carried away by      
birds1 or dug up by gophers1 or washed  
away by floods1 or dried up by the sun1 
or rotted in the stack1 or heated in the
 crib1 or they all ran to vines1 or     
tops1 or straw1 or cobs4 ,and when in   
spite of all these accidents that lie in
 wait between the plow and reaper1 they 
did succeed in raising a good crop and a
 high price was offered1 then the roads 
would be impassable4 ,and when the roads

 got good1 then the prices went down4   
,everything worked together for evil4   
#aa4 ,the ,farmer's ,happy ,winter  ,i  
can imagine no condition that carries   
with it such a promise of joy as that of
 the farmer in early winter4 ,he has his
 cellar filled--he had made every       
preparation for the days of snow and    
storm--he looks forward to three months 
of ease and rest2 to three months of    
fireside content2 three months with wife
 and children2 three months of long1    
delightful evenings2 three months of    
home2 three months of solid comfort4    
#ab4 ,the ,almighty ,dollar  ,ainsworth 
,r4 ,spofford--says ,col4               
,ingersoll--gives the following facts   
about interest3 ,one dollar loaned for  
one hundred years at six per cent41 with
 the interest collected annually and    
added to the principal1 will amount to  
three hundred and forty dollars4 ,at    
eight per cent1 it amounts to two       
thousand two hundred and three dollars4 
,at three per cent1 it amounts only to  

nineteen dollars and twenty-five cents4 
,at ten per cent1 it is thirteen        
thousand eight hundred and nine dollars1
 or about seven hundred times as much4  
,at twelve per cent1 it amounts to      
eighty-four thousand and seventy-five   
dollars1 or more than four thousand     
times as much4 ,at eighteen per cent1 it
 amounts to fifteen million one hundred 
and forty-five thousand and seven       
dollars4 ,at twenty-four per cent1 it   
reaches the enormous sum of two billion1
 five hundred and fifty-one million1    
seven hundred and ninety-five thousand1 
four hundred and four dollars6 ,one     
dollar at compound interest1 at         
twenty-four per cent41 for one hundred  
years1 would produce a sum equal to our 
national debt4     #ac4 ,the ,farmer in 
,debt  ,interest eats night and day1 and
 the more it eats the hungrier it grows4
 ,the farmer in debt1 lying awake at    
night1 can1 if he listens1 hear it gnaw4
 ,if he owes nothing1 he can hear his   
corn grow4 ,get out of debt1 as soon as 

you possibly can4 ,you have supported   
idle avarice and lazy economy long      
enough4     #ad4 ,own ,your ,own ,home  
,there can be no such thing in the      
highest sense as a home unless you own  
it4 ,there must be an incentive to plant
 trees1 to beautify the grounds1 to     
preserve and improve4 ,it elevates a man
 to own a home4 ,it gives a certain     
independence1 a force of character that 
is obtained in no other way4 ,a man     
without a home feels like a passenger4  
,there is in such a man a little of the 
vagrant4 ,homes make patriots4 ,he who  
has sat by his own fireside with wife   
and children1 will defend it4 ,few men  
have been patriotic enough to shoulder a
 musket in defense of a boarding-house4 
,the prosperity and glory of our country
 depend upon the number of people who   
are the owners of homes4     #ae4 ,what 
to do with the ,idlers  ,our country is 
filled with the idle and unemployed1 and
 the great question asking for an answer
 is3 ,what shall be done with these men8

 ,what shall these men do8 ,to this     
there is but one answer3 ,they must     
cultivate the soil4 ,farming must be    
more attractive4 ,those who work the    
land must have an honest pride in their 
business4 ,they must educate their      
children to cultivate the soil4     #af4
 ,farm-,life ,lonely  ,i say again1 if  
you want more men and women on the      
farms1 something must be done to make   
farm-life pleasant4 ,one great          
difficulty is that the farm is lonely4  
,people write about the pleasures of    
solitude1 but they are found only in    
books4 ,he who lives long alone1 becomes
 insane4     #ag4 ,the ,best ,farming   
,states  ,the farmer in the ,middle     
,states has the best soil--the greatest 
return for the least labor--more        
leisure--more time for enjoyment than   
any other farmer in the world4 ,his hard
 work ceases with autumn4 ,he has the   
long winters in which to become         
acquainted with his family--with his    
neighbors--in which to read and keep    

abreast with the advanced thought of his
 day4 ,he has the time and means of     
self-culture4 ,he has more time than the
 mechanic1 the merchant or the          
professional man4 ,if the farmer is not 
well informed it is his own fault4      
,books are cheap1 and every farmer can  
have enough to give him the outline of  
every science1 and an idea of all that  
has been accomplished by man4     #ah4  
,the ,laborers1 the ,kings and ,queens  
,the farmer has been elevated through   
science1 and he should not forget the   
debt he owes to the mechanic1 to the    
inventor1 to the thinker4 ,he should    
remember that all laborers belong to the
 same grand family--that they are the   
real kings and queens1 the only true    
nobility4     ,,home ,,and ,,children   
#ai4 ,the ,family the ,only ,heaven in  
this ,world  ,don't make that poor girl 
play ten years on a piano when she has  
no ear for music1 and when she has      
practiced until she can play ,bonaparte 
,crossing the ,alps1 you can't tell     

after she has played it whether         
,bonaparte ever got across or not4 ,men 
are oaks1 women are vines1 children are 
flowers1 and if there is any ,heaven in 
this world it is in the family4 ,it is  
where the wife loves the husband1 and   
the husband loves the wife1 and where   
the dimpled arms of children are about  
the necks of both4     #bj4 ,the        
,far-,seeing ,eyes of ,children4  ,i    
want to tell you this1 you cannot get   
the robe of hypocrisy on you so thick   
that the sharp eye of childhood will not
 see through every veil4     #ba4 ,love 
and ,freedom in a ,cabin  ,i would      
rather go to the forest far away and    
build me a little cabin--build it myself
 and daub it with mud1 and live there   
with my wife aud family--and have a     
little path that led down to the spring1
 where the water bubbled out day and    
night1 like a little poem from the heart
 of the earth2 a little hut with some   
hollyhocks at the corner1 with their    
bannered bosoms open to the sun1 and    

with the thrush in the air1 like a song 
of joy in the morning2 ,i would rather  
live there and have some lattice work   
across the window1 so that the sunlight 
would fall checkered on the baby in the 
cradle2 ,i would rather live there and  
have my soul erect and free1 than to    
live in a palace of gold and wear the   
crown of imperial power and know that my
 soul was slimy with hypocrisy4     #bb4
 ,the ,turnpike ,road of ,happiness     
,whoever marries simply for himself will
 make a mistake2 but whoever loves a    
woman so well that he says1 ,i will make
 her happy1 makes no mistake2 and so    
with the woman who says1 ,i will make   
him happy4 ,there is only one way to be 
happy1 and that is to make somebody else
 so1 and you can't be happy cross-lots2 
you have got to go the regular turnpike 
road4     #bc4 ,love ,paying ,ten ,per  
,cent  ,i tell you to-night there is on 
the average more love in the homes of   
the poor than in the palaces of the     
rich2 and the meanest hut with love in  

it is fit for the gods1 and a palace    
without love is a den only fit for wild 
beasts4 ,that's my doctrine6 ,you can't 
be so poor but that you can help        
somebody4 ,good nature is the cheapest  
commodity in the world2 and love is the 
only thing that will pay ten per cent1  
to borrower and lender both4 ,don't tell
 me that you have got to be rich6 ,we   
have all a false standard of greatness  
in the ,united ,states4 ,we think here  
that a man to be great must be          
notorious2 he must be extremely wealthy 
or his name must be between the lips of 
rumor4 ,it is all nonsense6 ,it is not  
necessary to be rich to be great1 or to 
be powerful to be happy2 and the happy  
man is the successful man4 ,happiness is
 the legal-tender of the soul4 ,joy is  
wealth4     #bd4 ,a ,word to the        
,cross-,grained  ,a cross man ,i hate   
above all things4 ,what right has he to 
murder the sunshine of the day8 ,what   
right has he to assassinate the joy of  
life8 ,when you go home you ought to    

feel the light there is in the house2 if
 it is in the night it will burst out of
 the doors and windows and illuminate   
the darkness4 ,it is just as well to go 
home a ray of sunshine as an old1 sour1 
cross curmudgeon1 who thinks he is the  
head of the family4 ,wise men think     
their mighty brains have been in a      
turmoil2 they have been thinking about  
who will be alderman from the ,fifth    
ward2 they have been thinking about     
politics2 great and mighty questions    
have been engaging their minds2 they    
have bought calico at eight cents or    
six1 and want to sell it for seven4     
,think of the intellectual strain that  
must have been upon a man1 and when he  
gets home everybody else in the house   
must look out for his comfort4 ,head of 
the house1 indeed6 ,i don't like him a  
bit6     #be4 ,oh6 ,daughters and ,wives
 be ,beautiful  ,i am a believer in     
fashion4 ,it is the duty of every woman 
to make herself as beautiful and        
attractive as she possibly can4         

,handsome is as handsome does1 but she  
is much handsomer if well dressed4      
,every man should look his very best4 ,i
 am a believer in good clothes4 ,the    
time never ought to come in this country
 when you can tell a farmer's daughter  
simply by the garments she wears4 ,i say
 to every girl and woman1 no matter what
 the material of your dress may be1 no  
matter how cheap and coarse it is1 cut  
it and make it in the fashion4 ,i       
believe in jewelry4 ,some people look   
upon it as barbaric1 but in my judgment1
 wearing jewelry is the first evidence  
the barbarian gives of a wish to be     
civilized4 ,to adorn ourselves seems to 
be a part of our nature1 and this       
desire1 seems to be everywhere and in   
everything4 ,i have sometimes thought   
that the desire for beauty covers the   
earth with flowers4 ,it is this desire  
that paints the wings of moths1 tints   
the chamber of the shell1 and gives the 
bird its plumage and its song4 ,oh6     
daughters and wives if you would be     

loved1 adorn yourselves--if you would be
 adorned1 be beautiful6     #bf4 ,a     
,wholesome ,word to the ,stingy  ,i     
despise a stingy man4 ,i don't see how  
it is possible for a man to die worth   
fifty millions of dollars or ten        
millions of dollars1 in a city full of  
want1 when he meets almost every day the
 withered hand of beggary and the white 
lips of famine4 ,how a man can withstand
 all that1 and hold in the clutch of his
 greed twenty or thirty millions of     
dollars1 is past my comprehension4 ,i do
 not see how he can do it4 ,i should not
 think he could do it any more than he  
could keep a pile of lumber where       
hundreds and thousands of men were      
drowning in the sea4 ,i should not think
 he could do it4 ,do you know ,i have   
known men who would trust their wives   
with their hearts and their honor1 but  
not with their pocketbook2 not with a   
dollar4 ,when ,i see a man of that kind 
,i always think he knows which of these 
articles is the most valuable4     #bg4 

,the ,boss of the ,family  ,if you are  
the grand emperor of the world1 you had 
better be the grand emperor of one      
loving and tender heart1 and she the    
grand empress of yours4 ,the man who has
 really won the love of one good woman  
in this world1 ,i do not care if he dies
 a beggar1 his life has been a success4 
,i tell you it is an infamous word and  
an infamous feeling--a man who is boss1 
who is going to govern in his family2   
and when he speaks let all the rest of  
them be still2 some mighty idea is about
 to be launched from his mouth4 ,do you 
know ,i dislike this man8     #bh4 ,be  
,honor ,bright6  ,a good way to make    
children tell the truth is to tell it   
yourself4 ,keep your word with your     
child the same as you would with your   
banker4 ,be perfectly honor bright with 
your children1 and they will be your    
friends when you are old4     #bi4 ,the 
,opera at the ,table  ,i like to hear   
children at the table telling what big  
things they have seen during the day2 ,i

 like to hear their merry voices        
mingling with the clatter of knives and 
forks4 ,i had rather hear that than any 
opera that was ever put upon the stage4 
,i hate this idea of authority4     #cj4
 ,a ,child's laugh sweeter than         
,apollo's lyre  ,i said1 and ,i say     
again1 no day can be so sacred but that 
the laugh of a child will make the      
holiest day more sacred still4 ,strike  
with hand of fire1 oh1 weird musician1  
thy harp1 strung with ,apollo's golden  
hair2 fill the vast cathedral aisles    
with symphonies sweet and dim1 deft     
toucher of the organ keys2 blow1 bugler1
 blow1 until thy silver notes do touch  
the skies1 with moonlit waves1 and charm
 the lovers wandering on the vine-clad  
hills3 but know1 your sweetest strains  
are discords all1 compared with         
childhood's happy laugh1 the laugh that 
fills the eyes with light and every     
heart with joy2 oh1 rippling river of   
life1 thou art the blessed boundary-line
 between the beasts and man1 and every  

wayward wave of thine doth drown some   
fiend of care2 oh1 laughter1 divine     
daughter of joy1 make dimples enough in 
the cheeks of the world to catch and    
hold and glorify all the tears of grief4
     #ca4 ,don't ,wake the ,children    
,let your children sleep4 ,do not drag  
them from their beds in the darkness of 
night4 ,do not compel them to associate 
all that is tiresome1 irksome and       
dreadful with cultivating the soil4     
,treat your children with infinite      
kindness--treat them as equals4 ,there  
is no happiness in a home not filled    
with love4 ,when the husband hates his  
wife--where the wife hates the husband2 
where the children hate their parents   
and each other--there is a hell upon    
earth4     #cb4 ,how to ,deal with      
,children  ,some ,christians act as     
though they thought when the ,lord said1
 ,suffer little children to come unto   
me1 that he had a rawhide under his     
mantle--they act as if they thought so4 
,that is all wrong4 ,i tell my children 

this3 ,go where you may1 commit what    
crime you may1 fall to what depths of   
degradation you may1 ,i can never shut  
my arms1 my heart or my door to you4 ,as
 long as ,i live you shall have one     
sincere friend2 do not be afraid to tell
 anything wrong you have done2 ten to   
one if ,i have not done the same thing4 
,i am not perfection1 and if it is      
necessary to sin in order to have       
sympathy1 ,i am glad ,i have committed  
sin enough to have sympathy4 ,the       
sterness of perfection ,i do not want4  
,i am going to live so that my children 
can come to my grave and truthfully say1
 ,he who sleeps here never gave us one  
moment of pain4 ,whether you call that  
religion or infidelity1 suit yourselves2
 that is the way ,i intend to do it4    
#cc4 ,give a ,child a ,chance  ,do not  
create a child to be a post set in an   
orthodox row2 raise investigators and   
thinkers1 not disciples and followers2  
cultivate reason1 not faith2 cultivate  
investigation1 not superstition2 and if 

you have any doubt yourself about a     
thing being so1 tell them about it2     
don't tell them the world was made in   
six days--if you think six days means   
six good whiles1 tell them six good     
whiles4 ,if you have any doubts about   
anybody being in a furnace and not being
 burnt1 or even getting uncomfortably   
warm1 tell them so--be honest about it4 
,if you look upon the jaw-bone of a     
donkey as not a good weapon1 say so4    
,give a child a chance4 ,if you think a 
man never went to sea in a fish1 tell   
them so1 it won't make them any worse4  
,be honest--that's all2 don't cram their
 heads with things that will take them  
years to unlearn2 tell them facts--it is
 just as easy4 ,it is as easy to find   
out botany1 and astronomy1 and geology1 
and history--it is as easy to find out  
all these things as to cram their minds 
with things you know nothing about4     
#cd4 ,the ,greatest ,liars in ,michigan 
,i was over in ,michigan the other day4 
,there was a boy over there at ,grand   

,rapids about five or six years old1 a  
nice1 smart boy1 as you will see from   
the remark he made--what you might call 
a nineteenth century boy4 ,his father   
and mother had promised to take him out 
riding for about three weeks1 and they  
would slip off and go without him4      
,well1 after a while that got kind of   
played out with the little boy1 and the 
day before ,i was there they played the 
trick on him again4 ,they went out and  
got the carriage1 and went away1 and as 
they rode away from the front of the    
house1 he happened to be standing there 
with his nurse1 and he saw them4 ,the   
whole thing flashed on him in a moment4 
,he took in the situation1 and turned to
 his nurse and said1 pointing to his    
father and mother3 ,there go the two    
biggest liars in the ,state of          
,michigan6 ,when you go home fill the   
house with joy1 so that the light of it 
will stream out the windows and doors1  
and illuminate even the darkness4 ,it is
 just as easy that way as any in the    

world4     #ce4 ,forgive the ,children6 
,when your child confesses to you that  
it has com mitted a fault1 take the     
child in your arms1 and let it feel your
 heart beat against its heart1 and raise
 your children in the sunlight of love1 
and they will be sunbeams to you along  
the pathway of life4 ,abolish the club  
and the whip from the house1 because1 if
 the civilized use a whip1 the ignorant 
and the brutal will use a club1 and they
 will use it because you use the whip4  
#cf4 ,a ,solemn ,satire on ,whipping    
,children  ,if there is one of you here 
that ever expect to whip your child     
again1 let me ask you something4 ,have  
your photograph taken at the time1 and  
let it show your face red with vulgar   
anger1 and the face of the little one   
with eyes swimming in tears4 ,if that   
little child should die ,i cannot think 
of a sweeter way to spend an ,autumn    
afternoon than to take that photograph  
and go to the cemetery1 where the maples
 are clad in tender gold1 and when      

little scarlet runners are coming1 like 
poems of regret1 from the sad heart of  
the earth2 and sit down upon that mound1
 ,i look upon that photograph1 and think
 of the flesh1 made dust1 that you beat4
 ,just think of it4 ,i could not bear to
 die in the arms of a child that ,i had 
whipped4 ,i could not bear to feel upon 
my lips1 when they were withering       
beneath the touch of death1 the kiss of 
one that ,i had struck4     #cg4 ,the   
,whips and ,gods are ,gone6  ,children  
are better treated than they used to be2
 the old whips and gods are out of the  
schools1 and they are governing children
 by love and sense4 ,the world is       
getting better2 it is getting better in 
,maine4 ,it has got better in ,maine1 in
 ,vermont4 ,it is getting better in     
every ,state of the ,north4             
,,individuality     #ch4 ,absolute      
,independence of the ,individual  ,what 
we want to-day is what our fathers      
wrote4 ,they did not attain to their    
ideal2 we approach it nearer1 but have  

not yet reached it4 ,we want1 not only  
the independence of a state1 not only   
the independence of a nation1 but       
something far more glorious--the        
absolute independence of the individual4
 ,that is what we want4 ,i want it so   
that ,i1 one of the children of ,nature1
 can stand on an equality with the rest2
 that ,i can say this is my air1 my     
sunshine1 my earth1 and ,i have a right 
to live1 and hope1 and aspire1 and      
labor1 and enjoy the fruit of that      
labor1 as much as any individual1 or any
 nation on the face of the globe4       
#ci4 ,saved by ,disobedience  ,i tell   
you there is something splendid in man  
that will not always mind4 ,why1 if we  
had done as the kings told us five      
hundred years ago1 we would all have    
been slaves4 ,if we had done as the     
priests told us1 we would all have been 
idiots4 ,if we had done as the doctors  
told us1 we would all have been dead4   
,we have been saved by disobedience4 ,we
 have been saved by that splendid thing 

called independence1 and ,i want to see 
more of it1 day after day1 and ,i want  
to see children raised so they will have
 it4 ,that is my doctrine4     #dj4     
,intellectual ,tyranny  ,nothing can be 
more infamous than intellectual tyranny4
 ,to put chains upon the body is as     
nothing compared with putting shackles  
on the brain4 ,no god is entitled to the
 worship or the respect of man who does 
not give1 even to the meanest of his    
children1 every right that he claims for
 himself4     #da4 ,say ,what ,you      
,think  ,i do not believe that the      
tendency is to make men and women brave 
and glorious when you tell them that    
there are certain ideas upon certain    
subjects that they must never express2  
that they must go through life with a   
pretense as a shield2 that their        
neighbors will think much more of them  
if they will only keep still2 and that  
above all is a ,god who despises one who
 honestly expresses what he believes4   
,for my part1 ,i believe men will be    

nearer honest in business1 in politics1 
grander in art--in everything that is   
good and grand and beautiful1 if they   
are taught from the cradle to the coffin
 to tell their honest opinions4     #db4
 ,i ,want to ,put ,out the ,fires of    
,hell  ,some people tell me that ,i take
 away the hope of immortality4 ,i do    
not4 ,leave heaven as it was6 ,i want to
 put out the fires of hell4 ,i want to  
transfer the war from this earth to     
heaven4 ,some tell me ,jehovah is ,god1 
and another says ,ali is ,god1 and      
another that ,brahma is ,god4 ,i say1   
let ,jehovah1 and ,ali1 and ,brahma     
fight it out4 ,let them fight it out    
there1 and whoever is victor1 to that   
,god ,i will bow4     #dc4 ,the         
,puritans  ,when the ,puritans first    
came they were narrow4 ,they did not    
understand what liberty meant--what     
religious liberty1 what political       
liberty1 was2 but they found out in a   
few years4 ,there was one feeling among 
them that rises to their eternal honor  

like a white shaft to the clouds--they  
were in favor of universal education4   
,wherever they went they built school   
houses1 introduced books1 and ideas of  
literature4 ,they believed that every   
man should know how to read and how to  
write1 and should find out all that his 
capacity allowed him to comprehend4     
,that is the glory of the ,puritan      
fathers4     #dd4 ,a ,star in the ,sky  
of ,despair  ,every ,christian1 every   
philanthropist1 every believer in human 
liberty1 should feel under obligation to
 ,thomas ,paine for the splendid service
 rendered by him in the darkest days of 
the ,american ,revolution4 ,in the      
midnight of ,valley ,forge1 ,the ,crisis
 was the first star that glittered in   
the wide horizon of despair4 ,every good
 man should remember with gratitude the 
brave words spoken by ,thomas ,paine in 
the ,french ,convention against the     
death of ,louis4 ,he said3 ,we will kill
 the king1 but not the man4 ,we will    
destroy monarchy1 not monarch4     #de4 

,do not ,shock the ,heathen6  ,you send 
missionaries to ,turkey1 and tell them  
that the ,koran is a lie4 ,you shock    
them4 ,you tell them that ,mahomet was  
not a prophet4 ,you shock them4 ,it is  
too bad to shock them4 ,you go to       
,india1 and you tell them that ,vishnu  
was nothing1 that ,purana was nothing1  
that ,buddha was nobody1 and your       
,brahma1 he is nothing4 ,why do you     
shock these people8 ,you should not do  
that2 you ought not to hurt their       
feelings4 ,i tell you no man on earth   
has a right to be shocked at the        
expression of an honest opinion when it 
is kindly done1 and ,i don't believe    
there is any ,god in the universe who   
has put a curtain over the fact and made
 it a crime for the honest hand of      
investigation to endeavor to draw that  
curtain4     #df4 ,i will ,settle with  
,god ,myself  ,they say to me1 ,god will
 punish you forever1 if you do these    
things4 ,very well4 ,i will settle with 
him4 ,i had rather settle with him than 

any one of his agents4 ,i do not like   
them very well4 ,in theology ,i am a    
granger--,i do not believe in middlemen4
 ,what little business ,i have with     
,heaven ,i will attend to myself4       
#dg4 ,i ,claim my ,right to ,guess  ,i  
claim1 standing under the flag of       
nature1 under the blue and the stars1   
that ,i am the peer of any other man1   
and have the right to think and express 
my thoughts4 ,i claim that in the       
presence of the ,unknown1 and upon a    
subject that nobody knows anything      
about1 and never did1 ,i have as good a 
right to guess as anybody else4     #dh4
 ,the ,brain a ,castle  ,surely it is   
worth something to feel that there are  
no priests1 no popes1 no parties1 no    
governments1 no kings1 no gods1 to whom 
your intellect can be compelled to pay  
reluctant homage4 ,surely it is a joy to
 know that all the cruel ingenuity of   
bigotry can devise no prison1 no        
dungeon1 no cell in which for one       
instant to confine a thought2 that ideas

 cannot be dislocated by racks1 nor     
crushed in iron boots1 nor burned with  
fire4 ,surely it is sublime to think    
that the brain is a castle1 and that    
within its curious bastions and winding 
halls the soul1 in spite of all words   
and all beings1 is the supreme sovereign
 of itself4     #di4 ,i am ,something   
,the universe is all there is1 or was1  
or will be4 ,it is both subject and     
object2 contemplator and contemplated2  
creator and created2 destroyer and      
destroyed2 preserver and preserved2 and 
hath within itself all causes1 modes1   
motions1 and effects4 ,in this there is 
hope4 ,this is a foundation and a star4 
,the infinite embraces all there is4    
,without the all1 the infinite cannot   
be4 ,i am something4 ,without me the    
universe cannot exist4     #ej4 ,every  
,man a ,bight to ,think  ,now we have   
come to the conclusion that every man   
has a right to think4 ,would ,god give a
 bird wings and make it a crime to fly8 
,would he give me brains and make it a  

crime to think8 ,any ,god that would    
damn one of his children for the        
expression of his honest thought        
wouldn't make a decent thief4 ,when ,i  
read a book and don't believe it1 ,i    
ought to say so4 ,i will do so and take 
the consequence like a man4     #ea4    
,too ,early to ,write a ,creed  ,these  
are the excuses ,i have for my race1 and
 taking everything into consideration1  
,i think we have done extremely well4   
,let us have more liberty and free      
thought4 ,free thought will give us     
truth4 ,it is too early in the history  
of the world to write a creed4 ,our     
fathers were intellectual slaves2 our   
fathers were intellectual serfs4 ,there 
never has been a free generation on the 
globe4 ,every creed you have got bears  
the mark of whip1 and chain1 and fagot4 
,there has been no creed written by a   
free brain4 ,wait until we have had two 
or three generations of liberty and it  
will then be time enough to seize the   
swift horse of progress by the bridle   

and say--thus far and no farther2 and in
 the meantime let us be kind to each    
other2 let us be decent towards each    
other4 ,we are all travelers on the     
great plain we call life1 and there is  
nobody quite sure what road to take--not
 just dead sure1 you know4 ,there are   
lots of guide-boards on the plain and   
you find thousands of people swearing   
to-day that their guide-board is the    
only board that shows the right         
direction4 ,i go and talk to them and   
they say3 ,you go that way1 or you will 
be damned4 ,i go to another and they    
say3 ,you go this way1 or you will be   
damned4     #eb4 ,every ,mind ,true to  
,itself  ,in my judgment1 every human   
being should take a road of his own4    
,every mind should be true to           
itself--should think1 investigate and   
conclude for itself4 ,this is a duty    
alike incumbent upon pauper and prince4 
,,progress     #ec4 ,the ,torch of      
,progress4  ,in every age some men      
carried the torch of progress and handed

 it to some other1 and it has been      
carried through all the dark ages of    
barbarism1 and had it not been for such 
men we would have been naked and        
uncivilized to-night1 with pictures of  
wild beasts tattooed on our skins1      
dancing around some dried snake fetish4 
#ed4 ,gold makes a ,barren ,landscape   
,only a few days ago ,i was where they  
wrench the precious metals from the     
miserly clutch of the rocks4 ,when ,i   
saw the mountains2 treeless1 shrubless1 
flowerless1 without even a spire of     
grass1 it seemed to me that gold had the
 same effect upon the country that holds
 it1 as upon the man who lives and      
labors only for it4 ,it affects the land
 as it does the man4 ,it leaves the     
heart barren without a flower of        
kindness--without a blossom of pity4    
#ee4 ,a ,grand ,achievement  ,there is  
nothing grander than to rescue from the 
leprosy of slander the reputation of a  
great and generous name4 ,there is      
nothing nobler than to benefit our      

benefactors4     #ef4 ,the ,divorce of  
,church and ,state  ,the ,constitution  
of the ,united ,states was the first    
decree entered in the high court of a   
nation1 forever divorcing ,church and   
,state4     #eg4 ,professors  ,instead  
of dismissing professors for finding    
something out1 let us rather discharge  
those who do not4 ,let each teacher     
understand that investigation is not    
dangerous for him2 that his bread is    
safe1 no matter how much truth he may   
discover1 and that his salary will not  
be reduced1 simply because he finds that
 the ancient ,jews did not know the     
entire history of the world4     #eh4   
,developement  ,i thought after all ,i  
had rather belong to a race of people   
that came from skulless vertebrae in the
 dim ,laurentian period1 that wiggled   
without knowing they were wiggling1 that
 began to develope and came up by a     
gradual developement until they struck  
this gentleman in the dugout coming up  
slowly--up--up--up--until1 for instance1

 they produced such a man as            
,shakespeare--he who harvested all the  
fields of dramatic thought1 and after   
whom all others have been only gleaners 
of straw1 he who found the human        
intellect dwelling in a hut1 touched it 
with the wand of his genius and it      
became a palace--producing him and      
hundreds of others ,i might             
mention--with the angels of progress    
leaning over the far horizon beckoning  
this race of work and thought--,i had   
rather belong to a race commencing at   
the skulless vertebrae producing the    
gentleman in the dugout and so on up1   
than to have descended from a perfect   
pair1 upon which the ,lord has lost     
money from that day to this4 ,i had     
rather belong to a race that is going up
 than to one that is going down4 ,i     
would rather belong to one that         
commenced at the skulless vertebrae and 
started for perfection1 than to belong  
to one that started from perfection and 
started for the skulless vertebrae4     

#ei4 ,poet's ,dream  ,when every church 
becomes a school1 every cathedral a     
university1 every clergyman a teacher1  
and all their hearers brave and honest  
thinkers1 then1 and not until then1 will
 the dream of poet1 patriot1            
philanthropist and philosopher1 become a
 real and blessed truth4     #fj4 ,the  
,temple of the ,future  ,we are laying  
the foundations of the grand temple of  
the future--not the temple of all the   
gods1 but of all the people--wherein1   
with appropriate rites1 will be         
celebrated the religion of ,humanity4   
,we are doing what little we can to     
hasten the coming of the day when       
society shall cease producing           
millionaires and mendicants--gorged     
indolence and famished industry--truth  
in rags1 and superstition robed and     
crowned4 ,we are looking for the time   
when the useful shall be the honorable2 
and when ,reason1 throned upon the      
world's brain1 shall be the ,king of    
,kings1 and ,god of ,gods4     #fa4 ,the

 final ,goal  ,we do not expect to      
accomplish everything in our day2 but we
 want to do what good we can1 and to    
render all the service possible in the  
holy cause of human progress4 ,we know  
that doing away with gods and           
supernatural persons and powers is not  
an end4 ,it is a means to the end2 the  
real end being the happiness of man4    
#fb4 ,the ,eighteenth ,century  ,at that
 time the seeds sown by the great       
,infidels were beginning to bear fruit  
in ,france4 ,the people were beginning  
to think4 ,the ,eighteenth ,century was 
crowning its gray hairs with the wreath 
of ,progress4 ,on every hand ,science   
was bearing testimony against the       
,church4 ,voltaire had filled ,europe   
with light2 ,d',holbach was giving to   
the elite of ,paris the principles      
contained in his ,system of ,nature4    
,the ,encyclopedists had attacked       
superstition with information for the   
masses4 ,the foundation of things began 
to be examined4 ,a few had the courage  

to keep their shoes on and let the bush 
burn4 ,miracles began to get scarce4    
,everywhere the people began to inquire4
 ,america had set an example to the     
world4 ,the word ,liberty was in the    
mouths of men1 and they began to wipe   
the dust from their knees4 ,the dawn of 
a new day had appeared4     ,,political 
,,questions     #fc4                    
,liberty--,fraternity--,equality6  ,all 
who stand beneath our banner are free4  
,ours is the only flag that has in      
reality written upon it3 ,liberty1      
,fraternity1 ,equality--the three       
grandest words in all the languages of  
men4 ,liberty3 ,give to every man the   
fruit of his own labor--the labor of his
 hand and of his brain4 ,fraternity3    
,every man in the right is my brother4  
,equality3 ,the rights of all are equal4
 ,no race1 no color1 no previous        
condition1 can change the rights of men4
 ,the ,declaration of ,independence has 
at last been carried out in letter and  
in spirit4 ,to-day the black man looks  

upon his child and says3 ,the avenues of
 distinction are open to you--upon your 
brow may fall the civic wreath4 ,we are 
celebrating the courage and wisdom of   
our fathers1 and the glad shout of a    
free people1 the anthem of a grand      
nation1 commencing at the ,atlantic1 is 
following the sun to the ,pacific1      
across a continent of happy homes4      
#fd4 ,liberty6  ,is it nothing to free  
the mind8 ,is it nothing to civilize    
mankind8 ,is it nothing to fill the     
world with light1 with discovery1 with  
science8 ,is it nothing to dignify man  
and exalt the intellect8 ,is it nothing 
to grope your way into the dreary       
prisons1 the damp and dropping dungeons1
 the dark and silent cells of           
superstition1 where the souls of men are
 chained to floors of stone8 ,is it     
nothing to conduct these souls gradually
 into the blessed light of day1--to let 
them see again the happy fields1 the    
sweet1 green earth1 and hear the        
everlasting music of the waves8 ,is it  

nothing to make men wipe the dust from  
their swollen knees1 the tears from     
their blanched and furrowed cheeks8 ,is 
it nothing to relieve the heavens of an 
insatiate monster1 and write upon the   
eternal dome1 glittering with stars1 the
 grand word--,liberty8     #fe4         
,ingersoll ,not a ,politician  ,i want  
it perfectly understood that ,i am not a
 politician4 ,i believe in liberty1 and 
,i want to see the time when every man1 
woman and child will enjoy every human  
right4     #ff4 ,civilization           
,civilization is the child of free      
thought4 ,the new world has drifted away
 from the rotten wharf of superstition4 
,the politics of this country are being 
settled by the new ideas of individual  
liberty1 and parties and churches that  
cannot accept the new truths must       
perish4     #fg4 ,cornell ,university   
,with the single exception of ,cornell1 
there is not a college in the ,united   
,states where truth has ever been a     
welcome guest4 ,the moment one of the   

teachers denies the inspiration of the  
,bible1 he is discharged4 ,if he        
discovers a fact inconsistent with that 
book1 so much the worse for the fact1   
and especially for the discoverer of the
 fact4 ,he must not corrupt the minds of
 his pupils with demonstrations4 ,he    
must beware of every truth that cannot1 
in some way1 be made to harmonize with  
the superstitions of the ,jews4 ,science
 has nothing in common with religion4   
#fh4 ,church and ,school ,divorced  ,our
 country will never be filled with great
 institutions of learning until there is
 an absolute divorce between church and 
school4 ,as long as the mutilated       
records of a barbarous people are placed
 by priest and professor above the      
reason of mankind1 we shall reap but    
little benefit from church or school4   
#fi4 ,laws ,that ,want ,repealing  ,all 
laws defining and punishing             
blasphemy--making it a crime to give    
your honest ideas about the ,bible1 or  
to laugh at the ignorance of the ancient

 ,jews1 or to enjoy yourself on the     
,sabbath1 or to give your opinion of    
,jehovah1 were passed by impudent       
bigots1 and should be at once repealed  
by honest men4     #gj4 ,government     
,secular  ,our government should be     
entirely and purely secular4 ,the       
religious views of a candidate should be
 kept entirely out of sight4 ,he should 
not be compelled to give his opinion as 
to the inspiration of the bible1 the    
propriety of infant baptism1 or the     
immaculate conception4 ,all these things
 are private and personal4 ,he should be
 allowed to settle such things for      
himself4     #ga4 #ahgf6 7#aggf87  ,in  
#ahgf1 our forefathers retired ,god from
 politics4 ,they said all power comes   
from the people4 ,they kept ,god out of 
the ,constitution1 and allowed each     
,state to settle the question for       
itself4     #gb4 ,candidates ,made      
,hypocrites  ,candidates are forced to  
pretend that they are ,catholics with   
,protestant proclivities1 or ,christians

 with liberal tendencies1 or temperance 
men who now and then take a glass of    
wine1 or1 that although not members of  
any church their wives are1 and that    
they subscribe liberally to all4 ,the   
result of all this is that we reward    
hypocrisy and elect men entirely        
destitute of real principle2 and this   
will never change until the people      
become grand enough to allow each other 
to do their own thinking4     #gc4 ,the 
,church and the ,throne  ,so our fathers
 said3 ,we shall form a secular         
government1 and under the flag with     
which we are going to enrich the air1 we
 will allow every man to worship ,god as
 he thinks best4 ,they said3 ,religion  
is an individual thing between each man 
and his ,creator1 and he can worship as 
he pleases and as he desires4 ,and why  
did they do this8 ,the history of the   
world warned them that the liberty of   
man was not safe in the clutch and grasp
 of any church4 ,they had read of and   
seen the thumbscrews1 the racks and the 

dungeons of the inquisition4 ,they knew 
all about the hypocrisy of the olden    
time4 ,they knew that the church had    
stood side by side with the throne2 that
 the high priests were hypocrites1 and  
that the kings were robbers4 ,they also 
knew that if they gave to any church    
power1 it would corrupt the best church 
in the world4 ,and so they said that    
power must not reside in a church1 nor  
in a sect1 but power must be wherever   
humanity is--in the great body of the   
people4 ,and the officers and servants  
of the people must be responsible4 ,and 
so ,i say again1 as ,i said in the      
commencement1 this is the wisest1 the   
profoundest1 the bravest political      
document that ever was written and      
signed by man4     #gd4 ,the ,old ,idea 
,what was the old idea8 ,the old idea   
was that no political power came from1  
nor in any manner belonged to1 the      
people4 ,the old idea was that the      
political power came from the clouds2   
that the political power came in some   

miraculous way from heaven2 that it came
 down to kings1 and queens1 and robbers4
 ,that was the old idea4 ,the nobles    
lived upon the labor of the people2 the 
people had no rights2 the nobles stole  
what they had and divided with the      
kings1 and the kings pretended to divide
 what they stole with ,god ,almighty4   
,the source1 then1 of political power   
was from above4 ,the people were        
responsible to the nobles1 the nobles to
 the king1 and the people had no        
political rights whatever1 no more than 
the wild beasts of the forest4 ,the     
kings were responsible to ,god1 not to  
the people4 ,the kings were responsible 
to the clouds1 not to the toiling       
millions they robbed and plundered4     
#ge4 ,liberty for ,politicians  ,i would
 like also to liberate the politician4  
,at present1 the successful             
office-seeker is a good deal like the   
centre of the earth2 he weighs nothing  
himself1 but draws everything else to   
him4 ,there are so many societies1 so   

many churches1 so many isms1 that it is 
almost impossible for an independent man
 to succeed in a political career4      
#gf4 ,tax all ,church ,property  ,i am  
in favor of the taxation of all church  
property4 ,if that property belongs to  
,god1 he is able to pay the tax4 ,if we 
exempt anything1 let us exempt the home 
of the widow and orphan4 ,the church has
 to-day #fjj1jjj1jjj or #gjj1jjj1jjj of 
property in this country4 ,it must cost 
#b1jjj1jjj a week1 that is to say #ejj a
 minute to run these churches4 ,you give
 me this money and if ,i don't do more  
good with it than four times as many    
churches ,i'll resign4 ,let them make   
the churches attractive and they'll get 
more hearers4 ,they will have less empty
 pews if they have less empty heads in  
the pulpit4 ,the time will come when the
 preacher will become a teacher4        
#gg4 ,the ,source of ,power  ,the       
,declaration of ,independence announces 
the sublime truth1 that all power comes 
from the people4 ,this was a denial1 and

 the first denial of a nation1 of the   
infamous dogma that ,god confers the    
right upon one man to govern others4 ,it
 was the first grand assertion of the   
dignity of the human race4 ,it declared 
the governed to be the source of power1 
and in fact denied the authority of any 
and all gods4     #gh4 ,the ,best ,blood
 of the ,old ,word come to the ,new     
,the kings of the old world endeavored  
to parcel out this land to their        
favorites4 ,but there were too many     
,indians4 ,there was too much courage   
required for them to take and keep it1  
and so men had to come here who were    
dissatisfied with the old country--who  
were dissatisfied with ,england1        
dissatisfied with ,france1 with         
,germany1 with ,ireland and ,holland4   
,the king's favorites stayed at home4   
,men came here for liberty1 and on      
account of certain principles they      
entertained and held dearer than life4  
,and they were willing to work1 willing 
to fell the forests1 to fight the       

savages1 willing to go through all the  
hardships1 perils and dangers of a new  
country1 of a new land2 and the         
consequences was that our country was   
settled by brave and adventurous        
spirits1 by men who had opinions of     
their own1 and were willing to live in  
the wild forests for the sake of        
expressing those opinions1 even if they 
expressed them only to trees1 rocks1 and
 savage men4 ,the best blood of the old 
world came to the new4     #gi4 ,no     
,state ,church  ,happily for us1 there  
was no church strong enough to dictate  
to the rest4 ,fortunately for us1 the   
colonists not only1 but the colonies    
differed widely in their religious      
views4 ,there were the ,puritans who    
hated the ,episcopalians1 and           
,episcopalians who hated the ,catholics1
 and the ,catholics who hated both1     
while the ,quakers held them all in     
contempt4 ,there they were of every     
sort1 and color1 and kind1 and how was  
it that they came together8 ,they had a 

common aspiration4 ,they wanted to form 
a new nation4 ,more than that1 most of  
them cordially hated ,great ,britain2   
and they pledged each other to forget   
these religious prejudices1 for a time  
at least1 and agreed that there should  
be only one religion until they got     
through1 and that was the religion of   
patriotism4 ,they solemnly agreed that  
the new nation should not belong to any 
particular church1 but that it should   
secure the rights of all4     #hj4 ,the 
,enthusiasts of #aggf  ,these grand men 
were enthusiasts2 and the world has only
 been raised by enthusiasts4 ,in every  
country there have been a few who have  
given a national aspiration to the      
people4 ,the enthusiasts of #aggf were  
the builders and framers of this great  
and splendid government2 and they were  
the men who saw1 although others did    
not1 the golden fringe of the mantle of 
glory1 that will finally cover this     
world4 ,they knew1 they felt1 they      
believed they would give a new          

constellation to the political          
heavens--that they would make the       
,americans a grand people--grand as the 
continent upon which they lived4        
#ha4 ,the ,church ,must ,have no ,sword 
,our fathers founded the first secular  
government that was ever founded in this
 world4 ,recollect that4 ,the first     
secular government2 the first government
 that said every church has exactly the 
same rights and no more4 ,in other words
 our fathers were the first men who had 
the sense1 had the genius1 to know that 
no church should be allowed to have a   
sword2 that it should be allowed only to
 exert its moral influence4     #hb4 ,we
 are ,all of ,us ,kings6 ,i want the    
power where some one can use it4 ,as    
long as a man is responsible to the     
people there is no fear of despotism4   
,there's no reigning family in this     
country4 ,we are all of us ,kings4 ,we  
are the reigning family4 ,and when any  
man talks about despotism1 you may be   
sure he wants to steal or be up to      

devilment4 ,if we have any sense1 we    
have got to have localization of brain4 
,if we have any power1 we must have     
centralization4 ,we want centralization 
of the right kind4 ,the man we choose   
for our head wants the army in one hand1
 the navy in the other2 and to execute  
the supreme will of the supreme people4 
#hc4 ,honesty ,tells6  ,in the long run 
the nation that is honest1 the people   
that are industrious1 will pass the     
people that are dishonest1 the people   
that are idle2 no matter what grand     
ancestry they might have had4     #hd4  
,working for ,others4  ,to work for     
others is1 in reality1 the only way in  
which a man can work for himself4       
,selfishness is ignorance4 ,speculators 
cannot make unless somebody loses4 ,in  
the realm of speculation1 every success 
has at least one victim4 ,the harvest   
reaped by the farmer benefits all and   
injures none4 ,for him to succeed1 it is
 not necessary that some one should     
fail4 ,the same is true of all          

producers--of all laborers4     #he4    
,state ,sovereignty  ,i despise the     
doctrine of ,state sovereignty4 ,i      
believe in the rights of the ,states1   
but not in the sovereignty of the       
,states4 ,states are political          
conveniences4 ,rising above ,states as  
the ,alps above valleys are the rights  
of man4 ,rising above the rights of the 
government even in this ,nation are the 
sublime rights of the people4           
,governments are good only so long as   
they protect human rights4 ,but the     
rights of a man never should be         
sacrificed upon the altar of the ,state 
or upon the altar of the ,nation4       
#hf4 ,the ,king of ,america  ,i am not  
only in favor of free speech1 but ,i am 
also in favor of an absolutely honest   
ballot4 ,there is one king in this      
country2 there is one emperor2 there is 
one supreme czar2 and that is the       
legally expressed will of the majority  
of the people4 ,the man who casts an    
illegal vote1 the man who refuses to    

count a legal vote1 poisons the fountain
 of power1 poisons the spring of        
justice1 and is a traitor to the only   
king in this land4 ,i have always said1 
and ,i say again1 that the more liberty 
there is given away the more you have4  
,there is room in this world for us all2
 there is room enough for all of our    
thoughts2 out upon the intellectual sea 
there is room for every sail1 and in the
 intellectual air there is space for    
every wing4 ,a man that exercises a     
right that he will not give to others is
 a barbarian4 ,a ,state that does not   
allow free speech is uncivilized1 and is
 a disgrace to the ,american ,union4    
#hg4 ,years ,without ,seeing a ,dollar6 
,i have been told that during the war we
 had plenty of money4 ,i never saw it4  
,i lived years without seeing a dollar4 
,i saw promises for dollars1 but not    
dollars4 ,and the greenback1 unless you 
have the gold behind it1 is no more a   
dollar than a bill of fare is a dinner4 
,you cannot make a paper dollar without 

taking a dollar's worth of paper4 ,we   
must have paper that represents money4  
,i want it issued by the government1 and
 ,i want behind every one of these      
dollars either a gold or silver dollar1 
so that every greenback under the flag  
can lift up its hand and swear1 ,i know 
that my redeemer liveth4     #hh4 ,the  
,wail of ,dead ,nations  ,a government  
founded upon anything except liberty and
 justice cannot and ought not to stand4 
,all the wrecks on either side of the   
stream of time1 all the wrecks of the   
great cities1 and all the nations that  
have passed away--all are a warning that
 no nation founded upon injustice can   
stand4 ,from the sand-enshrouded ,egypt1
 from the marble wilderness of ,athens1 
and from every fallen1 crumbling stone  
of the once mighty ,rome1 comes a wail1 
as it were1 the cry that no nation      
founded upon injustice can permanently  
stand4     #hi4 ,what the ,republican   
,party ,did  ,i am a ,republican4 ,i    
will tell you why3 ,this is the only    

free government in the world4 ,the      
,republican party made it so4 ,the      
,republican party took the chains from  
#d1jjj1jjj of people4 ,the ,republican  
party1 with the wand of progress1       
touched the auction-block and it became 
a school-house2 ,the ,republican party  
put down the rebellion1 saved the       
nation1 kept the old banner afloat in   
the air1 and declared that slavery of   
every kind should be exterpated from the
 face of the continent4     #ij4 ,doings
 of ,democrats  ,i am opposed to the    
,democratic party1 and ,i will tell you 
why4 ,every ,state that seceded from the
 ,united ,states was a ,democratic      
,state4 ,every ordinance of secession   
that was drawn was drawn by a ,democrat4
 ,every man that endeavored to tear the 
old flag from the heaven that it        
enriches was a ,democrat4 ,every man    
that tried to destroy the nation was a  
,democrat4 ,every enemy this great      
republic has had for twenty years has   
been a ,democrat4 ,every man that shot  

