,,need ,,to ,,redo ,,all ,,the ,,remove ,,lines3 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,robert ,g4 ,,ingersoll ,,arguments ,,cannot ,,be ,,answered ,,with ,,insults4 ,,kindness ,,is ,,strength2 ,,anger ,,blows ,,out ,,the ,,lamp ,,of ,,the ,,mind4 ,,in ,,the ,,examination ,,of ,a ,,great ,,and ,,important ,,question1 ,,every ,,one ,,should ,,be ,,serene1 ,,slow-,,pulsed ,,and ,,calm4 ,,in ,,twelve ,,volumes ,,volume ,,vi4 ,,discussions #aijj ,dresden ,edition ,,contents4 ,,the ,,christian ,,religion4 7#ahha47 ,i4 ,col4 ,ingersoll's ,opening ,paper--,statement of the ,fundamental ,truths of ,christianity--,reasons for ,thinking that ,portions of the ,old ,testament are the ,product of a ,barbarous ,people--,passages upholding ,slavery1 ,polygamy1 ,war1 and ,religious ,persecution not ,evidences of ,inspiration--,if the ,words are not ,inspired1 ,what ,is8--,commands of ,jehovah compared with the ,precepts of ,pagans and ,stoics--,epictetus1 ,cicero1 ,zeno1 ,seneca1 ,brahma--,,ii4 ,the ,new ,testament--,why were ,four ,gospels ,necessary8--,salvation by ,belief--,the ,doctrine of the ,atonement--,the ,jewish ,system ,culminating in the ,sacrifice of ,christ--,except for the ,crucifixion of her ,son1 the ,virgin ,mary would be among the ,lost--,what ,christ must have ,known would ,follow the ,acceptance of ,his ,teachings--,the ,wars of ,sects1 the ,inquisition1 the ,fields of ,death--,why did he not ,forbid it ,all8--,the ,little that he ,revealed--,the ,dogma of ,eternal ,punishment--,upon ,love's ,breast the ,church has ,placed the ,eternal ,asp--,,iii4 ,the ,inspired ,writers--,why did not ,god furnish ,every ,nation with a ,bible8 ,,ii4 ,judge ,black's ,reply--,his ,duty that of a ,policeman--,the ,church not in ,danger--,classes who ,break out into ,articulate ,blasphemy--,the ,sciolist--,personal ,remarks about ,col4 ,ingersoll--,chief-,justice ,gibson of ,pennsylvania ,quoted--,we have no ,jurisdiction or ,capacity to ,rejudge the ,justice of ,god--,the ,moral ,code of the ,bible--,civil ,government of the ,jews--,no ,standard of ,justice without ,belief in a ,god--,punishments for ,blasphemy and ,idolatry ,defended--,wars of ,conquest--,allusion to ,col4 ,ingersoll's ,war ,record--,slavery among the ,jews--,polygamy ,discouraged by the ,mosaic ,constitution--,jesus of ,nazareth and the ,establishment of his ,religion--,acceptance of ,christianity and ,adjudication upon its ,divinity--,the ,evangelists and their ,depositions--,the ,fundamental ,truths of ,christianity--,persecution and ,triumph of the ,church--,ingersoll's ,propositions ,compressed and the ,compressions ,answered--,salvation as a ,reward of ,belief--,punishment of ,unbelief--,the ,second ,birth1 ,atonement1 ,redemption1 ,non-resistance1 ,excessive ,punishment of ,sinners1 ,christ and ,persecution1 ,christianity and ,freedom of ,thought1 ,sufficiency of the ,gospel1 ,miracles1 ,moral ,effect of ,christianity4 ,,iii4 ,col4 ,ingersoll's ,rejoinder--,how this ,discussion ,came ,about--,natural ,law--,the ,design ,argument--,the ,right to ,rejudge the ,justice even of a ,god--,violation of the ,commandments by ,jehovah--,religious ,intolerance of the ,old ,testament--,judge ,black's ,justification of ,wars of ,extermination--,his ,defence of ,slavery--,polygamy not ,discouraged by the ,old ,testament--,position of ,woman under the ,jewish ,system and under that of the ,ancients--a ,policeman's ,view of ,god--,slavery under ,jehovah and in ,egypt--,the ,admission that ,jehovah gave no ,commandment against ,polygamy--,the ,learned and ,wise ,crawl back in ,cribs--,alleged ,harmony of ,old and ,new ,testaments--,on the ,assertion that the ,spread of ,christianity ,proves the ,supernatural ,origin of the ,gospel--,the ,argument applicable to ,all ,religions--,communications from ,angels ana ,gods--,authenticity of the ,statements of the ,evangelists--,three ,important ,manuscripts--,rise of ,mormonism--,ascension of ,christ--,the ,great ,public ,events alleged as ,fundamental ,truths of ,christianity--,judge ,black's ,system of ,compression--,a ,metaphysical ,question--,right and ,wrong--,justice--,christianity and ,freedom of ,thought--,heaven and ,hell--,production of ,god and the ,devil--,inspiration of the ,bible dependent on the ,credulity of the ,reader--,doubt of ,miracles--,the ,world before ,christ's ,advent--,respect for the ,man ,christ--,the ,dark ,ages--,institutions of ,mercy--,civil ,law4 ,,the ,,field-,,ingersoll ,,discussion4 7#ahhg47 ,an ,open ,letter to ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll--,superstitions--,basis of ,religion--,napoleon's ,question about the ,stars--,the ,idea of ,god--,crushing out ,hope--,atonement1 ,regeneration1 and ,future ,retribution--,socrates and ,jesus--,the ,language of ,col4 ,ingersoll characterized as too ,sweeping--,the ,sabbath--,but a ,step from ,sneering at ,religion to ,sneering at ,morality4 ,a ,reply to the ,rev4 ,henry ,m4 ,field1 ,d4 ,d4--,honest ,differences of ,opinion--,charles ,darwin--,dr4 ,field's ,distinction between ,superstition and ,religion--,the ,presbyterian ,god an ,infinite ,torquemada--,napoleon's ,sensitiveness to the ,divine ,influence--,the ,preference of ,agassiz--,the ,mysterious as an ,explanation--,the ,certainty that ,god is not what he is ,thought to ,be--,self-preservation the ,fibre of ,society--,did the ,assassination of ,lincoln ,illustrate the ,justice of ,god's ,judgments8--,immortality--,hope and the ,presbyterian ,creed--,to a ,mother at the ,grave of ,her ,son--,theological ,teaching of ,forgiveness--,on ,eternal ,retribution--,jesus and ,mohammed--,attacking the ,religion of ,others--,ananias and ,sapphira--,the ,pilgrims and ,freedom to ,worship--,the ,orthodox ,sabbath--,natural ,restraints on ,conduct--,religion and ,morality--,the ,efficacy of ,prayer--,respect for ,belief of ,father and ,mother--,the ,power behind ,nature--,survival of the ,fittest--,the ,saddest ,fact--,sober ,second ,thought4 ,a ,last ,word to ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll1 by ,dr4 ,field--,god not a ,presbyterian--,why ,col4 ,ingersoll's ,attacks on ,religion are ,resented--,god is more ,merciful than ,man--,theories about the ,future ,life--,retribution a ,necessary ,part of the ,divine ,law--,the ,case of ,robinson ,crusoe--,irresistible ,proof of ,design--,col4 ,ingersoll's ,view of ,immortality--,an ,almighty ,friend4 ,letter to ,dr4 ,field--,the ,presbyterian ,god--,what the ,presbyterians ,claim--,the ,incurably ,bad--,responsibility for not seeing ,things ,clearly--,good ,deeds should ,follow even ,atheists--,no ,credit in ,belief--,design ,argument that ,devours ,itself--,belief as a ,foundation of ,social ,order--,no ,consolation in ,orthodox ,religion--,the ,almighty ,friend and the ,slave ,mother--a ,hindu ,prayer--,calvinism--,christ not the ,supreme ,benefactor of the ,race4 ,,colonel ,,ingersoll ,,on ,,christianity4 7#ahhh47 ,some ,remarks on his ,reply to ,dr4 ,field by the ,hon4 ,wm4 ,e4 ,gladstone--,external ,triumph and ,prosperity of the ,church--,a ,truth ,half ,stated--,col4 ,ingersoll's ,tumultuous ,method and lack of ,reverential ,calm--,jephthah's ,sacrifice--,hebrews xii ,expounded--,the ,case of ,abraham--,darwinism and the ,scriptures--,why ,god demands ,sacrifices of ,man--,problems admitted to be ,insoluble--,relation of human ,genius to ,human ,greatness--,shakespeare and ,others--,christ and the ,family ,relation--,inaccuracy of ,reference in the ,reply--,ananias and ,sapphira--,the ,idea of ,immortality--,immunity of ,error in ,belief from ,moral ,responsibility--,on ,dishonesty in the ,formation of ,opinion--,a ,plausibility of the ,shallowest kind--,the ,system of ,thuggism--,persecution for ,opinion's ,sake--,riding an ,unbroken ,horse4 ,col4 ,ingersoll to ,mr4 ,gladstone--,on the ,impaired ,state of the human ,constitution--,unbelief not ,due to ,degeneracy--,objections to the ,scheme of ,redemption--,does ,man ,deserve only ,punishment8--,reverential ,calm--,the ,deity of the ,ancient ,jews--,jephthah and ,abraham--,relation between ,darwinism and the ,inspiration of the ,scriptures--,sacrifices to the ,infinite--,what is ,common ,sense8--,an ,argument that will ,defend every ,superstition--,the ,greatness of ,shakespeare--,the ,absolute ,indissolubility of ,marriage--,is the ,religion of ,christ for this ,age8--,as to ,ananias and ,sapphira--,immortality and ,people of ,low ,intellectual ,development--,can we ,control our ,thought8--,dishonest ,opinions ,cannot be ,formed--,some ,compensations for ,riding an ,unbroken ,horse4 ,,rome ,,or ,,reason8 7#ahhh47 ,the ,church ,its ,own ,witness1 by ,cardinal ,manning--,evidence that ,christianity is of ,divine ,origin--,the ,universality of the ,church--,natural ,causes not ,sufficient to ,account for the ,catholic ,church---,the ,world in which ,christianity ,arose--,birth of ,christ--,from ,st ,peter to ,leo ,,xiii4--,the ,first ,effect of ,christianity--,domestic ,life's ,second ,visible ,effect--,redemption of ,woman from traditional ,degradation--,change ,wrought by ,christianity upon the ,social1 ,political and ,international ,relations of the ,world--,proof that ,christianity is of ,divine ,origin and ,presence--,st4 ,john and the ,christian ,fathers--,sanctity of the ,church not ,affected by ,human ,sins4 ,a ,reply to ,cardinal ,manning--,i4 ,success not a ,demonstration of either ,divine ,origin or ,supernatural ,aid--,cardinal ,manning's ,argument ,more ,forcible in the ,mouth of a ,mohammedan--,why ,churches ,rise and ,flourish--,mormonism--,alleged ,universality of the ,catholic ,church--,its inexhaustible ,fruitfulness in ,good ,things--,the ,inquisition and ,persecution--,not ,invincible--,its ,sword used by ,spain--,its ,unity not ,unbroken--,the ,state of the ,world when ,christianity was ,established--,the ,vicar of ,christ--,a ,selection from ,draper's ,history of the ,intellectual ,development of ,europe--,some infamous ,popes--,part ,,ii4 ,how the ,pope ,speaks--,religions ,older than ,catholicism and having the ,same ,rites and ,sacraments--,is ,intellectual ,stagnation a ,demonstration of ,divine ,origin8--,integration and ,disintegration--,the ,condition of the ,world #cjj ,years ,ago--,the ,creed of ,catholicism--,the ,one true ,god with a ,knowledge of whom ,catholicism has filled the ,world--,did the ,catholic ,church overthrow ,idolatry8--,marriage--,celibacy--,human ,passions--,the ,cardinal's ,explanation of ,jehovah's abandonment of the ,children of ,men for four thousand ,years--,catholicism tested by ,paganism--,canon ,law and ,convictions had ,under ,it--,rival ,popes--,importance of a ,greek ,inflection--,the ,cardinal ,witnesses4 ,,is ,,divorce ,,wrong8 7#ahhi47 ,preface by the ,editor of the ,north ,american ,review--,introduction1 by the ,rev4 ,s4 ,w4 ,dike1 ,,ll4 ,d4--,a ,catholic ,view by ,cardinal ,gibbons--,divorce as ,regarded by the ,episcopal ,church1 by ,bishop1 ,henry ,c4 ,potter--,four ,questions ,answered1 by ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,divorce4 ,reply to ,cardinal ,gibbons--,indissolubility of ,marriage a ,reaction from ,polygamy--,biblical ,marriage--,polygamy ,simultaneous and ,successive--,marriage and ,divorce in the ,light of ,experience--,reply to ,bishop ,potter--,reply to ,mr4 ,gladstone--,justice ,bradley--,senator ,dolph--,the argument ,continued in ,colloquial ,form--,dialogue between ,cardinal ,gibbons and a ,maltreated ,wife--,she ,asks the ,advice of ,mr4 ,gladstone--,the ,priest who ,violated his ,vow--,absurdity of the ,divorce laws of ,some ,states4 ,,reply ,,to ,,dr4 ,,lyman ,,abbott4 7#ahij7 ,dr4 ,abbott's ,equivocations--,crimes ,punishable by ,death under ,mosaic and ,english ,law--,severity of ,moses ,accounted for by ,dr4 ,abbott--,the ,necessity for the ,acceptance of ,christianity--,christians should be ,glad to ,know that the ,bible is only the ,work of ,man and that the ,new ,testament ,life of ,christ is ,untrue--,all the ,good ,commandments1 ,known to the ,world thousands of ,years before ,moses--,human ,happiness of ,more ,consequence than the ,truth about ,god--,the ,appeal to ,great ,names--,gladstone not the ,greatest ,statesman--,what the ,agnostic ,says--,the ,magnificent ,mistakes of ,genesis--,the ,story of ,joseph--,abraham as a self-,exile for ,conscience's ,sake4 ,,reply ,,to ,,archdeacon ,,farrar4 7#ahij47 ,revelation as an ,appeal to ,man's ,spirit--,what is ,spirit and what is ,spiritual ,intuition8--,the ,archdeacon in ,conflict with ,st4 ,paul--,,ii4 ,the ,obligation to ,believe without ,evidence--,,iii4 ,ignorant ,credulity--,,iv4 ,a ,definition of ,orthodoxy--,v4 ,fear not necessarily ,cowardice--,prejudice is ,honest--,the ,ola has the ,advantage in an ,argument--,st4 ,augustine--,jerome--the ,appeal to ,charlemagne--,roger ,bacon--,lord ,bacon a ,defender of the ,copernican ,system--,the ,difficulty of finding out what ,great ,men ,believed--,names ,irrelevantly ,cited--,bancroft on the ,hessians--,original ,manuscripts of the ,bible--,,vi4 ,an ,infinite ,personality a ,contradiction in ,terms--,,vii4 ,a ,beginningless ,being--,,viii4 ,the ,cruelties of ,nature not to be ,harmonized with the ,goodness of a ,deity--,sayings from the ,indian--,origen1 ,st4 ,augustine1 ,dante1 ,aquinas4 ,,is ,,corporal ,,punishment ,,degrading8 7#ahij47 ,a ,reply to the ,dean of ,st4 ,paul--,growing ,confidence in the ,power of ,kindness--,crimes against ,soldiers and ,sailors--,misfortunes ,punished as ,crimes--,the ,dean's ,voice ,raised in ,favor of the ,brutalities of the ,past--,beating of ,children--,of ,wives--,dictum of ,solomon4 ,,the ,,christian ,,religion2 ,,ingersoll',s ,,opening ,,paper ,ingersoll-,black ,by ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll ,in the presence of eternity the mountains are as transient as the clouds4 ,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 church1 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 growing4 ,of course it is still claimed that we are a ,christian people1 indebted to something called ,christianity for all the progress we have made4 ,there is still a vast difference of opinion as to what ,christianity really is1 although many warring sects have been discussing that question1 with fire and sword1 through centuries of creed and crime4 ,every new sect has been denounced at its birth as illegitimate1 as a something born out of orthodox wedlock1 and that should have been allowed to perish on the steps where it was found4 ,of the relative merits of the various denominations1 it is sufficient to say that each claims to be right4 ,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 children 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 but that1 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--it may be with the addition of the sacraments of ,baptism and the ,last ,supper--constitute what is generally known as the ,christian religion4 ,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 ,it is needless to inquire into the causes that have led so many people to believe in the inspiration of the ,scriptures4 ,in my opinion1 they were and are mistaken1 and the mistake has hindered1 in countless ways1 the civilization of man4 ,the ,bible has been the fortress and defence of nearly every crime4 ,no civilized country could re-enact its laws1 and in many respects its moral code is abhorrent to every good and tender man4 ,it is admitted 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 ,without desiring to hurt the feeling8 of anybody1 ,i propose to give a few reasons for thinking that a few passages1 at least1 in the ,old ,testament are the product of a barbarous people4 ,in all civilized countries it is not only admitted1 but it is passionately asserted1 that slavery is and always was a hideous crime2 that a war of conquest is simply murder2 that polygamy is the enslavement of woman1 the degradation of man1 and the destruction of home2 that nothing is more infamous than the slaughter of decrepit men1 of helpless women1 and of prattling babes2 that captured maidens should not be given to soldiers2 that wives should not be stoned to death on account of their religious opinions1 and that the death penalty ought not to be inflicted for a violation of the ,sabbath4 ,we know that there was a time1 in the history of almost every nation1 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 sufferer's 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 ,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 buy1 and women could sell1 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 persecutions1 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 persecution1 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 ,we find that other nations beside the ,jews had similar laws and ideas2 that they believed in and practiced slavery and polygamy1 murdered women and children1 and exterminated their neighbors to the extent of their power4 ,it is not claimed that they received a revelation4 ,it is admitted that they had no knowledge of the true ,god4 ,and yet1 by a strange coincidence1 they practised the same crimes1 of their own motion1 that the ,jews did by the command of ,jehovah4 ,from this it would seem that man can do wrong without a special revelation4 ,it will hardly be claimed1 at this day1 that the passages in the ,bible upholding slavery1 polygamy1 war and religious persecution are evidences of the inspiration of that book4 ,suppose that there had been nothing in the ,old ,testament upholding these crimes1 would any modern ,christian suspect that it was not inspired1 on account of the 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 ,if the devil had inspired a book1 will some believer in the doctrine of inspiration tell us in what respect1 on the subjects of slavery1 polygamy1 war1 and liberty1 it would have differed from some parts of the ,old ,testament8 ,suppose that we should now discover a ,hindu book of equal antiquity with the ,old ,testament1 containing a defence 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 ,as most other nations at that time practiced these crimes1 and as the ,jews would have practiced them all1 even if left to themselves1 one can hardly see the necessity of any inspired commands upon these subjects4 ,is there a believer in the ,bible who does not wish that ,god1 amid the thunders and lightnings of ,sinai1 had distinctly said to ,moses that man should not own his fellow-man2 that women should not sell their babes2 that men should be allowed to think and investigate for themselves1 and that the sword should never be unsheathed to shed the blood of honest men8 ,is there a believer in the world1 who would not be delighted to find that every one of these infamous passages are interpolations1 and that the skirts of ,god were never reddened by the blood of maiden1 wife1 or babe8 ,is there a believer who does not regret that ,god commanded a husband to stone his wife to death for suggesting the worship of the sun or moon8 ,surely1 the light of experience is enough to tell us that slavery is wrong1 that polygamy is infamous1 and that murder is not a virtue4 ,no one will now contend that it was worth ,god's while to impart the information to ,moses1 or to ,joshua1 or to anybody else1 that the ,jewish people might purchase slaves of the heathen1 or that it was their duty to exterminate the natives of the ,holy ,land4 ,the deists have contended that the ,old ,testament is too cruel and barbarous to be the work of a wise and loving ,god4 ,to this1 the theologians have replied1 that nature is just as cruel2 that the earthquake1 the volcano1 the pestilence and storm1 are just as savage as the ,jewish ,god2 and to my mind this is a perfect answer4 ,suppose that we knew that after inspired men had finished the ,bible1 the devil got possession of it1 and wrote a few passages2 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 yourselves48 ,it may be that the best way to illustrate what ,i have said of the ,old ,testament is to compare some of the supposed teachings of ,jehovah with those of persons who never read an inspired line1 and who lived and died without having received the light of revelation4 ,nothing can be more suggestive than a comparison of the ideas of ,jehovah--the inspired words of the one claimed to be the infinite ,god1 as recorded in the ,bible--with those that have been expressed by men who1 all admit1 received no help from heaven4 ,in all ages of which any record has been preserved1 there have been those who gave their ideas of justice1 charity1 liberty1 love 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 ,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 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 ,for the purpose of this perfect arrangement1 the writers1 according to the ,christian world1 were inspired4 ,were some sculptor inspired of ,god to make a statue perfect in its every part1 we would not say that the marble was inspired1 but the statue--the relation of part to part1 the married harmony of form and function4 ,the language1 the words1 take the place of the marble1 and it is the arrangement of these words that ,christians claim to be inspired4 ,if there is one uninspired word1--that is1 one word in the wrong place1 or a word that ought not to be there1--to that extent the ,bible is an uninspired book4 ,the moment it is admitted that some words are not1 in their arrangement as to other words1 inspired1 then1 unless with absolute certainty these words can be pointed out1 a doubt is cast on all the words the book contains4 ,if it was worth ,god's while to make a revelation to man at all1 it was certainly worth his while to see that it was correctly made4 ,he would not have allowed the ideas and mistakes of pretended prophets and designing priests to become so mingled with the original text that it is impossible to tell where he ceased and where the priests and prophets began4 ,neither will it do to say that ,god adapted his revelation to the prejudices of mankind4 ,of course it was necessary for an infinite being to adapt his revelation to the intellectual capacity of man2 but why should ,god confirm a barbarian in his prejudices8 ,why should he fortify a heathen in his crimes8 ,if a revelation is of any importance whatever1 it is to eradicate prejudices from the human mind4 ,it should be a lever with which to raise the human race4 ,theologians ,have exhausted their ingenuity in finding excuses for ,god4 ,it seems to me that they would be better employed in finding excuses for men4 ,they tell us that the ,jews were so cruel and ignorant that ,god was compelled to justify1 or nearly to justify1 many of their crimes1 in order to have any influence with them whatever4 ,they tell us that if he had declared slavery and polygamy to be criminal1 the ,jews would have refused to receive the ,ten ,commandments4 ,they insist that1 under the circumstances1 ,god did the best he could2 that his real intention was to lead them along slowly1 step by step1 so that1 in a few hundred years1 they would be induced to admit that it was hardly fair to steal a babe from its mother's breast4 ,it has always seemed reasonable that an infinite ,god ought to have been able to make man grand enough to know1 even without a special revelation1 that it is not altogether right to steal the labor1 or the wife1 or the child1 of another4 ,when the whole question is thoroughly examined1 the world will find that ,jehovah had the prejudices1 the hatreds1 and superstitions of his day4 ,if there is anything of value1 it is liberty4 ,liberty is the air of the soul1 the sunshine of life4 ,without it the world is a prison and the universe an infinite dungeon4 ,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 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 earth1 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 their 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 ,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 ,jehovah 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 them2 thou shalt make no covenant with them1 nor show mercy unto 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 would'st have thy superiors live with thee4 ,is it possible1 after all1 that a being of infinite goodness and wisdom said3 ,i will heap mischief upon them3 ,i will spend mine arrows upon them4 ,they shall be burnt with hunger1 and devoured with burning heat1 and with bitter destruction3 ,i will also send the teeth of beasts upon them1 with the poison of serpents of the dust4 ,the sword without1 and terror within1 shall destroy both the young man and the virgin1 the suckling also1 with the man of gray hairs2 while ,seneca1 an uninspired ,roman1 said3 ,the wise man will not pardon any crime that ought to be punished1 but he will accomplish1 in a nobler way1 all that is sought in pardoning4 ,he will spare some and watch over some1 because of their youth1 and others on account of their ignorance4 ,his clemency will not fall short of justice1 but will fulfill it perfectly4 ,can we believe that ,god ever said of any one3 ,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 labor2 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 ,god1 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 into 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 ,,ii4 ,,waiving the contradictory statements in the various books of the ,new ,testament2 leaving out of the question the history of the manuscripts2 saying nothing about the errors in translation and the interpolations made by the fathers2 and admitting1 for the time being1 that the books were all written at the times claimed1 and by the persons whose names they bear1 the questions of inspiration1 probability1 and absurdity still remain4 ,as a rule1 where several persons testify to the same transaction1 while agreeing in the main points1 they will disagree upon many minor things1 and such disagreement upon minor matters is generally considered as evidence that the witnesses have not agreed among themselves upon the story they should tell4 ,these differences in statement we account for from the facts that all did not see alike1 that all did not have the same opportunity for seeing1 and that all had not equally good memories4 ,but when we claim that the witnesses were inspired1 we must admit that he who inspired them did know exactly what occurred1 and consequently there should be no contradiction1 even in the minutest detail4 ,the accounts should be not only substantially1 but they should be actually1 the same4 ,it is impossible to account for any differences1 or any contradictions1 except from the weaknesses of human nature1 and these weaknesses cannot be predicated of divine wisdom4 ,why should there be more than one correct account of anything8 ,why were four gospels necessary8 ,one inspired record of all that happened ought to be enough4 ,one great objection to the ,old ,testament is the cruelty said to have been commanded by ,god1 but all the cruelties recounted in the ,old ,testament ceased with death4 ,the vengeance of ,jehovah stopped at the portal of the tomb4 ,he never threatened to avenge himself upon the dead2 and not one word1 from the first mistake in ,genesis to the last curse of ,malachi1 contains the slightest intimation that ,god will punish in another world4 ,it was reserved for the ,new ,testament to make known the frightful doctrine of eternal pain4 ,it was the teacher of universal benevolence who rent the veil between time and eternity1 and fixed the horrified gaze of man on the lurid gulfs of hell4 ,within the breast of non-resistance was coiled the worm that never dies4 ,one great objection to the ,new ,testament is that it bases salvation upon belief4 ,this1 at least1 is true of the ,gospel according to ,john1 and of many of the ,epistles4 ,i admit that ,matthew never heard of the atonement1 and died utterly ignorant of the scheme of salvation4 ,i also admit that ,mark never dreamed that it was necessary for a man to be born again2 that he knew nothing of the mysterious doctrine of regeneration1 and that he never even suspected that it was necessary to believe anything4 ,in the sixteenth chapter of ,mark1 we are told that ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved1 but he that believeth not shall be damned2 but this passage has been shown to be an interpolation1 and1 consequently1 not a solitary word is found in the ,gospel according to ,mark upon the subject of salvation by faith4 ,the same is also true of the ,gospel of ,luke4 ,it says not one word as to the necessity of believing on ,jesus ,christ1 not one word as to the atonement1 not one word upon the scheme of salvation1 and not the slightest hint that it is necessary to believe anything here in order to be happy hereafter4 ,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 ,according to the prevailing ,christian belief1 the ,christian religion rests upon the doctrine of the atonement4 ,if this doctrine is without foundation1 if it is repugnant to justice and mercy1 the fabric falls4 ,we are told that the first man committed a crime for which all his posterity are responsible1--in other words1 that we are accountable1 and can be justly punished for a sin we never in fact committed4 ,this absurdity was the father of another1 namely1 that a man can be rewarded for a good action done by another4 ,god1 according to the modern theologians1 made a law1 with the penalty of eternal death for its infraction4 ,all men1 they say1 have broken that law4 ,in the economy of heaven1 this law had to be vindicated4 ,this could be done by damning the whole human race4 ,through what is known as the atonement1 the salvation of a few was made possible4 ,they insist that the law--whatever that is--demanded the extreme penalty1 that justice called for its victims1 and that even mercy ceased to plead4 ,under these circumstances1 ,god1 by allowing the innocent to suffer1 satisfactorily settled with the law1 and allowed a few of the guilty to escape4 ,the law was satisfied with this arrangement4 ,to carry out this scheme1 ,god was born as a babe into this world4 ,he grew in stature and increased in knowledge4 ,at the age of thirty-three1 after having lived a life filled with kindness1 charity and nobility1 after having practiced every virtue1 he was sacrificed as an atonement for man4 ,it is claimed that he actually took our place1 and bore our sins and our guilt2 that in this way the justice of ,god was satisfied1 and that the blood of ,christ was an atonement1 an expiation1 for the sins of all who might believe on him4 ,under the ,mosaic dispensation1 there was no remission of sin except through the shedding of blood4 ,if a man committed certain sins1 he must bring to the priest a lamb1 a bullock1 a goat1 or a pair of turtle-doves4 ,the priest would lay his hands upon the animal1 and the sin of the man would be transferred4 ,then the animal would be killed in the place of the real sinner1 and the blood thus shed and sprinkled upon the altar would be an atonement4 ,in this way ,jehovah was satisfied4 ,the greater the crime1 the greater the sacrifice--the more blood1 the greater the atonement4 ,there was always a certain ratio between the value of the animal and the enormity of the sin4 ,the most minute directions were given about the killing of these animals1 and about the sprinkling of their blood4 ,every priest became a butcher1 and every sanctuary a slaughter-house4 ,nothing could be more utterly shocking to a refined and loving soul4 ,nothing could have been better calculated to harden the heart than this continual shedding of innocent blood4 ,this terrible system is supposed to have culminated in the sacrifice of ,christ4 ,his blood took the place of all other4 ,it is necessary to shed no more4 ,the law at last is satisfied1 satiated1 surfeited4 ,the idea that ,god wants blood is at the bottom of the atonement1 and rests upon the most fearful savagery4 ,how can sin be transferred from men to animals1 and how can the shedding of the blood of animals atone for the sins of men8 ,the church says that the sinner is in debt to ,god1 and that the obligation is discharged by the ,savior4 ,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 ,there are in nature neither rewards nor punishments--there are consequences4 ,the life of ,christ is worth its example1 its moral force1 its heroism of benevolence4 ,to make innocence suffer is the greatest sin2 how then is it possible to make the suffering of the innocent a justification for the criminal8 ,why should a man be willing to let the innocent suffer for him8 ,does not the willingness show that he is utterly unworthy of the sacrifice8 ,certainly1 no man would be fit for heaven who would consent that an innocent person should suffer for his sin4 ,what would we think of a man who would allow another to die for a crime that he himself had committed8 ,what would we think of a law that allowed the innocent to take the place of the guilty8 ,is it possible to vindicate a just law by inflicting punishment on the innocent8 ,would not that be a second violation instead of a vindication8 ,if there was no general atonement until the crucifixion of ,christ1 what became of the countless millions who died before that time8 ,and it must be remembered that the blood shed by the ,jews was not for other nations4 ,jehovah hated foreigners4 ,the ,gentiles were left without forgiveness ,what has become of the millions who have died since1 without having heard of the atonement8 ,what becomes of those who have heard but have not believed8 ,it seems to me that the doctrine of the atonement is absurd1 unjust1 and immoral4 ,can a law be satisfied by the execution of the wrong person8 ,when a man commits a crime1 the law demands his punishment1 not that of a substitute2 and there can be no law1 human or divine1 that can be satisfied by the punishment of a substitute4 ,can there be a law that demands that the guilty be rewarded8 ,and yet1 to reward the guilty is far nearer justice than to punish the innocent4 ,according to the orthodox theology1 there would have been no heaven had no atonement been made4 ,all the children of men would have been cast into hell forever4 ,the old men bowed with grief1 the smiling mothers1 the sweet babes1 the loving maidens1 the brave1 the tender1 and the just1 would have been given over to eternal pain4 ,man1 it is claimed1 can make no atonement for himself4 ,if he commits one sin1 and with that exception lives a life of perfect virtue1 still that one sin would remain unexpiated1 unatoned1 and for that one sin he would be forever lost4 ,to be saved by the goodness of another1 to be a redeemed debtor forever1 has in it something repugnant to manhood4 ,we must also remember that ,jehovah took special charge of the ,jewish people2 and we have always been taught that he did so for the purpose of civilizing them4 ,if he had succeeded in civilizing the ,jews1 he would have made the damnation of the entire human race a certainty2 because1 if the ,jews had been a civilized people when ,christ appeared1--a people whose hearts had not been hardened by the laws and teachings of ,jehovah1--they would not have crucified him1 and1 as a consequence1 the world would have been lost4 ,if the ,jews had believed in religious freedom1--in the right of thought and speech1--not a human soul could ever have been saved4 ,if1 when ,christ was on his way to ,calvary1 some brave1 heroic soul had rescued him from the holy mob1 he would not only have been eternally damned for his pains1 but would have rendered impossible the salvation of any human being1 and1 except for the crucifixion of her son1 the ,virgin ,mary1 if the church is right1 would be to-day among the lost4 ,in countless ways the ,christian world has endeavored1 for nearly two thousand years1 to explain the atonement1 and every effort has ended in an admission 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 ,another objection is that a certain belief is necessary to save the soul4 ,it is often asserted that to believe is the only safe way4 ,if you wish to be safe1 be honest4 ,nothing can be safer than that4 ,no matter what his belief may be1 no man1 even in the hour of death1 can regret having been honest4 ,it never can be necessary to throw away your reason to save your soul4 ,a soul without reason is scarcely worth saving4 ,there is no more degrading doctrine than that of mental non-resistance4 ,the soul has a right to defend its castle--the brain1 and he who waives that right becomes a serf and slave4 ,neither can ,i admit that a man1 by doing me an injury1 can place me under obligation to do him a service4 ,to render benefits for injuries is to ignore all distinctions between actions4 ,he who treats his friends and enemies alike has neither love nor justice4 ,the idea of non-resistance never occurred to a man with power to protect himself4 ,this doctrine was the child of weakness1 born when resistance was impossible4 ,to allow a crime to be committed when you can prevent it1 is next to committing the crime yourself4 ,and yet1 under the banner of non-resistance1 the church has shed the blood of millions1 and in the folds of her sacred vestments have gleamed the daggers of assassination4 ,with her cunning hands she wove the purple for hypocrisy1 and placed the crown upon the brow of crime4 ,for a thousand years larceny held the scales of justice1 while beggars scorned the princely sons of toil1 and ignorant fear denounced the liberty of thought4 ,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 robbed1 and women's breasts unbabed for gold1 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 ,he came1 they tell us1 to make a revelation1 and what did he reveal8 ,love thy neighbor as thyself8 ,that was in the ,old ,testament4 ,love ,god with all thy heart8 ,that was in the ,old ,testament4 ,return good for evil8 ,that was said by ,buddha seven hundred years before he was born4 ,do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you8 ,this was the doctrine of ,lao-tsze4 ,did he come to give a rule of action8 ,zoroaster had done this long before3 ,whenever thou art in doubt as to whether an action is good or bad1 abstain from it4 ,did he come to teach us of another world8 ,the immortality of the soul had been taught by ,hindus1 ,egyptians1 ,greeks1 and ,romans hundreds of years before he was born4 ,long before1 the world had been told by ,socrates that3 ,one who is injured ought not to return the injury1 for on no account can it be right to do an injustice2 and it is not right to return an injury1 or to do evil to any man1 however much we may have suffered from him4 ,and ,cicero had said3 ,let us not listen to those who think that we ought to be angry with our enemies1 and who believe this to be great and manly3 nothing is more praiseworthy1 nothing so clearly shows a great and noble soul1 as clemency and readiness to forgive4 ,is there anything nearer perfect than this from ,confucius3 ,for benefits return benefits2 for injuries return justice without any admixture of revenge8 ,the dogma of eternal punishment rests upon passages in the ,new ,testament4 ,this infamous belief subverts every idea of justice4 ,around the angel of immortality the church has coiled this serpent4 ,a finite being can neither commit an infinite sin1 nor a sin against the infinite4 ,a being of infinite goodness and wisdom has no right1 according to the human standard of justice1 to create any being destined to suffer eternal pain4 ,a being of infinite wisdom would not create a failure1 and surely a man destined to everlasting agony is not a success4 ,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 total 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 flakes and drops and leaves 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 ,,iii4 ,,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 ,most nations1 at the time the ,old ,testament was written1 believed in slavery1 polygamy1 wars of extermination1 and religious persecution2 and it is not wonderful that the book contained nothing contrary to such belief4 ,the fact that it was in exact accord with the morality of its time proves that it was not the product of any being superior to man4 ,the inspired writers upheld or established slavery1 countenanced polygamy1 commanded wars of extermination1 and ordered the slaughter of women and babes4 ,in these respects they were precisely like the uninspired savages by whom they were surrounded4 ,they also taught and commanded religious persecution as a duty1 and visited the most trivial offences with the punishment of death4 ,in these particulars they were in exact accord with their barbarian neighbors4 ,they were utterly ignorant of geology and astronomy1 and knew no more of what had happened than of what would happen2 and1 so far as accuracy is concerned1 their history and prophecy were about equal2 in other words1 they were just as ignorant as those who lived and died in nature's night4 ,does any ,christian believe that if ,god were to write a book now1 he would uphold the crimes commanded in the ,old ,testament8 ,has ,jehovah improved8 ,has infinite mercy-become more merciful8 ,has infinite wisdom intellectually-advanced8 ,will any one claim that the passages upholding slavery have liberated mankind2 that we are indebted for our modern homes to the texts that made polygamy a virtue2 or that religious liberty found its soil1 its light1 and rain in the infamous verse wherein the husband is commanded to stone to death the wife for worshiping an unknown god8 ,the usual answer to these objections is that no country has ever been civilized without the ,bible4 ,the ,jews were the only people to whom ,jehovah made his will directly known1--the only people who had the ,old ,testament4 ,other nations were utterly neglected by their ,creator4 ,yet1 such was the effect of the ,old ,testament on the ,jews1 that they crucified a kind1 loving1 and perfectly innocent man4 ,they could not have done much worse without a ,bible4 ,in the crucifixion of ,christ1 they followed the teachings of his ,father4 ,if1 as it is now alleged by the theologians1 no nation can be civilized without a ,bible1 certainly ,god must have known the fact six thousand years ago1 as well as the theologians know it now4 ,why did he not furnish every nation with a ,bible8 ,as to the ,old ,testament1 ,i insist that all the bad passages were written by men2 that those passages were not inspired4 ,i insist that a being of infinite goodness never commanded man to enslave his fellow-man1 never told a mother to sell her babe1 never established polygamy1 never ordered one nation to exterminate another1 and never told a husband to kill his wife because she suggested the worshiping of some other ,god4 ,i also insist that the ,old ,testament would be a much better book with all of these passages left out2 and1 whatever may be said of the rest1 the passages to which attention has been drawn can with vastly more propriety be attributed to a devil than to a god4 ,take from the ,new ,testament all passages upholding the idea that belief is necessary to salvation2 that ,christ was offered as an atonement for the sins of the world2 that the punishment of the human soul will go on forever2 that heaven is the reward of faith1 and hell the penalty of honest investigation2 take from it all miraculous stories1--and ,i admit that all the good passages are true4 ,if they are true1 it makes no difference whether they are inspired or not4 ,inspiration is only necessary to give authority to that which is repugnant to human reason4 ,only that which never happened needs to be substantiated by miracles4 ,the universe is natural4 ,the church must cease to insist that the passages upholding the institutions of savage men were inspired of ,god4 ,the dogma of the atonement must be abandoned4 ,good deeds must take the place of faith4 ,the savagery of eternal punishment must be renounced4 ,credulity is not a virtue1 and investigation is not a crime4 ,miracles are the children of mendacity4 ,nothing can be more wonderful than the majestic1 unbroken1 sublime1 and eternal procession of causes and effects4 ,reason must be the final arbiter4 ,inspired books attested by miracles cannot stand against a demonstrated fact4 ,a religion that does not command the respect of the greatest minds will1 in a little while1 excite the mockery of all4 ,every civilized man believes in the liberty of thought4 ,is it possible that ,god is intolerant8 ,is an act infamous in man one of the virtues of the ,deity8 ,could there be progress in heaven without intellectual liberty8 ,is the freedom of the future to exist only in perdition8 ,is it not1 after all1 barely possible that a man acting like ,christ can be saved8 ,is a man to be eternally rewarded for believing according to evidence1 without evidence1 or against evidence8 ,are we to be saved because we are good1 or because another was virtuous8 ,is credulity to be winged and crowned1 while honest doubt is chained and damned8 ,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 the 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 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,the ,,christian ,,religion1 ,,by ,,jeremiah ,s4 ,,black4 ,gratiano speaks of an infinite deal of nothing1 more than any man in all ,venice3 his reasons are as two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff2 you shall seek all day ere you find them2 and when you have them they are not worth the search4--,merchant of ,venice4 ,,the request to answer the foregoing paper comes to me1 not in the form but with the effect of a challenge1 which ,i cannot decline without seeming to acknowledge that the religion of the civilized world is an absurd superstition1 propagated by impostors1 professed by hypocrites1 and believed only by credulous dupes4 ,but why should ,i1 an unlearned and unauthorized layman1 be placed in such a predicament8 ,the explanation is easy enough4 ,this is no business of the priests4 ,their prescribed duty is to preach the word1 in the full assurance that it will commend itself to all good and honest hearts by its own manifest veracity and the singular purity of its precepts4 ,they cannot afford to turn away from their proper work1 and leave willing hearers uninstructed1 while they wrangle in vain with a predetermined opponent4 ,they were warned to expect slander1 indignity1 and insult1 and these are among the evils which they must not resist4 ,it will be seen that ,i am assuming no clerical function4 ,i am not out on the forlorn hope of converting ,mr4 ,ingersoll4 ,i am no preacher exhorting a sinner to leave the seat of the scornful and come up to the bench of the penitents4 ,my duty is more analogous to that of the policeman who would silence a rude disturber of the congregation by telling him that his clamor is false and his conduct an offence against public decency4 ,nor is the ,church in any danger which calls for the special vigilance of its servants4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll thinks that the rock-founded faith of ,christendom is giving way before his assaults1 but he is grossly mistaken4 ,the first sentence of his essay is a preposterous blunder4 ,it is not true that a profound change has taken place in the world of thought1 unless a more rapid spread of the ,gospel and a more faithful observance of its moral principles can be called so4 ,its truths are everywhere proclaimed with the power of sincere conviction1 and accepted with devout reverence by uncounted multitudes of all classes4 ,solemn temples rise to its honor in the great cities2 from every hill-top in the country you see the church-spire pointing toward heaven1 and on ,sunday all the paths that lead to it are crowded with worshipers4 ,in nearly all families1 parents teach their children that ,christ is ,god1 and his system of morality absolutely perfect4 ,this belief lies so deep in the popular heart that1 if every written record of it were destroyed to-day1 the memory of millions could reproduce it to-morrow4 ,its earnestness is proved by its works4 ,wherever it goes it manifests itself in deeds of practical benevolence4 ,it builds1 not churches alone1 but almshouses1 hospitals1 and asylums4 ,it shelters the poor1 feeds the hungry1 visits the sick1 consoles the afflicted1 provides for the fatherless1 comforts the heart of the widow1 instructs the ignorant1 reforms the vicious1 and saves to the uttermost them that are ready to perish4 ,to the common observer1 it does not look as if ,christianity was making itself ready to be swallowed up by ,infidelity4 ,thus far1 at least1 the promise has been kept that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,there is1 to be sure1 a change in the party hostile to religion--not a profound change1 but a change entirely superficial--which consists1 not in thought1 but merely in modes of expression and methods of attack4 ,the bad classes of society always hated the doctrine and discipline which reproached their wickedness and frightened them by threats of punishment in another world4 ,aforetime they showed their contempt of divine authority only by their actions2 but now1 under new leadership1 their enmity against ,god breaks out into articulate blasphemy4 ,they assemble themselves together1 they hear with passionate admiration the bold harangue which ridicules and defies the ,maker of the universe2 fiercely they rage against the ,highest1 and loudly they laugh1 alike at the justice that condemns1 and the mercy that offers to pardon them4 ,the orator who relieves them by assurances of impunity1 and tells them that no supreme authority has made any law to control them1 is applauded to the echo and paid a high price for his congenial labor2 he pockets their money1 and flatters himself that he is a great power1 profoundly moving the world of thought4 ,there is another totally false notion expressed in the opening paragraph1 namely1 that they who know most of nature believe the least about theology4 ,the truth is exactly the other way4 ,the more clearly one sees the grand procession of causes and effects1 the more awful his reverence becomes for the author of the sublime and unbroken law which links them together4 ,not self-conceit and rebellious pride1 but unspeakable humility1 and a deep sense of the measureless distance between the ,creator and the creature1 fills the mind of him who looks with a rational spirit upon the works of the ,all-wise ,one4 ,the heart of ,newton repeats the solemn confession of ,david3 ,when ,i consider thy heavens1 the work of thy fingers1 the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained2 what is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visitest him8 ,at the same time1 the lamentable fact must be admitted that a little learning is a dangerous thing to some persons4 ,the sciolist with a mere smattering of physical knowledge is apt to mistake himself for a philosopher1 and swelling with his own importance1 he gives out1 like ,simon ,magus1 that himself is some great one4 ,his vanity becomes inflamed more and more1 until he begins to think he knows all things4 ,he takes every occasion to show his accomplishments by finding fault with the works of creation99 and ,providence2 and this is an exercise in which he cannot long continue without learning to disbelieve in any ,being greater than himself4 ,it was to such a person1 and not to the unpretending simpleton1 that ,solomon applied his often quoted aphorism3 ,the fool hath said in his heart1 there is no ,god4 ,these are what ,paul refers to as vain babblings and the opposition of science1 falsely so called2 but they are perfectly powerless to stop or turn aside the great current of human thought on the subject of ,christian theology4 ,that majestic stream1 supplied from a thousand unfailing fountains1 rolls on and will roll forever4 ,labitur et labetur in omne volubilis aevum4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll is not1 as some have estimated him1 the most formidable enemy that ,christianity has encountered since the time of ,julian the ,apostate4 ,but he stands at the head of living infidels1 by merit raised to that bad eminence4 ,his mental organization has the peculiar defects which fit him for such a place4 ,he is all imagination and no discretion4 ,he rises sometimes into a region of wild poetry1 where he can color everything to suit himself4 ,his motto well expresses the character of his argumentation--mountains are as unstable as clouds3 a fancy is as good as a fact1 and a high-sounding period is rather better than a logical demonstration4 ,his inordinate self-confidence makes him at once ferocious and fearless4 ,he was a practical politician before he took the stump against ,christianity1 and at all times he has proved his capacity to split the ears of the groundlings1 and make the unskillful laugh4 ,the article before us is the least objectionable of all his productions4 ,its style is higher1 and better suited to the weight of the theme4 ,here the violence of his fierce invective is moderated2 his scurrility gives place to an attempt at sophistry less shocking if not more true2 and his coarse jokes are either excluded altogether1 or else veiled in the decent obscurity of general terms4 ,such a paper from such a man1 at a time like the present1 is not wholly unworthy of a grave contradiction4 ,he makes certain charges which we answer by an explicit denial1 and thus an issue is made1 upon which1 as a pleader would say1 we put ourselves upon the country4 ,he avers that a certain something called ,christianity is a false faith imposed on the world without evidence2 that the facts it pretends to rest on are mere inventions2 that its doctrines are pernicious2 that its requirements are unreasonable1 and that its sanctions are cruel4 ,i deny all this1 and assert1 on the contrary1 that its doctrines are divinely revealed2 its fundamental facts incontestably proved2 its morality perfectly free from all taint of error1 and its influence most beneficent upon society in general1 and upon all individuals who accept it and make it their rule of action4 ,how shall this be determined8 ,not by what we call divine revelation1 for that would be begging the question2 not by sentiment1 taste1 or temper1 for these are as likely to be false as true2 but by inductive reasoning from evidence1 of which the value is to be measured according to those rules of logic which enlightened and just men everywhere have adopted to guide them in the search for truth4 ,we can appeal only to that rational love of justice1 and that detestation of falsehood1 which fair-minded persons of good intelligence bring to the consideration of other important subjects when it becomes their duty to decide upon them4 ,in short1 ,i want a decision upon sound judicial principles4 ,gibson1 the great ,chief-,justice of ,pennsylvania1 once said to certain skeptical friends of his3 ,give ,christianity a common-law trial2 submit the evidence pro and con to an impartial jury under the direction of a competent court1 and the verdict will assuredly be in its favor4 ,this deliverance1 coming from the most illustrious judge of his time1 not at all given to expressions of sentimental piety1 and quite incapable of speaking on any subject for mere effect1 staggered the unbelief of those who heard it4 ,i did not know him then1 except by his great reputation for ability and integrity1 but my thoughts were strongly influenced by his authority1 and ,i learned to set a still higher value upon all his opinions1 when1 in after life1 ,i was honored with his close and intimate friendship4 ,let ,christianity have a trial on ,mr4 ,ingersoll's indictment1 and give us a decision secundum allegata et probata4 ,i will confine myself strictly to the record2 that is to say1 ,i will meet the accusations contained in this paper1 and not those made elsewhere by him or others4 ,his first specification against ,christianity is the belief of its disciples that there is a personal ,god1 the creator of the material universe4 ,if ,god made the world it was a most stupendous miracle1 and all miracles1 according to ,mr4 ,ingersoll's idea are the children of mendacity4 ,to admit the one great miracle of creation would be an admission that other miracles are at least probable1 and that would ruin his whole case4 ,but you cannot catch the leviathan of atheism with a hook4 ,the universe1 he says1 is natural--it came into being of its own accord2 it made its own laws at the start1 and afterward improved itself considerably by spontaneous evolution4 ,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 ,being1 of power and wisdom to us inconceivable4 ,conviction of the fact 7miraculous though it be7 forces itself on every one whose mental faculties are healthy and tolerably well balanced4 ,the notion that all things owe their origin and their harmonious arrangement to the fortuitous concurrence of atoms is a kind of lunacy which very few men in these days are afflicted with4 ,i hope ,i may safely assume it as certain that all1 or nearly all1 who read this page will have sense and reason enough to see for themselves that the plan of the universe could not have been designed without a ,designer or executed without a ,maker4 ,but ,mr4 ,ingersoll asserts that1 at all events1 this material world had not a good and beneficent creator2 it is a bad1 savage1 cruel piece of work1 with its pestilences1 storms1 earthquakes1 and volcanoes2 and man1 with his liability to sickness1 suffering1 and death1 is not a success1 but1 on the contrary1 a failure4 ,to defend the ,creator of the world against an arraignment so foul as this would be almost as unbecoming as to make the accusation4 ,we have neither jurisdiction nor capacity to rejudge the justice of ,god4 ,why man is made to fill this particular place in the scale of creation--a little lower than the angels1 yet far above the brutes2 not passionless and pure1 like the former1 nor mere machines1 like the latter2 able to stand1 yet free to fall2 knowing the right1 and accountable for going wrong2 gifted with reason1 and impelled by self-love to exercise the faculty--these are questions on which we may have our speculative opinions1 but knowledge is out of our reach4 ,meantime1 we do not discredit our mental independence by taking it for granted that the ,supreme ,being has done all things well4 ,our ignorance of the whole scheme makes us poor critics upon the small part that comes within our limited perceptions4 ,seeming defects in the structure of the world may be its most perfect ornament--all apparent harshness the tenderest of mercies4 ,all discord1 harmony not understood1 ,all partial evil1 universal good4 ,but worse errors are imputed to ,god as moral ruler of the world than those charged against him as creator4 ,he made man badly1 but governed him worse2 if the ,jehovah of the ,old ,testament was not merely an imaginary being1 then1 according to ,mr4 ,ingersoll1 he was a prejudiced1 barbarous1 criminal tyrant4 ,we will see what ground he lays1 if any1 for these outrageous assertions4 ,mainly1 principally1 first and most important of all1 is the unqualified assertion that the moral code which ,jehovah gave to his people is in many respects abhorrent to every good and tender man4 ,does ,mr4 ,ingersoll know what he is talking about8 ,the moral code of the ,bible consists of certain immutable rules to govern the conduct of all men1 at all times and all places1 in their private and personal relations with one another4 ,it is entirely separate and apart from the civil polity1 the religious forms1 the sanitary provisions1 the police regulations1 and the system of international law laid down for the special and exclusive observance of the ,jewish people4 ,this is a distinction which every intelligent man knows how to make4 ,has ,mr4 ,ingersoll fallen into the egregious blunder of confounding these things8 or1 understanding the true sense of his words1 is he rash and shameless enough to assert that the moral code of the ,bible excites the abhorrence of good men8 ,in fact1 and in truth1 this moral code1 which he reviles1 instead of being abhorred1 is entitled to1 and has received1 the profoundest respect of all honest and sensible persons4 ,the second table of the ,decalogue is a perfect compendium of those duties which every man owes to himself1 his family1 and his neighbor4 ,in a few simple words1 which he can commit to memory almost in a minute1 it teaches him to purify his heart from covetousness2 to live decently1 to injure nobody in reputation1 person1 or property1 and to give every one his own4 ,by the poets1 the prophets1 and the sages of ,israel1 these great elements are expanded into a volume of minuter rules1 so clear1 so impressive1 and yet so solemn and so lofty1 that no pre-existing system of philosophy can compare with it for a moment4 ,if this vain mortal is not blind with passion1 he will see1 upon reflection1 that he has attacked the ,old ,testament precisely where it is most impregnable4 ,dismissing his groundless charge against the moral code1 we come to his strictures on the civil government of the ,jews1 which he says was so bad and unjust that the ,lawgiver by whom it was established must have been as savagely cruel as the ,creator that made storms and pestilences2 and the work of both was more worthy of a devil than a ,god4 ,his language is recklessly bad1 very defective in method1 and altogether lacking in precision4 ,but1 apart from the ribaldry of it1 which ,i do not feel myself bound to notice1 ,i find four objections to the ,jewish constitution--not more than four--which are definite enough to admit of an answer4 ,these relate to the provisions of the ,mosaic law on the subjects of 7#a7 ,blasphemy and ,idolatry2 7#b7 ,war2 7#c7 ,slavery2 7#d7 ,polygamy4 ,in these respects he pronounces the ,jewish system not only unwise but criminally unjust4 ,here let me call attention to the difficulty of reasoning about justice with a man who has no acknowledged standard of right and wrong4 ,what is justice8 ,that which accords with law2 and the supreme law is the will of ,god4 ,but ,i am dealing with an adversary who does not admit that there is a ,god4 ,then for him there is no standard at all2 one thing is as right as another1 and all things are equally wrong4 ,without a sovereign ruler there is no law1 and where there is no law there can be no transgression4 ,it is the misfortune of the atheistic theory that it makes the moral world an anarchy2 it refers all ethical questions to that confused tribunal where chaos sits as umpire and by decision more embroils the fray4 ,but through the whole of this cloudy paper there runs a vein of presumptuous egotism which says as plainly as words can speak it that the author holds himself to be the ultimate judge of all good and evil2 what he approves is right1 and what he dislikes is certainly wrong4 ,of course ,i concede nothing to a claim like that4 ,i will not admit that the ,jewish constitution is a thing to be condemned merely because he curses it4 ,i appeal from his profane malediction to the conscience of men who have a rule to judge by4 ,such persons will readily see that his specific objections to the statesmanship which established the civil government of the ,hebrew people are extremely shallow1 and do not furnish the shade of an excuse for the indecency of his general abuse4 ,first4 ,he regards the punishments inflicted for blasphemy and idolatry as being immoderately cruel4 ,considering them merely as religious offences1--as sins against ,god alone1--,i agree that civil laws should notice them not at all4 ,but sometimes they affect very injuriously certain social rights which it is the duty of the state to protect4 ,wantonly to shock the religious feelings of your neighbor is a grievous wrong4 ,to utter blasphemy or obscenity in the presence of a ,christian woman is hardly better than to strike her in the face4 ,still1 neither policy nor justice requires them to be ranked among the highest crimes in a government constituted like ours4 ,but things were wholly different under the ,jewish theocracy1 where ,god was the personal head of the state4 ,there blasphemy was a breach of political allegiance2 idolatry was an overt act of treason2 to worship the gods of the hostile heathen was deserting to the public enemy1 and giving him aid and comfort4 ,these are crimes which every independent community has always punished with the utmost rigor4 ,in our own very recent history1 they were repressed at the cost of more lives than ,judea ever contained at any one time4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll not only ignores these considerations1 but he goes the length of calling ,god a religious persecutor and a tyrant because he does not encourage and reward the service and devotion paid by his enemies to the false gods of the pagan world4 ,he professes to believe that all kinds of worship are equally meritorious1 and should meet the same acceptance from the true ,god4 ,it is almost incredible that such drivel as this should be uttered by anybody4 ,but ,mr4 ,ingersoll not only expresses the thought plainly--he urges it with the most extravagant figures of his florid rhetoric4 ,he quotes the first commandment1 in which ,jehovah claims for himself the exclusive worship of ,his people1 and cites1 in contrast1 the promise put in the mouth of ,brahma1 that he will appropriate the worship of all gods to himself1 and reward all worshipers alike4 ,these passages being compared1 he declares the first a dungeon1 where crawl the things begot of jealous slime2 the other1 great as the domed firmament1 inlaid with suns4 ,why is the living ,god1 whom ,christians believe to be the ,lord of liberty and ,father of lights1 denounced as the keeper of a loathsome dungeon8 ,because he refuses to encourage and reward the worship of ,mammon and ,moloch1 of ,belial and ,baal2 of ,bacchus1 with its drunken orgies1 and ,venus1 with its wanton obscenities2 the bestial religion which degraded the soul of ,egypt and the dark idolatries of alienated ,judah1 polluted with the moral filth of all the nations round about4 ,let the reader decide whether this man1 entertaining such sentiments and opinions1 is fit to be a teacher1 or at all likely to lead us in the way we should go4 ,second4 ,under the constitution which ,god provided for the ,jews1 they had1 like every other nation1 the war-making power4 ,they could not have lived a day without it4 ,the right to exist implied the right to repel1 with all their strength1 the opposing force which threatened their destruction4 ,it is true1 also1 that in the exercise of this power they did not observe those rules of courtesy and humanity which have been adopted in modern times by civilized belligerents4 ,why8 ,because their enemies1 being mere savages1 did not understand and would not practise1 any rule whatever2 and the ,jews were bound ex necessitate rei--not merely justified by the lex talionis--to do as their enemies did4 ,in your treatment of hostile barbarians1 you not only may lawfully1 but must necessarily1 adopt their mode of warfare4 ,if they come to conquer you1 they may be conquered by you2 if they give no quarter1 they are entitled to none2 if the death of your whole population be their purpose1 you may defeat it by exterminating theirs4 ,this sufficiently answers the silly talk of atheists and semi-atheists about the warlike wickedness of the ,jews4 ,but ,mr4 ,ingersoll positively1 and with the emphasis of supreme and all-sufficient authority1 declares that a war of conquest is simply murder4 ,he sustains this proposition by no argument founded in principle4 ,he puts sentiment in place of law1 and denounces aggressive fighting because it is offensive to his tender and refined soul2 the atrocity of it is therefore proportioned to the sensibilities of his own heart4 ,he proves war a desperately wicked thing by continually vaunting his own love for small children4 ,babes--sweet babes--the prattle of babes--are the subjects of his most pathetic eloquence1 and his idea of music is embodied in the commonplace expression of a ,hindu1 that the lute is sweet only to those who have not heard the prattle of their own children4 ,all this is very amiable in him1 and the more so1 perhaps1 as these objects of his affection are the young ones of a race in his opinion miscreated by an evil-working chance4 ,but his philoprogenitiveness proves nothing against ,jew or ,gentile1 seeing that all have it in an equal degree1 and those feel it most who make the least parade of it4 ,certainly it gives him no authority to malign the ,god who implanted it alike in the hearts of us all4 ,but ,i admit that his benevolence becomes peculiar and ultra when it extends to beasts as well as babes4 ,he is struck with horror by the sacrificial solemnities of the ,jewish religion4 ,the killing of those animals was1 he says1 a terrible system1 a shedding of innocent blood1 shocking to a refined and sensitive soul4 ,there is such a depth of tenderness in this feeling1 and such a splendor of refinement1 that ,i give up without a struggle to the superiority of a man who merely professes it4 ,a carnivorous ,american1 full of beef and mutton1 who mourns with indignant sorrow because bulls and goats were killed in ,judea three thousand years ago1 has reached the climax of sentimental goodness1 and should be permitted to dictate on all questions of peace and war4 ,let ,grotius1 ,vattel1 and ,pufendorf1 as well as ,moses and the prophets1 hide their diminished heads4 ,but to show how inefficacious1 for all practical purposes1 a mere sentiment is when substituted for a principle1 it is only necessary to recollect that ,mr4 ,ingersoll is himself a warrior who staid not behind the mighty men of his tribe when they gathered themselves together for a war of conquest4 ,he took the lead of a regiment as eager as himself to spoil the ,philistines1 and out he went a-coloneling4 ,how many ,amale-kites1 and ,hittites1 and ,amorites he put to the edge of the sword1 how many wives he widowed1 or how many mothers he unbabed cannot now be told4 ,i do not even know how many droves of innocent oxen he condemned to the slaughter4 ,but it is certain that his refined and tender soul took great pleasure in the terror1 conflagration1 blood1 and tears with which the war was attended1 and in all the hard oppressions which the conquered people were made to suffer afterwards4 ,i do not say that the war was either better or worse for his participation and approval4 ,but if his own conduct 7for which he professes neither penitence nor shame7 was right1 it was right on grounds which make it an inexcusable outrage to call the children of ,israel savage criminals for carrying on wars of aggression to save the life of their government4 ,these inconsistencies are the necessary consequence of having no rule of action and no guide for the conscience4 ,when a man throws away the golden metewand of the law which ,god has provided1 and takes the elastic cord of feeling for his measure of righteousness1 you cannot tell from day to day what he will think or do4 ,third4 ,but ,jehovah permitted his chosen people to hold the captives they took in war or purchased from the heathen as servants for life4 ,this was slavery1 and ,mr4 ,ingersoll declares that in all civilized countries it is not only admitted1 but it is passionately asserted1 that slavery is1 and always was1 a hideous crime1 therefore he concludes that ,jehovah was a criminal4 ,this would be a non sequitur1 even if the premises were true4 ,but the premises are false2 civilized countries have admitted no such thing4 ,that slavery is a crime1 under all circumstances and at all times1 is a doctrine first started by the adherents of a political faction in this country1 less than forty years ago4 ,they denounced ,god and ,christ for not agreeing with them1 in terms very similar to those used here by ,mr4 ,ingersoll4 ,but they did not constitute the civilized world2 nor were they1 if the truth must be told1 a very respectable portion of it4 ,politically1 they were successful2 ,i need not say by what means1 or with what effect upon the morals of the country4 ,doubtless ,mr4 ,ingersoll gets a great advantage by invoking their passions and their interests to his aid1 and he knows how to use it4 ,i can only say that1 whether ,american ,abolitionism was right or wrong under the circumstances in which we were placed1 my faith and my reason both assure me that the infallible ,god proceeded upon good grounds when he authorized slavery in ,judea4 ,subordination of inferiors to superiors is the groundwork of human society4 ,all improvement of our race1 in this world and the next1 must come from obedience to some master better and wiser than ourselves4 ,there can be no question that1 when a ,jew took a neighboring savage for his bond-servant1 incorporated him into his family1 tamed him1 taught him to work1 and gave him a knowledge of the true ,god1 he conferred upon him a most beneficent boon4 ,fourth4 ,polygamy is another of his objections to the ,mosaic constitution4 ,strange to say1 it is not there4 ,it is neither commanded nor prohibited2 it is only discouraged4 ,if ,mr4 ,ingersoll were a statesman instead of a mere politician1 he would see good and sufficient reasons for the forbearance to legislate directly upon the subject4 ,it would be improper for me to set them forth here4 ,he knows1 probably1 that the influence of the ,christian ,church alone1 and without the aid of state enactments1 has extirpated this bad feature of ,asiatic manners wherever its doctrines were carried4 ,as the ,christian faith prevails in any community1 in that proportion precisely marriage is consecrated to its true purpose1 and all intercourse between the sexes refined and purified4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll got his own devotion to the principle of monogamy--his own respect for the highest type of female character--his own belief in the virtue of fidelity to one good wife--from the example and precept of his ,christian parents4 ,i speak confidently1 because these are sentiments which do not grow in the heart of the natural man without being planted4 ,why1 then1 does he throw polygamy into the face of the religion which abhors it8 ,because he is nothing if not political4 ,the ,mormons believe in polygamy1 and the ,mormons are unpopular4 ,they are guilty of having not only many wives but much property1 and if a war could be hissed up against them1 its fruits might be more gaynefull pilladge than wee doe now conceyve of4 ,it is a cunning maneuver1 this1 of strengthening atheism by enlisting anti-,mormon rapacity against the ,god of the ,christians4 ,i can only protest against the use he would make of these and other political interests4 ,it is not argument2 it is mere stump oratory4 ,i think ,i have repelled all of ,mr4 ,ingersoll's accusations against the ,old ,testament that are worth noticing1 and ,i might stop here4 ,but ,i will not close upon him without letting him see1 at least1 some part of the case on the other side4 ,i do not enumerate in detail the positive proofs which support the authenticity of the ,hebrew ,bible1 though they are at hand in great abundance1 because the evidence in support of the new dispensation will establish the verity of the old--the two being so connected together that if one is true the other cannot be false4 ,when ,jesus of ,nazareth announced himself to be ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 in ,judea1 many thousand persons who heard his words and saw his works believed in his divinity without hesitation4 ,since the morning of the creation1 nothing has occurred so wonderful as the rapidity with which this religion spread itself abroad4 ,men who were in the noon of life when ,jesus was put to death as a malefactor lived to see him worshiped as ,god by organized bodies of believers in every province of the ,roman empire4 ,in a few more years it took complete possession of the general mind1 supplanted all other religions1 and wrought a radical change in human society4 ,it did this in the face of obstacles which1 according to every human calculation1 were insurmountable4 ,it was antagonized by all the evil propensities1 the sensual wickedness1 and the vulgar crimes of the multitude1 as well as the polished vices of the luxurious classes2 and was most violently opposed even by those sentiments and habits of thought which were esteemed virtuous1 such as patriotism and military heroism4 ,it encountered not only the ignorance and superstition1 but the learning and philosophy1 the poetry1 eloquence1 and art of the time4 ,barbarism and civilization were alike its deadly enemies4 ,the priesthood of every established religion and the authority of every government were arrayed against it4 ,all these1 combined together and roused to ferocious hostility1 were overcome1 not by the enticing words of man's wisdom1 but by the simple presentation of a pure and peaceful doctrine1 preached by obscure strangers at the daily peril of their lives4 ,is it ,mr4 ,ingersoll's idea that this happened by chance1 like the creation of the world8 ,if not1 there are but two other ways to account for it2 either the evidence by which the ,apostles were able to prove the supernatural origin of the gospel was overwhelming and irresistible1 or else its propagation was provided for and carried on by the direct aid of the ,divine ,being himself4 ,between these two1 infidelity may make its own choice4 ,just here another dilemma presents its horns to our adversary4 ,if ,christianity was a human fabrication1 its authors must have been either good men or bad4 ,it is a moral impossibility--a mere contradiction in terms--to say that good1 honest1 and true men practised a gross and willful deception upon the world4 ,it is equally incredible that any combination of knaves1 however base1 would fraudulently concoct a religious system to denounce themselves1 and to invoke the curse of ,god upon their own conduct4 ,men that love lies1 love not such lies as that4 ,is there any way out of this difficulty1 except by confessing that ,christianity is what it purports to be--a divine revelation8 ,the acceptance of ,christianity by a large portion of the generation contemporary with its ,founder and his apostles was1 under the circumstances1 an adjudication as solemn and authoritative as mortal intelligence could pronounce4 ,the record of that judgment has come down to us1 accompanied by the depositions of the principal witnesses4 ,in the course of eighteen centuries many efforts have been made to open the judgment or set it aside on the ground that the evidence was insufficient to support it4 ,but on every rehearing the wisdom and virtue of mankind have re-affirmed it4 ,and now comes ,mr4 ,ingersoll1 to try the experiment of another bold1 bitter1 and fierce reargument4 ,i will present some of the considerations which would compel me1 if ,i were a judge or juror in the cause1 to decide it just as it was decided originally4 ,first4 ,there is no good reason to doubt that the statements of the evangelists1 as we have them now1 are genuine4 ,the multiplication of copies was a sufficient guarantee against any material alteration of the text4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll speaks of interpolations made by the fathers of the ,church4 ,all he knows and all he has ever heard on that subject is that some of the innumerable transcripts contained errors which were discovered and corrected4 ,that simply proves the present integrity of the documents4 ,second4 ,i call these statements depositions1 because they are entitled to that kind of credence which we give to declarations made under oath--but in a much higher degree1 for they are more than sworn to4 ,they were made in the immediate prospect of death4 ,perhaps this would not affect the conscience of an atheist1--neither would an oath1--but these people manifestly believed in a judgment after death1 before a ,god of truth1 whose displeasure they feared above all things4 ,third4 ,the witnesses could not have been mistaken4 ,the nature of the facts precluded the possibility of any delusion about them4 ,for every averment they had the sensible and true avouch of their own eyes and ears4 ,besides1 they were plain-thinking1 sober1 unimaginative men1 who1 unlike ,mr4 ,ingersoll1 always1 under all circumstances1 and especially in the presence of eternity1 recognized the difference between mountains and clouds4 ,it is inconceivable how any fact could be proven by evidence more conclusive than the statement of such persons1 publicly given and steadfastly persisted in through every kind of persecution1 imprisonment and torture to the last agonies of a lingering death4 ,fourth4 ,apart from these terrible tests1 the more ordinary claims to credibility are not wanting4 ,they were men of unimpeachable character4 ,the most virulent enemies of the cause they spoke and died for have never suggested a reason for doubting their personal honesty4 ,but there is affirmative proof that they and their fellow-disciples were held by those who knew them in the highest estimation for truthfulness4 ,wherever they made their report it was not only believed1 but believed with a faith so implicit that thousands were ready at once to seal it with their blood4 ,fifth4 ,the tone and temper of their narrative impress us with a sentiment of profound respect4 ,it is an artless1 unimpassioned1 simple story4 ,no argument1 no rhetoric1 no epithets1 no praises of friends1 no denunciation of enemies1 no attempts at concealment4 ,how strongly these qualities commend the testimony of a witness to the confidence of judge and jury is well known to all who have any experience in such matters4 ,sixth4 ,the statements made by the evangelists are alike upon every important point1 but are different in form and expression1 some of them including details which the others omit4 ,these variations make it perfectly certain that there could have been no previous concert between the witnesses1 and that each spoke independently of the others1 according to his own conscience and from his own knowledge4 ,in considering the testimony of several witnesses to the same transaction1 their substantial agreement upon the main facts1 with circumstantial differences in the detail1 is always regarded as the great characteristic of truth and honesty4 ,there is no rule of evidence more universally adopted than this--none better sustained by general experience1 or more immovably fixed in the good sense of mankind4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll1 himself1 admits the rule and concedes its soundness4 ,the logical consequence of that admission is that we are bound to take this evidence as incontestably true4 ,but mark the infatuated perversity with which he seeks to evade it4 ,he says that when we claim that the witnesses were inspired1 the rule does not apply1 because the witnesses then speak what is known to him who inspired them1 and all must speak exactly the same1 even to the minutest detail4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll's notion of an inspired witness is that he is no witness at all1 but an irresponsible medium who unconsciously and involuntarily raps out or writes down whatever he is prompted to say4 ,but this is a false assumption1 not countenanced or even suggested by anything contained in the ,scriptures4 ,the apostles and evangelists are expressly declared to be witnesses1 in the proper sense of the word1 called and sent to testify the truth according to their knowledge4 ,if they had all told the same story in the same way1 without variation1 and accounted for its uniformity by declaring that they were inspired1 and had spoken without knowing whether their words were true or false1 where would have been their claim to credibility8 ,but they testified what they knew2 and here comes an infidel critic impugning their testimony because the impress of truth is stamped upon its face4 ,seventh4 ,it does not appear that the statements of the evangelists were ever denied by any person who pretended to know the facts4 ,many there were in that age and afterward who resisted the belief that ,jesus was the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 and only ,saviour of man2 but his wonderful works1 the miraculous purity of his life1 the unapproachable loftiness of his doctrines1 his trial and condemnation by a judge who pronounced him innocent1 his patient suffering1 his death on the cross1 and resurrection from the grave1--of these not the faintest contradiction was attempted1 if we except the false and feeble story which the elders and chief priests bribed the guard at the tomb to put in circulation4 ,eighth4 ,what we call the fundamental truths of ,christianity consist of great public events which are sufficiently established by history without special proof4 ,the value of mere historical evidence increases according to the importance of the facts in question1 their general notoriety1 and the magnitude of their visible consequences4 ,cornwallis surrendered to ,washington at ,yorktown1 and changed the destiny of ,europe and ,america4 ,nobody would think of calling a witness or even citing an official report to prove it4 ,julius ,caesar was assassinated4 ,we do not need to prove that fact like an ordinary murder4 ,he was master of the world1 and his death was followed by a war with the conspirators1 the battle at ,philippi1 the quarrel of the victorious triumvirs1 ,actium1 and the permanent establishment of imperial government under ,augustus4 ,the life and character1 the death and resurrection1 of ,jesus are just as visibly connected with events which even an infidel must admit to be of equal importance4 ,the ,church rose and armed herself in righteousness for conflict with the powers of darkness2 innumerable multitudes of the best and wisest rallied to her standard and died in her cause2 her enemies employed the coarse and vulgar machinery of human government against her1 and her professors were brutally murdered in large numbers1 her triumph was complete2 the gods of ,greece and ,rome crumbled on their altars2 the world was revolutionized and human society was transformed4 ,the course of these events1 and a thousand others1 which reach down to the present hour1 received its first propulsion from the transcendent fact of ,christ's crucifixion4 ,moreover1 we find the memorial monuments of the original truth planted all along the way4 ,the sacraments of baptism and the supper constantly point us back to the author and finisher of our faith4 ,the mere historical evidence is for these reasons much stronger than what we have for other occurrences which are regarded as undeniable4 ,when to this is added the cumulative evidence given directly and positively by eye-witnesses of irreproachable character1 and wholly uncontradicted1 the proof becomes so strong that the disbelief we hear of seems like a kind of insanity4 ,it is the very error of the moon1 ,which comes more near the earth than she was wont1 ,and makes men mad6 ,from the facts established by this evidence1 it follows irresistibly that the ,gospel has come to us from ,god4 ,that silences all reasoning about the wisdom and justice of its doctrines1 since it is impossible1 even to imagine that wrong can be done or commanded by that ,sovereign ,being whose will alone is the ultimate standard of all justice4 ,but ,mr4 ,ingersoll is still dissatisfied4 ,he raises objections as false1 fleeting1 and baseless as clouds1 and insists that they are as stable as the mountains1 whose everlasting foundations are laid by the hand of the ,almighty4 ,i will compress his propositions into plain words printed in italics1 and1 taking a look at his misty creations1 let them roll away and vanish into air1 one after another4 ,christianity offers eternal salvation as the reward of belief alone4 ,this is a misrepresentation simple and naked4 ,no such doctrine is propounded in the ,scriptures1 or in the creed of any ,christian church4 ,on the contrary1 it is distinctly taught that faith avails nothing without repentance1 reformation1 and newness of life4 ,the mere failure to believe it is punished in hell4 ,i have never known any ,christian man or woman to assert this4 ,it is universally agreed that children too young to understand it do not need to believe it4 ,and this exemption extends to adults who have never seen the evidence1 or1 from weakness of intellect1 are incapable of weighing it4 ,lunatics and idiots are not in the least danger1 and for aught ,i know1 this category may1 by a stretch of ,god's mercy1 include minds constitutionally sound1 but with faculties so perverted by education1 habit1 or passion that they are incapable of reasoning4 ,i sincerely hope that1 upon this or some other principle1 ,mr4 ,ingersoll may escape the hell he talks about so much4 ,but there is no direct promise to save him in spite of himself4 ,the plan of redemption contains no express covenant to pardon one who rejects it with scorn and hatred4 ,our hope for him rests upon the infinite compassion of that gracious ,being who prayed on the cross for the insulting enemies who nailed him there4 ,the mystery of the second birth is incomprehensible4 ,christ established a new kingdom in the world1 but not of it4 ,subjects were admitted to the privileges and protection of its government by a process equivalent to naturalization4 ,to be born again1 or regenerated is to be naturalized4 ,the words all mean the same thing4 ,does ,mr4 ,ingersoll want to disgrace his own intellect by pretending that he cannot see this simple analogy8 ,the doctrine of the atonement is absurd1 unjust1 and immoral4 ,the plan of salvation1 or any plan for the rescue of sinners from the legal operation of divine justice1 could have been framed only in the councils of the ,omniscient4 ,necessarily its heights and depths are not easily fathomed by finite intelligence4 ,but the greatest1 ablest1 wisest1 and most virtuous men that ever lived have given it their profoundest consideration1 and found it to be not only authorized by revelation1 but theoretically conformed to their best and highest conceptions of infinite goodness4 ,nevertheless1 here is a rash and superficial man1 without training or habits of reflection1 who1 upon a mere glance1 declares that it must be abandoned1 because it seems to him absurd1 unjust1 and immoral4 ,i would not abridge his freedom of thought or speech1 and the argumentum ad verecundiam would be lost upon him4 ,otherwise ,i might suggest that1 when he finds all authority1 human and divine1 against him1 he had better speak in a tone less arrogant4 ,he does not comprehend how justice and mercy can be blended together in the plan of redemption1 and therefore it cannot be true4 ,a thing is not necessarily false because he does not understand it3 he cannot annihilate a principle or a fact by ignoring it4 ,there are many truths in heaven and earth which no man can see through2 for instance1 the union of man's soul with his body1 is not only an unknowable but an unimaginable mystery4 ,is it therefore false that a connection does exist between matter and spirit8 ,how1 he asks1 can the sufferings of an innocent person satisfy justice for the sins of the guilty8 ,this raises a metaphysical question1 which it is not necessary or possible for me to discuss here4 ,as matter of fact1 ,christ died that sinners might be reconciled to ,god1 and in that sense he died for them2 that is1 to furnish them with the means of averting divine justice1 which their crimes had provoked44 ,what1 he again asks1 would we think of a man who allowed another to die for a crime which he himself had committed8 ,i answer that a man who1 by any contrivance1 causes his own offence to be visited upon the head of an innocent person is unspeakably depraved4 ,but are ,christians guilty of this baseness because they accept the blessings of an institution which their great benefactor died to establish8 ,loyalty to the ,king who has erected a most beneficent government for us at the cost of his life--fidelity to the ,master who bought us with his blood--is not the fraudulent substitution of an innocent person in place of a criminal4 ,the doctrine of non-resistance1 forgiveness of injuries1 reconciliation with enemies1 as taught in the ,new ,testament1 is the child of weakness1 degrading and unjust4 ,this is the whole substance of a long1 rambling diatribe1 as incoherent as a sick man's dream4 ,christianity does not forbid the necessary defense of civil society1 or the proper vindication of personal rights4 ,but to cherish animosity1 to thirst for mere revenge1 to hoard up wrongs1 real or fancied1 and lie in wait for the chance of paying them back2 to be impatient1 unforgiving1 malicious1 and cruel to all who have crossed us--these diabolical propensities are checked and curbed by the authority and spirit of the ,christian religion1 and the application of it has converted men from low savages into refined and civilized beings4 ,the punishment of sinners in eternal hell is excessive4 ,the future of the soul is a subject on which we have very dark views4 ,in our present state1 the mind takes no idea except what is conveyed to it through the bodily senses4 ,all our conceptions of the spiritual world are derived from some analogy to material things1 and this analogy must necessarily be very remote1 because the nature of the subjects compared is so diverse that a close similarity cannot be even supposed4 ,no revelation has lifted the veil between time and eternity2 but in shadowy figures we are warned that a very marked distinction will be made between the good and the bad in the next world4 ,speculative opinions concerning the punishment of the wicked1 its nature and duration1 vary with the temper and the imaginations of men4 ,doubtless we are many of us in error2 but how can ,mr4 ,ingersoll enlighten us8 ,acknowledge ing no standard of right and wrong in this world1 he can have no theory of rewards and punishments in the next4 ,the deeds done in the body1 whether good or evil1 are all morally alike in his eyes1 and if there be in heaven a congregation of the just1 he sees no reason why the worst rogue should not be a member of it4 ,it is supposed1 however1 that man has a soul as well as a body1 and that both are subject to certain laws1 which cannot be violated without incurring the proper penalty--or consequence1 if he likes that word better4 ,if ,christ was ,god1 he knew that his followers would persecute and murder men for their opinions2 yet he did not forbid it4 ,there is but one way to deal with this accusation1 and that is to contradict it flatly4 ,nothing can be conceived more striking than the prohibition1 not only of persecution1 but of all the passions which lead or incite to it4 ,no follower of ,christ indulges in malice even to his enemy without violating the plainest rule of his faith4 ,he cannot love ,god and hate his brother3 if he says he can1 ,st4 ,john pronounces him a liar4 ,the broadest benevolence1 universal philanthropy1 inexhaustible charity1 are inculcated in every line of the ,new ,testament4 ,it is plain that ,mr4 ,ingersoll never read a chapter of it2 otherwise he would not have ventured upon this palpable falsification of its doctrines4 ,who told him that the devilish spirit of persecution was authorized1 or encouraged1 or not forbidden1 by the ,gospel8 ,the person1 whoever it was1 who imposed upon his trusting ignorance should be given up to the just reprobation of his fellow-citizens4 ,christians in modern times carry on wars of detraction and slander against one another4 ,the discussions of theological subjects by men who believe in the fundamental doctrines of ,christ are singularly free from harshness and abuse4 ,of course ,i cannot speak with absolute certainty1 but ,i believe most confidently that there is not in all the religious polemics of this century as much slanderous invective as can be found in any ten lines of ,mr4 ,ingersoll's writings4 ,of course ,i do not include political preachers among my models of charity and forbearance4 ,they are a mendacious set1 but ,christianity is no more responsible for their misconduct than it is for the treachery of ,judas ,iscariot or the wrongs done to ,paul by ,alexander the coppersmith4 ,but1 says he1 ,christians have been guilty of wanton and wicked ,persecution4 ,it is true that some persons1 professing ,christianity1 have violated the fundamental principles of their faith by inflicting violent injuries and bloody wrongs upon their fellow-men4 ,but the perpetrators of these outrages were in fact not ,christians3 they were either hypocrites from the beginning or else base apostates--infidels or something worse--hireling wolves1 whose gospel was their maw4 ,not one of them ever pretended to find a warrant for his conduct in any precept of ,christ or any doctrine of his ,church4 ,all the wrongs of this nature which history records have been the work of politicians1 aided often by priests and ministers who were willing to deny their ,lord and desert to the enemy1 for the sake of their temporal interests4 ,take the cases most commonly cited and see if this be not a true account of them4 ,the auto da fe of ,spain and ,portugal1 the burnings at ,smithfield1 and the whipping of women in ,massachusetts1 were the outcome of a cruel1 false1 and antichristian policy4 ,coligny and his adherents were killed by an order of ,charles ,,ix41 at the instance of the ,guises1 who headed a hostile faction1 and merely for reasons of state4 ,louis ,,xiv4 revoked the edict of ,nantes1 and banished the ,waldenses under pain of confiscation and death2 but this was done on the declared ground that the victims were not safe subjects4 ,the brutal atrocities of ,cromwell and the outrages of the ,orange lodges against the ,irish ,catholics were not persecutions by religious people1 but movements as purely political as those of the ,know-,nothings1 ,plug-,uglys1 and ,blood-,tubs of this country4 ,if the ,gospel should be blamed for these acts in opposition to its principles1 why not also charge it with the cruelties of ,nero1 or the present persecution of the ,jesuits by the infidel republic of ,france8 ,christianity is opposed to freedom of thought4 ,the kingdom of ,christ is based upon certain principles1 to which it requires the assent of every one who would enter therein4 ,if you are unwilling to own his authority and conform your moral conduct to his laws1 you cannot expect that he will admit you to the privileges of his government4 ,but naturalization is not forced upon you if you prefer to be an alien4 ,the ,gospel makes the strongest and tenderest appeal to the heart1 reason1 and conscience of man--entreats him to take thought for his own highest interest1 and by all its moral influence provokes him to good works2 but he is not constrained by any kind of duress to leave the service or relinquish the wages of sin4 ,is there anything that savors of tyranny in this8 ,a man of ordinary judgment will say1 no4 ,but ,mr4 ,ingersoll thinks it as oppressive as the refusal of ,jehovah to reward the worship of demons4 ,the gospel of ,christ does not satisfy the hunger of the heart4 ,that depends upon what kind of a heart it is4 ,if it hungers after righteousness1 it will surely be filled4 ,it is probable1 also1 that if it hungers for the filthy food of a godless philosophy it will get what its appetite demands4 ,that was an expressive phrase which ,carlyle used when he called modern infidelity the gospel of dirt4 ,those who are greedy to swallow it will doubless be supplied satisfactorily4 ,accounts of miracles are always false4 ,are miracles impossible8 ,no one will say so who opens his eyes to the miracles of creation with which we are surrounded on every hand4 ,you cannot even show that they are a priori improbable4 ,god would be likely to reveal his will to the rational creatures who were required to obey it2 he would authenticate in some way the right of prophets and apostles to speak in his name2 supernatural power was the broad seal which he affixed to their commission4 ,from this it follows that the improbability of a miracle is no greater than the original improbability of a revelation1 and that is not improbable at all4 ,therefore1 if the miracles of the ,new ,testament are proved by sufficient evidence1 we believe them as we believe any other established fact4 ,they become