,union soldiers was a ,democrat4 ,every 
man that starved ,union soldiers and    
refused them in the extremity of death1 
a crust1 was a ,democrat4 ,every man    
that loved slavery better than liberty  
was a ,democrat4 ,the man that          
assassinated ,abraham ,lincoln was a    
,democrat4 ,every man that sympathized  
with the assassin--every man glad that  
the noblest ,president ever elected was 
assassinated1 was a ,democrat4     #ia4 
,photograph of a ,democrat4  ,every man 
that wanted the privilege of whipping   
another man to make him work for him for
 nothing and pay him with lashes on his 
naked back1 was a ,democrat4 ,every man 
that raised blood-hounds to pursue human
 beings was a ,democrat4 ,every man that
 clutched from shrieking1 shuddering1   
crouching mothers1 babes from their     
breasts1 and sold them into slavery1 was
 a ,democrat4 ,every man that impaired  
the credit of the ,united ,states1 every
 man that swore we would never pay the  
bonds1 every man that swore we would    

never redeem the greenbacks1 every      
maligner of his country's credit1 every 
calumniator of his country's honor1 was 
a ,democrat4 ,every man that resisted   
the draft1 every man that hid in the    
bushes and shot at ,union men simply    
because they were endeavoring to enforce
 the laws of their country1 was a       
,democrat4 ,every man that wept over the
 corpse of slavery was a ,democrat4     
#ib4 ,i am a ,republican1 ,i ,tell ,you6
  ,the flag that will not protect its   
protectors is a dirty rag that          
contaminates the air in which it waves4 
,the government that will not defend its
 defenders is a disgrace to the nations 
of the world4 ,i am a ,republican       
because the ,republican party says1 ,we 
will protect the rights of ,american    
citizens at home1 and if necessary we   
will march an army into any ,state to   
protect the rights of the humblest      
,american citizen in that ,state4 ,i am 
a ,republican because that party allows 
me to be free--allows me to do my own   

thinking in my own way4 ,i am a         
,republican because it is a party grand 
enough and splendid enough and sublime  
enough to invite every human being in   
favor of liberty and progress to fight  
shoulder to shoulder for the advancement
 of mankind4 ,it invites the ,methodist2
 it invites the ,catholic2 it invites   
the ,presbyterian and every kind of     
sectarian2 it invites the free-thinker2 
it invites the infidel1 provided he is  
in favor of giving to every other human 
being every chance and every right that 
he claims for himself4 ,i am a          
,republican1 ,i tell you4     #ic4      
,recollect6  ,recollect it6 ,every man  
that tried to spread smallpox and yellow
 fever in the ,north1 as the            
instrumentalities of civilized war1 was 
a ,democrat4 ,soldiers1 every scar you  
have got on your heroic bodies was given
 you by a ,democrat4 ,every scar1 every 
arm that is lacking1 every limb that is 
gone1 every scar is a souvenir of a     
,democrat4 ,i want you to recollect it4 

,every man that was the enemy of human  
liberty in this country was a ,democrat4
 ,every man that wanted the fruit of all
 the heroism of all the ages to turn to 
ashes upon the lips--every one was a    
,democrat4     #id4 ,give ,every ,man a 
,chance  ,now1 my friends1 thousands of 
the ,southern people1 and thousands of  
the ,northern ,democrats1 are afraid    
that the negroes are going to pass them 
in the race for life4 ,and1 ,mr4        
,democrat1 he will do it unless you     
attend to your business4 ,the simple    
fact that you are white cannot save you 
always4 ,you have got to be industrious1
 honest1 to cultivate a justice4 ,if you
 don't the colored race will pass you1  
as sure as you live4 ,i am for giving   
every man a chance4 ,anybody that can   
pass me is welcome4     #ie4 ,who ,shall
 ,rule the ,country8  ,shall the people 
that saved this country rule it8 ,shall 
the men who saved the old flag hold it8 
,shall the men who saved the ship of    
state sail it8 or shall the rebels walk 

her quarter-deck1 give the orders and   
sink it8 ,that is the question4 ,shall a
 solid ,south1 a united ,south1 united  
by assassination and murder1 a ,south   
solidified by the shot-gun2 shall a     
united ,south1 with the aid of a divided
 ,north1 shall they control this great  
and splendid country8 ,well1 then1 the  
,north must wake up4 ,we are right back 
where we were in #ahfa4 ,this is simply 
a prolongation of the war4 ,this is the 
war of the idea1 the other was the war  
of the musket4 ,the other was the war of
 cannon1 this is the war of thought1 and
 we have got to beat them in this war of
 thought1 recollect that4 ,the question 
is1 ,shall the men who endeavored to    
destroy this country rule it8 ,shall the
 men that said1 ,this is not a nation1  
have charge of the nation8     #if4 ,the
 ,declaration of ,independence  ,the    
,declaration of ,independence is the    
grandest1 the bravest1 and the          
profoundest political document that was 
ever signed by the representatives of   

the people4 ,it is the embodiment of    
physical and moral courage and of       
political wisdom4 ,i say physical       
courage1 because it was a declaration of
 war against the most powerful nation   
then on the globe2 a declaration of war 
by thirteen weak1 unorganized colonies2 
a declaration of war by a few people1   
without military stores1 without wealth1
 without strength1 against the most     
powerful kingdom on the earth2 a        
declaration of war made when the        
,british navy1 at that day the mistress 
of every sea1 was hovering along the    
coast of ,america1 looking after        
defenseless towns and villages to ravage
 and destroy4 ,it was made when         
thousands of ,english soldiers were upon
 our soil1 and when the principal cities
 of ,america were in the substantial    
possession of the enemy4 ,and so1 ,i    
say1 all things considered1 it was the  
bravest political document ever signed  
by man4     #ig4 ,the ,world ,grows     
,brighter4  ,i have a dream that this   

world is growing better and better every
 day and every year2 that there is more 
charity1 more justice1 more love every  
day4 ,i have a dream that prisons will  
not always curse the earth2 that the    
shadow of the gallows will not always   
fall on the land2 that the withered hand
 of want will not always be stretched   
out for charity2 that finally wisdom    
will sit in the legislature1 justice in 
the courts1 charity will occupy all the 
pulpits1 and that finally the world will
 be controlled by liberty and love1 by  
justice and charity4 ,that is my dream1 
and if it does not come true1 it shall  
not be my fault4     #ih4 ,the ,column  
of ,july  ,i stood1 a little while ago1 
in the city of ,paris1 where stood the  
,bastile1 where now stands the column of
 ,july1 surmounted by the figure of     
,liberty4 ,in its right hand is a broken
 chain1 in its left hand a hammer2 upon 
its shining forehead a glittering       
star--and as ,i looked upon it ,i said1 
such is the ,republican party of my     

country4     #ii4 ,a ,nation of ,rascals
  ,samuel ,j4 ,tilden says we are a     
nation of thieves and rascals4 ,if that 
is so he ought to be ,president4 ,but ,i
 denounce him as a calumniator of my    
country2 a maligner of this nation4 ,it 
is not so4 ,this country is covered with
 asylums for the aged1 the helpless1 the
 insane1 the orphan1 the wounded        
soldiers4 ,thieves and rascals don't    
build such things4 ,in the cities of the
 ,atlantic coast this summer1 they built
 floating hospitals1 great ships1 and   
took the little children from the       
sub-cellars and narrow1 dirty streets of
 ,new ,york city1 where the ,democratic 
party is the strongest--took these poor 
waifs and put them in these great       
hospitals out at sea1 and let the       
breezes of ocean kiss the rose of health
 back to their pallid cheeks4 ,rascals  
and thieves do not do so4 ,when ,chicago
 burned1 railroads were blocked with the
 charity of the ,american people4       
,thieves and rascals did not do so4     

#ajj4 ,we are a ,great ,people  ,we are 
a great people4 ,three millions have    
increased to fifty--thirteen states to  
thirty-eight4 ,we have better homes1 and
 more of the conveniences of life than  
any other people upon the face of the   
globe4 ,the farmers of our country live 
better than did the kings and princes   
two hundred years ago--and they have    
twice as much sense and heart4 ,liberty 
and labor have given us all4 ,remember  
that all men have equal rights4         
,remember that the man who acts best his
 part--who loves his friends the        
best--is most willing to help           
others--truest to the obligation--who   
has the best heart--the most            
feeling--the deepest sympathies--and who
 freely gives to others the rights that 
he claims for himself1 is the best man4 
,we have disfranchised the aristocrats  
of the air1 and have given one country  
to mankind4     #aja4 ,mule ,equality   
,suppose there was a great horse-race   
here to-day1 free to every horse in the 

world1 and to all the mules1 and all the
 scrubs1 and all the donkeys4 ,at the   
tap of the drum they come to the line1  
and the judges say it is a go4 ,let me  
ask you1 what does the blooded horse1   
rushing ahead1 with nostrils distended1 
drinking in the breath of his own       
swiftness1 with his mane flying like a  
banner of victory1 with his veins       
standing out all over him1 as if a net  
of life had been cast around him--with  
his thin neck1 his high withers1 his    
tremulous flanks--what does he care how 
many mules and donkeys run on the track8
 ,but the ,democratic scrub1 with his   
chuckle-head and lop-ears1 with his tail
 full of cockle-burs1 jumping high and  
short1 and digging in the ground when he
 feels the breath of the coming mule on 
his cockle-bur tail1 he is the chap that
 jumps the track and says1 ,i am down on
 mule equality4 ,my friends1 the        
,republican party is the blooded horse  
in this race4     #ajb4 ,room for ,every
 ,wing4  ,there is room in the          

,republican air for every wing2 there is
 room on the ,republican sea for every  
sail4 ,republicanism says to every man3 
,let your soul be like an eagle2 fly out
 in the great dome of thought1 and      
question the stars for yourself4        
#ajc4 ,the ,republican ,platform4  ,i am
 a ,republican because it is the only   
free party that ever existed4 ,it is a  
party that had a platform as broad as   
humanity1 a platform as broad as the    
human race1 a party that says you shall 
have all the fruit of the labor of your 
hands1 a party that says you may think  
for yourself2 a party that says no      
chains for the hands1 no fetters for the
 soul4     #ajd4 ,our ,government the   
best on ,earth  ,we all want a good     
government4 ,if we do not we should have
 none4 ,we all want to live in a land   
where the law is supreme4 ,we desire to 
live beneath a flag that will protect   
every citizen beneath its folds4 ,we    
desire to be citizens of a government so
 great and so grand that it will command

 the respect of the civilized world4    
,most of us are convinced that our      
government is the best upon this earth4 
#aje4 ,will the ,second ,century of     
,america be as good as the ,first8      
,standing here amid the sacred memories 
of the first1 on the golden threshold of
 the second1 ,i ask1 ,will the second   
century be as good as the first8 ,i     
believe it will because we are growing  
more and more humane2 ,i believe there  
is more human kind-ness and a greater   
desire to help one another in ,america1 
than in all the world besides4 ,we must 
progress4 ,we are just at the           
commencement of invention4 ,the steam   
engine--the telegraph--these are but the
 toys with which science has been       
amusing herself4 ,there will be grander 
things4 ,there will be higher and wider 
culture4 ,a grander standard of         
character1 of literature and art4 ,we   
have now half as many millions of people
 as we have years4 ,we are getting more 
real solid sense4 ,we are writing and   

reading more books4 ,we are struggling  
more and more to get at the philosophy  
of life--trying more and more to answer 
the questions of the eternal ,sphinx4   
,we are looking in every direction4 ,we 
are investigating1 thinking1 working6   
,the second century will be grander than
 the first4     ,,science     #ajf4 ,the
 ,glory of ,science4  ,science found    
agriculture plowing with a              
stick--reaping with a sickle--commerce  
at the mercy of the treacherous waves   
and the inconstant winds--a world       
without books--without schools--man     
denying the authority of reason1        
employing his ingenuity in the          
manufacture of instruments of torture1  
in building inquisitions and cathedrals4
 ,it found the land filled with         
malicious monks--with persecuting       
,protestants1 and the burners of men4   
,the glory of science is1 that it is    
freeing the soul--breaking the mental   
manacles--getting the brain out of      
bondage--giving courage to              

thought--filling the world with mercy1  
justice1 and joy4     #ajg4 ,the ,tables
 ,turned  ,for the establishment of     
facts1 the word of man is now considered
 far better than the word of ,god4 ,in  
the world of science1 ,jehovah was      
superseded by ,copernicus1 ,galileo1 and
 ,kepler4 ,all that ,god told ,moses1   
admitting the entire account to be true1
 is dust and ashes compared to the      
discoveries of ,des ,cartes1 ,la ,place1
 and ,humboldt4 ,in matters of fact1 the
 ,bible has ceased to be regarded as a  
standard4 ,science has succeeded in     
breaking the chains of theology4 ,a few 
years ago1 science endeavored to show   
that it was not inconsistent with the   
,bible4 ,the tables have been turned1   
and now1 religion is endeavoring to     
prove that the ,bible is not            
inconsistent with science4 ,the standard
 has been changed4     #ajh4 ,science   
,better than a ,creed  ,it seems to me  
that a belief in the great truths of    
science are fully as essential to       

salvation1 as the creed of any church4  
,we are taught that a man may be        
perfectly acceptable to ,god even if he 
denies the rotundity of the earth1 the  
,copernican system1 the three laws of   
,kepler1 the indestructibility of matter
 and the attraction of gravitation4 ,and
 we are also taught that a man may be   
right upon all these questions1 and yet1
 for failing to believe in the scheme of
 salvation1 be eternally lost4     #aji4
 ,the ,religion of ,science  ,every     
assertion of individual independence has
 been a step toward infidelity4 ,luther 
started toward ,humboldt1--,wesley1     
toward ,john ,stuart ,mill4 ,to really  
reform the church is to destroy it4     
,every new religion has a little less   
superstition than the old1 so that the  
religion of science is but a question of
 time4     #aaj4 ,science not ,sectarian
  ,the sciences are not sectarian4      
,people do not persecute each other on  
account of disagreements in mathematics4
 ,families are not divided about botany1

 and astronomy does not even tend to    
make a man hate his father and mother4  
,it is what people do not know1 that    
they persecute each other about4        
,science will bring1 not a sword1 but   
peace4     #aaa4 ,the ,epitaph of all   
,religions  ,science has written over   
the high altar its mene1 mene1 tekel1   
,,upharsin--the old words1 destined to  
be the epitaph of all religions8        
#aab4 ,the ,real ,priest  ,when we      
abandon the doctrine that some infinite 
being created matter and force1 and     
enacted a code of laws for their        
government1 the idea of interference    
will be lost4 ,the real priest will then
 be1 not the mouth-piece of some        
pretended deity1 but the interpreter of 
nature4 ,from that moment the church    
ceases to exist4 ,the tapers will die   
out upon the dusty altar2 the moths will
 eat the fading velvet of pulpit and    
pew2 the ,bible will take its place with
 the ,shastras1 ,puranas1 ,vedas1       
,eddas1 ,sagas and ,korans1 and the     

fetters of a degrading faith will fall  
from the minds of men4     #aac4        
,science is ,power  ,from a             
philosophical point of view1 science is 
knowledge of the laws of life2 of the   
conditions of happiness2 of the facts by
 which we are surrounded1 and the       
relations we sustain to men and         
things--by means of which1 man1 so to   
speak1 subjugates nature and bends the  
elemental powers to his will1 making    
blind force the servant of his brain4   
#aad4 ,science ,supreme  ,the element of
 uncertainty will1 in a great measure1  
be removed from the domain of the       
future1 and man1 gathering courage from 
a succession of victories over the      
obstructions of nature1 will attain a   
serene grandeur unknown to the disciples
 of any superstition4 ,the plans of     
mankind will no longer be interfered    
with by the finger of a supposed        
omnipotence1 and no one will believe    
that nations or individuals are         
protected or destroyed by any deity     

whatever4 ,science1 freed from the      
chains of pious custom and evangelical  
prejudice1 will1 within her sphere1 be  
supreme4 ,the mind will investigate     
without reverence1 and publish its      
conclusions without fear4 ,agassiz will 
no longer hesitate to declare the       
,mosaic cosmogony utterly inconsistent  
with the demonstrated truths of geology1
 and will cease pretending any reverence
 for the ,jewish scriptures4 ,the moment
 science succeeds in rendering the      
church powerless for evil1 the real     
thinkers will be outspoken4 ,the little 
flags of truce carried by timid         
philosophers will disappear1 and the    
cowardly parley will give place to      
victory--lasting and universal4         
#aae4 ,science ,opening the ,gates of   
,thought  ,we are not endeavoring to    
chain the future1 but to free the       
present4 ,we are not forging fetters for
 our children1 but we are breaking those
 our fathers made for us4 ,we are the   
advocates of inquiry1 of investigation  

and thought4 ,this of itself1 is an     
admission that we are not perfectly     
satisfied with all our conclusions4     
,philosophy has not the egotism of      
faith4 ,while superstition builds walls 
and creates obstructions1 science opens 
all the highways of thought4     #aaf4  
,stars and ,grains of ,sand  ,we do not 
say that we have discovered all2 that   
our doctrines are the all in all of     
truth4 ,we know of no end to the        
development of man4 ,we cannot unravel  
the infinite complications of matter and
 force4 ,the history of one monad is as 
unknown as that of the universe2 one    
drop of water is as wonderful as all the
 seas2 one leaf1 as all the forests2 and
 one grain of sand1 as all the stars4   
#aag4 ,the ,trinity of ,science         
,reason1 ,observation and               
,experience--the ,holy ,trinity of      
,science--have taught us that happiness 
is the only good2 that the time to be   
happy is now1 and the way to be happy is
 to make others so4 ,this is enough for 

us4 ,in this belief we are content to   
live and die4 ,if by any possibility the
 existence of a power superior to1 and  
independent of1 nature shall be         
demonstrated1 there will then be time   
enough to kneel4 ,until then1 let us all
 stand nobly erect4     #aah4 ,the ,old 
and the ,new ,old ideas perished in the 
retort of the chemist1 and useful truths
 took their places4 ,one by one         
religious conceptions have been placed  
in the crucible of science1 and thus    
far1 nothing but dross has been found4  
,a new world has been discovered by the 
microscope2 everywhere has been found   
the infinite2 in every direction man has
 investigated and explored1 and nowhere1
 in earth or stars1 has been found the  
footstep of any being superior to or    
independent of nature4 ,nowhere has been
 discovered the slightest evidence of   
any interference from without4     #aai4
 ,the ,triumphs of ,science  ,i do not  
know what inventions are in the brain of
 the future2 ,i do not know what        

garments of glory may be woven for the  
world in the loom of years to be2 we are
 just on the edge of the great ocean of 
discovery4 ,i do not know what is to be 
discovered2 ,i do not know what science 
will do for us4 ,i do know that science 
did just take a handful of sand and make
 the telescope1 and with it read all the
 starry leaves of heaven2 ,i know that  
science took the thunderbolts from the  
hands of ,jupiter1 and now the electric 
spark1 freighted with thought and love1 
flashes under the waves of the sea2 ,i  
know that science stole a tear from the 
cheek of unpaid labor1 converted it into
 steam1 and created a giant that turns  
with tireless arms the countless wheels 
of toil2 ,i know that science broke the 
chains from human limbs and gave us     
instead the forces of nature for our    
slaves2 ,i know that we have made the   
attraction of gravitation work for us2  
we have made the lightnings our         
messengers2 we have taken advantage of  
fire and flames and wind and sea2 these 

slaves have no backs to be whipped2 they
 have no hearts to be lacerated2 they   
have no children to be stolen1 no       
cradles to be violated4 ,i know that    
science has given us better houses2 ,i  
know it has given us better pictures and
 better books2 ,i know it has given us  
better wives and better husbands1 and   
more beautiful children4 ,i know it has 
enriched a thousand-fold our life2 and  
therefore ,i am in favor of perfect     
intellectual liberty4     #abj4 ,what   
,science ,found6  ,it found the world at
 the mercy of disease and famine2 men   
trying to read their fates in the stars1
 and to tell their fortunes by signs and
 wonders2 generals thinking to conquer  
their enemies by making the sign of the 
cross1 or by telling a rosary4 ,it found
 all history full of petty and          
ridiculous falsehood1 and the ,almighty 
was supposed to spend most of his time  
turning sticks into snakes1 drowning    
boys for swimming on ,sunday1 and       
killing little children for the purpose 

of converting their parents4 ,it found  
the earth filled with slaves and        
tyrants1 the people in all countries    
downtrodden1 half naked1 half starved1  
without hope1 and without reason in the 
world4     #aba4 ,science the only      
,lever  ,such was the condition of man  
when the morning of science dawned upon 
his brain1 and before he had heard the  
sublime declaration that the universe is
 governed by law4 ,for the change that  
has taken place we are indebted solely  
to science--the only lever capable of   
raising mankind4 ,abject faith is       
barbarism2 reason is civilization4 ,to  
obey is slavish2 to act from a sense of 
obligation perceived by the reason1 is  
noble4 ,ignorance worships mystery2     
,reason explains it3 the one grovels1   
the other soars4     ,,slavery     #abb4
 ,the ,colonel ,short of ,words666  ,i  
have sometimes wished that there were   
words of pure hatred out of which ,i    
might construct sentences like snakes1  
out of which ,i might construct         

sentences with mouths fanged1 that had  
forked tongues1 out of which ,i might   
construct sentences that writhed and and
 hissed2 then ,i could give my opinion  
of the rebels during the great struggle 
for the preservation of this nation4    
#abc4 ,slavery in the ,name of ,religion
  ,just think of it6 ,our churches and  
best people1 as they call themselves1   
defending the institution of slavery4   
,when ,i was a little boy ,i used to see
 steamers go down the ,mississippi river
 with hundreds of men and women chained 
hand to hand1 and even children1 and men
 standing about them with whips in their
 hands and pistols in their pockets in  
the name of liberty1 in the name of     
civilization and in the name of         
religion6 ,i used to hear them preach to
 these slaves in the ,south and the only
 text they ever took was ,servants be   
obedient unto your masters4 ,that was   
the salutation of the most merciful ,god
 to a man whose back was bleeding that  
was the salutation of the most merciful 

,god to the slave-mother bending over an
 empty cradle1 to the woman from whose  
breast a child had been                 
stolen--,servants be obedient unto your 
masters4 ,that was what they said to a  
man running for his life and for his    
liberty through tangled swamps and      
listening to the baying of blood-hounds1
 and when he listened for them the voice
 came from heaven3--,servants be        
obedient unto your masters4 ,that is    
civilization4 ,think what slaves we have
 been6 ,think how we have crouched and  
cringed before wealth even6 ,how they   
used to cringe in old times before a man
 who was rich--there are so many of them
 gone into bankruptcy lately that we are
 losing a little of our fear4     #abd4 
,the ,patrons of ,slavery  ,it is not   
possible for the human imagination to   
conceive of the horrors of slavery4 ,it 
has left no possible wrong uncommitted1 
no possible crime un-perpetrated4 ,it   
has been practiced and defended by all  
nations in some form4 ,it has been      

upheld by all religions4 ,it has been   
defended by nearly every pulpit4 ,from  
the profits derived from the slave      
trade1 churches have been built1        
cathedrals reared and priests paid4     
,slavery has been blessed by bishop1 by 
cardinal and by pope4 ,it has received  
the sanction of statesmen1 of kings1 of 
queens4 ,monarchs have shared in the    
profits4 ,clergymen have taken their    
part of the spoil1 reciting passages of 
scripture in its defense1 and judges    
have taken their portion in the name of 
equity and law4     #abe4 ,a ,colored   
,man in ,congress  ,the world has       
changed6 ,i have had the supreme        
pleasure of seeing a man--once a        
slave--sitting in the seat of his former
 master in the ,congress of the ,united 
,states4 ,when ,i saw that sight1 my    
eyes were filled with tears4 ,i felt    
that we had carried out the ,declaration
 of ,independence1 that we had given    
reality to it1 and breathed the breath  
of life into every word4 ,i felt that   

our flag would float over and protect   
the colored man and his little          
children--standing straight in the      
sun--just the same as though he were    
white and worth a million6     #abf4    
,the ,zig-zag ,strip  ,i have some      
excuses to offer for the race to which  
,i belong4 ,my first excuse is that this
 is not a very good world to raise folks
 in anyway4 ,it is not very well adapted
 to raising magnificent people4 ,there's
 only a quarter of it land to start     
with4 ,it is three times better for     
raising fish than folks2 and in that    
one-quarter of land there is not a tenth
 part fit to raise people on4 ,you can't
 raise people without a good climate4   
,you have got to have the right kind of 
climate1 and you have got to have       
certain elements in the soil or you     
can't raise good people4 ,do you know   
that there is only a little zig-zag     
strip around the world within which have
 been produced all men of genius8       
#abg4 ,black ,people have ,suffered     

,enough  ,in my judgment the black      
people have suffered enough4 ,they have 
been slaves for two hundred years4 ,they
 have been owned two hundred years1 and1
 more than all1 they have been compelled
 to keep the company of those who owned 
them4 ,think of being compelled to keep 
the society of the man who is stealing  
from you4 ,think of being compelled to  
live with a man that stole your child   
from the cradle before your very eyes4  
,think of being compelled to live with a
 thief all your life1 to spend your days
 with a white loafer1 and to be under   
his control4     #abh4 ,the ,history of 
,civilization  ,the history of          
civilization is the history of the slow 
and painful enfranchisement of the human
 race4 ,in the olden times the family   
was a monarchy1 the father being the    
monarch4 ,the mother and children were  
the veriest slaves4 ,the will of the    
father was the supreme law4 ,he had the 
power of life and death4 ,it took       
thousands of years to civilize this     

father1 thousands of years to make the  
condition of the wife and mother and    
children even tolerable4 ,a few families
 constituted a tribe2 the tribe had a   
chief2 the chief was a tyrant2 a few    
tribes formed a nation2 the nation was  
governed by a king1 who was also a      
tyrant4 ,a strong nation robbed1        
plundered and took captive the weaker   
ones4     #abi4 ,does ,god ,uphold      
,slavery8  ,is there1 in the civilized  
world1 to-day1 a clergyman who believes 
in the divinity of slavery8 ,does the   
,bible teach man to enslave his brother8
 ,if it does1 is it not blasphemous to  
say that it is inspired of ,god8 ,if you
 find the institution of slavery upheld 
in a book said to have been written by  
,god1 what would you expect to find in a
 book inspired by the devil8 ,would you 
expect to find that book in favor of    
liberty8 ,modern ,christians1 ashamed of
 the ,god of the ,old ,testament1       
endeavor now to show that slavery was   
neither commanded nor opposed by        

,jehovah4     #acj4 ,solemn ,defiance   
,for my part1 ,i never will1 ,i never   
can1 worship a ,god who upholds the     
institution of slavery4 ,such a ,god ,i 
hate and defy4 ,i neither want his      
heaven1 nor fear his hell4     ,,the    
,,war     #aca4 ,the ,soldiers of the   
,republic  ,the soldiers of the         
,republic were not seekers after vulgar 
glory4 ,they were not animated by the   
hope of plunder or the love of conquest4
 ,they fought to preserve the blessings 
of liberty and that their children might
 have peace4 ,they were the defenders of
 humanity1 the destroyers of prejudice1 
the breakers of chains1 and in the name 
of the future they slew the monster of  
their time4     #acb4 ,honor to the     
,brave6  ,all honor1 to the ,brave6     
,they blotted from the statute books    
laws that had been passed by hypocrites 
at the instigation of robbers1 and tore 
with indignant hands from the           
,constitution that infamous clause that 
made men the catchers of their fellow   

men4 ,they made it possible for judges  
to be just1 for statesmen to be human1  
and for politicians to be honest4 ,they 
broke the shackles from the limbs of    
slaves1 from the souls of martyrs1 and  
from the ,northern brain4 ,they kept our
 country on the map of the world and our
 flag in heaven4     #acc4 ,what ,were  
,we ,fighting ,for8  ,seven long years  
of war--fighting for what8 ,for the     
principle that all men were created     
equal--a truth that nobody ever disputed
 except a scoundrel2 nobody in the      
entire history of this world4 ,no man   
ever denied that truth who was not a    
rascal1 and at heart a thief2 never1    
never1 and never will4 ,what else were  
they fighting for8 ,simply that in      
,america every man should have a right  
to life1 liberty and the pursuit of     
happiness4 ,nobody ever denied that     
except a villain2 never1 never4 ,it has 
been denied by kings--they were thieves4
 ,it has been denied by statesmen--they 
were liars4 ,it has been denied by      

priests1 by clergymen1 by cardinals1 by 
bishops and by popes--they were         
hypocrites4 ,what else were they        
fighting for8 ,for the idea that all    
political power is vested in the great  
body of the people4 ,they make all the  
money2 do all the work4 ,they plow the  
land2 cut down the forests2 they produce
 everything that is produced4 ,then who 
shall say what shall be done with what  
is produced except the producer8        
#acd4 ,the ,revolution ,consummated     
,the soldiers of the ,republic finished 
what the soldiers of the ,revolution    
commenced4 ,they relighted the torch    
that fell from their august hands and   
filled the world again with light4      
#ace4 ,fighting ,done6--,work ,begun6   
,the soldiers went home to their waiting
 wives1 to their glad children1 and to  
the girls they loved--they went back to 
the fields1 the shops and mines4 ,they  
had not been demoralized4 ,they had been
 ennobled4 ,they were as honest in peace
 as they had been brave in war4 ,mocking

 at poverty1 laughing at reverses1 they 
made a friend of toil4 ,they said3 ,we  
saved the nation's life1 and what is    
life without honor8 ,they worked and    
wrought with all of labor's sons1 that  
every pledge the nation gave should be  
redeemed4 ,and their great leader1      
having put a shining hand of            
friendship--a girdle of clasped and     
happy hands--around the globe1 comes    
home and finds that every promise made  
in war has now the ring and gleam of    
gold4     #acf4 ,manhood worth more than
 ,gold  ,we say in this country manhood 
is worth more than gold4 ,we say in this
 country that without liberty the       
,nation is not worth preserving4 ,i     
appeal to every laboring man1 and ,i ask
 him1 ,is there another country on this 
globe where you can have your equal     
rights with others8 ,now1 then1 in every
 country1 no matter how good it is1 and 
no matter how bad it is--in every       
country there is something worth        
preserving1 and there is something that 

ought to be destroyed4 ,now recollect   
that every voter is in his own right a  
king2 every voter in this country wears 
a crown2 every voter in this country has
 in his hands the scepter of authority2 
and every voter1 poor and rich1 wears   
the purple of authority alike4          
,recollect it2 and the man that will    
sell his vote is the man that abdicates 
the ,american throne4     #acg4 ,grander
 than ,greek or ,roman4  ,grander than  
the ,greek1 nobler than the ,roman1 the 
soldiers of the republic1 with          
patriotism as taintless as the air1     
battled for the rights of others2 for   
the nobility of labor2 fought that      
mothers might own their babes2 that     
arrogant idleness should not scar the   
back of patient toil1 and that our      
country should not be a many-headed     
monster made of warring ,states1 but a  
,nation1 sovereign1 great and free4     
,blood was water2 money1 leaves1 and    
life was common air until one flag      
floated over a republic without a master

 and without a slave4     #ach4 ,let us 
,drink to the ,living and the ,dead     
,the soldiers of the ,union saved the   
,south as well as the ,north4 ,they made
 us a ,nation4 ,their victory made us   
free and rendered tyranny in every other
 land as insecure as snow upon volcano  
lips4 ,and now let us drink to the      
volunteers1 to those who sleep in       
unknown1 sunken graves1 whose names are 
only in the hearts of those they loved  
and left--of those who only hear in     
happy dreams the footsteps of return4   
,let us drink to those who died where   
lipless famine mocked at want--to all   
the maimed whose scars give modesty a   
tongue1 to all who dared and gave to    
chance the care and keeping of their    
lives--to all the living and all the    
dead--to ,sherman1 to ,sheridan and to  
,grant1 the foremost soldiers of the    
world2 and last1 to ,lincoln1 whose     
loving life1 like a bow of peace1 spans 
and arches all the clouds of war4       
#aci4 ,will the ,wounds of the ,war be  

,healed8  ,there is still another       
question3 ,will all the wounds of the   
war be healed8 ,i answer1 ,yes4 ,the    
,southern people must submit1 not to the
 dictation of the ,north1 but to the    
nation's will and to the verdict of     
mankind4 ,they were wrong1 and the time 
will come when they will say that they  
have been vanquished by the right4      
,freedom conquered them1 and freedom    
will cultivate their fields1 educate    
their children1 weave for them the robes
 of wealth1 execute their laws1 and fill
 their land with happy homes4     #adj4 
,saviours of the ,nation  ,they rolled  
the stone from the sepulchre of         
progress1 and found therein two angels  
clad in shining garments--nationality   
and liberty4 ,the soldiers were the     
,saviours of the ,nation4 ,they were the
 liberators of men4 ,in writing the     
proclamation of emancipation1 ,lincoln1 
greatest of our mighty dead1 whose      
memory is as gentle as the summer       
air1--when reapers sing 'mid gathered   

sheaves1--copied with the pen what      
,grant and his brave comrades wrote with
 swords4     #ada4 ,general ,grant      
,when the savagery of the lash1 the     
barbarism of the chain1 and the insanity
 of secession confronted the            
civilization of our century1 the        
question1 ,will the great republic      
defend itself8 trembled on the lips of  
every lover of mankind4 ,the ,north1    
filled with intelligence and wealth1    
products of liberty1 marshalled her     
hosts and asked only for a leader4 ,from
 civil life a man1 silent1 thoughtful1  
poised1 and calm2 stepped forth1 and    
with the lips of victory voiced the     
nation's first and last demand3         
,unconditional and immediate surrender4 
,from that moment the end was known4    
,that utterance was the real declaration
 of real war and in accordance with the 
dramatic unities of mighty events1 the  
great soldier who made it1 received the 
final sword of the rebellion4 ,the      
soldiers of the republic were not       

seekers after vulgar glory2 they were   
not animated by the hope of plunder or  
the love of conquest4 ,they fought to   
preserve the homestead of liberty4      
,,money ,,that ,,is ,,money     #adb4   
,paper is not ,money  ,some people tell 
me that the government can impress its  
sovereignty on a piece of paper1 and    
that is money4 ,well1 if it is1 what's  
the use of wasting it making one dollar 
bills8 ,it takes no more ink and no more
 paper--why not make #ajjj bills8 ,why  
not make #ajj1jjj1jjj and all be        
billionaires8 ,if the government can    
make money1 what on earth does it       
collect taxes for you and me for8 ,why  
don't it make what money it wants1 take 
the taxes out1 and give the balance to  
us8 ,mr4 ,greenbacker1 suppose the      
government issued #a1jjj1jjj1jjj        
to-morrow1 how would you get any of it8 
#adc4 ,the ,debt will be paid  ,it will 
be paid4 ,the holders of the debt have  
got a mortgage on a continent4 ,they    
have a mortgage on the honor of the     

,republican party1 and it is on record4 
,every blade of grass that grows upon   
this continent is a guarantee that the  
debt will be paid2 every field of       
bannered corn in the great1 glorious    
,west is a guarantee that the debt will 
be paid2 all the coal put away in the   
ground1 millions of years ago by the old
 miser1 the sun2 is a guarantee that    
every dollar of that debt will be paid2 
all the cattle on the prairies1 pastures
 and plains1 every one of them is a     
guarantee that this debt will be paid2  
every pine standing in the sombre       
forests of the ,north1 waiting for the  
woodman's axe1 is a guarantee that this 
debt will be paid2 all the gold and     
silver hid in the ,sierra ,nevadas1     
waiting for the miner's pick1 is a      
guarantee that the debt will be paid2   
every locomotive1 with its muscles of   
iron and breath of flame1 and all the   
boys and girls bending over their books 
at school1 every dimpled child in the   
cradle1 every good man and every good   

woman1 and every man that votes the     
,republican ticket1 is a guarantee that 
the debt will be paid4     #add4 #ahgc  
to #ahgi6  ,no man can imagine1 all the 
languages of the world cannot express1  
what the people of the ,united ,states  
suffered from #ahgc to #ahgi4 ,men who  
considered themselves millionaires found
 that they were beggars2 men living in  
palaces1 supposing they had enough to   
give sunshine to the winter of their    
age1 supposing they had enough to have  
all they loved in affluence and comfort1
 suddenly found that they were          
mendicants with bonds1 stocks1          
mortgages1 all turned to ashes in their 
aged1 trembling hands4  ,the chimneys   
grew cold1 the fires in furnaces went   
out1 the poor families were turned      
adrift1 and the highways of the ,united 
,states were crowded with tramps4 ,into 
the home of the poor crept the serpent  
of temptation1 and whispered in the ear 
of poverty the terrible word            
repudiation4     #ade4 ,a ,voter because

 a ,man  ,a man does not vote in this   
country simply because he is rich2 he   
does not vote in this country simply    
because he has an education2 he does not
 vote simply because he has talent or   
genius2 we say that he votes because he 
is a man1 and that he has his manhood to
 support2 and we admit in this country  
that nothing can be more valuable to any
 human being than his manhood1 and for  
that reason we put poverty on an        
equality with wealth4     #adf4 ,keep   
the ,flag in ,heaven6  ,if you are a    
,german1 recollect that this country is 
kinder to you than your own             
fatherland1--no matter what country you 
came from1 remember that this country is
 an asylum1 and vote as in your         
conscience you believe you ought to vote
 to keep this flag in heaven4 ,i beg    
every ,american to stand with that part 
of the country that believes in law1 in 
freedom of speech1 in an honest vote1 in
 civilization1 in progress1 in human    
liberty1 and in universal justice4      

#adg4 ,prosperity and ,resumption hand  
in hand  ,the ,republicans of the       
,united ,states demand a man who knows  
that prosperity and resumption1 when    
they come1 must come together2 that when
 they come they will come hand in hand  
through the golden harvest fields2 hand 
in hand by the whirling spindles and the
 turning wheels2 hand in hand past the  
open furnace doors2 hand in hand by the 
chimneys filled with eager fire1 greeted
 and grasped by the countless sons of   
toil4 ,this money has to be dug out of  
the earth4 ,you cannot make it by       
passing resolutions in a political      
convention4     #adh4 ,every ,poor ,man 
should ,stand by the ,government  ,it is
 the only ,nation where the man clothed 
in a rag stands upon an equality with   
the one wearing purple4 ,it is the only 
country in the world where1 politically1
 the hut is upon an equality with the   
palace4 ,for that reason1 every poor man
 should stand by the government1 and    
every poor man who does not is a traitor

 to the best interests of his children2 
every poor man who does not is willing  
his children should bear the badge of   
political inferiority2 and the only way 
to make this government a complete and  
perfect success is for the poorest man  
to think as much of his manhood as the  
millionaire does of his wealth4         
#adi4 ,we ,will ,settle ,pair6  ,i want 
to tell you that you cannot conceive of 
what the ,american people suffered as   
they staggered over the desert of       
bankruptcy from #ahgc to #ahgi4  ,we are
 too near now to know how grand we were4
 ,the poor mechanic said ,no2 the ruined
 manufacturer said ,no2 the once        
millionaire said ,no1 we will settle    
fair2 we will agree to pay whether we   
ever pay or not1 and we will never soil 
the ,american name with the infamous    
word1 'repudiation4' ,are you not glad8 
,what is the talk8 ,are you not glad    
that our flag is covered all over with  
financial honors8 ,the stars shine and  
gleam now because they represent an     

honest nation4     #aej4 ,a ,government 
with a ,long ,arm  ,i believe in a      
,government with an arm long enough to  
reach the collar of any rascal beneath  
its flag4 ,i want it with an arm long   
enough and a sword sharp enough to      
strike down tyranny wherever it may     
raise its snaky head4 ,i want a nation  
that can hear the faintest cries of its 
humblest citizen4 ,i want a nation that 
will protect a freedman standing in the 
sun by his little cabin1 just as quick  
as it would protect ,vanderbilt in a    
palace of marble and gold4     #aea4 ,no
 ,repudiation  ,then it was1 that the   
serpent of temptation whispered in the  
ear of want that dreadful word          
,repudiation4 ,an effort was made to    
repudiate4 ,they appealed to want1 to   
misery1 to threatened financial ruin1 to
 the bare hearthstones1 to the army of  
beggars1 ,we had grandeur enough to say3
 ,no2 we'll settle fair if we don't pay 
a cent6 ,and we'll pay-it4 ',twas       
grandeur6 ,is there a ,democrat now who 

wishes we had taken the advice of       
,bayard to scale the bonds8 ,is there an
 ,american1 a ,democrat here1 who is not
 glad we escaped the stench and shame of
 repudiation1 and did not take          
,democratic advice8 ,is there a         
,greenbacker here who is not glad we    
didn't do it8 ,he may say he is1 but he 
isn't4     #aeb4 ,the ,great ,crash6  ,i
 think there is the greatest heroism in 
living for a thing6 ,there's no glory in
 digging potatoes4 ,you don't wear a    
uniform when you're picking up stones4  
,you can't have a band of music when you
 dig potatoes6 ,in1 #ahgc came the great
 crash4 ,we staggered over the desert of
 bankruptcy4 ,no one can estimate the   
anguish of that time6 ,millionaires     
found themselves paupers4 ,palaces were 
exchanged for hovels4 ,the aged man1 who
 had spent his life in hard labor1 and  
who thought he had accumulated enough to
 support himself in his old age1 and    
leave a little something to his children
 and grandchildren1 found they were all 

beggars4 ,the highways were filled with 
tramps4     #aec4 ,promises ,don't ,pay 
,if ,i am fortunate enough to leave a   
dollar when ,i die1 ,i want it to be a  
good one2 ,i don't wish to have it turn 
to ashes in the hands of widowhood1 or  
become a ,democratic broken promise in  
the pocket of the orphan2 ,i want it    
money4 ,i saw not long ago a piece of   
gold bearing the stamp of the ,roman    
,empire4 ,that ,empire is dust1 and over
 it has been thrown the mantle of       
oblivion1 but that piece of gold is as  
good as though ,julius ,caesar were     
still riding at the head of the ,roman  
,legion4 ,i want money to that will     
outlive the ,democratic party4 ,they    
told us--and they were honest about     
it--they said1 when we have plenty of   
money we are prosperous4 ,and ,i said3  
,when we are prosperous1 then we have   
credit1 and1 credit inflates the        
currency4 ,whenever a man buys a pound  
of sugar and says1 ',charge it1' he     
inflates the currency2 whenever he gives

 his note1 he inflates the currency2    
whenever his word takes the place of    
money1 he inflates the currency4 ,the   
consequence is that when we are         
prosperous1 credit takes the place of   
money1 and we have what we call plenty4 
,but you can't increase prosperity      
simply by using promises to pay4        
#aed4 ,solid and ,bright6  ,i do not    
wish to trust the wealth of this nation 
with the demagogues of the nation4 ,i do
 not wish to trust the wealth of the    
country to every blast of public        
opinion4 ,i want money as solid as the  
earth on which we tread1 as bright as   
the stars that shine above us4     #aee4
 ,the ,south and the ,tariff  ,where did
 this doctrine of a tariff for revenue  
only come from8 ,from the ,south4 ,the  
,south would like to stab the prosperity
 of the ,north4 ,they had rather trade  
with ,old ,england than with ,new       
,england4 ,they had rather trade with   
the people who were willing to help them
 in war than those who conquered the    

rebellion4 ,they knew what gave us our  
strength in war4 ,they knew all the     
brooks and creeks and rivers in ,new    
,england were putting down the          
rebellion4 ,they knew that every wheel  
that turned1 every spindle that         
revolved1 was a soldier in the army of  
human progress4 ,it won't do4 ,they were
 so lured by the greed of office that   
they were willing to trade upon the     
misfortune of a nation4 ,it won't do4 ,i
 don't wish to belong to a party that   
succeeds only when my country falls4 ,i 
don't wish to belong to a party whose   
banner went up with the banner of       
rebellion4 ,i don't wish to belong to a 
party that was in partnership with      
defeat and disaster4     #aef4 ,i am for
 ,protection  ,and ,i will tell you why 
,i am for protection1 too4 ,if we were  
all farmers we would be stupid4 ,if we  
were all shoemakers we would be stupid4 
,if we all followed one business1 no    
matter what it was1 we would become     
stupid4 ,protection to ,american labor  

diversifies ,american industry1 and to  
have it diversified touches and         
developes every part of the human brain4
 ,protection protects integrity2 it     
protects intelligence2 and protection   
raises sense2 and by protection we have 
greater men and better-looking women and
 healthier children4 ,free trade means  
that our laborer is upon an equality    
with the poorest paid labor of this     
world4     #aeg4 ,the ,old ,woman of    
,tewksbury  ,you ,greenbackers are like 
the old woman in the ,tewksbury1 ,mass41
 ,poor-,house4 ,she used to be well off1
 and didn't like her quarters4 ,you     
,greenbackers have left your father's   
house of many mansions and have fed on  
shucks about long enough4 ,the          
,supervisor came into the ,poor-,house  
one day and asked the old lady how she  
liked it4 ,she said she didn't like the 
company1 and asked him what he would    
advise her to do under similar          
circumstances4 ,oh1 you'd better stay4  
,you're prejudiced1 said he4 ,do you    

think anybody is ever prejudiced in     
their sleep8 asked the old lady4 ,i had 
a dream the other night4 ,i dreamed ,i  
died and went to ,heaven4 ,lots of nice 
people were there4 ,a nice man came to  
me and asked me where ,i was from4 ,says
 ,i1 ',from ,tewksbury1 ,mass4' ,he     
looked in his book and said1 ',you can't
 stay here4' ,i asked what he would     
advise me to do under similar           
circumstances4 ',well1' he said1        
'there's hell down there1 you might try 
that4' ,well1 ,i went down there1 and   
the men told me my name wasn't on the   
book and ,i couldn't stay there4        
',well1' said ,i1 ',what would you      
advise me to do under similar           
circumstances8' ',said he1 ',you'll have
 to go back to ,tewksbury4' ,and when   
,green-backers remember what they once  
were1 you must feel now1 when you were  
forced to join the ,democratic party1 as
 bad as the old lady who had to go back 
to ,tewksbury4     #aeh4 ,american      
,muscle1 ,coined into ,gold  ,i believe 

in ,american labor1 and ,i tell you why4
 ,the other day a man told me that we   
had produced in the ,united ,states of  
,america one million tons of rails4 ,how
 much are they worth8 ,sixty dollars a  
ton4 ,in other words1 the million tons  
are worth #fj1jjj1jjj4 ,how much is a   
ton of iron worth in the ground8        
,twenty-five cents4 ,american labor     
takes #be cents of iron in the ground   
and adds to it #ei4ge4 ,one million tons
 of rails1 and the raw material not     
worth #bd1jjj4 ,we build a ship in the  
,united ,states worth #ejj1jjj1 and the 
value of the ore in the earth1 of the   
trees in the great forest1 of all that  
enters into the composition of that ship
 bringing #ejj1jjj in gold is only      
#bj1jjj2 #dhj1jjj by ,american labor1   
,american muscle1 coined into gold2     
,american brains made a legal-tender the
 world around4     #aei4 ,inflation  ,i 
don't blame the man who wanted          
inflation4 ,i don't blame him for       
praying for another period of inflation4

 ,when it comes1 said the man who had a 
lot of shrunken property on his hands1  
blame me1 if ,i don't unload1 you may   
shoot me4 ,it's a good deal like the    
game of poker6 ,i don't suppose any of  
you know anything about that game6      
,along towards morning the fellow who is
 ahead always wants another deal4 ,the  
fellow that is behind says his wife's   
sick1 and he must go home4 ,you ought to
 hear that fellow descant on domestic   
virtue6 ,and the other fellow accuses   
him of being a coward and wanting to    
jump the game4 ,a man whose dead wood is
 hung up on the shore in a dry time1    
wants the water to rise once more and   
float it out into the middle of the     
stream4     #afj4 ,resources of         
,illinois4  ,let me tell you something  
about ,illinois4 ,we have fifty-six     
thousand square miles of land--nearly   
thirty-six million acres4 ,upon these   
plains we can raise enough to feed and  
clothe twenty million people4 ,beneath  
these prairies were hidden1 millions of 

ages ago1 by that old miser1 the sun1   
thirty-six thousand square miles of     
coal4 ,the aggregate thickness of these 
veins is at least fifteen feet4 ,think  
of a column of coal one mile square and 
one hundred miles high6 ,all this came  
from the sun4 ,what a sunbeam such a    
column would be6 ,think of all this     
force1 willed and left to us by the dead
 morning of the world6 ,think of the    
fireside of the future around which will
 sit the fathers1 mothers and children  
of the years to be6 ,think of the sweet 
and happy faces1 the loving and tender  
eyes that will glow and gleam in the    
sacred light of all these flames6       
#afa4 ,money6  ,they say that money is a
 measure of value4 ',tisn't so4 ,a      
bushel doesn't measure values4 ,it      
measures diamonds as well as potatoes4  
,if it measured values1 a bushel of     
potatoes would be worth as much as a    
bushel of diamonds4 ,a yard-stick       
doesn't measure values4 ,they used to   
say1 there's no use in having a gold    

yard-stick4 ,that was right4 ,you don't 
buy the yard-stick4 ,if money bore the  
same relation to trade as a yard-stick  
or half-bushel1 you would have the same 
money when you got through trading as   
you had when you begun4 ,a man don't    
sell half-bushels4 ,he sells corn4 ,all 
we want is a little sense about these   
things4 ,we were in trouble4 ,the thing 
was discussed4 ,some said there wasn't  
enough money4 ,that's so2 ,i know what  
that means myself4 ,they said if we had 
more money we'd be more prosperous4 ,the
 truth is1 if we were more prosperous   
we'd have more money4 ,they said more   
money would facilitate business4        
#afb4 ,money by ,work  ,how do you get  
your money8 ,by work4 ,where from8 ,you 
have got to dig it out of the ground4   
,that is where it comes from4 ,in old   
times there were some men who thought   
they could get some way to turn the     
baser metals into gold1 and old         
gray-haired men1 trembling1 tottering on
 the verge of the grave1 were hunting   

for something to turn ordinary metals   
into gold2 they were searching for the  
fountain of eternal youth1 but they did 
not find it4 ,no human ear has ever     
heard the silver gurgle of the spring of
 immortal youth4     #afc4 ,meat ,twice 
a ,year  ,i have been in countries where
 the laboring man had meat once a year2 
sometimes twice--,christmas and ,easter4
 ,and ,i have seen women carrying upon  
their heads a burden that no man would  
like to carry1 and at the same time     
knitting busily with both hands4 ,and   
those women lived without meat2 and when
 ,i thought of the ,american laborer ,i 
said to myself1 ,after all1 my country  
is the best in the world4 ,and when ,i  
came back to the sea and saw the old    
flag flying in the air1 it seemed to me 
as though the air from pure joy had     
burst into blossom4     #afd4 ,america a
 ,glorious ,land  ,labor has more to eat
 and more to wear in the ,united ,states
 than in any other land of this earth4  
,i want ,america to produce everything  

that ,americans need4 ,i want it so if  
the whole world should declare war      
against us1 so if we were surrounded by 
walls of cannon and bayonets and swords1
 we could supply all human wants in and 
of ourselves4 ,i want to live to see the
 ,american woman dressed in ,american   
silk2 the ,american man in everything   
from hat to boots produced in ,america  
by the cunning hand of the ,american    
toiler4     #afe4 ,how to ,spend a      
,dollar  ,if you have only a dollar in  
the world and have got to spend it1     
spend it like a man2 spend it like a    
prince1 like a king6 ,if you have to    
spend it1 spend it as though it were a  
dried leaf1 and you were the owner of   
unbounded forests4     #aff4 ,honesty is
 ,best always and ,everywhere  ,i am    
next in favor of honest money4 ,i am in 
favor of gold and silver1 and paper with
 gold and silver behind it4 ,i believe  
in silver1 because it is one of the     
greatest of ,american products1 and ,i  
am in favor of anything that will add to

 the value of ,american products4 ,but  
,i want a silver dollar worth a gold    
dollar1 even if you make it or have to  
make it four feet in diameter4 ,no      
government can afford to be a clipper of
 coin4 ,a great ,republic cannot afford 
to stamp a lie upon silver or gold4     
,honest money1 an honest people1 an     
honest ,nation4 ,when our money is only 
worth #hj cents on the dollar1 we feel  
#bj per cent1 below par4 ,when our money
 is good we feel good4 ,when our money  
is at par1 that is where we are4 ,i am a
 profound believer in the doctrine that 
for nations as well as men1 honesty is  
the best1 always1 everywhere and        
forever4     #afg4 ,a ,fountain of      
,greenbacks  ,there used to be mechanics
 that tried to make perpetual motion by 
combinations of wheels1 shifting        
weights1 and rolling balls2 but somehow 
the machine would never quite run4 ,a   
perpetual fountain of greenbacks1 of    
wealth without labor1 is just as foolish
 as a fountain of eternal youth4 ,the   

idea that you can produce money without 
labor is just as foolish as the idea of 
perpetual motion4 ,they are old follies 
under new names4     #afh4 ,what the    
,greenback says6  ,shall we pay our     
debts8 ,we had to borrow some money to  
pay for shot and shell to shoot         
,democrats with4 ,we found that we could
 get along with a few less ,democrats1  
but not with any less country1 and so we
 borrowed the money1 and the question   
now is1 will we pay it8 ,and which party
 is the most apt to pay it1 the         
,republican party1 that made the        
debt--the party that swore it was       
constitutional1 or the party that said  
it was unconstitutional8 ,whenever a    
,democrat sees a greenback1 the         
greenback says to the ,democrat1 ,i am  
one of the fellows that whipped you4    
,whenever a ,republican sees a          
greenback1 the greenback says to him1   
,you and ,i put down the rebellion and  
saved the country4     #afi4 ,honest    
,methods  ,so many presidents of savings

 banks1 even those belonging to the     
,young ,men's ,christian ,association1  
run off with the funds2 so many railroad
 and insurance companies are in the     
hands of receivers2 there is so much    
bankruptcy on every hand1 that all      
capital is held in the nervous clutch of
 fear4 ,slowly1 but surely1 we are      
coming back to honest methods in        
business4 ,confidence will return1 and  
then enterprise will unlock the safe and
 money will again circulate as of yore2 
the dollars will leave their hitting    
places1 and every one will be seeking   
investment4     #agj4 ,silver           
demonetized by ,fraud6  ,for my part ,i 
do not ask any interference on the part 
of the government except to undo the    
wrong it has done4 ,i do not ask that   
money be made out of nothing4 ,i do not 
ask for the prosperity born of paper4   
,but ,i do ask for the remonetization of
 silver4 ,silver was demonetized by     
fraud4 ,it was an imposition upon every 
solvent man2 a fraud upon every honest  

debtor in the ,united ,states4 ,it      
assassinated labor4 ,it was done in the 
interest of avarice and greed1 and      
should be undone by honest men4         
,,religious ,,questions     #aga4 ,the  
,crime of ,crimes6  ,redden your hands  
with human blood2 blast by slander the  
fair fame of the innocent2 strangle the 
smiling child upon its mother's knees2  
deceive1 ruin and desert the beautiful  
girl who loves and trusts you1 and your 
case is not hopeless4 ,for all this1 and
 for all these you may be forgiven4 ,for
 all this1 and for all these1 that      
bankrupt court established by the       
gospel1 will give you a discharge2 but  
deny the existence of these divine      
ghosts1 of these gods1 and the sweet and
 tearful face of ,mercy becomes livid   
with eternal hate4 ,heaven's golden     
gates are shut1 and you1 with an        
infinite curse ringing in your ears1    
with the brand of infamy upon your brow1
 commence your endless wanderings in the
 lurid gloom of hell--an immortal       

vagrant--an eternal outcast--a deathless
 convict4     #agb4 ,faith--,a ,mixture 
of ,insanity and ,ignorance  ,the       
doctrine that future happiness depends  
upon belief is monstrous4 ,it is the    
infamy of infamies4 ,the notion that    
faith in ,christ is to be rewarded by an
 eternity of bliss1 while a dependence  
upon reason1 observation1 and experience
 merits everlasting pain1 is too absurd 
for refutation1 and can be relieved only
 by that unhappy mixture of insanity and
 ignorance2 called faith4     #agc4     
,what the ,saints ,could ,cure6  ,the   
church in the days of ,voltaire         
contended that its servants were the    
only legitimate physicians4 ,the priests
 cured in the name of the church1 and in
 the name of ,god--by exorcism1 relics1 
water1 salt and oil4 ,st4 ,valentine    
cured epilepsy1 ,st4 ,gervasius was good
 for rheumatism1 ,st4 ,michael de       
,sanatis for cancer1 ,st4 ,judas for    
coughs1 ,st4 ,ovidius for deafness1 ,st4
 ,sebastian for poisonous bites4 ,st4   

,apollonia for toothache1 ,st4 ,clara   
for rheum in the eye1 ,st4 ,hubert for  
hydrophobia4 ,devils were driven out    
with wax tapers1 with incence 7sp471    
with holy water1 by pronouncing prayers4
 ,the church1 as late as the middle of  
the twelfth century1 prohibited good    
,catholics from having anything to do   
with physicians4     #agd4 ,the ,sleep  
of ,persecutors  ,all the persecutors   
sleep in peace1 and the ashes of those  
who burned their brothers in the name of
 ,christ rest in consecrated ground4    
,whole libraries could not contain even 
the names of the wretches who have      
filled the world with violence and death
 in defense of book and creed1 and yet  
they all died the death of the          
righteous1 and no priest or minister    
describes the agony and fear1 the       
remorse and horror with which their     
guilty souls were filled in the last    
moments of their lives4 ,these men had  
never doubted2 they accepted the creed2 
they were not infidels2 they had not    

denied the divinity of ,christ2 they had
 been baptized2 they had partaken of the
 last supper2 they had respected        
priests2 they admitted that the ,holy   
,ghost had proceeded2 and these things  
put pillows beneath their dying heads   
and covered them with the drapery of    
peace4     #age4 ,crime ,rampant and    
,god ,silent6  ,there is no recorded    
instance where the uplifted hand of     
murder has been paralyzed--no truthful  
account in all the literature of the    
world of the innocent shielded by ,god4 
,thousands of crimes are being committed
 every day--men are this moment lying in
 wait for their human prey2 wives are   
whipped and crushed1 driven to insanity 
and death2 little children begging for  
mercy1 lifting imploringly tear-filled  
eyes to the brutal faces of fathers and 
mothers2 sweet girls are deceived1      
lured1 and outraged2 but ,god has no    
time to prevent these things--no time to
 defend the good and to protect the     
pure4 ,he is too busy numbering hairs   

and watching sparrows4     #agf4 ,how   
,criminals ,die ,serenely6  ,all kinds  
of criminals1 except infidels1 meet     
death with reasonable serenity4 ,as a   
rule1 there is nothing in the death of a
 pirate to cast any discredit on his    
profession4 ,the murderer upon the      
scaffold1 with a priest on either side1 
smilingly exhorts the multitude to meet 
him in heaven4 ,the man who has         
succeeded in making his home a hell     
meets death without a quiver1 provided  
he has never expressed any doubt as to  
the divinity of ,christ or the eternal  
procession of the holy ghost4 ,the king 
who has waged cruel and useless war1 who
 has filled countries with widows and   
fatherless children1 with the maimed and
 diseased1 and who has succeeded in     
offering to the ,moloch of ambition the 
best and bravest of his subjects1 dies  
like a saint4     #agg4 ,the first      
,corpse and the first ,cathedral  ,now  
and then1 in the history of this world1 
a man of genius1 of sense1 of           

intellectual honesty has appeared4      
,these men have denounced the           
superstitions of their day4 ,they pitied
 the multitude4 ,to see priests devour  
the substance of the people filled them 
with indignation4 ,these men were honest
 enough to tell their thoughts4 ,then   
they were denounced1 condemned1         
executed4 ,some of them escaped the fury
 of the people who loved their enemies1 
and died naturally in their beds4 ,it   
would not be for the church to admit    
that they died peacefully4 ,that would  
show that religion was not actually     
necessary in the last moment4 ,religion 
got much of its power from the terror of
 death4 ,superstition is the child of   
ignorance and fear4 ,the first grave was
 the first cathedral4 ,the first corpse 
was the first priest4 ,it would not do  
to have the common people understand    
that a man could deny the ,bible1 refuse
 to look at the cross1 contend that     
,christ was only a man1 and yet die as  
calmly as ,calvin did after he had      

murdered ,servetus1 or as ,king ,david1 
after advising one son to kill another4 
#agh4 ,the ,sixteenth ,century  ,in the 
sixteenth century every science was     
regarded as an outcast and an enemy1 and
 the church influenced the world1 which 
was under its power1 to believe         
anything1 and the ignorant mob was      
always too ready1 brutalized by the     
church1 to hang1 kill or crucify at     
their bidding4 ,such was the result of a
 few centuries of ,christianity4        
#agi4 ,an ,orthodox ,gentleman  ,by     
,orthodox ,i mean a gentleman who is    
petrified in his mind1 whooping around  
intellectually1 simply to save the      
funeral expenses of his soul4     #ahj4 
,a ,bold ,assertion  ,the churches point
 to their decayed saints1 and their     
crumbled ,popes and say1 ,do you know   
more than all the ministers that ever   
lived8 ,and without the slightest       
egotism or blush ,i say1 yes1 and the   
name of ,humboldt outweighs them all4   
,the men who stand in the front rank1   

the men who know most of the secrets of 
nature1 the men who know most are to-day
 the advanced infidels of this world4 ,i
 have lived long enough to see the brand
 of intellectual inferiority on every   
orthodox brain4     #aha4 ,history a    
,bloody ,farce6  ,if we admit that some 
infinite being has controlled the       
destinies of persons and peoples1       
history becomes a most cruel and bloody 
farce4 ,age after age1 the strong have  
trampled upon the weak2 the crafty and  
heartless have ensnared and enslaved the
 simple and innocent1 and nowhere1 in   
all the annals of mankind1 has any god  
succored the oppressed4     #ahb4 ,weak 
ones ,suffering--,heaven deaf  ,most of 
the misery has been endured by the weak1
 the loving and the innocent4 ,women    
have been treated like poisonous beasts1
 and little children trampled upon as   
though they had been vermin4 ,numberless
 altars have been reddened1 even with   
the blood of babes2 beautiful girls have
 been given to slimy serpents2 whole    

races of men doomed to centuries of     
slavery1 and everywhere there has been  
outrage beyond the power of genius to   
express4 ,during all these years the    
suffering have supplicated2 the withered
 lips of famine have prayed2 the pale   
victims have implored1 and ,heaven has  
been deaf and blind4     #ahc4 ,heaven  
has no ,ear1 no ,hand  ,man should cease
 to expect aid from on high4 ,by this   
time he should know that heaven has no  
ear to hear1 and no hand to help4 ,the  
present is the necessary child of all   
the past4 ,there has been no chance1 and
 there can be no interference4     #ahd4
 ,religion is ,tyrannical  ,religion    
does not1 and cannot1 contemplate man as
 free4 ,she accepts only the homage of  
the prostrate1 and scorns the offerings 
of those who stand erect4 ,she cannot   
tolerate the liberty of thought4 ,the   
wide and sunny fields belong not to her 
domain4 ,the star-lit heights of genius 
and individuality are above and beyond  
her appreciation and power4 ,her        

subjects cringe at her feet1 covered    
with the dust of obedience4     #ahe4   
,religion and ,facts  ,what has religion
 to do with facts8 ,nothing4 ,is there  
any such thing as ,methodist            
mathematics1 ,presbyterian botany1      
,catholic astronomy or ,baptist biology8
 ,what has any form of superstition or  
religion to do with a fact or with any  
science8 ,nothing but hinder1 delay or  
embarass4 ,i want1 then1 to free the    
schools2 and ,i want to free the        
politicians1 so that a man will not have
 to pretend he is a ,methodist1 or his  
wife a ,baptist1 or his grandmother a   
,catholic2 so that he can go through a  
campaign1 and when he gets through will 
find none of the dust of hypocrisy on   
his knees4     #ahf4 ,religion not the  
,end of ,life  ,we deny that religion is
 the end or object of this life4 ,when  
it is so considered it becomes          
destructive of happiness--the real end  
of life4 ,it becomes a hydra-headed     
monster1 reaching in terrible coils from

 the heavens1 and thrusting its thousand
 fangs into the bleeding1 quivering     
hearts of men4 ,it devours their        
substance1 builds palaces for ,god1 7who
 dwells not in temples made with hands17
 and allows his children to die in huts 
and hovels4 ,it fills the earth with    
mourning1 heaven with hatred1 the       
present with fear1 and all the future   
with despair4     #ahg4 ,creeds  ,just  
in proportion that the human race has   
advanced1 the ,church has lost power4   
,there is no exception to this rule4 ,no
 nation ever materially advanced that   
held strictly to the religion of its    
founders4 ,no nation ever gave itself   
wholly to the control of the ,church    
without losing its power1 its honor1 and
 existence4 ,every ,church pretends to  
have found the exact truth4 ,this is the
 end of progress4 ,why pursue that which
 you have8 ,why investigate when you    
know8 ,every creed is a rock in running 
water2 humanity sweeps by it4 ,every    
creed cries to the universe1 ,halt6 ,a  

creed is the ignorant ,past bullying the
 enlightened ,present4     #ahh4 ,the   
,worst ,religion in the ,world  ,the    
worst religion of the world was the     
,presbyterianism of ,scotland as it     
existed in the beginning of the         
eighteenth century4 ,the kirk had all   
the faults of the church of ,rome1      
without a redeeming feature4 ,the kirk  
hated music1 painting1 statuary1 and    
architecture4 ,anything touched with    
humanity--with the dimples of joy--was  
detested and accursed4 ,god was to be   
feared1 not loved4 ,life was a long     
battle with the devil4 ,every desire was
 of ,satan4 ,happiness was a snare1 and 
human love was wicked1 weak1 and vain4  
,the ,presbyterian priest of ,scotland  
was as cruel1 bigoted1 and heartless as 
the familiar of the inquisition4 ,one   
case will tell it all4 ,in the beginning
 of this1 the nineteenth century1 a boy 
seventeen years of age1 ,thomas         
,aikenhead1 was indicted and tried at   
,edinburgh for blasphemy4 ,he had on    

several occasions1 when cold1 jocularly 
wished himself in hell1 that he might   
get warm4 ,the poor1 frightened boy     
recanted--begged for mercy2 but he was  
found guilty1 hanged1 thrown in a hole  
at the foot of the scaffold2 and his    
weeping mother vainly begged that his   
bruised and bleeding body might be given
 to her4     #ahi4 ,religion ,demanding 
,miracles  ,the founder of a religion   
must be able to turn water into         
wine--cure with a word the blind and    
lame1 and raise with a simple touch the 
dead to life4 ,it was necessary for him 
to demonstrate to the satisfaction of   
his barbarian disciple1 that he was     
superior to nature4 ,in times of        
ignorance this was easy to do4 ,the     
credulity of the savage was almost      
boundless4 ,to him the marvelous was the
 beautiful1 the mysterious was the      
sublime4 ,consequently1 every religion  
has for its foundation a miracle--that  
is to say1 a violation of nature--that  
is to say1 a falsehood4     #aij4 ,we   

,want ,one ,fact  ,we have heard talk   
enough4 ,we have listened to all the    
drowsy1 idealess1 vapid sermons that we 
wish to hear4 ,we have read your ,bible 
and the works of your best minds4 ,we   
have heard your prayers1 your solemn    
groans and your reverential amens4 ,all 
these amount to less than nothing4 ,we  
want one fact4 ,we beg at the doors of  
your churches for just one little fact4 
,we pass our hats along your pews and   
under your pulpits and implore you for  
just one fact4 ,we know all about your  
mouldy wonders and your stale miracles4 
,we want a this year's fact4 ,we ask    
only one4 ,give us one fact for charity4
 ,your miracles are too ancient4        
#aia4 ,the ,design ,argument  ,these    
religious people see nothing but designs
 everywhere1 and personal1 intelligent  
interference in everything4 ,they insist
 that the universe has been created1 and
 that the adaptation of means to ends is
 perfectly apparent4 ,they point us to  
the sunshine1 to the flowers1 to the    

,april rain1 and to all there is of     
beauty and of use in the world4 ,did it 
ever occur to them that a cancer is as  
beautiful in its development as is the  
reddest rose8 ,that what they are       
pleased to call the adaptation of means 
to ends1 is as apparent in the cancer as
 in the ,april rain8 ,how beautiful the 
process of digestion6 ,by what ingenious
 methods the blood is poisoned so that  
the cancer shall have food6 ,by what    
wonderful contrivances the entire system
 of man is made to pay tribute to this  
divine and charming cancer6 ,see by what
 admirable instrumentalities it feeds   
itself from the surrounding quivering1  
dainty flesh6 ,see how it gradually but 
surely expands and grows6 ,by what      
marvelous mechanism it is supplied with 
long and slender roots that reach out to
 the most secret nerves of pain for     
sustenance and life6 ,what beautiful    
colors it presents6     #aib4 ,down1    
,forever ,down  ,down1 forever down1    
with any religion that requires upon its

 ignorant altar the sacrifice of the    
goddess ,reason1 that compels her to    
abdicate forever the shining throne of  
the soul1 strips from her form the      
imperial purple1 snatches from her hand 
the sceptre of thought and makes her the
 bondwoman of a senseless faith6        
#aic4 ,the ,back  ,upon this rack ,i    
have described1 this victim was placed1 
and those chains were attached to his   
ankles and then to his waist1 and       
clergyman1 good men pious men6 men that 
were shocked at the immorality of their 
day6 they talked about playing cards and
 the horrible crime of dancing6 ,oh6 how
 such things shocked them2 men going to 
the theatres and seeing a play written  
by the grandest genius the world ever   
has produced--how it shocked their      
sublime and tender souls6 but they      
commenced turning this machine and they 
kept on turning until the ankles1 knees1
 hips1 elbows1 shoulders and wrists were
 all dislocated and the victim was red  
with the sweat of agony1 and they had   

standing by a physician to feel the     
pulse1 so that the last faint flutter of
 life would not leave his veins4 ,did   
they wish to save his life8 ,yes4 ,in   
mercy8 ,no6 simply that they might have 
the pleasure of racking him once again4 
,that is the spirit1 and it is a spirit 
born of the doctrine that there is upon 
the throne of the universe a being who  
will eternally damn his children1 and   
they said3 ,if ,god is going to have the
 supreme happiness of burning them      
forever1 certainly he might not to      
begrudge to us the joy of burning them  
for an hour or two4 ,that was their     
doctrine1 and when ,i read these things 
it seems to me that ,i have suffered    
them myself4     #aid4 ,an ,awful       
,admission  ,just think of going to the 
day of judgment1 if there is one1 and   
standing up before ,god and admitting   
without a blush that you had lived and  
died a ,scotch ,presbyterian4 ,i would  
expect the next sentence would be1      
,depart ye curged into everlasting fire4

     ,,churches ,,and ,,priests         
#aie4 ,the ,church ,forbids             
,investigation  ,the first doubt was the
 womb and cradle of progress1 and from  
the first doubt1 man has continued to   
advance4 ,men began to investigate1 and 
the church began to oppose4 ,the        
astronomer scanned the heavens1 while   
the church branded his grand forehead   
with the word1 ,infidel2 and now1 not a 
glittering star in all the vast expanse 
bears a ,christian name4 ,in spite of   
all religion1 the geologist penetrated  
the earth1 read her history in books of 
stone1 and found1 hidden within her     
bosom souvenirs of all the ages4        
#aif4 ,the ,church ,charges ,falsely    
,notwithstanding the fact that infidels 
in all ages have battled for the rights 
of man1 and have at all times been the  
fearless advocates of liberty and       
justice1 we are constantly charged by   
the ,church with tearing down without   
building again4     #aig4 ,the ,church  
in the ,dark ,ages  ,during that        

frightful period known as the ,dark     
,ages1 ,faith reigned1 with scarcely a  
rebellious subject4 ,her temples were   
carpeted with knees1 and the wealth of  
nations adorned her countless shrines4  
,the great painters prostituted their   
genius to immortalize her vagaries1     
while the poets enshrined them in song4 
,at her bidding1 man covered the earth  
with blood4 ,the scales of ,justice were
 turned with her gold1 and for her use  
were invented all the cunning           
instruments of pain4 ,she built         
cathedrals for ,god1 and dungeons for   
men4 ,she peopled the clouds with angels
 and the earth with slaves4     #aih4   
,the ,few ,say1 ,think6  ,for ages1 a   
deadly conflict has been waged between a
 few brave men and women of thought and 
genius upon the one side1 and the great 
ignorant religious mass on the other4   
,this is the war between6 science and   
faith4 ,the few have appealed to reason1
 to honor1 to law1 to freedom1 to the   
known1 and to happiness here in this    

world4 ,the many have appealed to       
prejudice1 to fear1 to miracle1 to      
slavery1 to the unknown1 and to misery  
hereafter4 ,the few have said1 ,think6  
,the many have said1 ,believe6     #aii4
 ,the ,church and the ,tree of          
,knowledge  ,the gods dreaded education 
and knowledge then just as they do now4 
,the church still faithfully guards the 
dangerous tree of knowledge1 and has    
exerted in all ages her utmost power to 
keep mankind from eating the fruit      
thereof4 ,the priests have never ceased 
repeating the old falsehood and the old 
threat3 ,ye shall not eat of it1 neither
 shall ye touch it1 lest ye die4        
#bjj4 ,the ,church ,cries1 ,believe6    
,the church wishes us to believe4 ,let  
the church1 or one of its intellectual  
saints1 perform a miracle1 and we will  
believe4 ,we are told that nature has a 
superior4 ,let this superior1 for one   
single instant1 control nature and we   
will admit the truth of your assertions4
     #bja4 ,the ,heretics ,cried1 ,halt6

  ,a few infidels--a few heretics cried1
 ,halt6 to the great rabble of ignorant 
devotion1 and made it possible for the  
genius of the nineteenth century to     
revolutionize the cruel creeds and      
superstitions of mankind4     #bjb4 ,the
 ,world not so ,awful ,flat  ,according 
to the ,christian system this world was 
the centre of everything4 ,the stars    
were made out of what little ,god       
happened to have left when he got the   
world done4 ,god lived up in the sky1   
and they said this earth must rest upon 
something1 and finally science passed   
its hand clear under1 and there was     
nothing4 ,it was self-existent in       
infinite space4 ,then the ,church began 
to say they didn't say it was flat1 not 
so awful flat--it was kind of rounding4 
,according to the ancient ,christians   
,god lived from all eternity1 and never 
worked but six days in ,his whole life1 
and then had the impudence to tell us to
 be industrious4     #bjc4 ,from ,whence
 ,come ,wars8  ,christian nations are   

the warlike nations of this world4      
,christians have invented the most      
destructive weapons of war4             
,christianity gave us the revolver1     
invented the rifle1 made the bombshell2 
and ,christian nations here and there   
had above all other arts the art of war2
 and as ,christians they have no respect
 for the rights of barbarians or for the
 rights of any nation or tribe that     
happens to differ with them4 ,see what  
it does in our society2 we are divided  
off into little sects that used to      
discuss these questions with fire and   
sword1 with chain and faggot1 and that  
discuss1 some of them1 even to-day1 with
 misrepresentation and slander4 ,every  
day something happens to show me that   
the old spirit that that was in the     
inquisition still slumbers in the       
breasts of men4     #bjd4 ,another ,day 
of ,divine ,work  ,i heard of a man     
going to ,california over the plains1   
and there was a clergyman on board1 and 
he had a great deal to say1 and finally 

he fell in conversation with the        
forty-niner1 and the latter said to the 
clergyman1 ,do you believe that ,god    
made this world in six days8 ,yes ,i do4
 ,they were then going along the        
,humboldt4 ,says he1 ,don't you think he
 could put in another day to advantage  
right around here8     #bje4 ,the       
,donkey and the ,lion  ,owing to the    
attitude of the churches for the last   
fifteen hundred years1 truth-telling has
 not been a very lucrative business4 ,as
 a rule1 hypocrisy has worn the robes1  
and honesty the rags4 ,that day is      
passing away4 ,you cannot now answer the
 argument of a man by pointing at the   
holes in his coat4 ,thomas ,paine       
attacked the ,church when it was        
powerful--when it had what is called    
honors to bestow--when it was the keeper
 of the public conscience--when it was  
strong and cruel4 ,the ,church waited   
till he was dead1 and then attacked his 
reputation and his clothes4 ,once upon a
 time a donkey kicked a lion1 but the   

lion was dead4     #bjf4 ,the ,orthodox 
,christian  ,the highest type of the    
orthodox ,christian does not forget2    
neither does he learn4 ,he neither      
advances nor recedes4 ,he is a living   
fossil embedded in that rock called     
faith4 ,he makes no effort to better his
 condition1 because all his strength is 
exhausted in keeping other people from  
improving theirs4 ,the supreme desire of
 his heart is to force all others to    
adopt his creed1 and in order to        
accomplish this object he denounces     
free-thinking as a crime1 and this crime
 he calls heresy4 ,when he had power1   
heresy was the most terrible and        
formidable of words4 ,it meant          
confiscation1 exile1 imprisonment1      
torture1 and death4     #bjg4           
,alms-,dish and ,sword  ,i will not say 
the ,church has been an unmitigated evil
 in all respects4 ,its history is       
infamous and glorious4 ,it has delighted
 in the production of extremes4 ,it has 
furnished murderers for its own martyrs4

 ,it has sometimes fed the body1 but has
 always starved the soul4 ,it has been a
 charitable highwayman--a profligate    
beggar--a generous pirate4 ,it has      
produced some angels and a multitude of 
devils4 ,it has built more prisons than 
asylums4 ,it made a hundred orphans     
while it cared for one4 ,in one hand it 
has carried the alms-dish and in the    
other a sword4     #bjh4 ,the ,church   
the ,great ,robber  ,the ,church has    
been1 and still is1 the great robber4   
,she has rifled not only the pockets but
 the brains of the world4 ,she is the   
stone at the sepulchre of liberty2 the  
upas tree1 in whose shade the intellect 
of man has withered2 the ,gorgon beneath
 whose gaze the human heart has turned  
to stone4 ,under her influence even the 
,protestant mother expects to be happy  
in heaven1 while her brave boy1 who fell
 fighting for the rights of man1 shall  
writhe in hell4     #bji4 ,the ,church  
,impotent  ,the ,church1 impotent and   
malicious1 regrets1 not the abuse1 but  

the loss of her power1 and seeks to hold
 by falsehood what she gained by cruelty
 and force1 by fire and fear4           
,christianity cannot live in peace with 
any other form of faith4     #baj4      
,toleration  ,let it be remembered that 
all churches have persecuted heretics to
 the extent of their power4 ,toleration 
has increased only when and where the   
power of the church has diminished4     
,from ,augustine until now the spirit of
 the ,christians has remained the same4 
,there has been the same intolerance1   
the same undying hatred of all who think
 for themselves1 and the same           
determination to crush out of the human 
brain all knowledge inconsistent with an
 ignorant creed4     #baa4              
,shakespeare's ,plays v4 ,sermons  ,what
 would the church people think if the   
theatrical people should attempt to     
suppress the churches8 ,what harm would 
it do to have an opera here tonight8 ,it
 would elevate us more than to hear ten 
thousand sermons on the worm that never 

dies4 ,there is more practical wisdom in
 one of the plays of ,shakespeare than  
in all the sacred books ever written4   
,what wrong would there be to see one of
 those grand plays on ,sunday8 ,there   
was a time when the church would not    
allow you to cook on ,sunday4 ,you had  
to eat your victuals cold4 ,there was a 
time they thought the more miserable you
 feel the better ,god feels4     #bab4  
,why ,should the ,church be ,merciful8  
,give any orthodox church the power1 and
 to-day they would punish heresy with   
whip1 and chain1 and fire4 ,as long as a
 church deems a certain belief essential
 to salvation1 just so long it will kill
 and burn if it has the power4 ,why     
should the ,church pity a man whom her  
,god hates8 ,why should she show mercy  
to a kind and noble heretic whom her    
,god will burn in eternal fire8         
#bac4 ,the ,church and the ,infidel4    
,cathedrals and domes1 and chimes and   
chants--temples frescoed and groined and
 carved1 and gilded with gold--altars   

and tapers1 and paintings of virgin and 
babe--censer and chalice--chasuble1     
paten and alb--organs1 and anthems and  
incense rising to the winged and        
blest--maniple1 amice and stole--crosses
 and crosiers1 tiaras and crowns--mitres
 and missals and masses--rosaries1      
relics and robes--martyrs and saints1   
and windows stained as with the blood of
 ,christ--never1 never for one moment   
awed the brave1 proud spirit of the     
,infidel4 ,he knew that all the pomp and
 glitter had been purchased with        
,liberty--that priceless jewel of the   
soul4 ,in looking at the cathedral he   
remembered the dungeon4 ,the music of   
the organ was loud enough to drown the  
clank of fetters4 ,he could not forget  
that the taper had lighted the fagot4   
,he knew that the cross adorned the hilt
 of the sword1 and so where others      
worshiped1 he wept and scorned4         
#bad4 ,back to ,chaos  ,suppose the     
,church could control the world today1  
we would go back to chaos and old night 

philosophy would be branded as infamous2
 science would again press its pale and 
thoughtful face against the prison bars1
 and round the limbs of liberty would   
climb the bigot's flame4     #bae4      
,infinite ,impudence of the ,church     
,who can imagine the infinite impudence 
of a ,church assuming to think for the  
human race8 ,who can imagine the        
infinite impudence of a ,church that    
pretends to be the mouthpiece of ,god1  
and in his name threatens to inflict    
eternal punishment upon those who       
honestly reject its claims and scorn its
 pretensions8 ,by what right does a man1
 or an organization of men1 or a god1   
claim to hold a brain in bondage8 ,when 
a fact can be demonstrated1 force is    
unnecessary2 when it cannot be          
demonstrated1 an appeal to force is     
infamous4 ,in the presence of the       
unknown all have an equal right to      
think4     #baf4 ,wanted6--,a ,new      
,method  ,the world is covered with     
forts to protect ,christians from       

,christians1 and every sea is covered   
with iron monsters ready to blow        
,christian brains into eternal froth4   
,millions upon millions are annually    
expended in the effort to construct     
still more deadly and terrible engines  
of death4 ,industry is crippled1 honest 
toil is robbed1 and even beggary is     
taxed to defray the expenses of         
,christian warfare4 ,there must be some 
other way to reform this world4         
#bag4 ,the ,kirk of ,scotland  ,the     
,church was ignorant1 bloody1 and       
relentless4 ,in ,scotland the ,kirk was 
at the summit of its power4 ,it was a   
full sister of the ,spanish             
,inquisition4 ,it waged war upon human  
nature4 ,it was the enemy of happiness1 
the hater of joy1 and the despiser of   
religious liberty4 ,it taught parents to
 murder their children rather than to   
allow them to propagate error4 ,if the  
mother held opinions of which the       
infamous ,kirk disapproved1 her children
 were taken from her arms1 her babe from

 her very bosom1 and she was not allowed
 to see them1 or to write them a word4  
,it would not allow shipwrecked sailors 
to be rescued from drowning on ,sunday4 
,it sought to annihilate pleasure1 to   
pollute the heart by filling it with    
religious cruelty and gloom1 and to     
change mankind into a vast horde of     
pious1 heartless fiends4 ,one of the    
most famous ,scotch divines said3 ,the  
,kirk holds that religious toleration is
 not far from blasphemy4     #bah4 ,the 
,church ,looks ,back  ,the ,church is1  
and always has been1 incapable of a     
forward movement4 ,religion always looks
 back4 ,the ,church has already reduced 
,spain to a guitar1 ,italy to a         
hand-organ1 and ,ireland to exile4      
#bai4 ,diogenes  ,the ,church used      
painting1 music and architecture1 simply
 to degrade mankind4 ,but there are men 
that nothing can awe4 ,there have been  
at all times brave spirits that dared   
even the gods4 ,some proud head has     
always been above the waves4 ,in every  

age some ,diogenes has sacrificed to all
 the gods4 ,true genius never cowers1   
and there is always some ,samson feeling
 for the pillars of authority4     #bbj4
 ,the ,church and ,war  ,it does seem as
 though the most zealous ,christian must
 at times entertain some doubt as to the
 divine origin of his religion4 ,for    
eighteen hundred years the doctrine has 
been preached4 ,for more than a thousand
 years the ,church had1 to a great      
extent1 the control of the civilized    
world1 and what has been the result8    
,are the ,christian nations patterns of 
charity and forbearance8 ,on the        
contrary1 their principal business is to
 destroy each other4 ,more than five    
millions of ,christians are trained1    
educated1 and drilled to murder their   
fellow-christians4 ,every nation is     
groaning under a vast debt incurred in  
carrying on war against other           
,christians4     #bba4 ,the ,call to    
,preach  ,an old deacon1 wishing to get 
rid of an unpopular preacher1 advised   

him to give up the ministry and turn his
 attention to something else4 ,the      
preacher replied that he could not      
conscientiously desert the pulpit1 as he
 had had a call to the ministry4 ,to    
which the deacon replied1 ,that may be  
so1 but it's very unfortunate for you1  
that when ,god called you to preach1 he 
forgot to call anybody to hear you4     
#bbb4 ,burning ,servetus  ,the maker of 
the ,presbyterian creed caused the      
fugitive ,servetus to be arrested for   
blasphemy4 ,he was tried4 ,calvin was   
his accuser4 ,he was convicted and      
condemned to death by fire4 ,on the     
morning of the fatal day1 ,calvin saw   
him1 and ,servetus1 the victim1 asked   
forgiveness of ,calvin1 the murderer4   
,servetus was bound to the stake1 and   
the faggots were lighted4 ,the wind     
carried the flames somewhat away from   
his body1 so that he slowly roasted for 
hours4 ,vainly he implored a speedy     
death4 ,at last the flames climbed round
 his form2 through smoke and fire his   

murderers saw a white1 heroic face4 ,and
 there they watched until a man became a
 charred and shriveled mass4 ,liberty   
was banished from ,geneva1 and nothing  
but ,presbyterianism was left4     #bbc4
 ,freedom for the ,clergy  ,one of the  
first things ,i wish to do is to free   
the orthodox clergy4 ,i am a great      
friend of theirs1 and in spite of all   
they may say against me1 ,i am going to 
do them a great and lasting service4    
,upon their necks are visible the marks 
of the collar1 and upon their backs     
those of the lash4 ,they are not allowed
 to read and think for themselves4 ,they
 are taught like parrots1 and the best  
are those who repeat1 with the fewest   
mistakes1 the sentences they have been  
taught4 ,they sit like owls upon some   
dead limb of the tree of knowledge1 and 
hoot the same old hoots that have been  
hooted for eighteen hundred years4      
#bbd4 ,the ,pulpit ,weakening  ,there   
was a time when a falsehood1 fulminated 
from the pulpit1 smote like a sword2    

but1 the supply having greatly exceeded 
the demand1 clerical misrepresentation  
has at last become almost an innocent   
amusement4 ,remembering that only a few 
years ago men1 women1 and even children1
 were imprisoned1 tortured and burned1  
for having expressed in an exceedingly  
mild and gentle way1 the ideas          
entertained by me1 ,i congratulate      
myself that calumny is now the pulpit's 
last resort4     #bbe4 ,origin of the   
,priesthood  ,this was the origin of the
 priesthood4 ,the priest pretended to   
stand between the wrath of the gods and 
the helplessness of man4 ,he was man's  
attorney at the court of heaven4 ,he    
carried to the invisible world a flag of
 truce1 a protest and a request4 ,he    
came back with a command1 with authority
 and with power4 ,man fell upon his     
knees before his own servant1 and the   
priest1 taking advantage of the awe     
inspired by his supposed influence with 
the gods1 made of his fellow-man a      
cringing hypocrite and slave4     #bbf4 

,the ,clergy on ,heaven  ,the clergy1   
however1 balance all the real ills of   
this life with the expected joys of the 
next4 ,we are assured that all is       
perfection in heaven--there the skies   
are cloudless--there all is serenity and
 peace4 ,here empires may be overthrown2
 dynasties may be extinguished in blood2
 millions of slaves may toil 'neath the 
fierce rays of the sun1 and the cruel   
strokes of the lash2 yet all is         
happiness in heaven4 ,pestilences may   
strew the earth with corpses of the     
loved2 the survivors may bend above them
 in agony--yet the placid bosom of      
heaven is unruffled4 ,children may      
expire vainly asking for bread2 babes   
may be devoured by serpents1 while the  
gods sit smiling in the clouds4         
#bbg4 ,the ,parson1 the ,crane and the  
,fish  ,a devout clergyman sought every 
opportunity to impress upon the mind of 
his son the fact1 that ,god takes care  
of all his creatures2 that the falling  
sparrow attracts his attention1 and that

 his loving-kindness is over all his    
works4 ,happening1 one day1 to see a    
crane wading in quest of food1 the good 
man pointed out to his son the perfect  
adaptation of the crane to get his      
living in that manner4 ,see1 said he1   
how his legs are formed for wading6     
,what a long slender bill he has6       
,observe how nicely he folds his feet   
when putting them in or drawing them out
 of the water6 ,he does not cause the   
slightest ripple4 ,he is thus enabled to
 approach the fish without giving them  
any notice of his arrival4 ,my son1 said
 he1 it is impossible to look at that   
bird without recognizing the design1 as 
well as the goodness of ,god1 in thus   
providing the means of subsistence4     
,yes1 replied the boy1 ,i think ,i see  
the goodness of ,god1 at least so far as
 the crane is concerned2 but1 after all1
 father1 don't you think the arrangement
 a little tough on the fish8     #bbh4  
,banish ,me from ,eden--,but6  ,give me 
the storm of tempest and action1 rather 

than the dead calm of ignorance and     
faith4 ,banish me from ,eden when you   
will2 but first let me eat of the fruit 
of the tree of knowledge6     #bbi4 ,the
 ,pulpit's ,cry of ,fear  ,from every   
pulpit comes the same cry1 born of the  
same fear3 ,lest they eat and become as 
gods1 knowing good and evil4 ,for this  
reason1 religion hates science1 faith   
detests reason1 theology is the sworn   
enemy of philosophy1 and the church with
 its flaming sword still guards the     
hated tree1 and like its supposed       
founder1 curses to the lowest depths the
 brave thinkers who eat and become as   
gods4     #bcj4 ,restive ,clergymen     
,some of the clergy have the            
independence to break away1 and the     
intellect to maintain themselves as free
 men1 but the most are compelled to     
submit to the dictation of the orthodox1
 and the dead4 ,they are not employed to
 give their thoughts1 but simply to     
repeat the ideas of others4 ,they are   
not expected to give even the doubts    

that may suggest themselves1 but are    
required to walk in the narrow1         
verdureless path trodden by the         
ignorance of the past4 ,the forests and 
fields on either side are nothing to    
them4     #bca4 ,the ,parson ,factory at
 ,andover  ,they have in ,massachusetts1
 at a place called ,andover1 a kind of  
minister-factory2 and every professor in
 that factory takes an oath once in     
every five years--that is as long as an 
oath will last--that not only has he not
 during the last five years1 but so help
 him ,god1 he will not during the next  
five years intellectually advance2 and  
probably there is no oath he could      
easier keep4 ,since the foundation of   
that institution there has not been one 
case of perjury4 ,they believe the same 
creed they first taught when the        
foundation stone was laid1 and now when 
they send out a minister they brand him 
as hardware from ,sheffield and         
,birmingham4 ,and every man who knows   
where he was educated knows his creed1  

knows every argument of his creed1 every
 book that he reads1 and just what he   
amounts to intellectually1 and knows he 
will shrink and shrivel4     #bcb4 ,a   
,charge to ,presbyteries  ,go on1       
presbyteries and synods1 go on6 ,thrust 
the heretics out of the ,church--that is
 to say1 throw away your brains1--put   
out your eyes4 ,the infidels will thank 
you4 ,they are willing to adopt your    
exiles4 ,every deserter from your camp  
is a recruit for the army of progress4  
,cling to the ignorant dogmas of the    
past2 read the #ajith ,psalm2 gloat over
 the slaughter of mothers and babes2    
thank ,god for total depravity2 shower  
your honors upon hypocrites1 and silence
 every minister who is touched with that
 heresy called genius4 ,be true to your 
history4 ,turn out the astronomers1 the 
geologists1 the naturalists1 the        
chemists1 and all the honest scientists4
 ,with a whip of scorpions1 drive them  
all out4 ,we want them all4     ,,the   
,,bible     #bcc4 ,nature the ,true     