deniable only when it is shown that the great miracle of making the world was never performed4 ,accordingly ,mr4 ,ingersoll abolishes creation first1 and thus clears the way to his dogmatic conclusion that all miracles are the children of mendacity4 ,christianity is pernicious in its moral effect1 darkens the mind1 narrows the soul1 arrests the progress of human society1 and hinders civilization4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll1 as a zealous apostle of the gospel of dirt1 must be expected to throw a good deal of mud4 ,but this is too much3 it injures himself instead of defiling the object of his assault4 ,when ,i answer that all we have of virtue1 justice1 intellectual liberty1 moral elevation1 refinement1 benevolence1 and true wisdom came to us from that source which he reviles as the fountain of evil1 ,i am not merely putting one assertion against the other2 for ,i have the advantage1 which he has not1 of speaking what every tolerably well-informed man knows to be true4 ,reflect what kind of a world this was when the disciples of ,christ undertook to reform it1 and compare it with the condition in which their teachings have put it4 ,in its mighty metropolis1 the center of its intellectual and political power1 the best men were addicted to vices so debasing that ,i could not even allude to them without soiling the paper ,i write upon4 ,all manner of unprincipled wickedness was practiced in the private life of the whole population without concealment or shame1 and the magistrates were thoroughly and universally corrupt4 ,benevolence in any shape was altogether unknown4 ,the helpless and the weak got neither justice nor mercy4 ,there was no relief for the poor1 no succor for the sick1 no refuge for the unfortunate4 ,in all pagandom there was not a hospital1 asylum1 almshouse1 or organized charity of any sort4 ,the indifference to human life was literally frightful4 ,the order of a successful leader to assassinate his opponents was always obeyed by his followers with the utmost alacrity and pleasure4 ,it was a special amusement of the populace to witness the shows at which men were compelled to kill one another1 to be torn in pieces by wild beasts1 or otherwise butchered1 to make a ,roman holiday4 ,in every province paganism enacted the same cold-blooded cruelties2 oppression and robbery ruled supreme2 murder went rampaging and red over all the earth4 ,the ,church came1 and her light penetrated this moral darkness like a new sun4 ,she covered the globe with institutions of mercy1 and thousands upon thousands of her disciples devoted themselves exclusively to works of charity at the sacrifice of every earthly interest4 ,her earliest adherents were killed without remorse--beheaded1 crucified1 sawn asunder1 thrown to the beasts1 or covered with pitch1 piled up in great heaps1 and slowly burnt to death4 ,but her faith was made perfect through suffering1 and the law of love rose in triumph from the ashes of her martyrs4 ,this religion has come down to us through the ages1 attended all the way by righteousness1 justice1 temperance1 mercy1 transparent truthfulness1 exulting hope1 and white-winged charity4 ,never was its influence for good more plainly perceptible than now4 ,it has not converted1 purified1 and reformed all men1 for its first principle is the freedom of the human will1 and there are those who choose to reject it4 ,but to the mass of mankind1 directly and indirectly1 it has brought uncounted benefits and blessings4 ,abolish it--take away the restraints which it imposes on evil passions--silence the admonitions of its preachers--let all ,christians cease their labors of charity--blot out from history the records of its heroic benevolence--repeal the laws it has enacted and the institutions it has built up--let its moral principles be abandoned and all its miracles of light be extinguished--what would we come to8 ,i need not answer this question3 the experiment has been partially tried4 ,the ,french nation formally renounced ,christianity1 denied the existence of the ,supreme ,being1 and so satisfied the hunger of the infidel heart for a time4 ,what followed8 ,universal depravity1 garments rolled in blood1 fantastic crimes unimagined before1 which startled the earth with their sublime atrocity4 ,the ,american people have and ought to have no special desire to follow that terrible example of guilt and misery4 ,it is impossible to discuss this subject within the limits of a review4 ,no doubt the effort to be short has made me obscure4 ,if ,mr4 ,ingersoll thinks himself wronged1 or his doctrines misconstrued1 let him not lay my fault at the door of the ,church1 or cast his censure on the clergy4 ,adsum qui feci1 in me convertite ferrum4 ,j4 ,s4 ,black4 ,,the ,,christian ,,religion1 ,,by ,,robert ,g4 ,,ingersoll4 ,,iii4 ,apart from moral conduct1 all that man thinks himself able to do1 in order to become acceptable to ,god1 is mere superstition and religious folly4 ,kant4 ,apart from moral conduct1 all that man thinks himself able to do1 in order to become acceptable to ,god1 is mere superstition and religious folly4 ,kant4 ,,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 portions 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 ,i am made to say that the universe is natural2 that it came into being of its own accord2 that it made its own laws at the start1 and afterward improved itself considerably by spontaneous evolution4 ,i did say that the universe is natural1 but ,i did not say that it came into being of its own accord2 neither did ,i say that it made its own laws and afterward improved itself4 ,the universe1 according to my idea1 is1 always was1 and forever will be4 ,it did not come into being1 it is the one eternal being1--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 fact1 law is this side of the phenomenon4 ,law does not cause the phenomenon1 but the phenomenon causes the idea of law in our minds2 and this idea is produced from the fact that under like circumstances the same phenomenon 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 unite only because it is illegal that diameter and circumference could have been so made that it would be a greater distance across than around a circle2 that a straight line could enclose 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 cannot be the cause of phenomena1 but is an effect produced in our minds by their succession and resemblance4 ,to put a ,god back of the universe1 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 vacuum1 and in absolute idleness4 ,the mind of every thoughtful man is forced to one of these two conclusions3 either that the universe is self-existent1 or that it was created by a self-existent being4 ,to my mind1 there are far more difficulties in the second hypothesis than in the first4 ,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 way-side inn1 where all at last must sleep1 and where the only salutation is--,good-night4 ,i know as little as any one else about the plan 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 beginning 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 watch-maker1 and we say3 ,so curious and wonderful a thing as man must have had a maker4 ,we find ,god1 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 ,most ,christians have seen and recognized this difficulty1 and have endeavored to avoid it by giving ,god an opportunity in another world to rectify the seeming mistakes of this4 ,mr4 ,black1 however1 avoids the entire question by saying3 ,we have neither jurisdiction nor 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 preexistent 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 all for the superstitions of the dead4 ,in the world of ,science1 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 ,of course it is admitted that most of the ,ten ,commandments are wise and just4 ,in passing1 it may be well enough to say1 that the commandment1 ,thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image1 or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above1 or that is in the earth beneath1 or that is in the water under the earth1 was the absolute death of ,art1 and that not until after the destruction of ,jerusalem was there a ,hebrew painter or sculptor4 ,surely a commandment is not inspired that drives from the earth the living canvas and the breathing stone--leaves all walls bare and all the niches desolate4 ,in the tenth commandment we find woman placed on an exact equality with other property1 which1 to say the least of it1 has never tended to the amelioration of her condition4 ,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 yet 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 thy 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 ,the religious intolerance of the ,old ,testament is justified upon the ground that blasphemy was a breach of political allegiance1 that idolatry was an act of overt treason1 and that to worship the gods of the hostile heathen was deserting to the public enemy1 and giving him aid and comfort4 ,according to ,mr4 ,black1 we should all have liberty of conscience except when directly governed by ,god4 ,in that country where ,god is king1 liberty cannot exist4 ,in this position1 ,i admit that he is upheld and fortified by the sacred text4 ,within the ,old ,testament there is no such thing as religious toleration4 ,within that volume can be found no mercy for an unbeliever4 ,for all who think for themselves1 there are threatenings1 curses1 and anathemas4 ,think of an infinite being who is so cruel1 so unjust1 that he will not allow one of his own children the liberty of thought6 ,think of an infinite ,god acting as the direct governor of a people1 and yet not able to command their love6 ,think of the author of all mercy imbruing his hands in the blood of helpless men1 women1 and children1 simply because he did not furnish them with intelligence enough to understand his law6 ,an earthly father who cannot govern by affection is not fit to be a father2 what1 then1 shall we say of an infinite being who resorts to violence1 to pestilence1 to disease1 and famine1 in the vain effort to obtain even the respect of a savage8 ,read this passage1 red from the heart of cruelty3 ,if thy brother1 the son of thy mother1 or thy son1 or thy daughter1 or the wife of thy bosom1 or thy friend1 which is as thine own soul1 entice thee secretly1 saying1 ,let us go and serve other gods which thou hast not known1 thou nor thy fathers1444 thou shalt not consent unto him1 nor hearken unto him1 neither shalt thine eye pity him1 neither shalt thou spare1 neither shalt thou conceal him1 but thou shalt surely kill him2 thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death1 and afterwards the hand of all the people2 and thou shalt stone him with stones1 that he die4 ,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 babe--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 expressed 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 ,i insist that1 if there is an infinitely good and wise ,god1 he beholds with pity the misfortunes of his children4 ,i insist that such a ,god would know the mists1 the clouds1 the darkness enveloping the human mind4 ,he would know how few stars are visible in the intellectual sky4 ,his pity1 not his wrath1 would be excited by the efforts of his blind children1 groping in the night to find the cause of things1 and endeavoring1 through their tears1 to see some dawn of hope4 ,filled with awe by their surroundings1 by fear of the unknown1 he would know that when1 kneeling1 they poured out their gratitude to some unseen power1 even to a visible idol1 it was1 in fact1 intended for him4 ,an infinitely good being1 had he the power1 would answer the reasonable prayer of an honest savage1 even when addressed to wood and stone4 ,the atrocities of the ,old ,testament1 the threatenings1 maledictions1 and curses of the inspired book1 are defended on the ground that the ,jews had a right to treat their enemies as their enemies treated them2 and in this connection is this remarkable statement3 ,in your treatment of hostile barbarians you not only may lawfully1 you must necessarily1 adopt their mode of warfare4 ,if they come to conquer you1 they may be conquered by you2 if they give no quarter1 they are entitled to none2 if the death of your whole population be their purpose1 you may defeat it by exterminating theirs4 ,for a man who is a ,christian policeman1 and has taken upon himself to defend the ,christian religion2 for one who follows the ,master who said that when smitten on one cheek you must turn the other1 and who again and again enforced the idea that you must overcome evil with good1 it is hardly consistent to declare that a civilized nation must of necessity adopt the warfare of savages4 ,is it possible that in fighting1 for instance1 the ,indians of ,america1 if they scalp our soldiers we should scalp theirs8 ,if they ravish1 murder1 and mutilate our wives1 must we treat theirs in the same manner8 ,if they kill the babes in our cradles1 must we brain theirs8 ,if they take our captives1 bind them to the trees1 and if their squaws fill their quivering flesh with sharpened fagots and set them on fire1 that they may die clothed with flame1 must our wives1 our mothers1 and our daughters follow the fiendish example8 ,is this the conclusion of the most enlightened ,christianity8 ,will the pulpits of the ,united ,states adopt the arguments of this policeman8 ,is this the last and most beautiful blossom of the ,sermon on the ,mount8 ,is this the echo of ,father1 forgive them2 they know not what they do8 ,mr4 ,black justifies the wars of extermination and conquest because the ,american people fought for the integrity of their own country2 fought to do away with the infamous institution of slavery2 fought to preserve the jewels of liberty and justice for themselves and for their children4 ,is it possible that his mind is so clouded by political and religious prejudice1 by the recollections of an unfortunate administration1 that he sees no difference between a war of extermination and one of self-preservation8 that he sees no choice between the murder of helpless age1 of weeping women and of sleeping babes1 and the defence of liberty and nationality8 ,the soldiers of the ,republic did not wage a war of extermination4 ,they did not seek to enslave their fellow-men4 ,they did not murder trembling age4 ,they did not sheathe their swords in women's breasts4 ,they gave the old men bread1 and let the mothers rock their babes in peace4 ,they fought to save the world's great hope--to free a race and put the humblest hut beneath the canopy of liberty and law4 ,claiming neither praise nor dispraise for the part taken by me in the ,civil war1 for the purposes of this argument1 it is sufficient to say that ,i am perfectly willing that my record1 poor and barren as it is1 should be compared with his4 ,never for an instant did ,i suppose that any respectable ,american citizen could be found willing at this day to defend the institution of slavery2 and never was ,i more astonished than when ,i found ,mr4 ,black denying that civilized countries passionately assert that slavery is and always was a hideous crime4 ,i was amazed when he declared that the doctrine that slavery is a crime under all circumstances and at all times was first started by the adherents of a political faction in this country less than forty years ago4 ,he tells us that they denounced ,god and ,christ for not agreeing with them1 but that they did not constitute the civilized world2 nor were they1 if the truth must be told1 a very respectable portion of it4 ,politically they were successful2 ,i need not say by what means1 or with what effect upon the morals of the country4 ,slavery held both branches of ,congress1 filled the chair of the ,executive1 sat upon the ,supreme ,bench1 had in its hands all rewards1 all offices2 knelt in the pew1 occupied the pulpit1 stole human beings in the name of ,god1 robbed the trundle-bed for love of ,christ2 incited mobs1 led ignorance1 ruled colleges1 sat in the chairs of professors1 dominated the public press1 closed the lips of free speech1 and polluted with its leprous hand every source and spring of power4 ,the abolitionists attacked this monster4 ,they were the bravest1 grandest men of their country and their century4 ,denounced by thieves1 hated by hypocrites1 mobbed by cowards1 slandered by priests1 shunned by politicians1 abhorred by the seekers of office1--these men of whom the world was not worthy1 in spite of all opposition1 in spite of poverty and want1 conquered innumerable obstacles1 never faltering for one moment1 never dismayed--accepting defeat with a smile born of infinite hope--knowing that they were right--insisted and persisted until every chain was broken1 until slave-pens became schoolhouses1 and three millions of slaves became free men1 women1 and children4 ,they did not measure with the golden metewand of ,god1 but with the elastic cord of human feeling4 ,they were men the latchets of whose shoes no believer in human slavery was ever worthy to unloose4 ,and yet we are told by this modern defender of the slavery of ,jehovah that they were not even respectable2 and this slander is justified because the writer is assured that the infallible ,god proceeded upon good grounds when he authorized slavery in ,judea4 ,not satisfied with having slavery in this world1 ,mr4 ,black assures us that it will last through all eternity1 and that forever and forever inferiors must be subordinated to superiors4 ,who is the superior man8 ,according to ,mr4 ,black1 he is superior who lives upon the unpaid labor of the inferior4 ,with me1 the superior man is the one who uses his superiority in bettering the condition of the inferior4 ,the superior man is strength for the weak1 eyes for the blind1 brains for the simple2 he is the one who helps carry the burden that nature has put upon the inferior4 ,any man who helps another to gain and retain his liberty is superior to any infallible ,god who authorized slavery in ,judea4 ,for my part1 ,i would rather be the slave than the master4 ,it is better to be robbed than to be a robber4 ,i had rather be stolen from than to be a thief4 ,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 ,slavery includes all other crimes4 ,it is the joint product of the kidnapper1 pirate1 thief1 murderer1 and hypocrite4 ,it degrades labor and corrupts leisure4 ,to lacerate the naked back1 to sell wives1 to steal babes1 to breed bloodhounds1 to debauch your own soul--this is slavery4 ,this is what ,jehovah authorized in ,judea4 ,this is what ,mr4 ,black believes in still4 ,he measures with the golden metewand of ,god4 ,i abhor slavery4 ,with me1 liberty is not merely a means--it is an end4 ,without that word1 all other words are empty sounds4 ,mr4 ,black is too late with his protest against the freedom of his fellow-man4 ,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 ,brazil with proud and happy eyes 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 ,black71 of every land and clime1 hopes that the limbs of men will never feel again the weary weight of chains4 ,we are informed by ,mr4 ,black that polygamy is neither commanded nor 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 ,certainly1 ,jehovah had time to instruct ,moses as to the infamy of polygamy4 ,he could have spared a few moments from a description of the patterns of tongs and basins1 for a subject so important as this4 ,a few words in favor of the one wife and the 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 ouches 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 would it have been4 ,all the languages of the world are not sufficient to express the filth of polygamy4 ,it makes man a beast1 and woman a slave4 ,it destroys the fireside and makes virtue an outcast4 ,it takes us back to the barbarism of animals1 and leaves the heart a den in which crawl and hiss the slimy serpents of most loathsome lust4 ,and yet ,mr4 ,black insists that we owe to the ,bible the present elevation of woman4 ,where will he find in the ,old ,testament the rights of wife1 and mother1 and daughter defined8 ,even in the ,new ,testament she is told to learn in silence1 with all subjection2 that she is not suffered to teach1 nor to usurp any authority over the man1 but to be in silence4 ,she is told that the head of every man is ,christ1 and the head of the woman is man1 and the head of ,christ is ,god4 ,in other words1 there is the same difference between the wife and husband that there is between the husband and ,christ4 ,the reasons given for this infamous doctrine are that ,adam was first formed1 and then ,eve2 that ,adam was not deceived1 but that the woman being deceived1 was in the transgression4 ,these childish reasons are the only ones given by the inspired writers4 ,we are also told that a man1 indeed1 ought to cover his head1 forasmuch as he is the image and glory of ,god2 but that the woman is the glory of the man1 and this is justified from the fact1 and the remarkable fact1 set forth in the very next verse--that the man is not of the woman1 but the woman of the man4 ,and the same gallant apostle says3 ,neither was the man created for the woman1 but the woman for the man2 ,wives1 submit yourselves unto your husbands as unto the ,lord2 for the husband is the head of the wife1 even as ,christ is the head of the church1 and he is the savior of the body4 ,therefore1 as the church is subject unto ,christ1 so let the wives be subject to their own husbands in everything4 ,these are the passages that have liberated woman6 ,according to the ,old ,testament1 woman had to ask pardon1 and had to be purified1 for the crime of having borne sons and daughters4 ,if in this world there is a figure of perfect purity1 it is a mother holding in her thrilled and happy arms her child4 ,the doctrine that woman is the slave1 or serf1 of man--whether it comes from heaven or from hell1 from ,god or a demon1 from the golden streets of the ,new ,jerusalem or from the very ,sodom of perdition--is savagery1 pure and simple4 ,in no country in the world had women less liberty than in the ,holy ,land1 and no monarch held in less esteem the rights of wives and mothers than ,jehovah of the ,jews4 ,the position of woman was far better in ,egypt than in ,palestine4 ,before the pyramids were built1 the sacred songs of ,isis were sung by women1 and women with pure hands had offered sacrifices to the gods4 ,before ,moses was born1 women had sat upon the ,egyptian throne4 ,upon ancient tombs the husband and wife are represented as seated in the same chair4 ,in ,persia women were priests1 and in some of the oldest civilizations they were reverenced on earth1 and worshiped afterward as goddesses in heaven4 ,at the advent of ,christianity1 in all pagan countries women officiated at the sacred altars4 ,they guarded the eternal fire4 ,they kept the sacred books4 ,from their lips came the oracles of fate4 ,under the domination of the ,christian ,church1 woman became the merest slave for at least a thousand years4 ,it was claimed that through woman the race had fallen1 and that her loving kiss had poisoned all the springs of life4 ,christian priests asserted that but for her crime the world would have been an ,eden still4 ,the ancient fathers exhausted their eloquence in the denunciation of woman1 and repeated again and again the slander of ,st4 ,paul4 ,the condition of woman has improved just in proportion that man has lost confidence in the inspiration of the ,bible4 ,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 ,will ,mr4 ,black have the kindness to state a few of his objections to the devil8 ,mr4 ,black should have answered my arguments1 instead of calling me blasphemous and scurrilous4 ,in the discussion of these questions ,i have nothing to do with the reputation of my opponent4 ,his character throws no light on the subject1 and is to me a matter of perfect indifference4 ,neither will it do for one who enters the lists as the champion of revealed religion to say that we have no right to rejudge the justice of ,god4 ,such a statement is a white flag4 ,the warrior eludes the combat when he cries out that it is a metaphysical question4 ,he deserts the field and throws down his arms when he admits that no revelation has lifted the veil between time and eternity4 ,again ,i ask1 why were the ,jewish people as wicked1 cruel1 and ignorant with a revelation from ,god1 as other nations were without8 ,why were the worshipers of false deities as brave1 as kind1 and generous as those who knew the only true and living ,god8 ,how do you explain the fact that while ,jehovah was waging wars of extermination1 establishing slavery1 and persecuting for opinion's sake1 heathen philosophers were teaching that all men are brothers1 equally entitled to liberty and life8 ,you insist that ,jehovah believed in slavery and yet punished the ,egyptians for enslaving the ,jews4 ,was your ,god once an abolitionist8 ,did he at that time denounce ,christ for not agreeing with him8 ,if slavery was a crime in ,egypt1 was it a virtue in ,palestine8 ,did ,god treat the ,canaanites better than ,pharaoh did the ,jews8 ,was it right for ,jehovah to kill the children of the people because of ,pharaoh's sin8 ,should the peasant be punished for the king's crime8 ,do you not know that the worst thing that can be said of ,nero1 ,caligula1 and ,commodus is that they resembled the ,jehovah of the ,jews8 ,will you tell me why ,god failed to give his ,bible to the whole world8 ,why did he not give the ,scriptures to the ,hindu1 the ,greek1 and ,roman8 ,why did he fail to enlighten the worshipers of ,mammon and ,moloch1 of ,belial and ,baal1 of ,bacchus and ,venus8 ,after all1 was not ,bacchus as good as ,jehovah8 ,is it not better to drink wine than to shed blood8 ,was there anything in the worship of ,venus worse than giving captured maidens to satisfy the victor's lust8 ,did ,mammon or ,moloch do anything more infamous than to establish slavery8 ,did they order their soldiers to kill men1 women1 and children1 and to save alive nothing that had breath8 ,do not answer these questions by saying that no veil has been lifted between time and eternity1 and that we have no right to rejudge the justice of ,god4 ,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 defence of robbers1 called kings1 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 science1 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 to the misery of a nation whose king is ,jehovah6 ,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 opinion's sake even unto death4 ,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 subtle 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 ,mr4 ,black comes to the conclusion that the ,hebrew ,bible is in exact harmony with the ,new ,testament1 and that the two are connected together2 and that if one is true the other cannot be false4 ,if this is so1 then he must admit that if one is false the other cannot be true2 and it hardly seems possible to me that there is a right-minded1 sane man1 except ,mr4 ,black1 who now believes that a ,god of infinite kindness and justice ever commanded one nation to exterminate another2 ever ordered his soldiers to destroy men1 women1 and babes2 ever established the institution of human slavery2 ever regarded the auction-block as an altar1 or a bloodhound as an apostle4 ,mr4 ,black contends 7after having answered my indictment against the ,old ,testament by admitting the allegations to be true7 that the rapidity with which ,christianity spread proves the supernatural origin of the ,gospel1 or that it was propagated by the direct aid of the ,divine ,being himself4 ,let us see4 ,in his efforts to show that the infallible ,god established slavery in ,judea1 he takes occasion to say that the doctrine that slavery is a crime under all circumstances was first started by the adherents of a political faction in this1 country less than forty years ago2 that they denounced ,god and ,christ for not agreeing with them2 but that they did not constitute the civilized world2 nor were they1 if the truth must be told1 a very respectable portion of it4 ,let it be remembered that this was only forty years ago2 and yet1 according to ,mr4 ,black1 a few disreputable men changed the ideas of nearly fifty millions of people1 changed the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 liberated a race from slavery1 clothed three millions of people with political rights1 took possession of the ,government1 managed its affairs for more than twenty years1 and have compelled the admiration of the civilized world4 ,is it ,mr4 ,black's idea that this happened by chance8 ,if not1 then according to him1 there are but two ways to account for it2 either the rapidity with which ,republicanism spread proves its supernatural origin1 or else its propagation was provided for and carried on by the direct aid of the ,divine ,being himself4 ,between these two1 ,mr4 ,black may make his choice4 ,he will at once see that the rapid rise and spread of any doctrine does not even tend to show that it was divinely revealed4 ,this argument is applicable to all religions4 ,mohammedans can use it as well as ,christians4 ,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 made 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 polygamy1 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 this1 he was far in advance both of ,jehovah and ,mr4 ,black4 ,it will not do to take the ground that the rapid rise and spread of a religion demonstrates its divine character4 ,years before ,gautama died1 his religion was established1 and his disciples were numbered by millions4 ,his doctrines were not enforced by the sword1 but by an appeal to the hopes1 the fears1 and the reason of mankind2 and more than one-third of the human race are to-day the followers of ,gautama4 ,his religion has outlived all that existed in his time2 and according to ,dr4 ,draper1 there is no other country in the world except ,india that has the religion to-day it had at the birth of ,jesus ,christ4 ,gautama believed in the equality of all men2 abhorred the spirit of caste1 and proclaimed justice1 mercy1 and education for all4 ,imagine a ,mohammedan answering an infidel2 would he not use the argument of ,mr ,black1 simply substituting ,mohammed for ,christ1 just as effectually as it has been used against me8 ,there was a time when ,india was the foremost nation of the world4 ,would not your argument1 ,mr4 ,black1 have been just as good in the mouth of a ,brahmin then1 as it is in yours now8 ,egypt1 the mysterious mother of mankind1 with her pyramids built thirty-four hundred years before ,christ1 was once the first in all the earth1 and gave to us our ,trinity1 and our symbol of the cross4 ,could not a priest of ,isis and ,osiris have used your arguments to prove that his religion was divine1 and could he not have closed by saying3 ,from the facts established by this evidence it follows irresistibly that our religion came to us from ,god8 ,do you not see that your argument proves too much1 and that it is equally applicable to all the religions of the world8 ,again1 it is urged that the acceptance of ,christianity by a large portion of the generation contemporary with its founder and his apostles was1 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 ,the old argument that if ,christianity is a human fabrication its authors must have been either good men or bad men1 takes it for granted that there are but two classes of persons--the good and the bad4 ,there is at least one other class--the mistaken1 and both of the other classes may belong to this4 ,thousands of most excellent people have been deceived1 and the history of the world is filled with instances where men have honestly supposed that they had received communications from angels and gods4 ,in thousands of instances these pretended communications contained the purest and highest thoughts1 together with the most important truths2 yet it will not do to say that these accounts are true2 neither can they be proved by saying that the men who claimed to be inspired were good4 ,what we must say is1 that being good men1 they were mistaken2 and it is the charitable mantle of a mistake that ,i throw over ,mr4 ,black1 when ,i find him defending the institution of slavery4 ,he seems to think it utterly incredible that any combination of knaves1 however base1 would fraudulently concoct a religious system to denounce themselves1 and to invoke the curse of ,god upon their own conduct4 ,how did religions other than ,christianity and ,judaism arise8 ,were they all concocted by a combination of knaves8 ,the religion of ,gautama is filled with most beautiful and tender thoughts1 with most excellent laws1 and hundreds of sentences urging mankind to deeds of love and self-denial4 ,was ,gautama inspired8 ,does not ,mr4 ,black know that thousands of people charged with witchcraft actually confessed in open court their guilt8 ,does he not know that they admitted that they had spoken face to face with ,satan1 and had sold their souls for gold and power8 ,does he not know that these admissions were made in the presence and expectation of death8 ,does he not know that hundreds of judges1 some of them as great as the late lamented ,gibson1 believed in the existence of an impossible crime8 ,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 as 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 ,hermas--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 ,mary or ,joseph or ,elizabeth or the angel1 having had any conversation with ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 or ,john 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 ,all this is answered by saying that nothing was said by the most virulent enemies against the personal honesty of the ,evangelists4 ,how is this known8 ,if ,christ performed the miracles recorded in the ,new ,testament1 why would the ,jews put to death a man able to raise their dead8 ,why should they attempt to kill the ,master of ,death8 ,how did it happen that a man who had done so many miracles was so obscure1 so unknown1 that one of his disciples had to be bribed to point him out8 ,is it not strange that the ones he had cured were not his disciples8 ,can we believe1 upon the testimony of those about whose character we know nothing1 that ,lazarus was raised from the dead8 ,what became of ,lazarus8 ,we never hear of him again4 ,it seems to me that he would have been an object of great interest4 ,people would have said3 ,he is the man who was once dead4 ,thousands would have inquired of him about the other world2 would have asked him where he was when he received the information that he was wanted on the earth4 ,his experience would have been vastly more interesting than everything else in the ,new ,testament4 ,a returned traveler from the shores of ,eternity--one who had walked twice through the valley of the shadow--would have been the most interesting of human beings4 ,when he came to die again1 people would have said3 ,he is not afraid2 he has had experience2 he knows what death is4 ,but1 strangely enough1 this ,lazarus fades into obscurity with the wise men of the ,east1 and with the dead who came out of their graves on the night of the crucifixion4 ,how is it known that it was claimed1 during the life of ,christ1 that he had wrought a miracle8 ,and if the claim was made1 how is it known that it was not denied8 ,did the ,jews believe that ,christ was clothed with miraculous power8 ,would they have dared to crucify a man who had the power to clothe the dead with life8 ,is it not wonderful that no one at the trial of ,christ said one word about the miracles he had wrought8 ,nothing about the sick he had healed1 nor the dead he had raised8 ,is it not wonderful that ,josephus1 the best historian the ,hebrews produced1 says nothing about the life or death of ,christ2 nothing about the massacre of the infants by ,herod2 not one word about the wonderful star that visited the sky at the birth of ,christ2 nothing about the darkness that fell upon the world for several hours in the midst of day2 and failed entirely to mention that hundreds of graves were opened1 and that multitudes of ,jews arose from the dead1 and visited the ,holy ,city8 ,is it not wonderful that no historian ever mentioned any of these prodigies8 and is it not more amazing than all the rest1 that ,christ himself concealed from ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke the dogma of the atonement1 the necessity of belief1 and the mystery of the second birth8 ,of course ,i know that two letters were said to have been written by ,pilate to ,tiberius1 concerning the execution of ,christ1 but they have been shown to be forgeries4 ,i also know that various letters were circulated attributed to ,jesus ,christ1 and that one letter is said to have been written by him to ,abgarus1 king of ,edessa2 but as there was no king of ,edessa at that time1 this letter is admitted to have been a forgery4 ,i also admit that a correspondence between ,seneca and ,st4 ,paul was forged4 ,here in our own country1 only a few years ago1 men claimed to have found golden plates upon which was written a revelation from ,god4 ,they founded a new religion1 and1 according to their statement1 did many miracles4 ,they were treated as outcasts1 and their leader was murdered4 ,these men made their depositions in the immediate prospect of death4 ,they were mobbed1 persecuted1 derided1 and yet they insisted that their prophet had miraculous power1 and that he1 too1 could swing back the hingeless door of death4 ,the followers of these men have increased1 in these few years1 so that now the murdered prophet has at least two hundred thousand disciples4 ,it will be hard to find a contradiction of these pretended miracles1 although this is an age filled with papers1 magazines1 and books4 ,as a matter of fact1 the claims of ,joseph ,smith were so preposterous that sensible people did not take the pains to write and print denials4 ,when we remember that eighteen hundred years ago there were but few people who could write1 and that a manuscript did not become public in any modern sense1 it was possible for the gospels to have been written with all the foolish claims in reference to miracles without exciting comment or denial4 ,there is not1 in all the contemporaneous literature of the world1 a single word about ,christ or his apostles4 ,the paragraph in ,josephus is admitted to be an interpolation1 and the letters1 the account of the trial1 and several other documents forged by the zeal of the early fathers1 are now admitted to be false4 ,neither will it do to say that the statements made by the ,evangelists are alike upon every important point4 ,if there is anything of importance in the ,new ,testament1 from the theological standpoint1 it is the ascension of ,jesus ,christ4 ,if that happened1 it was a miracle great enough to surfeit wonder4 ,are the statements of the inspired witnesses alike on this important point8 ,let us see4 ,matthew says nothing upon the subject4 ,either ,matthew was not there1 had never heard of the ascension1--or1 having heard of it1 did not believe it1 or1 having seen it1 thought it too unimportant to record4 ,to this wonder of wonders ,mark devotes one verse3 ,so then1 after the ,lord had spoken unto them1 he was received up into heaven1 and sat on the right-hand of ,god4 ,can we believe that this verse was written by one who witnessed the ascension of ,jesus ,christ2 by one who watched his ,master slowly rising through the air till distance reft him from his tearful sight8 ,luke1 another of the witnesses1 says3 ,and it came to pass1 while he blessed them1 he was parted from them1 and carried up into heaven4 ,john corroborates ,matthew by saying nothing on the subject4 ,now1 we find that the last chapter of ,mark1 after the eighth verse1 is an interpolation2 so that ,mark really says nothing about the occurrence4 ,either the ascension of ,christ must be given up1 or it must be admitted that the witnesses do not agree1 and that three of them never heard of that most stupendous event4 ,again1 if anything could have left its form and pressure on the brain1 it must have been the last words of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the last words1 according to ,matthew1 are3 ,go ye1 therefore1 and teach all nations1 baptizing them in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost2 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever ,i have commanded you3 and lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world4 ,the last words1 according to the inspired witness known as ,mark1 are3 ,and these signs shall follow them that believe3 in my name shall they cast out devils2 they shall speak with new tongues2 they shall take up serpents2 and if they drink any deadly thing1 it shall not hurt them2 they shall lay hands on the sick1 and they shall recover4 ,luke tells us that the last words uttered by ,christ1 with the exception of a blessing1 were3 ,and behold1 ,i send forth the promise of my ,father upon you2 but tarry ye in the city of ,jerusalem1 until ye be endued with power from on high4 ,the last words1 according to ,john1 were3 ,peter1 seeing ,him1 saith to ,jesus3 ,lord1 and what shall this man do8 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,if ,i will that he tarry till ,i come1 what is that to thee8 follow thou me4 ,an account of the ascension is also given in the ,acts of the ,apostles2 and the last words of ,christ1 according to that inspired witness1 are3 ,but ye shall receive power1 after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you2 and ye shall be witnesses unto me1 both in ,jerusalem and in all ,judea1 and in ,samaria1 and unto the uttermost part of the earth4 ,in this account of the ascension we find that two men stood by the disciples in white apparel1 and asked them3 ,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus1 which is taken up from you into heaven1 shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven4 ,matthew says nothing of the two men4 ,mark never saw them4 ,luke may have forgotten them when writing his gospel1 and ,john may have regarded them as optical illusions4 ,luke testifies that ,christ ascended on the very day of his resurrection4 ,john deposes that eight days after the resurrection ,christ appeared to the disciples and convinced ,thomas4 ,in the ,acts we are told that ,christ remained on earth for forty days after his resurrection4 ,these depositions do not agree4 ,neither do ,matthew and ,luke agree in their histories of the infancy of ,christ4 ,it is impossible for both to be true4 ,one of these witnesses must have been mistaken4 ,the most wonderful miracle recorded in the ,new ,testament1 as having been wrought by ,christ1 is the resurrection of ,lazarus4 ,while all the writers of the gospels1 in many instances1 record the same wonders and the same conversations1 is it not remarkable that the greatest miracle is mentioned alone by ,john8 ,two of the witnesses1 ,matthew and ,luke1 give the genealogy of ,christ4 ,matthew says that there were forty-two generations from ,abraham to ,christ4 ,luke insists that there were forty-two from ,christ to ,david1 while ,matthew gives the number as twenty-eight4 ,it may be said that this is an old objection4 ,an objection-remains young until it has been answered4 ,is it not wonderful that ,luke and ,matthew do not agree on a single name of ,christ's ancestors for thirty-seven generations8 ,there is a difference of opinion among the witnesses as to what the gospel of ,christ is4 ,if we take the depositions of ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 then the gospel of ,christ amounts simply to this3 ,that ,god will forgive the forgiving1 and that he will be merciful to the merciful4 ,according to three witnesses1 ,christ knew nothing of the doctrine of the atonement2 never heard of the second birth2 and did not base salvation1 in whole nor in part1 on belief4 ,in the deposition of ,john1 we find that we must be born again2 that we must believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 and that an atonement was made for us4 ,if ,christ ever said these things to1 or in the hearing of1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 they forgot to mention them4 ,to my mind1 the failure of the evangelists to agree as tu what is necessary for man to do in order to insure the salvation of his soul1 is a demonstration that they were not inspired4 ,neither do the witnesses agree as to the last words of ,christ when he was crucified4 ,matthew says that he cried3 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8 ,mark agrees with ,matthew4 ,luke testifies that his last words were3 ,father1 into thy hands ,i commend my spirit4 ,john states that he cried3 ,it is finished4 ,luke says that ,christ said of his murderers3 ,father1 forgive them2 for they know not what they do4 ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,john do not record these touching words4 ,john says that ,christ1 on the day of his resurrection1 said to his disciples3 ,whosesoever sins ye remit1 they are remitted unto them2 and whosesoever sins ye retain1 they are retained4 ,the other disciples do not record this monstrous passage4 ,they did not hear the abdication of ,god4 ,they were not present when ,christ placed in their hands the keys of heaven and hell1 and put a world beneath the feet of priests4 ,it is easy to account for the differences and contradictions in these depositions 7and there are hundreds of them7 by saying that each one told the story as he remembered it1 or as he had heard it1 or that the accounts have been changed1 but it will not do to say that the witnesses were inspired of ,god4 ,we can account for these contradictions by the infirmities of human nature2 but1 as ,i said before1 the infirmities of human nature cannot be predicated of a divine being4 ,again1 ,i ask1 why should there be more than one inspired gospel8 ,of what use were the other three8 ,there can be only one true account of anything4 ,all other true accounts must simply be copies of that4 ,and ,i ask again1 why should there have been more than one inspired gospel8 ,that which is the test of truth as to ordinary witnesses is a demonstration against their inspiration4 ,it will not do at this late day to say that the miracles worked by ,christ demonstrated his divine origin or mission4 ,the wonderful works he did1 did not convince the people with whom he lived4 ,in spite of the miracles1 he was crucified4 ,he was charged with blasphemy4 ,policemen denounced the scurrility of his words1 and the absurdity of his doctrines4 ,he was no doubt told that it was almost a crime to utter blasphemy in the presence of a ,jewish woman2 and it may be that he was taunted for throwing away the golden metewand of the infallible ,god who authorized slavery in ,judea1 and taking the elastic cord of human feeling4 ,christians tell us that the citizens of ,mecca refused to believe on ,mohammed because he was an impostor1 and that the citizens of ,jerusalem refused to believe on ,jesus ,christ because he was not an impostor4 ,if ,christ had wrought the miracles attributed to him--if he had cured the maimed1 the leprous1 and the halt--if he had changed the night of blindness into blessed day--if he had wrested from the fleshless hand of avaricious death the stolen jewel of a life1 and clothed again with throbbing flesh the pulseless dust1 he would have won the love and adoration of mankind4 ,if ever there shall stand upon this earth the king of death1 all human knees will touch the ground4 ,we are further informed that what we call the fundamental truths of ,christianity consist of great public events which are sufficiently established by history without special proof4 ,of course1 we admit that the ,roman ,empire existed2 that ,julius ,caesar was assassinated2 and we may admit that ,rome was founded by ,romulus and ,remus2 but will some one be kind enough to tell us how the assassination of ,caesar even tends to prove that ,romulus and ,remus were suckled by a wolf8 ,we will all admit that1 in the sixth century after ,christ1 ,mohammed was born at ,mecca2 that his victorious hosts vanquished half the ,christian world2 that the crescent triumphed over the cross upon a thousand fields2 that all the ,christians of the earth were not able to rescue from the hands of an impostor the empty grave of ,christ4 ,we will all admit that the ,mohammedans cultivated the arts and sciences2 that they gave us our numerals2 taught us the higher mathematics2 gave us our first ideas of astronomy1 and that science was thrust into the brain of ,europe on the point of a ,moorish lance2 and yet we will not admit that ,mohammed was divinely inspired1 nor that he had frequent conversations with the angel ,gabriel1 nor that after his death his coffin was suspended in mid-air4 ,a little while ago1 in the city of ,chicago1 a gentleman addressed a number of ,sunday-school children4 ,in his address1 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 ,the fact that ,christ lived in ,palestine does not tend to show that he was in any way related to the ,holy ,ghost2 nor does the existence of the ,christian religion substantiate the ascension of ,jesus ,christ4 ,we all admit that ,socrates lived in ,athens1 but we do not admit that he had a familiar spirit4 ,i am satisfied that ,john ,wesley was an ,englishman1 but ,i hardly believe that ,god postponed a rain because ,mr4 ,wesley wanted to preach4 ,all the natural things in the world are not sufficient to establish the supernatural4 ,mr4 ,black reasons in this way3 ,there was a hydra-headed monster4 ,we know this1 because ,hercules killed him4 ,there must have been such a woman as ,proserpine1 otherwise ,pluto could not have carried her away4 ,christ must have been divine1 because the ,holy ,ghost was his father4 ,and there must have been such a being as the ,holy ,ghost1 because without a father ,christ could not have existed4 ,those who are disposed to deny everything because a part is false1 reason exactly the other way4 ,they insist that because there was no hydra-headed monster1 ,hercules did not exist4 ,the true position1 in my judgment1 is that the natural is not to be discarded because found in the company of the miraculous1 neither should the miraculous be believed because associated with the probable4 ,there was in all probability such a man as ,jesus ,christ4 ,he may have lived in ,jerusalem4 ,he may have been crucified1 but that he was the ,son of ,god1 or that he was raised from the dead1 and ascended bodily to heaven1 has never been1 and1 in the nature of things1 can never be1 substantiated4 ,apparently tired with his efforts to answer what ,i really said1 ,mr4 ,black resorted to the expedient of compressing my propositions and putting them in italics4 ,by his system of compression he was enabled to squeeze out what ,i really said1 and substitute a few sentences of his own4 ,i did not say that ,christianity offers eternal salvation as the reward of belief alone1 but ,i did say that no salvation is offered without belief4 ,there must be a difference of opinion in the minds of ,mr4 ,black's witnesses on this subject4 ,in one place we are told that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law2 and in another1 to him that worketh not1 but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly1 his faith is counted to him for righteousness2 and the following passages seem to show the necessity of belief3 ,he that believeth on ,him is not condemned2 but he that believeth not is condemned already1 because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten ,son of ,god4 ,he that believeth on the ,son hath everlasting life3 and he that believeth not the ,son1 shall not see life2 but the wrath of ,god abideth on him4 ,jesus said unto her1 ,i am the resurrection and the life2 he that believeth in ,me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live4 ,and whosoever liveth and believeth in ,me1 shall never die4 ,for the gifts and calling of ,god are without repentance4 ,for by grace are ye saved through faith2 and that not of yourselves2 it is the gift of ,god4 ,not of works1 lest any man should boast4 ,whosoever shall confess that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god1 ,god dwelleth in him1 and he in ,god4 ,whosoever believeth not shall be damned4 ,i do not understand that the ,christians of to-day insist that simple belief will secure the salvation of the soul4 ,i believe it is stated in the ,bible that the very devils believe2 and it would seem from this that belief is not such a meritorious thing1 after all4 ,but ,christians do insist that without belief no man can be saved2 that faith is necessary to salvation1 and that there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved1 except that of ,christ4 ,my doctrine is that there is only one way to be saved1 and that is to act in harmony with your surroundings--to live in accordance with the facts of your being4 ,a ,being of infinite wisdom has no right to create a person destined to everlasting pain4 ,for the honest infidel1 according to the ,american ,evangelical pulpit1 there is no heaven4 ,for the upright atheist1 there is nothing in another world but punishment4 ,mr4 ,black admits that lunatics and idiots are in no danger of hell4 ,this being so1 his ,god should have created only lunatics and idiots4 ,why should the fatal gift of brain be given to any human being1 if such gift renders him liable to eternal hell8 ,better be a lunatic here and an angel there4 ,better be an idiot in this world1 if you can be a seraph in the next4 ,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 ,brahmin1 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 ,who 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 ,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 ,i insisted upon knowing how the sufferings of an innocent man could satisfy justice for the sins of the guilty4 ,to this1 ,mr4 ,black replies as follows3 ,this raises a metaphysical question1 which it is not necessary or possible for me to discuss here4 ,is this considered an answer8 ,is it in this way that my misty creations are made to roll away and vanish into air one after another8 ,is this the best that can be done by one of the disciples of the infallible ,god who butchered babes in ,judea8 ,is it possible for a policeman to silence a rude disturber in this way8 ,to answer an argument1 is it only necessary to say that it raises a metaphysical question8 ,again ,i say3 ,the life of ,christ is worth its example1 its moral force1 its heroism of benevolence4 ,and again ,i say3 ,the effort to vindicate a law by inflicting punishment on the innocent is a second violation instead of a vindication4 ,mr4 ,black1 under the pretence of compressing1 puts in my mouth the following3 ,the doctrine of non-resistance1 forgiveness of injuries1 reconciliation with enemies1 as taught in the ,new ,testament1 is the child of weakness1 degrading and unjust4 ,this is entirely untrue4 ,what ,i did say is this3 ,the idea of non-resistance never occurred to a man who had the power to protect himself4 ,this doctrine was the child of weakness1 born when resistance was impossible4 ,i said not one word against the forgiveness of injuries1 not one word against the reconciliation of enemies--not one word4 ,i believe in the reconciliation of enemies4 ,i believe in a reasonable forgiveness of injuries4 ,but ,i do not believe in the doctrine of non-resistance4 ,mr4 ,black proceeds to say that ,christianity forbids us to cherish animosity1 to thirst for mere revenge1 to hoard up wrongs real or fancied1 and lie in wait for the chance of paying them back2 to be impatient1 unforgiving1 malicious1 and cruel to all who have crossed us4 ,and yet the man who thus describes ,christianity tells us that it is not only our right1 but our duty1 to fight savages as savages fight us2 insists that where a nation tries to exterminate us1 we have a right to exterminate them4 ,this same man1 who tells us that the diabolical propensities of the human heart are checked and curbed by the spirit of the ,christian religion1 and that this religion has converted men from low savages into refined and civilized beings1 still insists that the author of the ,christian religion established slavery1 waged wars of extermination1 abhorred the liberty of thought1 and practiced the divine virtues of retaliation and revenge4 ,if it is our duty to forgive our enemies1 ought not ,god to forgive his8 ,is it possible that ,god will hate his enemies when he tells us that we must love ours8 ,the enemies of ,god cannot injure him1 but ours can injure us4 ,if it is the duty of the injured to forgive1 why should the uninjured insist upon having revenge8 ,why should a being who destroys nations with pestilence and famine expect that his children will be loving and forgiving8 ,mr4 ,black insists that without a belief in ,god there can be no perception of right and wrong1 and that it is impossible for an atheist to have a conscience4 ,mr4 ,black1 the ,christian1 the believer in ,god1 upholds wars of extermination4 ,i denounce such wars as murder4 ,he upholds the institution of slavery4 ,i denounce that institution as the basest of crimes4 ,yet ,i am told that ,i have no knowledge of right and wrong2 that ,i measure with the elastic cord of human feeling1 while the believer in slavery and wars of extermination measures with the golden metewand of ,god4 ,what is right and what is wrong8 ,everything is right that tends to the happiness of mankind1 and everything is wrong that increases the sum of human misery4 ,what can increase the happiness of this world more than to do away with every form of slavery1 and with all war8 ,what can increase the misery of mankind more than to increase wars and put chains upon more human limbs8 ,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 ,but a man who justifies slavery1 who justifies a ,god when he commands the soldier to rip open the mother and to pierce with the sword of war the child unborn1 is controlled and dominated1 not by conscience1 but by a cruel and remorseless superstition4 ,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 ,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 ,it may be said that the ,pagans believed in a god1 and consequently had a standard of right and wrong4 ,but the ,pagans did not believe in the true ,god4 ,they knew nothing of ,jehovah4 ,of course it will not do to believe in the wrong ,god4 ,in order to know the difference between right and wrong1 you must believe in the right ,god--in the one who established slavery4 ,can this be avoided by saying that a false god is better than none8 ,the idea of justice is not the child of superstition--it was not born of ignorance2 neither was it nurtured by the passages in the ,old ,testament upholding slavery1 wars of extermination1 and religious persecution4 ,every human being necessarily has a standard of right and wrong2 and where that standard has not been polluted by superstition1 man abhors slavery1 regards a war of extermination as murder1 and looks upon religious persecution as a hideous crime4 ,if there is a ,god1 infinite in power and wisdom1 above him1 poised in eternal calm1 is the figure of ,justice4 ,at the shrine of ,justice the infinite ,god must bow1 and in her impartial scales the actions even of ,infinity must be weighed4 ,there is no world1 no star1 no heaven1 no hell1 in which gratitude is not a virtue and where slavery is not a crime4 ,according to the logic of this reply1 all good and evil become mixed and mingled--equally good and equally bad1 unless we believe in the existence of the infallible ,god who ordered husbands to kill their wives4 ,we do not know right from wrong now1 unless we are convinced that a being of infinite mercy waged wars of extermination four thousand years ago4 ,we are incapable even of charity1 unless we worship the being who ordered the husband to kill his wife for differing with him on the subject of religion4 ,we know that acts are good or bad only as they effect the actors1 and others4 ,we know that from every good act good consequences flow1 and that from every bad act there are only evil results4 ,every virtuous deed is a star in the moral firmament4 ,there is in the moral world1 as in the physical1 the absolute and perfect relation of cause and effect4 ,for this reason1 the atonement becomes an impossibility4 ,others may suffer by your crime1 but their suffering cannot discharge you2 it simply increases your guilt and adds to your burden4 ,for this reason happiness is not a reward--it is a consequence4 ,suffering is not a punishment--it is a result4 ,it is insisted that ,christianity is not opposed to freedom of thought1 but that it is based on certain principles to which it requires the assent of all4 ,is this a candid statement8 ,are we only required to give our assent to certain principles in order to be saved8 ,are the inspiration of the ,bible1 the divinity of ,christ1 the atonement1 and the ,trinity1 principles8 ,will it be admitted by the orthodox world that good deeds are sufficient unto salvation--that a man can get into heaven by living in accordance with certain principles8 ,this is a most excellent doctrine1 but it is not ,christianity4 ,and right here1 it may be well enough to state what ,i mean by ,christianity4 ,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 ,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 destroyed1 the freedom of the human mind4 ,all religions have1 with ceremony1 magic1 and mystery1 deformed1 darkened1 and corrupted the soul4 ,around the sturdy oaks of morality have grown and clung the parasitic1 poisonous vines of the miraculous and monstrous4 ,i have insisted1 and ,i still insist1 that it is 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 on 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 ,the idea that a certain belief is necessary to salvation unsheathed the swords and lighted the fagots of persecution4 ,as long as heaven is the reward of creed instead of deed1 just so long will every orthodox church be a bastile1 every member a prisoner1 and every priest a turnkey4 ,in the estimation of good orthodox ,christians1 ,i am a criminal1 because ,i am trying to take from loving mothers1 fathers1 brothers1 sisters1 husbands1 wives1 and lovers the consolations naturally arising from a belief in an eternity of grief and pain4 ,i want to tear1 break1 and scatter to the winds the ,god that priests erected in the fields of innocent pleasure--a ,god made of sticks1 called creeds1 and of old clothes1 called myths4 ,i have tried to take from the coffin its horror1 from the cradle its curse1 and put out the fires of revenge kindled by the savages of the past4 ,is it necessary that heaven should borrow its light from the glare of hell8 ,infinite punishment is infinite cruelty1 endless injustice1 immortal meanness4 ,to worship an eternal gaoler hardens1 debases1 and pollutes the soul4 ,while there is one sad and breaking heart in the universe1 no perfectly good being can be perfectly happy4 ,against the heartlessness of this doctrine every grand and generous soul should enter its solemn protest4 ,i want no part in any heaven where the saved1 the ransomed1 and redeemed drown with merry shouts the cries and sobs of hell--in which happiness forgets misery--where the tears of the lost increase laughter and deepen the dimples of joy4 ,the idea of hell was born of ignorance1 brutality1 fear1 cowardice1 and revenge4 ,this idea tends to show that our remote ancestors were the lowest beasts4 ,only from dens1 lairs1 and caves--only from mouths filled with cruel fangs--only from hearts of fear and hatred--only from the conscience of hunger and lust--only from the lowest and most debased1 could come this most cruel1 heartless1 and absurd of all dogmas4 ,our ancestors knew but little of nature4 ,they were too astonished to investigate4 ,they could not divest themselves of the idea that everything happened with reference to them2 that they caused storms and earthquakes2 that they brought the tempest and the whirlwind2 that on account of something they had done1 or omitted to do1 the lightning of vengeance leaped from the darkened sky4 ,they made up their minds that at least two vast and powerful beings presided over this world2 that one was good and the other bad2 that both of these beings wished to get control of the souls of men2 that they were relentless enemies1 eternal foes2 that both welcomed recruits and hated deserters2 that one offered rewards in this world1 and the other in the next4 ,man saw cruelty and mercy in nature1 because he imagined that phenomena were produced to punish or to reward him4 ,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 sing and daisies bloom 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 ,do not imagine that the doctrine of eternal revenge belongs to ,christianity alone4 ,nearly all religions have had this dogma for a corner-stone4 ,upon this burning foundation nearly all have built4 ,over the abyss of pain rose the glittering dome of pleasure4 ,this world was regarded as one of trial4 ,here1 a ,god of infinite wisdom experimented with man4 ,between the outstretched paws of the ,infinite1 the mouse--man--was allowed to play4 ,here1 man had the opportunity of hearing priests and kneeling in temples4 ,here1 he could read1 and hear read1 the sacred books4 ,here1 he could have the example of the pious and the counsels of the holy4 ,here1 he could build churches and cathedrals4 ,here1 he could burn incense1 fast1 wear hair-cloth1 deny himself all the pleasures of life1 confess to priests1 construct instruments of torture1 bow before pictures and images1 and persecute all who had the courage to despise superstition1 and the goodness to tell their honest thoughts4 ,after death1 if he died out of the church1 nothing could be done to make him better4 ,when he should come into the presence of ,god1 nothing was left except to damn him4 ,priests might convert him here1 but ,god could do nothing there4 ,all of which shows how much more a priest can do for a soul than its creator4 ,only here1 on the earth1 where the devil is constantly active1 only where his agents attack every soul1 is there the slightest hope of moral improvement4 ,strange6 that a world cursed by ,god1 filled with temptations1 and thick with fiends1 should be the only place where man can repent1 the only place where reform is possible6 ,masters frightened slaves with the threat of hell1 and slaves got a kind of shadowy revenge by whispering back the threat4 ,the imprisoned imagined a hell for their gaolers2 the weak built this place for the strong2 the arrogant for their rivals2 the vanquished for their victors2 the priest for the thinker2 religion for reason2 superstition for science4 ,all the meanness1 all the revenge1 all the selfishness1 all the cruelty1 all the hatred1 all the infamy of which the heart of man is capable1 grew1 blossomed1 and bore fruit in this one word--,hell4 ,for the nourishment of this dogma1 cruelty was soil1 ignorance was rain1 and fear was light4 ,why did ,mr4 ,black fail to answer what ,i said in relation to the doctrine of inspiration8 ,did he consider that a metaphysical question8 ,let us see what inspiration really is4 ,a man looks at the sea1 and the sea says something to him4 ,it makes an impression on his mind4 ,it awakens memory1 and this impression depends upon his experience--upon his intellectual capacity4 ,another looks upon the same sea4 ,he has a different brain2 he has a different experience4 ,the sea may speak to him of joy1 to the other of grief and tears4 ,the sea cannot tell the same thing to any two human beings1 because no two human beings have had the same experience4 ,one may think of wreck and ruin1 and another1 while listening to the multitudinous laughter of the sea1 may say3 ,every drop has visited all the shores of earth2 every one has been frozen in the vast and icy ,north1 has fallen in snow1 has whirled in storms around the mountain peaks1 been kissed to vapor by the sun1 worn the seven-hued robe of light1 fallen in pleasant rain1 gurgled from springs1 and laughed in brooks while lovers wooed upon the banks4 ,everything in nature tells a different story to all eyes that see and to all ears that hear4 ,so1 when we look upon a flower1 a painting1 a statue1 a star1 or a violet1 the more we know1 the more we have experienced1 the more we have thought1 the more we remember1 the more the statue1 the star1 the painting1 the violet has to tell4 ,nature says to me all that ,i am capable of understanding--gives all that ,i can receive4 ,as with star1 or flower1 or sea1 so with a book4 ,a thoughtful man reads ,shakespeare4 ,what does he get8 ,all that he has the mind to understand4 ,let another read him1 who knows nothing of the drama1 nothing of the impersonations of passion1 and what does he get8 ,almost nothing4 ,shakespeare has a different story for each reader4 ,he is a world in which each recognizes his acquaintances4 ,the impression that nature makes upon the mind1 the stories told by sea and star and flower1 must be the natural food of thought4 ,leaving out for the moment the impressions gained from ancestors1 the hereditary fears and drifts and trends--the natural food of thought must be the impressions made upon the brain by coming in contact through the medium of the senses with what we call the outward world4 ,the brain is natural2 its food is natural2 the result1 thought1 must be natural4 ,of the supernatural we have no conception4 ,thought may be deformed1 and the thought of one may be strange to1 and denominated unnatural by1 another2 but it cannot be supernatural4 ,it may be weak1 it may be insane1 but it is not supernatural4 ,above the natural1 man cannot rise4 ,there can be deformed ideas1 as there are deformed persons4 ,there may be religions monstrous and misshapen1 but they were naturally produced4 ,the world is to each man according to each man4 ,it takes the world as it really is and that man to make that man's world4 ,you may ask1 ,and what of all this8 ,i reply1 ,as with everything in nature1 so with the ,bible4 ,it has a different story for each reader4 ,is1 then1 the ,bible a different book to every human being who reads it8 ,it is4 ,can ,god1 through the ,bible1 make precisely the same revelation to two persons8 ,he cannot4 ,why8 ,because the man who reads is not inspired4 ,god should inspire readers as well as writers4 ,you may reply3 ,god knew that his book would be understood differently by each one1 and intended that it should be understood as it is understood by each4 ,if this is so1 then my understanding of the ,bible is the real revelation to me4 ,if this is so1 ,i have no right to take the understanding of another4 ,i must take the revelation made to me through my understanding1 and by that revelation ,i must stand4 ,suppose then1 that ,i read this ,bible honestly1 fairly1 and when ,i get through am compelled to say1 ,the book is not true4 ,if this is the honest result1 then you are compelled to say1 either that ,god has made no revelation to me1 or that the revelation that it is not true is the revelation made to me1 and by which ,i am bound4 ,if the book and my brain are both the work of the same infinite ,god1 whose fault is it that the book and brain do not agree8 ,either ,god should have written a book to fit my brain1 or should have made my brain to fit his book4 ,the inspiration of the ,bible depends on the credulity of him who reads4 ,there was a time when its geology1 its astronomy1 its natural history1 were thought to be inspired2 that time has passed4 ,there was a time when its morality satisfied the men who ruled the world of thought2 that time has passed4 ,mr4 ,black1 continuing his process of compressing my propositions1 attributes to me the following statement3 ,the gospel of ,christ does not satisfy the hunger of the heart4 ,i did not say this4 ,what ,i did say is3 ,the dogmas of the past no longer reach the level of the highest thought1 nor satisfy the hunger of the heart4 ,in so far as ,christ taught any doctrine in opposition to slavery1 in favor of intellectual liberty1 upholding kindness1 enforcing the practice of justice and mercy1 ,i most cheerfully admit that his teachings should be followed4 ,such teachings do not need the assistance of miracles4 ,they are not in the region of the supernatural4 ,they find their evidence in the glad response of every honest heart that superstition has not touched and stained4 ,the great question under discussion is1 whether the immoral1 absurd1 and infamous can be established by the miraculous4 ,it cannot be too often repeated1 that truth scorns the assistance of miracle4 ,that which actually happens sets in motion innumerable effects1 which1 in turn1 become causes producing other effects4 ,these are all witnesses whose depositions continue4 ,what ,i insist on is1 that a miracle cannot be established by human testimony4 ,we have known people to be mistaken4 ,we know that all people will not tell the truth4 ,we have never seen the dead raised4 ,when people assert that they have1 we are forced to weigh the probabilities1 and the probabilities are on the other side4 ,it will not do to assert that the universe was created1 and then say that such creation was miraculous1 and1 therefore1 all miracles are possible4 ,we must be sure of our premises4 ,who knows that the universe was created8 ,if it was not2 if it has existed from eternity2 if the present is the necessary child of all the past1 then the miraculous is the impossible4 ,throw away all the miracles of the ,new ,testament1 and the good teachings of ,christ remain--all that is worth preserving will be there still4 ,take from what is now known as ,christianity the doctrine of the atonement1 the fearful dogma of eternal punishment1 the absurd idea that a certain belief is necessary to salvation1 and with most of the remainder the good and intelligent will most heartily agree4 ,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 ,mr4 ,black seems to think that miracles are the most natural things imaginable1 and wonders that anybody should be insane enough to deny the probability of the impossible4 ,he regards all who doubt the miraculous origin1 the resurrection and ascension of ,jesus ,christ1 as afflicted with some error of the moon1 and declares that their disbelief seems like a kind of insanity4 ,to ask for evidence is not generally regarded as a symptom of a brain diseased4 ,delusions1 illusions1 phantoms1 hallucinations1 apparitions1 chimeras1 and visions are the common property of the religious and the insane4 ,persons blessed with sound minds and healthy bodies rely on facts1 not fancies--on demonstrations instead of dreams4 ,it seems to me that the most orthodox ,christians must admit that many of the miracles recorded in the ,new ,testament are extremely childish4 ,they must see that the miraculous draught of fishes1 changing water into wine1 fasting for forty days1 inducing devils to leave an insane man by allowing them to take possession of swine1 walking on the water1 and using a fish for a pocket-book1 are all unworthy of an infinite being1 and are calculated to provoke laughter--to feed suspicion and engender doubt4 ,mr4 ,black takes the ground that if a man believes in the creation of the universe--that being the most stupendous miracle of which the mind can conceive--he has no right to deny anything4 ,he asserts that ,god created the universe2 that creation was a miracle2 that ,god would be likely to reveal his will to the rational creatures who were required to obey it1 and that he would authenticate his revelation by giving his prophets and apostles supernatural power4 ,after making these assertion1 he triumphantly exclaims3 ,it therefore follows that the improbability of a miracle is no greater than the original improbability of a revelation1 and that is not improbable at all4 ,how does he know that ,god made the universe8 ,how does he know what ,god would be likely to do8 ,how does he know that any revelation was made8 ,and how did he ascertain that any of the apostles and prophets were entrusted with supernatural power8 ,it will not do to prove your premises by assertions1 and then claim that your conclusions are correct1 because they agree with your premises4 ,if ,god would be likely to reveal his will to the rational creatures who were required to obey it1 why did he reveal it only to the ,jews8 ,according to ,mr4 ,black1 ,god is the only natural thing in the universe4 ,we should remember that ignorance is the mother of credulity2 that the early ,christians believed everything but the truth1 and that they accepted ,paganism1 admitted the reality of all the ,pagan miracles--taking the ground that they were all forerunners of their own4 ,pagan miracles were never denied by the ,christian world until late in the seventeenth century4 ,voltaire was the third man of note in ,europe who denied the truth of ,greek and ,roman mythology4 ,the early ,christians cited ,pagan oracles predicting in detail the sufferings of ,christ4 ,they forged prophecies1 and attributed them to the heathen sibyls1 and they were accepted as genuine by the entire church4 ,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 buried1 that the bones were thus discovered1 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 years1 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 ,if ,mr4 ,black is right1 there were no virtue1 justice1 intellectual liberty1 moral elevation1 refinement1 benevolence1 or true wisdom1 until ,christianity was established4 ,he asserts that when ,christ came1 benevolence1 in any shape1 was altogether unknown4 ,he insists that the infallible ,god who authorized slavery in ,judea established a government2 that he was the head and king of the ,jewish people2 that for this reason heresy was treason4 ,is it possible that ,god established a government in which benevolence was unknown8 ,how did it happen that he established no asylums for the insane8 ,how do you account for the fact that your ,god permitted some of his children to become insane8 ,why did ,jehovah fail to establish hospitals and schools8 ,is it reasonable to believe that a good ,god would assist his chosen people to exterminate or enslave his other children8 ,why would your ,god people a world1 knowing that it would be destitute of benevolence for four thousand years8 ,jehovah should have sent missionaries to the heathen4 ,he ought to have reformed the inhabitants of ,canaan4 ,he should have sent teachers1 not soldiers--missionaries1 not murderers4 ,a ,god should not exterminate his children2 he should reform them4 ,mr4 ,black gives us a terrible picture of the condition of the world at the coming of ,christ2 but did the ,god of ,judea treat his own children1 the ,gentiles1 better than the ,pagans treated theirs8 ,when ,rome enslaved mankind--when with her victorious armies she sought to conquer or to exterminate tribes and nations1 she but followed the example of ,jehovah4 ,is it true that benevolence came with ,christ1 and that his coming heralded the birth of pity in the human heart8 ,does not ,mr4 ,black know that1 thousands of years before ,christ was born1 there were hospitals and asylums for orphans in ,china8 ,does he not know that in ,egypt1 before ,moses lived1 the insane were treated with kindness and wooed back to natural thought by music's golden voice8 ,does he not know that in all times1 and in all countries1 there have been great and loving souls who wrought1 and toiled1 and suffered1 and died that others might enjoy8 ,is it possible that he knows nothing of the religion of ,buddha--a religion based upon equality1 charity and forgiveness8 ,does he not know that1 centuries before the birth of the great ,peasant of ,palestine1 another1 upon the plains of ,india1 had taught the doctrine of forgiveness2 and that1 contrary to the tyranny of ,jehovah1 had given birth to the sublime declaration that all men are by nature free and equal8 ,does he not know that a religion of absolute trust in ,god had been taught thousands of years before ,jerusalem was built--a religion based upon absolute special providence1 carrying its confidence to the extremest edge of human thought1 declaring that every evil is a blessing in disguise1 and that every step taken by mortal man1 whether in the rags of poverty or the royal robes of kings1 is the step necessary to be taken by that soul in order to reach perfection and eternal joy8 ,but how is it possible for a man who believes in slavery to have the slightest conception of benevolence1 justice or charity8 ,if ,mr4 ,black is right1 even ,christ believed and taught that man could buy and sell his fellow-man4 ,will the ,christians of ,america admit this8 ,do they believe that ,christ from heaven's throne mocked when colored mothers1 reft of babes1 knelt by empty cradles and besought his aid8 ,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 hope was dust1 cried out in the gathering gloom of death3 ,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 priests1 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 weaknesses of man4 ,after giving a terrible description of the ,pagan world1 ,mr4 ,black says3 ,the church came1 and her light penetrated the moral darkness like a new sun2 she covered the globe with institutions of mercy4 ,is this true8 ,do we not know that when the ,roman empire fell1 darkness settled on the world8 ,do we not know that this darkness lasted for a thousand years1 and that during all that time the church of ,christ held1 with bloody hands1 the sword of power8 ,these years were the starless midnight of our race4 ,art died1 law was forgotten1 toleration ceased to exist1 charity fled from the human breast1 and justice was unknown4 ,kings were tyrants1 priests were pitiless1 and the poor multitude were slaves4 ,in the name of ,christ1 men made instruments of torture1 and the auto da fe took the place of the gladiatorial show4 ,liberty was in chains1 honesty in dungeons1 while ,christian superstition ruled mankind4 ,christianity compromised with ,paganism4 ,the statues of ,jupiter were used to represent ,jehovah4 ,isis and her babe were changed to ,mary and the infant ,christ4 ,the ,trinity of ,egypt became the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,the simplicity of the early ,christians was lost in heathen rites and ,pagan pomp4 ,the believers in the blessedness of poverty became rich1 avaricious1 and grasping1 and those who had said1 ,sell all1 and give to the poor1 became the ruthless gatherers of tithes and taxes4 ,in a few years the teachings of ,jesus were forgotten4 ,the gospels were interpolated by the designing and ambitious4 ,the church was infinitely corrupt4 ,crime was crowned1 and virtue scourged4 ,the minds of men were saturated with superstition4 ,miracles1 apparitions1 angels1 and devils had possession of the world4 ,the nights were filled with incubi and succubi2 devils'1 clad in wondrous forms1 and imps in hideous shapes1 sought to tempt or fright the soldiers of the cross4 ,the maddened spirits of the air sent hail and storm4 ,sorcerers wrought sudden death1 and witches worked with spell and charm against the common weal4 ,in every town the stake arose4 ,faith carried fagots to the feet of philosophy4 ,priests--not politicians--fed and fanned the eager flames4 ,the dungeon was the foundation of the cathedral4 ,priests sold charms and relics to their flocks to keep away the wolves of hell4 ,thousands of ,christians1 failing to find protection in the church1 sold their poor souls to ,satan for some magic wand4 ,suspicion sat in every house1 families were divided1 wives denounced husbands1 husbands denounced wives1 and children their parents4 ,every calamity then1 as now1 increased the power of the church4 ,pestilence supported the' pulpit1 and famine was the right hand of faith4 ,christendom was insane4 ,will ,mr4 ,black be kind enough to state at what time the church covered the globe with institutions of mercy8 ,in his reply1 he conveys the impression that these institutions were organized in the first century1 or at least in the morning of ,christianity4 ,how many hospitals for the sick were established by the church during a thousand years8 ,do we not know that for hundreds of years the ,mohammedans erected more hospitals and asylums than the ,christians8 ,christendom was filled with racks and thumbscrews1 with stakes and fagots1 with chains and dungeons1 for centuries before a hospital was built4 ,priests despised doctors4 ,prayer was medicine4 ,physicians interfered with the sale of charms and relics4 ,the church did not cure--it killed4 ,it practiced surgery with the sword4 ,the early ,christians did not build asylums for the insane4 ,they charged them with witchcraft1 and burnt them4 ,they built asylums1 not for the mentally diseased1 but for the mentally developed4 ,these asylums were graves4 ,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 ,christians ,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 the ,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 sentient 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 became 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 priests with their ignorant tongues thrust out1 devoutly scrawled the forgeries of faith4 ,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 ,we did not get our freedom from the church4 ,the great truth1 that all men are by nature free1 was never told on ,sinai's barren crags1 nor by the lonely shores of ,galilee4 ,the ,old ,testament filled this world with tyranny and crime1 and the ,new gives us a future filled with pain for nearly all the sons of men4 ,the ,old describes the hell of the past1 and the ,new the hell of the future4 ,the ,old tells us the frightful things that ,god has done--the ,new the cruel things that he will do4 ,these two books give us the sufferings of the past and future--the injustice1 the agony1 the tears of both worlds4 ,if the ,bible is true--if ,jehovah is ,god--if the lot of countless millions is to be eternal pain--better a thousand times that all the constellations of the shoreless vast were eyeless darkness and eternal space4 ,better that all that is should cease to be4 ,better that all the seeds and springs of things should fail and wither from great ,nature's realm4 ,better that causes and effects should lose relation and become unmeaning phrases and forgotten sounds4 ,better that every life should change to breathless death1 to voiceless blank1 and every world to blind oblivion and to moveless naught4 ,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 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,faith ,,or ,,agnosticism4 ,ingersoll-,field4 ,,the ,,field-,,ingersoll ,,discussion4 ,an ,open ,letter to ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,dear ,sir3 ,i am glad that ,i know you1 even though some of my brethren look upon you as a monster because of your unbelief4 ,i shall never forget the long evening ,i spent at your house in ,washington2 and in what ,i have to say1 however it may fail to convince you1 ,i trust you will feel that ,i have not shown myself unworthy of your courtesy or confidence4 ,your conversation1 then and at other times1 interested me greatly4 ,i recognized at once the elements of your power over large audiences1 in your wit and dramatic talent--personating characters and imitating tones of voice and expressions of countenance--and your remarkable use of language1 which even in familiar talk often rose to a high degree of eloquence4 ,all this was a keen intellectual stimulus4 ,i was1 for the most part1 a listener2 but as we talked freely of religious matters1 ,i protested against your unbelief as utterly without reason4 ,yet there was no offence given or taken1 and we parted1 ,i trust1 with a feeling of mutual respect4 ,still further1 we found many points of sympathy4 ,i do not hesitate to say that there are many things in which ,i agree with you1 in which ,i love what you love and hate what you hate4 ,a man's hatreds are not the least important part of him2 they are among the best indications of his character4 ,you love truth1 and hate lying and hypocrisy--all the petty arts and deceits of the world by which men represent themselves to be other than they are--as well as the pride and arrogance1 in which they assume superiority over their fellow-beings4 ,above all1 you hate every form of injustice and oppression4 ,nothing moves your indignation so much as man's inhumanity to man1 and you mutter curses1 not loud but deep1 on the whole race of tyrants and oppressors1 whom you would sweep from the face of the earth4 ,and yet1 you do not hate oppression more than ,i2 nor love liberty more4 ,nor will ,i admit that you have any stronger desire for that intellectual freedom1 to the attainment of which you look forward as the last and greatest emancipation of mankind4 ,nor have you a greater horror of superstition4 ,indeed1 ,i might say that you cannot have so great1 for the best of all reasons1 that you have not seen so much of it2 you have not stood on the banks of the ,ganges1 and seen the ,hindoos by tens of thousands rushing madly to throw themselves into the sacred river1 even carrying the ashes of their dead to cast them upon the waters4 ,it seems but yesterday that ,i was sitting on the back of an elephant1 looking down on this horrible scene of human degradation4 ,such superstition overthrows the very foundations of morality4 ,in place of the natural sense of right and wrong1 which is written in men's consciences and hearts1 it introduces an artificial standard1 by which the order of things is totally reversed3 right is made wrong1 and wrong is made right4 ,it makes that a virtue which is not a virtue1 and that a crime which is not a crime4 ,religion consists in a round of observances that have no relation whatever to natural goodness1 but which rather exclude it by being a substitute for it4 ,penances and pilgrimages take the place of justice and mercy1 benevolence and charity4 ,such a religion1 so far from being a purifier1 is the greatest corrupter of morals2 so that it is no extravagance to say of the ,hindoos1 who are a gentle race1 that they might be virtuous and good if they were not so religious4 ,but this colossal superstition weighs upon their very existence1 crushing out even natural virtue4 ,such a religion is an immeasurable curse4 ,i hope this language is strong enough to satisfy even your own intense hatred of superstition4 ,you cannot loathe it more than ,i do4 ,so far we agree perfectly4 ,but unfortunately you do not limit your crusade to the religions of ,asia1 but turn the same style of argument against the religion of ,europe and ,america1 and1 indeed1 against the religious belief and worship of every country and clime4 ,in this matter you make no distinctions3 you would sweep them all away2 church and cathedral must go with the temple and the pagoda1 as alike manifestations of human credulity1 and proofs of the intellectual feebleness and folly of mankind4 ,while under the impression of that memorable evening at your house1 ,i took up some of your public addresses1 and experienced a strange revulsion of feeling4 ,i could hardly believe my eyes as ,i read1 so inexpressibly was ,i shocked4 ,things which ,i held sacred you not only rejected with unbelief1 but sneered at with contempt4 ,your words were full of a bitterness so unlike anything ,i had heard from your lips1 that ,i could not reconcile the two1 till ,i reflected that in ,robert ,ingersoll 7as in the most of us7 there were two men1 who were not only distinct1 but contrary the one to the other--the one gentle and sweet-tempered2 the other delighting in war as his native element4 ,between the two1 ,i have a decided preference for the former4 ,i have no dispute with the quiet and peaceable gentleman1 whose kindly spirit makes sunshine in his home2 but it is that other man over yonder1 who comes forth into the arena like a gladiator1 defiant and belligerent1 that rouses my antagonism4 ,and yet ,i do not intend to stand up even against him2 but if he will only sit down and listen patiently1 and answer in those soft tones of voice which he knows so well how to use1 we can have a quiet talk1 which will certainly do him no harm1 while it relieves my troubled mind4 ,what then is the basis of this religion which you despise8 ,at the foundation of every form of religious faith and worship1 is the idea of ,god4 ,here you take your stand2 you do not believe in ,god4 ,of course you do not deny absolutely the existence of a ,creative ,power3 for that would be to assume a knowledge which no human being can possess4 ,how small is the distance that we can see before us6 ,the candle of our intelligence throws its beams but a little way1 beyond which the circle of light is compassed by universal darkness4 ,upon this no one insists more than yourself4 ,i have heard you discourse upon the insignificance of man in a way to put many preachers to shame4 ,i remember your illustration from the myriads of creatures that live on plants1 from which you picked out1 to represent human insignificance1 an insect too small to be seen by the naked eye1 whose world was a leaf1 and whose life lasted but a single day6 ,surely a creature that can only be seen with a microscope1 cannot know that a ,creator does not exist6 ,this1 ,i must do you the justice to say1 you do not affirm4 ,all that you can say is1 that if there be no knowledge on one side1 neither is there on the other2 that it is only a matter of probability2 and that1 judging from such evidence as appeals to your senses and your understanding1 you do not believe that there is a ,god4 ,whether this be a reasonable conclusion or not1 it is at least an intelligible state of mind4 ,now ,i am not going to argue against what the ,catholics call invincible ignorance--an incapacity on account of temperament--for ,i hold that the belief in ,god1 like the belief in all spiritual things1 comes to some minds by a kind of intuition4 ,there are natures so finely strung that they are sensitive to influences which do not touch others4 ,you may say that it is mere poetical rhapsody when ,shelley writes3 ,the awful shadow of some unseen power1 ,floats1 though unseen1 among us4 ,but there are natures which are not at all poetical or dreamy1 only most simple and pure1 which1 in moments of spiritual exaltation1 are almost conscious of a ,presence that is not of this world4 ,but this1 which is a matter of experience1 will have no weight with those who do not have that experience4 ,for the present1 therefore1 ,i would not be swayed one particle by mere sentiment1 but look at the question in the cold light of reason alone4 ,the idea of ,god is1 indeed1 the grandest and most awful that can be entertained by the human mind4 ,its very greatness overpowers us1 so that it seems impossible that such a ,being should exist4 ,but if it is hard to conceive of ,infinity1 it is still harder to get any intelligible explanation of the present order of things without admitting the existence of an intelligent ,creator and ,upholder of all4 ,galileo1 when he swept the sky with his telescope1 traced the finger of ,god in every movement of the heavenly bodies4 ,napoleon1 when the ,french savants on the voyage to ,egypt argued that there was no ,god1 disdained any other answer than to point upward to the stars and ask1 ,who made all these8 ,this is the first question1 and it is the last4 ,the farther we go1 the more we are forced to one conclusion4 ,no man ever studied nature with a more simple desire to know the truth than ,agassiz1 and yet the more he explored1 the more he was startled as he found himself constantly face to face with the evidences of mind4 ,do you say this is a great mystery1 meaning that it is something that we do not know anything about8 ,of course1 it is a mystery4 ,but do you think to escape mystery by denying the ,divine existence8 ,you only exchange one mystery for another4 ,the first of all mysteries is1 not that ,god exists1 but that we exist4 ,here we are4 ,how did we come here8 ,we go back to our ancestors2 but that does not take away the difficulty2 it only removes it farther off4 ,once begin to climb the stairway of past generations1 and you will find that it is a ,jacob's ladder1 on which you mount higher and higher until you step into the very presence of the ,almighty4 ,but even if we know that there is a ,god1 what can we know of ,his character8 ,you say1 ,god is whatever we conceive ,him to be4 ,we frame an image of ,deity out of our consciousness--it is simply a reflection of our own personality1 cast upon the sky like the image seen in the ,alps in certain states of the atmosphere--and then fall down and worship that which we have created1 not indeed with our hands1 but out of our minds4 ,this may be true to some extent of the gods of mythology1 but not of the ,god of ,nature1 who is as inflexible as ,nature itself4 ,you might as well say that the laws of nature are whatever we imagine them to be4 ,but we do not go far before we find that1 instead of being pliant to our will1 they are rigid and inexorable1 and we dash ourselves against them to our own destruction4 ,so ,god does not bend to human thought any more than to human will4 ,the more we study ,him the more we find that ,he is not what we imagined him to be2 that ,he is far greater than any image of ,him that we could frame4 ,but1 after all1 you rejoin that the conception of a ,supreme ,being is merely an abstract idea1 of no practical importance1 with no bearing upon human life4 ,i answer1 it is of immeasurable importance4 ,let go the idea of ,god1 and you have let go the highest moral restraint4 ,there is no ,ruler above man2 he is a law unto himself--a law which is as impotent to produce order1 and to hold society together1 as man is with his little hands to hold the stars in their courses4 ,i know how you reason against the ,divine existence from the moral disorder of the world4 ,the argument is one that takes strong hold of the imagination1 and may be used with tremendous effect4 ,you set forth in colors none too strong the injustice that prevails in the relations of men to one another--the inequalities of society2 the haughtiness of the rich and the misery of the poor2 you draw lurid pictures of the vice and crime which run riot in the great capitals which are the centres of civilization2 and when you have wound up your audience to the highest pitch1 you ask1 ,how can it be that there is a just ,god in heaven1 who looks down upon the earth and sees all this horrible confusion1 and yet does not lift ,his hand to avenge the innocent or punish the guilty8 ,to this ,i will make but one answer3 ,does it convince yourself8 ,i do not mean to imply that you are conscious of insincerity4 ,but an orator is sometimes carried away by his own eloquence1 and states things more strongly than he would in his cooler moments4 ,so ,i venture to ask3 ,with all your tendency to skepticism1 do you really believe that there is no moral government of the world--no ,power behind nature making for righteousness8 ,are there no retributions in history8 ,when ,lincoln stood on the field of ,gettysburg1 so lately drenched with blood1 and1 reviewing the carnage of that terrible day1 accepted it as the punishment of our national sins1 was it a mere theatrical flourish in him to lift his hand to heaven1 and exclaim1 ,just and true are ,thy ways1 ,lord ,god ,almighty6 ,having settled it to your own satisfaction that there is no ,god1 you proceed in the same easy way to dispose of that other belief which lies at the foundation of all religion--the immortality of the soul4 ,with an air of modesty and diffidence that would carry an audience by storm1 you confess your ignorance of what1 perhaps1 others are better acquainted with1 when you say1 ,this world is all that ,i know anything about1 so far as ,i recollect4 ,this is very wittily put1 and some may suppose it contains an argument2 but do you really mean to say that you do not know anything except what you recollect1 or what you have seen with your eyes8 ,perhaps you never saw your grandparents2 but have you any more doubt of their existence than of that of your father and mother