,bible  ,the true ,bible appeals to man 
in the name of demonstration4 ,it has   
nothing to conceal4 ,it has no fear of  
being read1 of being contradicted1 of   
being investigated and understood4 ,it  
does not pretend to be holy1 or sacred2 
it simply claims to be true4 ,it        
challenges the scrutiny of all1 and     
implores every reader to verify every   
line for himself4 ,it is incapable of   
being blasphemed4 ,this book appeals to 
all the surroundings of man4 ,each thing
 that exists testifies of its           
perfection4 ,the earth1 with its heart  
of fire and crowns of snow2 with its    
forests and plains1 its rocks and seas2 
with its every wave and cloud2 with its 
every leaf and bud and flower1 confirms 
its every word1 and the solemn stars1   
shining in the infinite abysses1 are the
 eternal witnesses of its truth4        
#bcd4 ,inspiration  ,i will tell you    
what ,i mean by inspiration4 ,i go and  
look at the sea1 and the sea says       
something to me2 it makes an impression 

upon my mind4 ,that impression depends1 
first1 upon my experience2 secondly1    
upon my intellectual capacity4 ,another 
looks upon the same sea4 ,he has a      
different brain1 he has had a different 
experience1 he has different memories   
and different hopes4 ,the sea may speak 
to him of joy and to me of grief and    
sorrow4 ,the sea cannot tell the same   
thing to two beings1 because no two     
human beings have had the same          
experience4 ,so1 when ,i look upon a    
flower1 or a star1 or a painting1 or a  
statue1 the more ,i know about sculpture
 the more that statue speaks to me4 ,the
 more ,i have had of human experience1  
the more ,i have read1 the greater brain
 ,i have1 the more the star says to me4 
,in other words1 nature says to me all  
that ,i am capable of understanding4    
#cce4 ,the #ajith ,psalm6  ,think of a  
,god wicked and malicious enough to     
inspire this prayer in the #ajith       
,psalm4 ,think of one infamous enough to
 answer it4 ,had this inspired psalm    

been found in some temple erected for   
the worship of snakes1 or in the        
possession of some cannibal king1       
written with blood upon the dried skins 
of babes1 there would have been a       
perfect harmony between its surroundings
 and its sentiments4     #bcf4 ,i ,don't
 ,believe the ,bible  ,now1 ,i read the 
,bible1 and ,i find that ,god so loved  
this world that he made up his mind to  
damn the most of us4 ,i have read this  
book1 and what shall ,i say of it8 ,i   
believe it is generally better to be    
honest4 ,now1 ,i don't believe the      
,bible4 ,had ,i not better say so8 ,they
 say that if you do you will regret it  
when you come to die4 ,if that be true1 
,i know a great many religious people   
who will have no cause to regret        
it--they don't tell their honest        
convictions about the ,bible4     #bcg4 
,the ,bible the ,real ,persecutor  ,the 
,bible was the real persecutor4 ,the    
,bible burned heretics1 built dungeons1 
founded the ,inquisition1 and trampled  

upon all the liberties of men4 ,how     
long1 ,o how long will mankind worship a
 book8 ,how long will they grovel in the
 dust before the ignorant legends of the
 barbaric past8 ,how long1 ,o how long  
will they pursue phantoms in a darkness 
deeper than death8     #bch4            
,immoralities of the ,bible  ,the       
believers in the ,bible are loud in     
their denunciation of what they are     
pleased to call the immoral literature  
of the world2 and yet few books have    
been published containing more moral    
filth than this inspired word of ,god4  
,these stories are not redeemed by a    
single flash of wit or humor4 ,they     
never rise above the dull details of    
stupid vice4 ,for one1 ,i cannot afford 
to soil my pages with extracts from     
them2 and all such portions of the      
,scriptures ,i leave to be examined1    
written upon1 and explained by the      
clergy4 ,clergymen may know some way by 
which they can extract honey from these 
flowers4 ,until these passages are      

expunged from the ,old ,testament1 it is
 not a fit book to be read by either old
 or young4 ,it contains pages that no   
minister in the ,united ,states would   
read to his congregation for any reward 
whatever4 ,there are chapters that no   
gentleman would read in the presence of 
a lady4 ,there are chapters that no     
father would read to his child4 ,there  
are narratives utterly unfit to be told2
 and the time will come when mankind    
will wonder that such a book was ever   
called inspired4     #bci4 ,the ,bible  
,stands in the ,way  ,but as long as the
 ,bible is considered as the work of    
,god1 it will be hard to make all men   
too good and pure to imitate it2 and as 
long as it is imitated there will be    
vile and filthy books4 ,the literature  
of our country will not be sweet and    
clean until the ,bible ceases to be     
regarded as the production of a god4    
#bdj4 ,the ,bible ,false  ,in the days  
of ,thomas ,paine the ,church believed  
and taught that every word in the ,bible

 was absolutely true4 ,since his day it 
has been proven false in its cosmogony1 
false in its astronomy1 false in its    
chronology1 false in its history1 and so
 far as the ,old ,testament is          
concerned1 false in almost everything4  
,there are but few1 if any1 scientific  
men who apprehend that the ,bible is    
literally true4 ,who on earth at this   
day would pretend to settle any         
scientific question by a text from the  
,bible8 ,the old belief is confined to  
the ignorant and zealous4 ,the ,church  
itself will before long be driven to    
occupy the position of ,thomas ,paine4  
#bda4 ,the ,man ,i ,love  ,i love any   
man who gave me1 or helped to give me1  
the liberty ,i enjoy to-night4 ,i love  
every man who helped put our flag in    
heaven4 ,i love every man who has lifted
 his voice in all the ages for liberty1 
for a chainless body1 and a fetterless  
brain4 ,i love every man who has given  
to every other human being every right  
that he claimed for himself4 ,i love    

every man who thought more of principle 
than he did of position4 ,i love the men
 who have trampled crowns beneath their 
feet that they might do something for   
mankind4     #bdb4 ,whale1 ,jonah and   
,all  ,the best minds of the orthodox   
world1 to-day1 are endeavoring to prove 
the existence of a personal ,deity4 ,all
 other questions occupy a minor place4  
,you are no longer asked to swallow the 
,bible whole1 whale1 ,jonah and all2 you
 are simply required to believe in ,god1
 and pay your pew-rent4 ,there is not   
now an enlightened minister in the world
 who will seriously contend that        
,samson's strength was in his hair1 or  
that the necromancers of ,egypt could   
turn water into blood1 and pieces of    
wood into serpents4 ,these follies have 
passed away4     #bdc4 ,damned for      
,laughing at ,samson  ,for my part1 ,i  
would infinitely prefer to know all the 
results of scientific investigation1    
than to be inspired as ,moses was4      
,supposing the ,bible to be true2 why is

 it any worse or more wicked for free   
thinkers to deny it1 than for priests to
 deny the doctrine of ,evolution1 or the
 dynamic theory of heat8 ,why should we 
be damned for laughing at ,samson and   
his foxes1 while others1 holding the    
,nebular ,hypothesis in utter contempt1 
go straight to heaven8     #bdd4 ,the   
,man1 ,not the ,book1 ,inspired  ,now   
when ,i come to a book1 for instance ,i 
read the writings of                    
,shakespeare--,shakespeare1 the greatest
 human being who ever existed upon this 
globe4 ,what do ,i get out of him8 ,all 
that ,i have sense enough to understand4
 ,i get my little cup full4 ,let another
 read him who knows nothing of the      
drama1 who knows nothing of the         
impersonation of passion2 what does he  
get from him8 ,very little4 ,in other   
words1 every man gets from a book1 a    
flower1 a star1 or the sea1 what he is  
able to get from his intellectual       
development and experience4 ,do you then
 believe that the ,bible is a different 

book to every human being that receives 
it8 ,i do4 ,can ,god1 then1 through the 
,bible1 make the same revelation to two 
men8 ,he cannot4 ,why8 ,because the man 
who reads is the man who inspires4      
,inspiration is in the man and not in   
the book4     #bde4 ,the ,bible a ,chain
  ,the real oppressor1 enslaver and     
corrupter of the people is the ,bible4  
,that book is the chain that binds1 the 
dungeon that holds the clergy4 ,that    
book spreads the pall of superstition   
over the colleges and schools4 ,that    
book puts out the eyes of science1 and  
makes honest investigation a crime4     
,that book unmans the politician and    
degrades the people4 ,that book fills   
the world with bigotry1 hypocrisy and   
fear4     #bdf4 ,absurd and ,foolish    
,fables  ,volumes might be written upon 
the infinite absurdity of this most     
incredible1 wicked and foolish of all   
the fables contained in that repository 
of the impossible1 called the ,bible4   
,to me it is a matter of amazement1 that

 it ever was for a moment believed by   
any intelligent human being4     #bdg4  
,the ,bible the ,work of ,man  ,is it   
not infinitely more reasonable to say   
that this book is the work of man1 that 
it is filled with mingled truth and     
error1 with mistakes and facts1 and     
reflects1 too faithfully perhaps1 the   
very form and pressure of its time8 ,if 
there are mistakes in the ,bible1       
certainly they were made by man4 ,if    
there is anything contrary to nature1 it
 was written by man4 ,if there is       
anything immoral1 cruel1 heartless or   
infamous1 it certainly was never written
 by a being worthy of the adoration of  
mankind4     #bdh4 ,something to        
,admire1 not ,laugh at  ,it strikes me  
that ,god might write a book that would 
not necessarily excite the laughter of  
his children4 ,in fact1 ,i think it     
would be safe to say that a real ,god   
could produce a work that would excite  
the admiration of mankind4     #bdi4 ,an
 ,intellectual ,deformity  ,the man who 

now regards the ,old ,testament as1 in  
any sense1 a sacred or inspired book1   
is1 in my judgment1 an intellectual and 
moral deformity4 ,there is in it so much
 that is cruel1 ignorant1 and ferocious1
 that it is to me a matter of amazement 
that it was ever thought to be the work 
of a most merciful ,deity4     #bej4    
,the ,bible a ,poor ,product  ,admitting
 that the ,bible is the ,book of ,god1  
is that his only good job8 ,will not a  
man be damned as quick for denying the  
equator as denying the ,bible8 ,will he 
not be damned as quick for denying      
geology as for denying the scheme of    
salvation8 ,when the ,bible was first   
written it was not believed4 ,had they  
known as much about science as we know  
now1 that ,bible would not have been    
written4     #bea4 ,the ,bible the      
,battle ,ground of ,sects  ,every sect  
is a certificate that ,god has not      
plainly revealed his will to man4 ,to   
each reader the ,bible conveys a        
different meaning4 ,about the meaning of

 this book1 called a revelation1 there  
have been ages of war1 and centuries of 
sword and flame4 ,if written by an      
infinite ,god1 he must have known that  
these results must follow2 and thus     
knowing1 he must be responsible for all4
     #beb4 ,the ,bible ,childish  ,paine
 thought the barbarities of the ,old    
,testament inconsistent with what he    
deemed the real character of ,god4 ,he  
believed that murder1 massacre and      
indiscriminate slaughter had never been 
commanded by the ,deity4 ,he regarded   
much of the ,bible as childish1         
unimportant and foolish4 ,the scientific
 world entertains the same opinion4     
,paine attacked the ,bible precisely in 
the same spirit in which he had attacked
 the pretensions of kings4 ,he used the 
same weapons4 ,all the pomp in the world
 could not make him cower4 ,his reason  
knew no ,holy of ,holies1 except the    
abode of ,truth4     #bec4 ,where ,moses
 got the ,pentateuch  ,nothing can be   
clearer than that ,moses received from  

the ,egyptians the principal parts of   
his narrative1 making such changes and  
additions as were necessary to satisfy  
the peculiar superstitions of his own   
people4     #bed4 ,god's ,letter to ,his
 ,children  ,according to the           
theologians1 ,god1 the ,father of us    
all1 wrote a letter to his children4    
,the children have always differed      
somewhat as to the meaning of this      
letter4 ,in consequence of these honest 
differences1 these brothers began to cut
 out each other's hearts4 ,in every     
land1 where this letter from ,god has   
been read1 the children to whom and for 
whom it was written have been filled    
with hatred and malice4 ,they have      
imprisoned and murdered each other1 and 
the wives and children of each other4   
,in the name of ,god every possible     
crime has been committed1 every         
conceivable outrage has been            
perpetrated4 ,brave men1 tender and     
loving women1 beautiful girls1 and      
prattling babes have been exterminated  

in the name of ,jesus ,christ4     #bee4
 ,examination a ,crime  ,the ,church has
 burned honesty and rewarded hypocrisy4 
,and all this1 because it was commanded 
by a book--a book that men had been     
taught implicitly to believe1 long      
before they knew one word that was in   
it4 ,they had been taught that to doubt 
the truth of this book--to examine it1  
even--was a crime of such enormity that 
it could not be forgiven1 either in this
 world or in the next4     #bef4 ,read  
the ,bible--and ,then6  ,all that is    
necessary1 as it seems to me1 to        
convince any reasonable person that the 
,bible is simply and purely of human    
invention--of barbarian invention--is to
 read it4 ,read it as you would any     
other book2 think of it as you would any
 other2 get the bandage of reverence    
from your eyes2 drive from your heart   
the phantom of fear2 push from the      
throne of your brain the cowled form of 
superstition--then read the ,holy       
,bible1 and you will be amazed that you 

ever1 for one moment1 supposed a being  
of infinite wisdom1 goodness and purity1
 to be the author of such ignorance and 
such atrocity4     #beg4 ,an ,infallible
 ,book ,makes ,slaves  ,whether the     
,bible is false or true1 is of no       
consequence in comparison with the      
mental freedom of the race4 ,salvation  
through slavery is worthless4 ,salvation
 from slavery is inestimable4 ,as long  
as man believes the ,bible to be        
infallible1 that book is his master4    
,the civilization of this century is not
 the child of faith1 but of             
unbelief--the result of free thought4   
#beh4 ,can a ,sane ,man ,believe in     
,inspiration8  ,what man who ever       
thinks1 can believe that blood can      
appease ,god8 ,and yet our entire system
 of religion is based on that belief4   
,the ,jews pacified ,jehovah with the   
blood of animals1 and according to the  
,christian system1 the blood of ,jesus  
softened the heart of ,god a little1 and
 rendered possible the salvation of a   

fortunate few4 ,it is hard to conceive  
how any sane man can read the ,bible and
 still believe in the doctrine of       
inspiration4     #bei4 ,an ,inspiration 
,test  ,the ,bible was originally       
written in the ,hebrew language1 and the
 ,hebrew language at that time had no   
vowels in writing4 ,it was written      
entirely with consonants1 and without   
being divided into chapters and verses1 
and there was no system of punctuation  
whatever4 ,after you go home to-night   
write an ,english sentence or two with  
only consonants close together1 and you 
will find that it will take twice as    
much inspiration to read it as it did to
 write it4     #bfj4 ,the ,real ,bible  
,the real ,bible is not the work of     
inspired men1 nor prophets1 nor         
evangelists1 nor of ,christs4 ,the real 
,bible has not yet been written1 but is 
being written4 ,every man who finds a   
fact adds a word to this great book4    
#bfa4 ,the ,bad ,passages in the ,bible 
not ,inspired  ,the bad passages in the 

,bible are not inspired4 ,no ,god ever  
upheld human slavery1 polygamy or a war 
of extermination4 ,no ,god ever ordered 
a soldier to sheathe his sword in the   
breast of a mother4 ,no ,god ever       
ordered a warrior to butcher a smiling1 
prattling babe4 ,no ,god ever upheld    
tyranny4 ,no ,god ever said1 be subject 
to the powers that be4 ,no ,god ever    
endeavored to make man a slave and woman
 a beast of burden4 ,there are thousands
 of good passages in the ,bible4 ,many  
of them are true4  ,there are in it wise
 laws1 good customs1 some lofty and     
splendid things4 ,and ,i do not care    
whether they are inspired or not1 so    
they are true4 ,but what ,i do insist   
upon is that the bad is not inspired4   
#bfb4 ,too much ,pictorial  ,there is no
 hope for you4 ,it is just as bad to    
deny hell as it is to deny heaven4      
,prof4 ,swing says the ,bible is a poem4
 ,dr4 ,ryder says it is a picture4 ,the 
,garden of ,eden is pictorial2 a        
pictorial snake and a pictorial woman1  

,i suppose1 and a pictorial man1 and may
 be it was a pictorial sin4 ,and only a 
pictorial atonement6     #bfc4 ,one     
,plow worth a ,million ,sermons  ,man   
must learn to rely upon himself4        
,reading ,bibles will not protect him   
from the blasts of winter1 but houses1  
fire and clothing will4 ,to prevent     
famine one plow is worth a million      
sermons1 and even patent medicines will 
cure more diseases than all the prayers 
uttered since the beginning of the      
world4     ,,infidels     #bfd4 ,the    
,infidels of #aggf  ,by the efforts of  
these infidels--,paine1 ,jefferson and  
,franklin--the name of ,god was left out
 of the ,constitution of the ,united    
,states4 ,they knew that if an infinite 
being was put in1 no room would be left 
for the people4 ,they knew that if any  
church was made the mistress of the     
state1 that mistress1 like all others1  
would corrupt1 weaken1 and destroy4     
,washington wished a church1 established
 by law1 in ,virginia4 ,he was prevented

 by ,thomas ,jefferson4 ,it was only a  
little while ago that people were       
compelled to attend church by law in the
 ,eastern ,states1 and taxes were raised
 for the support of churches the same as
 for the construction of highways and   
bridges4 ,the great principle enunciated
 in the ,constitution has silently      
repealed most of these laws4 ,in the    
presence of this great instrument the   
constitutions of the ,states grew small 
and mean1 and in a few years every law  
that puts a chain upon the mind1 except 
in ,delaware1 will be repealed1 and for 
these our children may thank the        
infidels of #aggf4     #bfe4 ,the       
,legitimate ,influence of ,religion     
,religion should have the influence upon
 mankind that its goodness1 that its    
morality1 its justice1 its charity1 its 
reason and its argument give it1 and no 
more4 ,religion should have the effect  
upon mankind that it necessarily has1   
and no more4     #bff4 ,infidels the    
,flowers of the ,world  ,the infidels   

have been the brave and thoughtful men2 
the flower of all the world2 the        
pioneers and heralds of the blessed day 
of liberty and love2 the generous       
spirits of the unworthy past2 the seers 
and prophets of our race2 the great     
chivalric souls1 proud victors on the   
battle-fields of thought1 the creditors 
of all the years to be4     #bfg4 ,the  
,noblest ,sons of1 ,earth  ,who at the  
present day can imagine the courage1 the
 devotion to principle1 the intellectual
 and moral grandeur it once required to 
be an infidel1 to brave the ,church1 her
 racks1 her fagots1 her dungeons1 her   
tongues of fire--to defy and scorn her  
heaven and her hell--her devil and her  
,god8 ,they were the noblest sons of    
earth4 ,they were the real saviors of   
our race1 the destroyers of             
superstition1 and the creators of       
,science4 ,they were the real ,titans   
who bared their grand foreheads to all  
the thunderbolts of all the gods4       
#bfh4 ,how ,ingersoll became an ,infidel

  ,i may say right here that the        
,christian idea that any ,god can make  
me ,his friend by killing mine is about 
as great a mistake as could be made4    
,they seem to have the idea that just as
 soon as ,god kills all the people that 
a person loves1 he will then begin to   
love the ,lord4 ,what drew my attention 
first to these questions was the        
doctrine of eternal punishment4 ,this   
was so abhorrent to my mind that ,i     
began to hate the book in which it was  
taught4 ,then1 in reading law1 going    
back to find the origin of laws1 ,i     
found one had to go but a little way    
before the legislator and priest united4
 ,this led me to study a good many of   
the religions of the world4 ,at first ,i
 was greatly astonished to find most of 
them better than ours4 ,i then studied  
our own system to the best of my        
ability1 and found that people were     
palming off upon children and upon one  
another as the inspired words of ,god a 
book that upheld slavery1 polygamy1 and 

almost every other crime4 ,whether ,i am
 right or wrong1 ,i became convinced    
that the ,bible is not an inspired book1
 and then the only question for me to   
settle was as to whether ,i should say  
what ,i believed or not4 ,this realty   
was not the question in my mind1        
because1 before even thinking of such a 
question1 ,i expressed my belief1 and ,i
 simply claim that right1 and expect to 
exercise it as long as ,i live4 ,i may  
be damned for it in the next world1 but 
it is a great source of pleasure to me  
in this4     #bfi4 ,why ,should         
,infidels ,die in ,fear8  ,why should it
 be taken for granted that the men who  
devoted their lives to the liberation of
 their fellowmen should have been hissed
 at in the hour of death by the snakes  
of conscience1 while men who defended   
slavery--practiced polygamy--justified  
the stealing of babes from the breasts  
of mothers1 and lashed the naked back of
 unpaid labor1 are supposed to have     
passed smilingly from earth to the      

embraces of the angels8 ,why should we  
think that the brave thinkers1 the      
investigators1 the honest men must have 
left the crumbling shore of time in     
dread and fear1 while the instigators of
 the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew1 the 
inventors and users of thumb screws1 of 
iron boots and racks1 the burners and   
tearers of human flesh1 the stealers1   
the whippers1 and the enslavers of men1 
the buyers and beaters of maidens1      
mothers1 and babes1 the founders of the 
inquisition1 the makers of chains1 the  
builders of dungeons1 the calumniators  
of the living1 the slanderers of the    
dead1 and even the murderers of ,jesus  
,christ1 all died in the odor of        
sanctity1 with white1 forgiven hands    
folded upon the breasts of peace1 while 
the destroyers of prejudice1 the        
breakers of fetters1 the creators of    
light1 died surrounded by the fierce    
fiends of ,god8     #bgj4 ,infidelity is
 ,liberty  ,infidelity is liberty2 all  
religion is slavery4 ,in every creed man

 is the slave of ,god--woman is the     
slave of man and the sweet children are 
the slaves of all4 ,we do not want      
creeds2 we want knowledge--we want      
happiness4     #bga4 ,the ,world in     
,debt to ,infidels  ,what would the     
world be if infidels had never been8    
,let us be honest4 ,did all the priests 
of ,rome increase the mental wealth of  
man as much as ,bruno8 ,did all the     
priests of ,france do as great a work   
for the civilization of the world as    
,diderot and ,voltaire8 ,did all the    
ministers of ,scotland add as much to   
the sum of human knowledge as ,david    
,hume8 ,have all the clergymen1 monks1  
friars1 ministers1 priests1 bishops1    
cardinals1 and popes1 from the day of   
,pentecost to the last election1 done as
 much for human liberty as ,thomas      
,paine8     #bgb4 ,infidels the         
,pioneers of ,progress  ,the history of 
intellectual progress is written in the 
lives of infidels4 ,political rights    
have been preserved by traitors--the    

liberty of the mind by heretics4 ,to    
attack the king was treason--to dispute 
the priest was blasphemy4 ,the sword and
 cross were allies4 ,they defended each 
other4 ,the throne and the altar were   
twins--vultures from the same egg4 ,it  
was ,james ,i4 who said3 ,no bishop1 no 
king4 ,he might have said3 ,no cross1 no
 crown4 ,the king owned the bodies1 and 
the priest the souls1 of men4 ,one lived
 on taxes1 the other on alms4 ,one was a
 robber1 the other a beggar4 ,these     
robbers and beggars controlled two      
worlds4 ,the king made laws1 the priest 
made creeds4 ,with bowed backs the      
people received the burdens of the one1 
and1 with wonder's open mouth1 the      
dogmas of the other4 ,if any aspired to 
be free1 they were slaughtered by the   
king1 and every priest was a ,herod who 
slaughtered the children of the brain4  
,the king ruled by force1 the priest by 
fear1 and both by both4 ,the king said  
to the people3 ,god made you peasants1  
and ,he made me king4 ,he made rags and 

hovels for you1 robes and palaces for   
me4 ,such is the justice of ,god4 ,and  
the priest said3 ,god made you ignorant 
and vile4 ,he made me holy and wise4 ,if
 you do not obey me1 ,god will punish   
you here and torment you hereafter4     
,such is the mercy of ,god4     #bgc4   
,infidels the ,great ,discoverers       
,infidels are the intellectual          
discoverers4 ,they sail the unknown     
seas1 and in the realms of thought they 
touch the shores of other worlds4 ,an   
infidel is the finder of a new fact--one
 who in the mental sky has seen another 
star4 ,he is an intellectual capitalist1
 and for that reason excites the envy of
 theological paupers4     #bgd4 ,the    
,altar of ,reason  ,virtue is a         
subordination1 of the passions to the   
intellect4 ,it is to act in accordance  
with your highest convictions4 ,it does 
not consist in believing1 but in doing4 
,this is the sublime truth that the     
,infidels in all ages have uttered4     
,they have handed the torch from one to 

the other through all the years that    
have fled4 ,upon the altar of reason    
they have kept the sacred fire1 and     
through the long midnight of faith they 
fed the divine flame4     ,,gods ,,and  
,,devils     #bge4 ,every ,nation has   
,created a ,god  ,each nation has       
created a ,god1 and the ,god has always 
resembled his creators4 ,he hated and   
loved what they hated and loved4 ,each  
,god was intensely patriotic1 and       
detested all nations but his own4 ,all  
these gods demanded praise1 flattery and
 worship4 ,most of them were pleased    
with sacrifice1 and the smell of        
innocent blood has ever been considered 
a divine perfume4 ,all these gods have  
insisted on having a vast number of     
priests1 and the priests have always    
insisted upon being supported by the    
people2 and the principle business of   
these priests has been to boast that    
their ,god could easily vanquish all the
 other gods put together4     #bgf4     
,gods with ,back-,hair  ,man1 having    

always been the physical superior of    
woman1 accounts for the fact that most  
of the high gods have been males4 ,had  
women been the physical superior2 the   
powers supposed to be the rulers of     
,nature would have been woman1 and      
instead of being represented in the     
apparel of man1 they would have         
luxuriated in trains1 low-necked        
dresses1 laces and back-hair4     #bgg4 
,creation the ,decomposition of the     
,infinite  ,admitting that a god did    
create the universe1 the question then  
arises1 of what did he create it8 ,it   
certainly was not made of nothing4      
,nothing1 considered in the light of a  
raw material1 is a most decided failure4
 ,it follows1 then1 that the god must   
have made the universe out of himself1  
he being the only existence4 ,the       
universe is material1 and if it was made
 of god1 the god must have been         
material4 ,with this very thought in his
 mind1 ,anaximander of ,miletus1 said3  
,creation is the decomposition of the   

infinite4     #bgh4 ,the ,gods ,are as  
the ,people ,are  ,no god was ever in   
advance of the nation that created him4 
,the negroes represented their deities  
with black skins and curly hair3 ,the   
,mongolian gave to his a yellow         
complexion and dark almond-shaped eyes4 
,the ,jews were not allowed to paint    
theirs1 or we should have seen ,jehovah 
with a full beard1 an oval face1 and an 
aquiline nose4 ,zeus was a perfect      
,greek1 and ,jove looked as though a    
member of the ,roman senate4 ,the gods  
of ,egypt had the patient face and      
placid look of the loving people who    
made them4 ,the gods of northern        
countries were represented warmly clad  
in robes of fur2 those of the tropics   
were naked4 ,the gods of ,india were    
often mounted upon elephants2 those of  
some islanders were great swimmers1 and 
the deities of the ,arctic zone were    
passionately fond of whale's blubber4   
#bgi4 ,gods ,shouldn't ,make ,mistakes  
,generally the devotee has modeled them 

after himself1 and has given them hands1
 heads1 feet1 eyes1 ears1 and organs of 
speech4 ,each nation made its gods and  
devils not only speak its language1 but 
put in their mouths the same mistakes in
 history1 geography1 astronomy1 and in  
all matters of fact1 generally made by  
the people4     #bhj4 ,miracles  ,no    
one1 in the world's whole history1 ever 
attempted to substantiate a truth by a  
miracle4 ,truth scorns the assistance of
 miracle4 ,nothing but falsehood ever   
attested itself by signs and wonders4   
,no miracle ever was performed1 and no  
sane man ever thought he had performed  
one1 and until one is performed1 there  
can be no evidence of the existence of  
any power superior to1 and independent  
of nature4     #bha4 ,plenty of ,gods on
 ,hand  ,man has never been at a loss   
for gods4 ,he has worshipped almost     
everything1 including the vilest and    
most disgusting beasts4 ,he has         
worshipped fire1 earth1 air1 water1     
light1 stars1 and for hundreds1 of ages 

prostrated himself before enormous      
snakes4 ,savage tribes often make gods  
of articles they get from civilized     
people4 ,the ,todas worship a cowbell4  
,the ,kodas worship two silver plates1  
which they regard as husband and wife1  
and another tribe manufactured a god out
 of a king of hearts4     #bhb4 ,the    
,devil ,difficulty  ,in the olden times 
the existence of devils was universally 
admitted4 ,the people had no doubt upon 
that subject1 and from such belief it   
followed as a matter of course1 that a  
person1 in order to vanquish these      
devils1 had either to be a god1 or to be
 assisted by one4 ,all founders of      
religions have established their claims 
to divine origin by controlling evil    
spirits1 and suspending the laws of     
nature4 ,casting out devils was a       
certificate of divinity4 ,a prophet1    
unable to cope with the powers of       
darkness1 was regarded with contempt4   
,the utterance of the highest and       
noblest sentiments1 the most blameless  

and holy life1 commanded but little     
respect1 unless accompanied by power to 
work miracles and command spirits4      
#bhc4 ,was the ,devil an ,idiot8  ,the  
,christians now claim that ,jesus was   
,god4 ,if he was ,god1 of course the    
devil knew that fact1 and yet1 according
 to this account1 the devil took the    
omnipotent ,god and placed him upon a   
pinnacle of the temple1 and endeavored  
to induce him1 to dash himself against  
the earth4 ,failing in that1 he took the
 creator1 owner and governor of the     
universe up into an exceeding high      
mountain1 and offered him this          
world--this grain of sand--if he1 the   
,god of all the worlds1 would fall down 
and worship him1 a poor devil1 without  
even a tax title to one foot of dirt6   
,is it possible the devil was such an   
idiot8 ,should any great credit be given
 to this deity for not being caught with
 such chaff8 ,think of it6 ,the         
devil--the prince of sharpers--the king 
of cunning--the master of finesse1      

trying to bribe ,god with a grain of    
sand that belonged to ,god6     #bhd4   
,industrious ,deities  ,few nations have
 been so poor as to have but one god4   
,gods were made so easily1 and the raw  
material cost so little1 that generally 
the god market was fairly glutted1 and  
heaven crammed with these phantoms4     
,these gods not only attended to the    
skies1 but were supposed to interfere in
 all the affairs of men4 ,they presided 
over everybody and everything4 ,they    
attended to every department4 ,all was  
supposed to be under their immediate    
control4 ,nothing was too small--nothing
 too large2 the falling of sparrows and 
the motions of the planets were alike   
attended to by these industrious and    
observing deities4     #bhe4 ,god in    
,idleness  ,if a god created the        
universe1 then1 there must have been a  
time when he commenced to create4 ,back 
of that time there must have been an    
eternity1 during which there had existed
 nothing--absolutely nothing--except    

this supposed god4 ,according to this   
theory1 this god spent an eternity1 so  
to speak1 in an infinite vacuum1 and in 
perfect idleness4     #bhf4 ,fancy a    
,devil ,drowning a ,world  ,one of these
 gods1 according to the account1 drowned
 an entire world1 with the exception of 
eight persons4 ,the old1 the young1 the 
beautiful and the helpless were         
remorselessly devoured by the shoreless 
sea4 ,this1 the most fearful tragedy    
that the imagination of ignorant priests
 ever conceived1 was the act1 not of a  
devil1 but of a god1 so-called1 whom men
 ignorantly worship unto this day4 ,what
 a stain such an act would leave upon   
the character of a devil6     #bhg4     
,some ,gods ,very ,particular ,about    
,little ,things  ,from their starry     
thrones they frequently came to the     
earth for the purpose of imparting      
information to man4 ,it is related of   
one that he came amid thunderings and   
lightnings in order to tell the people  
that they should not cook a kid in its  

mother's milk4 ,some left their shining 
abodes to tell women that they should1  
or should not1 have children1 to inform 
a priest how to cut and wear his apron1 
and to give directions as to the proper 
manner of cleaning the intestines of a  
bird4     #bhh ,the ,gods of ,to-day the
 ,scorn of ,to-morrow  ,nations1 like   
individuals1 have their periods of      
youth1 of manhood and decay4 ,religions 
are the same4 ,the same inexorable      
destiny awaits them all4 ,the gods      
created by the nations must perish with 
their creators4 ,they were created by   
men1 and like men1 they must pass away4 
,the deities of one age are the by-words
 of the next4     #bhi4 ,no ,evidence of
 a ,god in ,nature  ,the best minds1    
even in the religious world1 admit that 
in the material nature there is no      
evidence of what they are pleased to    
call a god4 ,they find their evidence in
 the phenomena of intelligence1 and very
 innocently assert that intelligence is 
above1 and in fact1 opposed to nature4  

,they insist that man1 at least1 is a   
special creation2 that he has somewhere 
in his brain a divine spark1 a little   
portion of the ,great ,first ,cause4    
,they say that matter cannot produce    
thought2 but that thought can produce   
matter4 ,they tell us that man has      
intelligence1 and therefore there must  
be an intelligence greater than his4    
,why not say1 ,god has intelligence1    
therefore there must be an intelligence 
greater than his8 ,so far as we know1   
there is no intelligence apart from     
matter4 ,we cannot conceive of thought1 
except as produced within a brain4      
#bij4 ,great ,variety in ,gods  ,gods   
have been manufactured after numberless 
models41 and according to the most      
grotesque fashions4 ,some have a        
thousand arms1 some a hundred heads1    
some are adorned with necklaces of      
living snakes1 some are armed with      
clubs1 some with sword and shield1 some 
with bucklers1 and some have wings as a 
cherub2 some were invisible1 some would 

show themselves entire1 and some would  
only show their backs2 some were        
jealous1 some were foolish1 some turned 
themselves into men1 some into swans1   
some into bulls1 some into doves1 and   
some into ,holy-,ghosts1 and made love  
to the beautiful daughters of men3 ,some
 were married--all ought to have        
been--and some were considered as old   
bachelors from all eternity4 ,some had  
children1 and the children were turned  
into gods and worshiped as their fathers
 had been4 ,most of these gods were     
revengeful1 savage1 lustful1 and        
ignorant4 ,as they generally depended   
upon their priests for information1     
their ignorance can hardly excite our   
astonishment4     #bia4 ,god ,grows     
,smaller  ,but1 says the religionist1   
you cannot explain everything2 and that 
which you cannot explain1 that which you
 do not comprehend1 is my ,god4 ,we are 
explaining more every day4 ,we are      
understanding more every day2           
consequently your ,god is growing       

smaller every day4     #bib4 ,give the  
,devil ,his ,due  ,if the account given 
in ,genesis is really true1 ought we    
not1 after all1 to thank this serpent8  
,he was the first schoolmaster1 the     
first advocate of learning1 the first   
enemy of ignorance1 the first to whisper
 in human ears the sacred word liberty1 
the creator of ambition1 the author of  
modesty1 of inquiry1 of doubt1 of       
investigation1 of progress and of       
civilization4     #bic4 ,casting out    
,devils  ,even ,christ1 the supposed son
 of ,god1 taught that persons were      
possessed of evil spirits1 and          
frequently1 according to the account1   
gave proof of his divine origin and     
mission by frightening droves of devils 
out of his unfortunate countrymen4      
,casting out devils was his principal   
employment1 and the devils thus banished
 generally took occasion to acknowledge 
him as the true ,messiah2 which was not 
only very kind of them1 but quite       
fortunate for him4     #bid4 ,on the    

,horns of a ,dilemma  ,the history of   
religion is simply the story of man's   
efforts in all ages to avoid one of two 
great powers1 and to pacify the other4  
,both powers have inspired little else  
than abject fear4 ,the cold1 calculating
 sneer of the devil1 and the frown of   
,god1 were equally terrible4 ,in any    
event1 man's fate was to be arbitrarily 
fixed forever by an unknown power       
superior to all law1 and to all fact4   
#bie4 ,the ,devil and the ,swine  ,how  
are you going to prove a miracle8 ,how  
would you go to work to prove that the  
devil entered into a drove of swine8    
,who saw it1 and who would know a devil 
if he did see him8     #bif4 ,how can ,i
 assist ,god8  ,some tell me that it is 
the desire of ,god that ,i should       
worship ,him8 ,what for8 ,that ,i should
 sacrifice something to ,him8 ,what for8
 ,is he in want8 ,can ,i assist ,him8   
,if he is in want and ,i can assist ,him
 and will not1 ,i would be an ingrate   
and an infamous wretch4 ,but ,i am      

satisfied that ,i cannot by any         
possibility assist the infinite4 ,whom  
can ,i assist8 ,my fellow men4 ,i can   
help feed the hungry1 clothe the naked1 
enlighten ignorance4 ,i can help at     
least1 in some degree1 toward covering  
this world with a mantle of joy ,i may  
be wrong1 but ,i do not believe that    
there is any being in this universe who 
gives rain for praise1 who gives        
sunshine for prayer1 or who blesses a   
man simply because he kneels4     #big4 
,can ,god be ,improved8  ,if the        
infinite ,father allows a majority of   
his children to live in ignorance and   
wretchedness now1 what evidence is there
 that he will ever improve their        
condition8 ,will ,god have more power8  
,will he become more merciful8 ,will his
 love for his poor creatures increase8  
,can the conduct of infinite wisdom1    
power and love ever change8 ,is the     
infinite capable of any improvement     
whatever8     #bih4 ,that ,dreadful     
,apple6  ,according to the theologians1 

,god prepared this globe expressly for  
the habitation of his loved children1   
and yet he filled the forests with      
ferocious beasts2 placed serpents in    
every path2 stuffed the world with      
earthquakes1 and adorned its surface    
with mountains of flame4                
,notwithstanding all this1 we are told  
that the world is perfect2 that it was  
created by a perfect being1 and is      
therefore necessarily perfect4 ,the next
 moment1 these same persons will tell us
 that the world was cursed2 covered with
 brambles1 thistles and thorns1 and that
 man was doomed to disease and death1   
simply because our poor1 dear mother ate
 an apple contrary to the command of an 
arbitrary ,god4     #bii4 ,the ,devils  
better than the ,gods  ,our ancestors   
not only had their ,god-factories1 but  
they made devils as well4 ,these devils 
were generally disgraced and fallen     
gods4 ,these devils generally           
sympathized with man4 ,in nearly all the
 theologies1 mythologies and religions1 

the devils have been much more humane   
and merciful than the gods4 ,no devil   
ever gave one of his generals an order  
to kill children and to rip open the    
bodies of pregnant women4 ,such         
barbarities were always ordered by the  
good gods6 ,the pestilences were sent by
 the most merciful gods6 ,the frightful 
famine1 during which the dying child    
with pallid lips sucked the withered    
bosom of a dead mother1 was sent by the 
loving gods4 ,no devil was ever charged 
with such fiendish brutality4     #cjj4 
,is it ,possible8  ,is it possible that 
an infinite ,god created this world     
simply to be the dwelling-place of      
slaves and serfs8 simply for the purpose
 of raising orthodox ,christians8 ,that 
he did a few miracles to astonish them2 
that all the evils of life are simply   
his punishments1 and that he is finally 
going to turn heaven into a kind of     
religious museum filled with ,baptist   
barnacles1 petrified ,presbyterians and 
,methodist mummies8 ,i want no heaven   

for which ,i must give my reason2 no    
happiness in exchange for my liberty1   
and no immortality that demands the     
surrender of my individuality4 ,better  
rot in the windowless tomb1 to which    
there is no door but the red mouth of   
the pallid worm1 than wear the jeweled  
collar even of a god4     #cja4 ,it is  
,impossible6  ,it is impossible to      
conceive of a more thoroughly           
despicable1 hateful1 and arrogant being1
 than the ,jewish god4 ,he is without a 
redeeming feature4 ,in the mythology of 
the world he has no parallel4 ,he1 only1
 is never touched by agony and tears4   
,he delights only in blood and pain4    
,human affections are naught to him4 ,he
 cares neither for love nor music1      
beauty nor joy4 ,a false friend1 an     
unjust judge1 a braggart1 hypocrite1 and
 tyrant4 ,compared with ,jehovah1       
,pharaoh was a benefactor1 and the      
tyranny of ,egypt was freedom to those  
who suffered the liberty of ,god4       
,,heaven ,,and ,,hell     #cjb4 ,hope of

 a ,future ,life  ,for my part ,i know  
nothing of any other state of existence1
 either before or after this1 and ,i    
have never become personally acquainted 
with anybody who did4 ,there may be     
another life1 and if there is the best  
way to prepare for it is by making      
somebody happy in this4 ,god certainly  
cannot afford to put a man in hell who  
has made a little heaven in this world4 
,i hope there is another life4 ,i would 
like to see how things come out in this 
world when ,i am dead4 ,there are some  
people ,i should like to see again1 but 
if there is no other life ,i shall never
 know it4     #cjc4 ,i am ,immortal  ,so
 far as ,i am concerned ,i am immortal2 
that is to say1 ,i can't recollect when 
,i did not exist1 and there never will  
be a time when ,i will remember that ,i 
do not exist4 ,i would like to have     
several millions of dollars1 and ,i may 
say ,i have a lively hope that some day 
,i may be rich2 but to tell you the     
truth ,i have very little evidence of   

it4 ,our hope of immortality does not   
come from any religions1 but nearly all 
religions come from that hope4 ,the ,old
 ,testament1 instead of telling us that 
we are immortal1 tells us how we lost   
immortality4 ,you will recollect that if
 ,adam and ,eve could have gotten to the
 tree of life1 they would have eaten of 
its fruit and would have lived forever2 
but for the purpose of preventing       
immortality ,god turned them out of the 
,garden of ,eden1 and put certain angels
 with swords or sabres at the gate to   
keep them from getting back4 ,the ,old  
,testament proves1 if it proves         
anything1 which ,i do not think it does1
 that there is no life after this2 and  
the ,new ,testament is not very specific
 on the subject4 ,there were a great    
many opportunities for the ,savior and  
his apostles to tell us about another   
world1 but they didn't improve them to  
any great extent2 and the only evidence 
so far as ,i know about another life is1
 first1 that we have no evidence2 and1  

secondly1 that we are rather sorry that 
we have not1 and wish we had4 ,that is  
about my position4     #cjd4 ,what if   
,death ,does ,end ,all8  ,and suppose1  
after all1 that death does end all4     
,next to eternal joy1 next to being     
forever with those we love and those who
 have loved us1 next to that is to be   
wrapped in the dreamless drapery of     
eternal peace4 ,next to eternal life is 
eternal death4 ,upon the shadowy shore  
of death the sea of trouble casts no    
wave4 ,eyes that have been curtained by 
the everlasting dark will never know    
again the touch of tears4 ,lips that    
have been touched by the eternal silence
 will never utter another word of grief4
 ,hearts of dust do not break4 ,the dead
 do not weep4 ,and ,i had rather think  
of those ,i have loved1 and those ,i    
have lost1 as having returned to earth1 
as having become a part of the elemental
 wealth of the the world4 ,i would      
rather think of them as unconscious     
dust4 ,i would rather think of them as  

gurgling in the stream1 floating in the 
cloud1 bursting into light upon the     
shores of worlds4 ,i would rather think 
of them thus than to have even a        
suspicion that their souls had been     
clutched by an orthodox ,god4     #cje4 
,the ,old ,world ,ignorant of ,destiny  
,moses differed from most of the makers 
of sacred books by his failure to say   
anything of a future life1 by failing to
 promise heaven1 and to threaten hell4  
,upon the subject of a future state1    
there is not one word in the            
,pentateuch4 ,probably at that early day
 ,god did not deem it important to make 
a revelation as to the eternal destiny  
of man4 ,he seems to have thought that  
he could control the ,jews1 at least1 by
 rewards and punishments in this world1 
and so he kept the frightful realities  
of eternal joy and torment a profound   
secret from the people of his choice4   
,he thought it far more important to    
tell the ,jews their origin than to     
enlighten them as to their destiny4     

#cjf4 ,where the ,doctrine of ,hell was 
born  ,i honestly believe that the      
doctrine of hell was born in the        
glittering eyes of snakes that run in   
frightful coils watching for their prey4
 ,i believe it was born in the yelping  
and howling and growling and snarling of
 wild beasts4 ,i believe it was born in 
the grin of hyenas and in the malicious 
clatter of depraved apes4 ,i despise it1
 ,i defy it1 and ,i hate it2 and when   
the great ship freighted with the world 
goes down in the night of death1 chaos  
and disaster1 ,i will not be guilty of  
the ineffable meanness of pushing from  
my breast my wife and children and      
paddling off in some orthodox canoe4 ,i 
will go down with those ,i love and with
 those who love me4 ,i will go down with
 the ship and with my race4 ,i will go  
where there is sympathy4 ,i will go with
 those ,i love4 ,nothing can make me    
believe that there is any being that is 
going to burn and torment and damn his  
children forever4     #cjg4 ,the ,grand 

,companionships of ,hell  ,since hanging
 has got to be a means of grace1 ,i     
would prefer hell4 ,i had a thousand    
times rather associate with the pagan   
philosophers than with the inquisitors  
of the middle ages4 ,i certainly should 
prefer the worst man in ,greek or ,roman
 history to ,john ,calvin1 and ,i can   
imagine no man in the world that ,i     
would not rather sit on the same bench  
with than the puritan fathers and the   
founders of orthodox churches4 ,i would 
trade off my harp any minute for a seat 
in the other country4 ,all the poets    
will be in perdition1 and the greatest  
thinkers1 and1 ,i should think1 most of 
the women whose society would tend to   
increase the happiness of man1 nearly   
all the painters1 nearly all the        
sculptors1 nearly all the writers of    
plays1 nearly all the great actors1 most
 of the best musicians1 and nearly all  
the good fellows--the persons who know  
good stories1 who can sing songs1 or who
 will loan a friend a dollar4 ,they will

 mostly all be in that country1 and if  
,i did not live there permanently1 ,i   
certainly would want it so ,i could     
spend my winter months there4     #cjh4 
,horror of ,horrors6  ,let me put one   
case and ,i will be through with this   
branch of the subject4 ,a husband and   
wife love each other4 ,the husband is a 
good fellow and the wife a splendid     
woman4 ,they live and love each other   
and all at once he is taken sick1 and   
they watch day after day and night after
 night around his bedside until their   
property is wasted and finally she has  
to go to work1 and she works through    
eyes blinded with tears1 and the        
sentinel of love watches at the bedside 
of her prince1 and at the least breath  
or the least motion she is awake2 and   
she attends him night after night and   
day after day for years1 and finally he 
dies1 and she has him in her arms and   
covers his wasted face with the tears of
 agony and love4 ,he is a believer and  
she is not4 ,he dies1 and she buries him

 and puts flowers above his grave1 and  
she goes there in the twilight of       
evening and she takes her children1 and 
tells her little boys and girls through 
her tears how brave and how true and how
 tender their father was1 and finally   
she dies and goes to hell1 because she  
was not a believer2 and he goes to the  
battlements of heaven and looks over and
 sees the woman who loved him with all  
the wealth of her love1 and whose tears 
made his dead face holy and sacred1 and 
he looks upon her in the agonies of hell
 without having his happiness diminished
 in the least4 ,with all due respect to 
everybody ,i say1 damn any such doctrine
 as that4     #cji4 ,the ,drama of      
,damnation  ,when you come to die1 as   
you look back upon the record of your   
life1 no matter how many men you have   
wrecked and ruined1 and no matter how   
many women you have deceived and        
deserted--all that may be forgiven you2 
but if you recollect that you have      
laughed at ,god's book you will see     

through the shadows of death1 the       
leering looks of fiends and the forked  
tongues of devils4 ,let me show you how 
it will be4 ,for instance1 it is the day
 of judgment4 ,when the man is called up
 by the recording secretary1 or whoever 
does the cross-examining1 he says to his
 soul3 ,where are you from8 ,i am from  
the world4 ,yes1 sir4 ,what kind of a   
man were you8 ,well1 ,i don't like to   
talk about myself4 ,but you have to4    
,what kind of a man were you8 ,well1 ,i 
was a good fellow2 ,i loved my wife2 ,i 
loved my children4 ,my home was my      
heaven2 my fireside was my paradise1 and
 to sit there and see the lights and    
shadows falling on the faces of those ,i
 love1 that to me was a perpetual joy4  
,i never gave one of them a solitary    
moment of pain4 ,i don't owe a dollar in
 the world1 and ,i left enough to pay my
 funeral expenses and keep the wolf of  
want from the door of the house ,i      
loved4 ,that is the kind of a man ,i am4
 ,did you belong to any church8 ,i did  

not4 ,they were too narrow for me4 ,they
 were always expecting to be happy      
simply because somebody else was to be  
damned4 ,well1 did you believe that rib 
story8 ,what rib story8 ,do you mean    
that ,adam and ,eve business8 ,no1 ,i   
did not4 ,to tell you the ,god's truth1 
that was a little more than ,i could    
swallow4 ,to hell with him6 ,next4      
,where are you from8 ,i'm from the      
world1 too4 ,do you belong to any       
church8 ,yes1 sir1 and to the ,young    
,men's ,christian ,association4 ,what is
 your business8 ,cashier in a bank4 ,did
 you ever run off with any of the money8
 ,i don't like to tell1 sir4 ,well1 but 
you have to4 ,yes1 sir2 ,i did4  ,what  
kind of a bank did you have8 ,a savings 
bank4 ,how much did you run off with8   
,one hundred thousand dollars4 ,did you 
take anything else along with you8 ,yes1
 sir4 ,what8 ,i took my neighbor's wife4
 ,did you have a wife and children of   
your own8 ,yes1 sir4 ,and you deserted  
them8 ,oh1 yes2 but such was my         

confidence in ,god that ,i believed he  
would take care of them4 ,have you heard
 of them since8 ,no1 sir4 ,did you      
believe that rib story8 ,ah1 bless your 
soul1 yes6 ,i believed all of it1 sir2  
,i often used to be sorry that there    
were not harder stories yet in the      
,bible1 so that ,i could show what my   
faith could do4 ,you believed it1 did   
you8 ,yes1 with all my heart4 ,give him 
a harp4     #caj4 ,annihilation rather  
than be a ,god  ,no ,god has a right to 
make a man he intends to drown4 ,eternal
 wisdom has no right to make a poor     
investment1 no right to engage in a     
speculation that will not finally pay a 
dividend4 ,no ,god has a right to make a
 failure1 and surely a man who is to be 
damned forever is not a conspicuous     
success4 ,yet upon love's breast1 the   
,church has placed that asp2 around the 
child of immortality the ,church has    
coiled the worm that never dies4 ,for my
 part ,i want no heaven1 if there is to 
be a hell4 ,i would rather be           

annihilated than be a god and know that 
one human soul would have to suffer     
eternal agony4     #caa4 ,all that have 
,red ,hair shall be ,damned4  ,i admit  
that most ,christians are honest--always
 have admitted it4 ,i admit that most   
ministers are honest1 and that they are 
doing the best they can in their way for
 the good of mankind2 but their         
doctrines are hurtful2 they do harm in  
the world2 and ,i am going to do what ,i
 can against their doctrines4 ,they     
preach this infamy3 ,he that believes   
shall be saved1 and he that believeth   
not shall be damned4 ,every word of that
 text has been an instrument of torture2
 every letter in that text has been a   
sword thrust into the bleeding and      
quivering heart of man2 every letter has
 been a dungeon2 every line has been a  
chain2 and that infamous sentence has   
covered this world with blood4 ,i deny  
that whoso believes shall be saved1 and 
he that believeth not shall be damned4  
,no man can control his belief2 you     

might as well say1 ,all that have red   
hair shall be damned4     #cab4 ,the    
,conscience of a ,hyena  ,but1 after    
all1 what ,i really want to do is to    
destroy the idea of eternal punishment4 
,that doctrine subverts all ideas of    
justice4 ,that doctrine fills hell with 
honest men1 and heaven with intellectual
 and moral paupers4 ,that doctrine      
allows people to sin on a credit4 ,that 
doctrine allows the basest to be        
eternally happy and the most honorable  
to suffer eternal pain4 ,i think of all 
doctrines it is the most infinitely     
infamous1 and would disgrace the lowest 
savage1 and any man who believes it1 and
 has imagination enough to understand   
it1 has the heart of a serpent and the  
conscience of a hyena4     #cac4 ,i     
,leave the ,dead  ,but for me ,i leave  
the dead where nature leaves them1 and  
whatever flower of hope springs up in my
 heart ,i will cherish4 ,but ,i cannot  
believe that there is any being in this 
universe who has created a soul for     

eternal pain1 and ,i would rather that  
every ,god would destroy himself1 ,i    
would rather that we all should go back 
to the eternal chaos1 to the black and  
starless night1 than that just one soul 
should suffer eternal agony4     #cad4  
,calvin in ,hell6  ,swedenborg did one  
thing for which ,i feel almost grateful4
 ,he gave an account of having met ,john
 ,calvin in hell4 ,nothing connected    
with the supernatural could be more     
natural than this4 ,the only thing      
detracting from the value of this report
 is1 that if there is a hell1 we know   
without visiting the place that ,john   
,calvin must be there4     ,,governing  
,,great ,,men     #cae4 ,jesus ,christ  
,and let me say here once for all1 that 
for the man ,christ ,i have infinite    
respect4 ,let me say once for all that  
the place where man has died for man is 
holy ground4 ,let me say once for all1  
to that great and serene man ,i gladly  
pay--,i gladly pay the tribute of my    
admiration and my tears4 ,he was a      

reformer in his day4 ,he was an infidel 
in his time4 ,he was regarded as a      
blasphemer1 and his life was destroyed  
by hypocrites who have in all ages done 
what they could to trample freedom out  
of the human mind4 ,had ,i lived at that
 time ,i would have been his friend4    
,and should he come again he will not   
find a better friend than ,i will be4   
,that is for the man4 ,for the          
theological creation ,i have a different
 feeling4 ,if he was in fact ,god1 he   
knew there was no such thing as death2  
he knew that what we call death was but 
the eternal opening of the golden gates 
of everlasting joy4 ,and it took no     
heroism to face a death that was simply 
eternal life4     #caf4 ,the ,emperor   
,constantine4  ,the ,emperor            
,constantine1 who lifted ,christianity  
into power1 murdered his wife ,fausta   
and his eldest son ,crispus the same    
year that he convened the council of    
,nice to decide whether ,jesus ,christ  
was a man or the son of ,god4 ,the      

council decided that ,christ was        
substantial with the ,father4 ,this was 
in the year #cbe4 ,we are thus indebted 
to a wife murderer for settling the     
vexed question of the divinity of the   
,savior4 ,theodosius called a council at
 ,constantinople in #cha1 and this      
council decided that the ,holy ,ghost   
proceeded from the ,father4 ,theodosius1
 the younger1 assembled another council 
at ,ephesus to ascertain who the ,virgin
 ,mary really was1 and it was solemnly  
decided in the year #dca that she was   
the mother of ,god4 ,in #dea it was     
decided by a council held at ,chalcedon1
 called together by the ,emperor        
,marcian1 that ,christ had two          
natures--the human and divine4 ,in #fhj1
 in another general council1 held at    
,constantinople1 convened by order of   
,pognatius1 it was also decided that    
,christ had two wills1 and in the year  
#abgd it was decided at the council of  
,lyons that the ,holy ,ghost proceeded  
not only from the ,father1 but from the 

,son as well4 ,had it not been for these
 councils we might have been without a  
trinity even unto this day4 ,when we    
take into consideration the fact that a 
belief in the trinity is absolutely     
essential to salvation1 how unfortunate 
it was for the world that this doctrine 
was not established until the year      
#abgd4 ,think of the millions that      
dropped into hell while these questions 
were being discussed4     #cag4 ,did    
,franklin and ,jefferson ,die in ,fear8 
,the church never has pretended that    
,jefferson or ,franklin died in fear4   
,franklin wrote no books against the    
fables of the ancient ,jews4 ,he thought
 it useless to cast the pearls of       
thought before the swine of ignorance   
and fear4 ,jefferson was a statesman4   
,he was the father of a great party4 ,he
 gave his views in letters and to       
trusted friends4 ,he was a ,virginian1  
author of the ,declaration of           
,independence1 founder of a university1 
father of a political party1 ,president 

of the ,united ,states1 a statesman and 
philosopher4 ,he was too powerful for   
the churches of his day4 ,paine was a   
foreigner1 a citizen of the world4 ,he  
had attacked ,washington and the ,bible4
 ,he had done these things openly1 and  
what he had said could not be answered4 
,his arguments were so good that his    
character was bad4     #cah4 ,angels at 
,constantino's ,dying ,bed6  ,the       
,emperor1 stained with every crime1 is  
supposed to have died like a ,christian4
 ,we hear nothing of fiends leering at  
him in the shadows of death4 ,he does   
not see the forms of his murdered wife  
and son covered with the blood he shed4 
,from his white and shriveled lips      
issued no shrieks of terror4 ,he does   
not cover his glazed eyes with thin and 
trembling hands to shut out the visions 
of hell4 ,his chamber is filled with the
 rustle of wings waiting to bear his    
soul to the thrilling realms of joy4    
,against the ,emperor ,constantine the  
church has hurled no anathema4 ,she has 

accepted the story of his vision in the 
clouds1 and his holy memory has been    
guarded by priest and pope4     #cai4   
,diderot  ,diderot was born in #agac4   
,his parents were in what may be called 
the humbler walks of life4 ,like        
,voltaire1 he was educated by the       
,jesuits4 ,he had in him something of   
the vagabond1 and was for several years 
almost a beggar in ,paris4 ,he was      
endeavoring to live by his pen4 ,in that
 day and generation a man without a     
patron1 endeavoring to live by          
literature1 was necessarily almost a    
beggar4 ,he nearly starved--frequently  
going for days without food4 ,afterward1
 when he had something himself1 he was  
generous as the air4 ,no man ever was   
more willing to give1 and no man less   
willing to receive1 than ,diderot4 ,his 
motto was1 ,incredulity is the first    
step toward philosophy4 ,he had the     
vices of most ,christians--was nearly as
 immoral as the majority of priests4    
,his vices he shared in common--his     

virtues were his own--,all who knew him 
united in saying that he had the pity of
 a woman1 the generosity of a prince1   
the self-denial of an anchorite1 the    
courage of ,caesar1 an insatiate thirst 
foi knowledge1 and the enthusiasm of a  
poet4 ,he attacked with every power of  
his mind the superstition of his day4   
,he said what he thought4 ,the priests  
hated him4 ,he was in favor of universal
 education--the church despised it4 ,he 
wished to put the knowledge of the whole
 world within reach of the poorest4 ,he 
wished to drive from the gate of the    
,garden of ,eden the cherubim of        
superstition1 so that the child of ,adam
 might return to eat once more the fruit
 of the tree of knowledge4 ,every       
,catholic was his enemy4 ,his poor      
little desk was ransacked by the police1
 searching for manuscripts in which     
something might be found that would     
justify the imprisonment of such a      
dangerous man4 ,whoever1 in #agej1      
wished to increase the knowledge of     

mankind was regarded as the enemy of    
social order4     #cbj4 ,benedict       
,spinoza  ,one of the greatest thinkers 
of the world was ,benedict ,spinoza--a  
,jew1 born at ,amsterdam in #afch4 ,he  
studied medicine1 and afterward         
theology4 ,he asked the rabbis so many  
questions1 and insisted to such a degree
 on what he called reason1 that his room
 was preferred to his company4 ,his     
,jewish brethren excommunicated him from
 the synagogue4 ,under the terrible     
curse of their religion he was made an  
outcast from every ,jewish home4 ,his   
own father could not give him shelter1  
and his mother1 after the curse had been
 pronounced1 could not give him bread1  
could not even speak to him1 without    
becoming an outcast herself4 ,all the   
cruelty of ,jehovah was in this curse4  
,spinoza was but twenty-four years old  
when he found himself without friends   
and without kindred4 ,he uttered no     
complaint4 ,he earned his bread with    
willing hands1 and cheerfully divided   

his poor crust with those below4 ,he    
tried to solve the problem of existence4
 ,to him the universe was one4 ,the     
infinite embraced the all4 ,the all was 
,god4 ,according to him the universe did
 not commence to be4 ,it is2 from       
eternity it was2 and to eternity it will
 be4 ,he insisted that ,god is inside1  
not outside1 of what we call substance4 
,to him the universe was ,god4     #cba4
 ,thomas ,paine  ,poverty was his       
mother--,necessity his master4 ,he had  
more brains than books2 more sense than 
education2 more courage than politeness2
 more strength than polish4 ,he had no  
veneration for old mistakes--no         
admiration for ancient lies4 ,he loved  
the truth for the truth's sake1 and for 
man's sake4 ,he saw oppression on every 
hand2 injustice everywhere2 hypocrisy at
 the altar1 venality on the bench1      
tyranny on the throne2 and with a       
splendid courage he espoused the cause  
of the weak against the strong--of the  
enslaved many against the titled few4   

#cbb4 ,the ,greatest of all ,political  
,writers  ,in my judgment1 ,thomas      
,paine was the best political writer    
that ever lived4 ,what he wrote was pure
 nature1 and his soul and his pen ever  
went together4 ,ceremony1 pageantry1 and
 all the paraphernalia of power1 had no 
effect upon him4 ,he examined into the  
why and wherefore of things4 ,he was    
perfectly radical in his mode of        
thought4 ,nothing short of the bed-rock 
satisfied him4 ,his enthusiasm for what 
he believed to be right knew no bounds4 
,during all the dark scenes of the      
,revolution1 never for one moment did he
 despair4 ,year after year his brave    
words were ringing through the land1 and
 by the bivouac fires the weary soldiers
 read the inspiring words of ,common    
,sense1 filled with ideas sharper than  
their swords1 and consecrated themselves
 anew to the cause of ,freedom4         
#cbc4 ,the ,writings of ,paine  ,the    
writings of ,paine are gemmed with      
compact statements that carry conviction

 to the dullest4 ,day and night he      
labored for ,america1 until there was a 
government of the people and for the    
people4 ,at the close of the ,revolution
 no one stood higher than ,thomas       
,paine4 ,had he been willing to live a  
hypocrite1 he would have been           
respectable1 he at least could have died
 surrounded by other hypocrites1 and at 
his death there would have been an      
imposing funeral1 with miles of         
carriages1 filled with hypocrites1 and  
above his hypocritical dust there would 
have been a hypocritical monument       
covered with lies4     #cbd4 ,the ,last 
,words of ,paine4  ,the truth is1 he    
died as he had lived4 ,some ministers   
were impolite enough to visit him       
against his will4 ,several of them he   
ordered from his room4 ,a couple of     
,catholic priests1 in all the meekness  
of hypocrisy1 called that they might    
enjoy the agonies of a dying friend of  
man4 ,thomas ,paine1 rising in his bed1 
the few embers of expiring life blown   

into flame by the breath of indignation1
 had the goodness to curse them both4   
,his physician1 who seems to have been a
 meddling fool1 just as the cold hand of
 death was touching the patriot's heart1
 whispered in the dull ear of the dying 
man3 ,do you believe1 or do you wish to 
believe1 that ,jesus ,christ is the ,son
 of ,god8 ,and the reply was3 ,i have no
 wish to believe on that subject4 ,these
 were the last remembered words of      
,thomas ,paine4 ,he died as serenely as 
ever ,christian passed away4 ,he died in
 the full possession of his mind1 and on
 the very brink and edge of death       
proclaimed the doctrines of his life4   
#cbe4 ,paine ,believed in ,god  ,thomas 
,paine was a champion in both           
hemispheres of human liberty2 one of the
 founders and fathers of the ,republic2 
one of the foremost men of his age4 ,he 
never wrote a word in favor of          
injustice4 ,he was a despiser of        
slavery4 ,he abhorred tyranny in every  
form4 ,he wast in the widest and best   

sense1 a friend of all his race4 ,his   
head was as clear as his heart was good1
 and he had the courage to speak his    
honest thought4 ,he was the first man to
 write these words3 ,the ,united ,states
 of ,america4 ,he proposed the present  
federal constitution4 ,he furnished     
every thought that now glitters in the  
,declaration of ,independence4 ,he      
believed in one ,god and no more4 ,he   
was a believer even in special          
providence1 and he hoped for            
immortality4     #cbf4 ,the             
,intellectual ,hera  ,thomas ,paine was 
one of the intellectual heroes--one of  
the men to whom we are indebted4 ,his   
name is associated forever with the     
,great ,republic4 ,as long as free      
government exists he will be remembered1
 admired and honored4 ,he lived a long1 
laborious and useful life4 ,the world is
 better for his having lived4 ,for the  
sake of truth he accepted hatred and    
reproach for his portion4 ,he ate the   
bitter bread of sorrow4 ,his friends    

were untrue to him because he was true  
to himself1 and true to them4 ,he lost  
the respect of what is called society1  
but kept his own4 ,his life is what the 
world calls failure and what history    
calls success4 ,if to love your         
fellow-men more than self is goodness1  
,thomas ,paine was good4 ,if to be in   
advance of your time--to be a pioneer in
 the direction of right--is greatness4  
,thomas ,paine was great4 ,if to avow   
your principles and discharge your duty 
in the presence of death is heroic1     
,thomas ,paine was a hero4 ,at the age  
of seventy-three1 death touched his     
tired heart4 ,he died in the land his   
genius defended--under the flag he gave 
to the skies4 ,slander cannot touch him 
now--hatred cannot reach him more4 ,he  
sleeps in the sanctuary of the tomb1    
beneath the quiet of the stars4         
#cbg4 ,paine1 ,franklin1 ,jefferson  ,in
 our country there were three           
infidels--,paine1 ,franklin and         
,jefferson4 ,the colonies were full of  

superstition1 the ,puritans with the    
spirit of persecution4 ,laws savage1    
ignorant1 and malignant had been passed 
in every colony for the purpose of      
destroying intellectual liberty4 ,mental
 freedom was absolutely unknown4 ,the   
toleration acts of ,maryland tolerated  
only ,christians--not infidels1 not     
thinkers1 not investigators4 ,the       
charity of ,roger ,williams was not     
extended to those who denied the ,bible1
 or suspected the divinity of ,christ4  
,it was not based upon the rights of    
man1 but upon the rights of believers1  
who differed in non-essential points4   
#cbh4 ,david ,hume  ,on the #bfth of    
,april1 #agaa1 ,david ,hume was born4   
,david ,hume was one of the few         
,scotchmen of his day who were not owned
 by the church4 ,he had the manliness to
 examine historical and religious       
questions for himself1 and the courage  
to give his conclusions to the world4   
,he was singularly capable of governing 
himself4 ,he was a philosopher1 and     

lived a calm and cheerful life1         
unstained by an unjust act1 free from   
all excess1 and devoted in a reasonable 
degree to benefiting his fellow-men4    
,after examining the ,bible he became   
convinced that it was not true4 ,for    
failing to suppress his real opinion1   
for failing to tell a deliberate        
falsehood1 he brought upon him the      
hatred of the church4     #cbi4         
,voltaire  ,voltaire was the            
intellectual autocrat of his time4 ,from
 his throne at the foot of the ,alps he 
pointed the finger of scorn at every    
hypocrite in ,europe4 ,he left the      
quiver of ridicule without an arrow4 ,he
 was the pioneer of his century4 ,he was
 the assassin of superstition4 ,through 
the shadows of faith and fable1 through 
the darkness of myth and miracle1       
through the midnight of ,christianity1  
through the blackness of bigotry1 past  
cathedral and dungeon1 past rack and    
stake1 past altar and throne1 he        
carried1 with brave and chivalric hands1

 the torch of reason4     #ccj4 ,john   
,calvin  ,calvin was of a pallid1       
bloodless complexion1 thin1 sickly1     
irritable1 gloomy1 impatient1 egotistic1
 tyrannical1 heartless1 and infamous4   
,he was a strange compound of revengeful
 morality1 malicious forgiveness1       
ferocious charity1 egotistic humility1  
and a kind of hellish justice4 ,in other
 words1 he was as near like the ,god of 
the ,old ,testament as his health       
permitted4     #cca4 ,calvin's ,five    
,fetters  ,this man forged five fetters 
for the brain4 ,these fetters he called 
points4 ,that is to say1 predestination1
 particular redemption1 total depravity1
 irresistible grace1 and the            
perseverance of the saints4 ,about the  
neck of each follower he put a collar   
bristling with these five iron points4  
,the presence of all these points on the
 collar is still the test of orthodoxy  
in the church he founded4 ,this man1    
when in the flush of youth1 was elected 
to the office of preacher in ,geneva4   

,he at once1 in union with ,farel1 drew 
up a condensed statement of the         
,presbyterian doctrine1 and all the     
citizens of ,geneva1 on pain of         
banishment1 were compelled to take an   
oath that they believed this statement4 
,of this proceeding ,calvin very        
innocently remarked that it produced    
great satisfaction4 ,a man named ,caroli
 had the audacity to dispute with       
,calvin4 ,for this outrage he was       
banished4     #ccb4 ,humboldt  ,humboldt
 breathed the atmosphere of             
investigation4 ,old ideas were          
abandoned2 old creeds1 hallowed by      
centuries1 were thrown aside2 thought   
became courageous2 the athlete1 ,reason1
 challenged to mortal combat the        
monsters of superstition4     #ccc4     
,humbolt's ,travels  ,europe becoming   
too small for his genius1 he visited the
 tropics4 ,he sailed along the gigantic 
,amazon--the mysterious                 
,orinoco--traversed the ,pampas--climbed
 the ,andes until he stood upon the     

crags of ,chimborazo1 more than eighteen
 thousand feet above the level of the   
sea1 and climbed on until blood flowed  
from his eyes and lips4 ,for nearly five
 years he pursued his investigations in 
the new world1 accompanied by the       
intrepid ,bonplandi4 ,nothing escaped   
his attention4 ,he was the best         
intellectual organ of these new         
revelations of science4 ,he was calm1   
reflective and eloquent2 filled with a  
sense of the beautiful1 and the love of 
truth4 ,his collections were immense1   
and valuable beyond calculation to every
 science4 ,he endured innumerable       
hardships1 braved countless dangers in  
unknown and savage lands1 and exhausted 
his fortune for the advancement of true 
learning4     #ccd4 ,humboldt's         
,illustrious ,companions  ,humboldt was 
the friend and companion of the greatest
 poets1 historians1 philologists1       
artists1 statesmen1 critics1 and        
logicians of his time4 ,he was the      
companion of ,schiller1 who believed    

that man would be regenerated through   
the influence of the ,beautiful of      
,goethe1 the grand patriarch of ,german 
literature2 of ,weiland1 who has been   
called the ,voltaire of ,germany2 of    
,herder1 who wrote the outlines of a    
philosophical history of man2 of        
,kotzebue1 who lived in the world of    
romance2 of ,schleiermacher1 the        
pantheist2 of ,schlegel1 who gave to his
 countrymen the enchanted realm of      
,shakespeare2 of the sublime ,kant1     
author of the first work published in   
,germany on ,pure ,reason2 of ,fichte1  
the infinite idealist2 of ,schopenhauer1
 the ,european ,buddhist who followed   
the great ,gautama to the painless and  
dreamless ,nirwana1 and of hundreds of  
others1 whose names are familiar to and 
honored by the scientific world4        
#cce4 ,humboldt the ,apostle of ,science
  ,upon his return to ,europe he was    
hailed as the second ,columbus2 as the  
scientific discover of ,america2 as the 
revealer of a new world2 as the great   

demonstrator of the sublime truth1 that 
the universe is governed by law4 ,i have
 seen a picture of the old man1 sitting 
upon a mountain side--above him the     
eternal snow--below1 the smiling valley 
of the tropics1 filled with vine and    
palm2 his chin upon his breast1 his eyes
 deep1 thoughtful and calm his forehead 
majestic--grander than the mountain upon
 which he sat--crowned with the snow of 
his whitened hair1 he looked the        
intellectual autocrat of this world4    
,not satisfied with his discoveries in  
,america1 he crossed the steppes of     
,asia1 the wastes of  ,siberia1 the     
great ,ural range adding to the         
knowledge of mankind at every step4 ,h  
is energy acknowledged no obstacle1 his 
life knew no leisure2 every day was     
filled with labor and with thought4 ,he 
was one of the apostles of science1 and 
he served his divine master with a      
self-sacrificing zeal that knew no      
abatement2 with an ardor that constantly
 increased1 and with a devotion         

unwavering and constant as the polar    
star4     #ccf4 ,ingersoll ,muses by    
,napoleon's ,tomb  ,a little while ago  
,i stood by the grave of the old        
,napoleon--a magnificent tomb of gilt   
and gold1 fit almost for a dead         
deity--and gazed upon the sarcophagus of
 black ,egyptian marble1 where rest at  
last the ashes of the restless man4 ,i  
leaned over the balustrade and thought  
about the career of the greatest soldier
 of the modern world4 ,i saw him walking
 upon the banks of the ,seine1          
contemplating suicide--,i saw him at    
,toulon--,i saw him putting down the mob
 in the streets of ,paris--,i saw him at
 the head of the army of ,italy--,i saw 
him crossing the bridge of ,lodi with   
the tri-color in his hand--,i saw him in
 ,egypt in the shadows of the           
pyramids--,i saw him conquer the ,alps  
and mingle the eagles of ,france with   
the eagles of the crags4 ,i saw him at  
,marengo--at ,ulm and ,austerlitz4 ,i   
saw him in ,russia1 where the infantry  

of the snow and the cavalry of the wild 
blast scattered his legions like        
,winter's withered leaves4 ,i saw him at
 ,leipsic in defeat and disaster--driven
 by a million bayonets back upon        
,paris--clutched like a wild            
beast--banished to ,elba4 ,i saw him    
escape and retake an empire by the force
 of his genius4 ,i saw him upon the     
frightful field of ,waterloo1 where     
chance and fate combined to wreck the   
fortunes of their former king4 ,and ,i  
saw him at ,st4 ,helena1 with his hands 
crossed behind him1 gazing out upon the 
sad and solemn sea4 ,i thought of the   
orphans and widows he had made--of the  
tears that had been shed for his glory1 
and of the only woman who ever loved    
him1 pushed from his heart by the cold  
hand of ambition4 ,and ,i said ,i would 
rather have been a ,french peasant1 and 
worn wooden shoes4 ,i would rather have 
lived in a hut with a vine growing over 
the door1 and the grapes growing purple 
in the kisses of the ,autumn sun4 ,i    

would rather have been that poor peasant
 with my loving wife by my side1        
knitting as the day died out of the     
sky--with my children upon my knees and 
their arms about me2 ,i would rather    
have been that man and gone down to the 
tongueless silence of the dreamless     
dust1 than to have been that imperial   
impersonation of force and murder known 
as ,napoleon the ,great4 ,and so ,i     
would1 ten thousand times4     #ccg4    
,eulogy on ,j4 ,g4 ,blaine  ,this is a  
grand year--a year filled with          
recollections of the ,revolution2 filled
 with the proud and tender memories of  
the past2 with the sacred legends of    
liberty2 a year in which the sons of    
freedom will drink from the fountains of
 enthusiasm2 a year in which the people 
call for a man who has preserved in     
,congress what our soldiers won upon the
 field2 a year in which they call for   
the man who has torn from the throat of 
treason the tongue of slander--for the  
man who has snatched the mask of        

,democracy from the hideous face of     
rebellion2 for this man who1 like an    
intellectual athlete1 has stood in the  
arena of debate and challenged all      
comers1 and who is still a total        
stranger to defeat4 ,like an armed      
warrior1 like a plumed knight1 ,james   
,g4 ,blaine marched down the halls of   
the ,american ,congress and threw his   
shining lance full and fair against the 
brazen foreheads of the defamers of his 
country and the maligners of her honor4 
,for the ,republican party to desert    
this gallant leader now is as though an 
army should desert their ,general upon  
the field of battle4 ,james ,g4 ,blaine 
is now and has been for years the bearer
 of the sacred standard of the          
,republican party4     #cch4 ,a ,model  
,leader  ,the ,republicans of the       
,united ,states want a man who knows    
that this ,government should protect    
every citizen1 at home and abroad2 who  
knows that any ,government that will not
 defend its defenders and protect its   

protectors is a disgrace to the map of  
the world4 ,they demand a man who       
believes in the eternal separation and  
divorcement of church and school4 ,they 
demand a man whose political reputation 
is as spotless as a star2 but they do   
not demand that their candidate shall   
have a certificate of moral character   
signed by a ,confederate ,congress4 ,the
 man who has1 in full1 heaped and       
rounded measure1 all these splendid     
qualifications is the present grand and 
gallant leader of the ,republican       
party--,james ,g4 ,blaine4 ,our country1
 crowned with the vast and marvelous    
achievements of its first century1 asks 
for a man worthy of the past and        
prophetic of her future2 asks for a man 
who has the audacity of genius2 asks for
 a man who is the grandest combination  
of heart1 conscience and brain beneath  
her flag4 ,such a man is ,james ,g4     
,blaine4     #cci4 ,abraham ,lincoln    
,this world has not been fit to live in 
fifty years4 ,there is no liberty in    

it--very little4 ,why1 it is only a few 
years ago that all the ,christian       
nations were engaged in the slave trade4
 ,it was not until #ahjh that ,england  
abolished the slave trade1 and up to    
that time her priests in her churches   
and her judges on her benches owned     
stock in slave ships1 and luxuriated on 
the profits of piracy and murder2 and   
when a man stood up and denounced it    
they mobbed him as though he had been a 
common burglar or a horse thief4 ,think 
of it6 ,it was not until the #bhth day  
of ,august1 #ahcc1 that ,england        
abolished slavery in her colonies2 and  
it was not until the #ast day of        
,january1 #ahfb1 that ,abraham ,lincoln1
 by direction of the entire ,north1     
wiped that infamy out of this country2  
and ,i never speak of ,abraham ,lincoln 
but ,i want to say that he was1 in my   
judgment1 in many respects the grandest 
man ever ,president of the ,united      
,states4 ,i say that upon his tomb there
 ought to be this line--and ,i know of  

no other man deserving it so well as he3
 ,here lies one who having been clothed 
with almost absolute power never abused 
it except on the side of mercy4         
#cdj4 ,swedenborg  ,swedenborg was a man
 of great intellect1 of vast            
acquirements1 and of honest intentions2 
and ,i think it equally clear that upon 
one subject1 at least1 his mind was     
touched1 shattered and shaken4 ,misled  
by analogies1 imposed upon by the       
bishop1 deceived by the woman1 borne to 
other worlds upon the wings of dreams1  
living in the twilight of reason and the
 dawn of insanity1 he regarded every    
fact as a patched and ragged garment    
with a lining of the costliest silk1 and
 insisted that the wrong side1 even of  
the silk1 was far more beautiful than   
the right4     #cda4 ,jeremy ,bentham   
,the glory of ,bentham is1 that he gave 
the true basis of morals1 and furnished 
the statesmen with the star and compass 
of this sentence3 ,the greatest         
happiness of the greatest number4       

#cdb4 ,charles ,fourier  ,fourier       
sustained about the same relation to    
this world that ,swedenborg did to the  
other4 ,there must be something wrong   
about the brain of one who solemnly     
asserts that the elephant1 the ox and   
the diamond were created by the ,sun2   
the horse1 the lily1 and the ruby1 by   
,saturn2 the cow1 the jonquil and the   
topaz1 by ,jupiter2 and the dog1 the    
violet and the opal stones by the earth 
itself4 ,and yet1 forgetting these      
aberrations of the mind1 this lunacy of 
a great and loving soul1 for one1 that's
 in tender-est regard the memory of     
,charles ,fourier1 one of the best and  
noblest of our race4     #cdc4 ,auguste 
,comte  ,there was in the brain of the  
great ,frenchman--,auguste ,comte--the  
dawn of that happy day in which humanity
 will be the only religion1 good the    
only ,god1 happiness the only object1   
restitution the only atonement1 mistake 
the only sin1 and affection guided by   
intelligence1 the only savior of        

mankind4 ,this dawn enriched his        
poverty1 illuminated the darkness of his
 life1 peopled his loneliness with the  
happy millions yet to be1 and filled his
 eyes with proud and tender tears4 ,when
 everything connected with ,napoleon1   
except his crimes1 shall be forgotten1  
,auguste ,comte will be lovingly        
remembered as a benefactor of the human 
race4     #cdd4 ,herbert ,spencer       
,herbert ,spencer relies upon evidence1 
upon demonstration1 upon experience2 and
 occupies himself with one world at a   
time4 ,he perceives that there is a     
mental horizon that we cannot pierce1   
and that beyond that is the unknown1    
possibly the unknowable4 ,he endeavors  
to examine only that which is capable of
 being examined1 and considers the      
theological method as not only useless1 
but hurtful4 ,after all ,god is but a   
guess1 throned and established by       
arrogance and assertion4 ,turning his   
attention to those things that have in  
some way affected the condition of      

mankind1 ,spencer leaves the unknowable 
to priests and believers4     #cde4     
,robert ,collyer  ,i have the honor of a
 slight acquaintance with ,robert       
,collyer4 ,i have read with pleasure    
some of his exquisite productions4 ,he  
has a brain full of the dawn1 the head  
of a philosopher1 the imagination of a  
poet and the sincere heart of a child4  
,had such men as ,robert ,collyer and   
,john ,stuart ,mill been present at the 
burning of ,servetus1 they would have   
extinguished the flames with their      
tears4 ,had the presbytery of ,chicago  
been there1 they would have quietly     
turned their backs1 solemnly divided    
their coat tails1 and warmed themselves4
     #cdf4 ,john ,milton  ,england was  
filled with ,puritan gloom and          
,episcopal ceremony4 ,all religious     
conceptions were of the grossest nature4
 ,the ideas of crazy fanatics and       
extravagant poets were taken as sober   
facts4 ,milton had clothed ,christianity
 in the soiled and faded finery of the  

gods--had added to the story of ,christ 
the fables of ,mythology1 ,he gave to   
the ,protestant ,church the most        
outrageously material ideas of the      
,deity4 ,he turned all the angels into  
soldiers--made heaven a battlefield1 put
 ,christ in uniform1 and described ,god 
as a militia general4 ,his works were   
considered by the ,protestants nearly as
 sacred as the ,bible itself1 and the   
imagination of the people was thoroughly
 polluted by the horrible imagery1 the  
sublime absurdity of the blind ,milton4 
#cdg4 ,ernst ,haeckel  ,amongst the     
bravest1 side by side with the greatest 
of the world in ,germany1 the land of   
science--stands ,ernst ,haeckel1 who may
 be said not only to have demonstrated  
the theories of ,darwin1 but the        
monistic conception of the world4 ,he   
has endeavored--and ,i think with       
complete success--to show that there is 
not1 and never was1 and never can be1   
the creator of anything4 ,haeckel is one
 of the bitterest enemies of the church1

 and is1 therefore1 one of the bravest  
friends of man4     #cdh4 ,professor    
,swing1 a ,dove amongst ,vultures       
,professor ,swing was too good a man to 
stay in the ,presbyterian ,church4 ,he  
was a rose amongst thistles2 he was a   
dove amongst vultures2 and they hunted  
him out1 and ,i am glad he came out4 ,i 
have the greatest respect for ,professor
 ,swing1 but ,i want him to tell whether
 the #ajith ,psalm is inspired4         
#cdi4 ,queen ,victoria and ,george      
,eliot  ,compare ,george ,eliot with    
,queen ,victoria4 ,the ,queen is clad in
 garments given her by blind fortune and
 unreasoning chance1 while ,george      
,eliot wears robes of glory woven in the
 loom of her own genius4 ,and so it is  
the world over4 ,the time is coming when
 men will be rated at their real worth2 
when we shall care nothing for an       
officer if he does not fill his place4  
#cej4 ,bough on ,rabbi ,bien  ,i will   
not answer ,rabbi ,bien1 and ,i will    
tell you why4 ,because he has taken     

himself outside of all the limits of a  
gentleman2 because he has taken upon    
himself to traduce ,american women in   
language the beastliest ,i ever read2   
and any man who says that the ,american 
women are not just as good women as any 
,god can make1 and pick his mind to-day1
 is an unappreciative barbarian4 ,i will
 let him alone because he denounced all 
the men in this country1 all the members
 of ,congress1 all the members of the   
,senate1 all the ,judges on the bench1  
as thieves and robbers4 ,i pronounce him
 a vulgar falsifier1 and let him alone4 
#cea4 ,general ,garfield  ,no man has   
been nominated for the office since ,i  
was born1 by either party1 who had more 
brains and more heart than ,james ,a4   
,garfield4 ,he was a soldier1 he is a   
statesman4 ,in time of peace he         
preferred the avocations of peace2 when 
the bugle of war blew in his ears he    
withdrew from his work and fought for   
the flag1 and then he went back to the  
avocation of peace4 ,and ,i say to-day  

that a man who1 in a time of profound   
peace1 makes up his mind that he would  
like to kill folks for a living is no   
better1 to say the least of it1 than the
 man who loves peace in the time of     
peace1 and who1 when his country is     
attacked1 rushes to the rescue of her   
flag4     #ceb4 ,wealthy in ,integrity2 
,in ,brain a ,millionaire4  ,james ,a4  
,garfield is to-day a poor man1 and you 
know that there is not money enough in  
this magnificent street to buy the honor
 and manhood of ,james ,a4 ,garfield4   
,money cannot make such a man1 and ,i   
will swear to you that money cannot buy 
him4 ,james ,a4 ,garfield to-day wears  
the glorious robe of honest poverty4 ,he
 is a poor man2 but ,i like to say it   
here in ,wall street2 ,i like to say it 
surrounded by the millions of ,america2 
,i like to say it in the midst of banks1
 and bonds1 and stocks2 ,i love to say  
it where gold is piled--that1 although a
 poor man1 he is rich in honor1 in      
integrity he is wealthy1 and in brain he

 is a millionaire4     #cec4 ,garfield a
 ,certificate of the ,splendor of the   
,american ,constitution  ,garfield is a 
certificate of the splendor of our      
,government1 that says to every poor    
boy3 ,all the avenues of honor are open 
to you4 ,i know him and ,i like him4 ,he
 is a scholar2 he is a statesman2 he was
 a soldier2 he is a patriot2 and above  
all he is a magnificent man1 and if     
every man in ,new ,york knew him as well
 as ,i do1 ,garfield would not lose a   
hundred votes in this city4     #ced4   
,dr4 ,w4 ,hiram ,thomas  ,the best thing
 that has come from the other side is   
from ,dr4 ,thomas4 ,i regard him as by  
far the grandest intellect in the       
,methodist ,church4 ,he is              
intellectually a wide and tender man4 ,i
 cannot conceive of an article being    
written in a better spirit4 ,he finds a 
little fault with me for not being      
exactly fair4 ,if there were more       
ministers like ,dr4 ,thomas the         
probability is ,i never should have laid

 myself liable to criticism4 ,there is  
some human nature in me1 and ,i find it 
exceedingly difficult to preserve at all
 times perfect serenity4 ,i have the    
greatest possible respect for ,dr4      
,thomas1 and must heartily thank him for
 his perfect fairness4                  
,,miscellaneous     #cee4 ,heresy and   
,orthodoxy  ,it has always been the man 
ahead that has been called the heretic4 
,heresy is the last and best thought    
always6 ,heresy extends the hospitality 
of the brain to a new idea2 that is what
 the rotting says to flax growing2 that 
is what the dweller in the swamp says to
 the man on the sun-lit hill2 that is   
what the man in the darkness cries out  
to the grand man upon whose forehead is 
shining the dawn of a grander day2 that 
is what the coffin says to the cradle4  
,orthodoxy is a kind of shroud1 and     
heresy is a banner--,orthodoxy is a fog 
and ,heresy a star shining forever upon 
the cradle of truth4 ,i do not mean     
simply in religion1 ,i mean in          

everything and the idea ,i wish to      
impress upon you is that you should keep
 your minds open to all the influences  
of nature1 you should keep your minds   
open to reason2 hear what a man has to  
say1 and do not let the turtle-shell of 
bigotry grow above your brain4 ,give    
everybody a chance and an opportunity2  
that is all4     #cef4 ,the ,aristocracy
 that will ,survive4  ,we used to       
worship the golden calf1 and the worst  
you can say of us now1 is1 we worship   
the gold of the calf1 and even the      
calves are beginning to see this        
distinction4 ,we used to go down on our 
knees to every man that held office1 now
 he must fill it if he wishes any       
respect4 ,we care nothing for the rich1 
except what will they do with their     
money8 ,do they benefit mankind8 ,that  
is the question4 ,you say this man holds
 an office4 ,how does he fill it8--that 
is the question4 ,and there is rapidly  
growing up in the world an aristocracy  
of heart and brain--the only aristocracy

 that has a right to exist4     #ceg4   
,truth will ,bear the ,test  ,if a man  
has a diamond that has been examined by 
the lapidaries of the world1 and some   
ignorant stonecutter told him that it is
 nothing but an ordinary rock1 he laughs
 at him2 but if it has not been examined
 by lapidaries1 and he is a little      
suspicious himself that it is not       
genuine1 it makes him mad4 ,any doctrine
 that will not bear investigation is not
 a fit tenant for the mind of an honest 
man4 ,any man who is afraid to have his 
doctrine investigated is not only a     
coward but a hypocrite4     #ceh4       
,paring ,nails  ,why should we in this  
age of the world be dominated by the    
dead8 ,why should barbarian ,jews who   
went down to death and dust three       
thousand years ago1 control the living  
world8 ,why should we care for the      
superstition of men who began the       
sabbath by paring their nails1 beginning
 at the fourth finger1 then going to the
 second1 then to the fifth1 then to the 

third1 and ending with the thumb8 ,how  
pleasing to ,god this must have been4   
#cei4 ,there may be a ,god  ,there may  
be for aught ,i know1 somewhere in the  
unknown shoreless vast1 some being whose
 dreams are constellations and within   
whose thought the infinite exists4      
,about this being1 if such an one       
exists1 ,i have nothing to say4 ,he has 
written no books1 inspired no           
barbarians1 required no worship1 and has
 prepared no hell in which to burn the  
honest seeker after truth4     #cfj4    
,the ,people are ,beginning to ,think   
,the people are beginning to think1 to  
reason and to investigate4 ,slowly1     
painfully1 but surely1 the gods are     
being driven from the earth4 ,only upon 
rare occasions are they1 even by the    
most religious1 supposed to interfere in
 the affairs of men4 ,in most matters we
 are at last supposed to be free4 ,since
 the invention of steamships and        
railways1 so that the products of all   
countries can be easily interchanged1   

the gods have quit the business of      
producing famine4     #cfa4 ,unchained  
,thought  ,for the vagaries of the      
clouds the infidels propose to          
substitute the realities of earth2 for  
superstition1 the splendid              
demonstrations and achievements of      
science2 and for theological tyranny1   
the chainless liberty of thought4       
#cfb4 ,man the ,victor of the ,future   
,if abuses are destroyed1 man must      
destroy them4 ,if slaves are freed1 man 
must free them4 ,if new truths are      
discovered1 man must discover them4 ,if 
the naked are clothed2 if the hungry are
 fed2 if justice is done2 if labor is   
rewarded2 if superstition is driven from
 the mind2 if the defenseless are       
protected1 and if the right finally     
triumphs1 all must be the work of man4  
,the grand victories of the future must 
be won by man1 and by man alone4        
#cfc4 ,the ,sacred ,sabbath  ,of all the
 superstitious of mankind1 this insanity
 about the sacred ,sabbath is the most  

absurd4 ,the idea of feeling it a duty  
to be solemn and sad one-seventh of the 
time6 ,to think that we can please an   
infinite being by staying in some dark  
and sombre room1 instead of walking in  
the perfumed fields6 ,why should ,god   
hate to see a man happy8 ,why should it 
excite his wrath to see a family in the 
woods1 by some babbling stream1 talking1
 laughing and loving8 ,nature works on  
that sacred day4 ,the earth turns1 the  
rivers run1 the trees grow1 buds burst  
into flower1 and birds fill the air with
 song4 ,why should we look sad1 and     
think about death1 and hear about-hell8 
,why should that day be filled with     
gloom instead of joy8     #cfd4 ,make   
the ,sabbath ,merry  ,freethinkers      
should make the ,sabbath a day of mirth 
and music2 a day to spend with wife and 
child--a day of games1 and books1 and   
dreams--a day to put fresh flowers above
 our sleeping dead--a day of memory and 
hope1 of love and rest4     #cfe4 ,away 
to the ,hills and the ,sea  ,a poor     

mechanic1 working all the week in dust  
and noise1 needs a day of rest and joy1 
a day to visit stream and wood--a day to
 live with wife and child2 a day in     
which to laugh at care1 and gather hope 
and strength for toils to come4 ,and his
 weary wife needs a breath of sunny air1
 away from street and wall1 amid the    
hills or by the margin of the sea1 where
 she can sit and prattle with her babe1 
and fill with happy dreams the long1    
glad day4     #cff4 ,melancholy ,sundays
  ,when ,i was a little fellow most     
everybody thought that some days were   
too sacred for the young ones to enjoy  
themselves in4 ,that was the general    
idea4 ,sunday used to commence ,saturday
 night at sundown1 under the old text1  
,the evening and the morning were the   
first day4 ,they commenced then1 ,i     
think1 to get a good ready4 ,when the   
sun went down ,saturday night1 darkness 
ten thousand times deeper than ordinary 
night fell upon that house4 ,the boy    
that looked the sickest was regarded as 

the most pious4 ,you could not crack    
hickory nuts that night1 and if you were
 caught chewing gum it was another      
evidence of the total depravity of the  
human heart4 ,it was a very solemn      
evening4 ,we would sometimes sing1      
,another day has passed4 ,everybody     
looked as though they had the           
dyspesia--you know lots of people think 
they are pious1 just because they are   
bilious1 as ,mr4 ,hood says4 ,it was a  
solemn night1 and the next morning the  
solemnity had increased4 ,then we went  
to church1 and the minister was in a    
pulpit about twenty feet high4 ,if it   
was in the winter there was no fire2 it 
was not thought proper to be comfortable
 while you were thanking the ,lord4 ,the
 minister commenced at firstly and ran  
up to about twenty-fourthly1 and then he
 divided it up again2 and then he made  
some concluding remarks1 and then he    
said lastly1 and when he said lastly he 
was about half through4     #cfg4 ,moses
 took ,egyptian ,law for his ,model  ,it

 has been contended for many years that 
the ten commandments are the foundation 
of all ideas of justice and of law4     
,eminent jurists have bowed to popular  
prejudice1 and deformed their works by  
statements to the effect that the       
,mosaic laws are the fountains from     
which sprang all ideas of right and     
wrong4 ,nothing can be more stupidly    
false than such assertions4 ,thousands  
of years before ,moses was born1 the    
,egyptians had a code of laws4 ,they had
 laws against blasphemy1 murder1        
adultery1 larceny1 perjury1 laws for the
 collection of debts1 and the           
enforcement of contracts4     #cfh4 ,a  
,false ,standard of ,success  ,it is not
 necessary to be rich1 nor powerful1 nor
 great1 to be a success2 and neither is 
it necessary to have your name between  
the putrid lips of rumor to be great4   
,we have had a false standard of        
success4 ,in the years when ,i was a    
little boy we read in our books that no 
fellow was a success that did not make a

 fortune or get a big office1 and he    
generally was a man that slept about    
three hours a night4 ,they never put    
down in the books the gentlemen who     
succeeded in life and yet slept all they
 wanted to4 ,we have had a wrong        
standard4     #cfi4 ,toilers and ,idlers
  ,you can divide mankind into two      
classes3 the laborers and the idlers1   
the supporters and the supported1 the   
honest and the dishonest4 ,every man is 
dishonest who lives upon the unpaid     
labor of others1 no matter if he        
occupies a throne4 ,all laborers should 
be brothers4 ,the laborers should have  
equal-rights before the world and before
 the law4 ,and ,i want every farmer to  
consider every man who labors either    
with hand or brain as his brother4      
,until genius and labor formed a        
partnership there was no such thing as  
prosperity among men4 ,every reaper and 
mower1 every agricultural implement1 has
 elevated the work of the farmer1 and   
his vocation grows grander with every   

invention4 ,in the olden time the       
agriculturist was ignorant2 he knew     
nothing of machinery1 he was the slave  
of superstition4     #cgj4 ,the ,sad    
,wilderness ,history  ,while reading the
 ,pentateuch1 ,i am filled with         
indignation1 pity and horror4 ,nothing  
can be sadder than the history of the   
starved and frightened wretches who     
wandered over the desolate crags and    
sands of wilderness and desert1 the prey
 of famine1 sword and plague4 ,ignorant 
and superstitious to the last degree1   
governed by falsehood1 plundered by     
hypocrisy1 they were the sport of       
priests1 and the food of fear4 ,god was 
their greatest enemy1 and death their   
only friend4     #cga4 ,law ,much ,older
 than ,sinai  ,laws spring from the     
instinct of self-preservation4 ,industry
 objected to supporting idleness1 and   
laws were made against theft4 ,laws were
 made against murder1 because a very    
large majority of the people have always
 objected to being murdered4 ,all       

fundamental laws were born simply of the
 instinct of self-defence4 ,long before 
the ,jewish savages assembled at the    
foot of ,sinai1 laws had been made and  
enforced1 not only in ,egypt and ,india1
 but by every tribe that ever existed4  
#cgb4 ,who is the ,blasphemer8  ,there  
was no pity in inspired war4 ,god raised
 the black flag1 and commanded his      
soldiers to kill even the smiling infant
 in its mother's arms4 ,who is the      
blasphemer2 the man who denies the      
existence of ,god1 or he who covers the 
robes of the infinite with innocent     
blood8     #cgc4 ,standing ,tip for ,god
  ,we are told in the ,pentateuch that  
,god1 the father of us all1 gave        
thousands of maidens1 after having      
killed their fathers1 their mothers1 and
 their brothers1 to satisfy the brutal  
lusts of savage men4 ,if there be a     
,god1 ,i pray him to write in his book1 
opposite my name1 that ,i denied this   
lie for him4     #cgd4 ,matter and      
,force  ,the statement in the beginning 