whom you did see8 ,here1 as when you speak of the existence of ,god1 you carefully avoid any positive affirmation3 you neither affirm nor deny4 ,you are ready for whatever may turn up4 ,in your jaunty style1 if you find yourself hereafter in some new and unexpected situation1 you will accept it and make the best of it1 and be as ready as the next man to enter on any remunerative occupation6 ,but while airing this pleasant fancy1 you plainly regard the hope of another life as a beggar's dream--the momentary illusion of one who1 stumbling along life's highway1 sets him down by the roadside1 footsore and weary1 cold and hungry1 and falls asleep1 and dreams of a time when he shall have riches and plenty4 ,poor creature6 let him dream2 it helps him to forget his misery1 and may give him a little courage for his rude awaking to the hard reality of life4 ,but it is all a dream1 which dissolves in thin air1 and floats away and disappears4 ,this illustration ,i do not take from you1 but simply choose to set forth what 7as ,i infer from the sentences above quoted and many like expressions7 may describe1 not unfairly1 your state of mind4 ,your treatment of the subject is one of trifling4 ,you do not speak of it in a serious way1 but lightly and flippantly1 as if it were all a matter of fancy and conjecture1 and not worthy of sober consideration4 ,now1 does it never occur to you that there is something very cruel in this treatment of the belief of your fellow-creatures1 on whose hope of another life hangs all that relieves the darkness of their present existence8 ,to many of them life is a burden to carry1 and they need all the helps to carry it that can be found in reason1 in philosophy1 or in religion4 ,but what support does your hollow creed supply8 ,you are a man of warm heart1 of the tenderest sympathies4 ,those who know you best1 and love you most1 tell me that you cannot bear the sight of suffering even in animals2 that your natural sensibility is such that you find no pleasure in sports1 in hunting or fishing2 to shoot a robin would make you feel like a murderer4 ,if you see a poor man in trouble your first impulse is to help him4 ,you cannot see a child in tears but you want to take up the little fellow in your arms1 and make him smile again4 ,and yet1 with all your sensibility1 you hold the most remorseless and pitiless creed in the world--a creed in which there is not a gleam of mercy or of hope4 ,a mother has lost her only son4 ,she goes to his grave and throws herself upon it1 the very picture of woe4 ,one thought only keeps her from despair3 it is that beyond this life there is a world where she may once more clasp her boy in her arms4 ,what will you say to that mother8 ,you are silent1 and your silence is a sentence of death to her hopes4 ,by that grave you cannot speak2 for if you were to open your lips and tell that mother what you really believe1 it would be that her son is blotted out of existence1 and that she can never look upon his face again4 ,thus with your iron heel do you trample down and crush the last hope of a broken heart4 ,when such sorrow comes to you1 you feel it as keenly as any man4 ,with your strong domestic attachments one cannot pass out of your little circle without leaving a great void in your heart1 and your grief is as eloquent as it is hopeless4 ,no sadder words ever fell from human lips than these1 spoken over the coffin of one to whom you were tenderly attached3 ,life is but a narrow vale1 between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities6 ,this is a doom of annihilation1 which strikes a chill to the stoutest heart4 ,even you must envy the faith which1 as it looks upward1 sees those peaks of two eternities1 not cold and barren1 but warm with the glow of the setting sun1 which gives promise of a happier to-morrow6 ,i think ,i hear you say1 ,so might it be6 ,would that ,i could believe it6 for no one recognizes more the emptiness of life as it is4 ,i do not forget the tone in which you said3 ,life is very sad to me2 it is very pitiful2 there isn't much to it4 ,true indeed6 ,with your belief1 or want of belief1 there is very little to it2 and if this were all1 it would be a fair question whether life were worth living4 ,in the name of humanity1 let us cling to all that is left us that can bring a ray of hope into its darkness1 and thus lighten its otherwise impenetrable gloom4 ,i observe that you not unfrequently entertain yourself and your audiences by caricaturing certain doctrines of the ,christian religion4 ,the ,atonement1 as you look upon it1 is simply punishing the wrong man--letting the guilty escape and putting the innocent to death4 ,this is vindicating justice by permitting injustice4 ,but is there not another side to this8 ,does not the idea of sacrifice run through human life1 and ennoble human character8 ,you see a mother denying herself for her children1 foregoing every comfort1 enduring every hardship1 till at last1 worn out by her labor and her privation1 she folds her hands upon her breast4 ,may it not be said truly that she gives her life for the life of her children8 ,history is full of sacrifice1 and it is the best part of history4 ,i will not speak of the noble army of martyrs1 but of heroes who have died for their country or for liberty--what is it but this element of devotion for the good of others that gives such glory to their immortal names8 ,how then should it be thought a thing without reason that a ,deliverer of the race should give ,his life for the life of the world8 ,so1 too1 you find a subject for caricature in the doctrine of ,regeneration4 ,but what is regeneration but a change of character shown in a change of life8 ,is that so very absurd8 ,have you never seen a drunkard reformed8 ,have you never seen a man of impure life1 who1 after running his evil course1 had1 like the prodigal1 come to himself--that is1 awakened to his shame1 and turning from it1 come back to the path of purity1 and finally regained a true and noble manhood8 ,probably you would admit this1 but say that the change was the result of reflection1 and of the man's own strength of will4 ,the doctrine of regeneration only adds to the will of man the power of ,god4 ,we believe that man is weak1 but that ,god is mighty2 and that when man tries to raise himself1 an arm is stretched out to lift him up to a height which he could not attain alone4 ,sometimes one who has led the worst life1 after being plunged into such remorse and despair that he feels as if he were enduring the agonies of hell1 turns back and takes another course3 he becomes a new creature1 whom his friends can hardly recognize as he sits clothed and in his right mind4 ,the change is from darkness to light1 from death to life2 and he who has known but one such case will never say that the language is too strong which describes that man as born again4 ,if you think that ,i pass lightly over these doctrines1 not bringing out all the meaning which they bear1 ,i admit it4 ,i am not writing an essay in theology1 but would only show1 in passing1 by your favorite method of illustration1 that the principles involved are the same with which you are familiar in everyday life4 ,but the doctrine which excites your bitterest animosity is that of ,future ,retribution4 ,the prospect of another life1 reaching on into an unknown futurity1 you would contemplate with composure were it not for the dark shadow hanging over it4 ,but to live only to suffer2 to live when asking to die2 to long for death1 and not be able to find it--is a prospect which arouses the anger of one who would look with calmness upon death as an eternal sleep4 ,the doctrine loses none of its terrors in passing through your hands2 for it is one of the means by which you work upon the feelings of your hearers4 ,you pronounce it the most horrible belief that ever entered the human mind3 that the ,creator should bring beings into existence to destroy them6 ,this would make ,him the most fearful tyrant in the universe--a ,moloch devouring his own children6 ,i shudder when ,i recall the fierce energy with which you spoke as you said1 ,such a ,god ,i hate with all the intensity of my being6 ,but gently1 gently1 ,sir6 ,we will let this burst of fury pass before we resume the conversation4 ,when you are a little more tranquil1 ,i would modestly suggest that perhaps you are fighting a figment of your imagination4 ,i never heard of any ,christian teacher who said that the ,creator brought beings into the world to destroy them6 ,is it not better to moderate yourself to exact statements1 especially when1 with all modifications1 the subject is one to awaken a feeling the most solemn and profound8 ,now ,i am not going to enter into a discussion of this doctrine4 ,i will not quote a single text4 ,i only ask you whether it is not a scientific truth that the effect of everything which is of the nature of a cause is eternal4 ,science has opened our eyes to some very strange facts in nature4 ,the theory of vibrations is carried by the physicists to an alarming extent4 ,they tell us that it is literally and mathematically true that you cannot throw a ball in the air but it shakes the solar system4 ,thus all things act upon all4 ,what is true in space may be true in time1 and the law of physics may hold in the spiritual realm4 ,when the soul of man departs out of the body1 being released from the grossness of the flesh1 it may enter on a life a thousand times more intense than this3 in which it will not need the dull senses as avenues of knowledge1 because the spirit itself will be all eye1 all ear1 all intelligence2 while memory1 like an electric flash1 will in an instant bring the whole of the past into view2 and the moral sense will be quickened as never before4 ,here then we have all the conditions of retribution--a world which1 however shadowy it may be seem1 is yet as real as the homes and habitations and activities of our present state2 with memory trailing the deeds of a lifetime behind it1 and conscience1 more inexorable than any judge1 giving its solemn and final verdict4 ,with such conditions assumed1 let us take a case which would awaken your just indignation--that of a selfish1 hardhearted1 and cruel man2 who sacrifices the interests of everybody to his own2 who grinds the faces of the poor1 robbing the widow and the orphan of their little all2 and who1 so far from making restitution1 dies with his ill-gotten gains held fast in his clenched hand4 ,how long must the night be to sleep away the memory of such a hideous life8 ,if he wakes1 will not the recollection cling to him still8 ,are there any waters of oblivion that can cleanse his miserable soul8 ,if not--if he cannot forget--surely he cannot forgive himself for the baseness which now he has no opportunity to repair4 ,here1 then1 is a retribution which is inseparable from his being1 which is a part of his very existence4 ,the undying memory brings the undying pain4 ,take another case--alas6 too sadly frequent4 ,a man of pleasure betrays a young1 innocent1 trusting woman by the promise of his love1 and then casts her off1 leaving her to sink down1 down1 through every degree of misery and shame1 till she is lost in depths1 which plummet never sounded1 and disappears4 ,is he not to suffer for this poor creature's ruin8 ,can he rid himself of it by fleeing beyond that bourne from whence no traveler returns8 ,not unless he can flee from himself3 for in the lowest depths of the under-world--a world in which the sun never shines--that image will still pursue him4 ,as he wanders in its gloomy shades a pale form glides by him like an affrighted ghost4 ,the face is the same1 beautiful even in its sorrow1 but with a look upon it as of one who has already suffered an eternity of woe4 ,in an instant all the past comes back again4 ,he sees the young1 unblessed mother wandering in some lonely place1 that only the heavens may witness her agony and her despair4 ,there he sees her holding up in her arms the babe that had no right to be born1 and calling upon ,god to judge her betrayer4 ,how far in the future must he travel to forget that look8 ,is there any escape except by plunging into the gulf of annihilation8 ,thus far in this paper ,i have taken a tone of defence4 ,but ,i do not admit that the ,christian religion needs any apology1--it needs only to be rightly understood to furnish its own complete vindication4 ,instead of considering its evidences1 which is but going round the outer walls1 let us enter the gates of the temple and see what is within4 ,here we find something better than towers and bulwarks in the character of ,him who is the ,founder of our ,religion1 and not its ,founder only but its very core and being4 ,christ is ,christianity4 ,not only is ,he the ,great ,teacher1 but the central subject of what ,he taught1 so that the whole stands or falls with ,him4 ,in our first conversation1 ,i observed that1 with all your sharp comments on things sacred1 you professed great respect for the ethics of ,christianity1 and for its author4 ,make the ,sermon on the ,mount your religion1 you said1 and there ,i am with you4 ,very well6 ,so far1 so good4 ,and now1 if you will go a little further1 you may find still more food for reflection4 ,all who have made a study of the character and teachings of ,christ1 even those who utterly deny the supernatural1 stand in awe and wonder before the gigantic figure which is here revealed4 ,renan closes his ,life of ,jesus with this as the result of his long study3 ,jesus will never be surpassed4 ,his worship will be renewed without ceasing2 his story legende will draw tears from beautiful eyes without end2 his sufferings will touch the finest natures2 all the ages will proclaim ,,that ,,among ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,men ,,there ,,has ,,not ,,risen ,a ,,greater ,,than ,,jesus2 while ,rousseau closes his immortal eulogy by saying1 ,socrates died like a philosopher1 but ,jesus ,christ like a ,god6 ,here is an argument for ,christianity to which ,i pray you to address yourself4 ,as you do not believe in miracles1 and are ready to explain everything by natural causes1 ,i beg you to tell us how came it to pass that a ,hebrew peasant1 born among the hills of ,judea1 had a wisdom above that of ,socrates or ,plato1 of ,confucius or ,buddha8 ,this is the greatest of miracles1 that such a ,being has lived and died on the earth4 ,since this is the chief argument for ,religion1 does it not become one who undertakes to destroy it to set himself first to this central position1 instead of wasting his time on mere outposts8 ,when you next address one of the great audiences that hang upon your words1 is it unfair to ask that you lay aside such familiar topics as ,miracles or ,ghosts1 or a reply to ,talmage1 and tell us what you think of ,jesus ,christ2 whether you look upon ,him as an impostor1 or merely as a dreamer--a mild and harmless enthusiast2 or are you ready to acknowledge that ,he is entitled to rank among the great teachers of mankind8 ,but if you are compelled to admit the greatness of ,christ1 you take your revenge on the ,apostles1 whom you do not hesitate to say that you don't think much of4 ,in fact1 you set them down in a most peremptory way as a poor lot4 ,it did seem rather an unpromising lot1 that of a boat-load of fishermen1 from which to choose the apostles of a religion--almost as unpromising as it was to take a rail-splitter to be the head of a nation in the greatest crisis of its history6 ,but perhaps in both cases there was a wisdom higher than ours1 that chose better than we4 ,it might puzzle even you to give a better definition of religion than this of the ,apostle ,james3 ,pure religion and undefiled before ,god and the ,father is this3 to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction1 and to keep himself unspotted from the world1 or to find among those sages of antiquity1 with whose writings you are familiar1 a more complete and perfect delineation of that which is the essence of all goodness and virtue1 than ,paul's description of the charity which suffereth long and is kind2 or to find in the sayings of ,confucius or of ,buddha anything more sublime than this aphorism of ,john3 ,god is love1 and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in ,god1 and ,god in him4 ,and here you must allow me to make a remark1 which is not intended as a personal retort1 but simply in the interest of that truth which we both profess to seek1 and to count worth more than victory4 ,your language is too sweeping to indicate the careful thinker1 who measures his words and weighs them in a balance4 ,your lectures remind me of the pictures of ,gustave ,dore1 who preferred to paint on a large canvas1 with figures as gigantesque as those of ,michael ,angelo in his ,last ,judgment4 ,the effect is very powerful1 but if he had softened his colors a little1--if there were a few delicate touches1 a mingling of light and shade1 as when twilight is stealing over the earth1--the landscape would be more true to nature4 ,so1 believe me1 your words would be more weighty if they were not so strong4 ,but whenever you touch upon religion you seem to lose control of yourself1 and a vindictive feeling takes possession of you1 which causes you to see things so distorted from their natural appearance that you cannot help running into the broadest caricature4 ,you swing your sentences as the woodman swings his axe4 ,of course1 this slashing style is very effective before a popular audience1 which does not care for nice distinctions1 or for evidence that has to be sifted and weighed2 but wants opinions off hand1 and likes to have its prejudices and hatreds echoed back in a ringing voice4 ,this carries the crowd1 but does not convince the philosophic mind4 ,the truth-seeker cannot cut a road through the forest with sturdy blows2 he has a hidden path to trace1 and must pick his way with slow and cautious step to find that which is more precious than gold4 ,but if it were possible for you to sweep away the evidences of ,christianity1 you have not swept away ,christianity itself2 it still lives1 not only in tradition1 but in the hearts of the people1 entwined with all that is sweetest in their domestic life1 from which it must be torn out with unsparing hand before it can be exterminated4 ,to begin with1 you turn your back upon history4 ,all that men have done and suffered for the sake of religion was folly4 ,the ,pilgrims1 who crossed the sea to find freedom to worship ,god in the forests of the ,new ,world1 were miserable fanatics4 ,there is no more place in the world for heroes and martyrs4 ,he who sacrifices his life for a faith1 or an idea1 is a fool4 ,the only practical wisdom is to have a sharp eye to the main chance4 ,if you keep on in this work of demolition1 you will soon destroy all our ideals4 ,family life withers under the cold sneer--half pity and half scorn--with which you look down on household worship4 ,take from our ,american firesides such scenes as that pictured in the ,cotter's ,saturday ,night1 and you have taken from them their most sacred hours and their tenderest memories4 ,the same destructive spirit which intrudes into our domestic as well as our religious life1 would take away the beauty of our villages as well as the sweetness of our homes4 ,in the weary round of a week of toil1 there comes an interval of rest2 the laborer lays down his burden1 and for a few hours breathes a serener air4 ,the ,sabbath morning has come3 ,sweet day ,i so cool1 so calm1 so bright1 ,the bridal of the earth and sky4 ,at the appointed hour the bell rings across the valley1 and sends its echoes among the hills2 and from all the roads the people come trooping to the village church4 ,here they gather1 old and young1 rich and poor2 and as they join in the same act of worship1 feel that ,god is the maker of them all8 ,is there in our national life any influence more elevating than this--one which tends more to bring a community together2 to promote neighborly feeling2 to refine the manners of the people2 to breed true courtesy1 and all that makes a ,christian village different from a cluster of ,indian wigwams--a civilized community different from a tribe of savages8 ,all this you would destroy3 you would abolish the ,sabbath1 or have it turned into a holiday2 you would tear down the old church1 so full of tender associations of the living and the dead1 or at least have it razeed1 cutting off the tall spire that points upward to heaven2 and the interior you would turn into an ,assembly room--a place of entertainment1 where the young people could have their merry-makings1 except perchance in the warm' ,summer-time1 when they could dance on the village green6 ,so far you would have gained your object4 ,but would that be a more orderly community1 more refined or more truly happy8 ,you may think this a mere sentiment--that we care more for the picturesque than for the true4 ,but there is one result which is fearfully real3 the destructive creed1 or no creed1 which despoils our churches and our homes1 attacks society in its first principles by taking away the support of morality4 ,i do not believe that general morality can be upheld without the sanctions of religion4 ,there may be individuals of great natural force of character1 who can stand alone--men of superior intellect and strong will4 ,but in general human nature is weak1 and virtue is not the spontaneous growth of childish innocence4 ,men do not become pure and good by instinct4 ,character1 like mind1 has to be developed by education2 and it needs all the elements of strength which can be given it1 from without as well as from within1 from the government of man and the government of ,god4 ,to let go of these restraints is a peril to public morality4 ,you feel strong in the strength of a robust manhood1 well poised in body and mind1 and in the centre of a happy home1 where loving hearts cling to you like vines round the oak4 ,but many to whom you speak are quite otherwise4 ,you address thousands of young men who have come out of country homes1 where they have been brought up in the fear of ,god1 and have heard the morning and evening prayer4 ,they come into a city full of temptations1 but are restrained from evil by the thought of father and mother1 and reverence for ,him who is the ,father of us all--a feeling which1 though it may not have taken the form of any profession1 is yet at the bottom of their hearts1 and keeps them from many a wrong and wayward step4 ,a young man1 who is thus guarded and defended as by unseen angels1 some evening when he feels very lonely1 is invited to go and hear ,ingersoll1 and for a couple of hours listens to your caricatures of religion1 with descriptions of the prayers and the psalm-singing1 illustrated by devout grimaces and nasal tones1 which set the house in roars of laughter1 and are received with tumultuous applause4 ,when it is all over1 and the young man finds himself again under the flaring lamps of the city streets1 he is conscious of a change2 the faith of his childhood has been rudely torn from him1 and with it a glory has passed away from the earth2 the ,bible which his mother gave him1 the morning that he came away1 is a mass of fables2 the sentence which she wished him to hang on the wall1 ,thou1 ,god1 seest me1 has lost its power1 for there is no ,god that sees him1 no moral government1 no law and no retribution4 ,so he reasons as he walks slowly homeward1 meeting the temptations which haunt these streets at night--temptations from which he has hitherto turned with a shudder1 but which he now meets with a diminished power of resistance4 ,have you done that young man any good in taking from him what he held sacred before8 ,have you not left him morally weakened8 ,from sneering at religion1 it is but a step to sneering at morality1 and then but one step more to a vicious and profligate career4 ,how are you going to stop this downward tendency8 ,when you have stripped him of former restraints1 do you leave him anything in their stead1 except indeed a sense of honor1 self-respect1 and self-interest8--worthy motives1 no doubt1 but all too feeble to withstand the fearful temptations that assail him4 ,is the chance of his resistance as good as it was before8 ,watch him as he goes along that street at midnight6 ,he passes by the places of evil resort1 of drinking and gambling--those open mouths of hell2 he hears the sound of music and dancing1 and for the first time pauses to listen4 ,how long will it be before he will venture in8 ,with such dangers in his path1 it is a grave responsibility to loosen the restraints which hold such a young man to virtue4 ,these gibes and sneers which you utter so lightly1 may have a sad echo in a lost character and a wretched life4 ,many a young man has been thus taunted until he has pushed off from the shore1 under the idea of gaining his liberty1 and ventured into the rapids1 only to be carried down the stream1 and left a wreck in the whirlpool below4 ,you tell me that your object is to drive fear out of the world4 ,that is a noble ambition2 if you succeed1 you will be indeed a deliverer4 ,of course you mean only irrational fears4 ,you would not have men throw off the fear of violating the laws of nature2 for that would lead to incalculable misery4 ,you aim only at the terrors born of ignorance and superstition4 ,but how are you going to get rid of these8 ,you trust to the progress of science1 which has dispelled so many fears arising from physical phenomena1 by showing that calamities ascribed to spiritual agencies are explained by natural causes4 ,but science can only go a certain way1 beyond which we come into the sphere of the unknown1 where all is dark as before4 ,how can you relieve the fears of others--indeed how can you rid yourself of fear1 believing as you do that there is no ,power above which can help you in any extremity2 that you are the sport of accident1 and may be dashed in pieces by the blind agency of nature8 ,if ,i believed this1 ,i should feel that ,i was in the grasp of some terrible machinery which was crushing me to atoms1 with no possibility of escape4 ,not so does ,religion leave man here on the earth1 helpless and hopeless--in abject terror1 as he is in utter darkness as to his fate--but opening the heaven above him1 it discovers a ,great ,intelligence1 compassing all things1 seeing the end from the beginning1 and ordering our little lives so that even the trials that we bear1 as they call out the finer elements of character1 conduce to our future happiness4 ,god is our ,father4 ,we look up into ,his face with childlike confidence1 and find that ,his service is perfect freedom4 ,love casts out fear4 ,that1 ,i beg to assure you1 is the way1 and the only way1 by which man can be delivered from those fears by which he is all his lifetime subject to bondage4 ,in your attacks upon ,religion you do violence to your own manliness4 ,knowing you as ,i do1 ,i feel sure that you do not realize where your blows fall1 or whom they wound1 or you would not use your weapons so freely4 ,the faiths of men are as sacred as the most delicate manly or womanly sentiments of love and honor4 ,they are dear as the beloved faces that have passed from our sight4 ,i should think myself wanting in respect to the memory of my father and mother if ,i could speak lightly of the faith in which they lived and died4 ,surely this must be mere thoughtlessness1 for ,i cannot believe that you find pleasure in giving pain4 ,i have not forgotten the gentle hand that was laid upon your shoulder1 and the gentle voice which said1 ,uncle ,robert wouldn't hurt a fly4 ,and yet you bruise the tenderest sensibilities1 and trample down what is most cherished by millions of sisters and daughters and mothers1 little heeding that you are sporting with human creatures' lives4 ,you are waging a hopeless war--a war in which you are certain only of defeat4 ,the ,christian ,religion began to be nearly two thousand years before you and ,i were born1 and it will live two thousand years after we are dead4 ,why is it that it lives on and on1 while nations and kingdoms perish8 ,is not this the survival of the fittest8 ,contend against it with all your wit and eloquence1 you will fail1 as all have failed before you4 ,you cannot fight against the instincts of humanity4 ,it is as natural for men to look up to a ,higher ,power as it is to look up to the stars4 ,tell them that there is no ,god6 ,you might as well tell them that there is no ,sun in heaven1 even while on that central light and heat all life on earth depends4 ,i do not presume to1 think that ,i have convinced you1 or changed your opinion2 but it is always right to appeal to a man's sober second thought--to that better judgment that comes with increasing knowledge and advancing years2 and ,i will not give up hope that you will yet see things more clearly1 and recognize the mistake you have made in not distinguishing ,religion from ,superstition--two things as far apart as the hither from the utmost pole4 ,superstition is the greatest enemy of ,religion4 ,it is the nightmare of the mind1 filling it with all imaginable terrors--a black cloud which broods over half the world4 ,against this you may well invoke the light of science to scatter its darkness4 ,whoever helps to sweep it away1 is a benefactor of his race4 ,but when this is done1 and the moral atmosphere is made pure and sweet1 then you as well as we may be conscious of a new ,presence coming into the hushed and vacant air1 as ,religion1 daughter of the skies1 descends to earth to bring peace and good will to men4 ,henry ,m4 ,field4 ,a ,,reply ,,to ,,the ,,rev4 ,,henry ,m4 ,,field1 ,d4,d4 ,doubt is called the beacon of the wise4 ,my ,dear ,mr4 ,field3 ,i answer your letter because it is manly1 candid and generous4 ,it is not often that a minister of the gospel of universal benevolence speaks of an unbeliever except in terms of reproach1 contempt and hatred4 ,the meek are often malicious4 ,the statement in your letter1 that some of your brethren look upon me as a monster on account of my unbelief1 tends to show that those who love ,god are not always the friends of their fellow-men4 ,is it not strange that people who admit that they ought to be eternally damned1 that they are by nature totally depraved1 and that there is no soundness or health in them1 can be so arrogantly egotistic as to look upon others as monsters8 ,and yet some of your brethren1 who regard unbelievers as infamous1 rely for salvation entirely on the goodness of another1 and expect to receive as alms an eternity of joy4 ,the first question that arises between us1 is as to the innocence of honest error--as to the right to express an honest thought4 ,you must know that perfectly honest men differ on many important subjects4 ,some believe in free trade1 others are the advocates of protection4 ,there are honest ,democrats and sincere ,republicans4 ,how do you account for these differences8 ,educated men1 presidents of colleges1 cannot agree upon questions capable of solution--questions that the mind can grasp1 concerning which the evidence is open to all and where the facts can be with accuracy ascertained4 ,how do you explain this8 ,if such differences can exist consistently with the good faith of those who differ1 can you not conceive of honest people entertaining different views on subjects about which nothing can be positively known8 ,you do not regard me as a monster4 ,some of your brethren do4 ,how do you account for this difference8 ,of course1 your brethren--their hearts having been softened by the ,presbyterian ,god--are governed by charity and love4 ,they do not regard me as a monster because ,i have committed an infamous crime1 but simply for the reason that ,i have expressed my honest thoughts4 ,what should ,i have done8 ,i have read the ,bible with great care1 and the conclusion has forced itself upon my mind not only that it is not inspired1 but that it is not true4 ,was it my duty to speak or act contrary to this conclusion8 ,was it my duty to remain silent8 ,if ,i had been untrue to myself1 if ,i had joined the majority1--if ,i had declared the book to be the inspired word of ,god1--would your brethren still have regarded me as a monster8 ,has religion had control of the world so long that an honest man seems monstrous8 ,according to your creed--according to your ,bible--the same ,being who made the mind of man1 who fashioned every brain1 and sowed within those wondrous fields the seeds of every thought and deed1 inspired the ,bible's every word1 and gave it as a guide to all the world4 ,surely the book should satisfy the brain4 ,and yet1 there are millions who do not believe in the inspiration of the ,scriptures4 ,some of the greatest and best have held the claim of inspiration in contempt4 ,no ,presbyterian ever stood higher in the realm of thought than ,humboldt4 ,he was familiar with ,nature from sands to stars1 and gave his thoughts1 his discoveries and conclusions1 more precious than the tested gold1 to all mankind4 ,yet he not only rejected the religion of your brethren1 but denied the existence of their ,god4 ,certainly1 ,charles ,darwin was one of the greatest and purest of men1--as free from prejudice as the mariner's compass1--desiring only to find amid the mists and clouds of ignorance the star of truth4 ,no man ever exerted a greater influence on the intellectual world4 ,his discoveries1 carried to their legitimate conclusion1 destroy the creeds and sacred ,scriptures of mankind4 ,in the light of ,natural ,selection1 ,the ,survival of the ,fittest1 and ,the ,origin of ,species1 even the ,christian religion becomes a gross and cruel superstition4 ,yet ,darwin was an honest1 thoughtful1 brave and generous man4 ,compare1 ,i beg of you1 these men1 ,humboldt and ,darwin1 with the founders of the ,presbyterian ,church4 ,read the life of ,spinoza1 the loving pantheist1 and then that of ,john ,calvin1 and tell me1 candidly1 which1 in your opinion1 was a monster4 ,even your brethren do not claim that men are to be eternally punished for having been mistaken as to the truths of geology1 astronomy1 or mathematics4 ,a man may deny the rotundity and rotation of the earth1 laugh at the attraction of gravitation1 scout the nebular hypothesis1 and hold the multiplication table in abhorrence1 and yet join at last the angelic choir4 ,i insist upon the same freedom of thought in all departments of human knowledge4 ,reason is the supreme and final test4 ,if ,god has made a revelation to man1 it must have been addressed to his reason4 ,there is no other faculty that could even decipher the address4 ,i admit that reason is a small and feeble flame1 a flickering torch by stumblers carried in the starless night1--blown and flared by passion's storm1--and yet it is the only light4 ,extinguish that1 and nought remains4 ,you draw a distinction between what you are pleased to call superstition and religion4 ,you are shocked at the ,hindoo mother when she gives her child to death at the supposed command of her ,god4 ,what do you think of ,abraham1 of ,jephthah8 ,what is your opinion of ,jehovah himself8 ,is not the sacrifice of a child to a phantom as horrible in ,palestine as in ,india8 ,why should a ,god demand a sacrifice from man8 ,why should the infinite ask anything from the finite8 ,should the sun beg of the glow-worm1 and should the momentary spark excite the envy of the source of light8 ,you must remember that the ,hindoo mother believes that her child will be forever blest--that it will become the especial care of the ,god to whom it has been given4 ,this is a sacrifice through a false belief on the part of the mother4 ,she breaks her heart for the love of her babe4 ,but what do you think of the ,christian mother who expects to be happy in heaven1 with her child a convict in the eternal prison--a prison in which none die1 and from which none escape8 ,what do you say of those ,christians who believe that they1 in heaven1 will be so filled with ecstasy that all the loved of earth will be forgotten--that all the sacred relations of life1 and all the passions of the heart1 will fade and die1 so that they will look with stony1 un-replying1 happy eyes upon the miseries of the lost8 ,you have laid down a rule by which superstition can be distinguished from religion4 ,it is this3 ,it makes that a crime which is not a crime1 and that a virtue which is not a virtue4 ,let us test your religion by this rule4 ,is it a crime to investigate1 to think1 to reason1 to observe8 ,is it a crime to be governed by that which to you is evidence1 and is it infamous to express your honest thought8 ,there is also another question3 ,is credulity a virtue8 ,is the open mouth of ignorant wonder the only entrance to ,paradise8 ,according to your creed1 those who believe are to be saved1 and those who do not believe are to be eternally lost4 ,when you condemn men to everlasting pain for unbelief--that is to say1 for acting in accordance with that which is evidence to them--do you not make that a crime which is not a crime8 ,and when you reward men with an eternity of joy for simply believing that which happens to be in accord with their minds1 do you not make that a virtue which is not a virtue8 ,in other words1 do you not bring your own religion exactly within your own definition of superstition8 ,the truth is1 that no one can justly be held responsible for his thoughts4 ,the brain thinks without asking our consent4 ,we believe1 or we disbelieve1 without an effort of the will4 ,belief is a result4 ,it is the effect of evidence upon the mind4 ,the scales turn in spite of him who watches4 ,there is no opportunity of being honest or dishonest in the formation of an opinion4 ,the conclusion is entirely independent of desire4 ,we must believe1 or we must doubt1 in spite of what we wish4 ,that which must be1 has the right to be4 ,we think in spite of ourselves4 ,the brain thinks as the heart beats1 as the eyes see1 as the blood pursues its course in the old accustomed ways4 ,the question then is1 not have we the right to think1--that being a necessity1--but have we the right to express our honest thoughts8 ,you certainly have the right to express yours1 and you have exercised that right4 ,some of your brethren1 who regard me as a monster1 have expressed theirs4 ,the question now is1 have ,i the right to express mine8 ,in other words1 have ,i the right to answer your letter8 ,to make that a crime in me which is a virtue in you1 certainly comes within your definition of superstition4 ,to exercise a right yourself which you deny to me is simply the act of a tyrant4 ,where did you get your right to express your honest thoughts8 ,when1 and where1 and how did ,i lose mine8 ,you would not burn1 you would not even imprison me1 because ,i differ with you on a subject about which neither of us knows anything4 ,to you the savagery of the ,inquisition is only a proof of the depravity of man4 ,you are far better than your creed4 ,you believe that even the ,christian world is outgrowing the frightful feeling that fagot1 and dungeon1 and thumb-screw are legitimate arguments1 calculated to convince those upon whom they are used1 that the religion of those who use them was founded by a ,god of infinite compassion4 ,you will admit that he who now persecutes for opinion's sake is infamous4 ,and yet1 the ,god you worship will1 according to your creed1 torture through all the endless years the man who entertains an honest doubt4 ,a belief in such a ,god is the foundation and cause of all religious persecution4 ,you may reply that only the belief in a false ,god causes believers to be inhuman4 ,but you must admit that the ,jews believed in the true ,god1 and you are forced to say that they were so malicious1 so cruel1 so savage1 that they crucified the only ,sinless ,being who ever lived4 ,this crime was ,committed1 not in spite of their religion1 but in accordance with it4 ,they simply obeyed the command of ,jehovah4 ,and the followers of this ,sinless ,being1 who1 for all these centuries1 have denounced the cruelty of the ,jews for crucifying a man on account of his opinion1 have destroyed millions and millions of their fellow-men for differing with them4 ,and this same ,sinless ,being threatens to torture in eternal fire countless myriads for the same offence4 ,beyond this1 inconsistency cannot go4 ,at this point absurdity becomes infinite4 ,your creed transfers the ,inquisition to another world1 making it eternal4 ,your ,god becomes1 or rather is1 an infinite ,torquemada1 who denies to his countless victims even the mercy of death4 ,and this you call a consolation4 ,you insist that at the foundation of every religion is the idea of ,god4 ,according to your creed1 all ideas of ,god1 except those entertained by those of your faith1 are absolutely false4 ,you are not called upon to defend the ,gods of the nations dead2 nor the ,gods of heretics4 ,it is your business to defend the ,god of the ,bible--the ,god of the ,presbyterian ,church4 ,when in the ranks doing battle for your creed1 you must wear the uniform of your church4 ,you dare not say that it is sufficient to insure the salvation of a soul to believe in a god1 or in some god4 ,according to your creed1 man must believe in your ,god4 ,all the nations dead believed in gods1 and all the worshipers of ,zeus1 and ,jupiter1 and ,isis1 and ,osiris1 and ,brahma prayed and sacrificed in vain4 ,their petitions were not answered1 and their souls were not saved4 ,surely you do not claim that it is sufficient to believe in any one of the heathen gods4 ,what right have you to occupy the position of the deists1 and to put forth arguments that even ,christians have answered8 ,the deist denounced the ,god of the ,bible because of his cruelty1 and at the same time lauded the ,god of ,nature4 ,the ,christian replied that the ,god of ,nature was as cruel as the ,god of the ,bible4 ,this answer was complete4 ,i feel that you are entitled to the admission that none have been1 that none are1 too ignorant1 too degraded1 to believe in the supernatural2 and ,i freely give you the advantage of this admission4 ,only a few--and they among the wisest1 noblest1 and purest of the human race--have regarded all gods as monstrous myths4 ,yet a belief in the true ,god does not seem to make men charitable or just4 ,for most people1 theism is the easiest solution of the universe4 ,they are satisfied with saying that there must be a ,being who created and who governs the world4 ,but the universality of a belief does not tend to establish its truth4 ,the belief in the existence of a malignant ,devil has been as universal as the belief in a beneficent ,god1 yet few intelligent men will say that the universality of this belief in an infinite demon even tends to prove his existence4 ,in the world of thought1 majorities count for nothing4 ,truth has always dwelt with the few4 ,man has filled the world with impossible monsters1 and he has been the sport and prey of these phantoms born of ignorance and hope and fear4 ,to appease the wrath of these monsters man has sacrificed his fellow-man4 ,he has shed the blood of wife and child2 he has fasted and prayed2 he has suffered beyond the power of language to express1 and yet he has received nothing from these gods--they have heard no supplication1 they have answered no prayer4 ,you may reply that your ,god sends his rain on the just and on the unjust1 and that this fact proves that he is merciful to all alike4 ,i answer1 that your ,god sends his pestilence on the just and on the unjust--that his earthquakes devour and his cyclones rend and wreck the loving and the vicious1 the honest and the criminal4 ,do not these facts prove that your ,god is cruel to all alike8 ,in other words1 do they not demonstrate the absolute impartiality of divine negligence8 ,do you not believe that any honest man of average intelligence1 having absolute control of the rain1 could do vastly better than is being done8 ,certainly there would be no droughts or floods2 the crops would not be permitted to wither and die1 while rain was being wasted in the sea4 ,is it conceivable that a good man with power to control the winds would not prevent cyclones8 ,would you not rather trust a wise and honest man with the lightning8 ,why should an infinitely wise and powerful ,god destroy the good and preserve the vile8 ,why should he treat all alike here1 and in another world make an infinite difference8 ,why should your ,god allow his worshipers1 his adorers1 to be destroyed by his enemies8 ,why should he allow the honest1 the loving1 the noble1 to perish at the stake8 ,can you answer these questions8 ,does it not seem to you that your ,god must have felt a touch of shame when the poor slave mother--one that had been robbed of her babe--knelt and with clasped hands1 in a voice broken with sobs1 commenced her prayer with the words ,our ,father8 ,it gave me pleasure to find that1 notwithstanding your creed1 you are philosophical enough to say that some men are incapacitated1 by reason of temperament1 for believing in the existence of ,god4 ,now1 if a belief in ,god is necessary to the salvation of the soul1 why should ,god create a soul without this capacity8 ,why should he create souls that he knew would be lost8 ,you seem to think that it is necessary to be poetical1 or dreamy1 in order to be religious1 and by inference1 at least1 you deny certain qualities to me that you deem necessary4 ,do you account for the atheism of ,shelley by saying that he was not poetic1 and do you quote his lines to prove the existence of the very ,god whose being he so passionately denied8 ,is it possible that ,napoleon--one of the most infamous of men--had a nature so finely strung that he was sensitive to the divine influences8 ,are you driven to the necessity of proving the existence of one tyrant by the words of another8 ,personally1 ,i have but little confidence in a religion that satisfied the heart of a man who1 to gratify his ambition1 filled half the world with widows and orphans4 ,in regard to ,agassiz1 it is just to say that he furnished a vast amount of testimony in favor of the truth of the theories of ,charles ,darwin1 and then denied the correctness of these theories--preferring the good opinions of ,harvard for a few days to the lasting applause of the intellectual world4 ,i agree with you that the world is a mystery1 not only1 but that everything in nature is equally mysterious1 and that there is no way of escape from the mystery of life and death4 ,to me1 the crystallization of the snow is as mysterious as the constellations4 ,but when you endeavor to explain the mystery of the universe by the mystery of ,god1 you do not even exchange mysteries--you simply make one more4 ,nothing can be mysterious enough to become an explanation4 ,the mystery of man cannot be explained by the mystery of ,god4 ,that mystery still asks for explanation4 ,the mind is so that it cannot grasp the idea of an infinite personality4 ,that is beyond the circumference4 ,this being so1 it is impossible that man can be convinced by any evidence of the existence of that which he cannot in any measure comprehend4 ,such evidence would be equally incomprehensible with the incomprehensible fact sought to be established by it1 and the intellect of man can grasp neither the one nor the other4 ,you admit that the ,god of ,nature--that is to say1 your ,god--is as inflexible as nature itself4 ,why should man worship the inflexible8 ,why should he kneel to the unchangeable8 ,you say that your ,god does not bend to human thought any more than to human will1 and that the more we study him1 the more we find that he is not what we imagined him to be4 ,so that1 after all1 the only thing you are really certain of in relation to your ,god is1 that he is not what you think he is4 ,is it not almost absurd to insist that such a state of mind is necessary to salvation1 or that it is a moral restraint1 or that it is the foundation of social order8 ,the most religious nations have been the most immoral1 the cruelest and the most unjust4 ,italy was far worse under the ,popes than under the ,caesars4 ,was there ever a barbarian nation more savage than the ,spain of the sixteenth century8 ,certainly you must know that what you call religion has produced a thousand civil wars1 and has severed with the sword all the natural ties that produce the unity and married calm of ,states4 ,theology is the fruitful mother of discord2 order is the child of reason4 ,if you will candidly consider this question--if you will for a few moments forget your preconceived opinions--you will instantly see that the instinct of self-preservation holds society together4 ,religion itself was born of this instinct4 ,people1 being ignorant1 believed that the ,gods were jealous and revengeful4 ,they peopled space with phantoms that demanded worship and delighted in sacrifice and ceremony1 phantoms that could be flattered by praise and changed by prayer4 ,these ignorant people wished to preserve themselves4 ,they supposed that they could in this way avoid pestilence and famine1 and postpone perhaps the day of death4 ,do you not see that self-preservation lies at the foundation of worship8 ,nations1 like individuals1 defend and protect themselves4 ,nations1 like individuals1 have fears1 have ideals1 and live for the accomplishment of certain ends4 ,men defend their property because it is of value4 ,industry is the enemy of theft4 ,men1 as a rule1 desire to live1 and for that reason murder is a crime4 ,fraud is hateful to the victim4 ,the majority of mankind work and produce the necessities1 the comforts1 and the luxuries of life4 ,they wish to retain the fruits of their labor4 ,government is one of the instrumentalities for the preservation of what man deems of value4 ,this is the foundation of social order1 and this holds society together4 ,religion has been the enemy of social order1 because it directs the attention of man to another world4 ,religion teaches its votaries to sacrifice this world for the sake of that other4 ,the effect is to weaken the ties that hold families and ,states together4 ,of what consequence is anything in this world compared with eternal joy8 ,you insist that man is not capable of self-government1 and that ,god made the mistake of filling a world with failures--in other words1 that man must be governed not by himself1 but by your ,god1 and that your ,god produces order1 and establishes and preserves all the nations of the earth4 ,this being so1 your ,god is responsible for the government of this world4 ,does he preserve order in ,russia8 ,is he accountable for ,siberia8 ,did he establish the institution of slavery8 ,was he the founder of the ,inquisition8 ,you answer all these questions by calling my attention to the retributions of history4 ,what are the retributions of history8 ,the honest were burned at the stake2 the patriotic1 the generous1 and the noble were allowed to die in dungeons2 whole races were enslaved2 millions of mothers were robbed of their babes4 ,what were the retributions of history8 ,they who committed these crimes wore crowns1 and they who justified these infamies were adorned with the tiara4 ,you are mistaken when you say that ,lincoln at ,gettysburg said3 ,just and true are thy judgments1 ,lord ,god ,almighty4 ,something like this occurs in his last inaugural1 in which he says1--speaking of his hope that the war might soon be ended1--,if it shall continue until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword1 still it must be said1 ',the judgments of the ,lord are true and righteous altogether4' ,but admitting that you are correct in the assertion1 let me ask you one question3 ,could one standing over the body of ,lincoln1 the blood slowly oozing from the madman's wound1 have truthfully said3 ,just and true are thy judgments1 ,lord ,god ,almighty8 ,do you really believe that this world is governed by an infinitely wise and good ,god8 ,have you convinced even yourself of this8 ,why should ,god permit the triumph of injustice8 ,why should the loving be tortured8 ,why should the noblest be destroyed8 ,why should the world be filled with misery1 with ignorance1 and with want8 ,what reason have you for believing that your ,god will do better in another world than he has done and is doing in this8 ,will he be wiser8 ,will he have more power8 ,will he be more merciful8 ,when ,i say your ,god1 of course ,i mean the ,god described in the ,bible and the ,presbyterian ,confession of ,faith4 ,but again ,i say1 that in the nature of things1 there can be no evidence of the existence of an infinite being4 ,an infinite being must be conditionless1 and for that reason there is nothing that a finite being can do that can by any possibility affect the well-being of the conditionless4 ,this being so1 man can neither owe nor discharge any debt or duty to an infinite being4 ,the infinite cannot want1 and man can do nothing for a being who wants nothing4 ,a conditioned being can be made happy1 or miserable1 by changing conditions1 but the conditionless is absolutely independent of cause and effect4 ,i do not say that a ,god does not exist1 neither do ,i say that a ,god does exist2 but ,i say that ,i do not know--that there can be no evidence to my mind of the existence of such a being1 and that my mind is so that it is incapable of even thinking of an infinite personality4 ,i know that in your creed you describe ,god as without body1 parts1 or passions4 ,this1 to my mind1 is simply a description of an infinite vacuum4 ,i have had no experience with gods4 ,this world is the only one with which ,i am acquainted1 and ,i was surprised to find in your letter the expression that perhaps others are better acquainted with that of which ,i am so ignorant4 ,did you1 by this1 intend to say that you know anything of any other state of existence--that you have inhabited some other planet--that you lived before you were born1 and that you recollect something of that other world1 or of that other state8 ,upon the question of immortality you have done me1 unintentionally1 a great injustice4 ,with regard to that hope1 ,i have never uttered a flippant or a trivial word4 ,i have said a thousand times1 and ,i say again1 that the idea of immortality1 that1 like a sea1 has ebbed and flowed in the human heart1 with its countless waves of hope and fear beating against the shores and rocks of time and fate1 was not born of any book1 nor of any creed1 nor of any religion4 ,it was born of human affection1 and it will continue to ebb and flow beneath the mists and clouds of doubt and darkness as long as love kisses the lips of death4 ,i have said a thousand times1 and ,i say again1 that we do not know1 we cannot say1 whether death is a wall or a door--the beginning1 or end1 of a day--the spreading of pinions to soar1 or the folding forever of wings--the rise or the set of a sun1 or an endless life1 that brings rapture and love to every one4 ,the belief in immortality is far older than ,christianity4 ,thousands of years before ,christ was born billions of people had lived and died in that hope4 ,upon countless graves had been laid in love and tears the emblems of another life4 ,the heaven of the ,new ,testament was to be in this world4 ,the dead1 after they were raised1 were to live here4 ,not one satisfactory word was said to have been uttered by ,christ--nothing philosophic1 nothing clear1 nothing that adorns1 like a bow of promise1 the cloud of doubt4 ,according to the account in the ,new ,testament1 ,christ was dead for a period of nearly three days4 ,after his resurrection1 why did not some one of his disciples ask him where he had been8 ,why did he not tell them what world he had visited8 ,there was the opportunity to bring life and immortality to light4 ,and yet he was as silent as the grave that he had left--speechless as the stone that angels had rolled away4 ,how do you account for this8 ,was it not infinitely cruel to leave the world in darkness and in doubt1 when one word could have filled all time with hope and light8 ,the hope of immortality is the great oak round which have climbed the poisonous vines of superstition4 ,the vines have not supported the oak--the oak has supported the vines4 ,as long as men live and love and die1 this hope will blossom in the human heart4 ,all ,i have said upon this subject has been to express my hope and confess my lack of knowledge4 ,neither by word nor look have ,i expressed any other feeling than sympathy with those who hope to live again--for those who bend above their dead and dream of life to come4 ,but ,i have denounced the selfishness and heartlessness of those who expect for themselves an eternity of joy1 and for the rest of mankind predict1 without a tear1 a world of endless pain4 ,nothing can be more contemptible than such a hope--a hope that can give satisfaction only to the hyenas of the human race4 ,when ,i say that ,i do not know--when ,i deny the existence of perdition1 you reply that there is something very cruel in this treatment of the belief of my fellow-creatures4 ,you have had the goodness to invite me to a grave over which a mother bends and weeps for her only son4 ,i accept your invitation4 ,we will go together4 ,do not1 ,i pray you1 deal in splendid generalities4 ,be explicit4 ,remember that the son for whom the loving mother weeps was not a ,christian1 not a believer in the inspiration of the ,bible nor in the divinity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the mother turns to you for consolation1 for some star of hope in the midnight of her grief4 ,what must you say8 ,do not desert the ,presbyterian creed4 ,do not forget the threatenings of ,jesus ,christ4 ,what must you say8 ,will you read a portion of the ,presbyterian ,confession of ,faith8 ,will you read this8 ,although the light of ,nature1 and the works of creation and ,providence1 do so far manifest the goodness1 wisdom1 and power of ,god as to leave man inexcusable1 yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of ,god and of his will which is necessary to salvation4 ,or1 will you read this8 ,by the decree of ,god1 for the manifestation of his glory1 some men and angels are predestined unto everlasting life and others foreordained to everlasting death4 ,these angels and men1 thus predestined and foreordained1 are particularly and unchangeably designed1 and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished4 ,suppose the mother1 lifting her tear-stained face1 should say3 ,my son was good1 generous1 loving and kind4 ,he gave his life for me4 ,is there no hope for him8 ,would you then put this serpent in her breast8 ,men not professing the ,christian religion cannot be saved in any other way whatsoever1 be they never so diligent to conform their lives according to the light of ,nature4 ,we cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin4 ,there is no sin so small but that it deserves damnation4 ,works done by unregenerate men1 although1 for the matter of that1 they may be things which ,god commands1 and of good use both to themselves and others1 are sinful and cannot please ,god or make a man meet to receive ,christ or ,god4 ,and suppose the mother should then sobbingly ask3 ,what has become of my son8 ,where is he now8 ,would you still read from your ,confession of ,faith1 or from your ,catechism--this8 ,the souls of the wicked are cast into hell1 where they remain in torment and utter darkness1 reserved to the judgment of the great day4 ,at the last day the righteous shall come into everlasting life1 but the wicked shall be cast into eternal torment and punished with everlasting destruction4 ,the wicked shall be cast into hell1 to be punished with unspeakable torment1 both of body and soul1 with the devil and his angels forever4 ,if the poor mother still wept1 still refused to be comforted1 would you thrust this dagger in her heart8 ,at the ,day of ,judgment you1 being caught up to ,christ in the clouds1 shall be seated at his right hand and there openly acknowledged and acquitted1 and you shall join with him in the damnation of your son4 ,if this failed to still the beatings of her aching heart1 would you repeat these words which you say came from the loving soul of ,christ8 ,they who believe and are baptized shall be saved1 and they who believe not shall be damned2 and these shall go away into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels4 ,would you not be compelled1 according to your belief1 to tell this mother that there is but one name given under heaven and among men whereby the souls of men can enter the gates of ,paradise8 ,would you not be compelled to say3 ,your son lived in a ,christian land4 ,the means of grace were within his reach4 ,he died not having experienced a change of heart1 and your son is forever lost4 ,you can meet your son again only by dying in your sins2 but if you will give your heart to ,god you can never clasp him to your breast again4 ,what could ,i say8 ,let me tell you3 ,my dear madam1 this reverend gentleman knows nothing of another world4 ,he cannot see beyond the tomb4 ,he has simply stated to you the superstitions of ignorance1 of cruelty and fear4 ,if there be in this universe a ,god1 he certainly is as good as you are4 ,why should he have loved your son in life--loved him1 according to this reverend gentleman1 to that degree that he gave his life for him2 and why should that love be changed to hatred the moment your son was dead8 ,my dear woman1 there are no punishments1 there are no rewards--there are consequences2 and of one thing you may rest assured1 and that is1 that every soul1 no matter what sphere it may inhabit1 will have the everlasting opportunity of doing right4 ,if death ends all1 and if this handful of dust over which you weep is all there is1 you have this consolation3 ,your son is not within the power of this reverend gentleman's ,god--that is something4 ,your son does not suffer4 ,next to a life of joy is the dreamless sleep of death4 ,does it not seem to you infinitely absurd to call orthodox ,christianity a consolation8 ,here in this world1 where every human being is enshrouded in cloud and mist1--where all lives are filled with mistakes1--where no one claims to be perfect1 is it a consolation to say that the smallest sin deserves eternal pain8 ,is it possible for the ingenuity of man to extract from the doctrine of hell one drop1 one ray1 of consolation8 ,if that doctrine be true1 is not your ,god an infinite criminal8 ,why should he have created uncounted billions destined to suffer forever8 ,why did he not leave them unconscious dust8 ,compared with this crime1 any crime that man can by any possibility commit is a virtue4 ,think for a moment of your ,god1--the keeper of an infinite penitentiary filled with immortal convicts1--your ,god an eternal turnkey1 without the pardoning power4 ,in the presence of this infinite horror1 you complacently speak of the atonement1--a scheme that has not yet gathered within its horizon a billionth part of the human race1--an atonement with one-half the world remaining undiscovered for fifteen hundred years after it was made4 ,if there could be no suffering1 there could be no sin4 ,to unjustly cause suffering is the only possible crime4 ,how can a ,god accept the suffering of the innocent in lieu of the punishment of the guilty8 ,according to your theory1 this infinite being1 by his mere will1 makes right and wrong4 ,this ,i do not admit4 ,right and wrong exist in the nature of things--in the relation they bear to man1 and to sentient beings4 ,you have already admitted that ,nature is inflexible1 and that a violated law calls for its consequences4 ,i insist that no ,god can step between an act and its natural effects4 ,if ,god exists1 he has nothing to do with punishment1 nothing to do with reward4 ,from certain acts flow certain consequences2 these consequences increase or decrease the happiness of man2 and the consequences must be borne4 ,a man who has forfeited his life to the commonwealth may be pardoned1 but a man who has violated a condition of his own well-being cannot be pardoned--there is no pardoning power4 ,the laws of the ,state are made1 and1 being made1 can be changed2 but the facts of the universe cannot be changed4 ,the relation of act to consequence cannot be altered4 ,this is above all power1 and1 consequently1 there is no analogy between the laws of the ,state and the facts in ,nature4 ,an infinite ,god could not change the relation between the diameter and circumference of the circle4 ,a man having committed a crime may be pardoned1 but ,i deny the right of the ,state to punish an innocent man in the place of the pardoned--no matter how willing the innocent man may be to suffer the punishment4 ,there is no law in ,nature1 no fact in ,nature1 by which the innocent can be justly punished to the end that the guilty may go free4 ,let it be understood once for all3 ,nature cannot pardon4 ,you have recognized this truth4 ,you have asked me what is to become of one who seduces and betrays1 of the criminal with the blood of his victim upon his hands8 ,without the slightest hesitation ,i answer1 whoever commits a crime against another must1 to the utmost of his power in this world and in another1 if there be one1 make full and ample restitution1 and in addition must bear the natural consequences of his offence4 ,no man can be perfectly happy1 either in this world or in any other1 who has by his perfidy broken a loving and confiding heart4 ,no power can step between acts and consequences--no forgiveness1 no atonement4 ,but1 my dear friend1 you have taught for many years1 if you are a ,presbyterian1 or an evangelical ,christian1 that a man may seduce and betray1 and that the poor victim1 driven to insanity1 leaping from some wharf at night where ships strain at their anchors in storm and darkness--you have taught that this poor girl may be tormented forever by a ,god of infinite compassion4 ,this is not all that you have taught4 ,you have said to the seducer1 to the betrayer1 to the one who would not listen to her wailing cry1--who would not even stretch forth his hand to catch her fluttering garments1--you have said to him3 ,believe in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and you shall be happy forever2 you shall live in the realm of infinite delight1 from which you can1 without a shadow falling upon your face1 observe the poor girl1 your victim1 writhing in the agonies of hell4 ,you have taught this4 ,for my part1 ,i do not see how an angel in heaven meeting another angel whom he had robbed on the earth1 could feel entirely blissful4 ,i go further4 ,any decent angel1 no matter if sitting at the right hand of ,god1 should he see in hell one of his victims1 would leave heaven itself for the purpose of wiping one tear from the cheek of the damned4 ,you seem to have forgotten your statement in the commencement of your letter1 that your ,god is as inflexible as ,nature--that he bends not to human thought nor to human will4 ,you seem to have forgotten the line which you emphasized with italics3 ,the effect of everything which is of the nature of a cause1 is eternal4 ,in the light of this sentence1 where do you find a place for forgiveness--for your atonement8 ,where is a way to escape from the effect of a cause that is eternal8 ,do you not see that this sentence is a cord with which ,i easily tie your hands8 ,the scientific part of your letter destroys the theological4 ,you have put new wine into old bottles1 and the predicted result has followed4 ,will the angels in heaven1 the redeemed of earth1 lose their memory8 ,will not all the redeemed rascals remember their rascality8 ,will not all the redeemed assassins remember the faces of the dead8 ,will not all the seducers and betrayers remember her sighs1 her tears1 and the tones of her voice1 and will not the conscience of the redeemed be as inexorable as the conscience of the damned8 ,if memory is to be forever the warder of the brain1 and if the redeemed can never forget the sins they committed1 the pain and anguish they caused1 then they can never be perfectly happy2 and if the lost can never forget the good they did1 the kind actions1 the loving words1 the heroic deeds2 and if the memory of good deeds gives the slightest pleasure1 then the lost can never be perfectly miserable4 ,ought not the memory of a good action to live as long as the memory of a bad one8 ,so that the undying memory of the good1 in heaven1 brings undying pain1 and the undying memory of those in hell brings undying pleasure4 ,do you not see that if men have done good and bad1 the future can have neither a perfect heaven nor a perfect hell8 ,i believe in the manly doctrine that every human being must bear the consequences of his acts1 and that no man can be justly saved or damned on account of the goodness or the wickedness of another4 ,if by atonement you mean the natural effect of self-sacrifice1 the effects following a noble and disinterested action2 if you mean that the life and death of ,christ are worth their effect upon the human race1--which your letter seems to show1--then there is no question between us4 ,if you have thrown away the old and barbarous idea that a law had been broken1 that ,god demanded a sacrifice1 and that ,christ1 the innocent1 was offered up for us1 and that he bore the wrath of ,god and suffered in our place1 then ,i congratulate you with all my heart4 ,it seems to me impossible that life should be exceedingly joyous to any one who is acquainted with its miseries1 its burdens1 and its tears4 ,i know that as darkness follows light around the globe1 so misery and misfortune follow the sons of men4 ,according to your creed1 the future state will be worse than this4 ,here1 the vicious may reform2 here1 the wicked may repent2 here1 a few gleams of sunshine may fall upon the darkest life4 ,but in your future state1 for countless billions of the human race1 there will be no reform1 no opportunity of doing right1 and no possible gleam of sunshine can ever touch their souls4 ,do you not see that your future state is infinitely worse than this8 ,you seem to mistake the glare of hell for the light of morning4 ,let us throw away the dogma of eternal retribution4 ,let us cling to all that can bring a ray of hope into the darkness of this life4 ,you have been kind enough to say that ,i find a subject for caricature in the doctrine of regeneration4 ,if1 by regeneration1 you mean reformation1--if you mean that there comes a time in the life of a young man when he feels the touch of responsibility1 and that he leaves his foolish or vicious ways1 and concludes to act like an honest man1--if this is what you mean by regeneration1 ,i am a believer4 ,but that is not the definition of regeneration in your creed--that is not ,christian regeneration4 ,there is some mysterious1 miraculous1 supernatural1 invisible agency1 called1 ,i believe1 the ,holy ,ghost1 that enters and changes the heart of man1 and this mysterious agency is like the wind1 under the control1 apparently1 of no one1 coming and going when and whither it listeth4 ,it is this illogical and absurd view of regeneration that ,i have attacked4 ,you ask me how it came to' pass that a ,hebrew peasant1 born among the hills of ,galilee1 had a wisdom above that of ,socrates or ,plato1 of ,confucius or ,buddha1 and you conclude by saying1 ,this is the greatest of miracles--that such a being should live and die on the earth4 ,i can hardly admit your conclusion1 because ,i remember that ,christ said nothing in favor of the family relation4 ,as a matter of fact1 his life tended to cast discredit upon marriage4 ,he said nothing against the institution of slavery2 nothing against the tyranny of government2 nothing of our treatment of animals2 nothing about education1 about intellectual progress2 nothing of art1 declared no scientific truth1 and said nothing as to the rights and duties of nations4 ,you may reply that all this is included in ,do unto others as you would be done by2 and ,resist not evil4 ,more than this is necessary to educate the human race4 ,it is not enough to say to your child or to your pupil1 ,do right4 ,the great question still remains3 ,what is right8 ,neither is there any wisdom in the idea of non-resistance4 ,force without mercy is tyranny4 ,mercy without force is but a waste of tears4 ,take from virtue the right of self-defence and vice becomes the master of the world4 ,let me ask you how it came to pass that an ignorant driver of camels1 a man without family1 without wealth1 became master of hundreds of millions of human beings8 ,how is it that he conquered and overran more than half of the ,christian world8 ,how is it that on a thousand fields the banner of the cross went down in blood1 while that of the crescent floated in triumph8 ,how do you account for the fact that the flag of this impostor floats to-day above the sepulchre of ,christ8 ,was this a miracle8 ,was ,mohammed inspired8 ,how do you account for ,confucius1 whose name is known wherever the sky bends8 ,was he inspired--this man who for many centuries has stood first1 and who has been acknowledged the superior of all men by hundreds and thousands of millions of his fellow-men8 ,how do you account for ,buddha1--in many respects the greatest religious teacher this world has ever known1--the broadest1 the most intellectual of them all2 he who was great enough1 hundreds of years before ,christ was born1 to declare the universal brotherhood of man1 great enough to say that intelligence is the only lever capable of raising mankind8 ,how do you account for him1 who has had more followers than any other8 ,are you willing to say that all success is divine8 ,how do you account for ,shakespeare1 born of parents who could neither read nor write1 held in the lap of ignorance and love1 nursed at the breast of poverty--how do you account for him1 by far the greatest of the human race1 the wings of whose imagination still fill the horizon of human thought2 ,shakespeare1 who was perfectly acquainted with the human heart1 knew all depths of sorrow1 all heights of joy1 and in whose mind were the fruit of all thought1 of all experience1 and a prophecy of all to be2 ,shakespeare1 the wisdom and beauty and depth of whose words increase with the intelligence and civilization of mankind8 ,how do you account for this miracle8 ,do you believe that any founder of any religion could have written ,lear or ,hamlet8 ,did ,greece produce a man who could by any possibility have been the author of ,troilus and ,cressida8 ,was there among all the countless millions of almighty ,rome an intellect that could have written the tragedy of ,julius ,caesar8 ,is not the play of ,antony and ,cleopatra as ,egyptian as the ,nile8 ,how do you account for this man1 within whose veins there seemed to be the blood of every race1 and in whose brain there were the poetry and philosophy of a world8 ,you ask me to tell my opinion of ,christ4 ,let me say here1 once for all1 that for the man ,christ--for the man who1 in the darkness1 cried out1 ,my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me6 --for that man ,i have the greatest possible respect4 ,and let me say1 once for all1 that the place where man has died for man is holy ground4 ,to that great and serene peasant of ,palestine ,i gladly pay the tribute of my admiration and my tears4 ,he was a reformer in his day--an infidel in his time4 ,back of the theological mask1 and in spite of the interpolations of the ,new ,testament1 ,i see a great and genuine man4 ,it is hard to see how you can consistently defend the course pursued by ,christ himself4 ,he attacked with great bitterness the religion of others4 ,it did not occur to him that there was something very cruel in this treatment of the belief of his fellow-creatures4 ,he denounced the chosen people of ,god as a generation of vipers4 ,he compared them to whited sepulchres4 ,how can you sustain the conduct of missionaries8 ,they go to other lands and attack the sacred beliefs of others4 ,they tell the people of ,india and of all heathen lands1 not only that their religion is a lie1 not only that their gods are myths1 but that the ancestors of these people--their fathers and mothers who never heard of ,god1 of the ,bible1 or of ,christ--are all in perdition4 ,is not this a cruel treatment of the belief of a fellow-creature8 ,a religion that is not manly and robust enough to bear attack with smiling fortitude is unworthy of a place in the heart or brain4 ,a religion that takes refuge in sentimentality1 that cries out3 ,do not1 ,i pray you1 tell me any truth calculated to hurt my feelings1 is fit only for asylums4 ,you believe that ,christ was ,god1 that he was infinite in power4 ,while in ,jerusalem he cured the sick1 raised a few from the dead1 and opened the eyes of the blind4 ,did he do these things because he loved mankind1 or did he do these miracles simply to establish the fact that he was the very ,christ8 ,if he was actuated by love1 is he not as powerful now as he was then8 ,why does he not open the eyes of the blind now8 ,why does he not with a touch make the leper clean8 ,if you had the power to give sight to the blind1 to cleanse the leper1 and would not exercise it1 what would be thought of you8 ,what is the difference between one who can and will not cure1 and one who causes disease8 ,only the other day ,i saw a beautiful girl--a paralytic1 and yet her brave and cheerful spirit shone over the wreck and ruin of her body like morning on the desert4 ,what would ,i think of myself1 had ,i the power by a word to send the blood through all her withered limbs freighted again with life1 should ,i refuse8 ,most theologians seem to imagine that the virtues have been produced by and are really the children of religion4 ,religion has to do with the supernatural4 ,it defines our duties and obligations to ,god4 ,it prescribes a certain course of conduct by means of which happiness can be attained in another world4 ,the result here is only an incident4 ,the virtues are secular4 ,they have nothing whatever to do with the supernatural1 and are of no kindred to any religion4 ,a man may be honest1 courageous1 charitable1 industrious1 hospitable1 loving and pure1 without being religious--that is to say1 without any belief in the supernatural2 and a man may be the exact opposite and at the same time a sincere believer in the creed of any church--that is to say1 in the existence of a personal ,god1 the inspiration of the ,scriptures and in the divinity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,a man who believes in the ,bible may or may not be kind to his family1 and a man who is kind and loving in his family may or may not believe in the ,bible4 ,in order that you may see the effect of belief in the formation of character1 it is only necessary to call your attention to the fact that your ,bible shows that the devil himself is a believer in the existence of your ,god1 in the inspiration of the ,scriptures1 and in the divinity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he not only believes these things1 but he knows them1 and yet1 in spite of it all1 he remains a devil still4 ,few religions have been bad enough to destroy all the natural goodness in the human heart4 ,in the deepest midnight of superstition some natural virtues1 like stars1 have been visible in the heavens4 ,man has committed every crime in the name of ,christianity--or at least crimes that involved the commission of all others4 ,those who paid for labor with the lash1 and who made blows a legal tender1 were ,christians4 ,those who engaged in the slave trade were believers in a personal ,god4 ,one slave ship was called ,the ,jehovah4 ,those who pursued with hounds the fugitive led by the ,northern star prayed fervently to ,christ to crown their efforts with success1 and the stealers of babes1 just before falling asleep1 commended their souls to the keeping of the ,most ,high4 ,as you have mentioned the apostles1 let me call your attention to an incident4 ,you remember the story of ,ananias and ,sapphira4 ,the apostles1 having nothing themselves1 conceived the idea of having all things in common4 ,their followers who had something were to sell what little they had1 and turn the proceeds over to these theological financiers4 ,it seems that ,ananias and ,sapphira had a piece of land4 ,they sold it1 and after talking the matter over1 not being entirely satisfied with the collaterals1 concluded to keep a little--just enough to keep them from starvation if the good and pious bankers should abscond4 ,when ,ananias brought the money1 he was asked whether he had kept back a part of the price4 ,he said that he had not4 ,whereupon ,god1 the compassionate1 struck him dead4 ,as soon as the corpse was removed1 the apostles sent for his wife4 ,they did not tell her that her husband had been killed4 ,they deliberately set a trap for her life4 ,not one of them was good enough or noble enough to put her on her guard2 they allowed her to believe that her husband had told his story1 and that she was free to corroborate what he had said4 ,she probably felt that they were giving more than they could afford1 and1 with the instinct of woman1 wanted to keep a little4 ,she denied that any part of the price had been kept back4 ,that moment the arrow of divine vengeance entered her heart4 ,will you be kind enough to tell me your opinion of the apostles in the light of this story8 ,certainly murder is a greater crime than mendacity4 ,you have been good enough1 in a kind of fatherly way1 to give me some advice4 ,you say that ,i ought to soften my colors1 and that my words would be more weighty if not so strong4 ,do you really desire that ,i should add weight to my words8 ,do you really wish me to succeed8 ,if the commander of one army should send word to the general of the other that his men were firing too high1 do you think the general would be misled8 ,can you conceive of his changing his orders by reason of the message8 ,i deny that the ,pilgrims crossed the sea to find freedom to worship ,god in the forests of the new world4 ,they came not in the interest of freedom4 ,it never entered their minds that other men had the same right to worship ,god according to the dictates of their consciences that the ,pilgrims themselves had4 ,the moment they had power they were ready to whip and brand1 to imprison and burn4 ,they did not believe in religious freedom4 ,they had no more idea of liberty of conscience than ,jehovah4 ,i do not say that there is no place in the world for heroes and martyrs4 ,on the contrary1 ,i declare that the liberty we now have was won for us by heroes and by martyrs1 and millions of these martyrs were burned1 or flayed alive1 or torn in pieces1 or assassinated by the church of ,god4 ,the heroism was shown in fighting the hordes of religious superstition4 ,giordano ,bruno was a martyr4 ,he was a hero4 ,he believed in no ,god1 in no heaven1 and in no hell1 yet he perished by fire4 ,he was offered liberty on condition that he would recant4 ,there was no ,god to please1 no heaven to expect1 no hell to fear1 and yet he died by fire1 simply to preserve the unstained whiteness of his soul4 ,for hundreds of years every man who attacked the church was a hero4 ,the sword of ,christianity has been wet for many centuries with the blood of the noblest4 ,christianity has been ready with whip and chain and fire to banish freedom from the earth4 ,neither is it true that family life withers under the cold sneer--half pity and half scorn--with which ,i look down on household worship4 ,those who believe in the existence of ,god1 and believe that they are indebted to this divine being for the few gleams of sunshine in this life1 and who thank ,god for the little they have enjoyed1 have my entire respect4 ,never have ,i said one word against the spirit of thankfulness4 ,i understand the feeling of the man who gathers his family about him after the storm1 or after the scourge1 or after long sickness1 and pours out his heart in thankfulness to the supposed ,god who has protected his fireside4 ,i understand the spirit of the savage who thanks his idol of stone1 or his fetich of wood4 ,it is not the wisdom of the one or of the other that ,i respect1 it is the goodness and thankfulness that prompt the prayer4 ,i believe in the family4 ,i believe in family life2 and one of my objections to ,christianity is that it divides the family4 ,upon this subject ,i have said hundreds of times1 and ,i say again1 that the roof-tree is sacred1 from the smallest fibre that feels the soft1 cool clasp of earth1 to the topmost flower that spreads its bosom to the sun1 and like a spendthrift gives its perfume to the air4 ,the home where virtue dwells with love is like a lily with a heart of fire1 the fairest flower in all this world4 ,what did ,christianity in the early centuries do for the home8 ,what have nunneries and monasteries1 and what has the glorification of celibacy done for the family8 ,do you not know that ,christ himself offered rewards in this world and eternal happiness in another to those who would desert their wives and children and follow him8 ,what effect has that promise had upon family life8 ,as a matter of fact1 the family is regarded as nothing4 ,christianity teaches that there is but one family1 the family of ,christ1 and that all other relations are as nothing compared with that4 ,christianity teaches the husband to desert the wife1 the wife to desert the husband1 children to desert their parents1 for the miserable and selfish purpose of saving their own little1 shriveled souls4 ,it is far better for a man to love his fellow-men than to love ,god4 ,it is better to love wife and children than to love ,christ4 ,it is better to serve your neighbor than to serve your ,god--even if ,god exists4 ,the reason is palpable4 ,you can do nothing for ,god4 ,you can do something for wife and children4 ,you can add to the sunshine of a life4 ,you can plant flowers in the pathway of another4 ,it is true that ,i am an enemy of the orthodox ,sabbath4 ,it is true that ,i do not believe in giving one-seventh of our time to the service of superstition4 ,the whole scheme of your religion can be understood by any intelligent man in one day4 ,why should he waste a seventh of his whole life in hearing the same thoughts repeated again and again8 ,nothing is more gloomy than an orthodox ,sabbath4 ,the mechanic who has worked during the week in heat and dust1 the laboring man who has barely succeeded in keeping his soul in his body1 the poor woman who has been sewing for the rich1 may go to the village church which you have described4 ,they answer the chimes of the bell1 and what do they hear in this village church8 ,is it that ,god is the ,father of the human race2 is that all8 ,if that were all1 you never would have heard an objection from my lips4 ,that is not all4 ,if all ministers said3 ,bear the evils of this life2 your ,father in heaven counts your tears2 the time will come when pain and death and grief will be forgotten words2 ,i should have listened with the rest4 ,what else does the minister say to the poor people who have answered the chimes of your bell8 ,he says3 ,the smallest sin deserves eternal pain4 ,a vast majority of men are doomed to suffer the wrath of ,god forever4 ,he fills the present with fear and the future with fire4 ,he has heaven for the few1 hell for the many4 ,he describes a little grass-grown path that leads to heaven1 where travelers are few and far between1 and a great highway worn with countless feet that leads to everlasting death4 ,such ,sabbaths are immoral4 ,such ministers are the real savages4 ,gladly would ,i abolish such a ,sabbath4 ,gladly would ,i turn it into a holiday1 a day of rest and peace1 a day to get acquainted with your wife and children1 a day to exchange civilities with your neighbors2 and gladly would ,i see the church in which such sermons are preached changed to a place of entertainment4 ,gladly would ,i have the echoes of orthodox sermons--the owls and bats among the rafters1 the snakes in crevices and corners--driven out by the glorious music of ,wagner and ,beethoven4 ,gladly would ,i see the ,sunday school where the doctrine of eternal fire is taught1 changed to a happy dance upon the village green4 ,music refines4 ,the doctrine of eternal punishment degrades4 ,science civilizes4 ,superstition looks longingly back to savagery4 ,you do not believe that general morality can be upheld without the sanctions of religion4 ,christianity has sold1 and continues to sell1 crime on a credit4 ,it has taught1 and it still teaches1 that there is forgiveness for all4 ,of course it teaches morality4 ,it says3 ,do not steal1 do not murder2 but it adds1 but if you do both1 there is a way of escape3 believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and thou shalt be saved4 ,i insist that such a religion is no restraint4 ,it is far better to teach that there is no forgiveness1 and that every human being must bear the consequences of his acts4 ,the first great step toward national reformation is the universal acceptance of the idea that there is no escape from the consequences of our acts4 ,the young men who come from their country homes into a city filled with temptations1 may be restrained by the thought of father and mother4 ,this is a natural restraint4 ,they may be restrained by their knowledge of the fact that a thing is evil on account of its consequences1 and that to do wrong is always a mistake4 ,i cannot conceive of such a man being more liable to temptation because he has heard one of my lectures in which ,i have told him that the only good is happiness--that the only way to attain that good is by doing what he believes to be right4 ,i cannot imagine that his moral character will be weakened by the statement that there is no escape from the consequences of his acts4 ,you seem to think that he will be instantly led astray--that he will go off under the flaring lamps to the riot of passion4 ,do you think the ,bible calculated to restrain him8 ,to prevent this would you recommend him to read the lives of ,abraham1 of ,isaac1 and of ,jacob1 and the other holy polygamists of the ,old ,testament8 ,should he read the life of ,david1 and of ,solomon8 ,do you think this would enable him to withstand temptation8 ,would it not be far better to fill the young man's mind with facts so that he may know exactly the physical consequences of such acts8 ,do you regard ignorance as the foundation of virtue8 ,is fear the arch that supports the moral nature of man8 ,you seem to think that there is danger in knowledge1 and that the best chemists are most likely to poison themselves4 ,you say that to sneer at religion is only a step from sneering at morality1 and then only another step to that which is vicious and profligate4 ,the ,jews entertained the same opinion of the teachings of ,christ4 ,he sneered at their religion4 ,the ,christians have entertained the same opinion of every philosopher4 ,let me say to you again--and let me say it once for all--that morality has nothing to do with religion4 ,morality does not depend upon the supernatural4 ,morality does not walk with the crutches of miracles4 ,morality appeals to the experience of mankind4 ,it cares nothing about faith1 nothing about sacred books4 ,morality depends upon facts1 something that can be seen1 something known1 the product of which can be estimated4 ,it needs no priest1 no ceremony1 no mummery4 ,it believes in the freedom of the human mind4 ,it asks for investigation4 ,it is founded upon truth4 ,it is the enemy of all religion1 because it has to do with this world1 and with this world alone4 ,my object is to drive fear out of the world4 ,fear is the jailer of the mind4 ,christianity1 superstition--that is to say1 the supernatural--makes every brain a prison and every soul a convict4 ,under the government of a personal deity1 consequences partake of the nature of punishments and rewards4 ,under the government of ,nature1 what you call punishments and rewards are simply consequences4 ,nature does not punish4 ,nature does not reward4 ,nature has no purpose4 ,when the storm comes1 ,i do not think3 ,this is being done by a tyrant4 ,when the sun shines1 ,i do not say3 ,this is being done by a friend4 ,liberty means freedom from personal dictation4 ,it does not mean escape from the relations we sustain to other facts in ,nature4 ,i believe in the restraining influences of liberty4 ,temperance walks hand in hand with freedom4 ,to remove a chain from the body puts an additional responsibility upon the soul4 ,liberty says to the man3 ,you injure or benefit yourself2 you increase or decrease your own well-being4 ,it is a question of intelligence4 ,you need not bow to a supposed tyrant1 or to infinite goodness4 ,you are responsible to yourself and to those you injure1 and to none other4 ,i rid myself of fear1 believing as ,i do that there is no power above which can help me in any extremity1 and believing as ,i do that there is no power above or below that can injure me in any extremity4 ,i do not believe that ,i am the sport of accident1 or that ,i may be dashed in pieces by the blind agency of ,nature4 ,there is no accident1 and there is no agency4 ,that which happens must happen4 ,the present is the necessary child of all the past1 the mother of all the future4 ,does it relieve mankind from fear to believe that there is some ,god who will help them in extremity8 ,what evidence have they on which to found this belief8 ,when has any ,god listened to the prayer of any man8 ,the water drowns1 the cold freezes1 the flood destroys1 the fire burns1 the bolt of heaven falls--when and where has the prayer of man been answered8 ,is the religious world to-day willing to test the efficacy of prayer8 ,only a few years ago it was tested in the ,united ,states4 ,the ,christians of ,christendom1 with one accord1 fell upon their knees and asked ,god to spare the life of one man4 ,you know the result4 ,you know just as well as ,i that the forces of ,nature produce the good and bad alike4 ,you know that the forces of ,nature destroy the good and bad alike4 ,you know that the lightning feels the same keen delight in striking to death the honest man that it does or would in striking the assassin with his knife lifted above the bosom of innocence4 ,did ,god hear the prayers of the slaves8 ,did he hear the prayers of imprisoned philosophers and patriots8 ,did he hear the prayers of martyrs1 or did he allow fiends1 calling themselves his followers1 to pile the fagots round the forms of glorious men8 ,did he allow the flames to devour the flesh of those whose hearts were his8 ,why should any man depend on the goodness of a ,god who created countless millions1 knowing that they would suffer eternal grief8 ,the faith that you call sacred--sacred as the most delicate manly or womanly sentiment of love and honor--is the faith that nearly all of your fellow-men are to be lost4 ,ought an honest man to be restrained from denouncing that faith because those who entertain it say that their feelings are hurt8 ,you say to me3 ,there is a hell4 ,a man advocating the opinions you advocate will go there when he dies4 ,i answer3 ,there is no hell4 ,the ,bible that teaches it is not true4 ,and you say3 ,how can you hurt my feelings8 ,you seem to think that one who attacks the religion of his parents is wanting in respect to his father and his mother4 ,were the early ,christians lacking in respect for their fathers and mothers8 ,were the ,pagans who embraced ,christianity heartless sons and daughters8 ,what have you to say of the apostles8 ,did they not heap contempt upon the religion of their fathers and mothers8 ,did they not join with him who denounced their people as a generation of vipers8 ,did they not follow one who offered a reward to those who would desert fathers and mothers8 ,of course you have only to go back a few generations in your family to find a ,field who was not a ,presbyterian4 ,after that you find a ,presbyterian4 ,was he base enough and infamous enough to heap contempt upon the religion of his father and mother8 ,all the ,protestants in the time of ,luther lacked in respect for the religion of their fathers and mothers4 ,according to your idea1 ,progress is a ,prodigal ,son4 ,if one is bound by the religion of his father and mother1 and his father happens to be a ,presbyterian and his mother a ,catholic1 what is he to do8 ,do you not see that your doctrine gives intellectual freedom only to foundlings8 ,if by ,christianity you mean the goodness1 the spirit of forgiveness1 the benevolence claimed by ,christians to be a part1 and the principal part1 of that peculiar religion1 then ,i do not agree with you when you say that ,christ is ,christianity and that it stands or falls with him4 ,you have narrowed unnecessarily the foundation of your religion4 ,if it should be established beyond doubt that ,christ never existed1 all that is of value in ,christianity would remain1 and remain unimpaired4 ,suppose that we should find that ,euclid was a myth1 the science known as mathematics would not suffer4 ,it makes no difference who painted or chiseled the greatest pictures and statues1 so long as we have the pictures and statues4 ,when he who has given the world a truth passes from the earth1 the truth is left4 ,a truth dies only when forgotten by the human race4 ,justice1 love1 mercy1 forgiveness1 honor1 all the virtues that ever blossomed in the human heart1 were known and practiced for uncounted ages before the birth of ,christ4 ,you insist that religion does not leave man in abject terror--does not leave him in utter darkness as to his fate4 ,is it possible to know who will be saved8 ,can you read the names mentioned in the decrees of the ,infinite8 ,is it possible to tell who is to be eternally lost8 ,can the imagination conceive a worse fate than your religion predicts for a majority of the race8 ,why should not every human being be in abject terror who believes your doctrine8 ,how many loving and sincere women are in the asylums to-day fearing that they have committed the unpardonable sin--a sin to which your ,god has attached the penalty of eternal torment1 and yet has failed to describe the offence8 ,can tyranny go beyond this--fixing the penalty of eternal pain for the violation of a law not written1 not known1 but kept in the secrecy of infinite darkness8 ,how much happier it is to know nothing about it1 and to believe nothing about it6 ,how much better to have no ,god6 ,you discover a ,great ,intelligence ordering our little lives1 so that even the trials that we bear1 as they call out the finer elements of character1 conduce to our future happiness4 ,this is an old explanation--probably as good as any4 ,the idea is1 that this world is a school in which man becomes educated through tribulation--the muscles of character being developed by wrestling with misfortune4 ,if it is necessary to live this life in order to develop character1 in order to become worthy of a better world1 how do you account for the fact that billions of the human race die in infancy1 and are thus deprived of this necessary education and development8 ,what would you think of a schoolmaster who should kill a large proportion of his scholars during the first day1 before they had even had the opportunity to look at ,a8 ,you insist that there is a power behind ,nature making for righteousness4 ,if ,nature is infinite1 how can there be a power outside of ,nature8 ,if you mean by a power making for righteousness that man1 as he becomes civilized1 as he becomes intelligent1 not only takes advantage of the forces of ,nature for his own benefit1 but perceives more and more clearly that if he is to be happy he must live in harmony with the conditions of his being1 in harmony with the facts by which he is surrounded1 in harmony with the relations he sustains to others and to things2 if this is what you mean1 then there is a power making for righteousness4 ,but if you mean that there is something supernatural back of ,nature directing events1 then ,i insist that there can by no possibility be any evidence of the existence of such a power4 ,the history of the human race shows that nations rise and fall4 ,there is a limit to the life of a race2 so that it can be said of every dead nation1 that there was a period when it laid the foundations of prosperity1 when the combined intelligence and virtue of the people constituted a power working for righteousness1 and