,god created the heaven and the earth1  
,i cannot accept4 ,it is contrary to my 
reason1 and ,i cannot believe it4 ,it   
appears reasonable for me that force has
 existed from eternity4 ,force cannot1  
as it appears to me1 exist apart from   
matter4 ,force1 in its nature1 is       
forever active1 and without matter it   
could not act2 and so ,i think matter   
must have existed forever4 ,to conceive 
of matter without force1 or of force    
without matter1 or of a time when       
neither existed1 or of a being who      
existed for an eternity without either1 
and who out of nothing created both1 is 
to me utterly impossible4     #cge4     
,haeckel before ,moses6  ,it may be that
 ,i am led to these conclusions by total
 depravity1 or that ,i lack the         
necessary humility of spirit to         
satisfactorily harmonize ,haeckel and   
,moses2 or that ,i am carried away by   
pride1 blinded by reason1 given over to 
hardness of heart that ,i might be      
damned1 but ,i never can believe that   

the earth was covered with leaves1 and  
buds1 and flowers1 and fruits1 before   
the sun with glittering spear had driven
 back the hosts of night4     #cgf4 ,how
 was it ,done8  ,we are told that ,god  
made man2 and the question naturally    
arises1 how was this done8 ,was it by a 
process of evolution1 development2 the  
transmission of acquired habits2 the    
survival of the fittest1 or was the     
necessary amount of clay kneaded to the 
proper consistency1 and then by the     
hands of ,god moulded into form8 ,modern
 science tells that man has been        
evolved1 through countless epochs1 from 
the lower forms2 that he is the result  
of almost an infinite number of actions1
 reactions1 experiences1 states1 forms1 
wants and adaptations4     #cgg4        
,general ,joshua  ,my own opinion is    
that ,general ,joshua knew no more about
 the motions of the earth than he did   
mercy and justice4 ,if he had known that
 the earth turned upon its axis at the  
rate of a thousand miles an hour1 and   

swept in its course about the sun at the
 rate of sixty-eight thousand miles an  
hour1 he would have doubled the         
hailstones1 spoken of in the same       
chapter1 that the ,lord cast down from  
heaven1 and allowed the sun and moon to 
rise and set in the usual way4     #cgh4
 ,early ,rising is ,barbaric6  ,this    
getting up so early in the morning is a 
relic of barbarism4 ,it has made        
hundreds of thousands of young men curse
 business4 ,there is no need of getting 
up at three or four o'clock in the      
winter morning4 ,the farmer who persists
 in dragging his wife and children from 
their beds ought to be visited by a     
missionary4 ,it is time enough to rise  
after the sun has set the example4 ,for 
what purpose do you get up8 ,to feed the
 cattle8 ,why not feed them more the    
night before8 ,it is a waste of life4   
,in the old times they used to get up   
about three o'clock in the morning1 and 
go to work long before the sun had risen
 with healing upon his wings1 and as a  

just punishment they all had the ague2  
and they ought to have it now4     #cgi4
 ,sleep is ,medicine6  ,you should not  
rob your families of sleep4 ,sleep is   
the best medicine in the world4 ,there  
is no such thing as health1 without     
plenty of sleep4 ,sleep until you are   
thoroughly rented and restored4 ,when   
you work1 work2 and when you get through
 take a good1 long and refreshing sleep4
     #chj4 ,never ,rise at ,four        
,o',clock  ,the man who cannot get a    
living upon ,illinois soil without      
rising before daylight ought to starve4 
,eight hours a day is enough for any    
farmer to work except in harvest time4  
,when you rise at four and work till    
dark what is life worth8 ,of what use   
are all the improvements in farming8 ,of
 what use is all the improved machinery 
unless it tends to give the farmer a    
little more leisure8 ,what is harvesting
 now1 compared with what it was in the  
old time8 ,think of the days of reaping1
 of cradling1 of raking and binding and 

mowing4 ,think of threshing with the    
flail and winnowing with the wind4 ,and 
now think of the reapers and mowers1 the
 binders and threshing machines1 the    
plows and cultivators1 upon which the   
farmer rides protected from the sun4    
,if1 with all these advantages1 you     
cannot get a living without rising in   
the middle of the night1 go into some   
other business4     #cha4 ,the ,hermit  
is ,mad  ,a hermit is a mad man4        
,without friends and wife and child1    
there is nothing left worth living for4 
,the unsocial are the enemies of joy4   
,they are filled with egotism and envy1 
with vanity and hatred4 ,people who live
 much alone become narrow and           
suspicious4 ,they are apt to be the     
property of one idea4 ,they begin to    
think there is no use in anything4 ,they
 look upon the happiness of others as a 
kind of folly4 ,they hate joyous folks1 
because1 way down in their hearts1 they 
envy them4     #chb4 ,duke              
,orang-,outang  ,i think we came from   

the lower animals4 ,i am not dead sure  
of it1 but think so4 ,when ,i first read
 about it ,i didn't like it4 ,my heart  
was filled with sympathy for those      
people who leave nothing to be proud of 
except ancestors4 ,i thought how        
terrible this will be upon the nobility 
of the old world4 ,think of their being 
forced to trace their ancestry back to  
the ,duke ,orang-,outang or to the      
,princess ,chimpanzee4 ,after thinking  
it all over ,i came to the conclusion   
that ,i liked that doctrine4 ,i became  
convinced in spite of myself4 ,i read   
about rudimentary bones and muscles4 ,i 
was told that everybody had rudimentary 
muscles extending from the ear into the 
cheek4 ,i asked3 ,what are they8 ,i was 
told3 ,they are the remains of muscles2 
they became rudimentary from the lack of
 use4 ,they went into bankruptcy4 ,they 
are the muscles with which your         
ancestors used to flap their ears4      
,well1 at first ,i was greatly          
astonished1 and afterward ,i was more   

astonished to find they had become      
rudimentary4     #chc4 ,self-,made ,men 
,it is often said of this or that man   
that he is a self-made man--that he was 
born of the poorest and humblest        
parents1 and that with every obstacle to
 overcome he became great4 ,this is a   
mistake4 ,poverty is generally an       
advantage4 ,most of the intellectual    
giants of the world have been nursed at 
the sad but loving breast of poverty4   
,most of those who have climbed highest 
on the shining ladder of fame commenced 
at the lowest round4 ,they were reared  
in the straw thatched cottages of       
,europe2 in the log houses of ,america2 
in the factories of the great cities2 in
 the midst of toil2 in the smoke and din
 of labor4     #chd4 ,the ,one ,window  
in the ,ark  ,a cubit is twenty-two     
inches2 so that the ark was five hundred
 and fifty feet long1 ninety-one feet   
and eight inches wide1 and fifty-five   
feet high4 ,the ark was divided into    
three stories1 and had on top1 one      

window twenty-two inches square4        
,ventillation must have been one of     
,jehovah's hobbies4 ,think of a ship    
larger than the ,great ,eastern with    
only one window1 and that but twenty-two
 inches square6     #che4 ,no           
,ante-,diluvian ,camp-,meetings6  ,it is
 a little curious that when ,god wished 
to reform the ante-diluvian world he    
said nothing about hell2 that he had no 
revivals1 no camp-meetings1 no tracts1  
no out-pourings of the ,holy ,ghost1 no 
baptisms1 no noon prayer meetings1 and  
never mentioned the great doctrine of   
salvation by faith4 ,if the orthodox    
creeds of the world are true1 all those 
people went to hell without ever having 
heard that such a place existed4 ,if    
eternal torment is a fact1 surely these 
miserable wretches ought to have been   
warned4 ,they were threatened only with 
water when they were in fact doomed to  
eternal fire6     #chf4 ,hard ,work in  
the ,ark  ,eight persons did all the    
work4 ,they attended to the wants of    

#age1jjj birds1 #c1faf beasts1 #a1cjj   
reptiles1 and #b1jjj1jjj insects1 saying
 nothing of countless animalculae4      
#chg4 ,what did ,moses know about the   
,sun8  ,can we believe that the inspired
 writer had any idea of the size of the 
sun8 ,draw a circle five inches in      
diameter1 and by its side thrust a pin  
through the paper4 ,the hole made by the
 pin will sustain about the same        
relation to the circle that the earth   
does to the sun4 ,did he know that the  
sun was eight hundred and sixty thousand
 miles in diameter2 that it was         
enveloped in an ocean of fire thousands 
of miles in depth1 hotter even than the 
,christian's hell8 ,did he know that the
 volume of the ,earth is less than      
one-millionth of that of the sun8 ,did  
he know of the one hundred and four     
planets belonging to our solar system1  
all children of the sun8 ,did he know of
 ,jupiter eighty-five thousand miles in 
diameter1 hundreds of times as large as 
our earth1 turning on his axis at the   

rate of twenty-five thousand miles an   
hour accompanied by four moons making   
the tour of his orbit once only in fifty
 years8     #chh4 ,something for        
,nothing  ,it is impossible for me to   
conceive of something being created for 
nothing4 ,nothing1 regarded in the light
 of raw material1 is a decided failure4 
,i cannot conceive of matter apart from 
force4 ,neither is it possible to think 
of force disconnected with matter4 ,you 
cannot imagine matter going back to     
absolute nothing4 ,neither can you      
imagine nothing being changed into      
something4 ,you may be eternally damned 
if you do not say that you can conceive 
these things1 but you cannot conceive   
them4 ,account but ,i cannot help it4   
,in my judgment ,moses was mistaken4    
#chi4 ,polygamy  ,polygamy is just as   
pure in ,utah as it could have been in  
the promised land4 ,love and virtue are 
the same the whole world around1 and    
justice is the same in every star4 ,all 
the languages of the world are not      

sufficient to express the filth of      
polygamy4 ,it makes of man a beast1 of  
woman a trembling slave4 ,it destroys   
the fireside1 makes virtue an outcast1  
takes from human speech its sweetest    
words1 and leaves the heart a den1 where
 crawl and hiss the slimy serpents of   
most loathsome lust4 ,civilization rests
 upon the family4 ,the good family is   
the unit of good government4 ,the       
virtues grow about the holy hearth of   
home--they cluster1 bloom1 and shed     
their perfume round the fireside where  
the one man loves the one woman4        
,lover--husband--wife--mother--father--c
hild--home6--without these sacred words 
the world is but a lair1 and men and    
women merely beasts4     #cij4 ,the     
,colonel in the ,kitchen--,how to ,cook 
a ,beefsteak  ,there ought to be a law  
making it a crime1 punishable by        
imprisonment1 to fry a beefsteak4 ,broil
 it2 it is just as easy1 and when       
broiled it is delicious4 ,fried         
beefsteak is not fit for a wild beast4  

,you can broil even on a stove4 ,shut   
the front damper--open the back one1 and
 then take off a griddle4 ,there will   
then be a draft down through this       
opening4 ,put on your steak1 using a    
wire broiler1 and not a particle of     
smoke will touch it1 for the reason that
 the smoke goes down4 ,if you try to    
broil it with the front damper open the 
smoke will rise4 ,for broiling1 coal1   
even soft coal1 makes a better fire than
 wood4     #cia4 ,fresh ,air  ,make your
 houses comfortable4 ,do not huddle     
together in a little room around a      
red-hot stove1 with every window        
fastened down4 ,do not live in this     
poisoned atmosphere1 and then1 when one 
of your children dies1 put a piece in   
the papers commencing with1 ,whereas1 it
 has pleased divine ,providence to      
remove from our midst--4 ,have plenty of
 air1 and plenty of warmth4 ,comfort is 
health4 ,do not imagine anything is     
unhealthy simply because it is pleasant4
 ,this is an old and foolish idea4      

#cib4 ,cooking a ,fine ,art  ,cooking is
 one of the fine arts4 ,give your wives 
and daughters things to cook1 and things
 to cook with1 and they will soon become
 most excellent cooks4 ,good cooking is 
the basis of civilization4 ,the man     
whose arteries and veins are filled with
 rich blood made of good and well cooked
 food1 has pluck1 courage1 endurance and
 noble impulses4 ,remember that your    
wife should have things to cook with4   
#cic4 ,scathing ,impeachment of         
,intemperance  ,intemperance cuts down  
youth in its vigor1 manhood in its      
strength1 and age in its weakness4 ,it  
breaks the father's heart1 bereaves the 
doting mother1 extinguishes natural     
affections1 erases conjugal loves1 blots
 out filial attachments1 blights        
parental hope1 and brings down mourning 
age in sorrow to the grave4 ,it produces
 weakness1 not strength2 sickness1 not  
health2 death1 not life4 ,it makes wives
 widows2 children orphans2 fathers      
fiends1 and all of them paupers and     

beggars4 ,it feeds rheumatism1 nurses   
gout1 welcomes epidemics1 invites       
cholera1 imports pestilence and embraces
 consumption4 ,it covers the land with  
idleness1 misery and crime4 ,it fills   
your jails1 supplies your almshouses and
 demands your asylums4 ,it engenders    
controversies1 fosters quarrels1 and    
cherishes riots4 ,it crowds your        
penitentiaries and furnishes victims to 
your scaffolds4 ,it is the life blood of
 the gambler1 the element of the        
burglar1 the prop of the highwayman and 
the support of the midnight incendiary4 
,it countenances the liar1 respects the 
thief1 esteems the blasphemer4 ,it      
violates obligations1 reverences fraud1 
and honors infamy4 ,it defames          
benevolence1 hates love1 scorns virtue  
and slanders innocence4 ,it incites the 
father to butcher his helpless          
offspring1 helps the husband to massacre
 his wife1 and the child to grind the   
parricidal ax4 ,it burns up men1        
consumes women1 detests life1 curses    

,god1 and despises heaven4 ,it suborns  
witnesses1 nurses perjury1 defiles the  
jury box1 and stains the judicial       
ermine4 ,it degrades the citizen1       
debases the legislator1 dishonors       
statesmen1 and disarms the patriot4 ,it 
brings shame1 not honor2 terror1 not    
safety2 despair1 not hope2 misery1 not  
happiness2 and with the malevolence of a
 fiend1 it calmly surveys its frightful 
desolation1 and unsatisfied with its    
havoc1 it poisons felicity1 kills peace1
 ruins morals1 blights confidence1 slays
 reputation1 and wipes out national     
honors1 then curses the world and laughs
 at its ruin4     #cid4 ,liberty        
,defined  ,the ,french convention gave  
the best definition of liberty ,i have  
ever read3 ,the liberty of one citizen  
ceases only where the liberty of another
 citizen commences4 ,i know of no better
 definition4 ,i ask you to-day to make a
 declaration of individual independence4
 ,and if you are independent1 be just4  
,allow everybody else to make his       

declaration of individual independence4 
,allow your wife1 allow your husband1   
allow your children to make theirs4 ,it 
is a grand thing to be the owner of     
yourself4 ,it is a grand thing to       
protect the rights of others4 ,it is a  
sublime thing to be free and just4      
#cie4 ,free1 ,honest ,thought  ,i am    
going to say what little ,i can to make 
the ,american people brave enough and   
generous enough and kind enough to give 
everybody else the rights they have     
themselves4 ,can there ever be any      
progress in this world to amount to     
anything until we have liberty8 ,the    
thoughts of a man who is not free are   
not worth much--not much4 ,a man who    
thinks with the club of a creed above   
his head--a man who thinks casting his  
eye askance at the flames of hell1 is   
not apt to have very good thoughts4 ,and
 for my part1 ,i would not care to have 
any status or social position even in   
heaven if ,i had to admit that ,i never 
would have been there only ,i got       

scared4 ,when we are frightened we do   
not think very well4 ,if you want to get
 at the honest thoughts of a man he must
 free4 ,if he is not free you will not  
get his honest thought4     #cif4       
,ingersoll ,prefers ,shoemakers to      
,princes  ,the other day there came     
shoemakers1 potters1 workers in wood and
 iron1 from ,europe1 and they were      
received in the city of ,new ,york as   
though they had been princes4 ,they had 
been sent by the great republic of      
,france to examine into the arts and    
manufactures of the great republic of   
,america4 ,they looked a thousand times 
better to me than the ,edward ,alberts  
and ,albert ,edwards--the royal vermin1 
that live on the body politic4 ,and ,i  
would think much more of our government 
if it would fete and feast them1 instead
 of wining and dining the imbeciles of a
 royal line4     #cig4 ,sham ,dignity   
,i hate dignity4 ,i never saw a         
dignified man that was not after all an 
old idiot ,dignity is a mask2 a         

dignified man is afraid that you will   
know he does not know everything4 ,a man
 of sense and argument is always willing
 to admit what he don't                 
know--why8--because there is so much    
that he does know2 and that is the first
 step towards learning                  
anything--willingness to admit what you 
don't know1 and when you don't          
understand a thing1 ask--no matter how  
small and silly it may look to other    
people--ask1 and after that you know4 ,a
 man never is in a state of mind that he
 can learn until he gets that dignified 
nonsense out of him4     #cih4 ,a ,good 
,time ,coming6  ,the time is coming when
 a man will be rated at his real worth1 
and that by his brain and heart4 ,we    
care nothing now about an officer unless
 he fills his place4 ,the time will come
 when no matter how much money a man has
 he will not be respected unless he is  
using it for the benefit of his         
fellow-men4 ,it will soon be here4      
#cii4 ,who is the ,true ,nobleman8  ,we 

are a great people4 ,three millions have
 increased to fifty--thirteen ,states to
 thirty-eight4 ,we have better homes1   
and more of the conveniences of life    
than any other people upon the face of  
the globe4 ,the farmers of our country  
live better than did the kings and      
princes two hundred years ago--and they 
have twice as much sense and heart4     
,liberty and labor have given us all4   
,remember that all men have equal       
rights4 ,remember that the man who acts 
best his part--who loves his friends the
 best--is most willing to help          
others--truest to the obligation--who   
has the best heart--the most            
feeling--the deepest sympathies--and who
 freely gives to others the rights that 
he claims for himself1 is the true      
nobleman4 ,we have disfranchised the    
aristocrats of the air and have given   
one country to mankind4     #djj4       
,wanted6--,more ,manliness  ,i had a    
thousand times rather have a farm and be
 independent1 than to be ,president of  

the ,united ,states1 without            
independence1 filled with doubt and     
trembling1 feeling of the popular pulse1
 resorting to art and artifice1         
inquiring about the wind of opinion1 and
 succeeding at last in losing my        
self-respect without gaining the respect
 of others4 ,man needs more manliness1  
more real independence4 ,we must take   
care of ourselves4 ,this we can do by   
labor1 and in this way we can preserve  
our independence4 ,we should try and    
choose that business or profession the  
pursuit of which will give us the most  
happiness4 ,happiness is wealth4 ,we can
 be happy without being rich--without   
holding office--without being famous4 ,i
 am not sure that we can be happy with  
wealth1 with office1 or with fame4      
#dja4 ,education of ,nature  ,it has    
been a favorite idea with me that our   
forefathers were educated by nature2    
that they grew grand as the continent   
upon which they landed2 that the great  
rivers--the wide plains--the splendid   

lakes--the lonely forests--the sublime  
mountains--that all these things stole  
into and became a part of their being1  
and they grew great as the country in   
which they lived4 ,they began to hate   
the narrow1 contracted views of ,europe4
 ,they were educated by their           
surroundings4     #djb4 ,the ,worker    
,wearing the ,purple  ,i want to see a  
workingman have a good house1 painted   
white1 grass in the front yard1 carpets 
on the floor and pictures on the wall4  
,i want to see him a man feeling that he
 is a king by the divine right of living
 in the ,republic4 ,and every man here  
is just a little bit a king1 you know4  
,every man here is a part of the        
sovereign power4 ,every man wears a     
little of purple2 every man has a little
 of crown and a little of sceptre2 and  
every man that will sell his vote for   
money or be ruled by prejudice is unfit 
to be an ,american citizen4     #djc4   
,flowers  ,beautify your grounds with   
plants and flowers and vines4 ,have good

 gardens4 ,remember that everything of  
beauty tends to the elevation of man4   
,every little morning-glory whose purple
 bosom is thrilled with the amorous     
kisses of the sun tends to put a blossom
 in your heart4 ,do not judge of the    
value of everything by the market       
reports4 ,every flower about a house    
certifies to the refinement of somebody4
 ,every vine1 climbing and blossoming1  
tells of love and joy4     #djd4 ,be    
,happy--,here and ,now6  ,the grave is  
not a throne1 and a corpse is not a     
king4 ,the living have a right to       
control this world4 ,i think a good deal
 more of to day than ,i do of yesterday1
 and ,i think more of to-morrow than ,i 
do of this day2 because it is nearly    
gone--that is the way ,i feel4 ,the time
 to be happy is now2 the way to be happy
 is to make somebody else happy and the 
place to be happy is here4     #dje4    
,the ,school ,house a ,fort  ,education 
is the most radical thing in the world4 
,to teach the alphabet is to inaugurate 

a revolution4 ,to build a school house  
is to construct a fort4 ,a library is an
 arsenal4     #djf4 ,we are ,getting    
,free  ,we are getting free4 ,we are    
thinking in every direction4 ,we are    
investigating with the microscope and   
the telescope4 ,we are digging into the 
earth and finding souvenirs of all the  
ages4 ,we are finding out something     
about the laws of health and disease4   
,we are adding years to the span of     
human life and we are making the world  
fit to live in4 ,that is what we are    
doing1 and every man that has an honest 
thought and expresses it helps1 and     
every man that tries to keep honest     
thought from being expressed is an      
obstruction and a hindrance4     #djg4  
,the ,solid ,rock  ,i have made up my   
mind that if there is a ,god ,he will be
 merciful to the merciful4 ,upon that   
rock ,i stand4 ,that ,he will forgive   
the forgiving2 upon that rock ,i stand4 
,that every man should be true to       
himself1 and that there is no world1 no 

star1 in which honesty is a crime2 and  
upon that rock ,i stand4 ,an honest man1
 a good1 kind1 sweet woman1 or a happy  
child1 has nothing to fear1 neither in  
this world nor the world to come2 and   
upon that rock ,i stand4                
,,ingersoll',s ,,five ,,gospels         
#djh4 ,the ,gospel of ,cheerfulness  ,i 
believe in the gospel of cheerfulness2  
the gospel of good nature2 in the gospel
 of good health4 ,let us pay some       
attention to our bodies2 take care of   
our bodies1 and our souls will take care
 of themselves4 ,good health6 ,i believe
 the time will come when the public     
thought will be so great and grand that 
it will be looked upon as infamous to   
perpetuate disease4 ,i believe the time 
will come when men will not fill the    
future with consumption and with        
insanity4 ,i believe the time will come 
when with studying ourselves and        
understanding the laws of health1 we    
will say we are under obligations to put
 the flags of health in the cheeks of   

our children4 ,even if ,i got to        
,heaven1 and had a harp1 ,i would hate  
to look back upon my children and see   
them diseased1 deformed1 crazed1 all    
suffering the penalty of crimes that ,i 
had committed4     #dji4 ,the ,gospel of
 ,liberty  ,and ,i believe1 too1 in the 
gospel of liberty1---of giving to others
 what we claim4 ,and ,i believe there is
 room everywhere for thought1 and the   
more liberty you give away the more you 
will have4 ,in liberty extravagance is  
economy4 ,let us be just1 let us be     
generous to each other4     #daj4 ,the  
,gospel of ',good ,living  ,i believe in
 the gospel of good living4 ,you cannot 
make any ,god happy by fasting4 ,let us 
have good food1 and let us have it well 
cooked2 it is a thousand times better to
 know how to cook it than it is to      
understand any theology in the world4 ,i
 believe in the gospel of good clothes4 
,i believe in the gospel of good houses2
 in the gospel of water and soap4       
#daa4 ,the ,gospel of ,intelligence  ,i 

believe in the gospel of intelligence4  
,that is the only lever capable of      
raising mankind4 ,i believe in the      
gospel of intelligence2 in the gospel of
 education4 ,the school-house is my     
cathedral2 the universe is my ,bible4   
,intelligence must rule triumphant4     
,humanity is the grand religion4 ,and no
 ,god can put a man into hell in another
 world who has made a little heaven in  
this4 ,god cannot make miserable a man  
who has made somebody else happy4 ,god  
can not hate anybody who is capable of  
loving his neighbor4 ,so ,i believe in  
this great gospel of generosity4 ,ah1   
but they say it won't do4 ,you must     
believe4 ,i say no4 ,my gospel of health
 will prolong life2 my gospel of        
intelligence1 my gospel of loving1 my   
gospel of good-fellowship will cover the
 world with happy homes4 ,my doctrine   
will put carpets upon your floors1      
pictures upon your walls4 ,my doctrine  
will put books upon your shelves1 ideas 
in your mind4 ,my doctrine will relieve 

the world of the abnormal monsters born 
of the ignorance of superstition4 ,my   
doctrine will give us health1 wealth1   
and happiness4 ,that is what ,i want4   
,that is what ,i believe in4     #dab4  
,the ,gospel of ,justice  ,i believe in 
the gospel of justice1--that we must    
reap what we sow4 ,i do not believe in  
forgiveness4 ,if ,i rob ,mr4 ,smith1 and
 ,god forgive me1 how does that help    
,smith8 ,if ,i by slander cover some    
poor girl with the leprosy of some      
imputed crime1 and she withers away like
 a blighted flower1 and afterwards ,i   
get forgiveness1 how does that help her8
 ,if there is another world1 we have got
 to settle2 no bankruptcy court there4  
,pay down4 ,among the ancient ,jews if  
you committed a crime you had to kill a 
sheep2 now they say1 ,charge it4 ,put it
 on the slate4 ,it won't do4 ,for every 
crime you commit you must answer to     
yourself and to the one you injure4 ,and
 if you have ever clothed another with  
unhappiness as with a garment cf pain1  

you will never be quite as happy as     
though you hadn't done that thing4 ,no  
forgiveness1 eternal1 inexorable1       
everlasting justice--that is what ,i    
believe in4  ,and if it goes hard with  
me1 ,i will stand it4 ,and ,i will stick
 to my logic1 and ,i will bear it like a
 man4     ,,gems ,,from ,,the           
,,controversial ,,gasket       ,latest  
,utterances of ,colonel ,robert ,g4     
,ingersoll1      in a ,controversy with 
,judge ,jere #h4 ,black1      on ,the   
,christian ,religion     #dac4 ,the     
,origin of the ,controversy  ,several   
months ago1 ,the ,north ,american       
,review asked me to write an article1   
saying that it would be published if    
some one would furnish a reply4 ,i wrote
 the article that appeared in the       
,august number1 and by me it was        
entitled ,is ,all of the ,bible         
,inspired8 ,not until the article was   
written did ,i know who was expected to 
answer4 ,i make this explanation for the
 purpose of dissipating the impression  

that ,mr4 ,black had been challenged by 
me4 ,to have struck his shield with my  
lance might have given birth to the     
impression that ,i was somewhat doubtful
 as to the correctness of my position4  
,i naturally expected an answer from    
some professional theologian1 and was   
surprised to find that a reply had been 
written by a policeman1 who imagined    
that he had answered my arguments by    
simply telling me that my statements    
were false4 ,it is somewhat unfortunate 
that in a discussion like this any one  
should resort to the slightest personal 
detraction4 ,the theme is great enough  
to engage the highest faculties of the  
human mind1 and in the investigation of 
such a subject vituperation is          
singularly and vulgarly out of place4   
,arguments cannot be answered with      
insults4 ,it is unfortunate that the    
intellectual arena should be entered by 
a policeman1 who has more confidence in 
concussion than discussion4 ,kindness is
 strength4 ,good nature is often        

mistaken for virtue1 and good health    
sometimes passes for genius4 ,anger     
blows out the lamp of the mind4 ,in the 
examination of a great and important    
question1 every one should be serene1   
slow-pulsed1 and calm4 ,intelligence is 
not the foundation of arrogance4        
,insolence is not logic4 ,epithets are  
the arguments of malice4 ,candor is the 
courage of the soul4 ,leaving the       
objectionable portion of ,mr4 ,black's  
reply1 feeling that so grand a subject  
should not be blown and tainted with    
malicious words1 ,i proceed to answer as
 best ,i may the arguments he has urged4
     #dad4 ,what is ,christianity8  ,of 
course it is still claimed that we are a
 ,christian people1 indebted to         
something we call ,christianity1 for all
 the progress we have made4 ,there is   
still a vast difference of opinion as to
 what ,christianity really is1 although 
many wavering sects have been discussing
 that question1 with fire and sword     
through centuries of creed and crime4   

,every new sect has been denounced at   
its birth as illegitimate1 as something 
born out of orthodox wedlock1 and that  
should have been allowed to perish on   
the steps where it was found4     #dae4 
,summary of ,evangelical ,belief  ,among
 the evangelical churches there is a    
substantial agreement upon what they    
consider the fundamental truths of the  
gospel4 ,these fundamental truths1 as ,i
 understand them1 are3--,that there is a
 personal ,god1 the creator of the      
material universe2 that he made man of  
the dust1 and woman from part of the    
man2 that the man and woman were tempted
 by the devil2 that they were turned out
 of the garden of ,eden2 that1 about    
fifteen hundred years afterward1 ,god's 
patience having been exhausted by the   
wickedness of mankind1 ,he drowned ,his 
children1 with the exception of eight   
persons2 that afterward ,he selected    
from their descendants ,abraham1 and    
through him the ,jewish people2 that ,he
 gave laws to these people1 and tried to

 govern them in all things2 that ,he    
made known ,his will in many ways2 that 
,he wrought a vast number of miracles2  
that ,he inspired men to write the      
,bible2 that1 in the fullness of time1  
it having been found impossible to      
reform mankind1 this ,god came upon     
earth as a child born of the ,virgin    
,mary2 that ,he lived in ,palestine2    
that ,he preached for about three years1
 going from place to place1 occasionally
 raising the dead1 curing the blind and 
the halt2 that ,he was crucified--for   
the crime of blasphemy1 as the ,jews    
supposed1 but1 that as a matter of fact1
 ,he was offered as a sacrifice for the 
sins of all who might have faith in     
,him2 that ,he was raised from the dead 
and ascended into heaven1 where ,he now 
is1 making intercession for ,his        
followers2 that ,he will forgive the    
sins of all who believe on ,him1 and    
that those who do not believe will be   
consigned to the dungeons of eternal    
pain4 ,these--7it may be with the       

addition of the sacraments of ,baptism  
and the ,last ,supper7--constitute what 
is generally known as the ,christian    
religion4     #daf4 ,a ,profound ,change
 in the ,world of ,thought  ,a profound 
change has taken place in the world of  
thought4 ,the pews are trying to set    
themselves somewhat above the pulpit4   
,the layman discusses theology with the 
minister1 and smiles4 ,christians excuse
 themselves for belonging to the church 
by denying a part of the creed4 ,the    
idea is abroad that they who know the   
most of nature believe the least about  
theology4 ,the sciences are regarded as 
infidels1 and facts as scoffers4        
,thousands of most excellent people     
avoid churches1 and1 with few           
exceptions1 only those attend prayer    
meetings who wish to be alone4 ,the     
pulpit is losing because the people are 
rising4     #dag4 ,the ,believer in the 
,inspiration of the ,bible has too ,much
 to ,believe  ,but the believer in the  
inspiration of the ,bible is compelled  

to declare that there was a time when   
slavery was right--when men could buy   
and women sell their babes4 ,he is      
compelled to insist that there was a    
time when polygamy was the highest form 
of virtue2 when wars of extermination   
were waged with the sword of mercy2 when
 religious toleration was a crime1 and  
when death was the just penalty for     
having expressed an honest thought4 ,he 
must maintain that ,jehovah is just as  
bad now as he was four thousand years   
ago1 or that he was just as good then as
 he is now1 but that human conditions   
have so changed that slavery1 polygamy1 
religious persecutions and wars of      
conquest are now perfectly devilish4    
,once they were right--once they were   
commanded by ,god himself2 now1 they are
 prohibited4 ,there has been such a     
change in the conditions of man that1 at
 the present time1 the devil is in favor
 of slavery1 polygamy1 religious        
persecution and wars of conquest4 ,that 
is to say1 the devil entertains the same

 opinion to-day that ,jehovah held four 
thousand years ago1 but in the meantime 
,jehovah has remained exactly the       
same--changeless and incapable of       
change4     #dah4 ,a ,frank ,admission  
,it is most cheerfully admitted that a  
vast number of people not only believe  
these things1 but hold them in exceeding
 reverence1 and imagine them to be of   
the utmost importance to mankind4 ,they 
regard the ,bible as the only light that
 ,god has given for the guidance of ,his
 children2 that it is the one star in   
nature's sky--the foundation of all     
morality1 of all law1 of all order1 and 
of all individual and national progress4
 ,they regard it as the only means we   
have for ascertaining the will of ,god1 
the origin of man1 and the destiny of   
the soul4 ,in my opinion they were      
mistaken4 ,the mistake has hindered in  
countless ways the civilization of man4 
#dai4 ,the ,bible ,should be ,better    
than any other ,book  ,in all ages of   
which any record has been preserved1    

there have been those who gave their    
ideas of justice1 charity1 liberty1     
love1 and law4 ,now1 if the ,bible is   
really the work of ,god1 it should      
contain the grandest and sublimest      
truths4 ,it should1 in all respects1    
excel the works of man4 ,within that    
book should be found the best and       
loftiest definitions of justice2 the    
truest conceptions of human liberty2 the
 clearest outlines of duty2 the         
tenderest1 the highest1 and the noblest 
thoughts1--not that the human mind has  
produced1 but that the human mind is    
capable of receiving4 ,upon every page  
should be found the luminous evidence of
 its divine origin4 ,unless it contains 
grander and more wonderful things than  
man has written1 we are not only        
justified in saying1 but we are         
compelled to say1 that it was written by
 no being superior to man4     #dbj4 ,a 
,serious ,charge  ,the ,bible has been  
the fortress and the defense of nearly  
every crime4 ,no civilized country could

 re-enact its laws4 ,and in many        
respects its moral code is abhorrent to 
every good and tender man4 ,it is       
admitted1 however1 that many of its     
precepts are pure1 that many of its laws
 are wise and just1 and that many of its
 statements are absolutely true4        
#dba4 ,if the ,bible is ,not ,verbally  
,inspired1 ,what ,then8  ,it may be said
 that it is unfair to call attention to 
certain bad things in the ,bible1 while 
the good are not so much as mentioned4  
,to this it may be replied that a divine
 being would not put bad things in a    
book4 ,certainly a being of infinite    
intelligence1 power1 and goodness could 
never fall below the ideal of depraved  
and barbarous man4 ,it will not do1     
after we find that the ,bible upholds   
what we now call crimes1 to say that it 
is not verbally inspired4 ,if the words 
are not inspired1 what is8 ,it may be   
said that the thoughts are inspired4    
,but this would include only the        
thoughts expressed without words4 ,if   

the ideas are inspired1 they must be    
contained in and expressed only by      
inspired words2 that is to say1 the     
arrangement of the words1 with relation 
to each other1 must have been inspired4 
#dbb4 ,a ,hindu ,example  ,suppose that 
we should now discover a ,hindu book of 
equal antiquity with the ,old           
,testament1 containing a defense of     
slavery1 polygamy1 wars of              
extermination1 and religious            
persecution1 would we regard it as      
evidence that the writers were inspired 
by an infinitely wise and merciful ,god8
     #dbc4 ,a ,test ,fairly ,applied    
,suppose we knew that after inspired men
 had finished the ,bible1 the devil had 
got possession of it and wrote a few    
passages1 what part of the sacred       
,scriptures would ,christians now pick  
out as being probably his work8 ,which  
of the following passages would         
naturally be selected as having been    
written by the devil--,love thy neighbor
 as thyself1 or ,kill all the males     

among the little ones1 and kill every   
woman2 but all the women children keep  
alive for yourselves8     #dbd4         
,suppose6  ,it will hardly be claimed at
 this day1 that the passages in the     
,bible upholding slavery1 polygamy1 war1
 and religious persecution are evidences
 of the inspiration of that book4       
,suppose that there had been nothing in 
the ,old ,testament upholding these     
crimes would any modern ,christian      
suspect that it was not inspired on     
account of that omission8 ,suppose that 
there had been nothing in the ,old      
,testament but laws in favor of these   
crimes1 would any intelligent ,christian
 now contend that it was the work of the
 true ,god8     #dbe4 ,proofs of        
,civilization  ,we know that there was a
 time in the history of almost every    
nation when slavery1 polygamy1 and wars 
of extermination were regarded as divine
 institutions2 when women were looked   
upon as beasts of burden1 and when1     
among some people1 it was considered the

 duty of the husband to murder the wife 
for differing with him on the subject of
 religion4 ,nations that entertain these
 views to-day are regarded as savage1   
and1 probably1 with the exception of the
 ,south ,sea islanders1 the ,feejees1   
some citizens of ,delaware1 and a few   
tribes in ,central ,africa1 no human    
beings can be found degraded enough to  
agree upon these subjects with the      
,jehovah of the ancient ,jews4 ,the only
 evidence we have1 or can have1 that a  
nation has ceased to be savage is the   
fact that it has abandoned these        
doctrines4 ,to every one1 except the    
theologian1 it is perfectly easy to     
account for the mistakes1 atrocities1   
and crimes of the past1 by saying that  
civilization is a slow and painful      
growth2 that the moral perceptions are  
cultivated through ages of tyranny1 of  
want1 of crime1 and of heroism2 that it 
requires centuries for man to put out   
the eyes of self and hold in lofty and  
in equal poise the scales of justice2   

that conscience is born of suffering2   
that mercy is the child of the          
imagination--of the power to put oneself
 in the sufferers place1 and that man   
advances only as he becomes acquainted  
with his surroundings1 with the mutual  
obligations of life1 and learns to take 
advantage of the forces of nature4      
#dbf4 ,a ,persian ,gospel  ,do not      
misunderstand me4 ,my position is that  
the cruel passages in the ,old          
,testament are not inspired2 that       
slavery1 polygamy1 wars of              
extermination1 and religious persecution
 always have been1 are1 and forever will
 be1 abhorred and cursed by the honest1 
virtuous1 and the loving2 that the      
innocent cannot justly suffer for the   
guilty1 and that vicarious vice and     
vicarious virtue are equally absurd2    
that eternal punishment is eternal      
revenge2 that only the natural can      
happen2 that miracles prove the         
dishonesty of the few and the credulity 
of the many2 and that1 according to     