that there came a time when this nation became a spendthrift1 when it ceased to accumulate1 when it lived on the labors of its youth1 and passed from strength and glory to the weakness of old age1 and finally fell palsied to its tomb4 ,the intelligence of man guided by a sense of duty is the only power that makes for righteousness4 ,you tell me that ,i am waging a hopeless war1 and you give as a reason that the ,christian religion began to be nearly two thousand years before ,i was born1 and that it will live two thousand years after ,i am dead4 ,is this an argument8 ,does it tend to convince even yourself8 ,could not ,caiaphas1 the high priest1 have said substantially this to ,christ8 ,could he not have said3 ,the religion of ,jehovah began to be four thousand years before you were born1 and it will live two thousand years after you are dead8 ,could not a follower of ,buddha make the same illogical remark to a missionary from ,andover with the glad tidings8 ,could he not say3 ,you are waging a hopeless war4 ,the religion of ,buddha began to be twenty-five hundred years before you were born1 and hundreds of millions of people still worship at ,great ,buddha's shrine8 ,do you insist that nothing except the right can live for two thousand years8 ,why is it that the ,catholic ,church lives on and on1 while nations and kingdoms perish8 ,do you consider that the survival of the fittest8 ,is it the same ,christian religion now living that lived during the ,middle ,ages8 ,is it the same ,christian religion that founded the ,inquisition and invented the thumbscrew8 ,do you see no difference between the religion of ,calvin and ,jonathan ,edwards and the ,christianity of to-day8 ,do you really think that it is the same ,christianity that has been living all these years8 ,have you noticed any change in the last generation8 ,do you remember when scientists endeavored to prove a theory by a passage from the ,bible1 and do you now know that believers in the ,bible are exceedingly anxious to prove its truth by some fact that science has demonstrated8 ,do you know that the standard has changed8 ,other things are not measured by the ,bible1 but the ,bible has to submit to another test4 ,it no longer owns the scales4 ,it has to be weighed1--it is being weighed1--it is growing lighter and lighter every day4 ,do you know that only a few years ago the glad tidings of great joy consisted mostly in a description of hell8 ,do you know that nearly every intelligent minister is now ashamed to preach about it1 or to read about it1 or to talk about it8 ,is there any change8 ,do you know that but few ministers now believe in the plenary inspiration of the ,bible1 that from thousands of pulpits people are now told that the creation according to ,genesis is a mistake1 that it1 never was as wet as the flood1 and that the miracles of the ,old ,testament are considered simply as myths or mistakes8 ,how long will what you call ,christianity endure1 if it changes as rapidly during the next century as it has during the last8 ,what will there be left of the supernatural8 ,it does not seem possible that thoughtful people can1 for many years1 believe that a being of infinite wisdom is the author of the ,old ,testament1 that a being of infinite purity and kindness upheld polygamy and slavery1 that he ordered his chosen people to massacre their neighbors1 and that he commanded husbands and fathers to persecute wives and daughters unto death for opinion's sake4 ,it does not seem within the prospect of belief that ,jehovah1 the cruel1 the jealous1 the ignorant1 and the revengeful1 is the creator and preserver of the universe4 ,does it seem possible that infinite goodness would create a world in which life feeds on life1 in which everything devours and is devoured8 ,can there be a sadder fact than this3 ,innocence is not a certain shield8 ,it is impossible for me to believe in the eternity of punishment4 ,if that doctrine be true1 ,jehovah is insane4 ,day after day there are mournful processions of men and women1 patriots and mothers1 girls whose only crime is that the word ,liberty burst into flower between their pure and loving lips1 driven like beasts across the melancholy wastes of ,siberian snow4 ,these men1 these women1 these daughters1 go to exile and to slavery1 to a land where hope is satisfied with death4 ,does it seem possible to you that an ,infinite ,father sees all this and sits as silent as a god of stone8 ,and yet1 according to your ,presbyterian creed1 according to your inspired book1 according to your ,christ1 there is another procession1 in which are the noblest and the best1 in which you will find the wondrous spirits of this world1 the lovers of the human race1 the teachers of their fellow-men1 the greatest soldiers that ever battled for the right2 and this procession of countless millions1 in which you will find the most generous and the most loving of the sons and daughters of men1 is moving on to the ,siberia of ,god1 the land of eternal exile1 where agony becomes immortal4 ,how can you1 how can any man with brain or heart1 believe this infinite lie8 ,is there not room for a better1 for a higher philosophy8 ,after all1 is it not possible that we may find that everything has been necessarily produced1 that all religions and superstitions1 all mistakes and all crimes1 were simply necessities8 ,is it not possible that out of this perception may come not only love and pity for others1 but absolute justification for the individual8 ,may we not find that every soul has1 like ,mazeppa1 been lashed to the wild horse of passion1 or like ,prometheus to the rocks of fate8 ,you ask me to take the sober second thought4 ,i beg of you to take the first1 and if you do1 you will throw away the ,presbyterian creed2 you will instantly perceive that he who commits the smallest sin no more deserves eternal pain than he who does the smallest virtuous deed deserves eternal bliss2 you will become convinced that an infinite ,god who creates billions of men knowing that they will suffer through all the countless years is an infinite demon2 you will be satisfied that the ,bible1 with its philosophy and its folly1 with its goodness and its cruelty1 is but the work of man1 and that the supernatural does not and cannot exist4 ,for you personally1 ,i have the highest regard and the sincerest respect1 and ,i beg of you not to pollute the soul of childhood1 not to furrow the cheeks of mothers1 by preaching a creed that should be shrieked in a mad-house4 ,do not make the cradle as terrible as the coffin4 ,preach1 ,i pray you1 the gospel of ,intellectual ,hospitality--the liberty of thought and speech4 ,take from loving hearts the awful fear4 ,have mercy on your fellow-men4 ,do not drive to madness the mothers whose tears are falling on the pallid faces of those who died in unbelief4 ,pity the erring1 wayward1 suffering1 weeping world4 ,do not proclaim as tidings of great joy that an ,infinite ,spider is weaving webs to catch the souls of men4 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,a ,,last ,,word ,,to ,,robert ,g4 ,,ingersoll ,my ,dear ,colonel ,ingersoll3 ,i have read your ,reply to my ,open ,letter half a dozen times1 and each time with new appreciation of your skill as an advocate4 ,it is written with great ingenuity1 and furnishes probably as complete an argument as you are able to give for the faith 7or want of faith7 that is in you4 ,doubtless you think it unanswerable1 and so it will seem to those who are predisposed to your way of thinking4 ,to quote a homely saying of ,mr4 ,lincoln1 in which there is as much of wisdom as of wit1 ,for those who like that sort of thing1 no doubt that is the sort of thing they do like4 ,you may answer that we1 who cling to the faith of our fathers1 are equally prejudiced1 and that it is for that reason that we are not more impressed by the force of your pleading4 ,i do not deny a strong leaning that way1 and yet our real interest is the same--to get at the truth2 and1 therefore1 ,i have tried to give due weight to whatever of argument there is in the midst of so much eloquence2 but must confess that1 in spite of all1 ,i remain in the same obdurate frame of mind as before4 ,with all the candor that ,i can bring to bear upon the question1 ,i find on reviewing my ,open ,letter scarcely a sentence to change and nothing to withdraw2 and am quite willing to leave it as my ,declaration of ,faith1 to stand side by side with your ,reply1 for intelligent and candid men to judge between us4 ,i need only to add a few words in taking leave of the subject4 ,you seem a little disturbed that some of my brethren should look upon you as a monster because of your unbelief4 ,i certainly do not approve of such language1 although they would tell me that it is the only word which is a fit response to your ferocious attacks upon what they hold most sacred4 ,you are a born gladiator1 and when you descend into the arena1 you strike heavy blows1 which provoke blows in return4 ,in this very ,reply you manifest a particular animosity against ,presbyterians4 ,is it because you were brought up in that ,church1 of which your father1 whom you regard with filial respect and affection1 was an honored minister8 ,you even speak of the ,presbyterian ,god6 as if we assumed to appropriate the ,supreme ,being1 claiming to be the special objects of ,his favor4 ,is there any ground for this imputation of narrowness8 ,on the contrary1 when we bow our knees before our ,maker1 it is as the ,god and ,father of all mankind2 and the expression you permit yourself to use1 can only be regarded as grossly offensive4 ,was it necessary to offer this rudeness to the religious denomination in which you were born8 ,and this may explain1 what you do not seem fully to understand1 why it is that you are sometimes treated to sharp epithets by the religious press and public4 ,you think yourself persecuted for your opinions4 ,but others hold the same opinions without offence4 ,nor is it because you express your opinions4 ,nobody would deny you the same freedom which is accorded to ,huxley or ,herbert ,spencer4 ,it is not because you exercise your liberty of judgment or of speech1 but because of the way in which you attack others1 holding up their faith to all manner of ridicule1 and speaking of those who profess it as if they must be either knaves or fools4 ,it is not in human nature not to resent such imputations on that which1 however incredible to you1 is very precious to them4 ,hence it is that they think you a rough antagonist2 and when you shock them by such expressions as ,i have quoted1 you must expect some pretty strong language in return4 ,i do not join them in this1 because ,i know you1 and appreciate that other side of you which is manly and kindly and chivalrous4 ,but while ,i recognize these better qualities1 ,i must add in all frankness that ,i am compelled to look upon you as a man so embittered against religion that you cannot think of it except as associated with cant1 bigotry1 and hypocrisy4 ,in such a state of mind it is hardly possible for you to judge fairly of the arguments for its truth4 ,i believe with you1 that reason was given us to be exercised1 and that when man seeks after truth1 his mind should be1 as you say ,darwin's was1 as free from prejudice as the mariner's compass4 ,but if he is warped by passion so that he cannot see things truly1 then is he responsible4 ,it is the moral element which alone makes the responsibility4 ,nor do ,i believe that any man will be judged in this world or the next for what does not involve a moral wrong4 ,hence your appalling statement1 ,the ,god you worship will1 according to your creed1 torture 767 through all the endless years the man who entertains an honest doubt1 does not produce the effect intended1 simply because ,i do not affirm nor believe any such thing4 ,i believe that1 in the future world1 every man will be judged according to the deeds done in the body1 and that the judgment1 whatever it may be1 will be transparently just4 ,god is more merciful than man4 ,he desireth not the death of the wicked4 ,christ forgave1 where men would condemn1 and whatever be the fate of any human soul1 it can never be said that the ,supreme ,ruler was wanting either in justice or mercy4 ,this ,i emphasize because you dwell so much upon the subject of future retribution1 giving it an attention so constant as to be almost exclusive4 ,whatever else you touch upon1 you soon come back to this as the black thunder-cloud that darkens all the horizon1 casting its mighty shadows over the life that now is and that which is to come4 ,your denunciations of this inhuman belief are so reiterated that one would be left to infer that there is nothing else in ,religion2 that it is all wrath and terror4 ,but this is putting a part for the whole4 ,religion is a vast system1 of which this is but a single feature3 it is but one doctrine of many2 and indeed some whom no one will deny to be devout ,christians1 do not hold it at all1 or only in a modified form1 while with all their hearts they accept and profess the ,religion that ,christ came to bring into the world4 ,archdeacon ,farrar1 of ,westminster ,abbey1 the most eloquent preacher in the ,church of ,england1 has written a book entitled ,eternal ,hope1 in which he argues from reason and the ,bible1 that this life is not the be-all and end-all of human probation2 but that in the world to come there will be another opportunity1 when countless millions1 made wiser by unhappy experience1 will turn again to the paths of life2 and that so in the end the whole human race1 with the exception of perhaps a few who remain irreclaimable1 will be recovered and made happy forever4 ,others look upon eternal death as merely the extinction of being1 while immortality is the reward of pre-eminent virtue1 interpreting in that sense the words1 ,the wages of sin is death but the gift of ,god is eternal life through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,the latter view might recommend itself to you as the application of the survival of the fittest to another world1 the worthless1 the incurably bad1 of the human race being allowed to drop out of existence 7an end which can have no terrors for you1 since you look upon it as the common lot of all men17 while the good are continued in being forever4 ,the acceptance of either of these theories would relieve your mind of that horror of great darkness which seems to come over it whenever you look forward to retribution beyond the grave4 ,but while conceding all liberty to others ,i cannot so easily relieve myself of this stern and rugged truth4 ,to me moral evil in the universe is a tremendous reality1 and ,i do not see how to limit it within the bounds of time4 ,retribution is to me a necessary part of the ,divine law4 ,a law without a penalty for its violations is no law4 ,but ,i rest the argument for it1 not on the ,bible1 but on principles which you yourself acknowledge4 ,you say1 ,there are no punishments1 no rewards3 there are consequences4 ,very well1 take the consequences1 and see where they lead you4 ,when a man by his vices has reduced his body to a wreck and his mind to idiocy1 you say this is the consequence of his vicious life4 ,is it a great stretch of language to say that it is his punishment1 and nonetheless punishment because self-inflicted8 ,to the poor sufferer raving in a madhouse1 it matters little what it is called1 so long as he is experiencing the agonies of hell4 ,and here your theory of consequences1 if followed up1 will lead you very far4 ,for if man lives after death1 and keeps his personal identity1 do not the consequences of his past life follow him into the future8 ,and if his existence is immortal1 are not the consequences immortal also8 ,and what is this but endless retribution8 ,but you tell me that the moral effect of retribution is destroyed by the easy way in which a man escapes the penalty4 ,he has but to repent1 and he is restored to the same condition before the law as if he had not sinned4 ,not so do ,i understand it4 ,i believe in the forgiveness of sins1 but forgiveness does not reverse the course of nature2 it does not prevent the operation of natural law4 ,a drunkard may repent as he is nearing his end1 but that does not undo the wrong that he has done1 nor avert the consequences4 ,in spite of his tears1 he dies in an agony of shame and remorse4 ,the inexorable law must be fulfilled4 ,and so in the future world4 ,even though a man be forgiven1 he does not wholly escape the evil of his past life4 ,a retribution follows him even within the heavenly gates2 for if he does not suffer1 still that bad life has so shriveled up his moral nature as to diminish his power of enjoyment4 ,there are degrees of happiness1 as one star differeth from another star in glory2 and he who begins wrong1 will find that it is not as well to sin and repent of it as not to sin at all4 ,he enters the other world in a state of spiritual infancy1 and will have to begin at the bottom and climb slowly upward4 ,we might go a step farther1 and say that perhaps heaven itself has not only its lights but its shadows1 in the reflections that must come even there4 ,we read of the book of ,god's remembrance1 but is there not another book of remembrance in the mind itself--a book which any man may well fear to open and to look thereon8 ,when that book is opened1 and we read its awful pages1 shall we not all think what might have been8 ,and will those thoughts be wholly free from sadness8 ,the drunken brute who breaks the heart that loved him may weep bitterly1 and his poor wife may forgive him with her dying lips2 but he cannot forgive himself 1 and never can he recall without grief that bowed head and that broken heart4 ,this preserves the element of retribution1 while it does not shut the door to forgiveness and mercy4 ,but we need not travel over again the round of ,christian doctrines4 ,my faith is very simple2 it revolves around two words2 ,god and ,christ4 ,these are the two centres1 or1 as an astronomer might say1 the double-star1 or double-sun1 of the great orbit of religious truth4 ,as to the first of these1 you say ,there can be no evidence to my mind of the existence of such a being1 and my mind is so that it is incapable of even thinking of an infinite personality2 and you gravely put to me this question3 ,do you really believe that this world is governed by an infinitely wise and good ,god8 ,have you convinced even yourself of this8 ,here are two questions--one as to the existence of ,god1 and the other as to ,his benevolence4 ,i will answer both in language as plain as it is possible for me to use4 ,first1 ,do ,i believe in the existence of ,god8 ,i answer that it is impossible for me not to believe it4 ,i could not disbelieve it if ,i would4 ,you insist that belief or unbelief is not a matter of choice or of the will1 but of evidence4 ,you say the brain thinks as the heart beats1 as the eyes see4 ,then let us stand aside with all our prepossessions1 and open our eyes to what we can see4 ,when ,robinson ,crusoe in his desert island came down one day to the seashore1 and saw in the sand the print of a human foot1 could he help the instantaneous conviction that a man had been there8 ,you might have tried to persuade him that it was all chance1--that the sand had been washed up by the waves or blown by the winds1 and taken this form1 or that some marine insect had traced a figure like a human foot1--you would not have moved him a particle4 ,the imprint was there1 and the conclusion was irresistible3 he did not believe--he knew that some human being1 whether friend or foe1 civilized or savage1 had set his foot upon that desolate shore4 ,so when ,i discover in the world 7as ,i think ,i do7 mysterious footprints that are certainly not human1 it is not a question whether ,i shall believe or not3 ,i cannot help believing that some ,power greater than man has set foot upon the earth4 ,it is a fashion among atheistic philosophers to make light of the argument from design2 but my mind is so that it is incapable of resisting the conclusion to which it leads me4 ,and 7since personal questions are in order7 ,i beg to ask if it is possible for you to take in your hands a watch1 and believe that there was no design in its construction2 that it was not made to keep time1 but only happened so2 that it is the product of some freak of nature1 which brought together its parts and set it going4 ,do you not know with as much positiveness as can belong to any conviction of your mind1 that it was not the work of accident1 but of design2 and that if there was a design1 there was a designer8 ,and if the watch was made to keep time1 was not the eye made to see and the ear to hear8 ,skeptics may fight against this argument as much as they please1 and try to evade the inevitable conclusion1 and yet it remains forever entwined in the living frame of man as well as imbedded in the solid foundations of the globe4 ,wherefore ,i repeat1 it is not a question with me whether ,i will believe or not--,i cannot help believing2 and ,i am not only surprised1 but amazed1 that you or any thoughtful man can come to any other conclusion4' ,in wonder and astonishment ,i ask1 ,do you really believe that in all the wide universe there is no ,higher ,intelligence than that of the poor human creatures that creep on this earthly ball8 ,for myself1 it is with the pro-foundest conviction as well as the deepest reverence that ,i repeat the first sentence of my faith3 ,i believe in ,god the ,father ,almighty4 ,and not the ,almighty only1 but the ,wise and the ,good4 ,again ,i ask1 ,how can ,i help believing what ,i see every day of my life8 ,every morning1 as the sun rises in the ,east1 sending light and life over the world1 ,i behold a glorious image of the beneficent ,creator4 ,the exquisite beauty of the dawn1 the dewy freshness of the air1 the fleecy clouds floating in the sky--all speak of ,him4 ,and when the sun goes down1 sending shafts of light through the dense masses that would hide his setting1 and casting a glory over the earth and sky1 this wondrous illumination is to me but the reflection of ,him who spreadeth out the heavens like a curtain2 who maketh the clouds ,his chariot2 who walketh upon the wings of the wind4 ,how much more do we find the evidences of goodness in man himself3 in the power of thought2 of acquiring knowledge2 of penetrating the mysteries of nature and climbing among the stars4 ,can a being endowed with such transcendent gifts doubt the goodness of his ,creator8 ,yes1 ,i believe with all my heart and soul in ,one who is not only ,infinitely ,great1 but ,infinitely ,good2 who loves all the creatures ,he has made2 bending over them as the bow in the cloud spans the arch of heaven1 stretching from horizon to horizon2 looking down upon them with a tenderness compared to which all human love is faint and cold4 ,like as a father pitieth his children1 so the ,lord pitieth them that fear ,him2 for ,he knoweth our frame1 ,he remembereth that we are dust4 ,on the question of immortality you are equally at sea4 ,you know nothing and believe nothing2 or1 rather1 you know only that you do not know1 and believe that you do not believe4 ,you confess indeed to a faint hope1 and admit a bare possibility1 that there may be another life1 though you are in an uncertainty about it that is altogether bewildering and desperate4 ,but your mind is so poetical that you give a certain attractiveness even to the prospect of annihilation4 ,you strew the sepulchre with such flowers as these3 ,i have said a thousand times1 and ,i say again1 that the idea of immortality1 that like a sea has ebbed and flowed in the human heart1 with its countless waves of hope and fear beating against the shores and rocks of time and fate1 was not born of any book1 nor of any creed1 nor of any religion4 ,it was born of human affection1 and it will continue to ebb and flow beneath the mists and clouds of doubt and darkness as long as love kisses the lips of death4 ,i have said a thousand times1 and ,i say again1 that we do not know1 we cannot say1 whether death is a wall or a door2 the beginning or end of a day2 the spreading of pinions to soar1 or the folding forever of wings2 the rise or the set of a sun1 or an endless life that brings rapture and love to every one4 ,beautiful words6 but inexpressibly sad6 ,it is a silver lining to the cloud1 and yet the cloud is there1 dark and impenetrable4 ,but perhaps we ought not to expect anything clearer and brighter from one who recognizes no light but that of ,nature4 ,that light is very dim4 ,if it were all we had1 we should be just where ,cicero was1 and say with him1 and with you1 that a future life was to be hoped for rather than believed4 ,but does not that very uncertainty show the need of a something above ,nature1 which is furnished in ,him who was crucified1 dead and buried1 and the third day rose again from the dead8 ,it is the ,conqueror of ,death who calls to the fainthearted3 ,i am the ,resurrection and the ,life4 ,since ,he has gone before us1 lighting up the dark passage of the grave1 we need not fear to follow1 resting on the word of our ,leader3 ,because ,i live1 ye shall live also4 ,this faith in another life is a precious inheritance1 which cannot be torn from the agonized bosom without a wrench that tears every heartstring2 and it was to this ,i referred as the last refuge of a poor1 suffering1 despairing soul1 when ,i asked3 ,does it never occur to you that there is something very cruel in this treatment of the belief of your fellow-creatures1 on whose hope of another life hangs all that relieves the darkness of their present existence8 ,the imputation of cruelty you repel with some warmth1 saying 7with a slight variation of my language73 ,when ,i deny the existence of perdition1 you reply that there is something very cruel in this treatment of the belief of my fellow-creatures4 ,of course1 this change of words1 putting perdition in the place of immortal life and hope1 was a mere inadvertence4 ,but it was enough to change the whole character of what ,i wrote4 ,as ,i described the treatment of the belief of my fellow-creatures1 ,i did think it very cruel1 and ,i think so still4 ,while correcting this slight misquotation1 ,i must remove from your mind a misapprehension1 which is so very absurd as to be absolutely comical4 ,in my ,letter referring to your disbelief of immortality1 ,i had said3 ,with an air of modesty and diffidence that would carry an audience by storm1 you confess your ignorance of what perhaps others are better acquainted with1 when you say1 ',this world is all that ,i know anything about1 so far as ,i recollect' ,of course what perhaps others are better acquainted with was a part of what you said1 or at least implied by your manner 7for you do not convey your meaning merely by words1 but by a tone of voice1 by arched eyebrows1 or a curled lip72 and yet1 instead of taking the sentence in its plain and obvious sense1 you affect to understand it as an assumption on my part to have some private and mysterious knowledge of another world 7671 and gravely ask me1 ,did you by this intend to say that you know anything of any other state of existence2 that you have inhabited some other planet2 that you lived before you were born2 and that you recollect something of that other world or of that other state8 ,no1 my dear ,colonel6 ,i have been a good deal of a traveler1 and have seen all parts of this world1 but ,i have never visited any other4 ,in reading your sober question1 if ,i did not know you to be one of the brightest wits of the day1 ,i should be tempted to quote what ,sidney ,smith says of a ,scotchman1 that you cannot get a joke into his head except by a surgical operation6 ,but to return to what is serious3 you make light of our faith and our hopes1 because you know not the infinite solace they bring to the troubled human heart4 ,you sneer at the idea that religion can be a consolation4 ,indeed6 ,is it not a consolation to have an ,almighty ,friend8 ,was it a light matter for the poor slave mother1 who sat alone in her cabin1 having been robbed of her children1 to sing in her wild1 wailing accents3 ,nobody knows the sorrows ,i've seen3 ,nobody knows but ,jesus8 ,would you rob her of that ,unseen ,friend--the only ,friend she had on earth or in heaven8 ,but ,i will do you the justice to say that your want of religious faith comes in part from your very sensibility and tenderness of heart4 ,you cannot recognize an overruling ,providence1 because your mind is so harassed by scenes that you witness4 ,why1 you ask1 do men suffer so8 ,you draw frightful pictures of the misery which exists in the world1 as a proof of the incapacity of its ,ruler and ,governor1 and do not hesitate to say that any honest man of average intelligence could do vastly better4 ,if you could have your way1 you would make everybody happy2 there should be no more poverty1 and no more sickness or pain4 ,this is a pleasant picture to look at1 and yet you must excuse me for saying that it is rather a child's picture than that of a stalwart man4 ,the world is not a playground in which men are to be petted and indulged like children3 spoiled children they would soon become4 ,it is an arena of conflict1 in which we are to develop the manhood that is in us4 ,we all have to take the rough-and-tumble of life1 and are the better for it--physically1 intellectually1 and morally4 ,if there be any true manliness within us1 we come out of the struggle stronger and better2 with larger minds and kinder hearts2 a broader wisdom and a gentler charity4 ,perhaps we should not differ on this point if we could agree as to the true end of life4 ,but here ,i fear the difference is irreconcilable4 ,you think that end is happiness3 ,i think it is character4 ,i do not believe that the highest end of life upon earth is to have a good time to get from it the utmost amount of enjoyment2 but to be truly and greatly ,,good2 and that to that end no discipline can be too severe which leads us to suffer and be strong4 ,that discipline answers its end when it raises the spirit to the highest pitch of courage and endurance4 ,the splendor of virtue never appears so bright as when set against a dark background4 ,it was in prisons and dungeons that the martyrs showed the greatest degree of moral heroism1 the power of ,man's unconquerable mind4 ,but ,i know well that these illustrations do not cover the whole case4 ,there is another picture to be added to those of heroic struggle and martyrdom--that of silent suffering1 which makes of life one long agony1 and which often comes upon the good1 so that it seems as if the best suffered the most4 ,and yet when you sit by a sick bed1 and look into a face whiter than the pillow on which it rests1 do you not sometimes mark how that very suffering refines the nature that bears it so meekly8 ,this is the ,christian theory3 that suffering1 patiently borne1 is a means of the greatest elevation of character1 and1 in the end1 of the highest enjoyment4 ,looking at it in this light1 we can understand how it should be that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared or even to be named with the glory which shall be revealed4 ,when the heavenly morning breaks1 brighter than any dawn that blushes o'er the world1 there will be a restitution of all things3 the poor will be made rich1 and the most suffering the most serenely happy2 as in the vision of the ,apocalypse1 when it is asked ,what are these which are arrayed in white robes1 and whence came they8 the answer is1 ,these are they which came our of great tribulation4 ,in this conclusion1 which is not adopted lightly1 but after innumerable struggles with doubt1 after the experience and the reflection of years1 ,i feel a great peace4 ,it is the glow of sunset that gilds the approach of evening4 ,for 7we must confess it7 it is towards that you and ,i are advancing4 ,the sun has passed the meridian1 and hastens to his going down4 ,whatever of good this life has for us 7and ,i am far from being one of those who look upon it as a vale of tears7 will soon be behind us4 ,i see the shadows creeping on2 yet ,i welcome the twilight that will soon darken into night1 for ,i know that it will be a night all glorious with stars4 ,as ,i look upward1 the feeling of awe is blended with a strange1 overpowering sense of the ,infinite ,goodness1 which surrounding me like an atmosphere3 ,and so beside the ,silent ,sea1 ,i wait the muffled oar2 ,no harm from ,him can come to me ,on ocean or on shore4 ,i know not where ,his ,islands lift ,their fronded palms in air2 ,i only know ,i cannot drift ,beyond ,his love and care4 ,would that you could share with me this confidence and this hope6 ,but you seem to be receding farther from any kind of faith4 ,in one of your closing paragraphs1 you give what is to you the conclusion of the whole matter4 ,after repudiating religion with scorn1 you ask1 ,is there not room for a better1 for a higher philosophy8 and thus indicate the true answer to be given1 to which no words can do justice but your own3 ,after all1 is it not possible that we may find that everything has been necessarily produced2 that all religions and superstitions1 all mistakes and all crimes1 were simply necessities8 ,is it not possible that out of this perception may come not only love and pity for others1 but absolute justification for the individual8 ,may we not find that every soul has1 like ,mazeppa1 been lashed to the wild horse of passion1 or like ,prometheus to the rocks of fate8 ,if this be the end of all philosophy1 it is equally the end of all things4 ,not only does it make an end of us and of our hopes of futurity1 but of all that makes the present life worth living--of all freedom1 and hence of all virtue4 ,there are no more any moral distinctions in the world--no good and no evil1 no right and no wrong2 nothing but grim necessity4 ,with such a creed1 ,i wonder how you can ever stand at the bar1 and argue for the conviction of a criminal4 ,why should he be convicted and punished for what he could not help8 ,indeed he is not a criminal1 since there is no such thing as crime4 ,he is not to blame4 ,was he not lashed to the wild horse of passion1 carried away by a power beyond his control8 ,what cruelty to thrust him behind iron bars6 ,poor fellow6 he deserves our pity4 ,let us hasten to relieve him from a position which must be so painful1 and make our humble apology for having presumed to punish him for an act in which he only obeyed an impulse which he could not resist4 ,this will be absolute justification for the individual4 ,but what will become of society1 you do not tell us4 ,are you aware that in this last attainment of a better1 a higher philosophy 7which is simply absolute fatalism71 you have swung round to the side of ,john ,calvin1 and gone far beyond him8 ,that you1 who have exhausted all the resources of the ,english language in denouncing his creed as the most horrible of human beliefs--brainless1 soulless1 heartless2 who have held it up to scorn and derision2 now hold to the blackest ,calvinism that was ever taught by man8 ,you cannot find words sufficient to express your horror of the doctrine of ,divine decrees2 and yet here you have decrees with a vengeance--predestination and damnation1 both in one4 ,under such a creed1 man is a thousand times worse off than under ours3 for he has absolutely no hope4 ,you may say that at any rate he cannot suffer forever4 ,you do not know even that2 but at any rate he suffers as long as he exists4 ,there is no ,god above to show him pity1 and grant him release2 but as long as the ages roll1 he is lashed to the rocks of fate1 with the insatiate vulture tearing at his heart6 ,in reading your glittering phrases1 ,i seem to be losing hold of everything1 and to be sinking1 sinking1 till ,i touch the lowest depths of an abyss2 while from the blackness above me a sound like a death-knell tolls the midnight of the soul4 ,if ,i believed this ,i should cry1 ,god help us all6 ,or no--for there would be no ,god1 and even this last consolation would be denied us3 for why should we offer a prayer which can neither be heard nor answered8 ,as well might we ask mercy from the rocks of fate to which we are chained forever6 ,recoiling from this ,gospel of ,despair1 ,i turn to ,one in whose face there is something at once human and divine--an indescribable majesty1 united with more than human tenderness and pity2 ,one who was born among the poor1 and had not where to lay ,his head1 and yet went about doing good2 poor1 yet making many rich2 who trod the world in deepest loneliness1 and yet whose presence lighted up every dwelling into which ,he came2 who took up little children in ,his arms1 and blessed them2 a giver of joy to others1 and yet a sufferer himself2 who tasted every human sorrow1 and yet was always ready to minister to others' grief2 weeping with them that wept2 coming to ,bethany to comfort ,mary and ,martha concerning their brother2 rebuking the proud1 but gentle and pitiful to the most abject of human creatures2 stopping amid the throng at the cry of a blind beggar by the wayside2 willing to be known as the friend of sinners1 if ,he might recall them into the way of peace2 who did not scorn even the fallen woman who sank at ,his feet1 but by ,his gentle word1 ,neither do ,i condemn thee2 go and sin no more1 lifted her up1 and set her in the path of a virtuous womanhood2 and who1 when dying on the cross1 prayed3 ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4 ,in this ,friend of the friendless1 ,comforter of the comfortless1 ,forgiver of the penitent1 and ,guide of the erring1 ,i find a greatness that ,i had not found in any of the philosophers or teachers of the world4 ,no voice in all the ages thrills me like that which whispers close to my heart1 ,come unto me and ,i will give you rest1 to which ,i answer3 ,this is my ,master1 and ,i will follow ,him4 ,henry ,m4 ,field4 ,,letter ,,to ,,dr4 ,,field4 ,my ,dear ,mr4 ,field3 ,with great pleasure ,i have read your second letter1 in which you seem to admit that men may differ even about religion without being responsible for that difference2 that every man has the right to read the ,bible for himself1 state freely the conclusion at which he arrives1 and that it is not only his privilege1 but his duty to speak the truth2 that ,christians can hardly be happy in heaven1 while those they loved on earth are suffering with the lost2 that it is not a crime to investigate1 to think1 to reason1 to observe1 and to be governed by evidence2 that credulity is not a virtue1 and that the open mouth of ignorant wonder is not the only entrance to ,paradise2 that belief is not necessary to salvation1 and that no man can justly be made to suffer eternal pain for having expressed an intellectual conviction4 ,you seem to admit that no man can justly be held responsible for his thoughts2 that the brain thinks without asking our consent1 and that we believe or disbelieve without an effort of the will4 ,i congratulate you upon the advance that you have made4 ,you not only admit that we have the right to think1 but that we have the right to express our honest thoughts4 ,you admit that the ,christian world no longer believes in the fagot1 the dungeon1 and the thumbscrew4 ,has the ,christian world outgrown its ,god8 ,has man become more merciful than his maker8 ,if man will not torture his fellow-man on account of a difference of opinion1 will a ,god of infinite love torture one of his children for what is called the sin of unbelief8 ,has man outgrown the ,inquisition1 and will ,god forever be the warden of a penitentiary8 ,the walls of the old dungeons have fallen1 and light now visits the cell where brave men perished in darkness4 ,is ,jehovah to keep the cells of perdition in repair forever1 and are his children to be the eternal prisoners8 ,it seems hard for you to appreciate the mental condition of one who regards all gods as substantially the same2 that is to say1 who thinks of them all as myths and phantoms born of the imagination1--characters in the religious fictions of the race4 ,to you it probably seems strange that a man should think far more of ,jupiter than of ,jehovah4 ,regarding them both as creations of the mind1 ,i choose between them1 and ,i prefer the ,god of the ,greeks1 on the same principle that ,i prefer ,portia to ,iago2 and yet ,i regard them1 one and all1 as children of the imagination1 as phantoms born of human fears and human hopes4 ,surely nothing was further from my mind than to hurt the feelings of any one by speaking of the ,presbyterian ,god4 ,i simply intended to speak of the ,god of the ,presbyterians4 ,certainly the ,god of the ,presbyterian is not the ,god of the ,catholic1 nor is he the ,god of the ,mohammedan or ,hindoo4 ,he is a special creation suited only to certain minds4 ,these minds have naturally come together1 and they form what we call the ,presbyterian ,church4 ,as a matter of fact1 no two churches can by any possibility have precisely the same ,god2 neither can any two human beings conceive of precisely the same ,deity4 ,in every man's ,god there is1 to say the least1 a part of that man4 ,the lower the man1 the lower his conception of ,god4 ,the higher the man1 the grander his ,deity must be4 ,the savage who adorns his body with a belt from which hang the scalps of enemies slain in battle1 has no conception of a loving1 of a forgiving ,god2 his ,god1 of necessity1 must be as revengeful1 as heartless1 as infamous as the ,god of ,john ,calvin4 ,you do not exactly appreciate my feeling4 ,i do not hate ,presbyterians2 ,i hate ,presbyterianism4 ,i hate with all my heart the creed of that church1 and ,i most heartily despise the ,god described in the ,confession of ,faith4 ,but some of the best friends ,i have in the world are afflicted with the mental malady known as ,presbyterianism4 ,they are the victims of the consolation growing out of the belief that a vast majority of their fellow-men are doomed to suffer eternal torment1 to the end that their ,creator may be eternally glorified4 ,i have said many times1 and ,i say again1 that ,i do not despise a man because he has the rheumatism2 ,i despise the rheumatism because it has a man4 ,but ,i do insist that the ,presbyterians have assumed to appropriate to themselves their ,supreme ,being1 and that they have claimed1 and that they do claim1 to be the special objects of his favor4 ,they do claim to be the very elect1 and they do insist that ,god looks upon them as the objects of his special care4 ,they do claim that the light of ,nature1 without the torch of the ,presbyterian creed1 is insufficient to guide any soul to the gate of heaven4 ,they do insist that even those who never heard of ,christ1 or never heard of the ,god of the ,presbyterians1 will be eternally lost2 and they not only claim this1 but that their fate will illustrate not only the justice but the mercy of ,god4 ,not only so1 but they insist that the morality of an unbeliever is displeasing to ,god1 and that the love of an unconverted mother for her helpless child is nothing less than sin4 ,when ,i meet a man who really believes the ,presbyterian creed1 ,i think of the ,laocoon4 ,i feel as though looking upon a human being helpless in the coils of an immense and poisonous serpent4 ,but ,i congratulate you with all my heart that you have repudiated this infamous1 this savage creed2 that you now admit that reason was given us to be exercised2 that ,god will not torture any man for entertaining an honest doubt1 and that in the world to come every man will be judged according to the deeds done in the body4 ,let me quote your exact language3 ,i believe that in the future world every man will be judged according to the deeds done in the body4 ,do you not see that you have bidden farewell to the ,presbyterian ,church8 ,in that sentence you have thrown away the atonement1 you have denied the efficacy of the blood of ,jesus ,christ1 and you have denied the necessity of belief4 ,if we are to be judged by the deeds done in the body1 that is the end of the ,presbyterian scheme of salvation4 ,i sincerely congratulate you for having repudiated the savagery of ,calvinism4 ,it also gave me great pleasure to find that you have thrown away1 with a kind of glad shudder1 that infamy of infamies1 the dogma of eternal pain4 ,i have denounced that inhuman belief2 ,i have denounced every creed that had coiled within it that viper2 ,i have denounced every man who preached it1 the book that contains it1 and with all my heart the ,god who threatens it2 and at last ,i have the happiness of seeing the editor of the ,new ,york ,evangelist admit that devout ,christians do not believe that lie1 and quote with approbation the words of a minister of the ,church of ,england to the effect that all men will be finally recovered and made happy4 ,do you find this doctrine of hope in the ,presbyterian creed8 ,is this star1 that sheds light on every grave1 found in your ,bible8 ,did ,christ have in his mind the shining truth that all the children of men will at last be filled with joy1 when he uttered these comforting words3 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels8 ,do you find in this flame the bud of hope1 or the flower of promise8 ,you suggest that it is possible that the incurably bad will be annihilated1 and you say that such a fate can have no terrors for me1 as ,i look upon annihilation as the common lot of all4 ,let us examine this position4 ,why should a ,god of infinite wisdom create men and women whom he knew would be incurably bad8 ,what would you say of a mechanic who was forced to destroy his own productions on the ground that they were incurably bad8 ,would you say that he was an infinitely wise mechanic8 ,does infinite justice annihilate the work of infinite wisdom8 ,does ,god1 like an ignorant doctor1 bury his mistakes8 ,besides1 what right have you to say that ,i look upon annihilation as the common lot of all8 ,was there any such thought in my ,reply8 ,do you find it in any published words of mine8 ,do you find anything in what ,i have written tending to show that ,i believe in annihilation8 ,is it not true that ,i say now1 and that ,i have always said1 that ,i do not know8 ,does a lack of knowledge as to the fate of the human soul imply a belief in annihilation8 ,does it not equally imply a belief in immortality8 ,you have been--at least until recently--a believer in the inspiration of the ,bible and in the truth of its every word4 ,what do you say to the following3 ,for that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts2 even one thing befalleth them3 as the one dieth1 so dieth the other2 yea1 they have all one breath2 so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast4 ,you will see that the inspired writer is not satisfied with admitting that he does not know4 ,as the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away2 so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more4 ,was it not cruel for an inspired man to attack a sacred belief8 ,you seem surprised that ,i should speak of the doctrine of eternal pain as the black thunder-cloud that darkens all the horizon1 casting its mighty shadows over the life that now is and that which is to come4 ,if that doctrine be true1 what else is there worthy of engaging the attention of the human mind8 ,it is the blackness that extinguishes every star4 ,it is the abyss in which every hope must perish4 ,it leaves a universe without justice and without mercy--a future without one ray of light1 and a present with nothing but fear4 ,it makes heaven an impossibility1 ,god an infinite monster1 and man an eternal victim4 ,nothing can redeem a religion in which this dogma is found4 ,clustered about it are all the snakes of the ,furies4 ,but you have abandoned this infamy1 and you have admitted that we are to be judged according to the deeds done in the body4 ,nothing can be nearer self-evident than the fact that a finite being cannot commit an infinite sin2 neither can a finite being do an infinitely good deed4 ,that is to say1 no one can deserve for any act eternal pain1 and no one for any deed can deserve eternal joy4 ,if we are to be judged by the deeds done in the body1 the old orthodox hell and heaven both become impossible4 ,so1 too1 you have recognized the great and splendid truth that sin cannot be predicated of an intellectual conviction4 ,this is the first great step toward the liberty of soul4 ,you admit that there is no morality and no immorality in belief--that is to say1 in the simple operation of the mind in weighing evidence1 in observing facts1 and in drawing conclusions4 ,you admit that these things are without sin and without guilt4 ,had all men so believed there never could have been religious persecution--the ,inquisition could not have been built1 and the idea of eternal pain never could have polluted the human heart4 ,you have been driven to the passions for the purpose of finding what you are pleased to call sin and responsibility and you say1 speaking of a human being1 but if he is warped by passion so that he cannot see things truly1 then is he responsible4 ,one would suppose that the use of the word cannot is inconsistent with the idea of responsibility4 ,what is passion8 ,there are certain desires1 swift1 thrilling1 that quicken the action of the heart--desires that fill the brain with blood1 with fire and flame--desires that bear the same relation to judgment that storms and waves bear to the compass on a ship4 ,is passion necessarily produced8 ,is there an adequate cause for every effect8 ,can you by any possibility think of an effect without a cause1 and can you by any possibility think of an effect that is not a cause1 or can you think of a cause that is not an effect8 ,is not the history of real civilization the slow and gradual emancipation of the intellect1 of the judgment1 from the mastery of passion8 ,is not that man civilized whose reason sits the crowned monarch of his brain--whose passions are his servants8 ,who knows the strength of the temptation to another8 ,who knows how little has been resisted by those who stand1 how much has been resisted by those who fall8 ,who knows whether the victor or the victim made the braver and the more gallant fight8 ,in judging of our fellow-men we must take into consideration the circumstances of ancestry1 of race1 of nationality1 of employment1 of opportunity1 of education1 and of the thousand influences that tend to mold or mar the character of man4 ,such a view is the mother of charity1 and makes the ,god of the ,presbyterians impossible4 ,at last you have seen the impossibility of forgiveness4 ,that is to say1 you perceive that after forgiveness the crime remains1 and its children1 called consequences1 still live4 ,you recognize the lack of philosophy in that doctrine4 ,you still believe in what you call the forgiveness of sins1 but you admit that forgiveness cannot reverse the course of nature1 and cannot prevent the operation of natural law4 ,you also admit that if a man lives after death1 he preserves his personal identity1 his memory1 and that the consequences of his actions will follow him through all the eternal years4 ,you admit that consequences are immortal4 ,after making this admission1 of what use is the old idea of the forgiveness of sins8 ,how can the criminal be washed clean and pure in the blood of another8 ,in spite of this forgiveness1 in spite of this blood1 you have taken the ground that consequences1 like the dogs of ,actaeon1 follow even a ,presbyterian1 even one of the elect1 within the heavenly gates4 ,if you wish to be logical1 you must also admit that the consequences of good deeds1 like winged angels1 follow even the atheist within the gates of hell4 ,you have had the courage of your convictions1 and you have said that we are to be judged according to the deeds done in the body4 ,by that judgment ,i am willing to abide4 ,but1 whether willing or not1 ,i must abide1 because there is no power1 no ,god that can step between me and the consequences of my acts4 ,i wish no heaven that ,i have not earned1 no happiness to which ,i am not entitled4 ,i do not wish to become an immortal pauper2 neither am ,i willing to extend unworthy hands for alms4 ,my dear ,mr4 ,field1 you have outgrown your creed--as every ,presbyterian must who grows at all4 ,you are far better than the spirit of the ,old ,testament2 far better1 in my judgment1 even than the spirit of the ,new4 ,the creed that you have left behind1 that you have repudiated1 teaches that a man may be guilty of every crime--that he may have driven his wife to insanity1 that his example may have led his children to the penitentiary1 or to the gallows1 and that yet1 at the eleventh hour1 he may1 by what is called repentance1 be washed absolutely pure by the blood of another and receive and wear upon his brow the laurels of eternal peace4 ,not only so1 but that creed has taught that this wretch in heaven could look back on the poor earth and see the wife1 whom he swore to love and cherish1 in the mad-house1 surrounded by imaginary serpents1 struggling in the darkness of night1 made insane by his heartlessness--that creed has taught and teaches that he could look back and see his children in prison cells1 or on the scaffold with the noose about their necks1 and that these visions would not bring a shade of sadness to his redeemed and happy face4 ,it is this doctrine1 it is this dogma--so bestial1 so savage as to beggar all the languages of men--that ,i have denounced4 ,all the words of hatred1 loathing and contempt1 found in all the dialects and tongues of men1 are not sufficient to express my hatred1 my contempt1 and my loathing of this creed4 ,you say that it is impossible for you not to believe in the existence of ,god4 ,with this statement1 ,i find no fault4 ,your mind is so that a belief in the existence of a ,supreme ,being gives satisfaction and content4 ,of course1 you are entitled to no credit for this belief1 as you ought not to be rewarded for believing that which you cannot help believing2 neither should ,i be punished for failing to believe that which ,i cannot believe4 ,you believe because you see in the world around you such an adaptation of means to ends that you are satisfied there is design4 ,i admit that when ,robinson ,crusoe saw in the sand the print of a human foot1 like and yet unlike his own1 he was justified in drawing the conclusion that a human being had been there4 ,the inference was drawn from his own experience1 and was within the scope of his own mind4 ,but ,i do not agree with you that he knew a human being had been there2 he had only sufficient evidence upon which to found a belief4 ,he did not know the footsteps of all animals2 he could not have known that no animal except man could have made that footprint3 ,in order to have known that it was the foot of man1 he must have known that no other animal was capable of making it1 and he must have known that no other being had produced in the sand the likeness of this human foot4 ,you see what you call evidences of intelligence in the universe1 and you draw the conclusion that there must be an infinite intelligence4 ,your conclusion is far wider than your premise4 ,let us suppose1 as ,mr4 ,hume supposed1 that there is a pair of scales1 one end of which is in darkness1 and you find that a pound weight1 or a ten-pound weight1 placed upon that end of the scale in the light is raised2 have you the right to say that there is an infinite weight on the end in darkness1 or are you compelled to say only that there is weight enough on the end in darkness to raise the weight on the end in light8 ,it is illogical to say1 because of the existence of this earth and of what you can see in and about it1 that there must be an infinite intelligence4 ,you do not know that even the creation of this world1 and of all planets discovered1 required an infinite power1 or infinite wisdom4 ,i admit that it is impossible for me to look at a watch and draw the inference that there was no design in its construction1 or that it only happened4 ,i could not regard it as a product of some freak of nature1 neither could ,i imagine that its various parts were brought together and set in motion by chance4 ,i am not a believer in chance4 ,but there is a vast difference between what man has made and the materials of which he has constructed the things he has made4 ,you find a watch1 and you say that it exhibits1 or shows design4 ,you insist that it is so wonderful it must have had a designer--in other words1 that it is too wonderful not to have been constructed4 ,you then find the watchmaker1 and you say with regard to him that he too must have had a designer1 for he is more wonderful than the watch4 ,in imagagination you go from the watchmaker to the being you call ,god1 and you say he designed the watchmaker1 but he himself was not designed because he is too wonderful to have been designed4 ,and yet in the case of the watch and of the watchmaker1 it was the wonder that suggested design1 while in the case of the maker of the watchmaker the wonder denied a designer4 ,do you not see that this argument devours itself8 ,if wonder suggests a designer1 can it go on increasing until it denies that which it suggested8 ,you must remember1 too1 that the argument of design is applicable to all4 ,you are not at liberty to stop at sunrise and sunset and growing corn and all that adds to the happiness of man2 you must go further4 ,you must admit that an infinitely wise and merciful ,god designed the fangs of serpents1 the machinery by which the poison is distilled1 the ducts by which it is carried to the fang1 and that the same intelligence impressed this serpent with a desire to deposit this deadly virus in the flesh of man4 ,you must believe that an infinitely wise ,god so constructed this world1 that in the process of cooling1 earthquakes would be caused--earthquakes that devour and overwhelm cities and states4 ,do you see any design in the volcano that sends its rivers of lava over the fields and the homes of men8 ,do you really think that a perfectly good being designed the invisible parasites that infest the air1 that inhabit the water1 and that finally attack and destroy the health and life of man8 ,do you see the same design in cancers that you do in wheat and corn8 ,did ,god invent tumors for the brain8 ,was it his ingenuity that so designed the human race that millions of people should be born deaf and dumb1 that millions should be idiotic8 ,did he knowingly plant in the blood or brain the seeds of insanity8 ,did he cultivate those seeds8 ,do you see any design in this8 ,man calls that good which increases his happiness1 and that evil which gives him pain4 ,in the olden time1 back of the good he placed a ,god2 back of the evil a devil2 but now the orthodox world is driven to admit that the ,god is the author of all4 ,for my part1 ,i see no goodness in the pestilence--no mercy in the bolt that leaps from the cloud and leaves the mark of death on the breast of a loving mother4 ,i see no generosity in famine1 no goodness in disease1 no mercy in want and agony4 ,and yet you say that the being who created parasites that live only by inflicting pain--the being responsible for all the sufferings of mankind--you say that he has a tenderness compared to which all human love is faint and cold4 ,yet according to the doctrine of the orthodox world1 this being of infinite love and tenderness so created nature that its light misleads1 and left a vast majority of the human race to blindly grope their way to endless pain4 ,you insist that a knowledge of ,god--a belief in ,god--is the foundation of social order2 and yet this ,god of infinite tenderness has left for thousands and thousands of years nearly all of his children without a revelation4 ,why should infinite goodness leave the existence of ,god in doubt8 ,why should he see millions in savagery destroying the lives of each other1 eating the flesh of each other1 and keep his existence a secret from man8 ,why did he allow the savages to depend on sunrise and sunset and clouds8 ,why did he leave this great truth to a few half-crazed prophets1 or to a cruel1 heartless1 and ignorant church8 ,the sentence ,there is a ,god4could have been imprinted on every blade of grass1 on every leaf1 on every star4 ,an infinite ,god has no excuse for leaving his children in doubt and darkness4 ,there is still another point4 ,you know that for thousands of ages men worshiped wild beasts as ,god4 ,you know that for countless generations they knelt by coiled serpents1 believing those serpents to be gods4 ,why did the real ,god secrete himself and allow his poor1 ignorant1 savage children to imagine that he was a beast1 a serpent8 ,why did this ,god allow mothers to sacrifice their babes8 ,why did he not emerge from the darkness8 ,why did he not say to the poor mother1 ,do not sacrifice your babe2 keep it in your arms2 press it to your bosom2 let it be the solace of your declining years4 ,i take no delight in the death of children2 ,i am not what you suppose me to be2 ,i am not a beast2 ,i am not a serpent2 ,i am full of love and kindness and mercy1 and ,i want my children to be happy in this world8 ,did the ,god who allowed a mother to sacrifice her babe through the mistaken idea that he1 the ,god1 demanded the sacrifice1 feel a tenderness toward that mother compared to which all human love is faint and cold8 ,would a good father allow some of his children to kill others of his children to please him8 ,there is still another question4 ,why should ,god1 a being of infinite tenderness1 leave the question of immortality in doubt8 ,how is it that there is nothing in the ,old ,testament on this subject8 ,why is it that he who made all the constellations did not put in his heaven the star of hope8 ,how do you account for the fact that you do not find in the ,old ,testament1 from the first mistake in ,genesis1 to the last curse in ,malachi1 a funeral service8 ,is it not strange that some one in the ,old ,testament did not stand by an open grave of father or mother and say3 ,we shall meet again8 ,was it because the divinely inspired men did not know8 ,you taunt me by saying that ,i know no more of the immortality of the soul than ,cicero knew4 ,i admit it4 ,i know no more than the lowest savage1 no more than a doctor of divinity--that is to say1 nothing4 ,is it not1 however1 a curious fact that there is less belief in the immortality of the soul in ,christian countries than in heathen lands--that the belief in immortality1 in an orthodox church1 is faint and cold and speculative1 compared with that belief in ,india1 in ,china1 or in the ,pacific ,isles8 ,compare the belief in immortality in ,america1 of ,christians1 with that of the followers of ,mohammed4 ,do not ,christians weep above their dead8 ,does a belief in immortality keep back their tears8 ,after all1 the promises are so far away1 and the dead are so near--the echoes of words said to have been spoken more than eighteen centuries ago are lost in the sounds of the clods that fall on the coffin1 ,and yet1 compared with the orthodox hell1 compared with the prison-house of ,god1 how ecstatic is the grave--the grave without a sigh1 without a tear1 without a dream1 without a fear4 ,compared with the immortality promised by the ,presbyterian creed1 how beautiful annihilation seems4 ,to be nothing--how much better than to be a convict forever4 ,to be unconscious dust--how much better than to be a heartless angel4 ,there is not1 there never has been1 there never will be1 any consolation in orthodox ,christianity4 ,it offers no consolation to any good and loving man4 ,i prefer the consolation of ,nature1 the consolation of hope1 the consolation springing from human affection4 ,i prefer the simple desire to live and love forever4 ,of course1 it would be a consolation to know that we have an ,almighty ,friend in heaven2 but an ,almighty ,friend who cares nothing for us1 who allows us to be stricken by his lightning1 frozen by his winter1 starved by his famine1 and at last imprisoned in his hell1 is a friend ,i do not care to have4 ,i remember the poor slave mother who sat alone in her cabin1 having been robbed of her children2 and1 my dear ,mr4 ,field1 ,i also remember that the people who robbed her justified the robbery by reading passages from the sacred ,scriptures4 ,i remember that while the mother wept1 the robbers1 some of whom were ,christians1 read this3 ,buy of the heathen round about1 and they shall be your bondmen and bondwomen forever4 ,i remember1 too1 that the robbers read3 ,servants be obedient unto your masters2 and they said1 this passage is the only message from the heart of ,god to the scarred back of the slave4 ,i remember this1 and ,i remember1 also1 that the poor slave mother upon her knees in wild and wailing accents called on the ,almighty ,friend1 and ,i remember that her prayer was never heard1 and that her sobs died in the negligent air4 ,you ask me whether ,i would rob this poor woman of such a friend8 ,my answer is this3 ,i would give her liberty2 ,i would break her chains4 ,but let me ask you1 did an ,almighty ,friend see the woman he loved with a tenderness compared to which all human love is faint and cold1 and the woman who loved him1 robbed of her children8 ,what was the ,almighty ,friend worth to her8 ,she preferred her babe4 ,how could the ,almighty ,friend see his poor children pursued by hounds--his children whose only crime was the love of liberty--how could he see that1 and take sides with the hounds8 ,do you believe that the ,almighty ,friend then governed the world8 ,do you really think that he ,bade the slave-ship speed from coast to coast1 ,fanned by the wings of the ,holy ,ghost8 ,do you believe that the ,almighty ,friend saw all of the tragedies that were enacted in the jungles of ,africa--that he watched the wretched slave-ships1 saw the miseries of the middle passage1 heard the blows of all the whips1 saw all the streams of blood1 all the agonized faces of women1 all the tears that were shed8 ,do you believe that he saw and knew all these things1 and that he1 the ,almighty ,friend1 looked coldly down and stretched no hand to save8 ,you persist1 however1 in endeavoring to account for the miseries of the world by taking the ground that happiness is not the end of life4 ,you say that the real end of life is character1 and that no discipline can be too severe which leads us to suffer and be strong4 ,upon this subject you use the following language3 ,if you could have your way you would make everybody happy2 there would be no more poverty1 and no more sickness or pain4 ,and this you say1 is a child's picture1 hardly worthy of a stalwart man4 ,let me read you another child's picture1 which you will find in the twenty-first chapter of ,revelation1 supposed to have been written by ,st4 ,john1 the ,divine3 ,and ,i heard a great voice out of heaven saying1 behold the tabernacle of ,god is with men1 and he will dwell with them1 and they shall be his people1 and ,god himself shall be with them1 and be their ,god2 and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes1 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 neither shall there be any more pain44 ,if you visited some woman living in a tenement1 supporting by her poor labor a little family--a poor woman on the edge of famine1 sewing1 it may be1 her eyes blinded by tears--would you tell her that the world is not a playground in which men are to be petted and indulged like children48 ,would you tell her that to think of a world without poverty1 without tears1 without pain1 is a child's picture8 ,if she asked you for a little assistance1 would you refuse it on the ground that by being helped she might lose character8 ,would you tell her3 ,god does not wish to have you happy2 happiness is a very foolish end2 character is what you want1 and ,god has put you here with these helpless1 starving babes1 and he has put this burden on your young life simply that you may suffer and be strong4 ,i would help you gladly1 but ,i do not wish to defeat the plans of your ,almighty ,friend8 ,you can reason one way1 but you would act the other4 ,i agree with you that work is good1 that struggle is essential2 that men are made manly by contending with each other and with the forces of nature2 but there is a point beyond which struggle does not make character2 there is a point at which struggle becomes failure4 ,can you conceive of an ,almighty ,friend deforming his children because he loves them8 ,did he allow the innocent to languish in dungeons because he was their friend8 ,did he allow the noble to perish upon the scaffold1 the great and the self-denying to be burned at the stake1 because he had the power to save8 ,was he restrained by love8 ,did this ,almighty ,friend allow millions of his children to be enslaved to the end that the splendor of virtue might have a dark background8 ,you insist that suffering patiently borne1 is a means of the greatest elevation of character1 and in the end of the highest enjoyment4 ,do you not then see that your ,almighty ,friend has been unjust to the happy--that he is cruel to those whom we call the fortunate--that he is indifferent to the men who do not suffer--that he leaves all the happy and prosperous and joyous without character1 and that in the end1 according to your doctrine1 they are the losers8 ,but1 after all1 there is no need of arguing this question further4 ,there is one fact that destroys forever your theory--and that is the fact that millions upon millions die in infancy4 ,where do they get elevation of character8 ,what opportunity is given to them to suffer and be strong8 ,let us admit that we do not know4 ,let us say that the mysteries of life1 of good and evil1 of joy and pain1 have never been explained4 ,is character of no importance in heaven8 ,how is it possible for angels1 living in a child's picture1 to suffer and be strong8 ,do you not see that1 according to your philosophy1 only the damned can grow great--only the lost can become sublime8 ,you do not seem to understand what ,i say with regard to what ,i call the higher philosophy4 ,when that philosophy is accepted1 of course there will be good in the world1 there will be evil1 there will still be right and wrong4 ,what is good8 ,that which tends to the happiness of sentient beings4 ,what is evil8 ,that which tends to the misery1 or tends to lessen the happiness of sentient beings4 ,what is right8 ,the best thing to be done under the circumstances--that is to say1 the thing that will increase or preserve the happiness of man4 ,what is wrong8 ,that which tends to the misery of man4 ,what you call liberty1 choice1 morality1 responsibility1 have nothing whatever to do with this4 ,there is no difference between necessity and liberty4 ,he who is free1 acts from choice4 ,what is the foundation of his choice8 ,what we really mean by liberty is freedom from personal dictation--we do not wish to be controlled by the will of others4 ,to us the nature of things does not seem to be a master--,nature has no will4 ,society has the right to protect itself by imprisoning those who prey upon its interests2 but it has no right to punish4 ,it may have the right to destroy the life of one dangerous to the community2 but what has freedom to do with this8 ,do you kill the poisonous serpent because he knew better than to bite8 ,do you chain a wild beast because he is morally responsible8 ,do you not think that the criminal deserves the pity of the virtuous8 ,i was looking forward to the time when the individual might feel justified--when the convict who had worn the garment of disgrace might know and feel that he had acted as he must4 ,there is an old ,hindoo prayer to which ,i call your attention3 ,have mercy1 ,god1 upon the vicious2 ,thou hast already had mercy upon the just by making them just4 ,is it not possible that we may find that everything has been necessarily produced8 ,this1 of course1 would end in the justification of men4 ,is not that a desirable thing8 ,is it not possible that intelligence may at last raise the human race to that sublime and philosophic height8 ,you insist1 however1 that this is ,calvinism4 ,i take it for granted that you understand ,calvinism--but let me tell you what it is4 ,calvinism asserts that man does as he must1 and that1 notwithstanding this fact1 he is responsible for what he does--that is to say1 for what he is compelled to do--that is to say1 for what ,god does with him2 and that1 for doing that which he must1 an infinite ,god1 who compelled him to do it1 is justified in punishing the man in eternal fire2 this1 not because the man ought to be damned1 but simply for the glory of ,god4 ,starting from the same declaration1 that man does as he must1 ,i reach the conclusion that we shall finally perceive in this fact justification for every individual4 ,and yet you see no difference between my doctrine and ,calvinism4 ,you insist that damnation and justification are substantially the same2 and yet the difference is as great as human language can express4 ,you call the justification of all the world the ,gospel of ,despair1 and the damnation of nearly all the human race the ,consolation of ,religion4 ,after all1 my dear friend1 do you not see that when you come to speak of that which is really good1 you are compelled to describe your ideal human being8 ,it is the human in ,christ1 and only the human1 that you by any possibility can understand4 ,you speak of one who was born among the poor1 who went about doing good1 who sympathized with those who suffered4 ,you have described1 not only one1 but many millions of the human race1 ,millions of others have carried light to those sitting in darkness2 millions and millions have taken children in their arms2 millions have wept that those they love might smile4 ,no language can express the goodness1 the heroism1 the patience and self-denial of the many millions1 dead and living1 who have preserved in the family of man the jewels of the heart4 ,you have clad one being in all the virtues of the race1 in all the attributes of gentleness1 patience1 goodness1 and love1 and yet that being1 according to the ,new ,testament1 had to his character another side4 ,true1 he said1 ,come unto me and ,i will give you rest2 but what did he say to those who failed to come8 ,you pour out your whole heart in thankfulness to this one man who suffered for the right1 while ,i thank not only this one1 but all the rest4 ,my heart goes out to all the great1 the self-denying and the good1--to the founders of nations1 singers of songs1 builders of homes2 to the inventors1 to the artists who have filled the world with beauty1 to the composers of music1 to the soldiers of the right1 to the makers of mirth1 to honest men1 and to all the loving mothers of the race4 ,compare1 for one moment1 all that the ,savior did1 all the pain and suffering that he relieved1--compare all this with the discovery of anaesthetics4 ,compare your prophets with the inventors1 your ,apostles with the ,keplers1 the ,humboldts and the ,darwins4 ,i belong to the great church that holds the world within its starlit aisles2 that claims the great and good of every race and clime2 that finds with joy the grain of gold in every creed1 and floods with light and love the germs of good in every soul4 ,most men are provincial1 narrow1 one sided1 only partially developed4 ,in a new country we often see a little patch of land1 a clearing in which the pioneer has built his cabin4 ,this little clearing is just large enough to support a family1 and the remainder of the farm is still forest1 in which snakes crawl and wild beasts occasionally crouch4 ,it is thus with the brain of the average man4 ,there is a little clearing1 a little patch1 just large enough to practice medicine with1 or sell goods1 or practice law2 or preach with1 or do some kind of business1 sufficient to obtain bread and food and shelter for a family1 while all the rest of the brain is covered with primeval forest1 in which lie coiled the serpents of superstition and from which spring the wild beasts of orthodox religion4 ,neither in the interest of truth1 nor for the benefit of man1 is it necessary to assert what we do not know4 ,no cause is great enough to demand a sacrifice of candor4 ,the mysteries of life and death1 of good and evil1 have never yet been solved4 ,i combat those only who1 knowing nothing of the future1 prophesy an eternity of pain--those only who sow the seeds of fear in the hearts of men--those only who poison all the springs of life1 and seat a skeleton at every feast4 ,let us banish the shriveled hags of superstition2 let us welcome the beautiful daughters of truth and joy4 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,controversy ,,on ,,christianty ,ingersoll-,gladstone4 ,,colonel ,,ingersoll ,,on ,,christianity2 ,,some ,,remarks ,,on ,,his ,,reply ,,to ,,dr4 ,,field4 ,by ,hon4 ,wm4 ,e4 ,gladstone4 ,,as a listener from across the broad ,atlantic to the clash of arms in the combat between ,colonel ,ingersoll and ,dr4 ,field on the most momentous of all subjects1 ,i have not the personal knowledge which assisted these doughty champions in making reciprocal acknowledgments1 as broad as could be desired1 with reference to personal character and motive4 ,such acknowledgments are of high value in keeping the issue clear1 if not always of all adventitious1 yet of all venomous matter4 ,destitute of the experience on which to found them as original testimonies1 still1 in attempting partially to criticise the remarkable ,reply of ,colonel ,ingersoll1 ,i can both accept in good faith what has been said by ,dr4 ,field1 and add that it seems to me consonant with the strain of the pages ,i have set before me4 ,having said this1 ,i shall allow myself the utmost freedom in remarks1 which will be addressed exclusively to the matter1 not the man4 ,let me begin by making several acknowledgments of another kind1 but which ,i feel to be serious4 ,the ,christian ,church has lived long enough in external triumph and prosperity to expose those of whom it is composed to all such perils of error and misfeasance1 as triumph and prosperity bring with them4 ,belief in divine guidance is not of necessity belief that such guidance can never be frustrated by the laxity1 the infirmity1 the perversity of man1 alike in the domain of action and in the domain of thought4 ,believers in the perpetuity of the life of the ,church are not tied to believing in the perpetual health of the ,church4 ,even the great ,latin ,communion1 and that communion even since the ,council of the ,vatican in #ahgj1 theoretically admits1 or does not exclude1 the possibility of a wide range of local and partial error in opinion as well as conduct4 ,elsewhere the admission would be more unequivocal4 ,of such errors in tenet1 or in temper and feeling more or less hardened into tenet1 there has been a crop alike abundant and multifarious4 ,each ,christian party is sufficiently apt to recognize this fact with regard to every other ,christian party2 and the more impartial and reflective minds are aware that no party is exempt from mischiefs1 which lie at the root of the human constitution in its warped1 impaired1 and dislocated condition4 ,naturally enough1 these deformities help to indispose men towards belief2 and when this indisposition has been developed into a system of negative warfare1 all the faults of all the ,christian bodies1 and sub-divisions of bodies1 are1 as it was natural to expect they would be1 carefully raked together1 and become part and parcel of the indictment against the divine scheme of redemption4 ,i notice these things in the mass1 without particularity1 which might be invidious1 for two important purposes4 ,first1 that we all1 who hold by the ,gospel and the ,christian ,church1 may learn humility and modesty1 as well as charity and indulgence1 in the treatment of opponents1 from our consciousness that we all1 alike by our exaggerations and our shortcomings in belief1 no less than by faults of conduct1 have contributed to bring about this condition of fashionable hostility to religious faith3 and1 secondly1 that we may resolutely decline to be held bound to tenets1 or to consequences of tenets1 which represent not the great ,christendom of the past and present1 but only some hole and corner of its vast organization2 and not the heavenly treasure1 but the rust or the canker to which that treasure has been exposed through the incidents of its custody in earthen vessels4 ,i do not remember ever to have read a composition1 in which the merely local coloring of particular1 and even very limited sections of ,christianity1 was more systematically used as if it had been available and legitimate argument against the whole1 than in the ,reply before us4 ,colonel ,ingersoll writes with a rare and enviable brilliancy1 but also with an impetus which he seems unable to control4 ,denunciation1 sarcasm1 and invective1 may in consequence be said to constitute the staple of his work2 and1 if argument or some favorable admission here and there peeps out for a moment1 the writer soon leaves the dry and barren heights for his favorite and more luxurious galloping grounds beneath4 ,thus1 when the ,reply has consecrated a line 7,n4 ,a4 ,r41 ,no4 #cgb1 p4 #dgc7 to the pleasing contemplation of his opponent as manly1 candid1 and generous1 it immediately devotes more than twelve to a declamatory denunciation of a practice 7as if it were his7 altogether contrary to generosity and to candor1 and reproaches those who expect 7ibid47 to receive as alms an eternity of joy4 ,i take this as a specimen of the mode of statement which permeates the whole ,reply4 ,it is not the statement of an untruth4 ,the ,christian receives as alms all whatsoever he receives at all4 ,qui salvandos salvas gratis is his song of thankful praise4 ,but it is the statement of one-half of a truth1 which lives only in its entirety1 and of which the ,reply gives us only a mangled and bleeding frustum4 ,for the gospel teaches that the faith which saves is a living and energizing faith1 and that the most precious part of the alms which we receive lies in an ethical and spiritual process1 which partly qualifies for1 but also and emphatically composes1 this conferred eternity of joy4 ,restore this ethical element to the doctrine from which the ,reply has rudely displaced it1 and the whole force of the assault is gone1 for there is now a total absence of point in the accusation2 it conies only to this1 that mercy and judgment are met together1 and that righteousness and peace have kissed each other 7,ps4 lxxxv4 #aj74 ,perhaps1 as we proceed1 there will be supplied ampler means of judging whether ,i am warranted in saying that the instance ,i have here given is a normal instance of a practice so largely followed as to divest the entire ,reply of that calmness and sobriety of movement which are essential to the just exercise of the reasoning power in subject matter not only grave1 but solemn4 ,pascal has supplied us1 in the ,provincial ,letters1 with an unique example of easy1 brilliant1 and fascinating treatment of a theme both profound and complex4 ,but where shall we find another ,pascal8 ,and1 if we had found him1 he would be entitled to point out to us that the famous work was not less close and logical than it was witty4 ,in this case1 all attempt at continuous argument appears to be deliberately abjured1 not only as to pages1 but1 as may almost be said1 even as to lines4 ,the paper1 noteworthy as it is1 leaves on my mind the impression of a battle-field where every man strikes at every man1 and all is noise1 hurry1 and confusion4 ,better surely had it been1 and worthier of the great weight and elevation of the subject1 if the controversy had been waged after the pattern of those engagements where a chosen champion on either side1 in a space carefully limited and reserved1 does battle on behalf of each silent and expectant host4 ,the promiscuous crowds represent all the lower elements which enter into human conflicts3 the chosen champions1 and the order of their proceeding1 signify the dominion of reason over force1 and its just place as the sovereign arbiter of the great questions that involve the main destiny of man4 ,i will give another instance of the tumultuous method in which the ,reply conducts1 not1 indeed1 its argument1 but its case4 ,dr4 ,field had exhibited an example of what he thought superstition1 and had drawn a distinction between superstition and religion4 ,but to the author of the ,reply all religion is superstition1 and1 accordingly1 he writes as follows 7p4 #dge73 ,you are shocked at the ,hindoo mother1 when she gives her child to death at the supposed command of her ,god4 ,what do you think of ,abraham8 of ,jephthah8 ,what is your opinion of ,jehovah himself8 ,taking these three appeals in the reverse order to that in which they are written1 ,i will briefly ask1 as to the closing challenge1 ,what do you think of ,jehovah himself8 whether this is the tone in which controversy ought to be carried on8 ,not only is the name of ,jehovah encircled in the heart of every believer with the profoundest reverence and love1 but the ,christian religion teaches1 through the ,incarnation1 a doctrine of personal union with ,god so lofty that it can only be approached in a deep1 reverential calm4 ,i do not deny that a person who deems a given religion to be wicked may be led onward by logical consistency to impugn in strong terms the character of the ,author and ,object of that religion4 ,but he is surely bound by the laws of social morality and decency to consider well the terms and the manner of his indictment4 ,if he founds it upon allegations of fact1 these allegations should be carefully stated1 so as to give his antagonists reasonable evidence that it is truth and not temper which wrings from him a sentence of condemnation1 delivered in sobriety and sadness1 and not without a due commiseration for those1 whom he is attempting to undeceive1 who think he is himself both deceived and a deceiver1 but who surely are entitled1 while this question is in process of decision1 to require that ,he whom they adore should at least be treated with those decent reserves which are deemed essential when a human being1 say a parent1 wife1 or sister1 is in question4 ,but here a contemptuous reference to ,jehovah follows1 not upon a careful investigation of the cases of ,abraham and of ,jephthah1 but upon a mere summary citation of them to surrender themselves1 so to speak1 as culprits2 that is to say1 a summons to accept at once1 on the authority of the ,reply1 the view which the writer is pleased to take of those cases4 ,it is true that he assures us in another part of his paper that he has read the scriptures with care2 and ,i feel bound to accept this assurance1 but at the same time to add that if it had not been given ,i should1 for one1 not have made the discovery1 but might have supposed that the author had galloped1 not through1 but about1 the sacred volume1 as a man glances over the pages of an ordinary newspaper or novel4 ,although there is no argument as to ,abraham or ,jephthah expressed upon the surface1 we must assume that one is intended1 and it seems to be of the following kind3 ,you are not entitled to reprove the ,hindoo mother who cast her child under the wheels of the car of ,juggernaut1 for you approve of the conduct of ,jephthah1 who 7probably7 sacrificed his daughter in fulfilment of a vow 7,judges xi4 #ca7 that he would make a burnt offering of whatsoever1 on his safe return1 he should meet coming forth from the doors of his dwelling4 ,now the whole force of this rejoinder depends upon our supposed obligation as believers to approve the conduct of ,jephthah4 ,it is1 therefore1 a very serious question whether we are or are not so obliged4 ,but this question the ,reply does not condescend either to argue1 or even to state4 ,it jumps to an extreme conclusion without the decency of an intermediate step4 ,are not such methods of proceeding more suited to placards at an election1 than to disquisitions on these most solemn subjects8 ,i am aware of no reason why any believer in ,christianity should not be free to canvass1 regret1 condemn the act of ,jephthah4 ,so far as the narration which details it is concerned1 there is not a word of sanction given to it more than to the falsehood of ,abraham in ,egypt1 or of ,jacob and ,rebecca in the matter of the hunting 7,gen4 xx4 #a-ah1 and ,gen4 xxiii472 or to the dissembling of ,st4 ,peter in the case of the ,judaizing converts 7,gai4 ii4 #aa74 ,i am aware of no color of approval given to it elsewhere4 ,but possibly the author of the ,reply may have thought he found such an approval in the famous eleventh chapter of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 where the apostle1 handling his subject with a discernment and care very different from those of the ,reply1 writes thus 7,heb4 xi4 #cb73 ,and what shall ,i say more8 ,for the time would fail me to tell of ,gideon1 and of ,barak1 and of ,samson1 and of ,jephthah3 of ,david also1 and ,samuel1 and of the prophets4 ,jephthah1 then1 is distinctly held up to us by a canonical writer as an object of praise4 ,but of praise on what account8 ,why should the ,reply assume that it is on account of the sacrifice of his child8 ,the writer of the ,reply has given us no reason1 and no rag of a reason1 in support of such a proposition4 ,but this was the very thing he was bound by every consideration to prove1 upon making his indictment against the ,almighty4 ,in my opinion1 he could have one reason only for not giving a reason1 and that was that no reason could be found4 ,the matter1 however1 is so full of interest1 as illustrating both the method of the ,reply and that of the ,apostolic writer1 that ,i shall enter farther into it1 and draw attention to the very remarkable structure of this noble chapter1 which is to ,faith what the thirteenth of ,cor4 ,i4 is to ,charity4 ,from the first to the thirty-first verse1 it commemorates the achievements of faith in ten persons3 ,abel1 ,enoch1 ,noah1 ,abraham1 ,sarah1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 ,joseph1 ,moses 7in greater detail than any one else71 and finally ,rahab1 in whom1 ,i observe in passing1 it will hardly be pretended that she appears in this list on account of the profession she had pursued4 ,then comes the rapid recital 7v4 #ca71 without any specification of particulars whatever1 of these four names3 ,gideon1 ,barak1 ,samson1 ,jephthah4 ,next follows a kind of recommencement1 indicated by the word also2 and the glorious acts and sufferings of the prophets are set forth largely with a singular power and warmth1 headed by the names of ,david and ,samuel1 the rest of the sacred band being mentioned only in the mass4 ,now1 it is surely very remarkable that1 in the whole of this recital1 the ,apostle1 whose feet were shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace1 seems with a tender instinct to avoid anything like stress on the exploits of warriors4 ,of the twelve persons having a share in the detailed expositions1 ,david is the only warrior1 and his character as a man of war is eclipsed by his greater attributes as a prophet1 or declarer of the ,divine counsels4 ,it is yet more noteworthy that ,joshua1 who had so fair a fame1 but who was only a warrior1 is never named in the chapter1 and we are simply told that by faith the walls of ,jericho fell down1 after they had been compassed about seven times 7,hebrews xi4 #cj74 ,but the series of four names1 which are given without any specification of their title to appear in the list1 are all names of distinguished warriors4 ,they had all done great acts of faith and patriotism against the enemies of ,israel1--,gideon against the ,midianites1 ,barak against the hosts of ,syria1 ,samson against the ,philistines1 and ,jephthah against the children of ,ammon4 ,their tide to appear in the list at all is in their acts of war1 and the mode of their treatment as men of war is in striking accordance with the analogies of the chapter4 ,all of them had committed errors4 ,gideon had again and again demanded a sign1 and had made a golden ephod1 which thing became a snare unto ,gideon and to his house 7,judges viii4 #bg74 ,barak had refused to go up against ,jabin unless ,deborah would join the venture 7,judges v4 #h74 ,samson had been in dalliance with ,delilah4 ,last came ,jephthah1 who had1 as we assume1 sacrificed his daughter in fulfilment of a rash vow4 ,no one supposes that any of the others are honored by mention in the chapter on account of his sin or error3 why should that supposition be made in the case of ,jephthah1 at the cost of all the rules of orderly interpretation8 ,having now answered the challenge as to ,jephthah1 ,i proceed to the case of ,abraham4 ,it would not be fair to shrink from touching it in its tenderest point4 ,that point is nowhere expressly touched by the commendations bestowed upon ,abraham in ,scripture4 ,i speak now of the special form1 of the words that are employed4 ,he is not commended because1 being a father1 he made all the preparations antecedent to plunging the knife into his son4 ,he is commended 7as ,i read the text7 because1 having received a glorious promise1 a promise that his wife should be a mother of nations1 and that kings should be born of her 7,gen4 xvii4 #f71 and that by his seed the blessings of redemption should be conveyed to man1 and the fulfilment of this promise depending solely upon the life of ,isaac1 he was1 nevertheless1 willing that the chain of these promises should be broken by the extinction of that life1 because his faith assured him that the ,almighty would find the way to give effect to ,his own designs 7,heb4 xi4 #ag-ai74 ,the offering of ,isaac is mentioned as a completed offering1 and the intended blood-shedding1 of which ,i shall speak presently1 is not here brought into view4 ,the facts1 however1 which we have before us1 and which are treated in ,scripture with caution1 are grave and startling4 ,a father is commanded to sacrifice his son4 ,before consummation1 the sacrifice is interrupted4 ,yet the intention of obedience had been formed1 and certified by a series of acts4 ,it may have been qualified by a reserve of hope that ,god would interpose before the final act1 but of this we have no distinct statement1 and it can only stand as an allowable conjecture4 ,it may be conceded that the narrative does not supply us with a complete statement of particulars4 ,that being so1 it behooves us to tread cautiously in approaching it4 ,thus much1 however1 ,i think1 may further be said3 the command was addressed to ,abraham under conditions essentially different from those which now determine for us the limits of moral obligation4 ,for the conditions1 both socially and otherwise1 were indeed very different4 ,the estimate of human life at the time was different4 ,the position of the father in the family was different3 its members were regarded as in some sense his property4 ,there is every reason to suppose that1 around ,abraham in the land of ,moriah1 the practice of human sacrifice as an act of religion was in vigor4 ,but we may look more deeply into the matter4 ,according to the ,book of ,genesis1 ,adam and ,eve were placed under a law1 not of consciously perceived right and wrong1 but of simple obedience4 ,the tree1 of which alone they were forbidden to eat1 was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil4 ,duty lay for them in following the command of the ,most ,high1 before and until they1 or their descendants1 should become capable of appreciating it by an ethical standard4 ,their condition was greatly analogous to that of the infant1 who has just reached the stage at which he can comprehend that he is ordered to do this or that1 but not the nature of the thing so ordered4 ,to the external standard of right and wrong1 and to the obligation it entails per se1 the child is introduced by a process gradually unfolded with the development of his nature1 and the opening out of what we term a moral sense4 ,if we pass at once from the epoch of ,paradise to the period of the prophets1 we perceive the important progress that has been made in the education of the race4 ,the ,almighty1 in ,his mediate intercourse with ,israel1 deigns to appeal to an independently conceived criterion1 as to an arbiter between ,his people and ,himself4 ,come1 now1 and let us reason together1 saith the ,lord 7,isaiah i4 #ah74 ,yet ye say the way of the ,lord is not equal4 ,hear now1 ,o house of ,israel1 is not my way equal1 are not your ways unequal8 7,ezekiel xvii4 #be74 ,between these two epochs how wide a space of moral teaching has been traversed6 ,but ,abraham1 so far as we may judge from the pages of ,scripture1 belongs essentially to the ,adamic period1 far more than to the prophetic4 ,the notion of righteousness and sin was not indeed hidden from him3 transgression itself had opened that chapter1 and it was never to be closed3 but as yet they lay wrapped up1 so to speak1 in ,divine command and prohibition4 ,and what ,god commanded1 it was for ,abraham to believe that ,he himself would adjust to the harmony of ,his own character4 ,the faith of ,abraham1 with respect to this supreme trial1 appears to have been centered in this1 that he would trust ,god to all extremities1 and in despite of all appearances4 ,the command received was obviously inconsistent with the promises which had preceded it4 ,it was also inconsistent with the morality acknowledged in later times1 and perhaps too definitely reflected in our minds1 by an anachronism easy to conceive1 on the day of ,abraham4 ,there can be little doubt1 as between these two points of view1 that the strain upon his faith was felt mainly1 to say the least1 in connection with the first mentioned4 ,this faith is not wholly unlike the faith of ,job2 for ,job believed1 in despite of what was to the eye of flesh an unrighteous government of the world4 ,if we may still trust the ,authorized ,version1 his cry was1 though he slay me1 yet will ,i trust in him 7,job xiii4 #ae74 ,this cry was1 however1 the expression of one who did not expect to be slain2 and it may be that ,abraham1 when he said1 ,my son1 ,god will provide ,himself a lamb for a burnt offering1 not only believed explicitly that ,god would do what was right1 but1 moreover1 believed implicitly that a way of rescue would be found for his son4 ,i do not say that this case is like the case of ,jephthah1 where the introduction of difficulty is only gratuitous4 ,i confine myself to these propositions4 ,though the law of moral action is the same everywhere and always1 it is variously applicable to the human being1 as we know from experience1 in the various stages of his development2 and its first form is that of simple obedience to a superior whom there is every ground to trust4 ,and further1 if the few straggling rays of our knowledge in a case of this kind rather exhibit a darkness lying around us than dispel it1 we do not even know all that was in the mind of ,abraham1 and are not in a condition to pronounce upon it1 and cannot1 without departure from sound reason1 abandon that anchorage by which he probably held1 that the law of ,nature was safe in the hands of the ,author of ,nature1 though the means of the reconciliation between the law and the appearances have not been fully placed within our reach4 ,but the ,reply is not entitled to so wide an answer as that which ,i have given4 ,in the parallel with the case of the ,hindoo widow1 it sins against first principles4 ,an established and habitual practice of child-slaughter1 in a country of an old and learned civilization1 presents to us a case totally different from the issue of a command which was not designed to be obeyed and which belongs to a period when the years of manhood were associated in great part with the character that appertains to childhood4 ,it will already have been seen that the method of this ,reply is not to argue seriously from point to point1 but to set out in masses1 without the labor of proof1 crowds of imputations1 which may overwhelm an opponent like balls from a mitrailleuse4 ,as the charges lightly run over in a line or two require pages for exhibition and confutation1 an exhaustive answer to the ,reply within the just limits of an article is on this account out of the question2 and the only proper course left open seems to be to make a selection of what appears to be the favorite1 or the most formidable and telling assertions1 and to deal with these in the serious way which the grave interests of the theme1 not the manner of their presentation1 may deserve4 ,it was an observation of ,aristotle that weight attaches to the undemonstrated propositions of those who are able to speak on any given subject matter from experience4 ,the ,reply abounds in undemonstrated propositions4 ,they appear1 however1 to be delivered without any sense of a necessity that either experience or reasoning are required in order to give them a title to acceptance4 ,thus1 for example1 the system of ,mr4 ,darwin is hurled against ,christianity as a dart which cannot but be fatal 7p4 #dge73 ,his discoveries1 carried to their legitimate conclusion1 destroy the creeds and sacred ,scriptures of mankind4 ,this wide-sweeping proposition is imposed upon us with no exposition of the how or the why2 and the whole controversy of belief one might suppose is to be determined1 as if from ,st4 ,petersburgh1 by a series of ukases4 ,it is only advanced1 indeed1 to decorate the introduction of ,darwin's name in support of the proposition1 which ,i certainly should support and not contest1 that error and honesty are compatible4 ,on what ground1 then1 and for what reason1 is the system of ,darwin fatal to ,scriptures and to creeds8 ,i do not enter into the question whether it has passed from the stage of working hypothesis into that of demonstration1 but ,i assume1 for the purposes of the argument1 all that1 in this respect1 the ,reply can desire4 ,it is not possible to discover1 from the random language of the ,reply1 whether the scheme of ,darwin is to sweep away all theism1 or is to be content with extinguishing revealed religion4 ,if the latter is meant1 ,i should reply that the moral history of man1 in its principal stream1 has been distinctly an evolution from the first until now2 and that the succinct though grand account of the ,creation in ,genesis is singularly accordant with the same idea1 but is wider than ,darwinism1 since it includes in the grand progression the inanimate world as well as the history of organisms4 ,but1 as this could not be shown without much detail1 the ,reply reduces me to the necessity of following its own unsatisfactory example in the bald form of an assertion1 that there is no colorable ground for assuming evolution and revelation to be at variance with one another4 ,if1 however1 the meaning be that theism is swept away by ,darwinism1 ,i observe that1 as before1 we have only an unreasoned dogma or dictum to deal with1 and1 dealing perforce with the unknown1 we are in danger of striking at a will of the wisp4 ,still1 ,i venture on remarking that the doctrine of ,evolution has acquired both praise and dispraise which it does not deserve4 ,it is lauded in the skeptical camp because it is supposed to get rid of the shocking idea of what are termed sudden acts of creation2 and it is as unjustly dispraised1 on the opposing side1 because it is thought to bridge over the gap between man and the inferior animals1 and to give emphasis to the relationship between them4 ,but long before the day either of ,mr4 ,darwin or his grandfather1 ,dr4 ,erasmus ,darwin1 this relationship had been stated1 perhaps even more emphatically by one whom1 were it not that ,i have small title to deal in undemonstrated assertion1 ,i should venture to call the most cautious1 the most robust1 and the most comprehensive of our philosophers4 ,suppose1 says ,bishop ,butler 7,analogy1 ,part #b1 ,chap4 #b71 that it were implied in the natural immortality of brutes1 that they must arrive at great attainments1 and become 7like us7 rational and moral agents2 even this would be no difficulty1 since we know not what latent powers and capacities they may be endowed with4 ,and if pride causes us to deem it an indignity that our race should have proceeded by propagation from an ascending scale of inferior organisms1 why should it be a more repulsive idea to have sprung immediately from something less than man in brain and body1 than to have been fashioned according to the expression in ,genesis 7,chap4 ,,ii41 v4 #g71 out of the dust of the ground8 ,there are halls and galleries of introduction in a palace1 but none in a cottage2 and this arrival of the creative work at its climax through an ever aspiring preparatory series1 rather than by transition at a step from the inanimate mould of earth1 may tend rather to magnify than to lower the creation of man on its physical side4 ,but if belief has 7as commonly7 been premature in its alarms1 has non-belief been more reflective in its exulting anticipations1 and its paeans on the assumed disappearance of what are strangely enough termed sudden acts of creation from the sphere of our study and contemplation8 ,one striking effect of the ,darwinian theory of descent is1 so far as ,i understand1 to reduce the breadth of all intermediate distinctions in the scale of animated life4 ,it does not bring all creatures into a single lineage1 but all diversities are to be traced back1 at some point in the scale and by stages indefinitely minute1 to a common ancestry4 ,all is done by steps1 nothing by strides1 leaps1 or bounds2 all from protoplasm up to ,shakespeare1 and1 again1 all from primal night and chaos up to protoplasm4 ,i do not ask1 and am incompetent to judge1 whether this is among the things proven1 but ,i take it so for the sake of the argument2 and ,i ask1 first1 why and whereby does this doctrine eliminate the idea of creation8 ,does the new philosophy teach that if the passage from pure reptile to pure bird is achieved by a spring 7so to speak7 over a chasm1 this implies and requires creation2 but that if reptile passes into bird1 and rudimental into finished bird1 by a thousand slight and but just discernible modifications1 each one of these is so small that they are not entitled to a name so lofty1 may be set down to any cause or no cause1 as we please8 ,i should have supposed it miserably unphilosophical to treat the distinction between creative and non-creative function as a simply quantitative distinction4 ,as respects the subjective effect on the human mind1 creation in small1 when closely regarded1 awakens reason to admiring wonder1 not less than creation in great3 and as regards that function itself1 to me it appears no less than ridiculous to hold that the broadly outlined and large advances of so-called ,mosaism are creation1 but the refined and stealthy onward steps of ,darwinism are only manufacture1 and relegate the question of a cause into obscurity1 insignificance1 or oblivion4 ,but does not reason really require us to go farther1 to turn the tables on the adversary1 and to contend that evolution1 by how much it binds more closely together the myriad ranks of the living1 aye1 and of all other orders1 by so much the more consolidates1 enlarges1 and enhances the true argument of design1 and the entire theistic position8 ,if orders are not mutually related1 it is easier to conceive of them as sent at haphazard into the world4 ,we may1 indeed1 sufficiently1 draw an argument of design from each separate structure1 but we have no further title to build upon the position which each of them holds as towards any other4 ,but when the connexion between these objects has been established1 and so established that the points of transition are almost as indiscernible as the passage from day to night1 then1 indeed1 each preceding stage is a prophecy of the following1 each succeeding one is a memorial of the past1 and1 throughout the immeasurable series1 every single member of it is a witness to all the rest4 ,the ,reply ought surely to dispose of these1 and probably many more arguments in the case1 before assuming so absolutely the rights of dictatorship1 and laying it down that ,darwinism1 carried to its legitimate conclusion 7and ,i have nowhere endeavored to cut short its career71 destroys the creeds and ,scriptures of mankind4 ,that ,i maybe the more definite in my challenge1 ,i would1 with all respect1 ask the author of the ,reply to set about confuting the succinct and clear argument of his countryman1 ,mr4 ,fiske1 who1 in the earlier part of the small work entitled ,man's ,destiny 7,macmillan1 ,london1 #ahhg7 has given what seems to me an admissible and also striking interpretation of the leading ,darwinian idea in its bearings on the theistic argument4 ,to this very partial treatment of a great subject ,i must at present confine myself2 and ,i proceed to another of the notions1 as confident as they seem to be crude1 which the ,reply has drawn into its wide-casting net 7p4 #dge73 ,why should ,god demand a sacrifice from2 man8 ,why should the ,infinite ask anything from the finite8 ,should the sun beg of the glow-worm1 and should the momentary spark excite the envy of the source of light8 ,this is one of the cases in which happy or showy illustration is1 in the ,reply before me1 set to carry with a rush the position which argument would have to approach more laboriously and more slowly4 ,the case of the glow-worm with the sun cannot but move a reader's pity1 it seems so very hard4 ,but let us suppose for a moment that the glow-worm was so constituted1 and so related to the sun that an interaction between them was a fundamental condition of its health and life2 that the glowworm must1 by the law of its nature1 like the moon1 reflect upon the sun1 according to its strength and measure1 the light which it receives1 and that only by a process involving that reflection its own store of vitality could be upheld8 ,it will be said that this is a very large petitio to import into the glowworm's case4 ,yes1 but it is the very petitio which is absolutely requisite in order to make it parallel to the case of the ,christian4 ,the argument which the ,reply has to destroy is and must be the ,christian argument1 and not some figure of straw1 fabricated at will4 ,it is needless1 perhaps1 but it is refreshing1 to quote the noble ,psalm 7,ps4 #a4 #aj1 #ab1 #ad1 #ae71 in which this assumption of the ,reply is rebuked4 ,all the beasts of the forest are mine2 and so are the cattle upon a thousand hills4444 ,if ,i be hungry ,i will not tell thee2 for the whole world is mine1 and all that is therein4444 ,offer unto ,god thanksgiving2 and pay thy vows unto the ,most ,highest1 and call upon ,me in the time of trouble2 so will ,i hear thee1 and thou shalt praise ,me4 ,let me try my hand at a counter-illustration4 ,if the ,infinite is to make no demand upon the finite1 by parity of reasoning the great and strong should scarcely make them on the weak and small4 ,why then should the father make demands of love1 obedience1 and sacrifice1 from his young child8 ,is there not some flavor of the sun and glow-worm here8 ,but every man does so make them1 if he is a man of sense and feeling2 and he makes them for the sake and in the interest of the son himself1 whose nature1 expanding in the warmth of affection and pious care1 requires1 by an inward law1 to return as well as to receive4 ,and so ,god asks of us1 in order that what we give to ,him may be far more our own than it ever was before the giving1 or than it could have been unless first rendered up to ,him1 to become a part of what the gospel calls our treasure in heaven4 ,although the ,reply is not careful to supply us with whys1 it does not hesitate to ask for them 7p4 #dgi73 ,why should an infinitely wise and powerful ,god destroy the good and preserve the vile8 ,why should ,he treat all alike here1 and in another world make an infinite difference8 ,why should your ,god allow ,his worshipers1 ,his adorers1 to be destroyed by ,his enemies8 ,why should ,he allow the honest1 the loving1 the noble1 to perish at the stake8 ,the upholders of belief or of revelation1 from ,claudian down to ,cardinal ,newman 7see the very remarkable passage of the ,apologia pro vita sua1 pp4 #cgf-gh71 cannot and do not1 seek to deny that the methods of divine government1 as they are exhibited by experience1 present to us many and varied moral problems1 insoluble by our understanding4 ,their existence may not1 and should not1 be dissembled4 ,but neither should they be exaggerated4 ,now exaggeration by mere suggestion is the fault1 the glaring fault1 of these queries4 ,one who had no knowledge of mundane affairs beyond the conception they insinuate would assume that1 as a rule1 evil has the upper hand in the management of the world4 ,is this the grave philosophical conclusion of a careful observer1 or is it a crude1 hasty1 and careless overstatement8 ,it is not difficult to conceive how1 in times of sadness and of storm1 when the suffering soul can discern no light at any point of the horizon1 place is found for such an idea of life4 ,it is1 of course1 opposed to the ,apostolic declaration that godliness hath the promise of the life that now is 7#a ,tim4 iv4 #h71 but ,i am not to expect such a declaration to be accepted as current coin1 even of the meanest value1 by the author of the ,reply4 ,yet ,i will offer two observations founded on experience in support of it1 one taken from a limited1 another from a larger and more open sphere4 ,john ,wesley1 in the full prime of his mission1 warned the converts whom he was making among ,english laborers of a spiritual danger that lay far ahead4 ,it was that1 becoming godly1 they would become careful1 and1 becoming careful1 they would become wealthy4 ,it was a just and sober forecast1 and it represented with truth the general rule of life1 although it be a rule perplexed with exceptions4 ,but1 if this be too narrow a sphere of observation1 let us take a wider one1 the widest of all4 ,it is comprised in the brief statement that ,christendom rules the world1 and rules it1 perhaps it should be added1 by the possession of a vast surplus of material as well as moral force4 ,therefore the assertions carried by implication in the queries of the ,reply1 which are general1 are because general untrue1 although they might have been true within those prudent limitations which the method of this ,reply appears especially to eschew4 ,taking1 then1 these challenges as they ought to have been given1 ,i admit that great believers1 who have been also great masters of wisdom and knowledge1 are not able to explain the inequalities of adjustment between human beings and the conditions in which they have been set down to work out their destiny4 ,the climax of these inequalities is perhaps to be found in the fact that1 whereas rational belief1 viewed at large1 founds the ,providential government of the world upon the hypothesis of free agency1 there are so many cases in which the overbearing mastery of circumstance appears to reduce it to extinction or paralysis4 ,now1 in one sense1 without doubt1 these difficulties are matter for our legitimate and necessary cognizance4 ,it is a duty incumbent upon us respectively1 according to our means and opportunities1 to decide for ourselves1 by the use of the faculty of reason given us1 the great questions of natural and revealed religion4 ,they are to be decided according to the evidence2 and1 if we cannot trim the evidence into a consistent whole1 then according to the balance of the evidence4 ,we are not entitled1 either for or against belief1 to set up in this province any rule of investigation1 except such as common-sense teaches us to use in the ordinary conduct of life4 ,as in ordinary conduct1 so in considering the basis of belief1 we are bound to look at the evidence as a whole4 ,we have no right to demand demonstrative proofs1 or the removal of all conflicting elements1 either in the one sphere or in the other4 ,what guides us sufficiently in matters of common practice has the very same authority to guide us in matters of speculation2 more properly1 perhaps1 to be called the practice of the soul4 ,if the evidence in the aggregate shows the being of a moral ,governor of the world1 with the same force as would suffice to establish an obligation to act in a matter of common conduct1 we are bound in duty to accept it1 and have no right to demand as a condition previous that all occasions of doubt or question be removed out of the way4 ,our demands for evidence must be limited by the general reason of the case4 ,does that general reason of the case make it probable that a finite being1 with a finite place in a comprehensive scheme1 devised and administered by a ,being who is infinite1 would be able either to embrace within his view1 or rightly to appreciate1 all the motives and the aims that may have been in the mind of the ,divine ,disposer8 ,on the contrary1 a demand so unreasonable deserves to be met with the scornful challenge of ,dante 7,paradise xix4 #gi73 ,or tu chi sei1 che vuoi sedere a scranna ,per giudicar da lungi mille miglia ,colla veduta corta d'una spanna8 ,undoubtedly a great deal here depends upon the question whether1 and in what degree1 our knowledge is limited4 ,and here the ,reply seems to be by no means in accord with ,newton and with ,butler4 ,by its contempt for authority1 the ,reply seems to cut off from us all knowledge that is not at first hand2 but then also it seems to assume an original and first hand knowledge of all possible kinds of things4 ,i will take an instance1 all the easier to deal with because it is outside the immediate sphere of controversy4 ,in one of those pieces of fine writing with which the ,reply abounds1 it is determined obiter by a backhanded stroke 7,n4 ,a4 ,r41 p4 #dia7 that ,shakespeare is by far the greatest of the human race4 ,i do not feel entitled to assert that he is not2 but how vast and complex a question is here determined for us in this airy manner6 ,has the writer of the ,reply really weighed the force1 and measured the sweep of his own words8 ,whether ,shakespeare has or has not the primacy of genius over a very few other names which might be placed in competition with his1 is a question which has not yet been determined by the general or deliberate judgment of lettered mankind4 ,but behind it lies another question1 inexpressibly difficult1 except for the ,reply1 to solve4 ,that question is1 what is the relation of human genius to human greatness4 ,is genius the sole constitutive element of greatness1 or with what other elements1 and in what relations to them1 is it combined8 ,is every man great in proportion to his genius8 ,was ,goldsmith1 or was ,sheridan1 or was ,burns1 or was ,byron1 or was ,goethe1 or was ,napoleon1 or was ,alcibiades1 no smaller1 and was ,johnson1 or was ,howard1 or was ,washington1 or was ,phocion1 or ,leonidas1 no greater1 than in proportion to his genius properly so-called8 ,how are we to find a common measure1 again1 for different kinds of greatness2 how weigh1 for example1 ,dante against ,julius ,caesar8 ,and ,i am speaking of greatness properly so called1 not of goodness properly so called4 ,we might seem to be dealing with a writer whose contempt for authority in general is fully balanced1 perhaps outweighed1 by his respect for one authority in particular4 ,the religions of the world1 again1 have in many cases given to many men material for life-long study4 ,the study of the ,christian ,scriptures1 to say nothing of ,christian life and institutions1 has been to many and justly famous men a study never ending1 still beginning2 not1 like the world of ,alexander1 too limited for the powerful faculty that ranged over it2 but1 on the contrary1 opening height on height1 and with deep answering to deep1 and with increase of fruit ever prescribing increase of effort4 ,but the ,reply has sounded all these depths1 has found them very shallow1 and is quite able to point out 7p4 #dij7 the way in which the ,saviour of the world might have been a much greater teacher than ,he actually was2 had ,he said anything1 for instance1 of the family relation1 had ,he spoken against slavery and tyranny1 had ,he issued a sort of code ,napoleon embracing education1 progress1 scientific truth1 and international law4 ,this observation on the family relation seems to me beyond even the usual measure of extravagance when we bear in mind that1 according to the ,christian scheme1 the ,lord of heaven and earth was subject 7,st4 ,luke ii4 #ea7 to a human mother and a reputed human father1 and that ,he taught 7according to the widest and1 ,i believe1 the best opinion7 the absolute indissolubility of marriage4 ,i might cite many other instances in reply4 ,but the broader and the true answer to the objection is1 that the ,gospel was promulgated to teach principles and not a code2 that it included the foundation of a society in which those principles were to be conserved1 developed1 and applied2 and that down to this day there is not a moral question of all those which the ,reply does or does not enumerate1 nor is there a question of duty arising in the course of life for any of us1 that is not determinable in all its essentials by applying to it as a touchstone the principles declared in the ,gospel4 ,is not1 then1 the hiatus1 which the ,reply has discovered in the teaching of our ,lord1 an imaginary hiatus8 ,nay1 are the suggested improvements of that teaching really gross deteriorations8 ,where would have been the wisdom of delivering to an uninstructed population of a particular age a codified religion1 which was to serve for all nations1 all ages1 all states of civilization8 ,why was not room to be left for the career of human thought in finding out1 and in working out1 the adaptation of ,christianity to the ever varying movement of the world8 ,and how is it that they who will not admit that a revelation is in place when it has in view the great and necessary work of conflict against sin1 are so free in recommending enlargements of that ,revelation for purposes1 as to which no such necessity can be pleaded8 ,i have known a person who1 after studying the old classical or ,olympian religion for the third part of a century1 at length began to hope that he had some partial comprehension of it1 some inkling of what it meant4 ,woe is him that he was not conversant either with the faculties or with the methods of the ,reply1 which apparently can dispose in half an hour of any problem1 dogmatic1 historical1 or moral3 and which accordingly takes occasion to assure us that ,buddha was in many respects the greatest religious teacher this world has ever known1 the broadest1 the most intellectual of them all 7p4 #dia74 ,on this ,i shall only say that an attempt to bring ,buddha and ,buddhism into line together is far beyond my reach1 but that every ,christian1 knowing in some degree what ,christ is1 and what ,he has done for the world1 can only be the more thankful if ,buddha1 or ,confucius1 or any other teacher has in any point1 and in any measure1 come near to the outskirts of ,his ineffable greatness and glory4 ,it is my fault or my misfortune to remark1 in this ,reply1 an inaccuracy of reference1 which would of itself suffice to render it remarkable4 ,christ1 we are told 7pp4 #dib1 #ejj71 denounced the chosen people of ,god as a generation of vipers4 ,this phrase is applied by the ,baptist to the crowd who came to seek baptism from him2 but it is only applied by our ,lord to ,scribes or ,pharisees 7,luke iii4 #g1 ,matthew xxiii4 #cc1 and xii4#cd71 who are so commonly placed by ,him in contrast with the people4 ,the error is repeated in the mention of whited sepulchres4 ,take again the version of the story of ,ananias and ,sapphira4 ,we are told 7p4 #did7 that the ,apostles conceived the idea of having all things in common4 ,in the narrative there is no statement1 no suggestion of the kind2 it is a pure interpolation 7,acts iv4 #cb-g74 ,motives of a reasonable prudence are stated as a mattei of fact to have influenced the offending couple--another pure interpolation4 ,after the catastrophe of ,ananias the ,apostles sent for his wife--a third interpolation4 ,i refer only to these points as exhibitions of an habitual and dangerous inaccuracy1 and without any attempt at present to discuss the case1 in which the judgments of ,god are exhibited on their severer side1 and in which ,i cannot1 like the ,reply1 undertake summarily to determine for what causes the ,almighty should or should not take life1 or delegate the power to take it4 ,again1 we have 7p4 #dhf7 these words given as a quotation from the ,bible3 ,they who believe and are baptized shall be saved1 and they who believe not shall be damned2 and these shall go away into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels4 ,the second clause thus reads as if applicable to the persons mentioned in the first2 that is to say1 to those who reject the tidings of the ,gospel4 ,but instead of its being a continuous passage1 the latter section is brought out of another gospel 7,st4 ,matthew's7 and another connection2 and it is really written1 not of those who do not believe1 but those who refuse to perform offices of charity to their neighbor in his need4 ,it would be wrong to call this intentional misrepresentation2 but can it be called less than somewhat reckless negligence8 ,it is a more special misfortune to find a writer arguing on the same side with his critic1 and yet for the critic not to be able to agree with him4 ,but so it is with reference to the great subject of immortality1 as treated in the ,reply4 ,the idea of immortality1 that1 like a sea1 has ebbed and flowed in the human heart1 with its countless waves of hope and fear beating against the shores and rocks of time and fate1 was not born of any book1 nor of any creed1 nor of any religion4 ,it was born of human affection2 and it will continue to ebb and flow beneath the mist and clouds of doubt and darkness1 as long as love kisses the lips of death 7p4 #dhc74 ,here we have a very interesting chapter of the history of human opinion disposed of in the usual summary way1 by a statement which1 as it appears to me1 is developed out of the writer's inner consciousness4 ,if the belief in immortality is not connected with any revelation or religion1 but is simply the expression of a subjective want1 then plainly we may expect the expression of it to be strong and clear in proportion to the various degrees in which faculty is developed among the various races of mankind4 ,but how does the matter stand historically8 ,the ,egyptians were not a people of high intellectual development1 and yet their religious system was strictly associated with1 ,i might rather say founded on1 the belief in immortality4 ,the ancient ,greeks1 on the other hand1 were a race of astonishing1 perhaps unrivalled1 intellectual capacity4 ,but not only did they1 in prehistoric ages1 derive their scheme of a future world from ,egypt2 we find also that1 with the lapse of time and the advance of the ,hellenic civilization1 the constructive ideas of the system lost all life and definite outline1 and the most powerful mind of the ,greek philosophy1 that of ,aristotle1 had no clear perception whatever of a personal existence in a future state4 ,the favorite doctrine of the ,reply is the immunity of all error in belief from moral responsibility4 ,in the first page 7p4 #dgc7 this is stated with reserve as the innocence of honest error4 ,but why such a limitation8 ,the ,reply warms with its subject2 it shows us that no error can be otherwise than honest1 inasmuch as nothing which involves honesty1 or its reverse1 can1 from the constitution of our nature1 enter into the formation of opinion4 ,here is the full blown exposition 7p4 #dgf73 ,the brain thinks without asking our consent4 ,we believe1 or we disbelieve1 without an effort of the will4 ,belief is a result4 ,it is the effect of evidence upon the mind4 ,the scales turn in spite of him who watches4 ,there is no opportunity of being honesty or dishonest1 in the formation of an opinion4 ,the conclusion is entirely independent of desire4 ,the reasoning faculty is1 therefore1 wholly extrinsic to our moral nature1 and no influence is or can be received or imparted between them4 ,i know not whether the meaning is that all the faculties of our nature are like so many separate departments in one of the modern shops that supply all human wants2 that will1 memory1 imagination1 affection1 passion1 each has its own separate domain1 and that they meet only for a comparison of results1 just to tell one another what they have severally been doing4 ,it is difficult to conceive1 if this be so1 wherein consists the personality1 or individuality or organic unity of man4 ,it is not difficult to see that while the ,reply aims at uplifting human nature1 it in reality plunges us 7p4 #dge7 into the abyss of degradation by the destruction of moral freedom1 responsibility1 and unity4 ,for we are justly told that reason is the supreme and final test4 ,action may be merely instinctive and habitual1 or it may be consciously founded on formulated thought2 but1 in the cases where it is instinctive and habitual1 it passes over1 so soon as it is challenged1 into the other category1 and finds a basis for itself in some form of opinion4 ,but1 says the ,reply1 we have no responsibility for our opinions3 we cannot help forming them according to the evidence as it presents itself to us4 ,observe1 the doctrine embraces every kind of opinion1 and embraces all alike1 opinion on subjects where we like or dislike1 as well as upon subjects where we merely affirm or deny in some medium absolutely colorless4 ,for1 if a distinction be taken between the colorless and the colored medium1 between conclusions to which passion or propensity or imagination inclines us1 and conclusions to which these have nothing to say1 then the whole ground will be cut away from under the feet of the ,reply1 and it will have to build again ab initio4 ,let us try this by a test case4 ,a father who has believed his son to have been through life upright1 suddenly finds that charges are made from various quarters against his integrity4 ,or a friend1 greatly dependent for the work of his life on the co-operation of another friend1 is told that that comrade is counterworking and betraying him4 ,i make no assumption now as to the evidence or the result2 but ,i ask which of them could approach the investigation without feeling a desire to be able to acquit8 ,and what shall we say of the desire to condemn8 ,would ,elizabeth have had no leaning towards finding ,mary ,stuart implicated in a conspiracy8 ,did ,english judges and juries approach with an unbiassed mind the trials for the ,popish plot8 ,were the opinions formed by the ,english ,parliament on the ,treaty of ,limerick formed without the intervention of the will8 ,did ,napoleon judge according to the evidence when he acquitted himself in the matter of the ,due d' ,enghien8 ,does the intellect sit in a solitary chamber1 like ,galileo in the palace of the ,vatican1 and pursue celestial observation all untouched1 while the turmoil of earthly business is raging everywhere around8 ,according to the ,reply1 it must be a mistake to suppose that there is anywhere in the world such a thing as bias1 or prejudice1 or prepossession3 they are words without meaning in regard to our judgments1 for even if they could raise a clamor from without1 the intellect sits within1 in an atmosphere of serenity1 and1 like ,justice1 is deaf and blind1 as well as calm4 ,in addition to all other faults1 ,i hold that this philosophy1 or phantasm of philosophy1 is eminently retrogressive4 ,human nature1 in its compound of flesh and spirit1 becomes more complex with the progress of civilization2 with the steady multiplication of wants1 and of means for their supply4 ,with complication1 introspection has largely extended1 and ,i believe that1 as observation extends its field1 so far from isolating the intelligence and making it autocratic1 it tends more and more to enhance and multiply the infinitely subtle1 as well as the broader and more palpable modes1 in which the interaction of the human faculties is carried on4 ,who among us has not had occasion to observe1 in the course of his experience1 how largely the intellectual power of a man is affected by the demands of life on his moral powers1 and how they open and grow1 or dry up and dwindle1 according to the manner in which those demands are met4 ,genius itself1 however purely a conception of the intellect1 is not exempt from the strong influences of joy and suffering1 love and hatred1 hope and fear1 in the development of its powers4 ,it may be that ,homer1 ,shakespeare1 ,goethe1 basking upon the whole in the sunshine of life1 drew little supplementary force from its trials and agitations4 ,but the history of one not less wonderful than any of these1 the career of ,dante1 tells a different tale2 and one of the latest and most searching investigators of his history 7,scartazzini1 ,dante ,alighieri1 seine zeit1 sein leben1 und seine werkes1 ,b4 ,,ii4 ,ch4 #e1 p4 #aai2 also pp4 #dch1 #i4 ,biel1 #ahfi7 tells and shows us1 how the experience of his life co-operated with his extraordinary natural gifts and capabilities to make him what he was4 ,under the three great heads of love1 belief1 and patriotism1 his life was a continued course of ecstatic or agonizing trials4 ,the strain of these trials was discipline2 discipline was experience2 and experience was elevation4 ,no reader of his greatest work will1 ,i believe1 hold with the ,reply that his thoughts1 conclusions1 judgments1 were simple results of an automatic process1 in which the will and affections had no share1 that reasoning operations are like the whir of a clock running down1 and we can no more arrest the process or alter the conclusion than the wheels can stop the movement or the noise499 99 ,i possess the confession of an illiterate criminal1 made1 ,i think1 in #ahcd1 under the following circumstances3 ,the new poor law had just been passed in ,england1 and it required persons needing relief to go into the workhouse as a condition of receiving it4 ,in some parts of the country1 this provision produced a profound popular panic4 ,the man in question was destitute at the time4 ,he was 7,i think7 an old widower with four very young sons4 ,he rose in the night and strangled them all1 one after another1 with a blue handkerchief1 not from want of fatherly affection1 but to keep them out of the workhouse4 ,the confession of this peasant1 simple in phrase1 but intensely impassioned1 strongly reminds me of the ,ugolino of ,dante1 and appears to make some approach to its sublimity4 ,such1 in given circumstances1 is the effect of moral agony on mental power4 ,the doctrine taught in the ,reply1 that belief is1 as a general1 nay1 universal law1 independent of the will1 surely proves1 when examined1 to be a plausibility of the shallowest kind4 ,even in arithmetic1 if a boy1 through dislike of his employment1 and consequent lack of attention1 brings out a wrong result for his sum1 it can hardly be said that his conclusion is absolutely and in all respects independent of his will4 ,moving onward1 point by point1 toward the centre of the argument1 ,i will next take an illustration from mathematics4 ,it has 7,i apprehend7 been demonstrated that the relation of the diameter to the circumference of a circle is not susceptible of full numerical expression4 ,yet1 from time to time1 treatises are published which boldly announce that they set forth the quadrature of the circle4 ,i do not deny that this may be purely intellectual error2 but would it not1 on the other hand1 be hazardous to assert that no grain of egotism or ambition has ever entered into the composition of any one of such treatises8 ,i have selected these instances as1 perhaps1 the most favorable that can be found to the doctrine of the ,reply4 ,but the truth is that1 if we set aside matters of trivial import1 the enormous majority of human judgments are those into which the biassing power off likes and dislikes more or less largely enters4 ,i admit1 indeed1 that the illative faculty works under rules upon which choice and inclination ought to exercise no influence whatever4 ,but even if it were granted that in fact the faculty of discourse is exempted from all such influence within its own province1 yet we come no nearer to the mark1 because that faculty has to work upon materials supplied to it by other faculties2 it draws conclusions according to premises1 and the question has to be determined whether our conceptions set forth in those premises are or are not influenced by moral causes4 ,for1 if they be so influenced1 then in vain will be the proof that the understanding has dealt loyally and exactly with the materials it had to work upon2 inasmuch as1 although the intellectual process be normal in itself1 the operation may have been tainted ab initio by coloring and distorting influences which have falsified the primary conceptions4 ,let me now take an illustration from the extreme opposite quarter to that which ,i first drew upon4 ,the system called ,thuggism1 represented in the practice of the ,thugs1 taught that the act1 which we describe as murder1 was innocent4 ,was this an honest error8 ,was it due1 in its authors as well as in those who blindly followed them1 to an automatic process of thought1 in which the will was not consulted1 and which accordingly could entail no responsibility8 ,if it was1 then it is plain that the whole foundations1 not of belief1 but of social morality1 are broken up4 ,if it was not1 then the sweeping doctrine of the present writer on the necessary blamelessness of erroneous conclusions tumbles to the ground like a house of cards at the breath of the child who built it4 ,in truth1 the pages of the ,reply1 and the ,letter which has more recently followed it199 themselves demonstrate that what the writer has asserted wholesale he overthrows and denies in detail4 99 ,north ,american ,review for ,january1 #ahhh1 ,another ,letter to ,dr4 ,field4 ,you will admit1 says the ,reply 7p4 #dgg71 that he who now persecutes for opinion's sake is infamous4 ,but why8 ,suppose he thinks that by persecution he can bring a man from soul-destroying falsehood to soul-saving truth1 this opinion may reflect on his intellectual debility3 but that is his misfortune1 not his fault4 ,his brain has thought without asking his consent2 he has believed or disbelieved without an effort of the will 7p4 #dgf74 ,yet the very writer1 who has thus established his title to think1 is the first to hurl at him an anathema for thinking4 ,and again1 in the ,letter to ,dr4 ,field 7,n4 ,a4 ,r41 vol4 #adf1 p4 #cc71 the dogma of eternal pain is described as that infamy of infamies4 ,i am not about to discuss the subject of future retribution4 ,if ,i were1 it would be my first duty to show that this writer has not adequately considered either the scope of his own arguments 7which in no way solve the difficulties he presents7 or the meaning of his words2 and my second would be to recommend his perusal of what ,bishop ,butler has suggested on this head4 ,but ,i am at present on ground altogether different4 ,i am trying another issue4 ,this author says we believe or disbelieve without the action of the will1 and1 consequently1 belief or disbelief is not the proper subject of praise or blame4 ,and yet1 according to the very same authority1 the dogma of eternal pain is what8--not an error of errors1 but an infamy of infamies2 and though to hold a negative may not be a subject of moral reproach1 yet to hold the affirmative may4 ,truly it may be asked1 is not this a fountain which sends forth at once sweet waters and bitter8 ,once more4 ,i will pass away from tender ground1 and will endeavor to lodge a broader appeal to the enlightened judgment of the author4 ,says ,odysseus in the ,illiad 7,b4 ,,ii47 --,greek--3 and a large part of the world1 stretching this sentiment beyond its original meaning1 have held that the root of civil power is not in the community1 but in its head4 ,in opposition to this doctrine1 the ,american written ,constitution1 and the entire ,american tradition1 teach the right of a nation to self-government4 ,and these propositions1 which have divided and still divide the world1 open out respectively into vast systems of irreconcilable ideas and laws1 practices and habits of mind4 ,will any rational man1 above all will any ,american1 contend that these conflicting systems have been adopted1 upheld1 and enforced on one side and the other1 in the daylight of pure reasoning only1 and that moral1 or immoral1 causes have had nothing to do with their adoption8 ,that the intellect has worked impartially1 like a steam-engine1 and that selfishness1 love of fame1 love of money1 love of power1 envy1 wrath1 and malice1 or again bias1 in its least noxious form1 have never had anything to do with generating the opposing movements1 or the frightful collisions in which they have resulted8 ,if we say that they have not1 we contradict the universal judgment of mankind4 ,if we say they have1 then mental processes are not automatic1 but may be influenced by the will and by the passions1 affections1 habits1 fancies that sway the will2 and this writer will not have advanced a step toward proving the universal innocence of error1 until he has shown that propositions of religion are essentially unlike almost all other propositions1 and that no man ever has been1 or from the nature of the case can be1 affected in their acceptance or rejection by moral causes499 99 ,the chief part of these observations were written before ,i had received the ,january number of the ,review1 with ,col4 ,ingersoll's additional letter to ,dr4 ,field4 ,much1 of this letter is specially pointed at ,dr4 ,field1 who can defend himself1 and at ,calvin1 whose ideas ,i certainly cannot undertake to defend all along the line4 ,i do not see that the ,letter adds to those1 the most salient1 points of the earlier article which ,i have endeavored to select for animadversion4 ,to sum up4 ,there are many passages in these noteworthy papers1 which1 taken by themselves1 are calculated to command warm sympathy4 ,towards the close of his final1 or latest letter1 the writer expresses himself as follows 7,n4 ,a4 ,r41 vol4 #adf1 p4 #df473 ,neither in the interest of truth1 nor for the benefit of man1 is it necessary to assert what we do not know4 ,no cause is great enough to demand a sacrifice of candor4 ,the mysteries of life and death1 of good and evil1 have never yet been solved4 ,how good1 how wise are these words6 ,but coming at the close of the controversy1 have they not some of the ineffectual features of a death-bed repentance8 ,they can hardly be said to represent in all points the rules under which the pages preceding them have been composed2 or he1 who so justly says that we ought not to assert what we do not know1 could hardly have laid down the law as we find it a few pages earlier 7ibid1 p4 #dj7 when it is pronounced that an infinite ,god has no excuse for leaving his children in doubt and darkness4 ,candor and upright intention are indeed every where manifest amidst the flashing corruscations which really compose the staple of the articles4 ,candor and upright intention also impose upon a commentator the duty of formulating his animadversions4 ,i sum them up under two heads4 ,whereas we are placed in an atmosphere of mystery1 relieved only by a little sphere of light round each of us1 like a clearing in an ,american forest 7which this writer has so well described71 and rarely can see farther than is necessary for the direction of our own conduct from day to day1 we find here1 assumed by a particular person1 the character of an universal judge without appeal4 ,and whereas the highest self-restraint is necessary in these dark but1 therefore1 all the more exciting inquiries1 in order to maintain the ever quivering balance of our faculties1 this rider chooses to ride an unbroken horse1 and to throw the reins upon his neck4 ,i have endeavored to give a sample of the results4 ,w4 ,e4 ,gladstone4 ,,col4 ,,ingersoll ,,to ,,mr4 ,,gladstone4 ,to ,the ,right ,honorable ,w4 ,e4 ,gladstone1 ,m4 ,p43 ,my ,dear ,sir3 ,at the threshold of this ,reply1 it gives me pleasure to say that for your intellect and character ,i have the greatest respect2 and let me say further1 that ,i shall consider your arguments1 assertions1 and inferences entirely apart from your personality--apart from the exalted position that you occupy in the estimation of the civilized world4 ,i gladly acknowledge the inestimable services that you have rendered1 not only to ,england1 but to mankind4 ,most men are chilled and narrowed by the snows of age2 their thoughts are darkened by the approach of night4 ,but you1 for many years1 have hastened toward the light1 and your mind has been an autumn that grew the more by reaping4 ,under no circumstances could ,i feel justified in taking advantage of the admissions that you have made as to the errors the misfeasance the infirmities and the perversity of the ,christian ,church4 ,it is perfectly apparent that churches1 being only aggregations of people1 contain the prejudice1 the ignorance1 the vices and the virtues of ordinary human beings4 ,the perfect cannot be made out of the imperfect4 ,a man is not necessarily a great mathematician because he admits the correctness of the multiplication table4 ,the best creed may be believed by the worst of the human race4 ,neither the crimes nor the virtues of the church tend to prove or disprove the supernatural origin of religion4 ,the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew tends no more to establish the inspiration of the ,scriptures1 than the bombardment of ,alexandria4 ,but there is one thing that cannot be admitted1 and that is your statement that the constitution of man is in a warped1 impaired1 and dislocated condition1 and that these deformities indispose men to belief4 ,let us examine this4 ,we say that a thing is warped that was once nearer level1 flat1 or straight2 that it is impaired when it was once nearer perfect1 and that it is dislocated when once it was united4 ,consequently1 you have said that at some time the human constitution was unwarped1 unimpaired1 and with each part working in harmony with all4 ,you seem to believe in the degeneracy of man1 and that our unfortunate race1 starting at perfection1 has traveled downward through all the wasted years4 ,it is hardly possible that our ancestors were perfect4 ,if history proves anything1 it establishes the fact that civilization was not first1 and savagery afterwards4 ,certainly the tendency of man is not now toward barbarism4 ,there must have been a time when language was unknown1 when lips had never formed a word4 ,that which man knows1 man must have learned4 ,the victories of our race have been slowly and painfully won4 ,it is a long distance from the gibberish of the savage to the sonnets of ,shakespeare--a long and weary road from the pipe of ,pan to the great orchestra voiced with every tone from the glad warble of a mated bird to the hoarse thunder of the sea4 ,the road is long that lies between the discordant cries uttered by the barbarian over the gashed body of his foe and the marvelous music of ,wagner and ,beethoven4 ,it is hardly possible to conceive of the years that lie between the caves in which crouched our naked ancestors crunching the bones of wild beasts1 and the home of a civilized man with its comforts1 its articles of luxury and use1--with its works of art1 with its enriched and illuminated walls4 ,think of the billowed years that must have rolled between these shores4 ,think of the vast distance that man has slowly groped from the dark dens and lairs of ignorance and fear to the intellectual conquests of our day4 ,is it true that these deformities1 these warped1 impaired1 and dislocated constitutions indispose men to belief8 ,can we in this way account for the doubts entertained by the intellectual leaders of mankind8 ,it will not do1 in this age and time1 to account for unbelief in this deformed and dislocated way4 ,the exact opposite must be true4 ,ignorance and credulity sustain the relation of cause and effect4 ,ignorance is satisfied with assertion1 with appearance4 ,as man rises in the scale of intelligence he demands evidence4 ,he begins to look back of appearance4 ,he asks the priest for reasons4 ,the most ignorant part of ,christendom is the most orthodox4 ,you have simply repeated a favorite assertion of the clergy1 to the effect that man rejects the gospel because he is naturally depraved and hard of heart--because1 owing to the sin of ,adam and ,eve1 he has fallen from the perfection and purity of ,paradise to that impaired condition in which he is satisfied with the filthy rags of reason1 observation and experience4 ,the truth is1 that what you call unbelief is only a higher and holier faith4 ,millions of men reject ,christianity because of its cruelty4 ,the ,bible was never rejected by the cruel4 ,it has been upheld by countless tyrants--by the dealers in human flesh--by the destroyers of nations--by the enemies of intelligence--by the stealers of babes and the whippers of women4 ,it is also true that it has been held as sacred by the good1 the self-denying1 the virtuous and the loving1 who clung to the sacred volume on account of the good it contains and in spite of all its cruelties and crimes4 ,you are mistaken when you say that all the faults of all the ,christian bodies and subdivisions of bodies have been carefully raked together1 in my ,reply to ,dr4 ,field1 and made part and parcel of the indictment against the divine scheme of salvation4 ,no thoughtful man pretends that any fault of any ,christian body can be used as an argument against what you call the divine scheme of redemption4 ,i find in your ,remarks the frequent charge that ,i am guilty of making assertions and leaving them to stand without the assistance of argument or fact1 and it may be proper1 at this particular point1 to inquire how you know that there is a divine scheme of redemption4 ,my objections to this divine scheme of redemption are3 first1 that there is not the slightest evidence that it is divine2 second1 that it is not in any sense a scheme1 human or divine2 and third1 that it cannot1 by any possibility1 result in the redemption of a human being4 ,it cannot be divine1 because it has no foundation in the nature of things1 and is not in accordance with reason4 ,it is based on the idea that right and wrong are the expression of an arbitrary will1 and not words applied to and descriptive of acts in the light of consequences4 ,it rests upon the absurdity called pardon1 upon the assumption that when a crime has been committed justice will be satisfied with the punishment of the innocent4 ,one person may suffer1 or reap a benefit1 in consequence of the act of another1 but no man can be justly punished for the crime1 or justly rewarded for the virtues1 of another4 ,a scheme that punishes an innocent man for the vices of another can hardly be called divine4 ,can a murderer find justification in the agonies of his victim8 ,there is no vicarious vice2 there is no vicarious virtue4 ,for me it is hard to understand how a just and loving being can charge one of his children with the vices1 or credit him with the virtues1 of another4 ,and why should we call anything a divine scheme that has been a failure from the fall of man until the present moment8 ,what race1 what nation1 has been redeemed through the instrumentality of this divine scheme8 ,have not the subjects of redemption been for the most part the enemies of civilization8 ,has not almost every valuable book since the invention of printing been denounced by the believers in the divine scheme8 ,intelligence1 the development of the mind1 the discoveries of science1 the inventions of genius1 the cultivation of the imagination through art and music1 and the practice of virtue will redeem the human race4 ,these are the saviors of mankind4 ,you admit that the ,christian churches have by their exaggerations and shortcomings1 and by their faults of conduct1 contributed to bring about a condition of hostility to religious faith4 ,if one wishes to know the worst that man has done1 all that power guided by cruelty can do1 all the excuses that can be framed for the commission of every crime1 the infinite difference that can exist between that which is professed and that which is practiced1 the marvelous malignity of meekness1 the arrogance of humility and the savagery of what is known as universal love1 let him read the history of the ,christian ,church4 ,yet1 ,i not only admit that millions of ,christians have been honest in the expression of their opinions1 but that they have been among the best and noblest of our race4 ,and it is further admitted that a creed should be examined apart from the conduct of those who have assented to its truth4 ,the church should be judged as a whole1 and its faults should be accounted for either by the weakness of human nature1 or by reason of some defect or vice in the religion taught1--or by both4 ,is there anything in the ,christian religion--anything in what you are pleased to call the ,sacred ,scriptures tending to cause the crimes and atrocities that have been committed by the church8 ,it seems to be natural for man to defend himself and the ones he loves4 ,the father slays the man who would kill his child--he defends the body4 ,the ,christian father burns the heretic--he defends the soul4 ,if orthodox ,christianity be true1 an infidel has not the right to live4 ,every book in which the ,bible is attacked should be burned with its author4 ,why hesitate to burn a man whose constitution is warped1 impaired and dislocated1 for a few moments1 when hundreds of others will be saved from eternal flames8 ,in ,christianity you will find the cause of persecution4 ,the idea that belief is essential to salvation--this ignorant and merciless dogma--accounts for the atrocities of the church4 ,this absurd declaration built the dungeons1 used the instruments of torture1 erected the scaffolds and lighted the fagots of a thousand years4 ,what1 ,i pray you1 is the heavenly treasure in the keeping of your church8 ,is it a belief in an infinite ,god8 ,that was believed thousands of years before the serpent tempted ,eve4 ,is it the belief in the immortality of the soul8 ,that is far older4 ,is it that man should treat his neighbor as himself8 ,that is more ancient4 ,what is the treasure in the keeping of the church8 ,let me tell you4 ,it is this3 ,that there is but one true religion--,christianity1--and that all others are false2 that the prophets1 and ,christs1 and priests of all others have been and are impostors1 or the victims of insanity2 that the ,bible is the one inspired book--the one authentic record of the words of ,god2 that all men are naturally depraved and deserve to be punished with unspeakable torments forever2 that there is only one path that leads to heaven1 while countless highways lead to hell2 that there is only one name under heaven by which a human being can be saved2 that we must believe in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 that this life1 with its few and fleeting years1 fixes the fate of man2 that the few will be saved and the many forever lost4 ,this is the heavenly treasure within the keeping of your church4 ,and this treasure has been guarded by the cherubim of persecution1 whose flaming swords were wet for many centuries with the best and bravest blood4 ,it has been guarded by cunning1 by hypocrisy1 by mendacity1 by honesty1 by calumniating the generous1 by maligning the good1 by thumbscrews and racks1 by charity and love1 by robbery and assassination1 by poison and fire1 by the virtues of the ignorant and the vices of the learned1 by the violence of mobs and the whirlwinds of war1 by every hope and every fear1 by every cruelty and every crime1 and by all there is of the wild beast in the heart of man4 ,with great propriety it may be asked3 ,in the keeping of which church is this heavenly treasure8 ,did the ,catholics have it1 and was it taken by ,luther8 ,did ,henry the ,,viii4 seize it1 and is it now in the keeping of the ,church of ,england8 ,which of the warring sects in ,america has this treasure2 or have we1 in this country1 only the rust and cankers8 ,is it in an ,episcopal ,church1 that refuses to associate with a colored man for whom ,christ died1 and who is good enough for the society of the angelic host8 ,but wherever this heavenly treasure has been1 about it have always hovered the ,stymphalian birds of superstition1 thrusting their brazen beaks and claws deep into the flesh of honest men4 ,you were pleased to point out as the particular line justifying your assertion that denunciation1 sarcasm1 and invective constitute the staple of my work1 that line in which ,i speak of those who expect to receive as alms an eternity of joy1 and add3 ,i take this as a specimen of the mode of statement which permeates the whole4 ,dr4 ,field commenced his ,open ,letter by saying3 ,i am glad that ,i know you1 even though some of my brethren look upon you as a monster1 because of your unbelief4 ,in reply ,i simply said3 ,the statement in your ,letter that some of your brethren look upon me as a monster on account of my unbelief tends to show that those who love ,god are not always the friends of their fellow-men4 ,is it not strange that people who admit that they ought to be eternally damned--that they are by nature depraved--that there is no soundness or health in them1 can be so arrogantly egotistic as to look upon others as monsters8 ,and yet some of your brethren1 who regard unbelievers as infamous1 rely for salvation entirely on the goodness of another1 and expect to receive as alms an eternity of joy4 ,is there any denunciation1 sarcasm or invective in this8 ,why should one who admits that he himself is totally depraved call any other man1 by way of reproach1 a monster8 ,possibly1 he might be justified in addressing him as a fellow-monster4 ,i am not satisfied with your statement that the ,christian receives as alms all whatsoever he receives at all4 ,is it true that man deserves only punishment8 ,does the man who makes the world better1 who works and battles for the right1 and dies for the good of his fellow-men1 deserve nothing but pain and anguish8 ,is happiness a gift or a consequence8 ,is heaven only a well-conducted poorhouse8 ,are the angels in their highest estate nothing but happy paupers8 ,must all the redeemed feel that they are in heaven simply because there was a miscarriage of justice8 ,will the lost be the only ones who will know that the right thing has been done1 and will they alone appreciate the ethical elements of religion8 ,will they repeat the words that you have quoted3 ,mercy and judgment are met together2 righteousness and peace have kissed each other8 or will those words be spoken by the redeemed as they joyously contemplate the writhings of the lost8 ,no one will dispute that in the discussion of important questions calmness and sobriety are essential4 ,but solemnity need not be carried to the verge of mental paralysis4 ,in the search for truth1--that everything in nature seems to hide1--man needs the assistance of all his faculties4 ,all the senses should be awake4 ,humor should carry a torch1 ,wit should give its sudden light1 ,candor should hold the scales1 ,reason1 the final arbiter1 should put his royal stamp on every fact1 and ,memory1 with a miser's care1 should keep and guard the mental gold4 ,the church has always despised the man of humor1 hated laughter1 and encouraged the lethargy of solemnity4 ,it is not willing that the mind should subject its creed to every test of truth4 ,it wishes to overawe4 ,it does not say1 ,he that hath a mind to think1 let him think2 but1 ,he that hath ears to hear1 let him hear4 ,the church has always abhorred wit1--that is to say1 it does not enjoy being struck by the lightning of the soul4 ,the foundation of wit is logic1 and it has always been the enemy of the supernatural1 the solemn and absurd4 ,you express great regret that no one at the present day is able to write like ,pascal4 ,you admire his wit and tenderness1 and the unique1 brilliant1 and fascinating manner in which he treated the profoundest and most complex themes4 ,sharing in your admiration and regret1 ,i call your attention to what might be called one of his religious generalizations3 ,disease is the natural state of a ,christian4 ,certainly it cannot be said that ,i have ever mingled the profound and complex in a more fascinating manner4 ,another instance is given of the tumultuous method in which ,i conduct1 not1 indeed1 my argument1 but my case4 ,dr4 ,field had drawn a distinction between superstition and religion1 to which ,i replied3 ,you are shocked at the ,hindoo mother when she gives her child to death at the supposed command of her ,god4 ,what do you think of ,abraham1 of ,jephthah8 ,what is your opinion of ,jehovah himself8 ,these simple questions seem to have excited you to an unusual degree1 and you ask in words of some severity3 ,whether this is the tone in which controversies ought be carried on8 ,and you say that--not only is the name of ,jehovah encircled in the heart of every believer with the pro-foundest reverence and love1 but that the ,christian religion teaches1 through the incarnation1 a personal relation with ,god so lofty that it can only be approached in a deep1 reverential calm4 ,you admit that a person who deems a given religion to be wicked1 may be led onward by logical consistency to impugn in strong terms the character of the author and object of that religion1 but you insist that such person is bound by the laws of social morality and decency to consider well the terms and meaning of his indictment4 ,was there any lack of reverential calm in my question8 ,i gave no opinion1 drew no indictment1 but simply asked for the opinion of another4 ,was that a violation of the laws of social morality and decency8 ,it is not necessary for me to discuss this question with you4 ,it has been settled by ,jehovah himself4 ,you probably remember the account given in the eighteenth chapter of ,i4 ,kings1 of a contest between the prophets of ,baal and the prophets of ,jehovah4 ,there were four hundred and fifty prophets of the false ,god who endeavored to induce their deity to consume with fire from heaven the sacrifice upon his altar4 ,according to the account1 they were greatly in earnest4 ,they certainly appeared to have some hope of success1 but the fire did not descend4 ,and it came to pass at noon1 that ,elijah mocked them and said ',cry aloud1 for he is a god2 either he is talking1 or he is pursuing1 or he is in a journey1 or peradventure1 he sleepeth and must be awaked4' ,do you consider that the proper way to attack the ,god of another8 ,did not ,elijah know that the name of ,baal was encircled in the heart of every believer with the profoundest reverence and love8 ,did he violate the laws of social morality and decency8 ,but ,jehovah and ,elijah did not stop at this point4 ,they were not satisfied with mocking the prophets of ,baal1 but they brought them down to the brook ,kishon--four hundred and fifty of them--and there they murdered every one4 ,does it appear to you that on that occasion1 on the banks of the brook ,kishon--,mercy and judgment met together1 and that righteousness and peace kissed each other8 ,the question arises3 ,has every one who reads the ,old ,testament the right to express his thought as to the character of ,jehovah8 ,you will admit that as he reads his mind will receive some impression1 and that when he finishes the inspired volume he will have some opinion as to the character of ,jehovah4 ,has he the right to express that opinion8 ,is the ,bible a revelation from ,god to man8 ,is it a revelation to the man who reads it1 or to the man who does not read it8 ,if to the man who reads it1 has he the right to give to others the revelation that ,god has given to him8 ,if he comes to the conclusion at which you have arrived1--that ,jehovah is ,god1--has he the right to express that opinion8 ,if he concludes1 as ,i have done1 that ,jehovah is a myth1 must he refrain from giving his honest thought8 ,christians do not hesitate to give their opinion of heretics1 philosophers1 and infidels4 ,they are not restrained by the laws of social morality and decency4 ,they have persecuted to the extent of their power1 and their ,jehovah pronounced upon unbelievers every curse capable of being expressed in the ,hebrew dialect4 ,at this moment1 thousands of missionaries are attacking the gods of the heathen world1 and heaping contempt on the religion of others4 ,but as you have seen proper to defend ,jehovah1 let us for a moment examine this deity of the ancient ,jews4 ,there are several tests of character4 ,it may be that all the virtues can be expressed in the word kindness1 and that nearly all the vices are gathered together in the word cruelty4 ,laughter is a test of character4 ,when we know what a man laughs at1 we know what he really is4 ,does he laugh at misfortune1 at poverty1 at honesty in rags1 at industry without food1 at the agonies of his fellow-men8 ,does he laugh when he sees the convict clothed in the garments of shame--at the criminal on the scaffold8 ,does he rub his hands with glee over the embers of an enemy's home8 ,think of a man capable ol laughing while looking at ,marguerite in the prison cell with her dead babe by her side4 ,what must be the real character of a ,god who laughs at the calamities of his children1 mocks at their fears1 their desolation1 their distress and anguish8 ,would an infinitely loving ,god hold his ignorant children in derision8 ,would he pity1 or mock8 ,save1 or destroy8 ,educate1 or exterminate8 ,would he lead them with gentle hands toward the light1 or lie in wait for them like a wild beast8 ,think of the echoes of ,jehovah's laughter in the rayless caverns of the eternal prison4 ,can a good man mock at the children of deformity8 ,will he deride the misshapen8 ,your ,jehovah deformed some of his own children1 and then held them up to scorn and hatred4 ,these divine mistakes--these blunders of the infinite--were not allowed to enter the temple erected in honor of him who had dishonored them4 ,does a kind father mock his deformed child8 ,what would you think of a mother who would deride and taunt her misshapen babe8 ,there is another test4 ,how does a man use power8 ,is he gentle or cruel8 ,does he defend the weak1 succor the oppressed1 or trample on the fallen8 ,if you will read again the twenty-eighth chapter of ,deuteronomy1 you will find how ,jehovah1 the compassionate1 whose name is enshrined in so many hearts1 threatened to use his power4 ,the ,lord shall smite thee with a consumption1 and with a fever1 and with an inflammation1 and with an extreme burning1 and with the sword1 and with blasting and mildew4 ,and thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass1 and the earth that is under thee shall be iron4 ,the ,lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust44444 ,and thy carcass shall be meat unto all fowls of the air and unto the beasts of the earth44444 ,the ,lord shall smite thee with madness and blindness4 ,and thou shalt eat of the fruit of thine own body1 the flesh of thy sons and thy daughters4 ,the tender and delicate woman among you1444 her eye shall be evil444 toward her young one and toward her children which she shall bear2 for she shall eat them4 ,should it be found that these curses were in fact uttered by the ,god of hell1 and that the translators had made a mistake in attributing them to ,jehovah1 could you say that the sentiments expressed are inconsistent with the supposed character of the ,infinite ,fiend8 ,a nation is judged by its laws--by the punishment it inflicts4 ,the nation that punishes ordinary offences with death is regarded as barbarous1 and the nation that tortures before it kills is denounced as savage4 ,what can you say of the government of ,jehovah1 in which death was the penalty for hundreds of offences8--death for the expression of an honest thought--death for touching with a good intention a sacred ark--death for making hair oil--for eating shew bread--for imitating incense and perfumery8 ,in the history of the world a more cruel code cannot be found4 ,crimes seem to have been invented to gratify a fiendish desire to shed the blood of men4 ,there is another test3 ,how does a man treat the animals in his power--his faithful horse--his patient ox--his loving dog8 ,how did ,jehovah treat the animals in ,egypt8 ,would a loving ,god1 with fierce hail from heaven1 bruise and kill the innocent cattle for the crimes of their owners8 ,would he torment1 torture and destroy them for the sins of men8 ,jehovah was a ,god of blood4 ,his altar was adorned with the horns of a beast4 ,he established a religion in which every temple was a slaughter-house1 and every priest a butcher--a religion that demanded the death of the first-born1 and delighted in the destruction of life4 ,there is still another test3 ,the civilized man gives to others the rights that he claims for himself4 ,he believes in the liberty of thought and expression1 and abhors persecution for conscience sake4 ,did ,jehovah believe in the innocence of thought and the liberty of expression8 ,kindness is found with true greatness4 ,tyranny lodges only in the breast of the small1 the narrow1 the shriveled and the selfish4 ,did ,jehovah teach and practice generosity8 ,was he a believer in religious liberty8 ,if he was and is1 in fact1 ,god1 he must have known1 even four thousand years ago1 that worship must be free1 and that he who is forced upon his knees cannot1 by any possibility1 have the spirit of prayer4 ,let me call your attention to a few passages in the thirteenth chapter of ,deuteronomy3 ,if thy brother1 the son of thy mother1 or thy son1 or thy daughter1 or the wife of thy bosom1 or thy friend1 which is as thine own soul1 entice thee secretly1 saying1 ,let us go and serve other gods1444 thou shalt not consent unto him1 nor hearken unto him2 neither shall thine eye pity him1 neither shalt thou spare1 neither shalt thou conceal him2 but thou shalt surely kill him2 thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death1 and afterwards the hand of all the people4 ,and thou shalt stone him with stones1 that he die4 ,is it possible for you to find in the literature of this world more awful passages than these8 ,did ever savagery1 with strange and uncouth marks1 with awkward forms of beast and bird1 pollute the dripping walls of caves with such commands8 ,are these the words of infinite mercy8 ,when they were uttered1 did righteousness and peace kiss each other8 ,how can any loving man or woman encircle the name of ,jehovah--author of these words--with profoundest reverence and love8 ,do ,i rebel because my constitution is warped1 impaired and dislocated8 ,is it because of total depravity that ,i denounce the brutality of ,jehovah8 ,if my heart were only good--if ,i loved my neighbor as myself--would ,i then see infinite mercy in these hideous words8 ,do ,i lack reverential calm8 ,these frightful passages1 like coiled adders1 were in the hearts of ,jehovah's chosen people when they crucified the ,sinless ,man4 ,jehovah did not tell the husband to reason with his wife4 ,she was to be answered only with death4 ,she was to be bruised and mangled to a bleeding1 shapeless mass of quivering flesh1 for having breathed an honest thought4 ,if there is anything of importance in this world1 it is the family1 the home1 the marriage of true souls1 the equality of husband and wife--the true republicanism of the heart--the real democracy of the fireside4 ,let us read the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of ,genesis3 ,unto the woman he said1 ,i will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception2 in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children2 and thy desire shall be to thy husband1 and he shall rule over thee4 ,never will ,i worship any being who added to the sorrows and agonies of maternity4 ,never will ,i bow to any ,god who introduced slavery into every home--who made the wife a slave and the husband a tyrant4 ,the ,old ,testament shows that ,jehovah1 like his creators1 held women in contempt4 ,they were regarded as property3 ,thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife1--nor his ox4 ,why should a pure woman worship a ,god who upheld polygamy8 ,let us finish this subject3 ,the institution of slavery involves all crimes4 ,jehovah was a believer in slavery4 ,this is enough4 ,why should any civilized man worship him8 ,why should his name be encircled with love and tenderness in any human heart8 ,he believed that man could become the property of man--that it was right for his chosen people to deal in human flesh--to buy and sell mothers and babes4 ,he taught that the captives were the property of the captors and directed his chosen people to kill1 to enslave1 or to pollute4 ,in the presence of these commandments1 what becomes of the fine saying1 ,love thy neighbor as thyself8 ,what shall we say of a ,god who established slavery1 and then had the effrontery to say1 ,thou shalt not steal8 ,it may be insisted that ,jehovah is the ,father of all--and that he has made of one blood all the nations of the earth4 ,how then can we account for the wars of extermination8 ,does not the commandment ,love thy neighbor as thyself1 apply to nations precisely the same as to individuals8 ,nations1 like individuals1 become great by the practice of virtue4 ,how did ,jehovah command his people to treat their neighbors8 ,he commanded his generals to destroy all1 men1 women and babes3 ,thou shalt save nothing alive that breatheth4 ,i will make mine arrows drunk with blood1 and my sword shall devour flesh4 ,that thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies1 and the tongue of thy dogs in the same4 444 ,i will also send the teeth of beasts upon them1 with the poison of serpents of the dust4444 ,the sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin1 the suckling also1 with the man of gray hairs4 ,is it possible that these words fell from the lips of the ,most ,merciful8 ,you may reply that the inhabitants of ,canaan were unfit to live--that they were ignorant and cruel4 ,why did not ,jehovah1 the ,father of all1 give them the ,ten ,commandments8 ,why did he leave them without a bible1 without prophets and priests8 ,why did he shower all the blessings of revelation on one poor and wretched tribe1 and leave the great world in ignorance and crime--and why did he order his favorite children to murder those whom he had neglected8 ,by the question ,i asked of ,dr4 ,field1 the intention was to show that ,jephthah1 when he sacrificed his daughter to ,jehovah1 was as much the slave of superstition as is the ,hindoo mother when she throws her babe into the yellow waves of the ,ganges4 ,it seems that this savage ,jephthah was in direct communication with ,jehovah at ,mizpeh1 and that he made a vow unto the ,lord and said3 ,if thou shalt without fail deliver the children of ,ammon into mine hands1 then it shall be that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me1 when ,i return in peace from the children of ,ammon1 shall surely be the ,lord's1 and ,i will offer it up as a burnt offering4 ,in the first place1 it is perfectly clear that the sacrifice intended was a human sacrifice1 from the words3 that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me4 ,some human being--wife1 daughter1 friend1 was expected to come4 ,according to the account1 his daughter--his only daughter--his only child--came first4 ,if ,jephthah was in communication with ,god1 why did ,god allow this man to make this vow2 and why did he allow the daughter that he loved to be first1 and why did he keep silent and allow the vow to be kept1 while flames devoured the daughter's flesh8 ,st4 ,paul is not authority4 ,he praises ,samuel1 the man who hewed ,agag in pieces2 ,david1 who compelled hundreds to pass under the saws and harrows of death1 and many others who shed the blood of the innocent and helpless4 ,paul is an unsafe guide4 ,he who commends the brutalities of the past1 sows the seeds of future crimes4 ,if believers are not obliged to approve of the conduct of ,jephthah are they free to condemn the conduct of ,jehovah8 ,if you will read the account you will see that the spirit of the ,lord was upon ,jephthah when he made the cruel vow4 ,if ,paul did not commend ,jephthah for keeping this vow1 what was the act that excited his admiration8 ,was it because ,jephthah slew on the banks of the ,jordan forty and two thousand of the sons of ,ephraim8 ,in regard to ,abraham1 the argument is precisely the same1 except that ,jehovah is said to have interfered1 and allowed an animal to be slain instead4 ,one of the answers given by you is that it may be allowed that the narrative is not within our comprehension2 and for that reason you say that it behooves us to tread cautiously in approaching it4 ,why cautiously8 ,these stories of ,abraham and ,jephthah have cost many an innocent life4 ,only a few years ago1 here in my country1 a man by the name of ,freeman1 believing that ,god demanded at least the show of obedience--believing what he had read in the ,old ,testament that without the shedding of blood there is no remission1 and so believing1 touched with insanity1 sacrificed his little girl--plunged into her innocent breast the dagger1 believing it to be ,god's will1 and thinking that if it were not ,god's will his hand would be stayed4 ,i know of nothing more pathetic than the story of this crime told by this man4 ,nothing can be more monstrous than the conception of a ,god who demands sacrifice--of a ,god who would ask of a father that he murder his son--of a father that he would burn his daughter4 ,it is far beyond my comprehension how any man ever could have believed such an infinite1 such a cruel absurdity4 ,at the command of the real ,god--if there be one--,i would not sacrifice my child1 ,i would not murder my wife4 ,but as long as there are people in the world whose minds are so that they can believe the stories of ,abraham and ,jephthah1 just so long there will be men who will take the lives of the ones they love best4 ,you have taken the position that the conditions are different2 and you say that3 ,according to the book of ,genesis1 ,adam and ,eve were placed under a law1 not of consciously perceived right and wrong1 but of simple obedience4 ,the tree of which alone they were forbidden to eat was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil2 duty lay for them in following the command of the ,most ,high1 before and until they became capable of appreciating it by an ethical standard4 ,their knowledge was but that of an infant who has just reached the stage at which he can comprehend that he is ordered to do this or that1 but not the nature of the things so ordered44 ,if ,adam and ,eve could not consciously perceive right and wrong1 how is it possible for you to say that duty lay for them in following the command of the ,most ,high8 ,how can a person incapable of perceiving right and wrong have an idea of duty8 ,you are driven to say that ,adam and ,eve had no moral sense4 ,how under such circumstances could they have the sense of guilt1 or of obligation8 ,and why should such persons be punished8 ,and why should the whole human race become tainted by the offence of those who had no moral sense8 ,do you intend to be understood as saying that ,jehovah allowed his children to enslave each other because duty lay for them in following the command of the ,most ,high8 ,was it for this reason that he caused them to exterminate each other8 ,do you account for the severity of his punishments by the fact that the poor creatures punished were not aware of the enormity of the offences they had committed8 ,what shall we say of a ,god who has one of his children stoned to death for picking up sticks on ,sunday1 and allows another to enslave his fellow-man8 ,have you discovered any theory that will account for both of these facts8 ,another word as to ,abraham3--,you defend his willingness to kill his son because the estimate of human life at the time was different--because the position of the father in the family was different2 its members were regarded as in some sense his property2 and because there is every reason to suppose that around ,abraham in the 'land of ,moriah' the practice of human sacrifice as an act of religion was in full vigor4 ,let us examine these three excuses3 ,was ,jehovah justified in putting a low estimate on human life8 ,was he in earnest when he said that whoso sheddeth man's blood1 by man shall his blood be shed8 ,did he pander to the barbarian view of the worthlessness of life8 ,if the estimate of human life was low1 what was the sacrifice worth8 ,was the son the property of the father8 ,did ,jehovah uphold this savage view8 ,had the father the right to sell or kill his child8 ,do you defend ,jehovah and ,abraham because the ignorant wretches in the land of ,moriah1 knowing nothing of the true ,god1 cut the throats of their babes as an act of religion8 ,was ,jehovah led away by the example of the ,gods of ,moriah8 ,do you not see that your excuses are simply the suggestions of other crimes8 ,you see clearly that the ,hindoo mother1 when she throws her babe into the ,ganges at the command of her ,god1 sins against first principles2 but you excuse ,abraham because he lived in the childhood of the race4 ,can ,jehovah be excused because of his youth8 ,not satisfied with your explanation1 your defences and excuses1 you take the ground that when ,abraham said3 ,my son1 ,god will provide a lamb for a burnt offering1 he may have believed implicitly that a way of rescue would be found for his son4 ,in other words1 that ,abraham did not believe that he would be required to shed the blood of ,isaac4 ,so that1 after all1 the faith of ,abraham consisted in believing implicitly that ,jehovah was not in earnest4 ,you have discovered a way by which1 as you think1 the neck of orthodoxy can escape the noose of ,darwin1 and in that connection you use this remarkable language3 ,i should reply that the moral history of man1 in its principal stream1 has been distinctly an evolution from the first until now4 ,it is hard to see how this statement agrees with the one in the beginning of your ,remarks1 in which you speak of the human constitution in its warped1 impaired and dislocated condition4 ,when you wrote that line you were certainly a theologian--a believer in the ,episcopal creed--and your mind1 by mere force of habit1 was at that moment contemplating man as he is supposed to have been created--perfect in every part4 ,at that time you were endeavoring to account for the unbelief now in the world1 and you did this by stating that the human constitution is warped1 impaired and dislocated2 but the moment you are brought face to face with the great truths uttered by ,darwin1 you admit that the moral history of man has been distinctly an evolution from the first until now4 ,is not this a fountain that brings forth sweet and bitter waters8 ,i insist1 that the discoveries of ,darwin do away absolutely with the inspiration of the ,scriptures--with the account of creation in ,genesis1 and demonstrate not simply the falsity1 not simply the wickedness1 but the foolishness of the sacred volume4 ,there is nothing in ,darwin to show that all has been evolved from primal night and from chaos4 ,there is no evidence of primal night4 ,there is no proof of universal chaos4 ,did your ,jehovah spend an eternity in primal night1 with no companion but chaos4 ,it makes no difference how long a lower form may require to reach a higher4 ,it makes no difference whether forms can be simply modified or absolutely changed4 ,these facts have not the slightest tendency to throw the slightest light on the beginning or on the destiny of things4 ,i most cheerfully admit that gods have the right to create swiftly or slowly4 ,the reptile may become a bird in one day1 or in a thousand billion years--this fact has nothing to do with the existence or non-existence of a first cause1 but it has something to do with the truth of the ,bible1 and with the existence of a personal ,god of infinite power and wisdom4 ,does not a gradual improvement in the thing created show a corresponding improvement in the creator8 ,the church demonstrated the falsity and folly of ,darwin's theories by showing that they contradicted the ,mosaic account of creation1 and now the theories of ,darwin having been fairly established1 the church says that the ,mosaic account is true1 because it is in harmony with ,darwin4 ,now1 if it should turn out that ,darwin was mistaken1 what then8 ,to me it is somewhat difficult to understand the mental processes of one who really feels that the gap between man and the inferior animals or their relationship was stated1 perhaps1 even more emphatically by ,bishop ,butler than by ,darwin4 ,butler answered deists1 who objected to the cruelties of the ,bible1 and yet lauded the ,god of ,nature by showing that the ,god of ,nature is as cruel as the ,god of the ,bible4 ,that is to say1 he succeeded in showing that both ,gods are bad4 ,he had no possible conception of the splendid generalizations of ,darwin--the great truths that have revolutionized the thought of the world4 ,but there was one question asked by ,bishop ,butler that throws a flame of light upon the probable origin of most1 if not all1 religions3 ,why might not whole communities and public bodies be seized with fits of insanity as well as individuals8 ,if you are convinced that ,moses and ,darwin are in exact accord1 will you be good enough to tell who1 in your judgment1 were the parents of ,adam and ,eve8 ,do you find in ,darwin any theory that satisfactorily accounts for the inspired fact that a ,rib1 commencing with ,monogonic ,propagation--falling into halves by a contraction in the middle--reaching1 after many ages of ,evolution1 the ,amphigonie stage1 and then1 by the ,survival of the ,fittest1 assisted by ,natural ,selection1 moulded and modified by ,environment1 became at last1 the mother of the human race8 ,here is a world in which there are countless varieties of life--these varieties in all probability related to each other--all living upon each other--everything devouring something1 and in its turn devoured by something else--everywhere claw and beak1 hoof and tooth1--everything seeking the life of something else--every drop of water a battle-field1 every atom being for some wild beast a jungle--every place a golgotha--and such a world is declared to be the work of the infinitely wise and compassionate4 ,according to your idea1 ,jehovah prepared a home for his children--first a garden in which they should be tempted and from which they should be driven2 then a world filled with briers and thorns and wild and poisonous beasts--a world in which the air should be filled with the enemies of human life--a world in which disease should be contagious1 and in which it was impossible to tell1 except by actual experiment1 the poisonous from the nutritious4 ,and these children were allowed to live in dens and holes and fight their way against monstrous serpents and crouching beasts--were allowed to live in ignorance and fear--to have false ideas of this good and loving ,god--ideas so false1 that they made of him a fiend--ideas so false1 that they sacrificed their wives and babes to appease the imaginary wrath of this monster4 ,and this ,god gave to different nations different ideas of himself1 knowing that in consequence of that these nations would meet upon countless fields of death and drain each other's veins4 ,would it not have been better had the world been so that parents would transmit only their virtues--only their perfections1 physical and mental1--allowing their diseases and their vices to perish with them8 ,in my reply to ,dr4 ,field ,i had asked3 ,why should ,god demand a sacrifice from man8 ,why should the infinite ask anything from the finite8 ,should the sun beg from the glowworm1 and should the momentary spark excite the envy of the source of light8 ,upon which you remark1 that if the infinite is to make no demands upon the finite1 by parity of reasoning1 the great and strong should scarcely make them on the weak and small4 ,can this be called reasoning8 ,why should the infinite demand a sacrifice from man8 ,in the first place1 the infinite is conditionless--the infinite cannot want--the infinite has4 ,a conditioned being may want2 but the gratification of a want involves a change of condition4 ,if ,god be conditionless1 he can have no wants--consequently1 no human being can gratify the infinite4 ,but you insist that if the infinite is to make no demands upon the finite1 by parity of reasoning1 the great and strong should scarcely make them on the weak and small4 ,the great have wants4 ,the strong are often in need1 in peril1 and the great and strong often need the services of the small and weak4 ,it was the mouse that freed the lion4 ,england is a great and powerful nation--yet she may need the assistance of the weakest of her citizens4 ,the world is filled with illustrations4 ,the lack of logic is in this3 ,the infinite cannot want anything2 the strong and the great may1 and as a fact always do4 ,the great and the strong cannot help the infinite--they can help the small and the weak1 and the small and the weak can often help the great and strong4 ,you ask3 ,why then should the father make demands of love1 obedience1 and sacrifice from his young child8 ,no sensible father ever demanded love from his child4 ,every civilized father knows that love rises like the perfume from a flower4 ,you cannot command it by simple authority4 ,it cannot obey4 ,a father demands obedience from a child for the good of the child and for the good of himself4 ,but suppose the father to be infinite--why should the child sacrifice anything for him8 ,but it may be that you answer all these questions1 all these difficulties1 by admitting1 as you have in your ,remarks1 that these problems are insoluble by our understanding4 ,why1 then1 do you accept them8 ,why do you defend that which you cannot understand8 ,why does your reason volunteer as a soldier under the flag of the incomprehensible8 ,i asked of ,dr4 ,field1 and ,i ask again1 this question3 ,why should an infinitely wise and powerful ,god destroy the good and preserve the vile8 ,what do ,i mean by this question8 ,simply this3 ,the earthquake1 the lightning1 the pestilence1 are no respecters of persons4 ,the vile are not always destroyed1 the good are not always saved4 ,i asked3 ,why should ,god treat all alike in this world1 and in another make an infinite difference8 ,this1 ,i suppose1 is insoluble to our understanding4 ,why should ,jehovah allow his worshipers1 his adorers1 to be destroyed by his enemies8 ,can you by any possibility answer this question8 ,you may account for all these inconsistencies1 these cruel contradictions1 as ,john ,wesley accounted for earthquakes when he insisted that they were produced by the wickedness of men1 and that the only way to prevent them was for everybody to believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,and you may have some way of showing that ,mr4 ,wesley's idea is entirely consistent with the theories of ,mr4 ,darwin4 ,you seem to think that as long as there is more goodness than evil in the world--as long as there is more joy than sadness--we are compelled to infer that the author of the world is infinitely good1 powerful1 and wise1 and that as long as a majority are out of gutters and prisons1 the divine scheme is a success4 ,according to this system of logic1 if there were a few more unfortunates--if there was just a little more evil than good--then we would be driven to acknowledge that the world was created by an infinitely malevolent being4 ,as a matter of fact1 the history of the world has been such that not only your theologians but your apostles1 and not only your apostles but your prophets1 and not only your prophets but your ,jehovah1 have all been forced to account for the evil1 the injustice and the suffering1 by the wickedness of man1 the natural depravity of the human heart and the wiles and machinations of a malevolent being second only in power to ,jehovah himself4 ,again and again you have called me to account for mere suggestions and assertions without proof2 and yet your remarks are filled with assertions and mere suggestions without proof4 ,you admit that great believers are not able to explain the inequalities of adjustment between human beings and the conditions in which they have been set down to work out their destiny4 ,how do you know that they have been set down to work out their destiny8 ,if that was1 and is1 the purpose1 then the being who settled the destiny1 and the means by which it tvas to be worked out1 is responsible for all that happens4 ,and is this the end of your argument1 ,that you are not able to explain the inequalities of adjustment between human beings8 ,is the solution of this problem beyond your power8 ,does the ,bible shed no light8 ,is the ,christian in the presence of this question as dumb as the agnostic8 ,when the injustice of this world is so flagrant that you cannot harmonize that awful fact with the wisdom and goodness of an infinite ,god1 do you not see that you have surrendered1 or at least that you have raised a flag of truce beneath which your adversary accepts as final your statement that you do not know and that your imagination is not sufficient to frame an excuse for ,god8 ,it gave me great pleasure to find that at last even you have been driven to say that3 it is a duty incumbent upon us respectively according to our means and opportunities1 to decide by the use of the faculty of reason given us1 the great questions of natural and revealed religion4 ,you admit that ,i am to decide for myself1 by the use of my reason1 whether the ,bible is the word of ,god or not--whether there is any revealed religion--and whether there be or be not an infinite being who created and who governs this world4 ,you also admit that we are to decide these questions according to the balance of the evidence4 ,is this in accordance with the doctrine of ,jehovah8 ,did ,jehovah say to the husband that if his wife became convinced1 according to her means and her opportunities1 and decided according to her reason1 that it was better to worship some other ,god than ,jehovah1 then that he was to say to her3 ,you are entitled to decide according to the balance of the evidence as it seems to you8 ,have you abandoned ,jehovah8 ,is man more just than he8 ,have you appealed from him to the standard of reason8 ,is it possible that the leader of the ,english ,liberals is nearer civilized than ,jehovah8 ,do you know that in this sentence you demonstrate the existence of a dawn in your mind8 ,this sentence makes it certain that in the ,east of the midnight of ,episcopal superstition there is the herald of the coming day4 ,and if this sentence shows a dawn1 what shall ,i say of the next3 ,we are not entitled1 either for or against belief1 to set up in this province any rule of investigation except such as common sense teaches us to use in the ordinary conduct of life8 ,this certainly is a morning star4 ,let me take this statement1 let me hold it as a torch1 and by its light ,i beg of you to read the ,bible once again4 ,is it in accordance with reason that an infinitely good and loving ,god would drown a world that he had taken no means to civilize--to whom he had given no bible1 no gospel1--taught no scientific fact and in which the seeds of art had not been sown2 that he would create a world that ought to be drowned8 ,that a being of infinite wisdom would create a rival1 knowing that the rival would fill perdition with countless souls destined to suffer eternal pain8 ,is it according to common sense that an infinitely good ,god would order some of his children to kill others8 ,that he would command soldiers to rip open with the sword of war the bodies of women--wreaking vengeance on babes unborn8 ,is it according to reason that a good1 loving1 compassionate1 and just ,god would establish slavery among men1 and that a pure ,god would uphold polygamy8 ,is it according to common sense that he who wished to make men merciful and loving would demand the sacrifice of animals1 so that his altars would be wet with the blood of oxen1 sheep1 and doves8 ,is it according to reason that a good ,god would inflict tortures upon his ignorant children--that he would torture animals to death--and is it in accordance with common sense and reason that this ,god would create countless billions of people knowing that they would be eternally damned8 ,what is common sense8 ,is it the result of observation1 reason and experience1 or is it the child of credulity8 ,there is this curious fact3 ,the far past and the far future seem to belong to the miraculous and the monstrous4 ,the present1 as a rule1 is the realm of common sense4 ,if you say to a man3 ,eighteen hundred years ago the dead were raised1 he will reply3 ,yes1 ,i know that4 ,and if you say3 ,a hundred thousand years from now all the dead will be raised1 he will probably reply3 ,i presume so4 ,but if you tell him3 ,i saw a dead man raised to-day1 he will ask1 ,from what madhouse have you escaped8 ,the moment we decide according to reason1 according to the balance of evidence1 we are charged with having violated the laws of social morality and decency1 and the defender of the miraculous and the incomprehensible takes another position4 ,the theologian has a city of refuge to which he flies--an old breastwork behind which he kneels--a rifle-pit into which he crawls4 ,you have described this city1 this breastwork1 this rifle-pit and also the leaf under which the ostrich of theology thrusts its head4 ,let me quote3 ,our demands for evidence must be limited by the general reason of the case4 ,does that general reason of the case make it probable that a finite being1 with a finite place in a comprehensive scheme devised and administered by a being who is infinite1 would be able even to embrace within his view1 or rightly to appreciate all the motives or aims that there may have been in the mind of the divine disposer8 ,and this is what you call deciding by the use of the faculty of reason1 according to the evidence1 or at least according to the balance of evidence4 ,this is a conclusion reached by a rule of investigation such as common sense teaches us to use in the ordinary conduct of life4 ,will you have the kindness to explain what it is to act contrary to evidence1 or contrary to common sense8 ,can you imagine a superstition so gross that it cannot be defended by that argument8 ,nothing1 it seems to me1 could have been easier than for ,jehovah to have reasonably explained his scheme4 ,you may answer that the human intellect is not sufficient to understand the explanation4 ,why then do not theologians stop explaining8 ,why do they feel it incumbent upon them to explain that which they admit ,god would have explained had the human mind been capable of understanding it8 ,how much better would it have been if ,jehovah had said a few things on these subjects4 ,it always seemed wonderful to me that he spent several days and nights on ,mount ,sinai explain99 ing to ,moses how he could detect the presence of leprosy1 without once thinking to give him a prescription for its cure4 ,there were thousands and thousands of opportunities for this ,god to withdraw from these questions the shadow and the cloud4 ,when ,jehovah out of the whirlwind asked questions of ,job1 how much better it would have been if ,job had asked and ,jehovah had answered4 ,you say that we should be governed by evidence and by common sense4 ,then you tell us that the questions are beyond the reach of reason1 and with which common sense has nothing to do4 ,if we then ask for an explanation1 you reply in the scornful challenge of ,dante4 ,you seem to imagine that every man who gives an opinion1 takes his solemn oath that the opinion is the absolute end of all investigation on that subject4 ,in my opinion1 ,shakespeare was1 intellectually1 the greatest of the human race1 and my intention was simply to express that view4 ,it never occurred to me that any one would suppose that ,i thought ,shakespeare a greater actor than ,garrick1 a more wonderful composer than ,wagner1 a better violinist than ,remenyi1 or a heavier man