,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 salvation   
does not depend upon belief1 nor the    
atonement1 nor a second birth1 but that 
these gospels are in exact harmony with 
the declaration of the great ,persian3  
,taking the first footstep with the good
 thought1 the second with the good word1
 and the third with the good deed1 ,i   
entered paradise4 ,the dogmas of the    
past no longer reach the level of the   
highest thought1 nor satisfy the hunger 
of the heart4 ,while dusty faiths1      
embalmed and sepulchered in ancient     
texts1 remain the same1 the sympathies  
of men enlarge2 the brain no longer     
kills its young2 the happy lips give    
liberty to honest thoughts2 the mental  
firmament expands and lifts2 the broken 
clouds drift by2 the hideous dreams1 the
 foul1 misshapen children of the        
monstrous night1 dissolve and fade4     
#dbg4 ,man the ,author of all ,books    
,so far as we know1 man is the author of
 all books4 ,if a book had been found on
 the earth by the first man1 he might   

have regarded it as the work of ,god2   
but as men were here a good while before
 any books were found1 and as man has   
produced a great many books1 the        
probability is that the ,bible is no    
exception4     #dbh4 ,god and ,brahma   
,can we believe that ,god ever said of  
any3 ,let his children be fatherless and
 his wife a widow2 let his children be  
continually vagabonds1 and beg2 let them
 seek their bread also out of their     
desolate places2 let the extortioner    
catch all that he hath and let the      
stranger spoil his labor1 let there be  
none to extend mercy unto him1 neither  
let there be any to favor his fatherless
 children4 ,if he ever said these words1
 surely he had never heard this line1   
this strain of music1 from the ,hindu3  
,sweet is the lute to those who have not
 heard the prattle of their own         
children4 ,jehovah1 from the clouds and 
darkness of ,sinai1 said to the ,jews3  
,thou shalt have no other gods before   
me4444 ,thou shalt not bow down thyself 

to them nor serve them2 for ,i1 the     
,lord thy ,god am a jealous ,god1       
visiting the iniquities of the fathers  
upon the children1 unto the third and   
fourth generation of them that hate me4 
,contrast this with the words put by the
 ,hindu in the mouth of ,brahma3 ,i am  
the same to all mankind4 ,they who      
honestly serve other gods1 involuntarily
 worship me4 ,i am he who partaketh of  
all worship1 and ,i am the reward of all
 worshipers4 ,compare these passages4   
,the first1 a dungeon where crawl the   
things begot of jealous slime2 the      
other1 great as the domed firmament     
inlaid with suns4     #dbi4 ,matthew1   
,mark1 and ,luke  ,and ,i here take     
occasion to say1 that with most of the  
teachings of the gospels of ,matthew1   
,mark1 and ,luke ,i most heartily agree4
 ,the miraculous parts must1 of course1 
be thrown aside4 ,i admit that the      
necessity of belief1 the atonement1 and 
the scheme of salvation are all set     
forth in the ,gospel of ,john1--a       

gospel1 in my opinion1 not written until
 long after the others4     #dcj4       
,christianity ,takes no ,step in        
,advance  ,all the languages of the     
world have not words of horror enough to
 paint the agonies of man when the      
church had power4 ,tiberius1 ,caligula1 
,claudius1 ,nero1 ,domitian1 and        
,commodus were not as cruel1 false1 and 
base as many of the ,christian ,popes4  
,opposite the names of these imperial   
criminals write ,john the ,,xii41 ,leo  
the ,,viii41 ,boniface the ,,vii41      
,benedict the ,,ix41 ,innocent the      
,,iii41 and ,alexander the ,,vi4 ,was it
 under these pontiffs that the church   
penetrated the moral darkness like a new
 sun1 and covered the globe with        
institutions of mercy8 ,rome was far    
better when ,pagan than when ,catholic4 
,it was better to allow gladiators and  
criminals to fight than to burn honest  
men4 ,the greatest of ,romans denounced 
the cruelties of the arena4 ,seneca     
condemned the combats even of wild      

beasts4 ,he was tender enough to say    
that we should have a bond of sympathy  
for all sentiment beings1 knowing that  
only the depraved and base take pleasure
 in the sight of blood and suffering4   
,aurelius compelled the gladiators to   
fight with blunted swords4 ,roman       
lawyers declared that all men are by    
nature free and equal4 ,woman1 under    
,pagan rule in ,rome1 become as free as 
man4 ,zeno1 long before the birth of    
,christ1 taught that virtue alone       
establishes a difference between men4   
,we know that the ,civil ,law is the    
foundation of our codes4 ,we know that  
fragments of ,greek and ,roman art--a   
few manuscripts saved from ,christian   
destruction1 some inventions and        
discoveries of the ,moors--were the     
seeds of modern civilization4           
,christianity1 for a thousand years1    
taught memory to forget and reason to   
believe4 ,not one step was taken in     
advance4 ,over the manuscripts of       
philosophers and poets1 priests1 with   

their ignorant tongues thrust out1      
devoutly scrawled the forgeries of      
faith4     #dca4 ,christianity a        
,mixture of ,good and ,evil  ,mr4 ,black
 attributes to me the following         
expression3 ,christianity is pernicious 
in its moral effect1 darkens the mind1  
narrows the soul1 arrests the progress  
of human society1 and hinders           
civilization4 ,i said no such thing4    
,strange1 that he is only able to answer
 what ,i did not say4 ,i endeavored to  
show that the passages in the ,old      
,testament upholding slavery1 polygamy1 
wars of extermination1 and religious    
intolerance had filled the world with   
blood and crime4 ,i admitted that there 
are many wise and good things in the    
,old ,testament4 ,i also insisted that  
the doctrine of the atonement--that is  
to say1 of moral bankruptcy--the idea   
that a certain belief is necessary to   
salvation1 and the frightful dogma of   
eternal pain1 had narrowed the soul1 had
 darkened the mind1 and had arrested the

 progress of human society4 ,like other 
religions1 ,christianity is a mixture of
 good and evil4 ,the church has made    
more orphans than it has fed4 ,it has   
never built asylums enough to hold the  
insane of its own making4 ,it has shed  
more blood than light4     #dcb4        
,jehovah1 ,epictetus and ,cicero  ,if   
the ,bible is really inspired1 ,jehovah 
commanded the ,jewish people to buy the 
children of the strangers that sojourned
 among them1 and ordered that the       
children thus bought should be an       
inheritance for the children of the     
,jews1 and that they should be bondmen  
and bondwomen forever4 ,yet ,epictetus1 
a man to whom no revelation was ever    
made1 a man whose soul followed only the
 light of nature1 and who had never     
heard of the ,jewish ,god1 was great    
enough to say3 ,will you not remember   
that your servants are by nature your   
brothers1 the children of ,god8 ,in     
saying that you have bought them1 you   
look down on the earth and into the pit1

 on the wretched law of men long since  
dead1--but you see not the laws of the  
,gods4 ,we find that ,jehovah1 speaking 
to his chosen people1 assured them that 
their bondmen and bondmaids must be of  
the heathen that were round about them4 
,of them1 said ,jehovah1 shall ye buy   
bondmen and bondmaids4 ,and yet ,cicero1
 a pagan1 ,cicero1 who had never been   
enlightened by reading the ,old         
,testament1 had the moral grandeur to   
declare3 ,they who say that we should   
love our fellow-citizens1 but not       
foreigners1 destroy the universal       
brotherhood of mankind1 with which      
benevolence and justice would perish    
forever4     #dcc4 ,the ,atonement  ,in 
countless ways the ,christian world has 
endeavored1 for nearly two thousand     
years1 to explain the atonement1 and    
every effort has ended in an an mission 
that it cannot be understood1 and a     
declaration that it must be believed4   
,is it not immoral to teach that man can
 sin1 that he can harden his heart and  

pollute his soul1 and that1 by repenting
 and believing something that he does   
not comprehend1 he can avoid the        
consequences of his crimes8 ,has the    
promise and hope of forgiveness ever    
prevented the commission of a sin8      
,should men be taught that sin gives    
happiness here2 that they ought to bear 
the evils of a virtuous life in this    
world for the sake of joy in the next2  
that they can repent between the last   
sin and the last breath2 that after     
repentance every stain of the soul is   
washed away by the innocent blood of    
another2 that the serpent of regret will
 not hiss in the ear of memory2 that the
 saved will not even pity the victims of
 their own crimes2 that the goodness of 
another can be transferred to them2 and 
that sins forgiven cease to affect the  
unhappy wretches sinned against8        
#dcd4 ,sin as a ,debt  ,the ,church says
 that the sinner is in debt to ,god1 and
 that the obligation is discharged by   
the ,saviour4 ,the best that can        

possibly be said of such a transaction  
is1 that the debt is transferred1 not   
paid4 ,the truth is1 that a sinner is in
 debt to the person he has injured4 ,if 
a man injures his neighbor1 it is not   
enough for him to get the forgiveness of
 ,god1 but he must have the forgiveness 
of his neighbor4 ,if a man puts his hand
 in the fire and ,god forgives him1 his 
hand will smart exactly the same4 ,you  
must1 after all1 reap what you sow4 ,no 
god can give you wheat when you sow     
tares1 and no devil can give you tares  
when you sow wheat4     #dce4 ,the      
,logic of the ,coffin  ,as to the       
doctrine of the atonement1 ,mr4 ,black  
has nothing to offer except the barren  
statement that it is believed by the    
wisest and the best4 ,a ,mohammedan1    
speaking in ,constantinople1 will say   
the same of the ,koran4 ,a ,brahman1 in 
a ,hindu temple1 will make the same     
remark1 and so will the ,american       
,indian1 when he endeavors to enforce   
something upon the young of his tribe4  

,he will say3 ,the best1 the greatest of
 our tribe have believed in this4 ,this 
is the argument of the cemetery1 the    
philosophy of epitaphs1 the logic of the
 coffin4 ,we are the greatest and wisest
 and most virtuous of mankind8 ,this    
statement1 that it has been believed by 
the best1 is made in connection with an 
admission that it cannot be fathomed by 
the wisest4 ,it is not claimed that a   
thing is necessarily false because it is
 not understood1 but ,i do claim that it
 is not necessarily true because it     
cannot be comprehended4 ,i still insist 
that the plan of redemption1 as usually 
preached1 is absurd1 unjust1 and        
immoral4     #dcf4 ,judas ,iscariot     
,for nearly two thousand years ,judas   
,iscariot has been execrated by mankind2
 and yet1 if the doctrine of the        
atonement is true1 upon his treachery   
hung the plan of salvation4 ,suppose    
,judas had known of this plan--known    
that he was selected by ,christ for that
 very purpose1 that ,christ was         

depending on him4 ,and suppose that he  
also knew that only by betraying ,christ
 could he save either himself or others2
 what ought ,judas to have done8 ,are   
you willing to rely upon an argument    
that justifies the treachery of that    
wretch8     #dcg4 ,the ,standard of     
,right  ,according to ,mr4 ,black1 the  
man who does not believe in a supreme   
being acknowledges no standard of right 
and wrong in this world1 and therefore  
can have no theory of rewards and       
punishments in the next4 ,is it possible
 that only those who believe in the ,god
 who persecuted for opinion's sake have 
any standard of right and wrong8 ,were  
the greatest men of all antiquity       
without this standard8 ,in the eyes of  
intelligent men of ,greece and ,rome1   
were all deeds1 whether good or evil1   
morally alike8 ,is it necessary to      
believe in the existence of an infinite 
intelligence before you can have any    
standard of right and wrong8 ,is it     
possible that a being cannot be just or 

virtuous unless he believes in some     
being infinitely superior to himself8   
,if this doctrine be true1 how can ,god 
be just or virtuous8 ,does ,he believe  
in some being superior to himself8      
#dch4 ,what is ,conscience8  ,what is   
conscience8 ,if man were incapable of   
suffering1 if man could not feel pain1  
the word conscience never would have    
passed his lips4 ,the man who puts      
himself in the place of another1 whose  
imagination has been cultivated to the  
point of feeling the agonies suffered by
 another1 is the man of conscience4     
#dci4 ,no ,right to ,think6  ,mr4 ,black
 says1 ,we have neither jurisdiction or 
capacity to rejudge the justice of ,god4
 ,in other words1 we have no right to   
think upon this subject1 no right to    
examine the questions most vitally      
affecting human-kind4 ,we are simply to 
accept the ignorant statements of       
barbarian dead4 ,this question cannot be
 settled by saying that it would be a   
mere waste of time and space to         

enumerate the proofs which show that the
 universe was created by a pre-existent 
and self-conscious being4 ,the time and 
space should have been wasted1 and the  
proofs should have been enumerated4     
,these proofs are what the wisest and   
greatest are trying to find4 ,logic is  
not satisfied with assertion4 ,it cares 
nothing for the opinions of the great1  
nothing for the prejudices of the many1 
and least of all1 for the superstitions 
of the dead4 ,in the world of science--a
 fact is a legal tender4 ,assertions and
 miracles are base and spurious coins4  
,we have the right to rejudge the       
justice even of a god4 ,no one should   
throw away his reason--the fruit of all 
experience4 ,it is the intellectual     
capital of the soul1 the only light1 the
 only guide1 and without it the brain   
becomes the palace of an idiot king1    
attended by a retinue of thieves and    
hypocrites4     #ddj4 ,the ,liberty of  
the ,bible  ,this is the religious      
liberty of the ,bible4 ,if you had lived

 in ,palestine1 and if the wife of your 
bosom1 dearer to you than your own soul1
 had said3 ,i like the religion of      
,india better than that of ,palestine1  
it would have been your duty to kill    
her4 ,your eye must not pity her1 your  
hand must be first upon her1 and        
afterwards the hand of all the people4  
,if she had said3 ,let us worship the   
sun--the sun that clothes the earth in  
garments of green--the sun1 the great   
fireside of the world--the sun that     
covers the hills and valleys with       
flowers--that gave me your face1 and    
made it possible for me to look into the
 eyes of my babe1--let us worship the   
sun1 it was your duty to kill her4 ,you 
must throw the first stone1 and when    
against her bosom--a bosom filled with  
love for you--you had thrown the jagged 
and cruel rock1 and had seen the red    
stream of her life oozing from the dumb 
lips of death1 you could then look up   
and receive the congratulations of the  
,god whose commandment you had obeyed4  

,is it possible that a being of infinite
 mercy ordered a husband to kill his    
wife for the crime of having expressed1 
an opinion on the subject of religion8  
,has there been found upon the records  
of the savage world anything more       
perfectly fiendish than this commandment
 of ,jehovah8 ,this is justified on the 
ground that blasphemy was a breach of   
political allegiance1 and idolatry an   
act of overt treason4 ,we can understand
 how a human king stands in need of the 
service of his people4 ,we can          
understand how the desertion of any of  
his soldiers weakens his army2 but were 
the king infinite in power1 his strength
 would still remain the same1 and under 
no conceivable circumstances could the  
enemy triumph4     #dda4 ,slavery in    
,heaven  ,according to ,mr4 ,black1     
there will be slavery in ,heaven1 and   
fast by the throne of ,god will be the  
auction-block1 and the streets of the   
,new ,jerusalem will be adorned with the
 whipping-post1 while the music of the  

harp will be supplemented by the crack  
of the driver's whip4 ,if some good     
,republican would catch ,mr4 ,black1    
incorporate him into his family1 tame   
him1 teach him to think1 and give him a 
knowledge of the true principles of     
human liberty and government1 he would  
confer upon him a most beneficent boon4 
,mr4 ,black is too late with his protest
 against the freedom of his fellow-men4 
,liberty is making the tour of the      
world4 ,russia has emancipated her      
serfs2 the slave trade is prosecuted    
only by thieves and pirates2 ,spain     
feels upon her cheek the burning blush  
of shame2 ,brazil1 with proud and happy 
eyes1 is looking for the dawn of        
freedom's day2 the people of the ,south 
rejoice that slavery is no more1 and    
every good and honest man 7excepting    
,mr4 ,black7 of every land and clime    
hopes that the limbs of men will never  
feel again the weary weight of chains4  
#ddb4 ,jehovah ,breaking ,his ,own ,laws
  ,a very curious thing about these     

,commandments is that their supposed    
author violated nearly every one4 ,from 
,sinai1 according to the account1 ,he   
said3 ,thou shalt not kill1 and yet ,he 
ordered the murder of millions2 ,thou   
shalt not commit adultery1 and ,he gave 
captured maidens to gratify the lust of 
captors2 ,thou shalt not steal1 and yet 
,he gave to ,jewish marauders the flocks
 and herds of others2 ,thou shalt not   
covet thy neighbor's house1 nor his     
wife1 and yet ,he allowed ,his chosen   
people to destroy the homes of neighbors
 and to steal their wives2 ,honor thy   
father and mother1 and yet this same    
,god had thousands of fathers butchered1
 and with the sword of war killed       
children yet unborn2 ,thou shalt not    
bear false witness against thy neighbor1
 and yet ,he sent abroad lying spirits  
to deceive ,his own prophets1 and in a  
hundred ways paid tribute to deceit4 ,so
 far as we know1 ,jehovah kept only one 
of these ,commandments--,he worshiped no
 other god4     #ddc4 ,who ,designed the

 ,designer8  ,i know as little as anyone
 else about the pla of the universe2 and
 as to the design1 ,i know just as      
little4 ,it will not do to say that the 
universe was designed1 and therefore    
there must be a designer4 ,there must   
first be proof that it was designed4 ,it
 will not do to say that the universe   
has a plan1 and then assert that there  
must have been an infinite maker4 ,the  
idea that a design must have a          
beginning1 and that a designer need not1
 is a simple expression of human        
ignorance4 ,we find a watch1 and we say3
 ,so curious and wonderful a thing must 
have had a maker4 ,we find the          
watchmaker1 and we say3 ,so curious and 
wonderful a thing as man must have had a
 maker4 ,we find ,god and we then say3  
,he is so wonderful that he must not    
have had a maker4 ,in other words1 all  
things a little wonderful must have been
 created1 but it is possible for        
something to be so wonderful that it    
always existed4 ,one would suppose that 

just as the wonder increased the        
necessity for a creator increased1      
because it is the wonder of the thing   
that suggests the idea of creation4 ,is 
it possible that a designer exists from 
all eternity without design8 ,was there 
no design in having an infinite         
designer8 ,for me1 it is hard to see the
 plan or design in earthquakes and      
pestilences4 ,it is somewhat difficult  
to discern the design or the benevolence
 in so making the world that billions of
 animals live only on the agonies of    
others4 ,the justice of ,god is not     
visible to me in the history of this    
world4 ,when ,i think of the suffering  
and death1 of the poverty and crime1 of 
the cruelty and malice1 of the          
heartlessness of this design and plan1  
where beak and claw and tooth tear and  
rend the quivering flesh of weakness and
 despair1 ,i cannot convince myself that
 it is the result of infinite wisdom1   
benevolence1 and justice4     #ddd4     
,what we ,know of the ,infinite  ,of    

course1 upon a question like this1      
nothing can be absolutely known4 ,we    
live on an atom called ,earth1 and what 
we know of the infinite is almost       
infinitely limited2 but1 little as we   
know1 all have an equal right to give   
their honest thought4 ,life is a        
shadowy1 strange1 and winding road on   
which we travel for a little way--a few 
short steps--just from the cradle1 with 
its lullaby of love1 to the low and     
quiet wayside inn1 where all at last    
must sleep1 and where the only          
salutation is--,good-night4     #dde4   
,the ,universe ,self-,existent  ,the    
universe1 according to my idea1 is1     
always was1 and forever will be4 ,it did
 not come into being2 it is the one     
eternal being--the only thing that ever 
did1 does1 or can exist4 ,it did not    
make its own laws4 ,we know nothing of  
what we call the laws of ,nature except 
as we gather the idea of law from the   
uniformity of phenomena springing from  
like conditions4 ,to make myself clear3 

,water always runs down hill4 ,the      
theist says that this happens because   
there is behind the phenomenon an active
 law4 ,as a matter of fact law is this  
side of the phenomenon4 ,law does not   
cause the phenomenon1 but the phenomenon
 causes the idea of law in our minds1   
and this idea is produced from the fact 
that under like circumstances the same  
phenomena always happens4 ,mr4 ,black   
probably thinks that the difference in  
the weight of rocks and clouds was      
created by law2 that parallel lines fail
 to imite only because it is illegal2   
that diameter and circumference could   
have been so made that it would be a    
greater distance across than around a   
circle1 that a straight line could      
inclose a triangle if not prevented by  
law1 and that a little legislation could
 make it possible for two bodies to     
occupy the same space at the same time4 
,it seems to me that law can not be the 
cause of phenomena1 but it is an effect 
produced in our minds by their          

succession and resemblance4 ,to put a   
,god back of the universe compels us to 
admit that there was a time when nothing
 existed except this ,god2 that this    
,god had lived from eternity in an      
infinite vacuum and in an absolute      
idleness4 ,the mind of every thoughtful 
man is forced to one of these two       
conclusions1 either that the universe is
 self-existent or that it was created by
 a self-existent being4 ,to my mied     
there are far more difficulties in the  
second hypothesis than in the first4    
#ddf4 ,jehovah's ,promise ,broken  ,if  
,jehovah was in fact ,god1 ,he knew the 
end from the beginning4 ,he knew that   
his ,bible would be a breastwork behind 
which tyranny and hypocrisy would       
crouch2 that it would be quoted by      
tyrants2 that it would be the defense of
 robbers called kings and of hypocrites 
called priests4 ,he knew that ,he had   
taught the ,jewish people but little of 
importance4 ,he knew that ,he found them
 free and left them captives4 ,he knew  

that ,he had never fulfilled the        
promises made to them4 ,he knew that    
while other nations had advanced in art 
and science his chosen people were      
savage still4 ,he promised them the     
world1 and gave them a desert4 ,he      
promised them liberty1 and ,he made them
 slaves4 ,he promised them victory1 and 
,he gave them defeat4 ,he said they     
should be kings1 and ,he made them      
serfs4 ,he promised them universal      
empire1 and gave them exile4 ,when one  
finishes the ,old ,testament1 he is     
compelled to say3 ,nothing can add to   
the misery of a nation whose ,king is   
,jehovah6     #ddg4 ,character ,bather  
than ,creed  ,for a thousand years the  
torch of progress was extinguished in   
the blood of ,christ1 and ,his          
disciples1 moved by ignorant zeal1 by   
insane1 cruel creeds1 destroyed with    
flame and sword a hundred millions of   
their fellow-men4 ,they made this world 
a hell4 ,but if cathedrals had been     
universities--if dungeons of the        

,inquisition had been laboratories--if  
,christians had believed in character   
instead of creed--if they had taken from
 the ,bible all the good and thrown away
 the wicked and absurd--if domes of     
temples had been observatories--if      
priests had been philosophers--if       
missionaries had taught the useful      
arts--if astrology had been             
astronomy--if the black art had been    
chemistry--if superstition had been     
science--if religion had been           
humanity--it would have been a heaven   
filled with love1 with liberty1 and joy4
     #ddh4 ,mohammed the ,prophet of    
,god  ,mohammed was a poor man1 a driver
 of camels4 ,he was without education1  
without influence1 and without wealth1  
and yet in a few years he consolidated  
thousands of tribes1 and millions of men
 confess that there is one ,god1 and    
,mohammed is his prophet4 ,his success  
was a thousand times greater during his 
life than that of ,christ4 ,he was not  
crucified2 he was a conqueror4 ,of all  

men1 he exercised the greatest influence
 upon the human race4 ,never in the     
world's history did a religion spread   
with the rapidity of his4 ,it burst like
 a storm over the fairest portions of   
the globe4 ,if ,mr4 ,black is right in  
his position that rapidity is secured   
only by the direct aid of the ,divine   
,being1 then ,mohammed was most         
certainly the prophet of ,god4 ,as to   
wars of extermination and slavery1      
,mohammed agreed with ,mr4 ,black1 and  
upon polygamy with ,jehovah4 ,as to     
religious toleration1 he was great      
enough to say that men holding to any   
form of faith might be saved1 provided  
they were virtuous4 ,in this he was far 
in advance both of ,jehovah and ,mr4    
,black4     #ddi4 ,wanted6--,a ,little  
,more ,legislation  ,we are informed by 
,mr4 ,black that polygamy is neither    
commanded or prohibited in the ,old     
,testament--that it is only discouraged4
 ,it seems to me that a little          
legislation on that subject might have  

tended to its discouragement4 ,but where
 is the legislation8 ,in the moral code1
 which ,mr4 ,black assures us consists  
of certain immutable rules to govern the
 conduct of all men at all times and at 
all places in their private and personal
 relations with others1 not one word is 
found on the subject of polygamy4 ,there
 is nothing discouraging in the ,ten    
,commandments1 nor in the records of any
 conversation ,jehovah is claimed to    
have had with ,moses upon ,sinai4 ,the  
life of ,abraham1 the story of ,jacob   
and ,laban1 the duty of a brother to be 
the husband of the widow of his deceased
 brother1 the life of ,david1 taken in  
connection with the practice of one who 
is claimed to have been the wisest of   
men--all these things are probably      
relied on to show that polygamy was at  
least discouraged4 ,certainly ,jehovah  
had time to instruct ,moses as to the   
infamy of polygamy4 ,he could have      
spared a few moments from a description 
of patterns of tongs and basins for a   

subject so important as this4 ,a        
few-words in favor of the one wife and  
one husband--in favor of the virtuous   
and loving home--might have taken the   
place of instructions as to cutting the 
garments of priests and fashioning      
candlesticks and ounces of gold4 ,if he 
had left out simply the order that rams'
 skins should be dyed red1 and in its   
place had said1 ,a man shall have but   
one wife1 and the wife but one husband1 
how much better it would have been4     
#dej4 ,is all that ,succeeds ,inspired8 
,again1 it is urged that the acceptance 
of ,christianity by a large portion of  
the generation contemporary with its    
,founder and ,his ,apostles1 was under  
the circumstances1 an adjudication as   
solemn and authoritative as mortal      
intelligence could pronounce4 ,if this  
is true1 then the acceptance of         
,buddhism by a large portion of the     
generation contemporary with its        
,founder was an adjudication as solemn  
and authoritative as mortal intelligence

 could pronounce4 ,the same could be    
said of ,mohammedanism1 and1 in fact1 of
 every religion that has ever benefited 
or cursed this world4 ,this argument1   
when reduced to its simplest form1 is   
this3 ,all that succeeds is inspired4   
#dea4 ,the ,morality in ,christianity   
,the morality in ,christianity has never
 opposed the freedom of thought4 ,it has
 never put1 nor tended to put1 a chain  
on a human mind1 nor a manacle on a     
human limb2 but the doctrines           
distinctively ,christian--the necessity 
of believing a certain thing2 the idea  
that eternal punishment awaited him who 
failed to believe2 the idea that the    
innocent can suffer for the             
guilty--these things have opposed1 and  
for a thousand years substantially      
destroyed the freedom of the human mind4
 ,all religions have1 with ceremony1    
magic1 and mystery1 deformed1 darkened1 
and corrupted1 the soul4 ,around the    
sturdy oaks of morality have grown and  
clung the parasitic1 poisonous vines of 

the miraculous and monstrous4     #deb4 
,miracle ,mongers  ,st4 ,irenaeus       
assures us that all ,christians         
possessed the power of working miracles2
 that they prophesied1 cast out devils1 
healed the sick1 and even raised the    
dead4 ,st4 ,epiphanius asserts that some
 rivers and fountains were annually     
transmuted into wine1 in attestation of 
the miracle of ,cana1 adding that he    
himself had drunk of these fountains4   
,st4 ,augustine declares that one was   
told in a dream where the bones of ,st4 
,stephen were buried and the bones were 
thus discovered and brought to ,hippo1  
and that they raised five dead persons  
to life1 and that in two years seventy  
miracles were performed with these      
relics4 ,justin ,martyr states that ,god
 once sent some angels to guard the     
human race1 that these angels fell in   
love with the daughters of men1 and     
became the fathers of innumerable       
devils4 ,for hundreds of years miracles 
were about the only things that         

happened4 ,they were wrought by         
thousands of ,christians1 and testified 
to by millions4 ,the saints and martyrs1
 the best and greatest1 were the        
witnesses and workers of wonders4 ,even 
heretics1 with the assistance of the    
devil1 could suspend the laws of nature4
 ,must we believe these wonderful       
accounts because they were written by   
good men1 by ,christians1 who made their
 statements in the presence and         
expectation of death8 ,the truth is that
 these good men were mistaken4 ,they    
expected the miraculous4 ,they breathed 
the air of the marvelous4 ,they fed     
their minds on prodigies1 and their     
imaginations feasted on effects without 
causes4 ,they were incapable of         
investigating4 ,doubts were regarded as 
rude disturbers of the congregation4    
,credulity and sanctity walked hand in  
hand4 ,reason was danger4 ,belief was   
safety4 ,as the philosophy of the       
ancients was rendered almost worthless  
by the credulity of the common people1  

so the proverbs of ,christ1 his religion
 of forgiveness1 his creed of kindness1 
were lost in the mist of miracle and the
 darkness of superstition4     #dec4    
,the ,honor ,due to ,christ  ,for the   
man ,christ--for the reformer who loved 
his fellow-men--for the man who believed
 in an ,infinite ,father1 who would     
shield the innocent and protect the     
just--for the martyr who expected to be 
rescued from the cruel cross1 and who at
 last1 finding that his rope was dust1  
cried out in the gathering gloom of     
death2 ,my ,god6 ,my ,god6 ,why hast    
thou forsaken me8--for that great and   
suffering man1 mistaken though he was1  
,i have the highest admiration and      
respect4 ,that man did not1 as ,i       
believe1 claim a miraculous origin2 he  
did not pretend to heal the sick nor    
raise the dead4 ,he claimed simply to be
 a man1 and taught his fellow-men that  
love is stronger far than hate4 ,his    
life was written by reverent ignorance4 
,loving credulity belittled his career  

with feats of jugglery and magic art1   
and priests wishing to persecute and    
slay1 put in his mouth the words of     
hatred and revenge4 ,the theological    
,christ is the impossible union of the  
human and divine--man with the          
attributes of ,god1 and ,god with the   
limitations and weakness of man4        
#ded4 ,christianity has no ,monopoly in 
,morals  ,the morality of the world is  
not distinctively ,christian4           
,zoroaster1 ,gautama1 ,mohammed1        
,confucius1 ,christ1 and1 in fact1 all  
founders of religions1 have said to     
their disciples3 ,you must not steal2   
,you must not murder2 ,you must not bear
 false witness2 ,you must discharge your
 obligations4 ,christianity is the      
ordinary moral code1 plus the miraculous
 origin of ,jesus ,christ1 his          
crucifixion1 his resurrection1 his      
ascension1 the inspiration of the       
,bible1 the doctrine of the atonement1  
and the necessity of belief4 ,buddhism  
is the ordinary moral code1 plus the    

miraculous illumination of ,buddha1 the 
performance of certain ceremonies1 a    
belief in the transmigration of the     
soul1 and in the final absorption of the
 human by the infinite4 ,the religion of
 ,mohammed is the ordinary moral code1  
plus the belief that ,mohammed was the  
prophet of ,god1 total abstinence from  
the use of intoxicating drinks1 a harem 
for the faithful here and hereafter1    
ablutions1 prayers1 alms1 pilgrimages1  
and fasts4     #dee4 ,old ,age in       
,superstition's ,lap  ,and here ,i take 
occasion to thank ,mr4 ,black for having
 admitted that ,jehovah gave no         
commandment against the practice of     
polygamy1 that he established slavery1  
waged wars of extermination1 and        
persecuted for opinions' sake even unto 
death1 ,most theologians endeavor to    
putty1 patch1 and paint the wretched    
record of inspired crime1 but ,mr4      
,black has been bold enough and honest  
enough to admit the truth4 ,in this age 
of fact and demonstration it is         

refreshing to find a man who believes so
 thoroughly in the monstrous and        
miraculous1 the impossible and          
immoral--who still clings lovingly to   
the legends of the bib and rattle--who  
through the bitter experiences of a     
wicked world has kept the credulity of  
the cradle1 and finds comfort and joy in
 thinking about the ,garden of ,eden1   
the subtile serpent1 the flood1 and     
,babel's tower1 stopped by the jargon of
 a thousand tongues--who reads with     
happy eyes the story of the burning     
brimstone storm that fell upon the      
cities of the plain1 and smilingly      
explains the transformation of the      
retrospective ,mrs4 ,lot--who laughs at 
,egypt's plagues and ,pharaoh's whelmed 
and drowning hosts--eats manna with the 
wandering ,jews1 warms himself at the   
burning bush1 sees ,korah's company by  
the hungry earth devoured1 claps his    
wrinkled hands with glee above the      
heathens' butchered babes1 and longingly
 looks back to the patriarchal days of  

concubines and slaves4 ,how touching    
when the learned and wise crawl back in 
cribs and ask to hear the rhymes and    
fables once again6 ,how charming in     
these hard and scientific times to see  
old age in ,superstition's lap1 with    
eager lips upon her withered breast6    
#def4 ,ararat in ,chicago  ,a little    
while ago1 in the city of ,chicago1 a   
gentleman addressed a number of         
,sunday-school children4 ,in his address
 he stated that some people were wicked 
enough to deny the story of the deluge2 
that he was a traveler2 that he had been
 to the top of ,mount ,ararat1 and had  
brought with him a stone from that      
sacred locality4 ,the children were then
 invited to form in procession and walk 
by the pulpit1 for the purpose of seeing
 this wonderful stone4 ,after they had  
looked at it1 the lecturer said3 ,now1  
children1 if you ever hear anybody deny 
the story of the deluge1 or say that the
 ark did not rest on ,mount ,ararat1 you
 can tell them that you know better1    

because you have seen with your own eyes
 a stone from that very mountain4       
#deg4 ,how ,gods and ,devils are ,made  
,it was supposed that ,god demanded     
worship2 that he loved to be flattered2 
that he delighted in sacrifice2 that    
nothing made him happier than to see    
ignorant faith upon its knees2 that     
above all things he hated and despised  
doubters and heretics1 and regarded     
investigation as rebellion4 ,each       
community felt it a duty to see that the
 enemies of ,god were converted or      
killed4 ,to allow a heretic to live in  
peace was to invite the wrath of ,god4  
,every public evil--every               
misfortune--was accounted for by        
something the community had permitted or
 done4 ,when epidemics appeared1 brought
 by ignorance and welcomed by filth1 the
 heretic was brought out and sacrificed 
to appease the anger of ,god4 ,by       
putting intention behind what man called
 good1 ,god was produced4 ,by putting   
intention behind what man called bad1   

the ,devil was created4 ,leave this     
intention out1 and gods and devils fade 
away4 ,if not a human being existed1 the
 sun would continue to shine1 and       
tempest now and then would devastate the
 earth2 the rain would fall in pleasant 
showers2 violets would spread their     
velvet bosoms to the sun1 the earthquake
 would devour1 birds would sing1 and    
daisies bloom1 and roses blush1 and     
volcanoes fill the heavens with their   
lurid glare2 the procession of the      
seasons would not be broken1 and the    
stars would shine as serenely as though 
the world were filled with loving hearts
 and happy homes4     #deh4 ,the        
,romance of ,figures  ,how long1        
according to the universal benevolence  
of the ,new ,testament1 can a man be    
reasonably punished in the next world   
for failing to believe something        
unreasonable in this8 ,can it be        
possible that any punishment can endure 
forever8 ,suppose that every flake of   
snow that ever fell was a figure nine1  

and that the first flake was multiplied 
by the second1 and that product by the  
third1 and so on to the last flake4 ,and
 then suppose that this total should be 
multiplied by every drop of rain that   
ever fell1 calling each drop a figure   
nine2 and that total by each blade of   
grass that ever helped to weave a carpet
 for the earth1 calling each blade a    
figure nine2 and that again by every    
grain of sand on every shore1 so that   
the grand total would make a line of    
nines so long that it would require     
millions upon millions of years for     
light1 traveling at the rate of one     
hundred and eighty-five thousand miles  
per second1 to reach the end4 ,and      
suppose1 further1 that each unit in this
 almost infinite total1 stood for       
billions of ages--still that vast and   
almost endless time1 measured by all the
 years beyond1 is as one flake1 one     
drop1 one leaf1 one blade1 one grain1   
compared with all the flakes1 and drops1
 and leaves1 and blades and grains4     

,upon love's breast the ,church has     
placed the eternal asp4 ,and yet1 in the
 same book in which is taught this most 
infamous of doctrines1 we are assured   
that ,the ,lord is good to all1 and his 
tender mercies are over all his works4  
#dei4 ,god and ,zeno  ,if the ,bible is 
inspired1 ,jehovah1 ,god of all worlds1 
actually said3 ,and if a man smite his  
servant or his maid with a rod1 and he  
die under his hand1 he shall be surely  
punished2 notwithstanding1 if he        
continue a day or two1 he shall not be  
punished1 for he is his money4 ,and yet 
,zeno1 founder of the ,stoics1 centuries
 before ,christ was born1 insisted that 
no man could be the owner of another1   
and that the title was bad1 whether the 
slave had become so by conquest1 or by  
purchase4 ,jehovah1 ordered a ,jewish   
general to make war1 and gave1 among    
others1 this command3 ,when the ,lord   
thy ,god shall drive them before thee1  
thou shalt smite them and utterly       
destroy them4 ,and yet ,epictetus1 whom 

we have already quoted1 gave this       
marvelous rule for the guidance of human
 conduct3 ,live with thy inferiors as   
thou wouldst have thy superiors live    
with thee4     #dfj4 ,why was ,christ so
 ,silent8  ,if ,christ was in fact ,god1
 he knew all the future4 ,before him1   
like a panorama1 moved the history yet  
to be4 ,he knew exactly how his words   
would be interpreted4 ,he knew what     
crimes1 what horrors1 what infamies1    
would be committed in his name4 ,he knew
 that the fires of persecution would    
climb around the limbs of countless     
martyrs4 ,he knew that brave men would  
languish in dungeons1 in darkness1      
filled with pain2 that the church would 
use instruments of torture1 that his    
followers would appeal to whip and      
chain4 ,he must have seen the horizon of
 the future red with the flames of the  
auto da fe4 ,he knew all the creeds that
 would spring like poison fungi from    
every text4 ,he saw the sects waging war
 against each other4 ,he saw thousands  

of men1 under the orders of priests1    
building dungeons for their fellow-men4 
,he saw them using instruments of pain4 
,he heard the groans1 saw the faces     
white with agony1 the tears1 the        
blood--heard the shrieks and sobs of all
 the moaning1 martyred multitudes4 ,he  
knew that commentaries would be written 
on his words with swords1 to be read by 
the light of fagots4 ,he knew that the  
,inquisition would be born of teachings 
attributed to him4 ,he saw all the      
interpolations and falsehoods that      
hypocrisy would write and tell4 ,he knew
 that above these fields of death1 these
 dungeons1 these burnings1 for a        
thousand years would float the dripping 
banner of the cross4 ,he knew that in   
his name his followers would trade in   
human flesh1 that cradles would be      
robbed and women's breasts unbabed for  
gold2--and yet he died with voiceless   
lips4 ,why did he fail to speak8 ,why   
did he not tell his disciples1 and      
through them the world1 that man should 

not persecute1 for opinion's sake1 his  
fellow-man8 ,why did he not cry1 ,you   
shall not persecute in my name2 you     
shall not burn and torment those who    
differ from you in creed8 ,why did he   
not plainly say1 ,i am the ,son of ,god8
 ,why did he not explain the doctrine of
 the trinity8 ,why did he not tell the  
manner of baptism that was pleasing to  
him8 ,why did he not say something      
positive1 definite1 and satisfactory    
about another world8 ,why did he not    
turn the tear-stained hope of heaven to 
the glad knowledge of another life8 ,why
 did he go dumbly to his death1 leaving 
the world to misery and to doubt8       
#dfa4 ,the ,philosophy of ,action       
,consequences determine the quality of  
an action4 ,if consequences are good1 so
 is the action4 ,if actions had no      
consequences1 they would be neither good
 nor bad4 ,man did not get his knowledge
 of the consequences of actions from    
,god1 but from experience and reason4   
,if man can1 by actual experiment1      

discover the right and wrong of actions1
 is it not utterly illogical to declare 
that they who do not believe in ,god can
 have no standard of right and wrong8   
,consequences are the standard by which 
actions are judged4 ,they are the       
children that testify as to the real    
character of their parents4 ,god or no  
,god1 larceny is the enemy of           
industry--industry is the mother of     
prosperity--prosperity is a good1 and   
therefore larceny is an evil4 ,god or no
 ,god1 murder is a crime4 ,there has    
always been a law against larceny1      
because the laborer wishes to enjoy the 
fruit of his toil4 ,as long as men      
object to being killed1 murder will be  
illegal4     #dfb4 ,infinite ,punishment
 for ,finite ,crimes4  ,i have insisted1
 and ,i still insist1 that it is still  
impossible for a finite man to commit a 
crime deserving infinite punishment2 and
 upon this subject ,mr4 ,black admits   
that no revelation has lifted the veil  
between time and eternity2 and1         

consequently1 neither the priest nor the
 policeman knows anything with certainty
 regarding another world4 ,he simply    
insists that in shadowy figures we are  
warned that a very marked distinction   
will be made between the good and bad in
 the next world4 ,there is a very marked
 distinction in this2 but there is this 
rainbow in the darkest human cloud3 ,the
 worst have hope of reform4 ,all ,i     
insist is1 if there is another life1 the
 basest soul that finds its way to that 
dark or radiant shore will have the     
everlasting chance of doing right4      
,nothing but the most cruel ignorance1  
the most heartless superstition1 the    
most ignorant theology1 ever imagined   
that the few days of human life spent   
here1 surrounded by mists and clouds of 
darkness1 blown over life's sea by      
storms and tempests of passion1 fixed   
for all eternity the condition of the   
human race4 ,if this doctrine be true1  
this life is but a net1 in which        
,jehovah catches souls for hell4        

#dfc4 ,whence ,came the ,gospels8  ,we  
are told that there is no good reason to
 doubt that the statements of the       
,evangelists1 as we have them now1 are  
genuine4 ,the fact is1 no one knows who 
made the statements of the ,evangelists4
 ,there are three important manuscripts 
upon which the ,christian world relies4 
,the first appeared in the catalogue of 
the ,vatican1 in #adge4 ,this contains  
the ,old ,testament4 ,of the ,new1 it   
contains the four gospels1--the ,acts1  
the seven ,catholic ,epistles1 nine of  
the ,pauline ,epistles1 and the ,epistle
 to the ,hebrews1 so far as the         
fourteenth verse of the ninth           
chapter1--and nothing more4 ,this is    
known as the ,codex ,vatican4 ,the      
second1 the ,alexandrine1 was presented 
to ,king ,charles the ,first1 in #afbh4 
,it contains the ,old and ,new          
,testaments1 with some exceptions2      
passages are wanting in ,matthew1 in    
,john1 and in ,,ii4 ,corinthians4 ,it   
also contains the ,epistle of ,clemens  

,romanus1 a letter of ,athanasius1 and  
the treatise of ,eusebius on the        
,psalms4 ,the last is the ,sinaitic     
,codex1 discovered about #ahej1 at the  
,convent of ,st4 ,catherine's1 on ,mount
 ,sinai4 ,it contains the ,old and ,new 
,testaments1 and in addition the entire 
,epistle of ,barnabas1 and a portion of 
the ,shepherd of ,hennas--two books     
which1 up to the beginning of the fourth
 century1 were looked upon by many as   
,scripture4 ,in this manuscript1 or     
codex1 the gospel of ,st4 ,mark         
concludes with the eighth verse of the  
sixteenth chapter1 leaving out the      
frightful passage3 ,go ye into all the  
world1 and preach the gospel to every   
creature4 ,he that believeth and is     
baptized shall be saved2 but he that    
believeth not shall be damned4 ,in      
matters of the utmost importance these  
manuscripts disagree1 but even if they  
all agreed it would not furnish the     
slightest evidence of their truth4 ,it  
will not do to call the statements made 

in the gospels depositions1 until it is 
absolutely established who made them1   
and the circumstances under which they  
were made4 ,neither can we say that they
 were made in the immediate prospect of 
death1 until we know who made them4 ,it 
is absurd to say that the witnesses     
could not have been mistaken1 because   
the nature of the facts precluded the   
possibility of any delusion about them4 
,can it be pretended that the witnesses 
could not have been mistaken about the  
relation the ,holy ,ghost is alleged to 
have sustained to ,jesus ,christ8 ,is   
there no possibility of delusion about a
 circumstance of that kind8 ,did the    
writers of the four gospels have the    
sensible and true avouch of their own   
eyes and ears in that behalf8 ,how was  
it possible for any one of the four     
,evangelists to know that ,christ was   
the ,son of ,god1 or that he was ,god8  
,his mother wrote nothing on the        
subject4 ,matthew says that an angel of 
the ,lord told ,joseph in a dream1 but  

,joseph never wrote an account of this  
wonderful vision4 ,luke tells us that   
the angel had a conversation with ,mary1
 and that ,mary told ,elizabeth1 but    
,elizabeth never wrote a word4 ,there is
 no account of ,mary1 or ,joseph1 or    
,elizabeth1 or the angel1 having had any
 conversation with ,matthew1 ,mark1     
,luke1 or ,john1 in which one word was  
said about the miraculous origin of     
,jesus ,christ4 ,the persons who knew   
did not write1 so that the account is   
nothing but hearsay4 ,does ,mr4 ,black  
pretend that such statements would be   
admitted as evidence in any court8 ,but 
how do we know that the disciples of    
,christ wrote a word of the gospels8    
,how did it happen that ,christ wrote   
nothing8 ,how do we know that the       
writers of the gospels were men of      
unimpeachable character8     #dfd4 ,mr4 
,black's ,admission  ,for the purpose of
 defending the character of his         
infallible ,god1 ,mr4 ,black is forced  
to defend religious intolerance1 wars of

 extermination1 human slavery1 and      
almost polygamy4 ,he admits that ,god   
established slavery2 that he commanded  
his chosen people to buy the children of
 the heathen2 that heathen fathers and  
mothers did right to sell their girls   
and boys2 that ,god ordered the ,jews to
 wage wars of extermination and         
conquest2 that it was right to kill the 
old and young2 that ,god forged manacles
 for the human brain2 that he commanded 
husbands to murder their wives for      
suggesting the worship of the sun or    
moon2 and that every cruel1 savage      
passage in the ,old ,testament was      
inspired by him4 ,such is a policeman's 
view of ,god4     #dfe4 ,the ,stars     
,upon the ,door of ,france  ,mr4 ,black 
justifies all the crimes and horrors1   
excuses all the tortures of all the     
,christian years1 by denouncing the     
cruelties of the ,french ,revolution4   
,thinking people will not hasten to     
admit that an infinitely good being     
authorized slavery in ,judea1 because of

 the atrocities of the ,french          
,revolution4 ,they will remember the    
sufferings of the ,huguenots4 ,they will
 remember the massacre of ,st4          
,bartholomew4 ,they will not forget the 
countless cruelties of priest and king4 
,they will not forget the dungeons of   
the ,bastile4 ,they will know that the  
,revolution was an effect1 and that     
liberty was not the cause--that atheism 
was not the cause4 ,behind the          
,revolution they will see altar and     
throne--sword and fagot--palace and     
cathedral--king and priest--master and  
slave--tyrant and hypocrite4 ,they will 
see that the excesses1 the cruelties1   
and crimes were but the natural fruit of
 seeds the church had sown4 ,but the    
,revolution was not entirely evil4 ,upon
 that cloud of war1 black with the      
myriad miseries of a thousand years1    
dabbled with blood of king and queen1 of
 patriot and priest1 there was this bow3
 ,beneath the flag of ,france all men   
are free4 ,in spite of all the blood and

 crime1 in spite of deeds that seem     
insanely base1 the ,people placed upon a
 ,nation's brow these stars3--,liberty1 
,fraternity1 ,equality--grander words   
than ever issued from ,jehovah's lips4  
,a ,,kind ,,word ,,for ,,john ,,chinaman
  ,on the #bgth day of ,march1 #ahhj1   
,messrs4 ,wright1 ,dickey1 ,o',conner1  
and ,murch1 of the ,select ,committee   
appointed by ,congress to ,consider the 
causes of the present depression of     
labor1 presented the majority special   
report on ,chinese ,immigration4 ,the   
following quotations are excerpts from  
,col4 ,r4 ,g4 ,ingersoll's caustic      
review of that report4     #dff4 ,the   
,select ,committee ,afraid  ,these      
gentlemen are in great fear for the     
future of our most holy and perfectly   
authenticated religion1 and have1 like  
faithful watchmen1 from the walls and   
towers of ,zion1 hastened to give the   
alarm4 ,they have informed ,congress    
that ,joss has his temple of worship in 
the ,chinese quarters1 in ,san          