than ,daniel ,lambert4 ,it is to be regretted that you were misled by my words and really supposed that ,i intended to say that ,shakespeare was a greater general than ,caesar4 ,but1 after all1 your criticism has no possible bearing on the point at issue4 ,is it an effort to avoid that which cannot be met8 ,the real question is this3 ,if we cannot account for ,christ without a miracle1 how can we account for ,shakespeare8 ,dr4 ,field took the ground that ,christ himself was a miracle2 that it was impossible to account for such a being in any natural way2 and1 guided by common sense1 guided by the rule of investigation such as common sense teaches1 ,i called attention to ,buddha1 ,mohammed1 ,confucius1 and ,shakespeare4 ,in another place in your ,remarks1 when my statement about ,shakespeare was not in your mind1 you say3 ,all is done by steps--nothing by strides1 leaps or bounds--all from protoplasm up to ,shakespeare4 ,why did you end the series with ,shakespeare8 ,did you intend to say ,dante1 or ,bishop ,butler8 ,it is curious to see how much ingenuity a great man exercises when guided by what he calls the rule of investigation as suggested by common sense4 ,i pointed out some things that ,christ did not teach--among others1 that he said nothing with regard to the family relation1 nothing against slavery1 nothing about education1 nothing as to the rights and duties of nations1 nothing as to any scientific truth4 ,and this is answered by saying that ,i am quite able to point out the way in which the ,savior of the world might have been much greater as a teacher than he actually was4 ,is this an answer1 or is it simply taking refuge behind a name8 ,would it not have been better if ,christ had told his disciples that they must not persecute2 that they had no right to destroy their fellow-men2 that they must not put heretics in dungeons1 or destroy them with flames2 that they must not invent and use instruments of torture2 that they must not appeal to brutality1 nor endeavor to sow with bloody hands the seeds of peace8 ,would it not have been far better had he said3 ,i come not to bring a sword1 but peace8 ,would not this have saved countless cruelties and countless lives8 ,you seem to think that you have fully answered my objection when you say that ,christ taught the absolute indissolubility of marriage4 ,why should a husband and wife be compelled to live with each other after love is dead8 ,why should the wife still be bound in indissoluble chains to a husband who is cruel1 infamous1 and false8 ,why should her life be destroyed because of his8 ,why should she be chained to a criminal and an outcast8 ,nothing can be more unphilosophic than this4 ,why fill the world with the children of indifference and hatred8 ,the marriage contract is the most important1 the most sacred1 that human beings can make4 ,it will be sacredly kept by good men and by good women4 ,but if a loving woman--tender1 noble1 and true--makes this contract with a man whom she believed to be worthy of all respect and love1 and who is found to be a cruel1 worthless wretch1 why should her life be lost8 ,do you not know that the indissolubility of the marriage contract leads to its violation1 forms an excuse for immorality1 eats out the very heart of truth1 and gives to vice that which alone belongs to love8 ,but in order that you may know why the objection was raised1 ,i call your attention to the fact that ,christ offered a reward1 not only in this world but in another1 to any husband who would desert his wife4 ,and do you know that this hideous offer caused millions to desert their wives and children8 ,theologians have the habit of using names instead of arguments--of appealing to some man1 great in some direction1 to establish their creed2 but we all know that no man is great enough to be an authority1 except in that particular domain in which he won his eminence2 and we all know that great men are not great in all directions4 ,bacon died a believer in the ,ptolemaic system of astronomy4 ,tycho ,brahe kept an imbecile in his service1 putting down with great care the words that fell from the hanging lip of idiocy1 and then endeavored to put them together in a way to form prophecies4 ,sir ,matthew ,hale believed in witchcraft not only1 but in its lowest and most vulgar forms2 and some of the greatest men of antiquity examined the entrails of birds to find the secrets of the future4 ,it has always seemed to me that reasons are better than names4 ,after taking the ground that ,christ could not have been a greater teacher than he actually was1 you ask3 ,where would have been the wisdom of delivering to an uninstructed population of a particular age a codified religion which was to serve for all nations1 all ages1 all states of civilization8 ,does not this question admit that the teachings of ,christ will not serve for all nations1 all ages and all states of civilization8 ,but let me ask3 ,if it was necessary for ,christ to deliver to an uninstructed population of a particular age a certain religion suited only for that particular age1 why should a civilized and scientific age eighteen hundred years afterwards be absolutely bound by that religion8 ,do you not see that your position cannot be defended1 and that you have provided no way for retreat8 ,if the religion of ,christ was for that age1 is it for this8 ,are you willing to admit that the ,ten ,commandments are not for all time8 ,if1 then1 four thousand years before ,christ1 commandments were given not simply for an uninstructed population of a particular age1 but for all time1 can you give a reason why the religion of ,christ should not have been of the same character8 ,in the first place you say that ,god has revealed himself to the world--that he has revealed a religion2 and in the next place1 that he has not revealed a perfect religion1 for the reason that no room would be left for the career of human thought4 ,why did not ,god reveal this imperfect religion to all people instead of to a small and insignificant tribe1 a tribe without commerce and without influence among the nations of the world8 ,why did he hide this imperfect light under a bushel8 ,if the light was necessary for one1 was it not necessary for all8 ,and why did he drown a world to whom he had not even given that light8 ,according to your reasoning1 would there not have been left greater room for the career of human thought1 had no revelation been made8 ,you say that you have known a person who after studying the old classical or ,olympian religion for a third part of a century1 at length began to hope that he had some partial comprehension of it--some inkling of what is meant4 ,you say this for the purpose of showing how impossible it is to understand the ,bible4 ,if it is so difficult1 why do you call it a revelation8 ,and yet1 according to your creed1 the man who does not understand the revelation and believe it1 or who does not believe it1 whether he understands it or not1 is to reap the harvest of everlasting pain4 ,ought not the revelation to be revealed8 ,in order to escape from the fact that ,christ denounced the chosen people of ,god as a generation of vipers and as whited sepulchres1 you take the ground that the scribes and pharisees were not the chosen people4 ,of what blood were they8 ,it will not do to say that they were not the people4 ,can you deny that ,christ addressed the chosen people when he said3 ,jerusalem1 which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee8 ,you have called me to an account for what ,i said in regard to ,ananias and ,sapphira4 ,first1 ,i am charged with having said that the apostles conceived the idea of having all things in common1 and you denounce this as an interpolation2 second1 that motives of prudence are stated as a matter of fact to have influenced the offending couple--and this is charged as an interpolation2 and1 third1 that ,i stated that the apostles sent for the wife of ,ananias--and this is characterized as a pure invention4 ,to me it seems reasonable to suppose that the idea of having all things in common was conceived by those who had nothing1 or had the least1 and not by those who had plenty4 ,in the last verses of the fourth chapter of the ,acts1 you will find this3 ,neither was there any among them that lacked1 for as many as were possessed of lands or houses sold them1 and brought the prices of the things that were sold1 and laid them down at the apostles' feet3 and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need4 ,and ,joses1 who by the apostles was surnamed ,barnabas 7which is1 being interpreted1 the son of consolation71 a ,levite and of the country of ,cyprus1 having land1 sold it1 and brought the money1 and laid it at the apostles' feet4 ,now it occurred to me that the idea was in all probability suggested by the men at whose feet the property was laid4 ,it never entered my mind that the idea originated with those who had land for sale4 ,there may be a different standard by which human nature is measured in your country1 than in mine2 but if the thing had happened in the ,united ,states1 ,i feel absolutely positive that it would have been at the suggestion of the apostles4 ,ananias1 with ,sapphira1 his wife1 sold a possession and kept back part of the price1 his wife also being privy to it1 and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet4 ,in my ,letter to ,dr4 ,field ,i stated--not at the time pretending to quote from the ,new ,testament--that ,ananias and ,sapphira1 after talking the matter over1 not being entirely satisfied with the collaterals1 probably concluded to keep a little--just enough to keep them from starvation if the good and pious bankers should abscond4 ,it never occurred to me that any man would imagine that this was a quotation1 and ,i feel like asking your pardon for having led you into this error4 ,we are informed in the ,bible that they kept back a part of the price4 ,it occurred to me1 judging by the rule of investigation according to common sense1 that there was a reason for this1 and ,i could think of no reason except that they did not care to trust the apostles with all1 and that they kept back just a little1 thinking it might be useful if the rest should be lost4 ,according to the account1 after ,peter had made a few remarks to ,ananias1 ,ananias fell down and gave up the ghost24444 and the young men arose1 wound him up1 and carried him out1 and buried him4 ,and it was about the space of three hours after1 when his wife1 not knowing what was done1 came in4 ,whereupon ,peter said3 ',tell me whether ye sold the land for so much8' ,and she said1 ',yea1 for so much4' ,then ,peter said unto her1 ',how is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the spirit of the ,lord8 ,behold1 the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door1 and shall carry thee out4' ,then fell she down straightway at his feet1 and yielded up the ghost2 and the young men came in1 and found her dead1 and1 carrying her forth1 buried her by her husband4 ,the only objection found to this is1 that ,i inferred that the apostles had sent for her4 ,sending for her was not the offence4 ,the failure to tell her what had happened to her husband was the offence--keeping his fate a secret from her in order that she might be caught in the same net that had been set for her husband by ,jehovah4 ,this was the offence4 ,this was the mean and cruel thing to which ,i objected4 ,have you answered that8 ,of course1 ,i feel sure that the thing never occurred--the probability being that ,ananias and ,sapphira never lived and never died4 ,it is probably a story invented by the early church to make the collection of subscriptions somewhat easier4 ,and yet1 we find a man in the nineteenth century1 foremost of his fellow-citizens in the affairs of a great nation1 upholding this barbaric view of ,god4 ,let me beg of you to use your reason according to the rule suggested by common sense4 ,let us do what little we can to rescue the reputation1 even of a ,jewish myth1 from the calumnies of ,ignorance and ,fear4 ,so1 again1 ,i am charged with having given certain words as a quotation from the ,bible in which two passages are combined--,they who believe and are baptized shall be saved1 and they who believe not shall be damned4 ,and these shall go away into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels4 ,they were given as two passages4 ,no one for a moment supposed that they would be read together as one1 and no one imagined that any one in answering the argument would be led to believe that they were intended as one4 ,neither was there in this the slightest negligence1 as ,i was answering a man who is perfectly familiar with the ,bible4 ,the objection was too small to make4 ,it is hardly large enough to answer--and had it not been made by you it would not have been answered4 ,you are not satisfied with what ,i have said upon the subject of immortality4 ,what ,i said was this3 ,the idea of immortality1 that like a sea has ebbed and flowed in the human heart1 with its countless waves of hope and fear beating against the shores and rocks of time and fate1 was not born of any book1 nor of any creed1 nor of any religion4 ,it was born of human affection1 and it will continue to ebb and flow beneath the mists and clouds of doubt and darkness as long as love kisses the lips of death4 ,you answer this by saying that the ,egyptians were believers in immortality1 but were not a people of high intellectual development4 ,how such a statement tends to answer what ,i have said1 is beyond my powers of discernment4 ,is there the slightest connection between my statement and your objection8 ,you make still another answer1 and say that the ancient ,greeks were a race of perhaps unparalled intellectual capacity1 and that notwithstanding that1 the most powerful mind of the ,greek philosophy1 that of ,aristotle1 had no clear conception of a personal existence in a future state4 ,may ,i be allowed to ask this simple question3 ,who has8 ,are you urging an objection to the dogma of immortality1 when you say that a race of unparalled intellectual capacity had no confidence in it8 ,is that a doctrine believed only by people who lack intellectual capacity8 ,i stated that the idea of immortality was born of love1 ,you reply1 the ,egyptians believed it1 but they were not intellectual4 ,is not this a non sequitur8 ,the question is3 ,were they a loving people8 ,does history show that there is a moral governor of the world8 ,what witnesses shall we call8 ,the billions of slaves who were paid with blows8--the countless mothers whose babes were sold8 ,have we time to examine the ,waldenses1 the ,covenanters of ,scotland1 the ,catholics of ,ireland1 the victims of ,st4 ,bartholomew1 of the ,spanish ,inquisition1 all those who have died in flames8 ,shall we hear the story of ,bruno8 ,shall we ask ,servetus8 ,shall we ask the millions slaughtered by ,christian swords in ,america--all the victims of ambition1 of perjury1 of ignorance1 of superstition and revenge1 of storm and earthquake1 of famine1 flood and fire8 ,can all the agonies and crimes1 can all the inequalities of the world be answered by reading the noble ,psalm in which are found the words3 ,call upon me in the day of trouble1 so ,i will hear thee1 and thou shalt praise me8 ,do you prove the truth of these fine words1 this honey of ,trebizond1 by the victims of religious persecution8 ,shall we hear the sighs and sobs of ,siberia8 ,another thing4 ,why should you1 from the page of ,greek history1 with the sponge of your judgment1 wipe out all names but one1 and tell us that the most powerful mind of the ,greek philosophy was that of ,aristotle8 ,how did you ascertain this fact8 ,is it not fair to suppose that you merely intended to say that1 according to your view1 ,aristotle had the most powerful mind among all the philosophers of ,greece8 ,i should not call attention to this1 except for your criticism on a like remark of mine as to the intellectual superiority of ,shakespeare4 ,but if you knew the trouble ,i have had in finding out your meaning1 from your words1 you would pardon me for calling attention to a single line from ,aristotle3 ,clearness is the virtue of style4 ,to me ,epicurus seems far greater than ,aristotle1 ,he had clearer vision4 ,his cheek was closer to the breast of nature1 and he planted his philosophy nearer to the bed-rock of fact4 ,he was practical enough to know that virtue is the means and happiness the end2 that the highest philosophy is the art of living4 ,he was wise enough to say that nothing is of the slightest value to man that does not increase or preserve his wellbeing1 and he was great enough to know and courageous enough to declare that all the gods and ghosts were monstrous phantoms born of ignorance and fear4 ,i still insist that human affection is the foundation of the idea of immortality2 that love was the first to speak that word1 no matter whether they who spoke it were savage or civilized1 ,egyptian or ,greek4 ,but if we are immortal--if there be another world--why was it not clearly set forth in the ,old ,testament8 ,certainly1 the authors of that book had an opportunity to learn it from the ,egyptians4 ,why was it not revealed by ,jehovah8 ,why did he waste his time in giving orders for the consecration of priests--in saying that they must have sheep's blood put on their right ears and on their right thumbs and on their right big toes8 ,could a ,god with any sense of humor give such directions1 or watch without huge laughter the performance of such a ceremony8 ,in order to see the beauty1 the depth and tenderness of such a consecration1 is it essential to be in a state of reverential calm8 ,is it not strange that ,christ did not tell of another world distinctly1 clearly1 without parable1 and without the mist of metaphor8 ,the fact is that the ,hindoos1 the ,egyptians1 the ,greeks1 and the ,romans taught the immortality of the soul1 not as a glittering guess--a possible perhaps--but as a clear and demonstrated truth for many centuries before the birth of ,christ4 ,if the ,old ,testament proves anything1 it is that death ends all4 ,and the ,new ,testament1 by basing immortality on the resurrection of the body1 but keeps the word of promise to our ear and breaks it to our hope4 ,in my ,reply to ,dr4 ,field1 ,i said3 ,the truth is1 that no one can justly be held responsible for his thoughts4 ,the brain thinks without asking our consent2 we believe1 or disbelieve1 without an effort of the will4 ,belief is a result4 ,it is the effect of evidence upon the mind4 ,the scales turn in spite of him who watches4 ,there is no opportunity of being honest or dishonest in the formation of an opinion4 ,the conclusion is entirely independent of desire4 ,we must believe1 or we must doubt1 in spite of what we wish4 ,does the brain think without our consent8 ,can we control our thought8 ,can we tell what we are going to think tomorrow8 ,can we stop thinking8 ,is belief the result of that which to us is evidence1 or is it a product of the will8 ,can the scales in which reason weighs evidence be turned by the will8 ,why then should evidence be weighed8 ,if it all depends on the will1 what is evidence8 ,is there any opportunity of being dishonest in the formation of an opinion8 ,must not the man who forms the opinion know what it is8 ,he cannot knowingly cheat himself4 ,he cannot be deceived with dice that he loads4 ,he cannot play unfairly at solitaire without knowing that he has lost the game4 ,he cannot knowingly weigh with false scales and believe in the correctness of the result4 ,you have not even attempted to answer my arguments upon these points1 but you have unconsciously avoided them4 ,you did not attack the citadel4 ,in military parlance1 you proceeded to shell the woods4 ,the noise is precisely the same as though every shot had been directed against the enemy's position1 but the result is not4 ,you do not seem willing to implicitly trust the correctness of your aim4 ,you prefer to place the target after the shot4 ,the question is whether the will knowingly can change evidence1 and whether there is any opportunity of being dishonest in the formation of an opinion4 ,you have changed the issue4 ,you have erased the word formation and interpolated the word expression4 ,let us suppose that a man has given an opinion1 knowing that it is not based on any fact4 ,can you say that he has given his opinion8 ,the moment a prejudice is known to be a prejudice1 it disappears4 ,ignorance is the soil in which prejudice must grow4 ,touched by a ray of light1 it dies4 ,the judgment of man may be warped by prejudice and passion1 but it cannot be consciously warped4 ,it is impossible for any man to be influenced by a known prejudice1 because a known prejudice cannot exist4 ,i am not contending that all opinions have been honestly expressed4 ,what ,i contend is that when a dishonest opinion has been expressed it is not the opinion that was formed4 ,the cases suggested by you are not in point4 ,fathers are honestly swayed1 if really swayed1 by love2 and queens and judges have pretended to be swayed by the highest motives1 by the clearest evidence1 in order that they might kill rivals1 reap rewards1 and gratify revenge4 ,but what has all this to do with the fact that he who watches the scales in which evidence is weighed knows the actual result8 ,let us examine your case3 ,if a father is consciously swayed by his love for his son1 and for that reason says that his son is innocent1 then he has not expressed his opinion4 ,if he is unconsciously swayed and says that his son is innocent1 then he has expressed his opinion4 ,in both instances his opinion was independent of his will2 but in the first instance he did not express his opinion4 ,you will certainly see this distinction between the formation and the expression of an opinion4 ,the same argument applies to the man who consciously has a desire to condemn4 ,such a conscious desire cannot affect the testimony--cannot affect the opinion4 ,queen ,elizabeth undoubtedly desired the death of ,mary ,stuart1 but this conscious desire could not have been the foundation on which rested ,elizabeth's opinion as to the guilt or innocence of her rival4 ,it is barely possible that ,elizabeth did not express her real opinion4 ,do you believe that the ,english judges in the matter of the ,popish ,plot gave judgment in accordance with their opinions8 ,are you satisfied that ,napoleon expressed his real opinion when he justified himself for the assassination of the ,duc d',enghien8 ,if you answer these questions in the affirmative1 you admit that ,i am right4 ,if you answer in the negative1 you admit that you are wrong4 ,the moment you admit that the opinion formed cannot be changed by expressing a pretended opinion1 your argument is turned against yourself4 ,it is admitted that prejudice strengthens1 weakens and colors evidence2 but prejudice is honest4 ,and when one acts knowingly against the evidence1 that is not by reason of prejudice4 ,according to my views of propriety1 it would be unbecoming for me to say that your argument on these questions is a piece of plausible shallowness4 ,such language might be regarded as lacking reverential calm1 and ,i therefore refrain from even characterizing it as plausible4 ,is it not perfectly apparent that you have changed the issue1 and that instead of showing that opinions are creatures of the will1 you have discussed the quality of actions8 ,what have corrupt and cruel judgments pronounced by corrupt and cruel judges to do with their real opinions8 ,when a judge forms one opinion and renders another he is called corrupt4 ,the corruption does not consist in forming his opinion1 but in rendering one that he did not form4 ,does a dishonest creditor1 who incorrectly adds a number of items making the aggregate too large1 necessarily change his opinion as to the relations of numbers8 ,when an error is known1 it is not a mistake2 but a conclusion reached by a mistake1 or by a prejudice1 or by both1 is a necessary conclusion4 ,he who pretends to come to a conclusion by a mistake which he knows is not a mistake1 knows that he has not expressed his real opinion4 ,can any thing be more illogical than the assertion that because a boy reaches1 through negligence in adding figures1 a wrong result1 that he is accountable for his opinion of the result8 ,if he knew he was negligent1 what must his opinion of the result have been8 ,so with the man who boldly announces that he has discovered the numerical expression of the relation sustained by the diameter to the circumference of a circle4 ,if he is honest in the announcement1 then the announcement was caused not by his will but by his ignorance4 ,his will cannot make the announcement true1 and he could not by any possibility have supposed that his will could affect the correctness of his announcement4 ,the will of one who thinks that he has invented or discovered what is called perpetual motion1 is not at fault4 ,the man1 if honest1 has been misled2 if not honest1 he endeavors to mislead others4 ,there is prejudice1 and prejudice does raise a clamor1 and the intellect is affected and the judgment is darkened and the opinion is deformed2 but the prejudice is real and the clamor is sincere and the judgment is upright and the opinion is honest4 ,the intellect is not always supreme4 ,it is surrounded by clouds4 ,it sometimes sits in darkness4 ,it is often misled--sometimes1 in superstitious fear1 it abdicates4 ,it is not always a white light4 ,the passions and prejudices are prismatic--they color thoughts4 ,desires betray the judgment and cunningly mislead the will4 ,you seem to think that the fact of responsibility is in danger unless it rests upon the will1 and this will you regard as something without a cause1 springing into being in some mysterious way1 without father or mother1 without seed or soil1 or rain or light4 ,you must admit that man is a conditioned being--that he has wants1 objects1 ends1 and aims1 and that these are gratified and attained only by the use of means4 ,do not these wants and these objects have something to do with the will1 and does not the intellect have something to do with the means8 ,is not the will a product8 ,independently of conditions1 can it exist8 ,is it not necessarily produced8 ,behind every wish and thought1 every dream and fancy1 every fear and hope1 are there not countless causes8 ,man feels shame4 ,what does this prove8 ,he pities himself4 ,what does this demonstrate8 ,the dark continent of motive and desire has never been explored4 ,in the brain1 that wondrous world with one inhabitant1 there are recesses dim and dark1 treacherous sands and dangerous shores1 where seeming sirens tempt and fade2 streams that rise in unknown lands from hidden springs1 strange seas with ebb and flow of tides1 resistless billows urged by storms of flame1 profound and awful depths hidden by mist of dreams1 obscure and phantom realms where vague and fearful things are half revealed1 jungles where passion's tigers crouch1 and skies of cloud and blue where fancies fly with painted wings that dazzle and mislead2 and the poor sovereign of this pictured world is led by old desires and ancient hates1 and stained by crimes of many vanished years1 and pushed by hands that long ago were dust1 until he feels like some bewildered slave that ,mockery has throned and crowned4 ,no one pretends that the mind of man is perfect--that it is not affected by desires1 colored by hopes1 weakened by fears1 deformed by ignorance and distorted by superstition4 ,but all this has nothing to do with the innocence of opinion4 ,it may be that the ,thugs were taught that murder is innocent2 but did the teachers believe what they taught8 ,did the pupils believe the teachers8 ,did not ,jehovah teach that the act that we describe as murder was a duty8 ,were not his teachings practiced by ,moses and ,joshua and ,jephthah and ,samuel and ,david8 ,were they honest8 ,but what has all this to do with the point at issue8 ,society has the right to protect itself1 even from honest murderers and conscientious thieves4 ,the belief of the criminal does not disarm society2 it protects itself from him as from a poisonous serpent1 or from a beast that lives on human flesh4 ,we are under no obligation to stand still and allow ourselves to be murdered by one who honestly thinks that it is his duty to take our lives4 ,and yet according to your argument1 we have no right to defend ourselves from honest ,thugs4 ,was ,saul of ,tarsus a ,thug when he persecuted ,christians even unto strange cities8 ,is the ,thug of ,india more ferocious than ,torquemada1 the ,thug of ,spain8 ,if belief depends upon the will1 can all men have correct opinions who will to have them8 ,acts are good or bad1 according to their consequences1 and not according to the intentions of the actors4 ,honest opinions may be wrong1 and opinions dishonestly expressed may be right4 ,do you mean to say that because passion and prejudice1 the reckless pilots 'twixt the dangerous shores of will and judgment1 sway the mind1 that the opinions which you have expressed in your ,remarks to me are not your opinions8 ,certainly you will admit that in all probability you have prejudices and passions1 and if so1 can the opinions that you have expressed1 according to your argument1 be honest8 ,my lack of confidence in your argument gives me perfect confidence in your candor4 ,you may remember the philosopher who retained his reputation for veracity1 in spite of the fact that he kept saying3 ,there is no truth in man4 ,are only those opinions honest that are formed without any interference of passion1 affection1 habit or fancy8 ,what would the opinion of a man without passions1 affections1 or fancies be worth8 ,the alchemist gave up his search for an universal solvent upon being asked in what kind of vessel he expected to keep it when found4 ,it may be admitted that ,biel shows us how the life of ,dante co-operated with his extraordinary natural gifts and capabilities to make him what he was1 but does this tend to show that ,dante changed his opinions by an act of his will1 or that he reached honest opinions by knowingly using false weights and measures8 ,you must admit that the opinions1 habits and religions of men depend1 at least in some degree1 on race1 occupation1 training and capacity4 ,is not every thoughtful man compelled to agree with ,edgar ,fawcett1 in whose brain are united the beauty of the poet and the subtlety of the logician1 ,who sees how vice her venom wreaks ,on the frail babe before it speaks1 ,and how heredity enslaves ,with ghostly hands that reach from graves8 ,why do you hold the intellect criminally responsible for opinions1 when you admit that it is controlled by the will8 ,and why do you hold the will responsible1 when you insist that it is swayed by the passions and affections8 ,but all this has nothing to do with the fact that every opinion has been honestly formed1 whether honestly expressed or not4 ,no one pretends that all governments have been honestly formed and honestly administered4 ,all vices1 and some virtues are represented in most nations4 ,in my opinion a republic is far better than a monarchy4 ,the legally expressed will of the people is the only rightful sovereign4 ,this sovereignty1 however1 does not embrace the realm of thought or opinion4 ,in that world1 each human being is a sovereign1--throned and crowned3 ,one is a majority4 ,the good citizens of that realm give to others all rights that they claim for themselves1 and those who appeal to force are the only traitors4 ,the existence of theological despotisms1 of ,god-anointed kings1 does not tend to prove that a known prejudice can determine the weight of evidence4 ,when men were so ignorant as to suppose that ,god would destroy them unless they burned heretics1 they lighted the fagots in selfdefence4 ,feeling as ,i do that man is not responsible for his opinions1 ,i characterized persecution for opinion's sake as infamous4 ,so1 it is perfectly clear to me1 that it would be the infamy of infamies for an infinite being to create vast numbers of men knowing that they would suffer eternal pain4 ,if an infinite ,god creates a man on purpose to damn him1 or creates him knowing that he will be damned1 is not the crime the same8 ,we make mistakes and failures because we are finite2 but can you conceive of any excuse for an infinite being who creates failures8 ,if you had the power to change1 by a wish1 a statue into a human being1 and you knew that this being would die without a change of heart and suffer endless pain1 what would you do8 ,can you think of any excuse for an earthly father1 who1 having wealth1 learning and leisure1 leaves his own children in ignorance and darkness8 ,do you believe that a ,god of infinite wisdom1 justice and love1 called countless generations of men into being1 knowing that they would be used as fuel for the eternal fire8 ,many will regret that you did not give your views upon the main questions--the principal issues--involved1 instead of calling attention1 for the most part1 to the unimportant4 ,if men were discussing the causes and results of the ,franco-,prussian war1 it would hardly be worth while for a third person to interrupt the argument for the purpose of calling attention to a misspelled word in the terms of surrender4 ,if we admit that man is responsible for his opinions and his thoughts1 and that his will is perfectly free1 still these admissions do not even tend to prove the inspiration of the ,bible1 or the divine scheme of redemption4 ,in my judgment1 the days of the supernatural are numbered4 ,the dogma of inspiration must be abandoned4 ,as man advances1--as his intellect enlarges1--as his knowledge increases1--as his ideals become nobler1 the bibles and creeds will lose their authority--the miraculous will be classed with the impossible1 and the idea of special providence will be discarded4 ,thousands of religions have perished1 innumerable gods have died1 and why should the religion of our time be exempt from the common fate8 ,creeds cannot remain permanent in a world in which knowledge increases4 ,science and superstition cannot peaceably occupy the same brain4 ,this is an age of investigation1 of discovery and thought4 ,science destroys the dogmas that mislead the mind and waste the energies of man4 ,it points out the ends that can be accomplished2 takes into consideration the limits of our faculties2 fixes our attention on the affairs of this world1 and erects beacons of warning on the dangerous shores4 ,it seeks to ascertain the conditions of health1 to the end that life may be enriched and lengthened1 and it reads with a smile this passage3 ,and ,god-wrought special miracles by the hands of ,paul1 so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons1 and the diseases departed from them1 and the evil spirits went out of them4 ,science is the enemy of fear and credulity4 ,it invites investigation1 challenges the reason1 stimulates inquiry1 and welcomes the unbeliever4 ,it seeks to give food and shelter1 and raiment1 education and liberty to the human race4 ,it welcomes every fact and every truth4 ,it has furnished a foundation for morals1 a philosophy for the guidance of man4 ,from all books it selects the good1 and from all theories1 the true4 ,it seeks to civilize the human race by the cultivation of the intellect and' heart4 ,it refines through art1 music and the drama--giving voice and expression to every noble thought4 ,the mysterious does not excite the feeling of worship1 but the ambition to understand4 ,it does not pray--it works4 ,it does not answer inquiry with the malicious cry of blasphemy4 ,its feelings are not hurt by contradiction1 neither does it ask to be protected by law from the laughter of heretics4 ,it has taught man that he cannot walk beyond the horizon--that the questions of origin and destiny cannot be answered--that an infinite personality cannot be comprehended by a finite being1 and that the truth of any system of religion based on the supernatural cannot by any possibility be established--such a religion not being within the domain of evidence4 ,and1 above all1 it teaches that all our duties are here--that all our obligations are to sentient beings2 that intelligence1 guided by kindness1 is the highest possible wisdom2 and that man believes not what he would1 but what he can4 ,and after all1 it may be that to ride an unbroken horse with the reins thrown upon his neck--as you charge me with doing--gives a greater variety of sensations1 a keener delight1 and a better prospect of winning the race than to sit solemnly astride of a dead one1 in a deep reverential calm1 with the bridle firmly in your hand4 ,again assuring you of my profound respect1 ,i remain1 ,sincerely yours1 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,rome ,,or ,,reason4 ,col4 ,ingersoll and ,cardinal ,manning4 ,the ,gladstone-,ingersoll ,controversy4 ,,the ,,church ,,its ,,own ,,witness1 ,by ,cardinal ,manning4 ,,the ,vatican ,council1 in its ,decree on ,faith has these words3 ,the ,church itself1 by its marvelous propagation1 its eminent sanctity1 its inexhaustible fruitfulness in all good things1 its catholic unity and invincible stability1 is a vast and perpetual motive of credibility1 and an irrefragable witness of its own ,divine legation499 ,its ,divine ,founder said3 ,i am the light of the world2 and1 to ,his ,apostles1 ,he said also1 ,ye are the light of the world1 and of ,his ,church ,he added1 ,a city seated on a hill cannot be hid4 ,the ,vatican ,council says1 ,the ,church is its own witness4 ,my purpose is to draw out this assertion more fully4 99 ,const4 ,dogm4 de ,fide ,catholica1 c4 iii4 ,these words affirm that the ,church is self-evident1 as light is to the eye1 and through sense1 to the intellect4 ,next to the sun at noonday1 there is nothing in the world more manifest than the one visible ,universal ,church4 ,both the faith and the infidelity of the world bear witness to it4 ,it is loved and hated1 trusted and feared1 served and assaulted1 honored and blasphemed3 it is ,christ or ,antichrist1 the ,kingdom of ,god or the imposture of ,satan4 ,it pervades the civilized world4 ,no man and no nation can ignore it1 none can be indifferent to it4 ,why is all this8 ,how is its existence to be accounted for8 ,let me suppose that ,i am an unbeliever in ,christianity1 and that some friend should make me promise to examine the evidence to show that ,christianity is a ,divine revelation2 ,i should then sift and test the evidence as strictly as if it were in a court of law1 and in a cause of life and death2 my will would be in suspense3 it would in no way control the process of my intellect4 ,if it had any inclination from the equilibrium1 it would be towards mercy and hope2 but this would not add a feather's weight to the evidence1 nor sway the intellect a hair's breadth4 ,after the examination has been completed1 and my intellect convinced1 the evidence being sufficient to prove that ,christianity is a divine revelation1 nevertheless ,i am not yet a ,christian4 ,all this sifting brings me to the conclusion of a chain of reasoning2 but ,i am not yet a believer4 ,the last act of reason has brought me to the brink of the first act of faith4 ,they are generically distinct and separable4 ,the acts of reason are intellectual1 and jealous of the interference of the will4 ,the act of faith is an imperative act of the will1 founded on and justified by the process and conviction of the intellect4 ,hitherto ,i have been a critic3 henceforward1 if ,i will1 ,i become a disciple4 ,it may here be objected that no man can so far suspend the inclination of the will when the question is1 has ,god indeed spoken to man or no8 is the revealed law of purity1 generosity1 perfection1 divine1 or only the poetry of imagination8 ,can a man be indifferent between two such sides of the problem8 ,will he not desire the higher and better side to be true8 and if he desire1 will he not incline to the side that he desires to find true8 ,can a moral being be absolutely indifferent between two such issues8 and can two such issues be equally attractive to a moral agent8 ,can it be indifferent and all the same to us whether ,god has made ,himself and ,his will known to us or not8 ,is there no attraction in light1 no repulsion in darkness8 ,does not the intrinsic and eternal distinction of good and evil make itself felt in spite of the will8 ,are we not responsible to receive the truth in the love of it8 ,nevertheless1 evidence has its own limits and quantities1 and cannot be made more or less by any act of the will4 ,and yet1 what is good or bad1 high or mean1 lovely or hateful1 ennobling or degrading1 must attract or repel men as they are better or worse in their moral sense2 for an equilibrium between good and evil1 to ,god or to man1 is impossible4 ,the last act of my reason1 then1 is distinct from my first act of faith precisely in this3 so long as ,i was uncertain ,i suspended the inclination of my will1 as an act of fidelity to conscience and of loyalty to truth2 but the process once complete1 and the conviction once attained1 my will imperatively constrains me to believe1 and ,i become a disciple of a ,divine revelation4 ,my friend next tells me that there are ,christian ,scriptures1 and ,i go through precisely the same process of critical examination and final conviction1 the last act of reasoning preceding1 as before1 the first act of faith4 ,he then tells me that there is a ,church claiming to be divinely founded1 divinely guarded1 and divinely guided in its custody of ,christianity and of the ,christian ,scriptures4 ,once more ,i have the same twofold process of reasoning and of believing to go through4 ,there is1 however1 this difference in the subject-matter3 ,christianity is an order of supernatural truth appealing intellectually to my reason2 the ,christian ,scriptures are voiceless1 and need a witness4 ,they cannot prove their own mission1 much less their own authenticity or inspiration4 ,but the ,church is visible to the eye1 audible to the ear1 self-manifesting and self-asserting3 ,i cannot escape from it4 ,if ,i go to the east1 it is there2 if ,i go to the west1 it is there also4 ,if ,i stay at home1 it is before me1 seated on the hill2 if ,i turn away from it1 ,i am surrounded by its light4 ,it pursues me and calls to me4 ,i cannot deny its existence2 ,i cannot be indifferent to it2 ,i must either listen to it or willfully stop my ears2 ,i must heed it or defy it1 love it or hate it4 ,but my first attitude towards it is to try it with forensic strictness1 neither pronouncing it to be ,christ nor ,antichrist till ,i have tested its origin1 claim1 and character4 ,let us take down the case in short-hand4 #a4 ,it says that it interpenetrates all the nations of the civilized world4 ,in some it holds the whole nation in its unity1 in others it holds fewer2 but in all it is present1 visible1 audible1 naturalized1 and known as the one ,catholic ,church1 a name that none can appropriate4 ,though often claimed and controversially assumed1 none can retain it2 it falls off4 ,the world knows only one ,catholic ,church1 and always restores the name to the right owner4 #b4 ,it is not a national body1 but extra-national1 accused of its foreign relations and foreign dependence4 ,it is international1 and independent in a supernational unity4 #c4 ,in faith1 divine worship1 sacred ceremonial1 discipline1 government1 from the highest to the lowest1 it is the same in every place4 #d4 ,it speaks all languages in the civilized world4 #e4 ,it is obedient to one ,head1 outside of all nations1 except one only2 and in that nation1 his headship is not national but world-wide4 #f4 ,the world-wide sympathy of the ,church in all lands with its ,head has been manifested in our days1 and before our eyes1 by a series of public assemblages in ,rome1 of which nothing like or second to it can be found4 ,in #ahed1 #cej ,bishops of all nations surrounded their ,head when he defined the ,immaculate ,conception4 ,in #ahfb1 #djj ,bishops assembled at the canonization of the ,martyrs of ,japan4 ,in #ahfg1 #ejj ,bishops came to keep the eighteenth centenary of ,st4 ,peter's martyrdom4 ,in #ahgj1 #gjj ,bishops assembled in the ,vatican ,council4 ,on the ,feast of the ,epiphany1 #ahgj1 the ,bishops of thirty nations during two whole hours made profession of faith in their own languages1 kneeling before their head4 ,add to this1 that in #ahfi1 in the sacerdotal jubilee of ,pius ,,ix41 ,rome was filled for months by pilgrims from all lands in ,europe and beyond the sea1 from the ,old ,world and from the ,new1 bearing all manner of gifts and oblations to the ,head of the ,universal ,church4 ,to this1 again1 must be added the world-wide outcry and protest of all the ,catholic unity against the seizure and sacrilege of ,september1 #ahgj1 when ,rome was taken by the ,italian ,revolution4 #g4 ,all this came to pass not only by reason of the great love of the ,catholic world for ,pius ,,ix41 but because they revered him as the successor of ,st4 ,peter and the ,vicar of ,jesus ,christ4 ,for that undying reason the same events have been reproduced in the time of ,leo ,,xiii4 ,in the early months of this year ,rome was once more filled with pilgrims of all nations1 coming in thousands as representatives of millions in all nations1 to celebrate the sacerdotal jubilee of the ,sovereign ,pontiff4 ,the courts of the ,vatican could not find room for the multitude of gifts and offerings of every kind which were sent from all quarters of the world4 #h4 ,these things are here said1 not because of any other importance1 but because they set forth in the most visible and self-evident way the living unity and the luminous universality of the ,one ,catholic and ,roman ,church4 #i4 ,what has thus far been said is before our eyes at this hour4 ,it is no appeal to history1 but to a visible and palpable fact4 ,men may explain it as they will2 deny it1 they cannot4 ,they see the ,head of the ,church year by year speaking to the nations of the world2 treating with ,empires1 ,republics and ,governments4 ,there is no other man on earth that can so bear himself4 ,neither from ,canterbury nor from ,constantinople can such a voice go forth to which rulers and people listen4 ,this is the century of revolutions4 ,rome has in our time been besieged three times2 three ,popes have been driven out of it1 two have been shut up in the ,vatican4 ,the city is now full of the ,revolution4 ,the whole ,church has been tormented by ,falck laws1 ,mancini laws1 and ,crispi laws4 ,an unbeliever in ,germany said some years ago1 ,the net is now drawn so tight about the ,church1 that if it escapes this time ,i will believe in it4 ,whether he believes1 or is even alive now to believe1 ,i cannot say4 ,nothing thus far has been said as proof4 ,the visible1 palpable facts1 which are at this moment before the eyes of all men1 speak for themselves4 ,there is one1 and only one1 worldwide unity of which these things can be said4 ,it is a fact and a phenomenon for which an intelligible account must be rendered4 ,if it be only a human system built up by the intellect1 will and energy of men1 let the adversaries prove it4 ,the burden is upon them2 and they will have more to do as we go on4 ,thus far we have rested upon the evidence of sense and fact4 ,we must now go on to history and reason4 ,every religion and every religious body known to history has varied from itself and broken up4 ,brahminism has given birth to ,buddhism2 ,mahometanism is parted into the ,arabian and ,european ,khalifates2 the ,greek schism into the ,russian1 ,constantinopolitan1 and ,bulgarian autocephalous fragment2 ,protestaritism into its multitudinous diversities4 ,all have departed from their original type1 and all are continually developing new and irreconcilable1 intellectual and ritualistic1 diversities and repulsions4 ,how is it that1 with all diversities of language1 civilization1 race1 interest1 and conditions1 social and political1 including persecution and warfare1 the ,catholic nations are at this day1 even when in warfare1 in unchanged unity of faith1 communion1 worship and spiritual sympathy with each other and with their ,head8 ,this needs a rational explanation4 ,it may be said in answer1 endless divisions have come out of the ,church1 from ,arius to ,photius1 and from ,photius to ,luther4 ,yes1 but they all came out4 ,there is the difference4 ,they did not remain in the ,church1 corrupting the faith4 ,they came out1 and ceased to belong to the ,catholic unity1 as a branch broken from a tree ceases to belong to the tree4 ,but the identity of the tree remains the same4 ,a branch is not a tree1 nor a tree a branch4 ,a tree may lose branches1 but it rests upon its root1 and renews its loss4 ,not so the religions1 so to call them1 that have broken away from unity4 ,not one has retained its members or its doctrines4 ,once separated from the sustaining unity of the ,church1 all separations lose their spiritual cohesion1 and then their intellectual identity4 ,ramus procisus arescit4 ,for the present it is enough to say that no human legislation1 authority or constraint can ever create internal unity of intellect and will2 and that the diversities and contradictions generated by all human systems prove the absence of ,divine authority4 ,variations or contradictions are proof of the absence of a ,divine mission to mankind4 ,all natural causes run to disintegration4 ,therefore1 they can render no account of the world-wide unity of the ,one ,universal ,church4 ,such1 then1 are the facts before our eyes at this day4 ,we will seek out the origin of the body or system called the ,catholic ,church1 and pass at once to its outset eighteen hundred years ago4 ,i affirm1 then1 three things3 7#a7 ,first1 that no adequate account can be given of this undeniable fact from natural causes2 7#b7 that the history of the ,catholic ,church demands causes above nature2 and 7#c7 that it has always claimed for itself a ,divine origin and ,divine authority4 ,i4 ,and1 first1 before we examine what it was and what it has done1 we will recall to mind what was the world in the midst of which it arose4 ,the most comprehensive and complete description of the old world1 before ,christianity came in upon it1 is given in the first chapter of the ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,mankind had once the knowledge of ,god3 that knowledge was obscured by the passions of sense2 in the darkness of the human intellect1 with the light of nature still before them1 the nations worshiped the creature--that is1 by pantheism1 polytheism1 idolatry2 and1 having lost the knowledge of ,god and of ,his perfections1 they lost the knowledge of their own nature and of its laws1 even of the natural and rational laws1 which thenceforward ceased to guide1 restrain1 or govern them4 ,they became perverted and inverted with every possible abuse1 defeating the end and destroying the powers of creation4 ,the lights of nature were put out1 and the world rushed headlong into confusions1 of which the beasts that perish were innocent4 ,this is analytically the history of all nations but one4 ,a line of light still shone from ,adam to ,enoch1 from ,enoch to ,abraham1 to whom the command was given1 ,walk before ,me and be perfect4 ,and it ran on from ,abraham to ,caiaphas1 who crucified the founder of ,christianity4 ,through all anthropomorphisms of thought and language this line of light still passed inviolate and inviolable4 ,but in the world1 on either side of that radiant stream1 the whole earth was dark4 ,the intellectual and moral state of the ,greek world may be measured in its highest excellence in ,athens2 and of the ,roman world in ,rome4 ,the 'state of ,athens--its private1 domestic1 and public morality--may be seen in ,aristophanes4 ,the state of ,rome is visible in ,juvenal1 and in the fourth book of ,st4 ,augustine's ,city of ,god4 ,there was only one evil wanting-4 ,the world was not ,atheist4 ,its polytheism was the example and the warrant of all forms of moral abominations4 ,imitary quod colis plunged the nations in crime4 ,their theology was their degradation2 their text-book of an elaborate corruption of intellect and will4 ,christianity came in the fullness of time4 ,what that fullness may mean1 is one of the mysteries of times and seasons which it is not for us to know4 ,but one motive for the long delay of four thousand years is not far to seek4 ,it gave time1 full and ample1 for the utmost development and consolidation of all the falsehood and evil of which the intellect and will of man are capable4 ,the four great empires were each of them the concentration of a supreme effort of human power4 ,the second inherited from the first1 the third from both1 the fourth from all three4 ,it was1 as it was foretold or described1 as a beast1 exceeding terrible2 his teeth and claws were of iron2 he devoured and broke in pieces2 and the rest he stamped upon with his feet4 99 ,the empire of man over man was never so widespread1 so absolute1 so hardened into one organized mass1 as in ,imperial ,rome4 ,the world had never seen a military power so disciplined1 irresistible1 invincible2 a legislation so just1 so equitable1 so strong in its execution2 a government so universal1 so local1 so minute4 ,it seemed to be imperishable4 ,rome was called the eternal4 ,the religions of all nations were enshrined in ,dea ,roma2 adopted1 practiced openly1 and taught4 ,they were all religiones licitae1 known to the law2 not tolerated only1 but recognized4 ,the theologies of ,egypt1 ,greece1 and of the ,latin world1 met in an empyreum1 consecrated and guarded by the ,imperial law1 and administered by the ,pontifex ,maximus4 ,no fanaticism ever surpassed the religious cruelties of ,rome44 ,add to all this the colluvies of false philosophies of every land1 and of every date4 ,they both blinded and hardened the intellect of public opinion and of private men against the invasion of anything except contempt1 and hatred of both the philosophy of sophists and of the religion of the people4 ,add to all this the sensuality of the most refined and of the grossest luxury the world had ever seen1 and a moral confusion and corruption which violated every law of nature4 99 ,daniel1 vii4 #ai4 ,the god of this world had built his city4 ,from foundation to parapet1 everything that the skill and power of man could do had been done without stint of means or limit of will4 ,the ,divine hand was stayed1 or rather1 as ,st4 ,augustine says1 an unsurpassed natural greatness was the reward of certain natural virtues1 degraded as they were in unnatural abominations4 ,rome was the climax of the power of man without ,god1 the apotheosis of the human will1 the direct and supreme antagonist of ,god in ,his own world4 ,in this the fullness of time was come4 ,man built all this for himself4 ,certainly1 man could not also build the ,city of ,god4 ,they are not the work of one and the same architect1 who capriciously chose to build first the city of confusion1 suspending for a time his skill and power to build some day the ,city of ,god4 ,such a hypothesis is folly4 ,of two things1 one4 ,disputers must choose one or the other4 ,both cannot be asserted1 and the assertion needs no answer--it refutes itself4 ,so much for the first point4 ,,ii4 ,in the reign of ,augustus1 and in a remote and powerless ,oriental race1 a ,child was born in a stable of a poor ,mother4 ,for thirty years ,he lived a hidden life2 for three years ,he preached the ,kingdom of ,god1 and gave laws hitherto unknown to men4 ,he died in ignominy upon the ,cross2 on the third day ,he rose again2 and after forty days ,he was seen no more4 ,this unknown ,man created the world-wide unity of intellect and will which is visible to the eye1 and audible1 in all languages1 to the ear4 ,it is in harmony with the reason and moral nature of all nations1 in all ages1 to this day4 ,what proportion is there between the cause and the effect8 ,what power was there in this isolated ,man8 ,what unseen virtues went out of ,him to change the world8 ,for change the world ,he did2 and that not in the line or on the level of nature as men had corrupted it1 but in direct contradiction to all that was then supreme in the world4 ,he taught the dependence of the intellect against its self-trust1 the submission of the will against its license1 the subjugation of the passions by temperate control or by absolute subjection against their willful indulgence4 ,this was to reverse what men believed to be the laws of nature3 to make water climb upward and fire to point downward4 ,he taught mortification of the lusts of the flesh1 contempt of the lusts of the eyes1 and hatred of the pride of life4 ,what hope was there that such a teacher should convert imperial ,rome8 that such a doctrine should exorcise the fullness of human pride and lust8 ,yet so it has come to pass2 and how8 ,twelve men more obscure than ,himself1 absolutely without authority or influence of this world1 preached throughout the empire and beyond it4 ,they asserted two facts3 the one1 that ,god had been made man2 the other1 that ,he died and rose again4 ,what could be more incredible8 ,to the ,jews the unity and spirituality of ,god were axioms of reason and faith2 to the ,gentiles1 however cultured1 the resurrection of the flesh was impossible4 ,the ,divine ,person ,who had died and risen could not be called in evidence as the chief witness4 ,he could not be produced in court4 ,could anything be more suspicious if credible1 or less credible even if ,he were there to say so8 ,all that they could do was to say1 ,we knew ,him for three years1 both before ,his death and after ,he rose from the dead4 ,if you will believe us1 you will believe what we say4 ,if you will not believe us1 we can say no more4 ,he is not here1 but in heaven4 ,we cannot call him down4 ,it is true1 as we read1 that ,peter cured a lame man at the gate of the ,temple4 ,the ,pharisees could not deny it1 but they would not believe what ,peter said2 they only told him to hold his tongue4 ,and yet thousands in one day in ,jerusalem believed in the ,incarnation and the ,resurrection2 and when the ,apostles were scattered by persecution1 wherever they went men believed their word4 ,the most intense persecution was from the ,jews1 the people of faith and of ,divine traditions4 ,in the name of ,god and of religion they stoned ,stephen1 and sent ,saul to persecute at ,damascus4 ,more than this1 they stirred up the ,romans in every place4 ,as they had forced ,pilate to crucify ,jesus of ,nazareth1 so they swore to slay ,paul4 ,and yet1 in spite of all1 the faith spread4 ,it is true1 indeed1 that the ,empire of ,alexander1 the spread of the ,hellenistic ,greek1 the prevalence of ,greek in ,rome itself1 the ,roman roads which made the ,empire traversable1 the ,roman peace which sheltered the preachers of the faith in the outset of their work1 gave them facilities to travel and to be understood4 ,but these were only external facilities1 which in no way rendered more credible or more acceptable the voice of penance and mortification1 or the mysteries of the faith1 which was immutably to the ,jews a stumbling-block and to the ,greeks foolishness4 ,it was in changeless opposition to nature as man had marred it2 but it was in absolute harmony with nature as ,god had made it to ,his own likeness4 ,its power was its persuasiveness2 and its persuasiveness was in its conformity to the highest and noblest aspirations and aims of the soul in man4 ,the master-key so long lost was found at last2 and its conformity to the wards of the lock was its irrefragable witness to its own mission and message4 ,but if it is beyond belief that ,christianity in its outset made good its foothold by merely human causes and powers1 how much more does this become incredible in every age as we come down from the first century to the nineteenth1 and from the ,apostolic mission to the world-wide ,church1 ,catholic and ,roman1 at this day4 ,not only did the world in the fullness of its power give to the ,christian faith no help to root or to spread itself1 but it wreaked all the fullness of its power upon it to uproot and to destroy it1 ,of the first thirty ,pontiffs in ,rome1 twenty-nine were martyred4 ,ten successive persecutions1 or rather one universal and continuous persecution of two hundred years1 with ten more bitter excesses of enmity in every province of the ,empire1 did all that man can do to extinguish the ,christian name4 ,the ,christian name may be blotted out here and there in blood1 but the ,christian faith can nowhere be slain4 ,it is inscrutable1 and beyond the reach of man4 ,in nothing is the blood of the martyrs more surely the seed of the faith4 ,every martyrdom was a witness to the faith1 and the ten persecutions were the sealing of the work of the twelve ,apostles4 ,the destroyer defeated himself4 ,christ crucified was visibly set forth before all the nations1 the world was a ,calvary1 and the blood of the martyrs preached in every tongue the ,passion of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the world did its worst1 and ceased only for weariness and conscious defeat4 ,then came the peace1 and with peace the peril of the ,church4 ,the world outside had failed2 the world inside began to work4 ,it no longer destroyed life2 it perverted the intellect1 and1 through intellectual perversion1 assailed the faith at its centre1 ,the ,angel of light preached heresy4 ,the ,baptismal ,creed was assailed all along the line2 ,gnosticism assailed the ,father-and ,creator of all things2 ,arianism1 the ,god-head of the ,son2 ,nestorianism1 the unity of ,his person2 ,monophysites1 the two natures2 ,monothelites1 the divine and human wills2 ,macedonians1 the person of the ,holy ,ghost ,so throughout the centuries1 from ,nicaea to the ,vatican1 every article has been in succession perverted by heresy and defined by the ,church4 ,but of this we shall speak hereafter4 ,if the human intellect could fasten its perversions on the ,chris tian faith1 it would have done so long ago2 and if the ,christian faith had been guarded by no more than human intellect1 it would long ago have been disintegrated1 as we see in every religion outside the unity of the one ,catholic ,church4 ,there is no example in which fragmentary ,christianities have not departed from their original type4 ,no human system is immutable2 no thing human is changeless4 ,the human intellect1 therefore1 can give no sufficient account of the identity of the ,catholic faith in all places and in all ages by any of its own natural processes or powers4 ,the force of this argument is immensely increased when we trace the tradition of the faith through the nineteen ,o,ecumenical ,councils which1 with one continuous intelligence1 have guarded and unfolded the deposit of faith1 defining every truth as it has been successively assailed1 in absolute harmony and unity of progression4 ,what the ,senate is to your great ,republic1 or the ,parliament to our ,english monarchy1 such are the nineteen ,councils of the ,church1 with this only difference3 the secular ,legislatures must meet year by year with short recesses2 ,councils have met on the average once in a century4 ,the reason of this is that the mutabilities of national life1 which are as the water-floods1 need constant remedies2 the stability of the ,church seldom needs new legislation4 ,the faith needs no definition except in rare intervals of periodical intellectual disorder4 ,the discipline of the ,church reigns by an universal common law which seldom needs a change1 and by local laws which are provided on the spot4 ,nevertheless1 the legislation of the ,church1 the ,corpus ,juris1 or ,canon ,law1 is a creation of wisdom and justice1 to which no ,statutes at large or ,imperial pandects can bear comparison4 ,human intellect has reached its climax in jurisprudence1 but the world-wide and secular legislation of the ,church has a higher character4 ,how the ,christian law corrected1 elevated1 and completed the ,imperial law1 may be seen in a learned and able work by an ,american author1 far from the ,catholic faith1 but in the main just and accurate in his facts and arguments--the ,gesta ,christi of ,charles ,loring ,brace4 ,water cannot rise above its source1 and if the ,church by mere human wisdom corrected and perfected the ,imperial law1 its source must be higher than the sources of the world4 ,this makes a heavy demand on our credulity4 ,starting from ,st4 ,peter to ,leo ,,xiii41 there have been some #beh ,pontiffs claiming to be1 and recognized by the whole ,catholic unity as1 successors of ,st4 ,peter and ,vicars of ,jesus ,christ4 ,to them has been rendered in every age not only the external obedience of outward submission1 but the internal obedience of faith4 ,they have borne the onset of the nations who destroyed ,imperial ,rome1 and the tyranny of heretical ,emperors of ,byzantium2 and1 worse than this1 the alternate despotism and patronage of the ,emperors of the ,west1 and the substraction of obedience in the great ,western schisms1 when the unity of the ,church and the authority of its ,head were1 as men thought1 gone for ever4 ,it was the last assault--the forlorn hope of the gates of hell4 ,every art of destruction had been tried3 martyrdom1 heresy1 secularity1 schism2 at last1 two1 and three1 and four claimants1 or1 as the world says1 rival ,popes1 were set up1 that men might believe that ,st4 ,peter had no longer a successor1 and our ,lord no ,vicar1 upon earth2 for1 though all might be illegitimate1 only one could be the lawful and true ,head of the ,church4 ,was it only by the human power of man that the unity1 external and internal1 which for fourteen hundred years had been supreme1 was once more restored in the ,council of ,constance1 never to be broken again8 ,the succession of the ,english monarchy has been1 indeed1 often broken1 and always restored1 in these thousand years4 ,but here is a monarchy of eighteen hundred years1 powerless in worldly force or support1 claiming and receiving not only outward allegiance1 but inward unity of intellect and will4 ,if any man tell us that these two phenomena are on the same level of merely human causes1 it is too severe a tax upon our natural reason to believe it4 ,but the inadequacy of human causes to account for the universality1 unity1 and immutability of the ,catholic ,church1 will stand out more visibly if we look at the intellectual and moral revolution which ,christianity has wrought in the world and upon mankind4 ,the first effect of ,christianity was to fill the world with the true knowledge of the ,one ,true ,god1 and to destroy utterly all idols1 not by fire but by light4 ,before the ,light of the world no false god and no polytheism could stand4 ,the unity and spirituality of ,god swept away all theogonies and theologies of the first four thousand years4 ,the stream of light which descended from the beginning expanded into a radiance1 and the radiance into a flood1 which illuminated all nations1 as it had been foretold1 ,the earth is filled with the knowledge of the ,lord1 as the covering waters of the sea2 ,and idols shall be utterly destroyed499 ,in this true knowledge of the ,divine ,nature was revealed to men their own relation to a ,creator as of sons to a father4 ,the ,greeks called the chief of the gods ,zeus ,pater1 and the ,latins ,jupiter2 but neither realized the dependence and love of sonship as revealed by the ,founder of ,christianity4 99 ,isaias1 xi4 #i-aa1 #ah4 ,the monotheism of the world comes down from a primeval and ,divine source4 ,polytheism is the corruption of men and of nations4 ,yet in the multiplicity of all polytheisms1 ont supreme ,deity was always recognized4 ,the ,divine unity was imperishable4 ,polytheism is of human imagination3 it is of men's manufacture4 ,the deification of nature and passions and heroes had filled the world with an elaborate and tenacious superstition1 surrounded by reverence1 fear1 religion1 and awe4 ,every perversion of what is good in man surrounded it with authority2 everything that is evil in man guarded it with jealous care4 ,against this world-wide and imperious demon-ology the science of one ,god1 all holy and supreme1 advanced with resistless force4 ,beelzebub is not divided against himself2 and if polytheism is not ,divine1 monotheism must be4 ,the overthrow of idolatry and demonology was the mastery of forces that are above nature4 ,this conclusion is enough for our present purpose4 ,a second visible effect of ,christianity of which nature cannot offer any adequate cause is to be found in the domestic life of the ,christian world4 ,in some nations the existence of marriage was not so much as recognized4 ,in others1 if recognized1 it was dishonored by profuse concubinage4 ,even in ,israel1 the most advanced nation1 the law of divorce was permitted for the hardness of their hearts4 ,christianity republished the primitive law by which marriage unites only one man and one woman indissolubly in a perpetual contract4 ,it raised their mutual and perpetual contract to a sacrament4 ,this at one blow condemned all other relations between man and woman1 all the legal gradations of the ,imperial law1 and all forms and pleas of divorce4 ,beyond this the spiritual legislation of the ,church framed most elaborate tables of consanguinity and affinity1 prohibiting all marriages between persons in certain degrees of kinship or relation4 ,this law has created the purity and peace of domestic life4 ,neither the ,greek nor the ,roman world had any true conception of a home4 ,the ,eoria or ,vesta was a sacred tradition guarded by vestals like a temple worship4 ,it was not a law and a power in the homes of the people4 ,christianity1 by enlarging the circles of prohibition within which men and women were as brothers and sisters1 has created the home with all its purities and safeguards4 ,such a law of unity and indissolubility1 encompassed by a multitude of prohibitions1 no mere human legislation could impose on the the passions and will of mankind4 ,and yet the ,imperial laws gradually yielded to its resistless pressure1 and incorporated it in its world-wide legislation4 ,the passions and practices of four thousand years were against the change2 yet it was accomplished1 and it reigns inviolate to this day1 though the relaxations of schism in the ,east and the laxities of the ,west have revived the abuse of divorces1 and have partially abolished the wise and salutary prohibitions which guard the homes of the faithful4 ,these relaxations prove that all natural forces have been1 and are1 hostile to the indissoluble law of ,christian marriage4 ,certainly1 then1 it was not by natural forces that the ,sacrament of ,matrimony and the legislation springing from it were enacted4 ,if these are restraints of human liberty and license1 either they do not spring from nature1 or they have had a supernatural cause whereby they exist4 ,it was this that redeemed woman from the traditional degradation in which the world had held her4 ,the condition of women in ,athens and in ,rome--which may be taken as the highest points of civilization--is too well known to need recital4 ,women had no rights1 no property1 no independence4 ,plato looked upon them as ,state property2 ,aristotle as chattels2 the ,greeks wrote of them as --,greek--4 ,they were the prey1 the sport1 the slaves of man4 ,even in ,israel1 though they were raised incomparably higher than in the ,gentile world1 they were far below the dignity and authority of ,christian women4 ,libanius1 the friend of ,julian1 the ,apostate1 said1 ,o ye gods of ,greece1 how great are the women of the ,christians6 ,whence came the elevation of womanhood8 ,not from the ancient civilization1 for it degraded them2 not from ,israel1 for among the ,jews the highest state of womanhood was the marriage state4 ,the daughter of ,jepthe went into the mountains to mourn not her death but her virginity4 ,the marriage state in the ,christian world1 though holy and good1 is not the highest state4 ,the state of virginity unto death is the highest condition of man and woman4 ,but this is above the law of nature4 ,it belongs to a higher order4 ,and this life of virginity1 in repression of natural passion and lawful instinct1 is both above and against the tendencies of human nature4 ,it begins in a mortification1 and ends in a mastery1 over the movements and ordinary laws of human nature4 ,who will ascribe this to natural causes8 and1 if so1 why did it not appear in the first four thousand years8 ,and when has it ever appeared except in a handful of vestal virgins1 or in ,oriental recluses1 with what reality history shows8 ,an exception proves a rule4 ,no one will imagine that a life of chastity is impossible to nature2 but the restriction is a repression of nature which individuals may acquire1 but the multitude have never attained4 ,a religion which imposes chastity on the unmarried1 and upon its priesthood1 and upon the multitudes of women in every age who devote themselves to the service of ,one ,whom they have never seen1 is a mortification of nature in so high a degree as to stand out as a fact and a phenomenon1 of which mere natural causes afford no adequate solution4 ,its existence1 not in a handful out of the millions of the world1 but its prevalence and continuity in multitudes scattered throughout the ,christian world1 proves the presence of a cause higher than the laws of nature4 ,so true is this1 that jurists teach that the three vows of chastity1 poverty1 and obedience are contrary to the policy of the law1 that is1 to the interests of the commonwealth1 which desires the multiplication1 enrichment1 and liberty of its members4 ,to what has been said may be added the change wrought by ,christianity upon the social1 political1 and international relations of the world4 ,the root of this ethical change1 private and public1 is the ,christian home4 ,the authority of parents1 the obedience of children1 the love of brotherhood1 are the three active powers which have raised the society of man above the level of the old world4 ,israel was head and shoulders above the world around it2 but ,christendom is high above ,israel4 ,the new ,commandment of brotherly love1 and the ,sermon on the ,mount1 have wrought a revolution1 both in private and public life4 ,from this come the laws of justice and sympathy which bind together the nations of the ,christian world4 ,in the old world1 even the most refined races1 worshiped by our modern philosophers1 held and taught that man could hold property in man4 ,in its chief cities there were more slaves than free men4 ,who has taught the equality of men before the law1 and extinguished the impious thought that man can hold property in man8 ,it was no philosopher3 even ,aristotle taught that a slave was --,greek--4 ,it was no lawgiver1 for all taught the lawfulness of slavery till ,christianity denied it4 ,the ,christian law has taught that man can lawfully sell his labor1 but that he cannot lawfully be sold1 or sell himself4 ,the necessity of being brief1 the impossibility of drawing out the picture of the old world1 its profound immoralities1 its unimaginable cruelties1 compels me to argue with my right hand tied behind me4 ,i can do no more than point again to ,mr4 ,brace's ,gesta ,christi1 or to ,dr4 ,dollinger's ,gentile and ,jew1 as witnesses to the facts which ,i have stated or implied4 ,no one who has not read such books1 or mastered their contents by original study1 can judge of the force of the assertion that ,christianity has reformed the world by direct antagonism to the human will1 and by a searching and firm repression of human passion4 ,it has ascended the stream of human license1 contra ictum fluminis1 by a power mightier than nature1 and by laws of a higher order than the relaxations of this world4 ,before ,christianity came on earth1 the civilization of man by merely natural force had culminated4 ,it could not rise above its source2 all that it could do was done2 and the civilization in every race and empire had ended in decline and corruption4 ,the old civilization was not regenerated4 ,it passed away to give place to a new4 ,but the new had a higher source1 nobler laws and supernatural powers4 ,the highest excellence of men and of nations is the civilization of ,christianity4 ,the human race has ascended into what we call ,christendom1 that is1 into the new creation of charity and justice among men4 ,christendom was created by the worldwide ,church as we see it before our eyes at this day4 ,philosophers and statesmen believe it to be the work of their own hands3 they did not make it2 but they have for three hundred years been unmaking it by reformations and revolutions4 ,these are destructive forces4 ,they build up nothing4 ,it has been well said by ,donoso ,cortez that the history of civilization is the history of ,christianity1 the history of ,christianity is the history of the ,church1 the history of the ,church is the history of the ,pontiffs1 the greatest statesmen and rulers that the world has ever seen4 ,some years ago1 a ,professor of great literary reputation in ,england1 who was supposed even then to be1 as his subsequent writings have proved1 a skeptic or non-,christian1 published a well-known and very candid book1 under the title of ,ecce ,homo4 ,the writer placed himself1 as it were1 outside of ,christianity4 ,he took1 not the ,church in the world as in this article1 but the ,christian ,scriptures as a historical record1 to be judged with forensic severity and absolute impartiality of mind4 ,to the credit of the author1 he fulfilled this pledge2 and his conclusion shall here be given4 ,after an examination of the life and character of the ,author of ,christianity1 he proceeded to estimate ,his teaching and its effects under the following heads3 #a4 ,the ,christian ,legislation4 #b4 ,the ,christian ,republic4 #c4 ,its ,universality4 #d4 ,the ,enthusiasm of ,humanity4 #e4 ,the ,lord's ,supper4 #f4 ,positive ,morality4 #g4 ,philanthropy4 #h4 ,edification4 #i4 ,mercy4 #aj4 ,resentment4 #aa4 ,forgiveness4 ,he then draws his conclusion as follows3 ,the achievement of ,christ in founding by his single will and power a structure so durable and so universal is like no other achievement which history records4 ,the masterpieces of the men of action are coarse and commonplace in comparison with it1 and the masterpieces of speculation flimsy and unsubstantial4 ,when we speak of it the commonplaces of admiration fail us altogether4 ,shall we speak of the originality of the design1 of the skill displayed in the execution8 ,all such terms are inadequate4 ,originality and contriving skill operate indeed1 but1 as it were1 implicitly4 ,the creative effort which produced that against which it is said the gates of hell shall not prevail cannot be analyzed4 ,no architect's designs were furnished for the ,new ,jerusalem2 no committee drew up rules for the universal commonwealth4 ,if in the works of nature we can trace the indications of calculation1 of a struggle with difficulties1 of precaution1 of ingenuity1 then in ,christ's work it may be that the same indications occur4 ,but these inferior and secondary powers were not consciously exercised2 they were implicitly present in the manifold yet single creative act4 ,the inconceivable work was done in calmness2 before the eyes of mea it was noiselessly accomplished1 attracting little attention4 ,who can describe that which unites men8 ,who has entered into the formation of speech1 which is the symbol of their union8 ,who can describe exhaustively the origin of civil society8 ,he who can do these things can explain the origin of the ,christian ,church4 ,for others it must be enough to say1 ',the ,holy ,ghost fell on those that believed'4 ,no man saw the building of the ,new ,jerusalem1 the workmen crowded together1 the unfinished walla and unpaved streets2 no man heard the clink of trowel and pickaxe3 'it descended out of heaven from ,god4'99 99 ,ece ,homo1 ,conclusion1 p4 #cbi1 ,fifth ,edition4 ,macmillan1 #ahhf4 ,and yet the writer is1 as he was then1 still outside of ,christianity4 ,,iii4 ,we come now to our third point1 that ,christianity has always claimed a ,divine origin and a ,divine presence as the source of its authority and powers4 ,to prove this by texts from the ,new ,testament would be to transcribe the volume2 and if the evidence of the whole ,new ,testament were put in1 not only might some men deny its weight as evidence1 but we should place our whole argument upon a false foundation4 ,christianity was anterior to the ,new ,testament and is independent of it4 ,the ,christian ,scriptures presuppose both the faith and the ,church as already existing1 known1 and believed4 ,prior liber quam stylus3 as ,tertullian argued4 ,the ,gospel was preached before it was written4 ,the four books were written to those who already believed1 to confirm their faith4 ,they were written at intervals3 ,st4 ,matthew in ,hebrew in the year #ci1 in ,greek in #de4 ,st4 ,mark in #dc1 ,st4 ,luke in #eg1 ,st4 ,john about #ij1 in different places and for different motives4 ,four ,gospels did not exist for sixty years1 or two generations of men4 ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul knew of only three of our four4 ,in those sixty years the faith had spread from east to west4 ,saints and ,martyrs had gone up to their crown who never saw a sacred book4 ,the ,apostolic ,epistles prove the antecedent existence of the ,churches to which they were addressed4 ,rome and ,corinth1 and ,galatia and ,ephesus1 ,philippi and ,colossae1 were ,churches with pastors and people before ,st4 ,paul wrote to them4 ,the ,church had already attested and executed its ,divine legation before the ,new ,testament existed2 and when all its books were written they were not as yet collected into a volume4 ,the earliest collection was about the beginning of the second century1 and in the custody of the ,church in ,rome4 ,we must1 therefore1 seek to know what was and is ,christianity before and outside of the written books2 and we have the same evidence for the oral tradition of the faith as we have for the ,new ,testament itself4 ,both alike were in the custody of the ,church2 both are delivered to us by the same witness and on the same evidence4 ,to reject either1 is logically to reject both4 ,happily men are not saved by logic1 but by faith4 ,the millions of men in all ages have believed by inheritance of truth divinely guarded and delivered to them4 ,they have no need of logical analysis4 ,they have believed from their childhood4 ,neither children nor those who infantibus oquiparantur are logicians4 ,it is the penance of the doubter and the unbeliever to regain by toil his lost inheritance4 ,it is a hard penance1 like the suffering of those who eternally debate on predestination1 freewill1 fate4 ,between the death of ,st4 ,john and the mature lifetime of ,st4 ,irenaeus fifty years elapsed4 ,st4 ,polycarp was disciple of ,st4 ,john4 ,st4 ,irenaeus was disciple of ,st4 ,polycarp4 ,the mind of ,st4 ,john and the mind of ,st4 ,irenaeus had only one intermediate intelligence1 in contact with each4 ,it would be an affectation of minute criticism to treat the doctrine of ,st4 ,irenaeus as a departure from the doctrine of ,st4 ,polycarp1 or the doctrine of ,st4 ,polycarp as a departure from the doctrine of ,st4 ,john4 ,moreover1 ,st4 ,john ruled the ,church at ,ephesus1 and ,st4 ,irenaeus was born in ,asia ,minor about the year ,a4 ,d4 #abj--that is1 twenty years after ,st4 ,john's death1 when the ,church in ,asia ,minor was still full of the light of his teaching and of the accents of his voice4 ,let us see how ,st4 ,irenaeus describes the faith and the ,church4 ,in his work against ,heresies1 in ,book iii4 chap4 i41 he says1 ,we have known the way of our salvation by those through whom the ,gospel came to us2 which1 indeed1 they then preached1 but afterwards1 by the will of ,god1 delivered to us in ,scriptures1 the future foundation and pillar of our faith4 ,it is not lawful to say that they preached before they had perfect knowledge1 as some dare to affirm1 boasting themselves to be correctors of the ,apostles4 ,for after our ,lord rose from the dead1 and when they had been clothed with the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 ,who came upon them from on high1 they were filled with all truths1 and had knowledge which was perfect4 ,in chapter ii4 he adds that1 ,when they are refuted out of ,scripture1 they turn and accuse the ,scriptures as erroneous1 unauthoritative1 and of various readings1 so that the truth cannot be found by those who do not know tradition--that is1 their own4 ,but when we challenge them to come to the tradition of the ,apostles1 which is in custody of the succession of ,presbyters in the ,church1 they turn against tradition1 saying that they are not only wiser than the ,presbyters1 but even the ,apostles1 and have found the truth4 ,it therefore comes to pass that they will not agree either with the ,scriptures or with tradition4 7,ibid4 c4 iii47 ,therefore1 all who desire to know the truth ought to look to the tradition of the ,apostles1 which is manifest in all the world and in all the ,church4 ,we are able to count up the ,bishops who were instituted in the ,church by the ,apostles1 and their successors to our day4 ,they never taught nor knew such things as these men madly assert4 ,but as it would be too long in such a book as this to enumerate the successions of all the ,churches1 we point to the tradition of the greatest1 most ancient ,church1 known to all1 founded and constituted in ,rome by the two glorious ,apostles ,peter and ,paul1 and to the faith announced to all men1 coming down to us by the succession of ,bishops1 thereby confounding all those who1 in any way1 by self-pleasing1 or vainglory1 or blindness1 or an evil mind1 teach as they ought not4 ,for with this ,church1 by reason of its greater principality1 it is necessary that all churches should agree2 that is1 the faithful1 wheresoever they be1 for in that ,church the tradition of the ,apostles has been preserved4 ,no comment need be made on the words the greater principality1 which have been perverted by every anti-,catholic writer from the time they were written to this day4 ,but if any one will compare them with the words of ,st4 ,paul to the ,colossians 7chap4 i4 #ah71 describing the primacy of the ,head of the ,church in heaven1 it will appear almost certain that the original ,greek of ,st4 ,irenaeus1 which is unfortunately lost1 contained either --,greek--1 or some inflection of --,greek-- which signifies primacy4 ,however this may be1 ,st4 ,irenaeus goes on3 ,the blessed ,apostles1 having founded and instructed the ,church1 gave in charge the ,episcopate1 for the administration of the same1 to ,linus4 ,of this ,linus1 ,paul1 in his ,epistle to ,timothy1 makes mention4 ,to him succeeded ,anacletus1 and after him1 in the third place from the ,apostles1 ,clement received the ,episcopate1 he who saw the ,apostles themselves and conferred with them1 while as yet he had the preaching of the ,apostles in his ears and the tradition before his eyes2 and not he only1 but many who had been taught by the ,apostles still survived4 ,in the time of this ,clement1 when no little dissension had arisen among the brethren in ,corinth1 the ,church in ,rome wrote very powerful letters potentissimas litteras to the ,corinthians1 recalling them to peace1 restoring their faith1 and declaring the tradition which it had so short a time ago received from the ,apostles4 ,these letters of ,st4 ,clement are well known1 but have lately become more valuable and complete by the discovery of fragments published in a new edition by ,light-foot4 ,in these fragments there is a tone of authority fully explaining the words of ,st4 ,irenaeus4 ,he then traces the succession of the ,bishops of ,rome to his own day1 and adds3 ,this demonstration is complete to show that it is one and the same life-giving faith which has been preserved in the ,church from the ,apostles until now1 and is handed on in truth4 ,polycarp was not only taught by the ,apostles1 and conversed with many of those who had seen our ,lord1 but he also was constituted by the ,apostles in ,asia to be ,bishop in the ,church of ,smyrna4 ,we also saw him in our early youth1 for he lived long1 and when very old departed from this life most gloriously and nobly by martyrdom4 ,he ever taught that what he had learned from the ,apostles1 and what the ,church had delivered1 those things only are true4 ,in the fourth chapter1 ,st4 ,irenaeus goes on to say3 ,since1 then1 there are such proofs 7of the faith71 the truth is no longer to be sought for among others1 which it is easy to receive from the ,church1 forasmuch as the ,apostles laid up all truth in fullness in a rich depository1 that all who will may receive from it the water of life4 ,but what if the ,apostles had not left us the ,scriptures3 ought we not to follow the order of tradition1 which they gave in charge to them to whom they intrusted the ,churches8 ,to which order 7of tradition7 many barbarous nations yield assent1 who believe in ,christ without paper and ink1 having salvation written by the ,spirit in their hearts1 and diligently holding the ancient tradition4 ,in the twenty-sixth chapter of the same book he says3 ,therefore1 it is our duty to obey the ,presbyters who are in the ,church1 who have succession from the ,apostles1 as we have already shown2 who also with the succession of the ,episcopate have the charisma veritatis certum1 the spiritual and certain gift of truth4 ,i have quoted these passages at length1 not so much as proofs of the ,catholic ,faith as to show the identity of the ,church at its outset with the ,church before our eyes at this hour1 proving that the acorn has grown up into its oak1 or1 if you will1 the identity of the ,church at this hour with the ,church of the ,apostolic mission4 ,these passages show the ,episcopate1 its central principality1 its succession1 its custody of the faith1 its subsequent reception and guardianship of the ,scriptures1 ,its ,divine tradition1 and the charisma or ,divine assistance by which its perpetuity is secured in the succession of the ,apostles4 ,this is almost verbally1 after eighteen hundred years1 the decree of the ,vatican ,council3 ,veritatis et fidei nunquam deficientis charisma499 99 ,const4 ,dogmatica ,prima de ,ecclesia ,christi1 cap4 iv4 ,but ,st4 ,irenaeus draws out in full the ,church of this day4 ,he shows the parallel of the first creation and of the second2 of the first ,adam and the ,second2 and of the analogy between the ,incarnation or natural body1 and the ,church or mystical body of ,christ4 ,he says3 ,our faith we received from the ,church1 and guard4444 as an excellent gift in a noble vessel1 always full of youth1 and making youthful the vessel itself in which it is4 ,for this gift of ,god is intrusted to the ,church1 as the breath of life 7was imparted7 to the first man1 so this end1 that all the members partaking of it might be quickened with life4 ,and thus the communication of ,christ is imparted2 that is1 the ,holy ,ghost1 the earnest of incorruption1 the confirmation of the faith1 the way of ascent to ,god4 ,for in the ,church 7,st4 ,paul says7 ,god placed ,apostles1 ,prophets1 ,doctors1 and all other operations of the ,spirit1 of which none are partakers who do not come to the ,church1 thereby depriving themselves of life by a perverse mind and worse deeds4 ,for where the ,church is1 there is also the ,spirit of ,god2 and where the ,spirit of ,god is1 there is the ,church1 and all grace4 ,but the ,spirit is truth4 ,wherefore1 they who do not partake of ,him 7the ,spirit71 and are not nurtured unto life at the breast of the mother 7the ,church71 do not receive of that most pure fountain which proceeds from the ,body of ,christ1 but dig out for themselves broken pools from the trenches of the earth1 and drink water soiled with mire1 because they turn aside from the faith of the ,church lest they should be convicted1 and reject the ,spirit lest they should be taught499 ,again he says3 ,the ,church1 scattered throughout the world1 even unto the ends of the earth1 received from the ,apostles and their disciples the faith in one ,god the ,father ,almighty1 that made the heaven and the earth1 and the seas1 and all things that are in them4 c49999 99,st4 ,irenaeus1 ,cont4 ,hezret lib4 iii4 cap4 xxiv4 9999 ,lib4 i4 cap4 x4 ,he then recites the doctrines of the ,holy ,trinity1 the ,incarnation1 the ,passion1 ,resurrection1 and ,ascension of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and ,his coming again to raise all men1 to judge men and angels1 and to give sentence of condemnation or of life everlasting4 ,how much soever the language may vary from other forms1 such is the substance of the ,baptismal ,creed4 ,he then adds3 ,the ,church having received this preaching and this faith1 as we have said before1 although it be scattered abroad through the whole world1 carefully preserves it1 dwelling as in one habitation1 and believes alike in these 7doctrines7 as though she had one soul and the same heart3 and in strict accord1 as though she had one mouth1 proclaims1 and teaches1 and delivers onward these things4 ,and although there may be many diverse languages in the world1 yet the power of the tradition is one and the same4 ,and neither do the ,churches planted in ,germany believe otherwise1 or otherwise deliver 7the faith71 nor those in ,iberia1 nor among the ,celtae1 nor in the ,east1 nor in ,egypt1 nor in ,libya1 nor they that are planted in the mainland4 ,but as the sun1 which is ,god's creature1 in all the world is one and the same1 so also the preaching of the truth shineth everywhere1 and lightened all men that are willing to come to the knowledge of the truth4 ,and neither will any ruler of the ,church1 though he be mighty in the utterance of truth1 teach otherwise than thus 7for no man is above the master71 nor will he that is weak in the same diminish from the tradition2 for the faith being one and the same1 he that is able to say most of it hath nothing over1 and he that is able to say least hath no lack499 99 ,st4 ,irenaeus1 lib4 i4 c4 x4 ,to ,st4 ,irenaeus1 then1 the ,church was the irrefragable witness of its own legation4 ,when did it cease so to be8 ,it would be easy to multiply quotations from ,tertullian in ,a4 ,d4 #bjj1 from ,st4 ,cyprian a4 d4 #bej1 from ,st4 ,augustine and ,st4 ,optatus in ,a4 d4 #cej1 from ,st4 ,leo in a4 d4 #dej1 all of which are on the same traditional lines of faith in a divine mission to the world and of a divine assistance in its discharge4 ,but ,i refrain from doing so because ,i should have to write not an article but a folio4 ,any ,catholic theology will give the passages which are now before me2 or one such book as the ,loci ,theologici of ,melchior ,canus will suffice to show the continuity and identity of the tradition of ,st4 ,irenaeus and the tradition of the ,vatican ,council1 in which the universal church last declared the immutable faith and its own legation to mankind4 ,the world-wide testimony of the ,catholic ,church is a sufficient witness to prove the coming of the ,incarnate ,son to redeem mankind1 and to return to ,his ,father2 it is also sufficient to prove the advent of the ,holy ,ghost to abide with us for ever4 ,the work of the ,son in this world was accomplished by the ,divine acts and facts of ,his three-and-thirty years of life1 death1 ,resurrection1 and ,ascension4 ,the office of the ,holy ,ghost is perpetual1 not only as the ,illuminator and ,sanctifier of all who believe1 but also as the ,life and ,guide of the ,church4 ,i may quote now the words of the ,founder of the ,church3 ,it is expedient to you that ,i go3 for if ,i go not1 the ,paraclete will not come to you2 but if ,i go1 ,i will send ,him to you499 ,i will ask the ,father1 and ,he shall give you another ,paraclete1 that ,he may abide with you for ever49999 ,the ,spirit of ,truth1 ,whom the world cannot receive1 because it seeth ,him not nor knoweth ,him2 but you shall know ,him1 because ,he shall abide with you and shall be in you4999999 99 ,st4 ,john1 xvi4 #g4 9999 ,ibid1 xiv4 #af4 999999 ,st4,john1 xiv4 #af1 #ag4 ,st4 ,paul in the ,epistles to the ,ephesians describes the ,church as a body of which the ,head is in heaven1 and the ,author of its indefectible life abiding in it as ,his temple4 ,therefore the words1 ,he that heareth you heareth ,me4 ,this could not be if the witness of the ,apostles had been only human4 ,a ,divine guidance was attached to the office they bore4 ,they were1 therefore1 also judges of right and wrong1 and teachers by ,divine guidance of the truth4 ,but the presence and guidance of the ,spirit of ,truth is as full at this day as when ,st4 ,irenaeus wrote4 ,as the ,churches then were witnesses1 judges1 and teachers1 so is the ,church at this hour a world-wide witness1 an unerring judge and teacher1 divinely guided and guarded in the truth4 ,it is therefore not only a human and historical1 but a ,divine witness4 ,this is the chief ,divine truth which the last three hundred years have obscured4 ,modern ,christianity believes in the one advent of the ,redeemer1 but rejects the full and personal advent of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and yet the same evidence proves both4 ,the ,christianity of reformers1 always returns to ,judaism1 because they reject the full1 or do not believe the personal1 advent of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,they deny that there is an infallible teacher1 among men2 and therefore they return to the types and shadows of the ,law before the ,incarnation1 when the ,head was not yet incarnate1 and the ,body of ,christ did not as yet exist4 ,but perhaps some one will say1 ,i admit your description of the ,church as it is now and as it was in the days of ,st4 ,irenaeus2 but the eighteen hundred years of which you have said nothing were ages of declension1 disorder1 superstition1 demoralization4 ,i will answer by a question3 was not this foretold8 ,was not the ,church to be a field of wheat and tares growing together till the harvest at the end of the world8 ,there were ,cathari of old1 and ,puritans since1 impatient at the patience of ,god in bearing with the perversities and corruptions of the human intellect and will4 ,the ,church1 like its ,head in heaven1 is both human and divine4 ,he was crucified in weakness1 but no power of man could wound ,his divine nature4 ,so with the ,church1 which is ,his ,body4 ,its human element may corrupt and die2 its divine life1 sanctity1 authority1 and structure cannot die2 nor can the errors of human intellect fasten upon its faith1 nor the immoralities of the human will fasten upon its sanctity4 ,its organization of ,head and ,body is of divine creation1 divinely guarded by the ,holy ,ghost1 who quickens it by ,his indwelling1 and guides it by ,his light4 ,it is in itself incorrupt and incorruptible in the midst of corruption1 as the light of heaven falls upon all the decay and corruption in the world1 unsullied and unalterably pure4 ,we are never concerned to deny or to cloak the sins of ,christians or of ,catholics4 ,they may destroy themselves1 but they cannot infect the ,church from which they fall4 ,the fall of ,lucifer left no stain behind him4 ,when men accuse the ,church of corruption1 they reveal the fact that to them the ,church is a human institution1 of voluntary aggregation or of legislative enactment4 ,they reveal the fact that to them the ,church is not an object of ,divine faith1 as the ,real ,presence in the ,sacrament of the ,altar4 ,they do not perceive or will not believe that the articles of the ,baptismal ,creed are objects of faith1 divinely revealed or divinely created4 ,i believe in the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,holy ,catholic ,church1 the ,communion of ,saints1 the forgiveness of sins1 are all objects of faith in a ,divine order4 ,they are present in human history1 but the human element which envelops them has no power to infect or to fasten upon them4 ,until this is perceived there can be no true or full belief in the advent and office of the ,holy ,ghost1 or in the nature and sacramental action of the ,church4 ,it is the visible means and pledge of light and of sanctification to all who do not bar their intellect and their will against its inward and spiritual grace4 ,the ,church is not on probation4 ,it is the instrument of probation to the world4 ,as the light of the world1 it is changeless as the firmament ,as the source of sanctification1 it is inexhaustible as the ,rivex of ,life4 ,the human and external history of men calling themselves ,christian and ,catholic has been at times as degrading and abominable as any adversary is pleased to say4 ,but the sanctity of the ,church is no more affected by human sins than was ,baptism by the hypocrisy of ,simon ,magus4 ,the ,divine foundation1 and office1 and mission of the ,church is a part of ,christianity4 ,they who deny it deny an article of faith2 they who believe it imperfectly are the followers of a fragmentary ,christianity of modern date4 ,who can be a disciple of ,jesus ,christ who does not believe the words8 ,on this rock ,i will build ,my ,church1 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it2 ,as the ,father hath sent ,me1 ,i also send you299 ,i dispose to you1 as ,my ,father hath disposed to ,me1 a kingdom29999 ,all power in heaven and earth is given unto ,me4 ,go1 therefore1 and teach all nations2999999 ,he that heareth you heareth ,me299999999 ,i will be with you always1 even unto the end of the world27v7 ,when the days of ,pentecost were accomplished they were all together in one place3 and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty wind coming1 and there appeared to them parted tongues1 as it were1 of fire2 ,and they were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost2 7vi7 ,it seemed good to the ,holy ,ghost and to us to lay upon you no other burdens47vii7 ,but who denies that the ,apostles claimed a ,divine mission8 and who can deny that the ,catholic and ,roman ,church from ,st4 ,irenaeus to ,leo ,,xiii4 has ever and openly claimed the same1 invoking in all its supreme acts as witness1 teacher1 and legislator the presence1 light1 and guidance of the ,holy ,ghost8 ,as the preservation of all created things is by the same creative power produced in perpetual and universal action1 so the indefectibility of the ,church and of the faith is by the perpetuity of the presence and office of the ,third ,person of the ,holy ,trinity4 ,therefore1 ,st4 ,augustine calls the day of ,pentecost1 ,natalis ,spiritus ,sancti4 99,st4 ,john1 xx4 #ba4 9999 ,st4 ,luke1 xxii4 #bi4 999999 ,st4 ,matthew1 xxviii4 #ah1 #ai4 99999999 ,st4 ,luke1 x4 #aj4 7v7 ,st4 ,matthew1 xxviii4 #bj4 7vii7,acts1 ii4 #a-e4 7viii7 ,acts1 xv4 #bh4 ,it is more than time that ,i should make an end2 and to do so it will be well to sum up the heads of our argument4 ,the ,vatican ,council declares that the world-wide ,church is the irrefragable witness of its own legation or mission to mankind4 ,in proof of this ,i have affirmed3 #a4 ,that the imperishable existence of ,christianity1 and the vast and undeniable revolution that it has wrought in men and in nations1 in the moral elevation of manhood and of womanhood1 and in the domestic1 social and political life of the ,christian world1 cannot be accounted for by any natural causes1 or by any forces that are1 as philosophers say1 intra possibilitatem natures1 within the limits of what is possible to man4 #b4 ,that this world-wide and permanent elevation of the ,christian world1 in comparison with both the old world and the modern world outside of ,christianity1 demands a cause higher than the possibility of nature4 #c4 ,that the ,church has always claimed a ,divine origin and a ,divine office and authority in virtue of a perpetual ,divine assistance4 ,to this even the ,christian world1 in all its fragments external to the ,catholic unity1 bears witness4 ,it is turned to our reproach4 ,they rebuke us for holding the teaching of the ,church to be infallible4 ,we take the rebuke as a testimony of our changeless faith4 ,it is not enough for men to say that they refuse to believe this account of the visible and palpable fact of the imperishable ,christianity of the ,catholic and ,roman ,church4 ,they must find a more reasonable1 credible1 and adequate account for it4 ,this no man has yet done4 ,the denials are many and the solutions are many2 but they do not agree together4 ,their multiplicity is proof of their human origin4 ,the claim of the ,catholic ,church to a ,divine authority and to a ,divine assistance is one and the same in every age1 and is identical in every place4 ,error is not the principle of unity1 nor truth of variations4 ,the ,church has guarded the doctrine of the ,apostles1 by ,divine assistance1 with unerring fidelity4 ,the articles of the faith are to-day the same in number as in the beginning4 ,the explicit definition of their implicit meaning has expanded from age to age1 as the everchanging denials and perversions of the world have demanded new definitions of the ancient truth4 ,the world is against all dogma1 because it is impatient of definiteness and certainty in faith4 ,it loves open questions and the liberty of error4 ,the ,church is dogmatic for fear of error4 ,every truth defined adds to its treasure4 ,it narrows the field of error and enlarges the inheritance of truth4 ,the world and the ,church are ever moving in opposite directions4 ,as the world becomes more vague and uncertain1 the ,church becomes more definite4 ,it moves against wind and tide1 against the stress and storm of the world4 ,there was never a more luminous evidence of this supernatural fact than in the ,vatican ,council4 ,for eight months all that the world could say and do1 like the four winds of heaven1 was directed upon it4 ,governments1 statesmen1 diplomatists1 philosophers1 intriguers1 mockers1 and traitors did their utmost and their worst against it4 ,they were in dread lest the ,church should declare that by ,divine assistance its ,head in faith and morals cannot err2 for if this be true1 man did not found it1 man cannot reform it1 man cannot teach it to interpret its history or its acts4 ,it knows its own history1 and is the supreme witness of its own legation4 ,i am well aware that ,i have been writing truisms1 and repeating trite and trivial arguments4 ,they are trite because the feet of the faithful for nearly nineteen hundred years have worn them in their daily life2 they are trivial because they point to the one path in which the wayfarer1 though a fool1 shall not err4 ,henry ,edward1 7,cardinal ,manning71 ,card4 ,archbishop of ,westminster4 ,,rome ,,or ,,reason3 ,a ,,reply ,,to ,,cardinal ,,manning4 ,superstition has ears more deaf than adders to the voice of any true decision4 ,i4 ,,cardinal ,,manning has stated the claims of the ,roman ,catholic ,church with great clearness1 and apparently without reserve4 ,the age1 position and learning of this man give a certain weight to his words1 apart from their worth4 ,he represents the oldest of the ,christian churches4 ,the questions involved are among the most important that can engage the human mind4 ,no one having the slightest regard for that superb thing known as intellectual honesty1 will avoid the issues tendered1 or seek in any way to gain a victory over truth4 ,without candor1 discussion1 in the highest sense1 is impossible4 ,all have the same interest1 whether they know it or not1 in the establishment of facts4 ,all have the same to gain1 the same to lose4 ,he loads the dice against himself who scores a point against the right4 ,absolute honesty is to the intellectual perception what light is to the eyes4 ,prejudice and passion cloud the mind4 ,in each disputant should be blended the advocate and judge4 ,in this spirit1 having in view only the ascertainment of the truth1 let us examine the arguments1 or rather the statements and conclusions1 of ,cardinal ,manning4 ,the proposition is that ,the church itself1 by its marvelous propagation1 its eminent sanctity1 its inexhaustible fruitfulness in all good things1 its catholic unity and invincible stability1 is a vast and perpetual motive of credibility1 and an irrefragable witness of its own divine legation4 ,the reasons given as supporting this proposition are3 ,that the ,catholic ,church interpenetrates all the nations of the civilized world2 that it is extranational and independent in a supernational unity2 that it is the same in every place2 that it speaks all languages in the civilized world2 that it is obedient to one head2 that as many as seven hundred bishops have knelt before the pope2 that pilgrims from all nations have brought gifts to ,rome1 and that all these things set forth in the most self-evident way the unity and universality of the ,roman ,church4 ,it is also asserted that men see the ,head of the ,church year by year speaking to the nations of the world1 treating with ,empires1 ,republics and ,governments2 that there is no other man on earth that can so bear himself1 and that neither from ,canterbury nor from ,constantinople can such a voice go forth to which rulers and people listen4 ,it is also claimed that the ,catholic ,church has enlightened and purified the world2 that it has given us the peace and purity of domestic life2 that it has destroyed idolatry and demonology2 that it gave us a body of law from a higher source than man2 that it has produced the civilization of ,christendom2 that the popes were the greatest of statesmen and rulers2 that celibacy is better than marriage1 and that the revolutions and reformations of the last three hundred years have been destructive and calamitous4 ,we will examine these assertions as well as some others4 ,no one will dispute that the ,catholic ,church is the best witness of its own existence4 ,the same is true of every thing that exists--of every church1 great and small1 of every man1 and of every insect4 ,but it is contended that the marvelous growth or propagation of the church is evidence of its divine origin4 ,can it be said that success is supernatural8 ,all success in this world is relative4 ,majorities are not necessarily right4 ,if anything is known--if anything can be known--we are sure that very large bodies of men have frequently been wrong4 ,we believe in what is called the progress of mankind4 ,progress1 for the most part1 consists in finding new truths and getting rid of old errors--that is to say1 getting nearer and nearer in harmony with the facts of nature1 seeing with greater clearness the conditions of well-being4 ,there is no nation in which a majority leads the way4 ,in the progress of mankind1 the few have been the nearest right4 ,there have been centuries in which the light seemed to emanate only from a handful of men1 while the rest of the world was enveloped in darkness4 ,some great man leads the way--he becomes the morning star1 the prophet of a coming day4 ,afterward1 many millions accept his views4 ,but there are still heights above and beyond2 there are other pioneers1 and the old day1 in comparison with the new1 becomes a night4 ,so1 we cannot say that success demonstrates either divine origin or supernatural aid4 ,we know1 if we know anything1 that wisdom has often been trampled beneath the feet of the multitude4 ,we know that the torch of science has been blown out by the breath of the hydra-headed4 ,we know that the whole intellectual heaven has been darkened again and again4 ,the truth or falsity of a proposition cannot be determined by ascertaining the number of those who assert1 or of those who deny4 ,if the marvelous propagation of the ,catholic ,church proves its divine origin1 what shall we say of the marvelous propagation of ,mohammedanism8 ,nothing can be clearer than that ,christianity arose out of the ruins of the ,roman ,empire--that is to say1 the ruins of ,paganism4 ,and it is equally clear that ,mohammedanism arose out of the wreck and ruin of ,catholicism4 ,after ,mohammed came upon the stage1 ,christianity was forever expelled from its most glorious seats--from ,palestine1 the scene of its most sacred recollections2 from ,asia ,minor1 that of its first churches2 from ,egypt1 whence issued the great doctrine of ,trinitarian ,orthodoxy1 and from ,carthage1 who imposed her belief on ,europe4 ,before that time the ecclesiastical chiefs of ,rome1 of ,constantinople1 and of ,alexandria were engaged in a desperate struggle for supremacy1 carrying out their purposes by weapons and in ways revolting to the conscience of man4 ,bishops were concerned in assassinations1 poisonings1 adulteries1 blindings1 riots1 treasons1 civil war4 ,patriarchs and primates were excommunicating and anathematizing one another in their rivalries for earthly power--bribing eunuchs with gold and courtesans and royal females with concessions of episcopal love4 ,among legions of monks who carried terror into the imperial armies and riot into the great cities arose hideous clamors for theological dogmas1 but never a voice for intellectual liberty or the outraged rights of man4 ,under these circumstances1 amid these atrocities and crimes1 ,mohammed arose1 and raised his own nation from ,fetichism1 the adoration of the meteoric stone1 and from the basest idol worship1 and irrevocably wrenched from ,christianity more than half--and that by far the best half--of her possessions1 since it included the ,holy ,land1 the birth-place of the ,christian faith1 and ,africa1 which had imparted to it its ,latin form2 and now1 after a lapse of more than a thousand years that continent1 and a very large part of ,asia1 remain permanently attached to the ,arabian doctrine4 ,it may be interesting in this connection to say that the ,mohammedan now proves the divine mission of his apostle by appealing to the marvelous propagation of the faith4 ,if the argument is good in the mouth of a ,catholic1 is it not good in the mouth of a ,moslem8 ,let us see if it is not better4 ,according to ,cardinal ,manning1 the ,catholic ,church triumphed only over the institutions of men--triumphed only over religions that had been established by men1--by wicked and ignorant men4 ,but ,mohammed triumphed not only over the religions of men1 but over the religion of ,god4 ,this ignorant driver of camels1 this poor1 unknown1 unlettered boy1 unassisted by ,god1 unenlightened by supernatural means1 drove the armies of the true cross before him as the winter's storm drives withered leaves4 ,at his name1 priests1 bishops1 and cardinals fled with white faces--popes trembled1 and the armies of ,god1 fighting for the true faith1 were conquered on a thousand fields4 ,if the success of a church proves its divinity1 and after that another church arises and defeats the first1 what does that prove8 ,let us put this question in a milder form3 ,suppose the second church lives and flourishes in spite of the first1 what does that prove8 ,as a matter of fact1 however1 no church rises with everything against it4 ,something is favorable to it1 or it could not exist4 ,if it succeeds and grows1 it is absolutely certain that the conditions are favorable4 ,if it spreads rapidly1 it simply shows that the conditions are exceedingly favorable1 and that the forces in opposition are weak and easily overcome4 ,here1 in my own country1 within a few years1 has arisen a new religion4 ,its foundations were laid in an intelligent community1 having had the advantages of what is known as modern civilization4 ,yet this new faith--founded on the grossest absurdities1 as gross as we find in the ,scriptures--in spite of all opposition began to grow1 and kept growing4 ,it was subjected to persecution1 and the persecution increased its strength4 ,it was driven from ,state to ,state by the believers in universal love1 until it left what was called civilization1 crossed the wide plains1 and took up its abode on the shores of the ,great ,salt ,lake4 ,it continued to grow4 ,its founder1 as he declared1 had frequent conversations with ,god1 and received directions from that source4 ,hundreds of miracles were performed--multitudes upon the desert were miraculously fed--the sick were cured--the dead were raised1 and the ,mormon ,church continued to grow1 until now1 less than half a century after the death of its founder1 there are several hundred thousand believers in the new faith4 ,do you think that men enough could join this church to prove the truth of its creed8 ,joseph ,smith said that he found certain golden plates that had been buried for many generations1 and upon these plates1 in some unknown language1 had been engraved this new revelation1 and ,i think he insisted that by the use of miraculous mirrors this language was translated4 ,if there should be ,mormon bishops in all the countries of the world1 eighteen hundred years from now1 do you think a cardinal of that faith could prove the truth of the golden plates simply by the fact that the faith had spread and that seven hundred bishops had knelt before the head of that church8 ,it seems to me that a supernatural religion--that is to say1 a religion that is claimed to have been divinely founded and to be authenticated by miracles1 is much easier to establish among an ignorant people than any other--and the more ignorant the people1 the easier such a religion could be established4 ,the reason for this is plain4 ,all ignorant tribes1 all savage men1 believe in the miraculous1 in the supernatural4 ,the conception of uniformity1 of what may be called the eternal consistency of nature1 is an idea far above their comprehension4 ,they are forced to think in accordance with their minds1 and as a consequence they account for all phenomena by the acts of superior beings--that is to say1 by the supernatural4 ,in other words1 that religion having most in common with the savage1 having most that was satisfactory to his mind1 or to his lack of mind1 would stand the best chance of success4 ,it is probably safe to say that at one time1 or during one phase of the development of man1 everything was miraculous4 ,after a time1 the mind slowly developing1 certain phenomena1 always happening under like conditions1 were called natural1 and none suspected any special interference4 ,the domain of the miraculous grew less and less--the domain of the natural larger2 that is to say1 the common became the natural1 but the uncommon was still regarded as the miraculous4 ,the rising and setting of the sun ceased to excite the wonder of mankind--there was no miracle about that2 but an eclipse of the sun was miraculous4 ,men did not then know that eclipses are periodical1 that they happen with the same certainty that the sun rises4 ,it took many observations through many generations to arrive at this conclusion4 ,ordinary rains became natural1 floods remained miraculous4 ,but it can all be summed up in this3 ,the average man regards the common as natural1 the uncommon as supernatural4 ,the educated man--and by that ,i mean the developed man--is satisfied that all phenomena are natural1 and that the supernatural does not and can not exist4 ,as a rule1 an individual is egotistic in the proportion that he lacks intelligence4 ,the same is true of nations and races4 ,the barbarian is egotistic enough to suppose that an ,infinite ,being is constantly doing something1 or failing to do something1 on his account4 ,but as man rises in the scale of civilization1 as he becomes really great1 he comes to the conclusion that nothing in ,nature happens on his account--that he is hardly great enough to disturb the motions of the planets4 ,let us make an application of this3 ,to me1 the success of ,mormonism is no evidence of its truth1 because it has succeeded only with the superstitious4 ,it has been recruited from communities brutalized by other forms of superstition4 ,to me1 the success of ,mohammed does not tend to show that he was right--for the reason that he triumphed only over the ignorant1 over the superstitious4 ,the same is true of the ,catholic ,church4 ,its seeds were planted in darkness4 ,it was accepted by the credulous1 by men incapable of reasoning upon such questions4 ,it did not1 it has not1 it can not triumph over the intellectual world4 ,to count its many millions does not tend to prove the truth of its creed4 ,on the contrary1 a creed that delights the credulous gives evidence against itself4 ,questions of fact or philosophy cannot be settled simply by numbers4 ,there was a time when the ,copernican system of astronomy had but few supporters--the multitude being on the other side4 ,there was a time when the rotation of the earth was not believed by the majority4 ,let us press this idea further4 ,there was a time when ,christianity was not in the majority1 anywhere4 ,let us suppose that the first ,christian missionary had met a prelate of the ,pagan faith1 and suppose this prelate had used against the ,christian missionary the ,cardinal's argument--how could the missionary have answered if the ,cardinal's argument is good8 ,but1 after all1 is the success of the ,catholic ,church a marvel8 ,if this church is of divine origin1 if it has been under the especial care1 protection and guidance of an ,infinite ,being1 is not its failure far more wonderful than its success8 ,for eighteen centuries it has persecuted and preached1 and the salvation of the world is still remote4 ,this is the result1 and it may be asked whether it is worth while to try to convert the world to ,catholicism4 ,are ,catholics better than ,protestants8 ,are they nearer honest1 nearer just1 more charitable8 ,are ,catholic nations better than ,protestant8 ,do the ,catholic nations move in the van of progress8 ,within their jurisdiction are life1 liberty and property safer than anywhere else8 ,is ,spain the first nation of the world8 ,let me ask another question3 ,are ,catholics or ,protestants better than ,freethinkers8 ,has the ,catholic ,church produced a greater man than ,humboldt8 ,has the ,protestant produced a greater than ,darwin8 ,was not ,emerson1 so far as purity of life is concerned1 the equal of any true believer8 ,was ,pius ,,ix41 or any other vicar of ,christ1 superior to ,abraham ,lincoln8 ,but it is claimed that the ,catholic ,church is universal1 and that its universality demonstrates its divine origin4 ,according to the ,bible1 the apostles were ordered to go into all the world and preach the gospel--yet not one of them1 nor one of their converts at any time1 nor one of the vicars of ,god1 for fifteen hundred years afterward1 knew of the existence of the ,western ,hemisphere4 ,during all that time1 can it be said that the ,catholic ,church was universal8 ,at the close of the fifteenth century1 there was one-half of the world in which the ,catholic faith had never been preached1 and in the other half not one person in ten had ever heard of it1 and of those who had heard of it1 not one in ten believed it4 ,certainly the ,catholic ,church was not then universal4 ,is it universal now8 ,what impression has ,catholicism made upon the many millions of ,china1 of ,japan1 of ,india1 of ,africa8 ,can it truthfully be said that the ,catholic ,church is now universal8 ,when any church becomes universal1 it will be the only church4 ,there cannot be two universal churches1 neither can there be one universal church and any other4 ,the ,cardinal next tries to prove that the ,catholic ,church is divine1 by its eminent sanctity and its inexhaustible fruitfulness in all good things4 ,and here let me admit that there are many millions of good ,catholics--that is1 of good men and women who are ,catholics4 ,it is unnecessary to charge universal dishonesty or hypocrisy1 for the reason that this would be only a kind of personality4 ,many thousands of heroes have died in defence of the faith1 and millions of ,catholics have killed and been killed for the sake of their religion4 ,and here it may be well enough to say that martyrdom does not even tend to prove the truth of a religion4 ,the man who dies in flames1 standing by what he believes to be true1 establishes1 not the truth of what he believes1 but his sincerity4 ,without calling in question the intentions of the ,catholic ,church1 we can ascertain whether it has been inexhaustibly fruitful in all good things1 and whether it has been eminent for its sanctity4 ,in the first place1 nothing can be better than goodness4 ,nothing is more sacred1 or can be more sacred1 than the wellbeing of man4 ,all things that tend to increase or preserve the happiness of the human race are good--that is to say1 they are sacred4 ,all things that tend to the destruction of man's well-being1 that tend to his unhappiness1 are bad1 no matter by whom they are taught or done4 ,it is perfectly certain that the ,catholic ,church has taught1 and still teaches1 that intellectual liberty is dangerous--that it should not be allowed4 ,it was driven to take this position because it had taken another4 ,it taught1 and still teaches1 that a certain belief is necessary to salvation4 ,it has always known that investigation and inquiry led1 or might lead1 to doubt2 that doubt leads1 or may lead1 to heresy1 and that heresy leads to hell4 ,in other words1 the ,catholic ,church has something more important than this world1 more important than the well-being of man here4 ,it regards this life as an opportunity for joining that church1 for accepting that creed1 and for the saving of your soul4 ,if the ,catholic ,church is right in its premises1 it is right in its conclusion4 ,if it is necessary to believe the ,catholic creed in order to obtain eternal joy1 then1 of course1 nothing else in this world is1 comparatively speaking1 of the slightest importance4 ,consequently1 the ,catholic ,church has been1 and still is1 the enemy of intellectual freedom1 of investigation1 of inquiry--in other words1 the enemy of progress in secular things4 ,the result of this was an effort to compel all men to accept the belief necessary to salvation4 ,this effort naturally divided itself into persuasion and persecution4 ,it will be admitted that the good man is kind1 merciful1 charitable1 forgiving and just4 ,a church must be judged by the same standard4 ,has the church been merciful8 ,has it been fruitful in the good things of justice1 charity and forgiveness8 ,can a good man1 believing a good doctrine1 persecute for opinion's sake8 ,if the church imprisons a man for the expression of an honest opinion1 is it not certain1 either that the doctrine of the church is wrong1 or that the church is bad8 ,both cannot be good4 ,sanctity without goodness is impossible4 ,thousands of saints have been the most malicious of the human race4 ,if the history of the world proves anything1 it proves that the ,catholic ,church was for many centuries the most merciless institution that ever existed among men4 ,i cannot believe that the instruments of persecution were made and used by the eminently good2 neither can ,i believe that honest people were imprisoned1 tortured1 and burned at the stake by a church that was inexhaustibly fruitful in all good things4 ,and let me say here that ,i have no ,protestant prejudices against ,catholicism1 and have no ,catholic prejudices against ,protestantism4 ,i regard all religions either without prejudice or with the same prejudice4 ,they were all1 according to my belief1 devised by men1 and all have for a foundation ignorance of this world and fear of the next4 ,all the ,gods have been made by men4 ,they are all equally powerful and equally useless4 ,i like some of them better than ,i do others1 for the same reason that ,i admire some characters in fiction more than ,i do others4 ,i prefer ,miranda to ,caliban1 but have not the slightest idea that either of them existed4 ,so ,i prefer ,jupiter to ,jehovah1 although perfectly satisfied that both are myths4 ,i believe myself to be in a frame of mind to justly and fairly consider the claims of different religions1 believing as ,i do that all are wrong1 and admitting as ,i do that there is some good in all4 ,when one speaks of the inexhaustible fruitfulness in all good things of the ,catholic ,church1 we remember the horrors and atrocities of the ,inquisition--the rewards offered by the ,roman ,church for the capture and murder of honest men4 ,we remember the ,dominican ,order1 the members of which1 upheld by the vicar of ,christ1 pursued the heretics like sleuth hounds1 through many centuries4 ,the church1 inexhaustible in fruitfulness in all good things1 not only imprisoned and branded and burned the living1 but violated the dead4 ,it robbed graves1 to the end that it might convict corpses of heresy--to the end that it might take from widows their portions and from orphans their patrimony4 ,we remember the millions in the darkness of dungeons--the millions who perished by the sword--the vast multitudes destroyed in flames--those who were flayed alive--those who were blinded--those whose tongues were cut out--those into whose ears were poured molten lead--those whose eyes were deprived of their lids--those who were tortured and tormented in every way by which pain could be inflicted and human nature overcome4 ,and we remember1 too1 the exultant cry of the church over the bodies of her victims3 ,their bodies were burned here1 but their souls are now tortured in hell4 ,we remember that the church1 by treachery1 bribery1 perjury1 and the commission of every possible crime1 got possession and control of ,christendom1 and we know the use that was made of this power--that it was used to brutalize1 degrade1 stupefy1 and sanctify the children of men4 ,we know also that the vicars of ,christ were persecutors for opinion's sake--that they sought to destroy the liberty of thought through fear--that they endeavored to make every brain a bastile in which the mind should be a convict--that they endeavored to make every tongue a prisoner1 watched by a familiar of the ,inquisition--and that they threatened punishment here1 imprisonment here1 burnings here1 and1 in the name of their ,god1 eternal imprisonment and eternal burnings hereafter4 ,we know1 too1 that the ,catholic ,church was1 during all the years of its power1 the enemy of every science4 ,it preferred magic to medicine1 relics to remedies1 priests to physicians4 ,it thought more of astrologers than of astronomers4 ,it hated geologists--it persecuted the chemist1 and imprisoned the naturalist1 and opposed every discovery calculated to improve the condition of mankind4 ,it is impossible to forget the persecutions of the ,cathari1 the ,albigenses1 the ,waldenses1 the ,hussites1 the ,huguenots1 and of every sect that had the courage to think just a little for itself4 ,think of a woman--the mother of a family--taken from her children and burned1 on account of her view as to the three natures of ,jesus ,christ4 ,think of the ,catholic ,church1--an institution with a ,divine ,founder1 presided over by the agent of ,god--punishing a woman for giving a cup of cold water to a fellow-being who had been anathematized4 ,think of this church1 fruitful in all good things1 launching its curse at an honest man--not only cursing him from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet with a fiendish particularity1 but having at the same time the impudence to call on ,god1 and the ,holy ,ghost1 and ,jesus ,christ1 and the ,virgin ,mary1 to join in the curse2 and to curse him not only here1 but forever hereafter--calling upon all the saints and upon all the redeemed to join in a hallelujah of curses1 so that earth and heaven should reverberate with countless curses launched at a human being simply for having expressed an honest thought4 ,this church1 so fruitful in all good things1 invented crimes that it might punish4 ,this church tried men for a suspicion of heresy--imprisoned them for the vice of being suspected--stripped them of all they had on earth and allowed them to rot in dungeons1 because they were guilty of the crime of having been suspected4 ,this was a part of the ,canon ,law4 ,it is too late to talk about the invincible stability of the ,catholic ,church4 ,it was not invincible in the seventh1 in the eighth1 or in the ninth centuries4 ,it was not invincible in ,germany in ,luther's day4 ,it was not invincible in the ,low ,countries4 ,it was not invincible in ,scotland1 or in ,england4 ,it was not invincible in ,france4 ,it is not invincible in ,italy1 ,it is not supreme in any intellectual centre of the world4 ,it does not triumph in ,paris1 or ,berlin2 it is not dominant in ,london1 in ,england2 neither is it triumphant in the ,united ,states4 ,it has not within its fold the philosophers1 the statesmen1 and the thinkers1 who are the leaders of the human race4 ,it is claimed that ,catholicism interpenetrates all the nations of the civilized world1 and that in some it holds the whole nation in its unity4 ,i suppose the ,catholic ,church is more powerful in ,spain than in any other nation4 ,the history of this nation demonstrates the result of ,catholic supremacy1 the result of an acknowledgment by a people that a certain religion is too sacred to be examined4 ,without attempting in an article of this character to point out the many causes that contributed to the adoption of ,catholicism by the ,spanish people1 it is enough to say that ,spain1 of all nations1 has been and is the most thoroughly ,catholic1 and the most thoroughly interpenetrated and dominated by the spirit of the ,church of ,rome4 ,spain used the sword of the church4 ,in the name of religion it endeavored to conquer the ,infidel world4 ,it drove from its territory the ,moors1 not because they were bad1 not because they were idle and dishonest1 but because they were ,infidels4 ,it expelled the ,jews1 not because they were ignorant or vicious1 but because they were unbelievers4 ,it drove out the ,moriscoes1 and deliberately made outcasts of the intelligent1 the industrious1 the honest and the useful1 because they were not ,catholics4 ,it leaped like a wild beast upon the ,low ,countries1 for the destruction of ,protestantism4 ,it covered the seas with its fleets1 to destroy the intellectual liberty of man4 ,and not only so--it established the ,inquisition within its borders4 ,it imprisoned the honest1 it burned the noble1 and succeeded after many years of devotion to the true faith1 in destroying the industry1 the intelligence1 the usefulness1 the genius1 the nobility and the wealth of a nation4 ,it became a wreck1 a jest of the conquered1 and excited the pity of its former victims4 ,in this period of degradation1 the ,catholic ,church held the whole nation in its unity4 ,at last ,spain began to deviate from the path of the church ,it made a treaty with an ,infidel power4 ,in #aghb it became humble enough1 and wise enough1 to be friends with ,turkey4 ,it made treaties with ,tripoli and ,algiers and the ,barbary ,states4 ,it had become too poor to ransom the prisoners taken by these powers4 ,it began to appreciate the fact that it could neither conquer nor convert the world by the sword4 ,spain has progressed in the arts and sciences1 in all that tends to enrich and ennoble a nation1 in the precise proportion that she has lost faith in the ,catholic ,church4 ,this may be said of every other nation in ,christendom4 ,torquemada is dead2 ,castelar is alive4 ,the dungeons of the ,inquisition are empty1 and a little light has penetrated the clouds and mists--not much1 but a little4 ,spain is not yet clothed and in her right mind4 ,a few years ago the cholera visited ,madrid and other cities4 ,physicians were mobbed4 ,processions of saints carried the host through the streets for the purpose of staying the plague4 ,the streets were not cleaned2 the sewers were filled4 ,filth and faith1 old partners1 reigned supreme4 ,the church1 eminent for its sanctity1 stood in the light and cast its shadow on the ignorant and the prostrate4 ,the church1 in its inexhaustible fruitfulness in all good things1 allowed its children to perish through ignorance1 and used the diseases it had produced as an instrumentality to further enslave its votaries and its victims4 ,no one will deny that many of its priests exhibited heroism of the highest order in visiting the sick and administering what are called the consolations of religion to the dying1 and in burying the dead4 ,it is necessary neither to deny or disparage the self-denial and goodness of these men4 ,but their religion did more than all other causes to produce the very evils that called for the exhibition of self-denial and heroism4 ,one scientist in control of ,madrid could have prevented the plague4 ,in such cases1 cleanliness is far better than godliness2 science is superior to superstition2 drainage much better than divinity2 therapeutics more excellent than theology4 ,goodness is not enough--intelligence is necessary4 ,faith is not sufficient1 creeds are helpless1 and prayers fruitless4 ,it is admitted that the ,catholic ,church exists in many nations2 that it is dominated1 at least in a great degree1 by the ,bishop of ,rome--that it is international in that sense1 and that in that sense it has what may be called a supernational unity4 ,the same1 however1 is true of the ,masonic fraternity4 ,it exists in many nations1 but it is not a national body4 ,it is in the same sense extranational1 in the same sense international1 and has in the same sense a supernational unity4 ,so the same may be said of other societies4 ,this1 however1 does not tend to prove that anything supernational is supernatural4 ,it is also admitted that in faith1 worship1 ceremonial1 discipline and government1 the ,catholic ,church is substantially the same wherever it exists4 ,this establishes the unity1 but not the divinity1 of the institution4 ,the church that does not allow investigation1 that teaches that all doubts are wicked1 attains unity through tyranny1 that is1 monotony by repression4 ,wherever man has had something like freedom1 differences have appeared1 heresies have taken root1 and the divisions have become permanent--new sects have been born and the ,catholic ,church has been weakened4 ,the boast of unity is the confession of tyranny4 ,it is insisted that the unity of the church substantiates its claim to divine origin4 ,this is asserted over and over again1 in many ways2 and yet in the ,cardinal's article is found this strange mingling of boast and confession3 ,was it only by the human power of man that the unity1 external and internal1 which for fourteen hundred years had been supreme1 was once more restored in the ,council of ,constance1 never to be broken again8 ,by this it is admitted that the internal and external unity of the ,catholic ,church had been broken1 and that it required more than human power to restore it4 ,then the boast is made that it will never be broken again4 ,yet it is asserted that the internal and external unity of the ,catholic ,church is the great fact that demonstrates its divine origin4 ,now1 if this internal and external unity was broken1 and remained broken for years1 there was an interval during which the church had no internal or external unity1 and during which the evidence of divine origin failed4 ,the unity was broken in spite of the ,divine ,founder4 ,this is admitted by the use of the word again4 ,the unbroken unity of the church is asserted1 and upon this assertion is based the claim of divine origin2 it is then admitted that the unity was broken4 ,the argument is then shifted1 and the claim is made that it required more than human power to restore the internal and external unity of the church1 and that the restoration1 not the unity1 is proof of the divine origin4 ,is there any contradiction beyond this8 ,let us state the case in another way4 ,let us suppose that a man has a sword which he claims was made by ,god1 stating that the reason he knows that ,god made the sword is that it never had been and never could be broken4 ,now1 if it was afterwards ascertained that it had been broken1 and the owner admitted that it had been1 what would be thought of him if he then took the ground that it had been welded1 and that the welding was the evidence that it was of divine origin8 ,a prophecy is then indulged in1 to the effect that the internal and external unity of the church can never be broken again4 ,it is admitted that it was broken--it is asserted that it was divinely restored--and then it is declared that it is never to be broken again4 ,no reason is given for this prophecy2 it must be born of the facts already stated4 ,put in a form to be easily understood1 it is this3 ,we know that the unity of the church can never be broken1 because the church is of divine origin4 ,we know that it was broken2 but this does not weaken the argument1 because it was restored by ,god1 and it has not been broken since4 ,therefore1 it never can be broken again4 ,it is stated that the ,catholic ,church is immutable1 and that its immutability establishes its claim to divine origin4 ,was it immutable when its unity1 internal and external1 was broken8 ,was it precisely the same after its unity was broken that it was before8 ,was it precisely the same after its unity was divinely restored that it was while broken8 ,was it universal while it was without unity8 ,which of the fragments was universal--which was immutable8 ,the fact that the ,catholic ,church is obedient to the pope1 establishes1 not the supernatural origin of the church1 but the mental slavery of its members4 ,it establishes the fact that it is a successful organization2 that it is cunningly devised2 that it destroys the mental independence1 and that whoever absolutely submits to its authority loses the jewel of his soul4 ,the fact that ,catholics are to a great extent obedient to the pope1 establishes nothing except the thoroughness of the organization4 ,how was the ,roman empire formed8 ,by what means did that ,great ,power hold in bondage the then known world8 ,how is it that a despotism is established8 ,how is it that the few enslave the many8 ,how is it that the nobility live on the labor of peasants8 ,the answer is in one word1 ,organization4 ,the organized few triumph over the unorganized many4 ,the few hold the sword and the purse4 ,the unorganized are overcome in detail--terrorized1 brutalized1 robbed1 conquered4 ,we must remember that when ,christianity was established the world was ignorant1 credulous and cruel4 ,the gospel with its idea of forgiveness--with its heaven and hell--was suited to the barbarians among whom it was preached4 ,let it be understood1 once for all1 that ,christ had but little to do with ,christianity4 ,the people became convinced--being ignorant1 stupid and credulous--that the church held the keys of heaven and hell4 ,the foundation for the most terrible mental tyranny that has existed among men was in this way laid4 ,the ,catholic ,church enslaved to the extent of its power4 ,it resorted to every possible form of fraud2 it perverted every good instinct of the human heart2 it rewarded every vice2 it resorted to every artifice that ingenuity could devise1 to reach the highest round of power4 ,it tortured the accused to make them confess2 it tortured witnesses to compel the commission of perjury2 it tortured children for the purpose of making them convict their parents2 it compelled men to establish their own innocence2 it imprisoned without limit2 it had the malicious patience to wait2 it left the accused without trial1 and left them in dungeons until released by death4 ,there is no crime that the ,catholic ,church did not commit1--no cruelty that it did not practice1--no form of treachery that it did not reward1 and no virtue that it did not persecute4 ,it was the greatest and most powerful enemy of human rights4 ,it did all that organization1 cunning1 piety1 self-denial1 heroism1 treachery1 zeal and brute force could do to enslave the children of men4 ,it was the enemy of intelligence1 the assassin of liberty1 and the destroyer of progress4 ,it loaded the noble with chains and the infamous with honors4 ,in one hand it carried the alms dish1 in the other a dagger4 ,it argued with the sword1 persuaded with poison1 and convinced with the fagot4 ,it is impossible to see how the divine origin of a church can be established by showing that hundreds of bishops have visited the pope4 ,does the fact that millions of the faithful visit ,mecca establish the truth of the ,koran8 ,is it a scene for congratulation when the bishops of thirty nations kneel before a man8 ,is it not humiliating to know that man is willing to kneel at the feet of man8 ,could a noble man demand1 or joyfully receive1 the humiliation of his fellows8 ,as a rule1 arrogance and humility go together4 ,he who in power compels his fellow-man to kneel1 will himself kneel when weak4 ,the tyrant is a cringer in power2 a cringer is a tyrant out of power4 ,great men stand face to face4 ,they meet on equal terms4 ,the cardinal who kneels in the presence of the pope1 wants the bishop to kneel in his presence2 and the bishop who kneels demands that the priest shall kneel to him2 and the priest who kneels demands that they in lower orders shall kneel2 and all1 from pope to the lowest--that is to say1 from pope to exorcist1 from pope to the one in charge of the bones of saints--all demand that the people1 the laymen1 those upon whom they live1 shall kneel to them4 ,the man of free and noble spirit will not kneel4 ,courage has no knees4 ,fear kneels1 or falls upon its ashen face4 ,the ,cardinal insists that the pope is the vicar of ,christ1 and that all popes have been4 ,what is a vicar of ,christ8 ,he is a substitute in office4 ,he stands in the place1 or occupies the position in relation to the church1 in relation to the world1 that ,jesus ,christ would occupy were he the pope at ,rome4 ,in other words1 he takes ,christ's place2 so that1 according to the doctrine of the ,catholic ,church1 ,jesus ,christ himself is present in the person of the pope4 ,we all know that a good man may employ a bad agent4 ,a good king might leave his realm and put in his place a tyrant and a wretch4 ,the good man and the good king cannot certainly know what manner of man the agent is--what kind of person the vicar is--consequently the bad may be chosen4 ,but if the king appointed a bad vicar1 knowing him to be bad1 knowing that he would oppress the people1 knowing that he would imprison and burn the noble and generous1 what excuse can be imagined for such a king8 ,now1 if the church is of divine origin1 and if each pope is the vicar of ,jesus ,christ1 he must have been chosen by ,jesus ,christ2 and when he was chosen1 ,christ must have known exactly what his vicar would do4 ,can we believe that an infinitely wise and good ,being would choose immoral1 dishonest1 ignorant1 malicious1 heartless1 fiendish1 and inhuman vicars8 ,the ,cardinal admits that the history of ,christianity is the history of the church1 and that the history of the church is the history of the ,pontiffs1 and he then declares that the greatest statesmen and rulers that the world has ever seen are the ,popes of ,rome4 ,let me call attention to a few passages in ,draper's ,history of the ,intellectual ,development of ,europe4 ,constantine was one of the vicars of ,christ4 ,afterwards1 ,stephen ,,iv4 was chosen4 ,the eyes of ,constantine were then put out by ,stephen1 acting in ,christ's place4 ,the tongue of the ,bishop ,theodorus was amputated by the man who had been substituted for ,god4 ,this bishop was left in a dungeon to perish of thirst4 ,pope ,leo ,,iii4 was seized in the street and forced into a church1 where the nephews of ,pope ,adrian attempted to put out his eyes and cut off his tongue4 ,his successor1 ,stephen ,v41 was driven ignominiously from ,rome4 ,his successor1 ,paschal ,i41 was accused of blinding and murdering two ecclesiastics in the ,lateran ,palace4 ,john ,,viii41 unable to resist the ,mohammedans1 was compelled to pay them tribute4 ,at this time1 the ,bishop of ,naples was in secret alliance with the ,mohammedans1 and they divided with this ,catholic bishop the plunder they collected from other ,catholics4 ,this bishop was excommunicated by the pope2 afterwards he gave him absolution because he betrayed the chief ,mohammedans1 and assassinated others4 ,there was an ecclesiastical conspiracy to murder the pope1 and some of the treasures of the church were seized1 and the gate of ,st4 ,pancrazia was opened with false keys to admit the ,saracens4 ,formosus1 who had been engaged in these transactions1 who had been excommunicated as a conspirator for the murder of ,pope ,john1 was himself elected pope in #hia4 ,boniface ,,vi4 was his successor4 ,he had been deposed from the diaconate and from the priesthood for his immoral and lewd life4 ,stephen ,,vii4 was the next pope1 and he had the dead body of ,formosus taken from the grave1 clothed in papal habiliments1 propped up in a chair and tried before a ,council4 ,the corpse was found guilty1 three fingers were cut off and the body cast into the ,tiber4 ,afterwards ,stephen ,,vii41 this ,vicar of ,christ1 was thrown into prison and strangled4 ,from #hif to #ijj1 five popes were consecrated4 ,leo ,v41 in less than two months after he became pope1 was cast into prison by ,christopher1 one of his chaplains4 ,this ,christopher usurped his place1 and in a little while was expelled from ,rome by ,sergius ,,iii41 who became pope in #ije4 ,this pope lived in criminal intercourse with the celebrated ,theodora1 who with her daughters ,marozia and ,theodora1 both prostitutes1 exercised an extraordinary control over him4 ,the love of ,theodora was also shared by ,john ,x4 ,she gave him the ,archbishopric of ,revenna1 and made him pope in #iae4 ,the daughter of ,theodora overthrew this pope4 ,she surprised him in the ,lateran ,palace4 ,his brother1 ,peter1 was killed2 the pope was thrown into prison1 where he was afterward murdered4 ,afterward1 this ,marozia1 daughter of ,theodora1 made her own son pope1 ,john ,,xi4 ,many affirmed that ,pope ,sergius was his father1 but his mother inclined to attribute him to her husband ,alberic1 whose brother ,guido she afterward married4 ,another of her sons1 ,alberic1 jealous of his brother ,john1 the pope1 cast him and their mother into prison4 ,alberic's son was then elected pope as ,john ,,xii4 ,john was nineteen years old when he became the vicar of ,christ4 ,his reign was characterized by the most shocking immoralities1 so that the ,emperor ,otho ,i4 was compelled by the ,german clergy to interfere4 ,he was tried4 ,it appeared that ,john had received bribes for the consecration of bishops2 that he had ordained one who was only ten years old2 that he was charged with incest1 and with so many adulteries that the ,lateran ,palace had become a brothel4 ,he put out the eyes of one ecclesiastic2 he maimed another--both dying in consequence of their injuries4 ,he was given to drunkenness and to gambling4 ,he was deposed at last1 and ,leo ,,vii4 elected in his stead4 ,subsequently he got the upper hand4 ,he seized his antagonists2 he cut off the hand of one1 the nose1 the finger1 and the tongue of others4 ,his life was eventually brought to an end by the vengeance of a man whose wife he had seduced4 ,and yet1 ,i admit that the most infamous popes1 the most heartless and fiendish bishops1 friars1 and priests were models of mercy1 charity1 and justice when compared with the orthodox ,god--with the ,god they worshiped4 ,these popes1 these bishops1 these priests could persecute only for a few years--they could burn only for a few moments--but their ,god threatened to imprison and burn forever2 and their ,god is as much worse than they were1 as hell is worse than the ,inquisition4 ,john ,,xiii4 was strangled in prison4 ,boniface ,,vii4 imprisoned ,benedict ,,vii41 and starved him to death4 ,john ,,xiv4 was secretly put to death in the dungeons of the castle of ,st4 ,angelo4 ,the corpse of ,boniface was dragged by the populace through the streets4 ,it must be remembered that the popes were assassinated by ,catholics--murdered by the faithful--that one vicar of ,christ strangled another vicar of ,christ1 and that these men were the greatest rulers and the greatest statesmen of the earth4 ,pope ,john ,,xvi4 was seized1 his eyes put out1 his nose cut off1 his tongue torn from his mouth1 and he was sent through the streets mounted on an ass1 with his face to the tail4 ,benedict ,,ix41 a boy of less than twelve years of age1 was raised to the apostolic throne4 ,one of his successors1 ,victor ,,iii41 declared that the life of ,benedict was so shameful1 so foul1 so execrable1 that he shuddered to describe it4 ,he ruled like a captain of banditti4 ,the people1 unable to bear longer his adulteries1 his homicides and his abominations1 rose against him1 and in despair of maintaining his position1 he put up the papacy to auction1 and it was bought by a presbyter named ,john1 who became ,gregory ,,vi41 in the year of grace #ajde4 ,well may we ask1 ,were these the vicegerents of ,god upon earth--these1 who had truly reached that goal beyond which the last effort of human wickedness cannot pass8 ,it may be sufficient to say that there is no crime that man can commit that has not been committed by the vicars of ,christ4 ,they have inflicted every possible torture1 violated every natural right4 ,greater monsters the human race has not produced4 ,among the some two hundred and fifty-eight ,vicars of ,christ there were probably some good men4 ,this would have happened even if the intention had been to get all bad men1 for the reason that man reaches perfection neither in good nor in evil2 but if they were selected by ,christ himself1 if they were selected by a church with a divine origin and under divine guidance1 then there is no way to account for the selection of a bad one4 ,if one hypocrite was duly elected pope--one murderer1 one strangler1 one starver--this demonstrates that all the popes were selected by men1 and by men only1 and that the claim of divine guidance is born of zeal and uttered without knowledge4 ,but who were the vicars of ,christ8 ,how many have there been8 ,cardinal ,manning himself does not know4 ,he is not sure4 ,he says3 ,starting from ,st4 ,peter to ,leo ,,xiii41 there have been some two hundred and fifty-eight ,pontiffs claiming to be recognized by the whole ,catholic unity as successors of ,st4 ,peter and ,vicars of ,jesus ,christ4 ,why did he use the word some8 ,why claiming8 ,does he not positively know8 ,is it possible that the present ,vicar of ,christ is not certain as to the number of his predecessors8 ,is he infallible in faith and fallible in fact8 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,ii4 ,if we live thus tamely1-- ,to be thus jaded by a piece of scarlet1-- ,farewell nobility4 ,,no ,,one will deny that the pope speaks to many people in many nations2 that he treats with empires and governments1 and that neither from ,canterbury nor from ,constantinople such a voice goes forth4 ,how does the pope speak8 ,what does he say8 ,he speaks against the liberty of man--against the progress of the human race4 ,he speaks to calumniate thinkers1 and to warn the faithful against the discoveries of science4 ,he speaks for the destruction of civilization4 ,who listens8 ,do astronomers1 geologists and scientists put the hand to the ear fearing that an accent may be lost8 ,does ,france listen8 ,does ,italy hear8 ,is not the church weakest at its centre8 ,do those who have raised ,italy from the dead1 and placed her again among the great nations1 pay attention8 ,does ,great ,britain care for this voice--this moan1 this groan--of the ,middle ,ages8 ,do the words of ,leo ,,xiii4 impress the intelligence of the ,great ,republic8 ,can anything be more absurd than for the vicar of ,christ to attack a demonstration of science with a passage of ,scripture1 or a quotation from one of the ,fathers8 ,compare the popes with the kings and queens of ,england4 ,infinite wisdom had but little to do with the selection of these monarchs1 and yet they were far better than any equal number of consecutive popes4 ,this is faint praise1 even for kings and queens1 but it shows that chance succeeded in getting better rulers for ,england than ,infinite ,wisdom did for the ,church of ,rome4 ,compare the popes with the presidents of the ,republic elected by the people4 ,if ,adams had murdered ,washington1 and ,jefferson had imprisoned ,adams1 and if ,madison had cut out ,jefferson's tongue1 and ,monroe had assassinated ,madison1 and ,john ,quincy ,adams had poisoned ,monroe1 and ,general ,jackson had hung ,adams and his ,cabinet1 we might say that presidents had been as virtuous as popes4 ,but if this had happened1 the verdict of the world would be that the people are not capable of selecting their presidents4 ,but this voice from ,rome is growing feebler day by day2 so feeble that the ,cardinal admits that the vicar of ,god1 and the supernatural church1 are being tormented by ,falck laws1 by ,mancini laws and by ,crispi laws4 ,in other words1 this representative of ,god1 this substitute of ,christ1 this church of divine origin1 this supernatural institution--pervaded by the ,holy ,ghost--are being tormented by three politicians4 ,is it possible that this patriotic trinity is more powerful than the other8 ,it is claimed that if the ,catholic ,church be only a human system1 built up by the intellect1 will and energy of men1 the adversaries must prove it--that the burden is upon them4 ,as a general thing1 institutions are natural4 ,if this church is supernatural1 it is the one exception4 ,the affirmative is with those who claim that it is of divine origin4 ,so far as we know1 all governments and all creeds are the work of man4 ,no one believes that ,rome was a supernatural production1 and yet its beginnings were as small as those of the ,catholic ,church4 ,commencing in weakness1 ,rome grew1 and fought1 and conquered1 until it was believed that the sky bent above a subjugated world4 ,and yet all was natural4 ,for every effect there was an efficient cause4 ,the ,catholic asserts that all other religions have been produced by man--that ,brahminism and ,buddhism1 the religion of ,isis and ,osiris1 the marvelous mythologies of ,greece and ,rome1 were the work of the human mind4 ,from these religions ,catholicism has borrowed4 ,long before ,catholicism was born1 it was believed that women had borne children whose fathers were gods4 ,the ,trinity was promulgated in ,egypt centuries before the birth of ,moses4 ,celibacy was taught by the ancient ,nazarenes and ,essenes1 by the priests of ,egypt and ,india1 by mendicant monks1 and by the piously insane of many countries long before the apostles lived4 ,the ,chinese tell us that when there were but one man and one woman upon the earth1 the woman refused to sacrifice her virginity even to people the globe2 and the gods1 honoring her purity1 granted that she should conceive beneath the gaze of her lover's eyes1 and a virgin mother became the parent of humanity4 ,the founders of many religions have insisted that it was the duty of man to renounce the pleasures of sense1 and millions before our era took the vows of chastity1 poverty and obedience1 and most cheerfully lived upon the labor of others4 ,the sacraments of baptism and confirmation are far older than the ,church of ,rome4 ,the ,eucharist is pagan4 ,long before popes began to murder each other1 pagans ate cakes--the flesh of ,ceres1 and drank wine--the blood of ,bacchus4 ,holy water flowed in the ,ganges and ,nile1 priests interceded for the people1 and anointed the dying4 ,it will not do to say that every successful religion that has taught unnatural doctrines1 unnatural practices1 must of necessity have been of divine origin4 ,in most religions there has been a strange mingling of the good and bad1 of the merciful and cruel1 of the loving and malicious4 ,buddhism taught the universal brotherhood of man1 insisted on the development of the mind1 and this religion was propagated not by the sword1 but by preaching1 by persuasion1 and by kindness--yet in many things it was contrary to the human will1 contrary to the human passions1 and contrary to good sense4 ,buddhism succeeded4 ,can we1 for this reason1 say that it is a supernatural religion8 ,is the unnatural the supernatural8 ,it is insisted that1 while other churches have changed1 the ,catholic ,church alone has remained the same1 and that this fact demonstrates its divine origin4 ,has the creed of ,buddhism changed in three thousand years8 ,is intellectual stagnation a demonstration of divine origin8 ,when anything refuses to grow1 are we certain that the seed was planted by ,god8 ,if the ,catholic ,church is the same to-day that it has been for many centuries1 this proves that there has been no intellectual development4 ,if men do not differ upon religious subjects1 it is because they do not think4 ,differentiation is the law of growth1 of progress4 ,every church must gain or lose3 it cannot remain the same2 it must decay or grow4 ,the fact that the ,catholic ,church has not grown--that it has been petrified from the first--does not establish divine origin2 it simply establishes the fact that it retards the progress of man4 ,everything in nature changes--every atom is in motion--every star moves4 ,nations1 institutions and individuals have youth1 manhood1 old age1 death4 ,this is and will be true of the ,catholic ,church4 ,it was once weak--it grew stronger--it reached its climax of power--it began to decay--it never can rise again4 ,it is confronted by the dawn of ,science4 ,in the presence of the nineteenth century it cowers4 ,it is not true that ,all natural causes run to disintegration4 ,natural causes run to integration as well as to disintegration4 ,all growth is integration1 and all growth is natural4 ,all decay is disintegration1 and all decay is natural4 ,nature builds and nature destroys4 ,when the acorn grows--when the sunlight and rain fall upon it and the oak rises--so far as the oak is concerned all natural causes do not run to disintegration4 ,but there comes a time when the oak has reached its limit1 and then the forces of nature run towards disintegration1 and finally the old oak falls4 ,but if the ,cardinal is right--if all natural causes run to disintegration1 then every success must have been of divine origin1 and nothing is natural but destruction4 ,this is ,catholic science3 ,all natural causes run to disintegration4 ,what do these causes find to disintegrate8 ,nothing that is natural4 ,the fact that the thing is not disintegrated shows that it was and is of supernatural origin4 ,according to the ,cardinal1 the only business of nature is to disintegrate the supernatural4 ,to prevent this1 the supernatural needs the protection of the ,infinite4 ,according to this doctrine1 if anything lives and grows1 it does so in spite of nature4 ,growth1 then1 is not in accordance with1 but in opposition to nature4 ,every plant is supernatural--it defeats the disintegrating influences of rain and light4 ,the generalization of the ,cardinal is half the truth4 ,it would be equally true to say3 ,all natural causes run to integration4 ,but the whole truth is that growth and decay are equal4 ,the ,cardinal asserts that ,christendom was created by the world-wide church as we see it before our eyes at this day4 ,philosophers and statesmen believe it to be the work of their own hands2 they did not make it1 but they have for three hundred years been unmaking it by reformations and revolutions4 ,the meaning of this is that ,christendom was far better three hundred years ago than now2 that during these three centuries ,christendom has been going toward barbarism4 ,it means that the supernatural church of ,god has been a failure for three hundred years2 that it has been unable to withstand the attacks of philosophers and statesmen1 and that it has been helpless in the midst of reformations and revolutions4 ,what was the condition of the world three hundred years ago1 the period1 according to the ,cardinal1 in which the church reached the height of its influence1 and since which it has been unable to withstand the rising tide of reformation and the whirlwind of revolution8 ,in that blessed time1 ,philip ,,ii4 was king of ,spain--he with the cramped head and the monstrous jaw4 ,heretics were hunted like wild and poisonous beasts2 the ,inquisition was firmly established1 and priests were busy with rack and fire4 ,with a zeal born of the hatred of man and the love of ,god1 the church1 with every instrument of torture1 touched every nerve in the human body4 ,in those happy days1 the ,duke of ,alva was devastating the homes of ,holland2 heretics were buried alive--their tongues were torn from their mouths1 their lids from their eyes2 the ,armada was on the sea for the destruction of the heretics of ,england1 and the ,moriscoes--a million and a half of industrious people--were being driven by sword and flame from their homes4 ,the ,jews had been expelled from ,spain4 ,this ,catholic country had succeeded in driving intelligence and industry from its territory2 and this had been done with a cruelty1 with a ferocity1 unequaled1 in the annals of crime4 ,nothing was left but ignorance1 bigotry1 intolerance1 credulity1 the ,inquisition1 the seven sacraments and the seven deadly sins4 ,and yet a ,cardinal of the nineteenth century1 living in the land of ,shakespeare1 regrets the change that has been wrought by the intellectual efforts1 by the discoveries1 by the inventions and heroism of three hundred years4 ,three hundred years ago1 ,charles ,,ix41 in ,france1 son of ,catherine de ,medici1 in the year of grace #aegb--;after nearly sixteen centuries of ,catholic ,christianity--after hundreds of vicars of ,christ had sat in ,st4 ,peter's chair--after the natural passions of man had been softened by the creed of ,rome--came the ,massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew1 the result of a conspiracy between the ,vicar of ,christ1 ,philip ,,ii41 ,charles ,,ix41 and his fiendish mother4 ,let the ,cardinal read the account of this massacre once more1 and1 after reading it1 imagine that he sees the gashed and mutilated bodies of thousands of men and women1 and then let him say that he regrets the revolutions and reformations of three hundred years4 ,about three hundred years ago ,clement ,,viii41 ,vicar of ,christ1 acting in ,god's place1 substitute of the ,infinite1 persecuted ,giordano ,bruno even unto death4 ,this great1 this sublime man1 was tried for heresy4 ,he had ventured to assert the rotary motion of the earth2 he had hazarded the conjecture that there were in the fields of infinite space worlds larger and more glorious than ours4 ,for these low and groveling thoughts1 for this contradiction of the word and vicar of ,god1 this man was imprisoned for many years4 ,but his noble spirit was not broken1 and finally1 in the year #afjj1 by the orders of the infamous vicar1 he was chained to the stake4 ,priests believing in the doctrine of universal forgiveness--priests who when smitten upon one cheek turned the other--carried with a kind of ferocious joy fagots to the feet of this incomparable man4 ,these disciples of ,our ,lord were made joyous as the flames1 like serpents1 climbed around the body of ,bruno4 ,in a few moments the brave thinker was dead1 and the priests who had burned him fell upon their knees and asked the infinite ,god to continue the blessed work forever in hell4 ,there are two things that cannot exist in the same universe--an infinite ,god and a martyr4 ,does the ,cardinal regret that kings and emperors are not now engaged in the extermination of ,protestants8 ,does he regret that dungeons of the ,inquisition are no longer crowded with the best and bravest8 ,does he long for the fires of the auto da fe48 ,in coming to a conclusion as to the origin of the ,catholic ,church--in determining the truth of the claim of infallibility--we are not restricted to the physical achievements of that church1 or to the history of its propagation1 or to the rapidity of its growth4 ,this church has a creed2 and if this church is of divine origin--if its head is the vicar of ,christ1 and1 as such1 infallible in matters of faith and morals1 this creed must be true4 ,let us start with the supposition that ,god exists1 and that he is infinitely wise1 powerful and good--and this is only a supposition4 ,now1 if the creed is foolish1 absurd and cruel1 it cannot be of divine origin4 ,we find in this creed the following3 ,whosoever will be saved1 before all things it is necessary that he hold the ,catholic faith4 ,it is not necessary1 before all things1 that he be good1 honest1 merciful1 charitable and just4 ,creed is more important than conduct4 ,the most important of all things is1 that he hold the ,catholic faith4 ,there were thousands of years during which it was not necessary to hold that faith1 because that faith did not exist2 and yet during that time the virtues were just as important as now1 just as important as they ever can be4 ,millions of the noblest of the human race never heard of this creed4 ,millions of the bravest and best have heard of it1 examined1 and rejected it4 ,millions of the most infamous have believed it1 and because of their belief1 or notwithstanding their belief1 have murdered millions of their fellows4 ,we know that men can be1 have been1 and are just as wicked with it as without it4 ,we know that it is not necessary to believe it to be good1 loving1 tender1 noble and self-denying4 ,we admit that millions who have believed it have also been self-denying and heroic1 and that millions1 by such belief1 were not prevented from torturing and destroying the helpless4 ,now1 if all who believed it were good1 and all who rejected it were bad1 then there might be some propriety in saying that whoever will be saved1 before all things it is necessary that he hold the ,catholic faith4 ,but as the experience of mankind is otherwise1 the declaration becomes absurd1 ignorant and cruel4 ,there is still another clause3 ,which faith1 except every one do keep entire and inviolate1 without doubt1 he shall everlastingly perish4 ,we now have both sides of this wonderful truth3 ,the believer will be saved1 the unbeliever will be lost4 ,we know that faith is not the child or servant of the will4 ,we know that belief is a conclusion based upon what the mind supposes to be true4 ,we know that it is not an act of the will4 ,nothing can be more absurd than to save a man because he is not intelligent enough to accept the truth1 and nothing can be more infamous than to damn a man because he is intelligent enough to reject the false4 ,it resolves itself into a question of intelligence4 ,if the creed is true1 then a man rejects it because he lacks intelligence4 ,is this a crime for which a man should everlastingly perish8 ,if the creed is false1 then a man accepts it because he lacks intelligence4 ,in both cases the crime is exactly the same4 ,if a man is to be damned for rejecting the truth1 certainly he should not be saved for accepting the false4 ,this one clause demonstrates that a being of infinite wisdom and goodness did not write it4 ,it also demonstrates that it was the work of men who had neither wisdom nor a sense of justice4 ,what is this ,catholic faith that must be held8 ,it is this3 ,that we worship one ,god in ,trinity and ,trinity in ,unity1 neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance4 ,why should an ,infinite ,being demand worship8 ,why should one ,god wish to be worshiped as three8 ,why should three ,gods wished to be worshiped as one8 ,why should we pray to one ,god and think of three1 or pray to three ,gods and think of one8 ,can this increase the happiness of the one or of the three8 ,is it possible to think of one as three1 or of three as one8 ,if you think of three as one1 can you think of one as none1 or of none as one8 ,when you think of three as one1 what do you do with the other two8 ,you must not confound the persons--they must be kept separate4 ,when you think of one as three1 how do you get the other two8 ,you must not divide the substance4 ,is it possible to write greater contradictions than these8 ,this creed demonstrates the human origin of the ,catholic ,church4 ,nothing could be more unjust than to punish man for unbelief--for the expression of honest thought--for having been guided by his reason--for having acted in accordance with his best judgment4 ,another claim is made1 to the effect that the ,catholic ,church has filled the world with the true knowledge of the one true ,god1 and that it has destroyed all idols by light instead of by fire4 ,the ,catholic ,church described the true ,god as a being who would inflict eternal pain on his weak and erring children2 described him as a fickle1 quick-tempered1 unreasonable deity1 whom honesty enraged1 and whom flattery governed2 one who loved to see fear upon its knees1 ignorance with closed eyes and open mouth2 one who delighted in useless self-denial1 who loved to hear the sighs and sobs of suffering nuns1 as they lay prostrate on dungeon floors2 one who was delighted when the husband deserted his family and lived alone in some cave in the far wilderness1 tormented by dreams and driven to insanity by prayer and penance1 by fasting and faith4 ,according to the ,catholic ,church1 the true ,god enjoyed the agonies of heretics4 ,he loved the smell of their burning flesh2 he applauded with wide palms when philosophers were flayed alive1 and to him the auto da fe was a divine comedy4 ,the shrieks of wives1 the cries of babes when fathers were being burned1 gave contrast1 heightened the effect and filled his cup with joy4 ,this true ,god did not know the shape of the earth he had made1 and had forgotten the orbits of the stars4 ,the stream of light which descended from the beginning was propagated by fagot to fagot1 until ,christendom was filled with the devouring fires of faith4 ,it may also be said that the ,catholic ,church filled the world with the true knowledge of the one true ,devil4 ,it filled the air with malicious phantoms1 crowded innocent sleep with leering fiends1 and gave the world to the domination of witches and wizards1 spirits and spooks1 goblins and ghosts1 and butchered and burned thousands for the commission of impossible crimes4 ,it is contended that3 ,in this true knowledge of the ,divine ,nature was revealed to man their own relation to a ,creator as sons to a ,father4 ,this tender relation was revealed by the ,catholics to the ,pagans1 the ,arians1 the ,cathari1 the ,waldenses1 the ,albigenses1 the heretics1 the ,jews1 the ,moriscoes1 the ,protestants--to the natives of the ,west ,indies1 of ,mexico1 of ,peru--to philosophers1 patriots and thinkers4 ,all these victims were taught to regard the true ,god as a loving father1 and this lesson was taught with every instrument of torture--with brandings and burnings1 with flayings and flames4 ,the world was filled with cruelty and credulity1 ignorance and intolerance1 and the soil in which all these horrors grew was the true knowledge of the one true ,god1 and the true knowledge of the one true ,devil4 ,and yet1 we are compelled to say1 that the one true ,devil described by the ,catholic ,church was not as malevolent as the one true ,god4 ,is it true that the ,catholic ,church overthrew idolatry8 ,what is idolatry8 ,what shall we say of the worship of popes--of the doctrine of the ,real ,presence1 of divine honors paid to saints1 of sacred vestments1 of holy water1 of consecrated cups and plates1 of images and relics1 of amulets and charms8 ,the ,catholic ,church filled the world with the spirit of idolatry4 ,it abandoned the idea of continuity in nature1 it denied the integrity of cause and effect4 ,the government of the world was the composite result of the caprice of ,god1 the malice of ,satan1 the prayers of the faithful--softened1 it may be1 by the charity of ,chance4 ,yet the ,cardinal asserts1 without the preface of a smile1 that ,demonology was overthrown by the church1 with the assistance of forces that were above nature2 and in the same breath gives birth to this enlightened statement3 ,beelzebub is not divided against himself4 ,is a belief in ,beelzebub a belief in demonology8 ,has the ,cardinal forgotten the ,council of ,nice1 held in the year of grace #ghg1 that declared the worship of images to be lawful8 ,did that infallible ,council1 under the guidance of the ,holy ,ghost1 destroy idolatry8 ,the ,cardinal takes the ground that marriage is a sacrament1 and therefore indissoluble1 and he also insists that celibacy is far better than marriage1--holier than a sacrament1--that marriage is not the highest state1 but that the state of virginity unto death is the highest condition of man and woman4 ,the highest ideal of a family is where all are equal--where love has superseded authority--where each seeks the good of all1 and where none obey--where no religion can sunder hearts1 and with which no church can interfere4 ,the real marriage is based on mutual affection--the ceremony is but the outward evidence of the inward flame4 ,to this contract there are but two parties4 ,the church is an impudent intruder4 ,marriage is made public to the end that the real contract may be known1 so that the world can see that the parties have been actuated by the highest and holiest motives that find expression in the acts of human beings4 ,the man and woman are not joined together by ,god1 or by the church1 or by the state4 ,the church and state may prescribe certain ceremonies1 certain formalities--but all these are only evidence of the existence of a sacred fact in the hearts of the wedded4 ,the indissolubility of marriage is a dogma that has filled the lives of millions with agony and tears4 ,it has given a perpetual excuse for vice and immorality4 ,fear has borne children begotten by brutality4 ,countless women have endured the insults1 indignities and cruelties of fiendish husbands1 because they thought that it was the will of ,god4 ,the contract of marriage is the most important that human beings can make2 but no contract can be so important as to release one of the parties from the obligation of performance2 and no contract1 whether made between man and woman1 or between them and ,god1 after a failure of consideration caused by the willful act of the man or woman1 can hold and bind the innocent and honest4 ,do the believers in indissoluble marriage treat their wives better than others8 ,a little while ago1 a woman said to a man who had raised his hand to strike her3 ,do not touch me2 you have no right to beat me2 ,i am not your wife4 ,about a year ago a husband1 whom ,god in his infinite wisdom had joined to a loving and patient woman in the indissoluble sacrament of marriage1 becoming enraged1 seized the helpless wife and tore out one of her eyes4 ,she forgave him4 ,a few weeks ago he deliberately repeated this frightful crime1 leaving his victim totally blind4 ,would it not have been better if man1 before the poor woman was blinded1 had put asunder whom ,god had joined together8 ,thousands of husbands1 who insist that marriage is indissoluble1 are the beaters of wives4 ,the law of the church has created neither the purity nor the peace of domestic life4 ,back of all churches is human affection4 ,back of all theologies is the love of the human heart4 ,back of all your priests and creeds is the adoration of the one woman by the one man1 and of the one man by the one woman4 ,back of your faith is the fireside2 back of your folly is the family2 and back of all your holy mistakes and your sacred absurdities is the love of husband and wife1 of parent and child4 ,it is not true that neither the ,greek nor the ,roman world had any true conception of a home4 ,the splendid story of ,ulysses and ,penelope1 the parting of ,hector and ,andromache1 demonstrate that a true conception of home existed among the ,greeks4 ,before the establishment of ,christianity1 the ,roman matron commanded the admiration of the then known world4 ,she was free and noble4 ,the church degraded woman--made her the property of the husband1 and trampled her beneath its brutal feet4 ,the fathers denounced woman as a perpetual temptation1 as the cause of all evil4 ,the church worshiped a ,god who had upheld polygamy1 and had pronounced his curse on woman1 and had declared that she should be the serf of the husband4 ,this church followed the teachings of ,st4 ,paul4 ,it taught the uncleanness of marriage1 and insisted that all children were conceived in sin4 ,this church pretended to have been founded by one who offered a reward in this world1 and eternal joy in the next1 to husbands who would forsake their wives and children and follow him4 ,did this tend to the elevation of woman8 ,did this detestable doctrine create the purity and peace of domestic life8 ,is it true that a monk is purer than a good and noble father8--that a nun is holier than a loving mother8 ,is there anything deeper and stronger than a mother's love8 ,is there anything purer1 holier than a mother holding her dimpled babe against her billowed breast8 ,the good man is useful1 the best man is the most useful4 ,those who fill the nights with barren prayers and holy hunger1 torture themselves for their own good and not for the benefit of others4 ,they are earning eternal glory for themselves--they do not fast for their fellow-men--their selfishness is only equalled by their foolishness4 ,compare the monk in his selfish cell1 counting beads and saying prayers for the purpose of saving his barren soul1 with a husband and father sitting by his fireside with wife and children4 ,compare the nun with the mother and her babe4 ,celibacy is the essence of vulgarity4 ,it tries to put a stain upon motherhood1 upon marriage1 upon love--that is to say1 upon all that is holiest in the human heart4 ,take love from the world1 and there is nothing left worth living for4 ,the church has treated this great1 this sublime1 this unspeakably holy passion1 as though it polluted the heart4 ,they have placed the love of ,god above the love of woman1 above the love of man4 ,human love is generous and noble4 ,the love of ,god is selfish1 because man does not love ,god for ,god's sake1 but for his own4 ,yet the ,cardinal asserts that the change wrought by ,christianity in the social1 political and international relations of the world--that the root of this ethical change1 private and public1 is the ,christian home4 ,a moment afterward1 this prelate insists that celibacy is far better than marriage4 ,if the world could be induced to live in accordance with the highest state1 this generation would be the last4 ,why were men and women created8 ,why did not the ,catholic ,god commence' with the sinless and sexless8 ,the ,cardinal ought to take the ground that to talk well is good1 but that to be dumb is the highest condition2 that hearing is a pleasure1 but that deafness is ecstasy2 and that to think1 to reason1 is very well1 but that to be a ,catholic is far better4 ,why should we desire the destruction of human passions8 ,take passions from human beings and what is left8 ,the great object should be not to destroy passions1 but to make them obedient to the intellect4 ,to indulge passion to the utmost is one form of intemperance--to destroy passion is another4 ,the reasonable gratification of passion under the domination of the intellect is true wisdom and perfect virtue4 ,the goodness1 the sympathy1 the self-denial of the nun1 of the monk1 all come from the mother-instinct1 the father-instinct--all were produced by human affection1 by the love of man for woman1 of woman for man4 ,love is a transfiguration4 ,it ennobles1 purifies and glorifies4 ,in true marriage two hearts burst into flower4 ,two lives unite4 ,they melt in music4 ,every moment is a melody4 ,love is a revelation1 a creation4 ,from love the world borrows its beauty and the heavens their glory4 ,justice1 self-denial1 charity and pity are the children of love4 ,lover1 wife1 mother1 husband1 father1 child1 home--these words shed light--they are the gems of human speech4 ,without love all glory fades1 the noble falls from life1 art dies1 music loses meaning and becomes mere motions of the air1 and virtue ceases to exist4 ,it is asserted that this life of celibacy is above and against the tendencies of human nature2 and the ,cardinal then asks3 ,who will ascribe this to natural causes1 and1 if so1 why did it not appear in the first four thousand years8 ,if there is in a system of religion a doctrine1 a dogma1 or a practice against the tendencies of human nature--if this religion succeeds1 then it is claimed by the ,cardinal that such religion must be of divine origin4 ,is it against the tendencies of human nature for a mother to throw her child into the ,ganges to please a supposed ,god8 ,yet a religion that insisted on that sacrifice succeeded1 and has1 to-day1 more believers than the ,catholic ,church can boast4 ,religions1 like nations and individuals1 have always gone along the line of least resistance4 ,nothing has ascended the stream of human license by a power mightier than nature4 ,there is no such power4 ,there never was1 there never can be1 a miracle4 ,we know that man is a conditioned being4 ,we know that he is affected by a change of conditions4 ,if he is ignorant he is superstitious2 this is natural4 ,if his brain is developed--if he perceives clearly that all things are naturally produced1 he ceases to be superstitious1 and becomes scientific4 ,he is not a saint1 but a savant--not a priest1 but a philosopher4 ,he does not worship1 he works2 he investigates2 he thinks2 he takes advantage1 through intelligence1 of the forces of nature4 ,he is no longer the victim of appearances1 the dupe of his own ignorance1 and the persecutor of his fellow-men4 ,he then knows that it is far better to love his wife and children than to love ,god4 ,he then knows that the love of man for woman1 of woman for man1 of parent for child1 of child for parent1 is far better1 far holier than the love of man for any phantom born of ignorance and fear4 ,it is illogical to take the ground that the world was cruel and ignorant and idolatrous when the ,catholic ,church was established1 and that because the world is better now than then1 the church is of divine origin4 ,what was the world when science came8 ,what was it in the days of ,galileo1 ,copernicus and ,kepler8 ,what-was it when printing was invented8 ,what was it when the ,western ,world was found8 ,would it not be much easier to prove that science is of divine origin8 ,science does not persecute4 ,it does not shed blood--it fills the world with light4 ,it cares nothing for heresy2 it develops the mind1 and enables man to answer his own prayers4 ,cardinal ,manning takes the ground that ,jehovah practically abandoned the children of men for four thousand years1 and gave them over to every abomination4 ,he claims that ,christianity came in the fullness of time1 and it is then admitted that what the fullness of time may mean is one of the mysteries of times and seasons1 that it is not for us to know4 ,having declared that it is a mystery1 and one that we are not to know1 the ,cardinal explains it3 ,one motive for the long delay of four thousand years is not far to seek--it gave time1 full and ample1 for the utmost development and consolidation of all the falsehood and evil of which the intellect and will of man are capable4 ,is it possible to imagine why an infinitely good and wise being gave time full and ample for the utmost development and consolidation of falsehood and evil8 ,why should an infinitely wise ,god desire this development and consolidation8 ,what would be thought of a father who should refuse to teach his son and deliberately allow him to go into every possible excess1 to the end that he might develop all the falsehood and evil of which his intellect and will were capable8 ,if a supernatural religion is a necessity1 and if without it all men simply develop and consolidate falsehood and evil1 why was not a supernatural religion given to the first man8 ,the ,catholic ,church1 if this be true1 should have been founded in the ,garden of ,eden4 ,was it not cruel to drown a world just for the want of a supernatural religion--a religion that man1 by no possibility1 could furnish8 ,was there husbandry in heaven8 ,but the ,cardinal contradicts himself by not only admitting1 but declaring1 that the world had never seen a legislation so just1 so equitable1 as that of ,rome4 ,is it possible that a nation in which falsehood and evil had reached their highest development was1 after all1 so wise1 so just and so equitable8 ,was not the civil law far better than the ,mosaic--more philosophical1 nearer just8 ,the civil law was produced without the assistance of ,god4 ,according to the ,cardinal1 it was produced by men in whom all the falsehood and evil of which they were capable had been developed and consolidated1 while the cruel and ignorant ,mosaic code came from the lips of infinite wisdom and compassion4 ,it is declared that the history of ,rome shows what man can do without ,god1 and ,i assert that the history of the ,inquisition shows what man can do when assisted by a church of divine origin1 presided over1 by the infallible vicars of ,god4 ,the fact that the early ,christians not only believed incredible things1 but persuaded others of their truth1 is regarded by the ,cardinal as a miracle4 ,this is only another phase of the old argument that success is the test of divine origin4 ,all supernatural religions have been founded in precisely the same way4 ,the credulity of eighteen hundred years ago believed everything except the truth4 ,a religion is a growth1 and is of necessity adapted in some degree to the people among whom it grows4 ,it is shaped and molded by the general ignorance1 the superstition and credulity of the age in which it lives4 ,the key is fashioned by the lock4 ,every religion that has succeeded has in some way supplied the wants of its votaries1 and has to a certain extent harmonized with their hopes1 their fears1 their vices1 and their virtues4 ,if1 as the ,cardinal says1 the religion of ,christ is in absolute harmony with nature1 how can it be supernatural8 ,the ,cardinal also declares that the religion of ,christ is in harmony with the reason and moral nature in all nations and all ages to this day4 ,what becomes of the argument that ,catholicism must be of divine origin because it has ascended the stream of human license1 contra ictum fluminis1 by a power mightier than nature8 ,if it is in harmony with the reason and moral nature of all nations and all ages to this day1 it has gone with the stream1 and not against it4 ,if the religion of ,christ is in harmony with the reason and moral nature of all nations1 then the men who have rejected it are unnatural1 and these men have gone against the stream4 ,how then can it be said that ,christianity has been in changeless opposition to nature as man has marred it8 ,to what extent has man marred it8 ,in spite of the marring by man1 we are told that the reason and moral nature of all nations in all ages to this day is in harmony with the religion of ,jesus ,christ4 ,are we justified in saying that the ,catholic ,church is of divine origin because the ,pagans failed to destroy it by persecution8 ,we will put the ,cardinal's statement in form3 ,paganism failed to destroy ,catholicism by persecution1 therefore ,catholicism is of divine origin4 ,let us make an application of this logic3 ,paganism failed to destroy ,catholicism by persecution2 therefore1 ,catholicism is of divine origin4 ,catholicism failed to destroy ,protestantism by persecution2 therefore1 ,protestantism is of divine origin4 ,catholicism and ,protestantism combined failed to destroy ,infidelity2 therefore1 ,infidelity is of divine origin4 ,let us make another application3 ,paganism did not succeed in destroying ,catholicism2 therefore1 ,paganism was a false religion4 ,catholicism did not succeed in destroying ,protestantism2 therefore1 ,catholicism is a false religion4 ,catholicism and ,protestantism combined failed to destroy ,infidelity2 therefore1 both ,catholicism and ,protestantism are false religions4 ,the ,cardinal has another reason for believing the ,catholic ,church of divine origin4 ,he declares that the ,canon ,law is a creation of wisdom and justice to which no statutes at large or imperial pandects can bear comparison2 that the world-wide and secular legislation of the church was of a higher character1 and that as water cannot rise above its source1 the church could not1 by mere human wisdom1 have corrected and perfected the imperial law1 and therefore its source must have been higher than the sources of the world4 ,when ,europe was the most ignorant1 the ,canon ,law was supreme4 ,as a matter of fact1 the good in the ,canon ,law was borrowed--the bad was1 for the most part1 original4 ,in my judgment1 the legislation of the ,republic of the ,united ,states is in many respects superior to that of ,rome1 and yet we are greatly indebted to the ,civil ,law4 ,our legislation is superior in many particulars to that of ,england1 and yet we are greatly indebted to the ,common ,law2 but it never occurred to me that our ,statutes at ,large are divinely inspired4 ,if the ,canon ,law is1 in fact1 the legislation of infinite wisdom1 then it should be a perfect code4 ,yet1 the ,canon ,law made it a crime next to robbery and theft to take interest for money4 ,without the right to take interest the business of the whole world1 would to a large extent1 cease and the prosperity of mankind end4 ,there are railways enough in the ,united ,states to make six tracks around the globe1 and every mile was built with borrowed money on which interest was paid or promised4 ,in no other way could the savings of many thousands have been brought together and a capital great enough formed to construct works of such vast and continental importance4 ,it was provided in this same wonderful ,canon ,law that a heretic could not be a witness against a ,catholic4 ,the ,catholic was at liberty to rob and wrong his fellow-man1 provided the fellow-man was not a fellow ,catholic1 and in a court established by the vicar of ,christ1 the man who had been robbed was not allowed to open his mouth4 ,a ,catholic could enter the house of an unbeliever1 of a ,jew1 of a heretic1 of a ,moor1 and before the eyes of the husband and father murder his wife and children1 and the father could not pronounce in the hearing of a judge the name of the murderer4 ,the world is wiser now1 and the ,canon ,law1 given to us by infinite wisdom1 has been repealed by the common sense of man4 ,in this divine code it was provided that to convict a cardinal bishop1 seventy-two witnesses were required2 a cardinal presbyter1 forty-four2 a cardinal deacon1 twenty-four2 a subdeacon1 acolyth1 exorcist1 reader1 ostiarius1 seven2 and in the purgation of a bishop1 twelve witnesses were invariably required2 of a presbyter1 seven2 of a deacon1 three4 ,these laws1 in my judgment1 were made1 not by ,god1 but by the clergy4 ,so too in this cruel code it was provided that those who gave aid1 favor1 or counsel1 to excommunicated persons1 should be anathema1 and that those who talked with1 consulted1 or sat at the same table with or gave anything in charity to the excommunicated should be anathema4 ,is it possible that a being of infinite wisdom made hospitality a crime8 ,did he say3 ,whoso giveth a cup of cold water to the excommunicated shall wear forever a garment of fire8 ,were not the laws of the ,romans much better8 ,besides all this1 under the ,canon ,law the dead could be tried for heresy1 and their estates confiscated--that is to say1 their widows and orphans robbed4 ,the most brutal part of the common law of ,england is that in relation to the rights of women--all of which was taken from the ,corpus ,juris ,canonici1 the law that came from a higher source than man4 ,the only cause of absolute divorce as laid down by the pious canonists was propter infidelitatem1 which was when one of the parties became ,catholic1 and would not live with the other who continued still an unbeliever4 ,under this divine statute1 a pagan wishing to be rid of his wife had only to join the ,catholic ,church1 provided she remained faithful to the religion of her fathers4 ,under this divine law1 a man marrying a widow was declared to be a bigamist4 ,it would require volumes to point out the cruelties1 absurdities and inconsistencies of the ,canon ,law4 ,it has been thrown away by the world4 ,every civilized nation has a code of its own1 and the ,canon ,law is of interest only to the historian1 the antiquarian1 and the enemy of theological government4 ,under the ,canon ,law1 people were convicted of being witches and wizards1 of holding intercourse with devils4 ,thousands perished at the stake1 having been convicted of these impossible crimes4 ,under the ,canon ,law1 there was such a crime as the suspicion of heresy4 ,a man or woman could be arrested1 charged with being suspected1 and under this ,canon ,law1 flowing from the intellect of infinite wisdom1 the presumption was in favor of guilt4 ,the suspected had to prove themselves innocent4 ,in all civilized courts1 the presumption of innocence is the shield of the indicted1 but the ,canon ,law took away this shield1 and put in the hand of the priest the sword of presumptive guilt4 ,if the real pope is the vicar of ,christ1 the true shepherd of the sheep1 this fact should be known not only to the vicar1 but to the sheep4 ,a divinely founded and guarded church ought to know its own shepherd1 and yet the ,catholic sheep have not always been certain who the shepherd was4 ,the ,council of ,pisa1 held in #adji1 deposed two popes--rivals--,gregory and ,benedict--that is to say1 deposed the actual vicar of ,christ and the pretended4 ,this action was taken because a council1 enlightened by the ,holy ,ghost1 could not tell the genuine from the counterfeit4 ,the council then elected another vicar1 whose authority was afterwards denied4 ,alexander ,v4 died1 and ,john ,,xxiii4 took his place2 ,gregory ,,xii4 insisted that he was the lawful pope2 ,john resigned1 then he was deposed1 and afterward imprisoned2 then ,gregory ,,xii4 resigned1 and ,martin ,v4 was elected4 ,the whole thing reads like the annals of a ,south ,american revolution4 ,the ,council of ,constance restored1 as the ,cardinal declares1 the unity of the church1 and brought back the consolation of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,before this great council ,john ,huss appeared and maintained his own tenets4 ,the council declared that the church was not bound to keep its promise with a heretic4 ,huss was condemned and executed on the #fth of ,july1 #adae4 ,his disciple1 ,jerome of ,prague1 recanted1 but having relapsed1 was put to death1 ,may #cj1 #adaf4 ,this cursed council shed the blood of ,huss and ,jerome4 ,the ,cardinal appeals to the author of ,ecce ,homo for the purpose of showing that ,christianity is above nature1 and the following passages1 among others1 are quoted3 ,who can describe that which unites men8 ,who has entered into the formation of speech1 which is the symbol of their union8 ,who can describe exhaustively the origin of civil society8 ,he who can do these things can explain the origin of the ,christian ,church4 ,these passages should not have been quoted by the ,cardinal4 ,the author of these passages simply says that the origin of the ,christian ,church is no harder to find and describe than that which unites men--than that which has entered into the formation of speech1 the symbol of their union--no harder to describe than the origin of civil society--because he says that one who can describe these can describe the other4 ,certainly none of these things are above nature4 ,we do not need the assistance of the ,holy ,ghost in these matters4 ,we know that men are united by common interests1 common purposes1 common dangers--by race1 climate and education4 ,it is no more wonderful that people live in families1 tribes1 communities and nations1 than that birds1 ants and bees live in flocks and swarms4 ,if we know anything1 we know that language is natural--that it is a physical science4 ,but if we take the ground occupied by the ,cardinal1 then we insist that everything that cannot be accounted for by man1 is supernatural4 ,let me ask1 by what man8 ,what man must we take as the standard8 ,cosmas or ,humboldt1 ,st4 ,irenaeus or ,darwin8 ,if everything that we cannot account for is above nature1 then ignorance is the test of the supernatural4 ,the man who is mentally honest1 stops where his knowledge stops4 ,at that point he says that he does not know4 ,such a man is a philosopher4 ,then the theologian steps forward1 denounces