,francisco4 ,within the walls of a      
dilapidated structure is exposed to the 
view of the faithful the ,god of the    
,chinaman1 and here are his altars of   
worship1 ,here he tears up his pieces of
 paper2 here he offers up his prayers2  
here he receives his religious          
consolations1 and here is his road to   
the celestial land4 ,that ,joss is      
located in a long1 narrow room1 in a    
building in a back alley1 upon a kind of
 altar2 that he is a wooden image1      
looking as much like an alligator as    
like a human being2 that the ,chinese   
think there is such a place as heaven2  
that all classes of ,chinamen worship   
idols2 that the temple is open every day
 at all hours2 that the ,chinese have no
 ,sunday2 that this heathen god has huge
 jaws1 a big red tongue1 large white    
teeth1 a half dozen arms1 and big1      
fiery1 eyeballs4 ,about him are placed  
offerings of meat1 and other eatables--a
 sacrificial offering4     #dfg4 ,the   
,gods of the ,joss-,house and ,patmos   

,no wonder that these members of the    
committee were shocked at such a god1   
knowing as they did1 that the only true 
,god was correctly described by the     
inspired lunatic of ,patmos in the      
following words3 ,and there sat in the  
midst of the seven golden candlesticks  
one like unto the ,son of ,man1 clothed 
with a garment down to the foot1 and    
girt about the paps with a golden       
girdle4 ,his head and his hairs were    
white like wool1 as white as snow2 and  
his eyes were as a flame of fire2 and   
his feet like unto fine brass as if they
 burned in a furnace2 and his voice as  
the sound of many waters4 ,and he had in
 his right hand seven stars2 and out of 
his mouth went a sharp1 two-edged sword2
 and his countenance was as the sun     
shining in his strength4 ,certainly1 a  
large mouth1 filled with white teeth1 is
 preferable to one used as the scabbard 
of a sharp1 two-edged sword4 ,why should
 these gentlemen object to a god with   
big fiery eyeballs1 when their own      

,deity has eyes like a flame of fire8   
#dfh4 ,a ,little ,too ,late  ,is it not 
a little late in the day to object to   
people because they sacrifice meat and  
other eatables to their god8 ,we all    
know1 that for thousands of years the   
real ,god was exceedingly fond of       
roasted meat2 that ,he loved the savor  
of burning flesh1 and delighted in the  
perfume of fresh warm blood4     #dfi4  
,christianity has a ,fair ,show in ,san 
,francisco  ,the world is also informed 
by these gentlemen that the idolatry of 
the ,chinese produces a demoralizing    
effect upon our ,american youth by      
bringing sacred things into disrespect  
and making religion a theme of disgust  
and contempt4 ,in ,san ,francisco there 
are some three hundred thousand people4 
,is it possible that a few ,chinese can 
bring our holy religion into disgust and
 contempt8 ,in that city there are fifty
 times as many churches as joss-houses4 
,scores of sermons are uttered every    
week2 religious books and papers are    

plentiful as leaves in autumn1 and      
somewhat dryer2 thousands of bibles are 
within the reach of all4     #dgj4 ,an  
,arrow from the ,quiver of ,satire  ,and
 there1 too1 is the example of a        
,christian city4 ,why should we send    
missionaries to ,china1 if we cannot    
convert the heathen when they come here8
 ,when missionaries go to a foreign land
 the poor benighted people have to take 
their word for the blessings showered   
upon a ,christian people2 but when the  
heathen come here1 they can see for     
themselves4 ,what was simply a story    
becomes a demonstrated fact4 ,they come 
in contact with people who love their   
enemies4 ,they see that in a ,christian 
land men tell the truth2 that they will 
not take advantage of strangers2 that   
they are just and patient2 kind and     
tender2 and have no prejudice on account
 of color1 race or religion2 that they  
look upon mankind as brethren2 that they
 speak of ,god as a ,universal ,father1 
and are willing to work and even to     

suffer1 for the good1 not only of their 
own countrymen1 but of the heathen as   
well4 ,all this the ,chinese see and    
know1 and why they still cling to the   
religion of their country is1 to me1 a  
matter of amazement4     #dga4 ,we ,have
 no ,religious ,system  ,i take this1   
the earliest opportunity1 to inform     
these gentlemen composing a majority of 
the committee1 that we have in the      
,united ,states no religious system2    
that this is a secular government4 ,that
 it has no religious creed2 that it does
 not believe nor disbelieve in a future 
state of reward or punishment2 that it  
neither affirms nor denies the existence
 of a living ,god4     #dgb4 ,congress  
,nothing to ,do with ,religion          
,congress has nothing to do with the    
religion of the people4 ,its members are
 not responsible to ,god for the        
opinions of their constituents1 and it  
may tend to the happiness of the        
constituents for me to state that they  
are in no way responsible for the       

religion of the members4 ,religion is an
 individual1 not a national matter4 ,and
 where the nation interferes with the   
right of conscience1 the liberties of   
the people are devoured by the monster  
,superstition4     #dgc4 ,concessions of
 the ,illustrious ,four6  ,but ,i am    
astonished that four ,christian         
statesmen1 four members of ,congress in 
the last quarter of the nineteenth      
century1 who seriously object to people 
on account of their religious           
convictions1 should still assert that   
the very religion in which they         
believe--and the only religion          
established by the living god-head of   
the ,american system--is not adapted to 
the spiritual needs of one-third of the 
human race4 ,it is amazing that these   
four gentlemen have1 in the defense of  
the ,christian religion1 announced the  
discovery that it is wholly inadequate  
for the civilization of mankind2 that   
the light of the cross can never        
penetrate the darkness of ,china2 that  

all the labors of the missionary1 the   
example of the good1 the exalted        
character of our civilization1 make no  
impression upon the pagan life of the   
,chinese2 and that even the report of   
this committee will not tend to elevate1
 refine and ,christianize the yellow    
heathen of the ,pacific coast4 ,in the  
name of religion these gentlemen have   
denied its power and mocked at the      
enthusiasm of its founder4 ,worse than  
this1 they have predicted for the       
,chinese a future of ignorance and      
idolatry in this world1 and1 if the     
,american system of religion is true1   
hell-fire in the next4     #dgd4 ,do not
 ,trample on ,john ,chinaman  ,do not   
trample upon these people because they  
have a different conception of things   
about which even this committee knows   
nothing4 ,give them the same privilege  
you enjoy of making a ,god after their  
own fashion4 ,and let them describe him 
as they will4 ,would you be willing to  
have them remain1 if one of their race1 

thousands of years ago1 had pretended to
 have seen ,god1 and had written of him 
as follows3 ,there went up a smoke out  
of his nostrils1 and fire out of his    
mouth2 coals were kindled by it1 99 99  
99 and he rode upon a cherub and did    
fly4 ,why should you object to these    
people on account of their religion8    
,your objection has in it the spirit of 
hate and intolerance4 ,of that spirit   
the ,inquisition was born4 ,that spirit 
lighted the fagot1 made the thumb-screw1
 put chains upon the limbs1 and lashes  
upon the backs of men4 ,the same spirit 
bought and sold1 captured and kidnapped 
human beings2 sold babes1 and justified 
all the horrors of slavery4     #dge4   
,be ,honest with the ,chinese  ,if you  
wish to drive out the ,chinese1 do not  
make a pretext of religion4 ,do not     
pretend that you are trying to do ,god a
 favor4 ,injustice in his name is doubly
 detestable4 ,the assassin cannot       
sanctify his dagger by falling on his   
knees1 and it does not help a falsehood 

if it be uttered as a prayer4 ,religion1
 used1 to intensify the hatred of men   
toward men1 under the pretense of       
pleasing ,god1 has cursed this world4   
#dgf4 ,an ,honest ,merchant the ,best   
,missionary  ,i am almost sure that ,i  
have read somewhere that ,christ died   
for all men1 and that ,god is no        
respecter of persons4 ,it was once      
taught that it was the duty of          
,christians to tell to all people the   
tidings of great joy4 ,i have never     
believed these things myself1 but have  
always contended that an honest merchant
 was the best missionary4 ,commerce     
makes friends1 religion makes enemies2  
the one enriches1 and the other         
impoverishes2 the one thrives best where
 the truth is told1 the other where     
falsehoods are believed4 ,for myself1 ,i
 have but little confidence in any      
business1 or enterprise1 or investment1 
that promises dividends only after the  
death of the stockholders4     #dgg4    
,good ,words from ,confucius  ,for the  

benefit of these four philosophers and  
prophets1 ,i will give a few extracts   
from the writings of ,confucius that    
will1 in my judgment1 compare favorably 
with the best passages of their report3 
,my doctrine is that man must be true to
 the principles of his nature1 and the  
benevolent exercises of them toward     
others4  ,with coarse rice to eat1 with 
water to drink1 and with my bended arm  
for a pillow1 ,i still have joy4        
,riches and honor acquired by injustice 
are to me but floating clouds4  ,the man
 who1 in view of gain1 thinks of        
righteousness2 who1 in view of danger1  
forgets life2 and who remembers an old  
agreement1 however far back it extends1 
such a man may be reckoned a complete   
man4  ,recompense injury with justice1  
and kindness with kindness4  ,there is  
one word which may serve as a rule of   
practice for all one's life3            
,reciprocity is that word4     #dgh4    
,the ,ancient ,chinese  ,when the       
ancestors of the four ,christian        

,congressmen were barbarians1 when they 
lived in caves1 gnawed bones1 and       
worshiped dry snakes2 the infamous      
,chinese were reading these sublime     
sentences of ,confucius4 ,when the      
forefathers of these ,christian         
statesmen were hunting toads to get the 
jewels out of their heads to be used as 
charms1 the wretched ,chinamen were     
calculating eclipses1 and measuring the 
circumference of the earth4 ,when the   
progenitors of these representatives of 
the ,american system of religion were   
burning women charged with nursing      
devils1 these people incapable of being 
influenced by the exalted character of  
our civilization1 were building asylums 
for the insane4     #dgi4 ,the ,chinese 
and ,civil ,service ,reform  ,neither   
should it be forgotten that1 for        
thousands of years1 the ,chinese have   
honestly practised the great principle  
known as civil service reform--a        
something that even the administration  
of ,mr4 ,hayes has reached only through 

the proxy of promise4     #dhj4         
,invading ,china in the ,name of ,opium 
and ,christ  ,the ,english battered down
 the door of ,china in the names of     
,opium and ,christ4 ,this infamy was    
regarded as another triumph of the      
gospel4 ,at last in self-defense the    
,chinese allowed ,christians to touch   
their shores4 ,their wise men1 their    
philosophers1 protested1 and prophesied 
that time would show that ,christians   
could not be trusted4 ,this re port     
proves that the wise men were not only  
philosophers but prophets4     #dha4    
,don't be ,dishonest in the ,name of    
,god  ,treat ,china as you would        
,england4 ,keep a treaty while it is in 
force4 ,change it if you will1 according
 to the laws of nations1 but on no      
account excuse a breach of national     
faith by pretending that we are         
dishonest for ,god's sake4              
,,concerning ,,creeds ,,and ,,the       
,,tyranny ,,of ,,sects     #dhb4        
,diversity of ,opinion ,abolished by    

,henry ,,viii  ,in the reign of ,henry  
,,viii--that pious and moral founder of 
the apostolic ,episcopal ,church1--there
 was passed by the parliament of        
,england an act entitled1 ,an act for   
abolishing of diversity of opinion4 ,and
 in this act was set forth what a good  
,christian was obliged to believe3      
,first1 ,that in the sacrament was the  
real body and blood of ,jesus ,christ4  
,second1 ,that the body and blood of    
,jesus ,christ was in the bread1 and the
 blood and body of ,jesus ,christ was in
 the wine4  ,third1 ,that priests should
 not marry4  ,fourth1 ,that vows of     
chastity were of perpetual obligation4  
,fifth1 ,that private masses ought to be
 continued2 and1  ,sixth1 ,that         
auricular confession to a priest must be
 maintained4  ,this creed was made by   
law1 in order that all men might know   
just what to believe by simply reading  
the statute4 ,the ,church hated to see  
the people wearing out their brains in  
thinking upon these subjects4     #dhc4 

,spencer and ,darwin ,damned  ,according
 to the philosophy of theology1 man has 
continued to degenerate for six thousand
 years4 ,to teach that there is that in 
nature which impels to higher forms and 
grander ends1 is heresy1 of course4 ,the
 ,deity will damn ,spencer and his      
,evolution1 ,darwin and his ,origin of  
,species1 ,bastian and his ,spontaneous 
,generation1 ,huxley and his            
,protoplasm1 ,tyndall and his ,prayer   
,gauge1 and will save those1 and those  
only1 who declare that the universe has 
been cursed1 from the smallest atom to  
the grandest star2 that everything tends
 to evil and to that only1 and that the 
only perfect thing in nature is the     
,presbyterian ,confession of ,faith4    
#dhd4 ,the ,dead do ,not ,persecute     
,imagine a vine that grows at one end   
and decays at the other4 ,the end that  
grows is heresy1 the end that rots is   
orthodox4 ,the dead are orthodox1 and   
your cemetery is the most perfect type  
of a well regulated church4 ,no thought1

 no progress1 no heresy there4 ,slowly  
and silently1 side by side1 the         
satisfied members peacefully decay4     
,there is only this difference--the dead
 do not persecute4     #dhe4 ,the       
,atheist a ,legal ,outcast in ,illinois 
,the supreme court of ,illinois decided1
 in the year of grace #ahef1 that an    
unbeliever in the existence of an       
intelligent ,first ,cause could not be  
allowed to testify in any court4 ,his   
wife and children might have been       
murdered before his very face1 and yet  
in the absence of other witnesses1 the  
murderer could not have even been       
indicted4 ,the atheist was a legal      
outcast4 ,to him1 ,justice was not only 
blind1 but deaf4 ,he was liable1 like   
other men1 to support the government1   
and was forced to contribute his share  
towards paying the salaries of the very 
judges who decided that under no        
circumstances could his voice be heard  
in any court4 ,this was the law of      
,illinois1 and so remained until the    

adoption of the new ,constitution ,by   
such infamous means has the ,church     
endeavored to chain the human mind1 and 
protect the majesty of her ,god4        
#dhf4 ,how the ,owls ,hoot  ,now and    
then somebody examines1 and in spite of 
all keeps his manhood1 and has the      
courage to follow where his reason      
leads4 ,then the pious get together and 
repeat wise saws1 and exchange knowing  
nods and most prophetic winks4 ,the     
stupidly wise sit owl-like on the dead  
limbs of the tree of knowledge1 and     
solemnly hoot4     #dhg4 ,the ,fate of  
,theological ,students  ,thousands of   
young men are being educated at this    
moment by the various ,churches4 ,what  
for8 ,in order that they may be prepared
 to investigate the phenomena by which  
we are surrounded8 ,no6 ,the object1 and
 the only object1 is that they may be   
prepared to defend a creed2 that they   
may learn the arguments of their        
respective churches1 and repeat them in 
the dull ears of a thoughtless          

congregation4 ,if one1 after being thus 
trained at the expense of the           
,methodists1 turns ,presbyterian or     
,baptist1 he is denounced as an         
ungrateful wretch4 ,honest investigation
 is utterly impossible within the pale  
of any ,church1 for the reason1 that if 
you think the ,church is right you will 
not investigate1 and if you think it    
wrong1 the ,church will investigate you4
 ,the consequence of this is1 that most 
of the theological literature is the    
result of suppression1 of fear1 tyranny 
and hypocrisy4     #dhh4 ,trials for    
,heresy  ,a trial for heresy means that 
the spirit of persecution still lingers 
in the ,church2 that it still denies the
 right of private judgment2 that it     
still thinks more of creed than truth1  
and that it is still determined to      
prevent the intellectual growth of man4 
,it means the churches are shambles in  
which are bought and sold the souls of  
men4 ,it means that the ,church is still
 guilty of the barbarity of opposing    

thought with force4 ,it means that if it
 had the power1 the mental horizon would
 be bound by a creed2 that it would     
bring again the whips and chains and    
dungeon keys1 the rack and fagot of the 
past4     #dhi4 ,presbyterianism        
,softening  ,fortunately for us1        
civilization has had a softening effect 
even upon the ,presbyterian ,church4 ,to
 the ennobling influence of the arts and
 sciences the savage spirit of          
,calvinism has1 in some slight degree1  
succumbed4 ,true1 the old creed remains 
substantially as it was written1 but by 
a kind of tacit understanding it has    
come to be regarded as a relic of the   
past4 ,the cry of heresy has been       
growing fainter and fainter1 and1 as a  
consequence1 the ministers of that      
denomination have ventured1 now and     
then1 to express doubts as to the       
damnation of infants1 and the doctrine  
of total depravity4     #dij4 ,the      
,methodist ,hoist with his own ,petard4 
,a few years ago a ,methodist clergyman 

took it upon himself to give me a piece 
of friendly advice4 ,although you may   
disbelieve the bible1 said he1 you ought
 not to say so4 ,that1 you should keep  
to yourself4 ,do you believe the bible1 
said ,i4 ,he replied1 ,most assuredly4  
,to which ,i retorted1 ,your answer     
conveys no information to me4 ,you may  
be following your own advice4 ,you told 
me to suppress my opinions4 ,of course a
 man who will advise others to          
dissimulate will not always be          
particular about telling the truth      
himself4     #dia4 ,the ,precious       
,doctrine of ,total ,depravity  ,what a 
precious doctrine is that of the total  
depravity of the human heart6 ,how sweet
 it is to believe that the lives of all 
the good and great were continual sins  
and perpetual crimes2 that the love a   
mother bears her child is1 in the sight 
of ,god1 a sin2 that the gratitude of   
the natural heart is simple meanness2   
that the tears of pity are impure2 that 
for the unconverted to live and labor   

for others is an offense to heaven2 that
 the noblest aspirations of the soul are
 low and groveling in the sight of ,god4
     #dib4 ,guilty of ,heresy  ,whoever 
has an opinion of his own1 and honestly 
expresses it1 will be guilty of heresy4 
,heresy is what the minority believe2 it
 is the name given by the powerful to   
the doctrine of the weak4 ,this word was
 born of the hatred1 arrogance and      
cruelty of those who love their enemies1
 and who1 when smitten on one cheek1    
turn the other4 ,this word was born of  
intellectual slavery in the feudal ages 
of thought4 ,it was an epithet used in  
the place of argument4 ,from the        
commencement of the ,christian era1     
every art has been exhausted and every  
conceivable punishment inflicted to     
force all people to hold the same       
religious opinions4 ,this effort was    
born of the idea that a certain belief  
was necessary to the salvation of the   
soul4     #dic4 ,dishonest ,teachers4   
,one great trouble is that most teachers

 are dishonest4 ,they teach as          
certainties those things concerning     
which they entertain doubts4 ,they do   
not say1 we think this is so1 but we    
know this is so4 ,they do not appeal to 
the reason of the pupil1 but they       
command his faith4 ,they keep all doubts
 to themselves2 they do not explain1    
they assert4 ,all this is infamous4     
#did4 ,self-,reliance a ,deadly ,sin6   
,in all ages reason has been regarded as
 the enemy of religion4 ,nothing has    
been considered so pleasing to the      
,deity as a total denial of the         
authority of your own mind4             
,self-reliance has been thought a deadly
 sin2 and the idea of living and dying  
without the aid and consolation of      
superstition has always horrified the   
,church4 ,by some unaccountable         
infatuation1 belief has been and still  
is considered of immense importance4    
,all religions have been based upon the 
idea that ,god will forever reward the  
true believer1 and eternally damn the   

man who doubts or denies4 ,belief is    
regarded as the one essential thing4 ,to
 practice justice1 to love mercy1 is not
 enough4 ,you must believe in some      
incomprehensible creed4 ,you must say1  
,once one is three1 and three times one 
is one4 ,the man who practiced every    
virtue1 but failed to believe1 was      
execrated4 ,nothing so outrages the     
feelings of the ,church as a moral      
unbeliever--nothing so horrible as a    
charitable ,atheist4     #die4 ,a       
,hundred and ,fifty ,years ,ago  ,one   
hundred and fifty years ago the foremost
 preachers would have perished at the   
stake4 ,a ,universalist would have been 
torn in pieces in ,england1 ,scotland1  
and ,america4 ,unitarians would have    
found themselves in the stocks1 pelted  
by the rabble with dead cats1 after     
which their ears would have been cut    
off1 their tongues bored1 and their     
foreheads branded4     #dif4 ,the       
,despotism of ,faith  ,the despotism of 
faith is justified upon the ground that 

,christian countries are the grandest   
and most prosperous of the world4 ,at   
one time the same thing could have been 
truly said in ,india1 in ,egypt1 in     
,greece1 in ,rome1 and in every other   
country that has1 in the history of the 
world1 swept to empire4 ,this argument  
proves too much not only1 but the       
assumption upon which it is based is    
utterly false4     #dig4 ,believe1 or   
,beware  ,and what does a trial for     
heresy mean8 ,it means that the ,church 
says a heretic1 ,believe as ,i do1 or ,i
 will withdraw my support4 ,i will not  
employ you4 ,i will pursue you until    
your garments are rags2 until your      
children cry for bread2 until your      
cheeks are furrowed with tears4 ,i will 
hunt you to the very portals of the     
grave4     #dih4 ,calvin's ,petrified   
,heart  ,luther denounced mental liberty
 with all the coarse and brutal vigor of
 his nature2 ,calvin despised1 from the 
very bottom of his petrified heart1     
anything that even looked like religious

 toleration1 and solemnly declared that 
to advocate it was to crucify ,christ   
afresh4 ,all the founders of all the    
orthodox churches have advocated the    
same infamous tenet4 ,the truth is1 that
 what is called religion is necessarily 
inconsistent with free thought4         
#dii4 ,logic ,unconfined4  ,must one be 
versed in ,latin before he is entitled  
to express his opinion as to the        
genuineness of a pretended revelation   
from ,god8 ,common sense belongs        
exclusively to no tongue4 ,logic is not 
confined to1 nor has it been buried     
with1 the dead languages4 ,paine        
attacked the bible as it is translated4 
,if the translation is wrong1 let its   
defenders correct it4     #ejj4         
,politeness at ,athens6  ,a gentleman1  
walking among the ruins of ,athens came 
upon a fallen statue of ,jupiter2 making
 an exceedingly low bow he said3 ,o     
,jupiter6 ,i salute thee4 ,he then      
added3 ,should you ever sit upon the    
throne of heaven again1 do not1 ,i pray 

you1 forget that ,i treated you politely
 when you were prostrate4     #eja4 ,the
 ,tail of a ,lion  ,there is no saying  
more degrading than this3 ,it is better 
to be the tail of a lion than the head  
of a dog4 ,it is a responsibility to    
think and act for yourself4 ,most people
 hate responsibility2 therefore they    
join something and become the tail of   
some lion4 ,they say1 ,my party can act 
for me--my church can do my thinking4   
,it is enough for me to pay taxes and   
obey the lion to which ,i belong1       
without troubling myself about the      
right1 the wrong1 or the why or the     
wherefore4     #ejb4 ,while the         
,preachers ,talked the ,people ,slept   
,the fact is1 the old ideas became a    
little monotonous to the people4 ,the   
fall of man1 the scheme of redemption   
and irresistible grace1 began to have a 
familiar sound4 ,the preachers told the 
old stories while the congregations     
slept4 ,some of the ministers became    
tired of these stories themselves4 ,the 

five points grew dull1 and they felt    
that nothing short of irresistible grace
 could bear this endless repetition4    
,the outside world was full of progress1
 and in every direction men advanced1   
while the church1 anchored to a creed1  
idly rotted at the shore4     #ejc4     
,christianity no ,friend to ,progress   
,christianity has always opposed every  
forward movement of the human race4     
,across the highway of progress it has  
always been building breastworks of     
bibles1 tracts1 commentaries1           
prayer-books1 creeds1 dogmas and        
platforms1 and at every advance the     
,christians have gathered together      
behind these heaps of rubbish and shot  
the poisoned arrows of malice at the    
soldiers of freedom4     #ejd4 ,where is
 the ,new ,eden8  ,you may be laughed at
 in this world for insisting that ,god  
put ,adam into a deep sleep and made a  
woman out of one of his ribs1 but you   
will be crowned and glorified in the    
next4 ,you will also have the pleasure  

of hearing the gentlemen howl there1 who
 laughed at you here4 ,while you will   
not be permitted to take any revenge1   
you will be allowed to smilingly express
 your entire acquiescence in the will of
 ,god4 ,but where is the new ,eden8 ,no 
one knows4 ,the one was lost1 and the   
other has not been found4     #eje4 ,the
 ,real ,eden is ,beyond  ,nations and   
individuals fail and die1 and make room 
for higher forms4 ,the intellectual     
horizon of the world widens as the      
centuries pass4 ,ideals grow grander and
 purer2 the difference between justice  
and mercy becomes less and less2 liberty
 enlarges1 and love intensifies as the  
years sweep on4 ,the ages of force and  
fear1 of cruelty and wrong1 are behind  
us and the real ,eden is beyond4 ,it is 
said that a desire for knowledge lost us
 the ,eden of the past2 but whether that
 is true or not1 it will certainly give 
us the ,eden of the future4     #ejf4   
,party ,names ,belittle ,men  ,let us   
forget that we are ,baptists1           

,methodists1 ,catholics1 ,presbyterians1
 or ,free-thinkers1 and remember only   
that we are men and women4 ,after all1  
man and woman are the highest possible  
titles4 ,all other names belittle us1   
and show that we have1 to a certain     
extent1 given up our individuality4     
,a ,,few ,,plain ,,questions     #ejg4  
,where ,did the ,serpent ,come ,from8   
,where did the serpent come from8 ,on   
which of the six days was he created8   
,who made him8 ,is it possible that ,god
 would make a successful rival8 ,he must
 have known that ,adam and ,eve would   
fall4 ,he knew what a snake with a      
spotted1 dappled skin could do with an  
inexperienced woman4 ,why did he not    
defend his children8 ,he knew that if   
the serpent got into the garden1 ,adam  
and ,eve would sin1 that he would have  
to drive them out1 that afterwards the  
world would be destroyed1 and that he   
himself would die upon the cross4       
#ejh4 ,must ,we ,believe ,fables to be  
,good and ,true8 ,must we1 in order to  

be good1 gentle and loving in our lives1
 believe that the creation of woman was 
a second thought8 ,that ,jehovah really 
endeavored to induce ,adam to take one  
of the lower animals as an helpmeet for 
him8 ,after all1 is it not possible to  
live honest and courageous lives without
 believing these fables8     #eji4 ,why 
,did ,not ,god ,kill the ,serpent8  ,why
 was not the serpent kept out of the    
garden8 ,why did not the ,lord ,god take
 him by the tail and snap his head off8 
,why did he not put ,adam and ,eve on   
their guard about this serpent8 ,they1  
of course1 were not acquainted in the   
neighborhood1 and knew nothing about the
 serpent's reputation4     #eaj4        
,questions ,about the ,ark  ,how was the
 ark kept clean8 ,we know how it was    
ventilated2 but what was done with the  
filth8 ,how were the animals watered8   
,how were some portions of the ark      
heated for animals from the tropics1 and
 others kept cool for the polar bears8  
,how did the animals get back to their  

respective countries8 ,some had to creep
 back about six thousand miles1 and they
 could only go a few feet a day4 ,some  
of the creeping things must have started
 for the ark just as soon as they were  
made1 and kept up a steady jog for      
sixteen hundred years4 ,think of a      
couple of the slowest snails leaving a  
point opposite the ark and starting for 
the plains of ,shinar1 a distance of    
twelve thousand miles4 ,going at the    
rate rate of a mile a month1 it would   
take them a thousand years4 ,how did    
they get there8 ,polar bears must have  
gone several thousand miles1 and so     
sudden a change in climate must have    
been exceedingly trying upon their      
health4 ,how did they know the way to   
go8 ,of course1 all the polar bears did 
not go4 ,only two were required4 ,who   
selected these8     #eaa4 ,was ,language
 ,confounded at ,babel4  ,how could     
language be confounded8 ,it could be    
confounded only by the destruction of   
memory4 ,did ,god destroy the memory of 

mankind at that time1 and if so1 how8   
,did he paralyze that portion of the    
brain presiding over the organs of      
articulation1 so that they could not    
speak the words1 although they          
remembered them clearly1 or did he so   
touch the brain that they could not     
hear8 ,will some theologian1 versed in  
the machinery of the miraculous1 tell us
 in what way ,god confounded the        
language of mankind8     #eab4 ,would   
,god ,kill a ,man for ,making ,ointment8
  ,can we believe that the real ,god1 if
 there is one1 ever ordered a man to be 
killed simply for making hair oil1 or   
ointment8 ,we are told in the thirtieth 
chapter of ,exodus1 that the ,lord      
commanded ,moses to take myrrh1         
cinnamon1 sweet calamus1 cassia1 and    
olive oil1 and make a holy ointment for 
the purpose of anointing the tabernacle1
 tables1 candlesticks and other         
utensils1 as well as ,aaron and his     
sons2 saying1 at the same time1 that    
whosoever compounded any like it1 or    

whoever put any of it on a stranger1    
should be put to death4 ,in the same    
chapter1 the ,lord furnishes ,moses with
 a recipe for making a perfume1 saying1 
that whoever should make any which      
smelled like it1 should be cut off from 
his people4 ,this1 to me1 sounds so     
unreasonable that ,i cannot believe it4 
#eac4 ,how ,did ,water run up ,hill8    
,some ,christians say that the fountains
 of the great deep were broken up4 ,will
 they be kind enough to tell us what the
 fountains of the great deep are8       
,others say that ,god had vast stores of
 water in the center of the earth that  
he used on the occasion of the flood4   
,how did these waters happen to run up  
hill8     #ead4 ,would a ,real ,god     
,uphold ,slavery8  ,must we believe that
 ,god called some of his children the   
money of others8 ,can we believe that   
,god made lashes upon the naked back1 a 
legal tender for labor performed8 ,must 
we regard the auction block as an altar8
 ,were blood hounds1 apostles8 ,was the 

slave-pen a temple8 ,were the stealers  
and whippers of babes and women the     
justified children of ,god8     #eae4   
,will ,there ,be an ,eternal ,auto da   
,fe8  ,will some minister1 who now      
believes in religious liberty1 and      
eloquently denounces the intolerance of 
,catholicism1 explain these things2 will
 he tell us why he worships an          
intolerant ,god8 ,is a god who will burn
 a soul forever in another world1 better
 than a christian who burns the body for
 a few hours in this8 ,is there no      
intellectual liberty in heaven8  ,do the
 angels all discuss questions on the    
same side8 ,are all the investigators in
 perdition8 ,will the penitent thief1   
winged and crowned1 laugh at the honest 
folks in hell8 ,will the agony of the   
damned increase or decrease the         
happiness of ,god8 ,will there be1 in   
the universe1 an eternal auto da fe8    
#eaf4 ,why ,hate an ,atheist8  ,why     
should a believer in ,god hate an       
atheist8 ,surely the atheist has not    

injured ,god1 and surely he is human1   
capable of joy and pain1 and entitled to
 all the rights of man4 ,would it not be
 far better to treat this atheist1 at   
least1 as well as he treats us8         
,,orient ,,pearls ,,as ,,random ,,strung
  ,i do not believe that ,christians are
 as bad as their creeds4  ,the highest  
crime against a creed is to change it4  
,reformation is treason4  ,a believer is
 a bird in a cage1 a free-thinker is an 
eagle parting the clouds with tireless  
wing4  ,all that is good in our         
civilization is the result of commerce1 
climate1 soil1 geographical position4   
,the heretics have not thought and      
suffered and died in vain4 ,every       
heretic has been1 and is1 a ray of      
light4  ,no man ever seriously attempted
 to reform a ,church without being cast 
out and hunted down by the hounds of    
hypocrisy4  ,after all1 the poorest     
bargain that a human being can make1 is 
to give his individuality for what is   
called respectability4  ,on every hand  

are the enemies of individuality and    
mental freedom4 ,custom meets us at the 
cradle and leaves us only at the tomb4  
,there can be nothing more utterly      
subversive of all that is really        
valuable than the suppression of honest 
thought4  ,no man1 worthy of the form he
 bears1 will at the command of ,church  
or ,state solemnly repeat a creed his   
reason scorns4  ,although we live in    
what is called a free government1--and  
politically we are free1--there is but  
little religious liberty in ,america4   
,according to orthodox logic1 ,god      
having furnished us with imperfect      
minds1 has a right to demand a perfect  
result4  ,nearly all people stand in    
great horror of annihilation1 and yet to
 give up your individuality is to       
annihilate yourself4  ,when women       
reason1 and babes sit in the lap of     
philosophy1 the victory of reason over  
the shadowy host of darkness will be    
complete4  ,of all the religions that   
have been produced by the egotism1 the  

malice1 the ignorance and ambition of   
man1 ,presbyterianism is the most       
hideous4  ,and what man who really      
thinks can help repeating the words of  
,ennius3 ,if there are gods they        
certainly pay no attention to the       
affairs of man4  ,events1 like the      
pendulum of a clock have swung forward  
and backward1 but after all1 man1 like  
the hands1 has gone steadily on4 ,man is
 growing grander4  ,in spite of ,church 
and dogma1 there have been millions and 
millions of men and women true to the   
loftiest and most generous promptings of
 the human heart4  ,i was taught to hate
 ,catholicism with every drop of my     
blood1 it is only justice to say1 that  
in all essential particulars it is      
precisely the same as every other       
religion4  ,wherever brave blood has    
been shed1 the sword of the ,church has 
been wet4 ,on every chain has been the  
sign of the cross4 ,the altar and throne
 have leaned against and supported each 
other4  ,we have all been taught by the 

,church that nothing is so well         
calculated to excite the ire of the     
,deity as to express a doubt as to his  
existence1 and that to deny it is an    
unpardonable sin4  ,universal obedience 
is universal stagnation2 disobedience is
 one of the conditions of progress4     
,select any age of the world and tell me
 what would have been the effect of     
implicit obedience4  ,we have no        
national religion1 and no national ,god2
 but every citizen is allowed to have a 
religion and a ,god of his own1 or to   
reject all religions and deny the       
existence of all gods4  ,whatever may be
 the truth upon any subject has nothing 
to do with our right to investigate that
 subject1 and express any opinion we may
 form4 ,all that ,i ask1 is the same    
right ,i freely accord to all others4   
,mental slavery is mental death1 and    
every man who has given up his          
intellectual freedom is the living      
coffin of his dead soul4 ,in this sense1
 every church is a cemetery and every   

creed an epitaph4  ,think of reading the
 #ajith ,psalm to a heathen who has a   
,bible of his own in which is found this
 passage3 ,blessed is the man and       
beloved of all the gods1 who is afraid  
of no man1 and of whom no man is afraid4
  ,the trouble with most people is1 they
 bow to what is called authority2 they  
have a certain reverence for the old    
because it is old4 ,they think a man is 
better for being dead1 especially if he 
has been dead a long time4  ,we should  
all remember that to be like other      
people is to be unlike ourselves1 and   
that nothing can be more detestable in  
character than servile imitation4 ,the  
great trouble with imitation is1 that we
 are apt to ape those who are in reality
 far below us4  ,suppose the ,church had
 had absolute control of the human mind 
at any time1 would not the words liberty
 and progress have been blotted from    
human speech8 ,in defiance of advice1   
the world has advanced4  ,over every    
fortress of tyranny has waved1 and still

 waves1 the banner of the ,church4  ,the
 ,church has won no victories for the   
rights of man4  ,we have advanced in    
spite of religious zeal1 ignorance1 and 
opposition4  ,luther labored to reform  
the ,church--,voltaire1 to reform men4  
,there have been1 and still are1 too    
many men who own themselves--too much   
thought1 too much knowledge for the     
,church to grasp again the sword of     
power4 ,the ,church must abdicate4 ,for 
the ,eg-lon of superstition ,science has
 a message from ,truth4  ,it is a       
blessed thing that in every age some one
 has had individuality enough and       
courage enough to stand by his own      
convictions1--some one who had the      
grandeur to say his say4 ,i believe it  
was ,magellan who said4 ,the ,church    
says the earth is flat2 but ,i have seen
 its shadow on the moon1 and ,i have    
more confidence even in a shadow than in
 the ,church4 ,on the prow of his ship  
were disobedience1 defiance1 scorn1 and 
success4     ,,ingersoll',s ,,oration   

,,at ,,his ,,brother',s ,,grave       ,a
 ,tribute to ,ebon ,c4 ,ingersoll1 by   
his ,brother      ,robert--,the ,record 
of a ,generous ,life ,runs      ,like a 
,vine ,around the ,memory of our        
,dead1   and   ,every   ,sweet1         
,unselfish      ,act is ,now a ,perfumed
 ,flower4  ,dear ,friends3 ,i am going  
to do that which the dead oft promised  
he would do for me4  ,the loved and     
loving brother1 husband1 father1 friend1
 died where manhood's morning almost    
touches noon1 and while the shadows     
still were falling toward the west4  ,he
 had not passed on life's highway the   
stone that marks the highest point2 but1
 being weary for a moment1 he lay down  
by the wayside1 and1 using his burden   
for a pillow1 fell into that dreamless  
sleep that kisses down his eyelids      
still4 ,while yet in love with life and 
raptured with the world1 he passed to   
silence and pathetic dust4  ,yet1 after 
all1 it may be best1 just in the        
happiest1 sunniest hour of all the      

voyage1 while eager winds are kissing   
every sail1 to dash against the unseen  
rock1 and in an instant hear the billows
 roar above a sunken ship ,for whether  
in mid sea or 'mong the breakers of the 
farther shore1 a wreck at last must mark
 the end of each and all4 ,and every    
life1 no matter if its every hour is    
rich with love and every moment jeweled 
with a joy1 will1 at its close1 become a
 tragedy as sad and deep and dark as can
 be woven of the warp and woof of       
mystery and death4  ,this brave and     
tender man in every storm of life was   
oak and rock2 but in the sunshine he was
 vine and flower4 ,he was the friend of 
all heroic souls4 ,he climbed the       
heights1 and left all superstitions far 
below1 while on his forehead fell the   
golden dawning of the grander day4  ,he 
loved the beautiful1 and was with color1
 form1 and music touched to tears4 ,he  
sided with the weak1 the poor1 and      
wronged1 and lovingly gave alms4 ,with  
loyal heart and with the purest hands he

 faithfully discharged all public       
trusts4  ,he was a worshiper of liberty1
 a friend of the oppressed4 ,a thousand 
times ,i have heard him quote these     
words3 ,for ,justice all place a temple1
 and all season1 summer4 ,he believed   
that happiness was the only good1 reason
 the only torch1 justice the only       
worship1 humanity the only religion1 and
 love the only priest4 ,he added to the 
sum of human joy2 and were every one to 
whom he did some loving service to bring
 a blossom to his grave1 he would sleep 
to-night beneath a wilderness of sweet  
flowers4  ,life is a narrow vale between
 the cold and barren peaks of two       
eternities4 ,we strive in vain to look  
beyond the heights4 ,we cry aloud1 and  
the only answer is the echo of our      
wailing cry4 ,from the voiceless lips of
 the unreplying dead there comes no     
word2 but in the night of death hope    
sees a star and listening love can hear 
the rustle of a wing4  ,he who sleeps   
here1 when dying1 mistaking the approach

 of death for the return of health1     
whispered with his latest breath1 ,i am 
better now4 ,let us believe1 in spite of
 doubts and dogmas1 of fears and tears1 
that these dear words are true of all   
the countless dead4  ,and now1 to you1  
who have been chosen1 from among the    
many men he loved1 to do the last sad   
office for the dead1 we give his sacred 
dust4  ,speech cannot contain our love4 
,there was1 there is1 no gentler1       
stronger1 manlier man4                  
,,ingersoll',s ,,dream ,,of ,,the ,,war 
,the ,following ,words of ,matchless    
,eloquence were      ,addressed by ,col4
 ,ingersoll to the ,veteran             
,soldiers of ,indianapolis4  ,the past1 
as it were1 rises before me like a      
dream4 ,again we are in the great       
struggle for national life4 ,we hear the
 sound of preparation--the music of the 
boisterous drums--the silver voices of  
heroic bugles4 ,we see thousands of     
assemblages1 and hear the appeals of    
orators2 we see the pale cheeks of      

women1 and the flushed faces of men2 and
 in those assemblages we see all the    
dead whose dust we have covered with    
flowers4 ,we lose sight of them no more4
 ,we are with them when they enlist in  
the great army of freedom4 ,we see them 
part with those they love4 ,some are    
walking for the last time in quiet1     
woody places with the maidens they      
adore4 ,we hear the whisperings and the 
sweet vows of eternal love as they      
lingeringly part forever4 ,others are   
bending over cradles kissing babes that 
are asleep4  ,some are receiving the    
blessings of old men4 ,some are parting 
with mothers who hold them and press    
them to their hearts again and again1   
and say nothing2 and some are talking   
with wives1 and endeavoring with brave  
words spoken in the old tones to drive  
away the awful fear4 ,we see them part4 
,we see the wife standing in the door   
with the babe in her arms--standing in  
the sunlight sobbing--at the turn of the
 road a hand waves--she answers by      

holding high in her loving hands the    
child4 ,he is gone1 and forever4  ,we   
see them all as they march proudly away 
under the flaunting flags1 keeping time 
to the wild music of war--marching down 
the streets of the great cities--through
 the towns and across the prairies--down
 to the fields of glory1 and do and to  
die for the eternal right4  ,we go with 
them one and all4 ,we are by their side 
on all the gory fields1 in all the      
hospitals of pain--on all the weary     
marches4 ,we stand guard with them in   
the wild storm and under the quiet      
stars4 ,we are with them in ravines     
running with blood--in the furrows of   
old fields4 ,we are with them between   
contending hosts1 unable to move1 wild  
with thirst1 the life ebbing slowly away
 among the withered leaves4 ,we see them
 pierced by balls and torn with shells  
in the trenches of forts1 and in the    
whirlwind of the charge1 where men      
become iron with nerves of steel4  ,we  
are with them in the prisons of hatred  

and famine1 but human speech can never  
tell what they endured4  ,we are at home
 when the news comes that they are dead4
 ,we see the maiden in the shadow of her
 sorrow4 ,we see the silvered head of   
the old man bowed with the last grief4  
,the past rises before us1 and we see   
four millions of human beings governed  
by the lash--we see them bound hand and 
foot--we hear the strokes of cruel      
whips--we see the hounds tracking women 
through tangled swamps4 ,we see babes   
sold from the breasts of mothers4       
,cruelty unspeakable6 ,outrage infinite6
  ,four million bodies in chains--four  
million souls in fetters4 ,all the      
sacred relations of wife1 mother1 father
 and child trampled beneath the brutal  
feet of might4 ,all this was done under 
our own beautiful banner of the free4   
,the past rises before us4 ,we hear the 
roar and shriek of the bursting shell4  
,the broken fetters fall4 ,there heroes 
died4 ,we look4 ,instead of slaves we   
see men and women and children4 ,the    

wand of progress touches the            
auction-block1 the slave-pen1 and the   
whipping-post1 and we see homes and     
firesides1 and school-houses and books1 
and where all was want and crime1 and   
cruelty and fear1 we see the faces of   
the free4  ,these heroes are dead4 ,they
 died for liberty--they died for us4    
,they are at rest1 ,they sleep in the   
land they made free1 under the flag they
 rendered stainless1 under the solemn   
pines1 the sad hemlocks1 the tearful    
willows1 the embracing vines4 ,they     
sleep beneath the shadows of the clouds1
 careless alike of sunshine or storm1   
each in the window-less palace of rest4 
,earth may run red with other wars--they
 are at peace4 ,in the midst of battle1 
in the roar of conflict1 they found the 
serenity of death4 ,i have one sentiment
 for the soldiers living and            
dead--cheers for the living and tears   
for the dead4     ,,epigrams4  ,it is   
not necessary to be a pig in order to   
raise one4  ,houses makes patriots4  ,a 

blow from a parent leaves a scar on the 
soul of the child4  ,free speech is the 
brain of the ,republic4  ,a mortgage    
casts a shadow on the sunniest field4   
,agriculture is the basis of all wealth4
  ,every man should endeavor to belong  
to himself4  ,it is better to be a whole
 farmer than part of a mechanic4        
,nothing is ever made by rascality4     
,one good school-master is worth a      
thousand priests4  ,a lie will not fit a
 fact4  ,out in the intellectual sea    
there is room for every sail4  ,an      
honest ,god is the noblest work of man4 
,to plow is to pray4  ,progress is born 
of courage4 ,fear paralyzes the brain4  
,,definitions4  ,a ,king is a           
non-producing thief1 sitting on a       
throne1 surrounded by vermin4  ,whiskey 
is the son of villainies1 the father of 
all crimes1 the mother of all           
abominations1 the devil's best friend1  
and ,god's worst enemy4  ,an ,orthodox  
,man is a gentleman petrified in his    
mind4  ,heresy is a cradle4  ,orthodoxy 

is a coffin4  ,chicago is a marvel of   
energy1 a miracle of nerva  ,the ,pulpit
 is a pillory4  ,theology is a          
superstition4  ,humanity is the only    
religion4  ,a ,republican is a man who  
loves something4  ,a ,democrat is a man 
who hates something4  ,germany is the   
,land of ,science4  ,civilization is the
 ,child of ,forethought  ,prejudice is  
the ,child of ,ignorance4  ,infidelity  
is ,liberty4  ,religion is ,slavery4    
,,beliefs4  ,i believe in absolute      
intellectual liberty4 ,i believe in     
,american labor4 ,i believe in the      
democracy of the fireside1 in the       
republicanism of the home4  ,i believe  
in liberty1 always and everywhere4 ,i   
believe in truth1 in investigation1 in  
forethought4  ,i believe in the gospel  
of education1 of cheerfulness1 of       
justice and intelligence4