the modesty of the philosopher as blasphemy1 and proceeds to tell what is beyond the horizon of the human intellect4 ,could a savage account for the telegraph1 or the telephone1 by natural causes8 ,how would he account for these wonders8 ,he would account for them precisely as the ,cardinal accounts for the ,catholic ,church4 ,belonging to no rival church1 ,i have not the slightest interest in the primacy of ,leo ,,xiii41 and yet it is to be regretted that this primacy rests upon such a narrow and insecure foundation4 ,the ,cardinal says that it will appear almost certain that the original ,greek of ,st4 ,irenaeus1 which is unfortunately lost1 contained either --,greek--1 or some inflection of --,greek--1 which signifies primacy4 ,from this it appears that the primacy of the ,bishop of ,rome rests on some inflection of a ,greek word--and that this supposed inflection was in a letter supposed to have been written by ,st4 ,irenaeus1 which has certainly been lost4 ,is it possible that the vast fabric of papal power has this1 and only this1 for its foundation8 ,to this inflection has it come at last8 ,the ,cardinal's case depends upon the intelligence and veracity of his witnesses4 ,the ,fathers of the church were utterly incapable of examining a question of fact4 ,they were all believers in the miraculous4 ,the same is true of the apostles4 ,if ,st4 ,john was the author of the ,apocalypse1 he was undoubtedly insane4 ,if ,polycarp said the things attributed to him by ,catholic writers1 he was certainly in the condition of his master4 ,what is the testimony of ,st4 ,john worth in the light of the following8 ,cerinthus1 the heretic1 was in a bathhouse4 ,st4 ,john and another ,christian were about to enter4 ,st4 ,john cried out3 ',let us run away1 lest the house fall upon us while the enemy of truth is in it4' ,is it possible that ,st4 ,john thought that ,god would kill two eminent ,christians for the purpose of getting even with one heretic8 ,let us see who ,polycarp was4 ,he seems to have been a prototype of the ,catholic ,church1 as will be seen from the following statement concerning this ,father3 ,when any heretical doctrine was spoken in his presence he would stop his ears4 ,after this1 there can be no question of his orthodoxy4 ,it is claimed that ,polycarp was a martyr--that a spear was run through his body1 and that from the wound his soul1 in the shape of a bird1 flew away4 ,the history of his death is just as true as the history of his life4 ,irenaeus1 another witness1 took the ground that there was to be a millennium--a thousand years of enjoyment in which celibacy would not be the highest form of virtue4 ,if he is called as a witness for the purpose of establishing the divine origin of the church1 and if one of his inflections is the basis of papal supremacy1 is the ,cardinal also willing to take his testimony as to the nature of the millennium8 ,all the ,fathers were infinitely credulous4 ,every one of them believed1 not only in the miracles said to have been wrought by ,christ1 by the apostles1 and by other ,christians1 but every one of them believed in the ,pagan miracles4 ,all of these ,fathers were familiar with wonders and impossibilities4 ,nothing was so common with them as to work miracles1 and on many occasions they not only cured diseases1 not only reversed the order of nature1 but succeeded in raising the dead4 ,it is very hard1 indeed1 to prove what the apostles said1 or what the ,fathers of the church wrote4 ,there were many centuries filled with forgeries--many generations in which the cunning hands of ecclesiastics erased1 obliterated or interpolated the records of the past--during which they invented books1 invented authors1 and quoted from works that never existed4 ,the testimony of the ,fathers is without the slightest value4 ,they believed everything--they examined nothing4 ,they received as a waste-basket receives4 ,whoever accepts their testimony will exclaim with the ,cardinal3 ,happily1 men are not saved by logic4 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,is ,,divorce ,,wrong8 ,by ,cardinal ,gibbons1 ,bishop ,henry ,c4 ,potter1 and ,colonel ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,the attention of the public has been particularly directed of late to the abuses of divorce1 and to the facilities afforded by the complexities of ,american law1 and by the looseness of its administration1 for the disruption of family ties4 ,therefore the ,north ,american ,review has opened its pages for the thorough discussion of the subject in its moral1 social1 and religious aspects1 and some of the most eminent leaders of modern thought have contributed their opinions4 ,the ,rev4 ,s4 ,w4 ,dike1 ,,ll4,d41 who is a specialist on the subject of divorce1 has prepared some statistics touching the matter1 and1 with the assistance of ,bishop ,potter1 the four following questions have been formulated as a basis for the discussion3 #a4 ,do you believe in the principle of divorce under any circumstances8 #b4 ,ought divorced people to be allowed to marry under any circumstances8 #c4 ,what is the effect of divorce on the integrity of the family8 #d4 ,does the absolute prohibition of divorce where it exists contribute to the moral purity of society8 ,editor ,north ,american ,review1 ,introduction by the ,rev4 ,s4 ,w4 ,dike1 ,,ll4,d4 ,i ,,am to introduce this discussion with some facts and make a few suggestions upon them4 ,in the dozen years of my work at this problem ,i have steadily insisted upon a broad basis of fact as the only foundation of sound opinion4 ,we now have a great statistical advance in the report of the ,department of labor4 ,a few of these statistics will serve the present purpose4 ,there were in the ,united ,states #i1icg divorces reported for the year #ahfg and #be1ece for #ahhf1 or a total #cbh1gaf in the twenty years4 ,this increase is more than twice as great as the population1 and has been remarkably uniform throughout the period4 ,with the exception of ,new ,york1 perhaps ,delaware1 and the three or four ,states where special legislative reforms have been secured1 the increase covers the country and has been more than twice the gain in population4 ,the ,south apparently felt the movement later than the ,north and ,west1 but its greater rapidity there will apparently soon obliterate most existing differences4 ,the movement is well-nigh as universal in ,europe as here4 ,thirteen ,european countries1 including ,canada1 had #f1edj divorces in #ahgf and #aj1iji in #ahhf--;an increase of #fg per cent4 ,in the same period the increase with us was #gb4e per cent4 ,but the ratios of divorce to population are here generally three or four times greater than in ,europe4 ,the ratios to marriage in the ,united ,states are sometimes as high as #a to #aj1 #a to #i1 or even a little more for single years4 ,in heathen ,japan for three years they were more than #a to #c4 ,but divorce there is almost wholly left to the regulation of the family1 and practically optional with the parties4 ,it is a re-transference of the wife by a simple writing to her own family4 #a4 ,the increase of divorce is one of several evils affecting the family4 ,among these are hasty or ill-considered marriages1 the decline of marriage and the decrease of children1--too generally among classes pecuniarily best able to maintain domestic life1--the probable increase in some directions of marital infidelity and sexual vice1 and last1 but not least1 a tendency to reduce the family to a minimum of force in the life of society4 ,all these evils should be studied and treated in their relations to each other4 ,carefully-conducted investigations alone can establish these latter statements beyond dispute1 although there can be little doubt of their general correctness as here carefully made4 ,and the conclusion is forced upon us that the toleration of the increase of divorce1 touching as it does the vital bond of the family1 is so far forth a confession of our western civilization that it despairs of all remedies for ills of the family1 and is becoming willing1 in great degree1 to look away from all true remedies to a dissolution of the family by the courts in all serious cases4 ,if this were our settled purpose1 it would look like giving up the idea of producing and protecting a family increasingly capable of enduring to the end of its natural existence4 ,if the drift of things on this subject during the present century may be taken as prophetic1 our civilization moves in an opposite direction in its treatment of the family from its course with the individual4 #b4 ,divorce1 including these other evils related to the family1 is preeminently a social problem4 ,it should therefore be reached by all the forces of our great social institutions--religious1 educational1 industrial1 and political4 ,each of these should be brought to bear on it proportionately and in cooperation with the others4 ,but ,i can here take up only one or two lines for further suggestion4 #c4 ,the causes of divorces1 like those of most social evils1 are often many and intricate4 ,the statistics for this country1 when the forty-three various statutory causes are reduced to a few classes1 show that #bj per cent1 of the divorces were based on adultery1 #af on cruelty1 #ch were granted for desertion1 #d for drunkenness1 less than #c for neglect to provide1 and so on4 ,but these tell very little1 except that it is easier or more congenial to use one or another of the statutory causes1 just as the old omnibus clause1 which gave general discretion to the courts in ,connecticut1 and still more in some other ,states1 was made to cover many cases4 ,a special study of forty-five counties in twelve ,states1 however1 shows that drunkenness was a direct or indirect cause in #bj4a per cent1 of #bi1ffe cases4 ,that is1 it could be found either alone or in conjunction with others1 directly or indirectly1 in one-fifth of the cases4 #d4 ,laws and their administration affect divorce4 ,new ,york grants absolute divorce for only one cause1 and ,new ,jersey for two4 ,yet ,new ,york has many more divorces in proportion to population1 due largely to a looser system of administration4 ,in seventy counties of twelve ,states #fh per cent1 of the applications are granted4 ,the enactment of a more stringent law is immediately followed by a decrease of divorces1 from which there is a tendency to recover4 ,personally1 ,i think stricter methods of administration1 restrictions upon remarriage1 proper delays in hearing suits1 and some penal inflictions for cruelty1 desertion1 neglect of support1 as well as for adultery1 would greatly reduce divorces1 even without removing a single statutory cause4 ,there would be fewer unhappy families1 not more4 ,for people would then look to real remedies instead of confessing the hopelessness of remedy by appeals to the courts4 ,a multitude of petty ills and many utterly wicked frauds and other abuses would disappear4 ,your present methods1 said a ,nova ,scotian to a man from ,maine a few years ago1 are simply ways of multiplying and magnifying domestic ills4 ,there is much force in this4 ,but let us put reform of marriage laws along with these measures4 #e4 ,the evils of conflicting and diverse marriage and divorce laws are doing immense harm4 ,the mischief through which innocent parties are defrauded1 children rendered illegitimate1 inheritance made uncertain1 and actual imprisonments for bigamy grow out of divorce and remarriage1 are well known to most4 ,uniformity through a national law or by conventions of the ,states has been strongly urged for many years4 ,uniformity is needed4 ,but for one1 ,i have long discouraged too early action1 because the problem is too difficult1 the consequences too serious1 and the elements of it still too far out of our reach for any really wise action at present4 ,the government report grew immediately out of this conviction4 ,it will1 ,i think1 abundantly justify the caution4 ,for it shows that uniformity could affect at the utmost only a small percentage of the total divorces in the ,united ,states4 ,only #ai4i percent of all the divorced who were married in this country obtained their divorces in a different ,state from the one in which their marriage had taken place1 in all these twenty years1 #hj4a per cent1 having been divorced in the ,state where married4 ,now1 marriage on the average lasts #i4ag years before divorce occurs1 which probably is nearly two-fifths the length of a married life before its dissolution by death4 ,from this #ai4i per cent1 there must1 therefore1 be subtracted the large migration of married couples for legitimate purposes1 in order to get any fair figure to express the migration for divorce4 ,but the movement of the native population away from the ,state of birth is #bb or #bc per cent4 ,this1 however1 includes all ages4 ,for all who believe that divorce itself is generally a great evil1 the conclusion is apparently inevitable that the question of uniformity1 serious as it is1 is a very small part of the great legal problem demanding solution at our hands4 ,this general problem1 aside from its graver features in the more immediate sphere of sociology and religion1 must evidently tax our publicists and statesmen severely4 ,the old temptation to meet special evils by general legislation besets us on this subject4 ,i think comparative and historical study of the law of the family1 7the ,familienrecht of the ,germans71 especially if the movement of ,european law be seen1 points toward the need of a pretty comprehensive and thorough examination of our specific legal problem of divorce and marriage law in this fuller light1 before much legislation is undertaken4 ,samuel ,w4 ,dike4 ,however much men may differ in their views of the nature and attributes of the matrimonial contract1 and in their concept of the rights and obligations of the marriage state1 no one will deny that these are grave questions2 since upon marriage rests the family1 and upon the family rest society1 civilization1 and the highest interests of religion and the state4 ,yet1 strange to say1 divorce1 the deadly enemy of marriage1 stalks abroad to-day bold and unblushing1 a monster licensed by the laws of ,christian states to break hearts1 wreck homes and ruin souls4 ,and passing strange is it1 too1 that so many1 wise and far-seeing in less weighty concerns1 do not appear to see in the evergrowing power of divorce a menace not only to the sacredness of the marriage institution1 but even to the fair social fabric reared upon matrimony as its corner-stone4 ,god instituted in ,paradise the marriage state and sanctified it4 ,he established its law of unity and declared its indissolubility4 ,by divine authority ,adam spoke when of his wife he said3 ,this now is bone of my bones1 and flesh of my flesh2 she shall be called woman1 because she was taken out of man4 ,wherefore a man shall leave father and mother1 and shall cleave to his wife3 and they shall be two in one flesh499 99 ,gen41 ii41 #bc-bd4 ,but like other things on earth1 marriage suffered in the fall2 and little by little polygamy and divorce began to assert themselves against the law of matrimonial unity and indissolubility4 ,yet the ideal of the marriage institution never faded away4 ,it survived1 not only among the chosen people1 but even among the nations of heathendom1 disfigured much1 'tis true1 but with its ancient beauty never wholly destroyed4 ,when1 in the fullness of time1 ,christ came to restore the things that were perishing1 he reasserted in clear and unequivocal terms the sanctity1 unity1 and indissolubility of marriage4 ,nay1 more4 ,he gave to this state added holiness and a dignity higher far than it had from the beginning4 ,he made marriage a sacrament1 made it the type of his own never-ending union with his one spotless spouse1 the church4 ,st4 ,paul1 writing to the ,ephesians1 says3 ,husbands1 love your wives1 as ,christ also loved the church1 and delivered himself up for it1 that he might sanctify it1 cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life1 that he might present it to himself a glorious church1 not having spot or wrinkle1 or any such thing1 but that it should be holy and without blemish4 ,so also ought men to love their wives as their own bodies4444 ,for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother1 and shall cleave to his wife1 and they shall be two in one flesh499 99 ,ephes41 v41 #be-ca4 ,in defence of ,christian marriage1 the church was compelled from the earliest days of her existence to do frequent and stern battle4 ,but cultured pagan1 and rough barbarian1 and haughty ,christian lord were met and conquered4 ,men were taught to master passion1 and ,christian marriage1 with all its rights secured and reverenced1 became a ruling power in the world4 ,the ,council of ,trent1 called1 in the throes of the mighty moral upheaval of the sixteenth century1 to deal with the new state of things1 again proclaimed to a believing and an unbelieving world the ,catholic doctrine of the holiness1 unity1 and indissolubility of marriage1 and the unlawfulness of divorce4 ,the council declared no new dogmas3 it simply reaffirmed the common teaching of the church for centuries4 ,but some of the most hallowed attributes of marriage seemed to be objects of peculiar detestation to the new teachers1 and their abolition was soon demanded4 ,the leaders in the changes of matrimonial law1 writes ,professor ,woolsey1 were the ,protestant reformers themselves1 and that almost from the beginning of the movement4444 ,the reformers1 when they discarded the sacramental view of marriage and the celibacy of the clergy1 had to make out a new doctrine of marriage and of divorce499 ,the new doctrine of marriage and of divorce1 pleasing as it was to the sensual man1 was speedily learned and as speedily put in practice4 ,the sacredness with which ,christian marriage had been hedged around began to be more and more openly trespassed upon1 and restive shoulders wearied more and more quickly of the marriage yoke when divorce promised freedom for newer joys4 ,to our own time the logical consequences of the new doctrine have come4 ,to-day abyss calls upon abyss1 change calls for change1 laxity calls for license4 ,divorce is now a recognized presence in high life and low2 and polygamy1 the first-born of divorce1 sits shameless in palace and in hovel4 ,yet the teacher that feared not to speak the words of truth in bygone ages is not silent now4 ,in no uncertain tones1 the church proclaims to the world to-day the unchangeable law of the strict unity and absolute indissolubility of valid and consummated ,christian marriage4 ,to the question then1 ,can divorce from the bond of marriage ever be allowed8 the ,catholic can only answer no4 99 ,divorce and ,divorce ,legislation1 by ,theodore ,d4 ,woolsey1 #b;d ,ed41 p4 #abf4 ,and for this no1 his first and last and best reason can be but this3 ,thus saith the ,lord4 ,as time goes on the wisdom of the church in absolutely forbidding divorce from the marriage bond grows more and more plain even to the many who deny to this prohibition a divine and authoritative sanction4 ,and nowhere is this more true than in our own country4 ,yet our experience of the evils of divorce is but the experience of every people that has cherished this monster4 ,let us take but a hasty view of the consequences of divorce in ancient times4 ,turn only to pagan ,greece and ,rome1 two peoples that practised divorce most extensively4 ,in both we find divorce weakening their primitive virtue and making their latter corruption more corrupt4 ,among the ,greeks morality declined as material civilization advanced4 ,divorce grew easy and common1 and purity and peace were banished from the family circle4 ,among the ,romans divorce was not common until the latter days of the ,republic4 ,then the flood-gates of immorality were opened1 and1 with divorce made easy1 came rushing in corruption of morals among both sexes and in every walk of life4 ,passion1 interest1 or caprice1 ,gibbon1 the historian1 tells us1 suggested daily motives for the dissolution of marriage2 a word1 a sign1 a message1 a letter1 the mandate of a freedman1 declared the separation2 the most tender of human connections was degraded to a transient society of profit or pleasure499 ,each succeeding generation witnessed moral corruption more general1 moral degradation more profound2 men and women were no longer ashamed of licentiousness2 until at length the nation that became mighty because built on a pure family fell when its corner-stone crumbled away in rottenness4 99 ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire1 ,milman's ,ed41 ,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #bcf4 ,heedless of the lessons taught by history1 modern nations1 too1 have made trial of divorce4 ,in ,europe1 wherever the new gospel of marriage and divorce has had6 notable influence1 divorce has been legalized2 and in due proportion to the extent of that influence causes for divorce have been multiplied1 the bond of marriage more and more recklessly broken1 and the obligations of that sacred state more and more shamelessly disregarded4 ,in our own country the divorce evil has grown more rapidly than our growth and strengthened more rapidly than our strength4 ,mr4 ,carroll ,d4 ,wright1 in a special report on the statistics of marriage and divorce made to ,congress in ,february1 #ahhi1 places the number of divorces in the ,united ,states in #ahfg at #i1icg1 and the number in #ahhf at #be1ece4 ,these figures show an increase of the divorce evil much out of proportion to our increase in population4 ,the knowledge that divorces can easily be procured encourages hasty marriages and equally hasty preparations4 ,legislators and judges in some ,states are encouraging inventive genius in the art of finding new causes for divorce4 ,frequently the most trivial and even ridiculous pretexts are recognized as sufficient for the rupture of the marriage bond2 and in some ,states divorce can be obtained without publicity1 and even without the knowledge of the defendant--in such cases generally an innocent wife4 ,crime has sometimes been committed for the very purpose of bringing about a divorce1 and cases are not rare in which plots have been laid to blacken the reputation of a virtuous spouse in order to obtain legal freedom for new nuptials4 ,sometimes1 too1 there is a collusion between the married parties to obtain divorce4 ,one of them trumps up charges2 the other does not oppose the suit2 and judgment is entered for the plaintiff4 ,every daily newspaper tells us of divorces applied for or granted1 and the public sense of decency is constantly being shocked by the disgusting recital of of divorce-court scandals4 ,we are filled with righteous indignation at ,mormonism2 we brand it as a national disgrace1 and justly demand its suppression4 ,why8 ,because1 forsooth1 the ,mormons are polygamists4 ,do we forget that there are two species of polygamy--simultaneous and successive8 ,mormons practise without legal recognition the first species2 while among us the second species is indulged in1 and with the sanction of law1 by thousands in whose nostrils ,mormonism is a stench and an abomination4 ,the ,christian press and pulpit of the land denounce the ,mormons as an adulterous generation1 but too often deal very tenderly with ,christian polygamists4 ,why8 ,is ,christian polygamy less odious in the eyes of ,god than ,mormon polygamy8 ,among us1 99tis true1 the one is looked upon as more respectable than the other4 ,yet we know that the ,mormons as a class1 care for their wives and children2 while ,christian polygamists but too often leave wretched wives to starve1 slave1 or sin1 and leave miserable children a public charge4 ,o divorced and much-married ,christian1 says the polygamous dweller by ,salt ,lake1 pluck first the beam from thy own eye1 and then shalt thou see to pluck the mote from the eye of thy much-married1 but undivorced1 ,mormon brother4 ,it follows logically from the ,catholic doctrine of the unity and indissolubility of marriage1 and the consequent prohibition of divorce from the marital bond1 that no one1 even though divorced a vinculo by the civil power1 can be allowed by the church to take another consort during the lifetime of the true wife or husband1 and such connection the church can but hold as sinful4 ,it is written3 ,whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another committeth adultery against her4 ,and if the wife shall put away her husband1 and be married to another1 she committeth adultery499 99 ,mark1 x41 ii1 #ab4 ,of course1 ,i am well aware that upon the words of our ,saviour as found in ,st4 ,matthew1 ,chap4 xix41 #i1 many base the right of divorce from the marriage bond for adultery1 with permission to remarry4 ,but1 as is well known1 the ,catholic ,church1 upon the concurrent testimony of the ,evangelists ,mark99 and ,luke19999 and upon the teaching of ,st4 ,paul1999999 interprets our ,lord's words quoted by ,st4 ,matthew as simply permitting1 on account of adultery1 divorce from bed and board1 with no right to either party to marry another4 ,but even if divorce a vinculo were not forbidden by divine law1 how inadequate a remedy would it be for the evils for which so many deem it a panacea4 ,divorce a vinculo1 as ,dr4 ,brownson truly says1 logically involves divorce ad libitum4999999 ,now1 what reason is there to suppose that parties divorced and remated will be happier in the new connection than in the old8 ,as a matter of fact1 many persons have been divorced a number of times4 ,sometimes1 too1 it happens that1 after a period of separation1 divorced parties repent of their folly1 reunite1 and are again divorced4 ,indeed1 experience clearly proves that unhappiness among married people frequently does not arise so much from mutual incompatibility as from causes inherent in one or both of the parties--causes that would be likely to make a new union as wretched as the old one4 ,there is wisdom in the pithy saying of-a recent writer3 ,much ill comes1 not because men and women are married1 but because they are fools4999999 99 ,mark1 x41 n1 #ab4 ,luke1 xvi41 #ah4 ,j ,i4 ,cor41vii41 #aj1 #aa4 9999 ,essay on ,the ,family--,christian and ,pagan4 999999 ,prof4 ,david ,swing in ,chicago ,journal4 ,there are some who think that the absolute prohibition of divorce does not contribute to the purity of society1 and are therefore of opinion that divorce with liberty to remarry does good in this regard4 ,he who believes the matrimonial bond indissoluble1 divorce a vinculo evil1 and the connection resulting from it criminal1 can only say3 ,evil should not be done that good may come4 ,but1 after all1 would even passing good come from this greater freedom8 ,in a few exceptional cases--,yes3 in the vast majority of cases--,no4 ,the trying of divorce as a safeguard of purity is an old experiment1 and an unsuccessful one4 ,in ,rome adulteries increased as divorces were multiplied4 ,after speaking of the facility and frequency of divorce among the ,romans1 ,gibbon adds3 ,a specious theory is confuted by this free and perfect experiment1 which demonstrates that the liberty of divorce does not contribute to happiness and virtue4 ,the facility of separation would destroy all mutual confidence1 and inflame every trifling dispute4 ,the minute difference between a husband and a stranger1 which might so easily be removed1 might still more easily be forgotten499 ,how apropos in this connection are the words of ,professor ,woolsey3 ,nothing is more startling than to pass from the first part of the eighteenth to this latter part of the nineteenth century1 and to observe how law has changed and opinion has altered in regard to marriage1 the great foundation of society1 and to divorce2 and how1 almost pari passu1 various offences against chastity1 such as concubinage1 prostitution1 illegitimate births1 abortion1 disinclination to family life1 have increased also--not1 indeed1 at the same pace everywhere1 or all of them equally in all countries1 yet have decidedly increased on the whole46 ,surely in few parts of the wide world is the truth of these strong words more evident than in those parts of our own country where loose divorce laws have long prevailed4 ,it should be noted that1 while never allowing the dissolution of the marriage bond1 the ,catholic ,church has always permitted1 for grave causes and under certain conditions1 a temporary or permanent separation from bed and board4 99 ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire1 ,milman's ,ed41 ,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #bcf4 9999 ,divorce and ,divorce ,legislation1 #b;d ,ed41 p4 #bgd4 ,the causes which1 positis ponendis1 justify such separation may be briefly given thus3 mutual consent1 adultery1 and grave peril of soul or body4 ,it may be said that there are persons so unhappily mated and so constituted that for them no relief can come save from divorce a vinculo1 with permission to remarry4 ,i shall not linger here to point out to such the need of seeking from a higher than earthly power the grace to suffer and be strong4 ,but for those whose reasoning on this subject is of the earth1 earthy1 ,i shall add some words of practical worldly wisdom from eminent jurists4 ,in a note to his edition of ,blackstone's ,commentaries1 ,mr4 ,john ,taylor ,coleridge says3 ,it is no less truly than beautifully said by ,sir ,w4 ,scott1 in the case of ,evans v4 ,evans1 that 'though in particular cases the repugnance of the law to dissolve the obligation of matrimonial cohabitation may operate with great severity upon individuals1 yet it must be carefully remembered that the general happiness of the married life is secured by its indissolubility4' ,when people understand that they must live together1 except for a few reasons known to the law1 they learn to soften by mutual accommodation that yoke which they know they cannot shake off3 they become good husbands and good wives from the necessity of remaining husbands and wives3 for necessity is a powerful master in teaching the duties which it imposes4 ,if it were once understood that upon mutual disgust married persons might be legally separated1 many couples who now pass through the world with mutual comfort1 with attention to their common offspring1 and to the moral order of civil society1 might have been at this moment living in a state of mutual unkindness1 in a state of estrangement from their common offspring1 and in a state of the most licentious and unrestrained immorality4 ,in this case1 as in many other cases1 the happiness of some individuals must be sacrificed to the greater and more general good4 ,the facility and frequency of divorce1 and its lamentable consequences1 are nowadays calling much attention to measures of divorce reform4 ,how can divorce reform be best secured8 it may be asked4 ,believing1 as ,i do1 that divorce is evil1 ,i also believe that its reformation and its death must be simultaneous4 ,it should cease to be4 ,divorce as we know it began when marriage was removed from the domain of the church3 divorce shall cease when the old order shall be restored4 ,will this ever come to pass8 ,perhaps so--after many days4 ,meanwhile1 something might be done1 something should be done1 to lessen the evils of divorce4 ,our present divorce legislation must be presumed to be such as the majority of the people wish it4 ,a first step1 therefore1 in the way of divorce reform should be the creation of a more healthy public sentiment on this question4 ,then will follow measures that will do good in proportion to their stringency4 ,a few practical suggestions as to the salient features of remedial divorce legislation may not be out of place4 ,persons seeking at the hands of the civil law relief in matrimonial troubles should have the right to ask for divorce a vinculo1 or simple separation a mensa et thoro1 as they may elect4 ,the number of legally-recognized grounds for divorce should be lessened1 and noiseless divorces forbidden4 ,rapid-transit facilities for passing through divorce courts should be cut off1 and divorce agencies should be suppressed4 ,the plaintiff in a divorce case should be a bona fide resident of the judicial district in which his petition is filed1 and in every divorce case the legal representatives of the ,state should appear for the defendant1 and1 by all means1 the right of remarriage after divorce should be restricted4 ,if divorce cannot be legislated out of existence1 let1 at least1 its power for evil be diminished4 ,james ,cardinal ,gibbons4 ,i am asked certain questions with regard to the attitude of the ,episcopal ,church towards the matter of divorce4 ,in undertaking to answer them1 it is to be remembered that there is a considerable variety of opinion which is held in more or less precise conformity with doctrinal or canonical declarations of the church4 ,with these variations this paper1 except in so far as it may briefly indicate them1 is not concerned4 ,nor is it an expression of individual opinion4 ,that is not what has been asked for or attempted4 ,the doctrine and law of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church on the subject of divorce is contained in canon #ac1 title ,,ii41 of the ,digest of the ,canons1 #ahhg4 ,that1 canon has been to a certain extent interpreted by ,episcopal judgments under section ,,iv4 ,the public opinion of the clergy or laity can only be ascertained in the usual way2 especially by examining their published treatises1 letters1 etc41 and perhaps most satisfactorily by the reports of discussion in the diocesan and general conventions on the subject of divorce4 ,among members of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church divorce is excessively rare1 cases of uncertainty in the application of the canon1 are much more rare1 and the practice of the clergy is almost perfectly uniform4 ,there is1 however1 by no means the same uniformity in their opinions either as to divorce or marriage4 ,as divorce is necessarily a mere accident of marriage1 and as divorce is impossible without a precedent marriage1 much practical difficulty might arise1 and much difference of opinion does arise1 from the fact that the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church has nowhere defined marriage4 ,negatively1 it is explicitly affirmed 7,article ,,xxv47 that matrimony is not to be counted for a sacrament of the ,gospel4 ,this might seem to reduce matrimony to a civil contract4 ,and accordingly the first rubric in the ,form of ,solemnization of ,matrimony directs1 on the ground of differences of laws in the various ,states1 that the minister is left to the direction of those laws in everything that regards the civil contract between the parties4 ,laws determining what persons shall be capable of contracting would seem to be included in everything that regards the civil contract2 and unquestionably the laws of most of the ,states render all persons legally divorced capable of at once contracting a new marriage4 ,both the first section of canon #ac and the ,form of ,solemnization1 affirm that1 if any persons be joined together otherwise than as ,god's word doth allow1 their marriage is not lawful4 ,but it is nowhere excepting as to divorce1 declared what the impediments are4 ,the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church has never1 by canon or express legislation1 published1 for instance1 a table of prohibited degrees4 ,on the matter of divorce1 however1 canon #ac1 title ,,ii41 supersedes1 for the members of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church1 both a part of the civil law relating to the persons capable of contracting marriage1 and also all private judgment as to the teaching of the ,word of ,god on that subject4 ,no minister is allowed1 as a rule1 to solemnize the marriage of any man or woman who has a divorced husband or wife still living4 ,but if the person seeking to be married is the innocent party in the divorce for adultery1 that person1 whether man or woman1 may be married by a minister of the church4 ,with the above exception1 the clergy are forbidden to administer the sacraments to any divorced and remarried person without the express permission of the bishop1 unless that person be penitent and in imminent danger of death4 ,any doubts as to the facts of any case under section ,,ii4 of this canon must be referred to the bishop4 ,of course1 where there is no reasonable doubt the minister may proceed4 ,it may be added that the sacraments are to be refused also to persons who may be reasonably supposed to have contracted marriage otherwise1 in any respect1 than as the ,word of ,god and the discipline of this ,church doth allow4 ,these impediments are nowhere defined2 and accordingly it has happened that a man who had married a deceased wife's sister and the woman he had married were1 by the private judgment of a priest1 refused the holy communion4 ,the civil courts do not seem inclined to protect the clergy from consequences of interference with the civil law4 ,in ,southbridge1 ,mass41 a few weeks ago1 a man who had been denounced from the altar for marrying again after a divorce obtained a judgment for #a1gbj damages4 ,the law of the church would seem to be that1 even though a legal divorce may have been obtained1 remarriage is absolutely forbidden1 excepting to the innocent party1 whether man or woman1 in a divorce for adultery4 ,the penalty for breach of this law might involve1 for the officiating clergyman1 deposition from the ministry2 for the offending man or woman1 exclusion from the sacraments1 which1 in the judgment of a very large number of the clergy1 involves everlasting damnation4 ,it is obvious1 then1 that the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church allows the complete validity of a divorce a vinculo in the case of adultery1 and the right of remarriage to the innocent party4 ,but that church has not determined in what manner either the grounds of the divorce or the innocence of either party is to be ascertained4 ,the canon does not require a clergyman to demand1 nor can the church enable him to secure1 the production of a copy of the record or decree of the court of law by which a divorce is granted1 nor would such decree indicate the innocence of one party1 though it might prove the guilt of the other4 ,the effect of divorce upon the integrity of the family is too obvious to require stating4 ,as the father and mother are the heads of the family1 their separation must inevitably destroy the common family life4 ,on the other hand1 it is often contended that the destruction has been already completed1 and that a divorce is only the legal recognition of what has already taken place2 the integrity of the family can scarcely remain when either a father or mother1 or both1 are living in violation of the law on which that integrity rests4 ,the question may be asked whether the absolute prohibition of divorce would contribute to the moral purity of society4 ,it is difficult to answer such a question1 because anything on the subject must be comparatively worthless until verified by experience4 ,it is quite certain that the prohibition of divorce never prevents illicit sexual connections1 as was abundantly proved when divorce in ,england was put within the reach of persons who were not able to afford the expense of a special act of ,parliament4 ,it is1 indeed1 so palpable a fact that any amount of evidence or argument is wholly superfluous4 ,the law of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church is by no means identical with the opinion of either the clergy or the laity4 ,in the judgment of many1 the existing law is far too lax1 or1 at least1 the whole doctrine of marriage is far too inadequately dealt with in the authoritative teaching of the church4 ,the opinion of this school finds1 perhaps1 its most adequate expression in the report of a committee of the last ,general ,convention forming ,appendix ,,xiii4 of the ,journal of that convention4 ,it is1 substantially1 that the ,mosaic law of marriage is still binding upon the church1 unless directly abrogated by ,christ himself2 that it was abrogated by him only so far that all divorce was forbidden by him1 excepting for the cause of fornication2 that a woman might not claim divorce for any reason whatever2 that the marriage of a divorced person until the death of the other party is wholly forbidden2 that marriage is not merely a civil contract1 but a spiritual and supernatural union1 requiring for its mutual obligation a supernatural1 divine grace2 that such grace is only imparted in the sacrament of matrimony1 which is a true sacrament and does actually confer grace2 that marriage is wholly within the jurisdiction of the church1 though the ,state may determine such rules and guarantees as may secure publicity and sufficient evidence of a marriage1 etc42 that severe penalties should be inflicted by the ,state1 on the demand of the church1 for the suppression of all offences against the seventh commandment and sundry other parts of the ,mosaic legislation1 especially in relation to prohibited degrees4 ,there is another school1 equally earnest and sincere in its zeal for the integrity of the family and sexual purity1 which would nevertheless repudiate much the greater part of the above assumption4 ,this school1 if one may so venture to combine scattered opinions1 argues substantially as follows3 ,the type of all ,mosaic legislation was circumcision2 that rite was of universal obligation and divine authority4 ,st4 ,paul so regarded it4 ,the abrogation of the law requiring circumcision was1 therefore1 the abrogation of the whole of the ,mosaic legislation4 ,the burden of proof1 therefore1 rests upon those who affirm the present obligation of what formed a part of the ,mosaic law2 and they must show that it has been reenacted by ,christ and his ,apostles or forms some part of some other and independent system of law or morals still in force4 ,christ's words about divorce are not to be construed as a positive law1 but as expressing the ideal of marriage1 and corresponding to his words about eunuchs1 which not everybody can receive4 ,so far as ,christ's words seem to indicate an inequality as to divorce between man and woman1 they are explained by the authoritative and inspired assertion of ,st4 ,paul3 ,in ,christ ,jesus there is neither male nor female4 ,a divine law is equally authoritative by whomsoever declared--whether by the ,son ,incarnate or by the ,holy ,ghost speaking through inspired ,apostles4 ,if1 then1 a divine law was ever capable of suspension or modification1 it may still be capable of such suspension or modification in corresponding circumstances4 ,the circumstances which justified a modification of the original divine law of marriage do still exist in many conditions of society and even of individual life4 ,the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church cannot1 alone1 speak with such authority on disputed passages of ,scripture as to justify her ministers in direct disobedience to the civil authority1 which is also ordained of ,god4 ,the exegesis of the early church was closely connected with theories about matter1 and about the inferiority of women and of married life1 which are no longer believed4 ,of course this is a very brief statement4 ,as a matter of fact the actual effect of the doctrine and discipline of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church on marriage and divorce is that divorce among her members is excessively rare2 that it is regarded with extreme aversion2 and that the public opinion of the church maintains the law as it now is1 but could not be trusted to execute laws more stringent4 ,a member of the committee of the ,general ,convention whose report has been already referred to closes that report with the following protest3 ,the undersigned finds himself unable to concur in so much of the proposed canon as forbids the holy communion to a truly pious and godly woman who has been compelled by long years of suffering from a drunken and brutal husband to obtain a divorce1 and has regularly married some suitable person according to the established laws of the land4 ,and also from so much of the proposed canon as may seem to forbid marriage with a deceased wife's sister4 ,the final action on these points1 which has already been stated1 indicates that the proposed report thus referred to was1 in one particular at least1 in advance of the sentiment of the church as expressed in her ,general ,convention4 ,henry ,c4 ,potter4 ,question 7#a47 ,do you believe in the principle of divorce under any circumstances8 ,the world for the most part is ruled by the tomb1 and the living are tyrannized over by the dead4 ,old ideas1 long after the conditions under which they were produced have passed away1 often persist in surviving4 ,many are disposed to worship the ancient--to follow the old paths1 without inquiring where they lead1 and without knowing exactly where they wish to go themselves4 ,opinions on the subject of divorce have been1 for the most part1 inherited from the early ,christians4 ,they have come to us through theological and priestly channels4 ,the early ,christians believed that the world was about to be destroyed1 or that it was to be purified by fire2 that all the wicked were to perish1 and that the good were to be caught up in the air to meet their ,lord--to remain there1 in all probability1 until the earth was prepared as a habitation for the blessed4 ,with this thought or belief in their minds1 the things of this world were of comparatively no importance4 ,the man who built larger barns in which to store his grain was regarded as a foolish farmer1 who had forgotten1 in his greed for gain1 the value of his own soul4 ,they regarded prosperous people as the children of ,mammon1 and the unfortunate1 the wretched and diseased1 as the favorites of ,god4 ,they discouraged all worldly pursuits1 except the soliciting of alms4 ,there was no time to marry or to be given in marriage2 no time to build homes and have families4 ,all their thoughts were centred upon the heaven they expected to inherit4 ,business1 love1 all secular things1 fell into disrepute4 ,nothing is said in the ,testament about the families of the apostles2 nothing of family life1 of the sacredness of home2 nothing about the necessity of education1 the improvement and development of the mind4 ,these things were forgotten1 for the reason that nothing1 in the presence of the expected event1 was considered of any importance1 except to be ready when the ,son of ,man should come4 ,such was the feeling1 that rewards were offered by ,christ himself to those who would desert their wives and children4 ,human love was spoken of with contempt4 ,let the dead bury their dead4 ,what is that to thee8 ,follow thou me4 ,they not only believed these things1 but acted in accordance with them2 and1 as a consequence1 all the relations of life were denied or avoided1 and their obligations disregarded4 ,marriage was discouraged4 ,it was regarded as only one degree above open and unbridled vice1 and was allowed only in consideration of human weakness4 ,it was thought far better not to marry--that it was something grander for a man to love ,god than to love woman4 ,the exceedingly godly1 the really spiritual1 believed in celibacy1 and held the opposite sex in a kind of pious abhorrence4 ,and yet1 with that inconsistency so characteristic of theologians1 marriage was held to be a sacrament4 ,the priest said to the man who married3 ,remember that you are caught for life4 ,this door opens but once4 ,before this den of matrimony the tracks are all one way4 ,this was in the nature of a punishment for having married4 ,the theologian felt that the contract of marriage1 if not contrary to ,god's command1 was at least contrary to his advice1 and that the married ought to suffer in some way1 as a matter of justice4 ,the fact that there could be no divorce1 that a mistake could not be corrected1 was held up as a warning4 ,at every wedding feast this skeleton stretched its fleshless finger towards bride and groom4 ,nearly all intelligent people have given up the idea that the world is about to come to an end4 ,they do not now believe that prosperity is a certain sign of wickedness1 or that poverty and wretchedness are sure certificates of virtue4 ,they are hardly convinced that ,dives should have been sent to hell simply for being rich1 or that ,lazarus was entitled to eternal joy on account of his poverty4 ,we now know that prosperous people may be good1 and that unfortunate people may be bad4 ,we have reached the conclusion that the practice of virtue tends in the direction of prosperity1 and that a violation of the conditions of well-being brings1 with absolute certainty1 wretchedness and misfortune4 ,there was a time when it was believed that the sin of an individual was visited upon the tribe1 the community1 or the nation to which he belonged4 ,it was then thought that if a man or woman had made a vow to ,god1 and had failed to keep the vow1 ,god might punish the entire community2 therefore it was the business of the community to see to it that the vow was kept4 ,that idea has been abandoned4 ,as we progress1 the rights of the individual are perceived1 and we are now beginning dimly to discern that there are no rights higher than the rights of the individual4 ,there was a time when nearly all believed in the reforming power of punishment--in the beneficence of brute force4 ,but the world is changing4 ,it was at one time thought that the ,inquisition was the savior of society2 that the persecution of the philosopher was requisite to the preservation of the state1 and that1 no matter what happened1 the state should be preserved4 ,we have now more light4 ,and standing upon this luminous point that we call the present1 let me answer your questions4 ,marriage is the most important1 the most sacred1 contract that human beings can make4 ,no matter whether we call it a contract1 or a sacrament1 or both1 it remains precisely the same4 ,and no matter whether this contract is entered into in the presence of magistrate or priest1 it is exactly the same4 ,a true marriage is a natural concord and agreement of souls1 a harmony in which discord is not even imagined2 it is a mingling so perfect that only one seems to exist2 all other considerations are lost2 the present seems to be eternal4 ,in this supreme moment there is no shadow--or the shadow is as luminous as light4 ,and when two beings thus love1 thus unite1 this is the true marriage of soul and soul4 ,that which is said before the altar1 or minister1 or magistrate1 or in the presence of witnesses1 is only the outward evidence of that which has already happened within2 it simply testifies to a union that has already taken place--to the uniting of two mornings of hope to reach the night together4 ,each has found the ideal2 the man has found the one woman of all the world--the impersonation of affection1 purity1 passion1 love1 beauty1 and grace2 and the woman has found the one man of all the world1 her ideal1 and all that she knows of romance1 of art1 courage1 heroism1 honesty1 is realized in him4 ,the idea of contract is lost4 ,duty and obligation are instantly changed into desire and joy1 and two lives1 like uniting streams1 flow on as one4 ,nothing can add to the sacredness of this marriage1 to the obligation and duty of each to each4 ,there is nothing in the ceremony except the desire on the part of the man and woman that the whole world should know that they are really married and that their souls have been united4 ,every marriage1 for a thousand reasons1 should be public1 should be recorded1 should be known2 but1 above all1 to the end that the purity of the union should appear4 ,these ceremonies are not only for the good and for the protection of the married1 but also for the protection of their children1 and of society as well4 ,but1 after all1 the marriage remains a contract of the highest possible character--a contract in which each gives and receives a heart4 ,the question then arises1 ,should this marriage1 under any circumstances1 be dissolved8 ,it is easy to understand the position taken by the various churches2 but back of theological opinions is the question of contract4 ,in this contract of marriage1 the man agrees to protect and cherish his wife4 ,suppose that he refuses to protect2 that he abuses1 assaults1 and tramples upon the woman he wed4 ,what is her redress8 ,is she under any obligation to him8 ,he has violated the contract4 ,he has failed to protect1 and1 in addition1 he has assaulted her like a wild beast4 ,is she under any obligation to him8 ,is she bound by the contract he has broken8 ,if so1 what is the consideration for this obligation8 ,must she live with him for his sake8 or1 if she leaves him to preserve her life1 must she remain his wife for his sake8 ,no intelligent man will answer these questions in the affirmative4 ,if1 then1 she is not bound to remain his wife for the husband's sake1 is she bound to remain his wife because the marriage was a sacrament8 ,is there any obligation on the part of the wife to remain with the brutal husband for the sake of ,god8 ,can her conduct affect in any way the happiness of an infinite being8 ,is it possible for a human being to increase or diminish the well-being of the ,infinite8 ,the next question is as to the right of society in this matter4 ,it must be admitted that the peace of society will be promoted by the separation of such people4 ,certainly society cannot insist upon a wife remaining with a husband who bruises and mangles her flesh4 ,even married women have a right to personal security4 ,they do not lose1 either by contract or sacrament1 the right of self-preservation2 this they share in common1 to say the least of it1 with the lowest living creatures4 ,this will probably be admitted by most of the enemies of divorce2 but they will insist that while the wife has the right to flee from her husband's roof and seek protection of kindred or friends1 the marriage--the sacrament--must remain unbroken4 ,is it to the interest of society that those who despise each other should live together8 ,ought the world to be peopled by the children of hatred or disgust1 the children of lust and loathing1 or by the welcome babes of mutual love8 ,is it possible that an infinitely wise and compassionate ,god insists that a helpless woman shall remain the wife of a cruel wretch8 ,can this add to the joy of ,paradise1 or tend to keep one harp in tune8 ,can anything be more infamous than for a government to compel a woman to remain the wife of a man she hates--of one whom she justly holds in abhorrence8 ,does any decent man wish the assistance of a constable1 a sheriff1 a judge1 or a church1 to keep his wife in his house8 ,is it possible to conceive of a more contemptible human being than a man who would appeal to force in such a case8 ,it may be said that the woman is free to go1 and that the courts will protect her from the brutality of the man who promised to be her protector2 but where shall the woman go8 ,she may have no friends2 or they may be poor2 her kindred may be dead4 ,has she no right to build another home8 ,must this woman1 full of kindness1 affection1 health1 be tied and chained to this living corpse8 ,is there no future for her8 ,must she be an outcast forever--deceived and betrayed for her whole life8 ,can she never sit by her own hearth1 with the arms of her children about her neck1 and with a husband who loves and protects her8 ,is she to become a social pariah1 and is this for the benefit of society8--or is it for the sake of the wretch who destroyed her life8 ,the ground has been taken that woman would lose her dignity if marriage could be annulled4 ,is it necessary to lose your liberty in order to retain your moral character--in order to be pure and womanly8 ,must a woman1 in order to retain her virtue1 become a slave1 a serf1 with a beast for a master1 or with society for a master1 or with a phantom for a master8 ,if an infinite being is one of the parties to the contract1 is it not the duty of this being to see to it that the contract is carried out8 ,what consideration does the infinite being give8 ,what consideration does he receive8 ,if a wife owes no duty to her husband because the husband has violated the contract1 and has even assaulted her life1 is it possible for her to feel toward him any real thrill of affection8 ,if she does not1 what is there left of marriage8 ,what part of this contract or sacrament remains in living force8 ,she can not sustain the relation of wife1 because she abhors him2 she cannot remain under the same roof1 for fear that she may be killed4 ,they sustain1 then1 only the relations of hunter and hunted--of tyrant and victim4 ,is it desirable that this relation should last through life1 and that it should be rendered sacred by the ceremony of a church8 ,again ,i ask1 ,is it desirable to have families raised under such circumstances8 ,are we in need of children born of such parents8 ,can the virtue of others be preserved only by this destruction of happiness1 by this perpetual imprisonment8 ,a marriage without love is bad enough1 and a marriage for wealth or position is low enough2 but what shall we say of a marriage where the parties actually abhor each other8 ,is there any morality in this8 any virtue in this8 ,is there virtue in retaining the name of wife1 or husband1 without the real and true relation8 ,will any good man say1 will any good woman declare1 that a true1 loving woman should be compelled to be the mother of children whose father she detests8 ,is there a good woman in the world who would not shrink from this herself2 and is there a woman so heartless and so immoral that she would force another to bear that from which she would shudderingly and shriekingly shrink8 ,marriages are made by men and women2 not by society2 not by the state2 not by the church2 not by supernatural beings4 ,by this time we should know that nothing is moral that does not tend to the well-being of sentient beings2 that nothing is virtuous the result of which is not good4 ,we know now1 if we know anything1 that all the reasons for doing right1 and all the reasons against doing wrong1 are here in this world4 ,we should have imagination enough to put ourselves in the place of another4 ,let a man suppose himself a helpless woman beaten by a brutal husband--would he advocate divorces then8 ,few people have an adequate idea of the sufferings of women and children1 of the number of wives who tremble when they hear the footsteps of a returning husband1 of the number of children who hide when they hear the voice of a father4 ,few people know the number of blows that fall on the flesh of the helpless every day1 and few know the nights of terror passed by mothers who hold babes to their breasts4 ,compared with these1 all the hardships of poverty borne by those who love each other are as nothing4 ,men and women truly married bear the sufferings and misfortunes of poverty together4 ,they console each other4 ,in the darkest night they see the radiance of a star1 and their affection gives to the heart of each perpetual sunshine4 ,the good home is the unit of the good government4 ,the hearthstone is the corner-stone of civilization4 ,society is not interested in the preservation of hateful homes1 of homes where husbands and wives are selfish1 cold1 and cruel4 ,it is not to the interest of society that good women should be enslaved1 that they should live in fear1 or that they should become mothers by husbands whom they hate4 ,homes should be filled with kind and generous fathers1 with true and loving mothers2 and when they are so filled1 the world will be civilized4 ,intelligence will rock the cradle2 justice will sit in the courts2 wisdom in the legislative halls2 and above all and over all1 like the dome of heaven1 will be the spirit of liberty4 ,although marriage is the most important and the most sacred contract that human beings can make1 still when that contract has been violated1 courts should have the power to declare it null and void upon such conditions as may be just4 ,as a rule1 the woman dowers the husband with her youth1 her beauty1 her love--with all she has2 and from this contract certainly the husband should never be released1 unless the wife has broken the conditions of that contract4 ,divorces should be granted publicly1 precisely as the marriage should be solemnized4 ,every marriage should be known1 and there should be witnesses1 to the end that the character of the contract entered into should be understood2 the record should be open and public4 ,and the same is true of divorces4 ,the conditions should be determined1 the property should be divided by a court of equity1 and the custody of the children given under regulations prescribed4 ,men and women are not virtuous by law4 ,law does not of itself create virtue1 nor is it the foundation or fountain of love4 ,law should protect virtue1 and law should protect the wife1 if she has kept her contract1 and the husband1 if he has fulfilled his4 ,but the death of love is the end of marriage4 ,love is natural4 ,back of all ceremony burns and will forever burn the sacred flame4 ,there has been no time in the world's history when that torch was extinguished4 ,in all ages1 in all climes1 among all people1 there has been true1 pure1 and unselfish love4 ,long before a ceremony was thought of1 long before a priest existed1 there were true and perfect marriages4 ,back of public opinion is natural modesty1 the affections of the heart2 and in spite of all law1 there is and forever will be the realm of choice4 ,wherever love is1 it is pure2 and everywhere1 and at all times1 the ceremony of marriage testifies to that which has happened within the temple of the human heart4 ,question 7#b74 ,ought divorced people to be allowed to marry under any circumstances8 ,this depends upon whether marriage is a crime4 ,if it is not a crime1 why should any penalty be attached8 ,can any one conceive of any reason why a woman obtaining a divorce1 without fault on her part1 should be compelled as a punishment to remain forever single8 ,why should she be punished for the dishonesty or brutality of another8 ,why should a man who faithfully kept his contract of marriage1 and who was deserted by an unfaithful wife1 be punished for the benefit of society8 ,why should he be doomed to live without a home8 ,there is still another view4 ,we must remember that human passions are the same after as before divorce4 ,to prevent remarriage is to give excuse for vice4 ,question 7#c74 ,what is the effect of divorce upon the integrity of the family8 ,the real marriage is back of the ceremony1 and the real divorce is back of the decree4 ,when love is dead1 when husband and wife abhor each other1 they are divorced4 ,the decree records in a judicial way what has really taken place1 just as the ceremony of marriage attests a contract already made4 ,the true family is the result of the true marriage1 and the institution of the family should above all things be preserved4 ,what becomes of the sacredness of the home1 if the law compels those who abhor each other to sit at the same hearth8 ,this lowers the standard1 and changes the happy haven of home into the prison-cell4 ,if we wish to preserve the integrity of the family1 we must preserve the democracy of the fireside1 the republicanism of the home1 the absolute and perfect equality of husband and wife4 ,there must be no exhibition of force1 no spectre of fear4 ,the mother must not remain through an order of court1 or the command of a priest1 or by virtue of the tyranny of society2 she must sit in absolute freedom1 the queen of herself1 the sovereign of her own soul and of her own body4 ,real homes can never be preserved through force1 through slavery1 or superstition4 ,nothing can be more sacred than a home1 no altar purer than the hearth4 ,question 7#d74 ,does the absolute prohibition of divorce where it exists contribute to the moral purity of society8 ,we must define our terms4 ,what is moral purity8 ,the intelligent of this world seek the well-being of themselves and others4 ,they know that happiness is the only good2 and this they strive to attain4 ,to live in accordance with the conditions of well-being is moral in the highest sense4 ,to use the best instrumentalities to attain the highest ends is our highest conception of the moral4 ,in other words1 morality is the melody of the perfection of conduct4 ,a man is not moral because he is obedient through fear or ignorance4 ,morality lives in the realm of perceived obligation1 and where a being acts in accordance with perceived obligation1 that being is moral4 ,morality is not the child of slavery4 ,ignorance is not the corner-stone of virtue4 ,the first duty of a human being is to himself4 ,he must see to it that he does not become a burden upon others4 ,to be self-respecting1 he must endeavor to be self-sustaining4 ,if by his industry and intelligence he accumulates a margin1 then he is under obligation to do with that margin all the good he can4 ,he who lives to the ideal does the best he can4 ,in true marriage men and women give not only their bodies1 but their souls4 ,this is the ideal marriage2 this is moral4 ,they who give their bodies1 but not their souls1 are not married1 whatever the ceremony may be2 this is immoral4 ,if this be true1 upon what principle can a woman continue to sustain the relation of wife after love is dead8 ,is there some other consideration that can take the place of genuine affection8 ,can she be bribed with money1 or a home1 or position1 or by public opinion1 and still remain a virtuous woman8 ,is it for the good of society that virtue should be thus crucified between church and state8 ,can it be said that this contributes to the moral purity of the human race8 ,is there a higher standard of virtue in countries where divorce is prohibited than in those where it is granted8 ,where husbands and wives who have ceased to love cannot be divorced1 there are mistresses and lovers4 ,the sacramental view of marriage is the shield of vice4 ,the world looks at the wife who has been abused1 who has been driven from the home of her husband1 and the world pities2 and when this wife is loved by some other man1 the world excuses4 ,so1 too1 the husband who cannot live in peace1 who leaves his home1 is pitied and excused4 ,is it possible to conceive of anything more immoral than for a husband to insist on living with a wife who has no love for him8 ,is not this a perpetual crime8 ,is the wife to lose her personality8 ,has she no right of choice8 ,is her modesty the property of another8 ,is the man she hates the lord of her desire8 ,has she no right to guard the jewels of her soul8 ,is there a depth below this8 ,and is this the foundation of morality8 this the corner-stone of society8 this the arch that supports the dome of civilization8 ,is this pathetic sacrifice on the one hand1 this sacrilege on the other1 pleasing in the sight of heaven8 ,to me1 the tenderest word in our language1 the most pathetic fact within our knowledge1 is maternity4 ,around this sacred word cluster the joys and sorrows1 the agonies and ecstasies1 of the human race4 ,the mother walks in the shadow of death that she may give another life4 ,upon the altar of love she puts her own life in pawn4 ,when the world is civilized1 no wife will become a mother against her will4 ,man will then know that to enslave another is to imprison himself4 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,divorce4 ,a ,,little while ago the ,north ,american ,review propounded the following questions3 #a4 ,do you believe in the principle of divorce under any circumstances8 #b4 ,ought divorced people to be allowed to marry1 under any circumstances8 #c4 ,what is the effect of divorce on the integrity of the family8 #d4 ,does the absolute prohibition of divorce1 where it exists1 contribute to the moral purity of society8 ,these questions were answered in the ,november number of the ,review1 #ahhi1 by ,cardinal ,gibbons1 ,bishop ,henry ,c4 ,potter and myself4 ,in the ,december number1 the same questions were again answered by ,w4 ,e4 ,gladstone1 ,justice ,bradley and ,senator ,dolph4 ,in the following month ,mary ,a4 ,livermore1 ,amelia ,e4 ,barr1 ,rose ,terry ,cooke1 ,elizabeth ,stuart ,phelps and ,jennie ,june gave their opinions upon the subject of divorce2 and in the ,february number of this year1 ,margaret ,lee and the ,rev4 ,phillip ,s4 ,moxom contributed articles upon this subject4 ,i propose to review these articles1 and1 first1 let me say a few words in answer to ,cardinal ,gibbons4 ,,reply ,,to ,,cardinal ,,gibbons4 ,the indissolubility of marriage was a reaction from polygamy4 ,man naturally rushes from one extreme to the other4 ,the ,cardinal informs us that ,god instituted in ,paradise the marriage state1 and sanctified it2 that he established its law of unity and declared its indissolubility4 ,the ,cardinal1 however1 accounts for polygamy and divorce by saying that1 marriage suffered in the fall4 ,if it be true that ,god instituted marriage in the ,garden of ,eden1 and declared its unity and indissolubility1 how do you account for the fact that this same ,god afterwards upheld polygamy8 ,how is it that he forgot to say anything on the subject when he gave the ,ten ,commandments to ,moses8 ,how does it happen that in these commandments he puts women on an equality with other property--,thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife1 or thy neighbor's ox1 or anything that is thy neighbor's8 ,how did it happen that ,jacob1 who was in direct communication with ,god1 married1 not his deceased wife's sister1 but both sisters1 while both were living8 ,is there any way of accounting for the fact that ,god upheld concubinage8 ,neither is it true that ,christ reasserted in clear and unequivocal terms1 the sanctity1 unity1 and indissolubility of marriage4 ,neither is it true that ,christ gave to this state an added holiness and a dignity higher far than it had 'from the beginning4' ,if ,god declared the unity and indissolubility of marriage in the ,garden of ,eden1 how was it possible for ,christ to have added a holiness and dignity to marriage higher far than it had from the beginning8 ,how did ,christ make marriage a sacrament8 ,there is nothing on that subject in the new ,testament2 besides1 ,christ did apparently allow divorce1 for one cause at least4 ,he is reported to have said3 ,whosoever putteth away his wife1 save for fornication1 causeth her to commit adultery4 ,the ,cardinal answers the question1 ,can divorce from the bonds of marriage ever be allowed8 with an emphatic theological ,,no1 and as a reason for this no1 says1 ,thus saith the ,lord4 ,it is true that we regard ,mormonism as a national disgrace1 and that we so regard it because the ,mormons are polygamists4 ,at the same time1 intelligent people admit that polygamy is no worse in ,utah1 than it was in ,palestine--no worse under ,joseph ,smith1 than under ,jehovah--that it has been and must be forever the same1 in all countries and in all times4 ,the ,cardinal takes the ground that there are two species of polygamy--simultaneous and successive1 and yet he seems to regard both species with equal horror4 ,if a wife dies and the husband marries another woman1 is not that successive polygamy8 ,the ,cardinal takes the ground that while no dissolution of the marriage bond should be allowed1 yet for grave causes a temporary or permanent separation from bed and board may be obtained1 and these causes he enumerates as mutual consent1 adultery1 and grave peril of soul or body4 ,to those1 however1 not satisfied with this doctrine1 and who are so unhappily mated and so constituted that for them no relief can come save from absolute divorce1 the ,cardinal says1 in a very sympathetic way1 that he ,will not linger here to point out to such the need of seeking from a higher than earthly power1 the grace to suffer and be strong4 ,at the foundation and upon the very threshold of this inquiry1 one thing ought to be settled1 and that is this3 ,are we to answer these questions in the light of human experience2 are we to answer them from the standpoint of what is better here1 in this world1 for men and women--what is better for society here and now--or are we to ask3 ,what is the will of ,god8 ,and in order to find out what is this will of ,god1 are we to ask the church1 or are we to read what are called the sacred writings for ourselves8 ,in other words1 are these questions to be settled by theological and ecclesiastical authority1 or by the common sense of mankind8 ,no one1 in my judgment1 should marry for the sake of ,god1 and no one should be divorced for the sake of ,god1 and no man and woman should live together as husband and wife1 for the sake of ,god4 ,god being an infinite being1 cannot be rendered unhappy by any action of man1 neither can his well-being be increased2 consequently1 the will of ,god has nothing whatever to do with this matter4 ,the real question then must be3 ,what is best for man8 ,only the other day1 a husband sought out his wife and with his own hand covered her face with sulphuric acid1 and in a moment afterward she was blind4 ,a ,cardinal of the ,catholic ,church tells this woman1 sitting in darkness1 that it is her duty to suffer and be strong2 that she must still remain the wife of this wretch2 that to break the bond that binds them together1 would be an act of sacrilege4 ,so1 too1 two years ago1 a husband deserted his wife in ,germany4 ,he came to this country4 ,she was poor4 ,she had two children--one a babe4 ,holding one in her arm1 and leading the other by the hand1 she walked hundreds of miles to the shore of the sea4 ,overcome by fatigue1 she was taken sick1 and for months remained in a hospital4 ,having recovered1 she went to work1 and finally got enough money to pay her passage to ,new ,york4 ,she came to this city1 bringing her children with her4 ,upon her arrival1 she commenced a search for her husband4 ,one day overcome by exertion1 she fainted in the street4 ,persons took pity upon her and carried her upstairs into a room4 ,by a strange coincidence1 a few moments afterward her husband entered4 ,she recognized him4 ,he fell upon her like a wild beast1 and threw her down the stairs4 ,she was taken up from the pavement bleeding1 and carried to a hospital4 ,the ,cardinal says to this woman3 ,remain the wife of this man2 it will be very pleasing to ,god2 suffer and be strong4 ,but ,i say to this woman3 ,apply to some ,court2 get a decree of absolute divorce2 cling to your children1 and if at any time hereafter some good and honest man offers you his hand and heart1 and you can love him1 accept him and build another home1 to the end that you may sit by your own fireside1 in your old age1 with your children about you4 ,it is not true that the indissolubility of marriage preserves the virtue of mankind4 ,the fact is exactly the opposite4 ,if the ,cardinal wishes to know why there are more divorces now than there were fifty or a hundred years ago1 let me tell him3 ,women are far more intelligent--some of them are no longer the slaves either of husbands1 or priests4 ,they are beginning to think for themselves4 ,they can see no good reason why they should sacrifice their lives to please ,popes or ,gods4 ,they are no longer deceived by theological prophecies4 ,they are not willing to suffer here1 with the hope of being happy beyond the clouds--they want their happiness now4 ,,reply ,,to ,,bishop ,,potter4 ,bishop ,potter does not agree with the ,cardinal1 yet they both study substantially the same bible--both have been set apart for the purpose of revealing the revelation4 ,they are the persons whose duty it is to enlighten the common people4 ,cardinal ,gibbons knows that he represents the only true church1 and ,bishop ,potter is just as sure that he occupies that position4 ,what is the ordinary man to do8 ,the ,cardinal states1 without the slightest hesitation1 that ,christ made marriage a sacrament--made it the type of his own never-ending union with his one sinless spouse1 the church4 ,the ,bishop does not agree with the ,cardinal4 ,he says3 ,christ's words about divorce are not to be construed as a positive law1 but as expressing the ideal of marriage1 and corresponding to his words about eunuchs1 which not everybody can receive4 ,ought not the augurs to agree among themselves8 ,what is a man who has only been born once1 to do8 ,the ,cardinal says explicitly that marriage is a sacrament1 and the ,bishop cites ,article xxv41 that matrimony is not to be accounted for a sacrament of the gospel1 and then admits that this might seem to reduce matrimony to a civil contract4 ,for the purpose of bolstering up that view1 he says1 ,the first rubric in the ,form of ,solemnization of ,matrimony declares that the minister is left to the direction of those laws in every thing that regards a civil contract between the parties4' ,he admits that no minister is allowed1 as a rule1 to solemnize the marriage of any man or woman who has a divorced husband or wife still living4 ,as a matter of fact1 we know that hundreds of ,episcopalians do marry where a wife or a husband is still living1 and they are not turned out of the ,episcopal ,church for this offence4 ,the ,bishop admits that the church can do very little on the subject1 but seems to gather a little consolation from the fact1 that the penalty for breach of this law might involve1 for the officiating clergyman1 deposition from the ministry--for the offending man or woman exclusion from the sacraments1 which1 in the judgment of a very large number of the clergy1 involves everlasting damnation4 ,the ,cardinal is perfectly satisfied that the prohibition of divorce is the foundation of morality1 and the ,bishop is equally certain that the prohibition of divorce never prevents illicit sexual connections4 ,the ,bishop also gives us the report of a committee of the last ,general ,convention1 forming ,appendix xiii of the ,journal4 ,this report1 according to the ,bishop1 is to the effect that the ,mosaic law of marriage is still binding upon the church unless directly abrogated by ,christ himself1 that it-was abrogated by him only so far that all divorce was forbidden by him excepting for the cause of fornication2 that a woman might not claim divorce for any reason whatever2 that the marriage of a divorced person until the death of the other party1 is wholly forbidden2 that marriage is not merely a civil contract but a spiritual and supernatural union1 requiring for its mutual obligations a supernatural divine grace1 and that such grace is only imparted in the sacrament of matrimony4 ,the most beautiful thing about this report is1 that a woman might not claim divorce for any reason whatever4 ,i must admit that the report is in exact accordance with the words of ,jesus ,christ4 ,on the other hand1 the ,bishop1 not to leave us entirely without hope1 says that there is in his church another school1 equally earnest and sincere in its zeal for the integrity of the family1 which would nevertheless repudiate the greater part of the above report4 ,there is one thing1 however1 that ,i was exceedingly glad to see1 and that is1 that according to the ,bishop the ideas of the early church are closely connected with theories about matter1 and about the inferiority of woman1 and about married life1 which are no longer believed4 ,the ,bishop has1 with great clearness1 stated several sides of this question2 but ,i must say1 that after reading the ,cardinal and the ,bishop1 the earnest theological seeker after truth would find himself1 to say the least of it1 in some doubt4 ,as a matter of fact1 who cares what the ,old ,testament says upon this subject8 ,are we to be bound forever by the ancient barbarians8 ,mr4 ,gladstone takes the ground1 first1 that marriage is essentially a contract for life1 and only expires when life itself expires2 second1 that ,christian marriage involves a vow before ,god2 third1 that no authority has been given to the ,christian ,church to cancel such a vow2 fourth1 that it lies beyond the province of tie civil legislature1 which1 from the necessity of things1 has a veto within the limits of reason1 upon the making of it1 but has no competency to annul it when once made2 fifth1 that according to the laws of just interpretation1 remarriage is forbidden by the text of ,holy ,scripture2 and sixth1 that while divorce of any kind impairs the integrity of the family1 divorce with remarriage destroys it root and branch2 that the parental and the conjugal relations are joined together by the hand of the ,almighty no less than the persons united by the marriage tie1 to one another4 ,first4 ,undoubtedly1 a real marriage was never entered into unless the parties expected to live together as long as they lived4 ,it does not enter into the imagination of the real lover that the time is coming when he is to desert the being he adores1 neither does it enter into the imagination of his wife1 or of the girl about to become a wife4 ,but how and in what way1 does a ,christian marriage involve a vow before ,god8 ,is ,god a party to the contract8 ,if yes1 he ought to see to it that the contract is carried out4 ,if there are three parties--the man1 the woman1 and ,god--each one should be bound to do something1 and what is ,god bound to do8 ,is he to hold the man to his contract1 when the woman has violated hers8 ,is it his business to hold the woman to the contract1 when the man has violated his8 ,and what right has he to have anything to say on the subject1 unless he has agreed to do something by reason of this vow8 ,otherwise1 it would be simply a nudum pactum--a vow without consideration4 ,mr4 ,gladstone informs us that no authority has been given to the ,christian ,church to cancel such a vow4 ,if he means by that1 that ,god has not given any such authority to the ,christian ,church1 ,i most cheerfully admit it499 99 ,note4--,this abrupt termination1 together with the unfinished replies to ,justice ,bradley and ,senator ,dolph1 which follow1 shows that the author must have been interrupted in his work1 and on next taking it up concluded that the colloquial and concrete form would better serve his turn than the more formal and didactic style above employed4 ,he thereupon dictated his reply to the ,gibbon and ,gladstone arguments in the following form which will be regarded as a most interesting instance of the author's wonderful versatility of style4 ,this unfinished matter was found among ,col4 ,ingersoll's manuscripts1 and is given as transcribed from the stenographic notes of ,mr4 ,i4 ,n4 ,baker1 his secretary1 without revision by the author4 ,,justice ,,bradley4 ,cardinal ,gibbons1 ,bishop ,potter1 and ,mr4 ,gladstone represent the theological side--that is to say1 the impracticable1 the supernatural1 the unnatural4 ,after reading their opinions1 it is refreshing to read those of ,justice ,bradley4 ,it is like coming out of the tomb into the fresh air4 ,speaking of the law1 whether regarded as divine or human or both1 ,justice ,bradley says3 ,i know no other law on the subject but the moral law1 which does not consist of arbitrary enactments and decrees1 but is adapted to our condition as human beings4 ,this is so1 whether it is conceived of as the will of an all-wise creator1 or as the voice of humanity speaking from its experience1 its necessities and its higher instincts4 ,and that law surely does not demand that the injured party to the marriage bond should be forever tied to one who disregards and violates every obligation that it imposes--to one with whom it is impossible to cohabit--to one whose touch is contamination4 ,nor does it demand that such injured party1 if legally free1 should be forever debarred from forming other ties through which the lost hopes of happiness for life may be restored4 ,it is not reason1 and it can not be law--divine1 or moral--that unfaithfulness1 or willful and obstinate desertion1 or persistent cruelty of the stronger party1 should afford no ground for relief4444444,if no redress be legalized1 the law itself will be set at defiance1 and greater injury to soul and body will result from clandestine methods of relief4 ,surely1 this is good1 wholesome1 practical common sense4 ,,senator ,,dolph4 ,senator ,dolph strikes a strong blow1 and takes the foundation from under the idiotic idea of legal separation without divorce4 ,he says3 ,as there should be no partial divorce1 which leaves the parties in the condition aptly described by an eminent jurist as 'a wife without a husband and a husband without a wife1' so1 as a matter of public expediency1 and in the interest of public morals1 whenever and however the marriage is dissolved1 both parties should be left free to remarry4 ,again3 ,prohibition of remarriage is likely to injure society more than the remarriage of the guilty party2 and the ,senator says1 with great force3 ,divorce for proper causes1 free from fraud and collusion1 conserves the moral integrity of the family4 ,in answering the question as to whether absolute prohibition of divorce tends to morality or immorality1 the ,senator cites the case of ,south ,carolina4 ,in that ,state1 divorces were prohibited1 and in consequence of this prohibition1 the proportion of his property which a married man might give to his concubine was regulated by law4 ,,the ,,argument ,,continued1 ,,in ,,colloquial ,,form4 ,those who have written on the subject of divorce seem to be divided into two classes--the supernaturalists and the naturalists4 ,the first class rely on tradition1 inspired books1 the opinions of theologians as expressed in creeds1 and the decisions of ecclesiastical tribunals4 ,the second class take into account the nature of human beings1 their own experience1 and the facts of life1 as they know them4 ,the first class live for another world2 the second1 for this--the one in which we live4 ,the theological theorists regard men and women as depraved1 in consequence of what they are pleased to call the fall of man1 while the men and women of common sense know that the race has slowly and painfully progressed through countless years of suffering and toil4 ,the priests insist that marriage is a sacrament2 the philosopher1 that it is a contract4 ,the question as to the propriety of granting divorces cannot now be settled by quoting passages of ,scripture1 or by appealing to creeds1 or by citing the acts of legislatures or the decisions of courts4 ,with intelligent millions1 the ,scriptures are no longer considered as of the slightest authority4 ,they pay no more regard to the ,bible than to the ,koran1 the ,zend-,avestas1 or the ,popol ,vuh--neither do they care for the various creeds that were formulated by barbarian ancestors1 nor for the laws and decisions based upon the savagery of the past4 ,in the olden times when religions were manufactured--when priest-craft and lunacy governed the world--the women were not consulted4 ,they were regarded and treated as serfs and menials--looked upon as a species of property to be bought and sold like the other domestic animals4 ,this view or estimation of woman was undoubtedly in the mind of the author of the ,ten ,commandments when he said3 ,thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife1--nor his ox4 ,such1 however1 has been the advance of woman in all departments of knowledge--such advance having been made in spite of the efforts of the church to keep her the slave of faith--that the obligations1 rights and remedies growing out of the contract of marriage and its violation1 cannot be finally determined without her consent and approbation4 ,legislators and priests must consult with wives and mothers4 ,they must become acquainted with their wants and desires--with their profound aversions99 their pure hatreds1 their loving self-denials1 and1 above all1 with the religion of the body that moulds and dominates their lives4 ,we have learned to suspect the truth of the old1 because it is old1 and for that reason was born in the days of slavery and darkness--because the probability is that the parents of the old were ignorance and superstition4 ,we are beginning to be wise enough to take into consideration the circumstances of our own time--the theories and aspirations of the present--the changed conditions of the world--the discoveries and inventions that have modified or completely changed the standards of the greatest of the human race4 ,we are on the eve of discovering that nothing should be done for the sake of gods1 but all for the good of man--nothing for another world--everything for this4 ,all the theories must be tested by experience1 by facts4 ,the moment a supernatural theory comes in contact with a natural fact1 it falls to chaos4 ,let us test all these theories about marriage and divorce--all this sacramental1 indissoluble imbecility1 with a real case--with a fact in life4 ,a few years ago a man and woman fell in love and were married in a ,german village4 ,the woman had a little money and this was squandered by the husband4 ,when the money was gone1 the husband deserted his wife and two little children1 leaving them to live as best they might4 ,she had honestly given her hand and heart1 and believed that if she could only see him once more--if he could again look into her eyes--he would come back to her4 ,the husband had fled to ,america4 ,the wife lived four hundred miles from the sea4 ,taking her two little children with her1 she traveled on foot the entire distance4 ,for eight weeks she journeyed1 and when she reached the sea--tired1 hungry1 worn out1 she fell unconscious in the street4 ,she was taken to the hospital1 and for many weeks fought for life upon the shore of death4 ,at last she recovered1 and sailed for ,new ,york4 ,she was enabled to get just enough money to buy a steerage ticket4 ,a few days ago1 while wandering in the streets of ,new ,york in search of her husband1 she sank unconscious to the sidewalk4 ,she was taken into the home of another4 ,in a little while her husband entered4 ,he caught sight of his wife4 ,she ran toward him1 threw her arms about his neck1 and cried3 ,at last ,i have found you6 ,with an oath1 he threw her to the floor2 he bruised her flesh with his feet and fists2 he dragged her into the hall1 and threw her into the street4 ,let us suppose that this poor wife sought out ,cardinal ,gibbons and the ,right ,honorable ,william ,e4 ,gladstone1 for the purpose of asking their advice4 ,let us imagine the conversation3 ,the ,wife4 ,my dear ,cardinal1 ,i was married four years ago4 ,i loved my husband and ,i was sure that he loved me4 ,two babes were born4 ,he deserted me without cause4 ,he left me in poverty and want4 ,feeling that he had been overcome by some delusion--tempted by something more than he could bear1 and dreaming that if ,i could look upon his face again he would return1 ,i followed-him on foot4 ,i walked1 with my children in my arms1 four hundred miles4 ,i crossed the sea4 ,i found him at last--and instead of giving me again his love1 he fell upon me like a wild beast4 ,he bruised and blackened my flesh4 ,he threw me from him1 and for my proffered love ,i received curses and blows4 ,another man1 touched by the evidence of my devotion1 made my acquaintance--came to my relief--supplied my wants--gave me and my children comfort1 and then offered me his hand and heart1 in marriage4 ,my dear ,cardinal1 ,i told him that ,i was a married woman1 and he told me that ,i should obtain a divorce1 and so ,i have come to ask your counsel4 ,the ,cardinal4 ,my dear woman1 ,god instituted in ,paradise the marriage state and sanctified it1 and he established its law of unity and declared its indissolubility4 ,the ,wife4 ,but1 ,mr4 ,cardinal1 if it be true that ,god instituted marriage in the ,garden of ,eden1 and declared its unity and indissolubility1 how do you account for the fact that this same ,god afterward upheld polygamy8 ,how is it that he forgot to say anything on the subject when he gave the ,ten ,commandments to ,moses8 ,the ,cardinal4 ,you must remember that the institution of marriage suffered in the fall of man4 ,the ,wife4 ,how does that throw any light upon my case8 ,that was long ago4 ,surely1 ,i was not represented at that time1 and is it right that ,i should be punished for what was done by others in the very beginning of the world8 ,the ,cardinal4 ,christ reasserted in clear and unequivocal terms1 the sanctity1 unity and indissolubility of marriage1 and ,christ gave to this state an added holiness1 and a dignity higher far than it had from the beginning4 ,the ,wife4 ,how did it happen that ,jacob1 while in direct communication with ,god1 married1 not his deceased wife's sister1 but both sisters while both were living8 ,and how1 my dear ,cardinal1 do you account for the fact that ,god upheld concubinage8 ,the ,cardinal4 ,marriage is a sacrament4 ,you seem to ask me whether divorce from the bond of marriage can ever be allowed8 ,i answer with an emphatic theological ,no2 and as a reason for this ,no1 ,i say1 ,thus saith the ,lord4 ,to allow a divorce and to permit the divorced parties1 or either of them1 to remarry1 is one species of polygamy4 ,there are two kinds--the simultaneous and the successive4 ,the ,wife4 ,but why did ,god allow simultaneous polygamy in ,palestine8 ,was it any better in ,palestine then than it is in ,utah now8 ,if a wife dies1 and the husband marries another wife1 is not that successive polygamy8 ,the ,cardinal4 ,curiosity leads to the commission of deadly sins4 ,we should be satisfied with a ,thus saith the ,lord1 and you should be satisfied with a ,thus saith the ,cardinal4 ,if you have the right to inquire--to ask questions--then you take upon yourself the right of deciding after the questions have been answered4 ,this is the end of authority4 ,this undermines the cathedral4 ,you must remember the words of our ,lord3 ,what ,god hath joined together1 let not man put asunder4 ,the ,wife4 ,do you really think that ,god joined us together8 ,did he at the time know what kind of man he was joining to me8 ,did he then know that he was a wretch1 an ingrate1 a kind of wild beast8 ,did he then know that this husband would desert me--leave me with two babes in my arms1 without raiment and without food8 ,did ,god put his seal upon this bond of marriage1 upon this sacrament1 and it was well-pleasing in his sight that my life should be sacrificed1 and does he leave me now to crawl toward death1 in poverty and tears8 ,the ,cardinal4 ,my dear woman1 ,i will not linger here to point out to you the need of seeking from a higher than an earthly power the grace to suffer and be strong4 ,the ,wife4 ,mr4 ,cardinal1 am ,i under any obligation to ,god8 ,will it increase the happiness of the infinite for me to remain homeless and husbandless8 ,another offers to make me his wife and to give me a home1--to take care of my children and to fill my heart with joy4 ,if ,i accept1 will the act lessen the felicity or ecstasy of heaven8 ,will it add to the grief of ,god8 ,will it in any way affect his well-being8 ,the ,cardinal4 ,nothing that we can do can effect the well-being of ,god4 ,he is infinitely above his children4 ,the ,wife4 ,then why should he insist upon the sacrifice of my life8 ,mr4 ,cardinal1 you do not seem to sympathize with me4 ,you do not understand the pangs ,i feel4 ,you are too far away from my heart1 and your words of consolation do not heal the bruise2 they leave me as ,i now leave you--without hope4 ,i will ask the advice of the ,right ,honorable ,william ,e4 ,gladstone4 ,the ,wife4 ,mr4 ,gladstone1 you know my story1 and so ,i ask that you will give me the benefit of your knowledge1 of your advice4 ,mr4 ,gladstone4 ,my dear woman1 marriage is essentially a contract for life1 and only expires when life itself expires4 ,i say this because ,christian marriage involves a vow before ,god1 and no authority has been given to the ,christian ,church to cancel such a vow4 ,the ,wife4 ,do you consider that ,god was one of the contracting parties in my marriage8 ,must all vows made to ,god be kept8 ,suppose the vow was made in ignorance1 in excitement--must it be absolutely fulfilled8 ,will it make any difference to ,god whether it is kept or not8 ,does not an infinite ,god know the circumstances under which every vow is made8 ,will he not take into consideration the imperfections1 the ignorance1 the temptations and the passions of his children8 ,will ,god hold a poor girl to the bitter dregs of a mistaken bargain8 ,have ,i not suffered enough8 ,is it necessary that my heart should break8 ,did not ,god know at the time the vow was made that it ought not to have been made8 ,if he feels toward me as a father should1 why did he give no warning8 ,why did he accept the vow8 ,why did he allow a contract to be made giving only to death the annulling power8 ,is death more merciful than ,god8 ,mr4 ,gladstone4 ,all vows that are made to ,god must be kept4 ,do you not remember that ,jephthah agreed to sacrifice the first one who came out of his house to meet him1 and that he fulfilled the vow1 although in doing so1 he murdered his own daughter4 ,god makes no allowance for ignorance1 for temptation1 for passion--nothing4 ,besides1 my dear woman1 to cancel the contract of marriage lies beyond the province of the civil legislature2 it has no competency to annul the contract of marriage when once made4 ,the ,wife4 ,the man who has rescued me from the tyranny of my husband--the man who wishes to build me a home and to make my life worth living1 wishes to make with me a contract of marriage4 ,this will give my babes a home4 ,mr4 ,gladstone4 ,my dear madam1 while divorce of any kind impairs the integrity of the family1 divorce with remarriage destroys it root and branch4 ,the ,wife4 ,the integrity of my family is already destroyed4 ,my husband deserted his home--left us in the very depths of want4 ,i have in my arms two helpless babes4 ,i love my children1 and ,i love the man who has offered to give them and myself another fireside4 ,can you say that this is only destruction8 ,the destruction has already occurred4 ,a remarriage gives a home to me and mine4 ,mr4 ,gladstone4 ,but1 my dear mistaken woman1 the parental and the conjugal relations are joined together by the hand of the ,almighty4 ,the ,wife4 ,do you believe that the ,almighty was cruel enough1 in my case1 to join the parental and the conjugal relations1 to the end that they should endure as long as ,i can bear the sorrow8 ,if there were three parties to my marriage1 my husband1 myself1 and ,god1 should each be bound by the contract to do something8 ,what did ,god bind himself to do8 ,if nothing1 why should he interfere8 ,if nothing1 my vow to him was without consideration4 ,you are as cruel and unsympathetic1 ,mr4 ,gladstone1 as the ,cardinal4 ,you have not the imagination to put yourself in my place4 ,mr4 ,gladstone4 ,my dear madam1 we must be governed by the law of ,christ1 and there must be no remarriage4 ,the husband and wife must remain husband and wife until a separation is caused by death4 ,the ,wife4 ,if ,christ was such a believer in the sacredness of the marriage relation1 why did he offer rewards not only in this world1 but in the next1 to husbands who would desert their wives and follow him8 ,mr4 ,gladstone4 ,it is not for us to inquire4 ,god's ways are not our ways4 ,the ,wife4 ,nature is better than you4 ,a mother's love is higher and deeper than your philosophy4 ,i will follow the instincts of my heart4 ,i will provide a home for my babes1 and for myself4 ,i will be freed from the infamous man who betrayed me4 ,i will become the wife of another--of one who loves me--and after having filled his life with joy1 ,i hope to die in his arms1 surrounded by my children4 ,a few months ago1 a priest made a confession--he could carry his secret no longer4 ,he admitted that he was married--that he was the father of two children--that he had violated his priestly vows4 ,he was unfrocked and cast out4 ,after a time he came back and asked to be restored into the bosom of the church1 giving as his reason that he had abandoned his wife and babes4 ,this throws a flood of light on the theological view of marriage4 ,i know of nothing equal to this1 except the story of the ,sandwich ,island chief who was converted by the missionaries1 and wished to join the church4 ,on cross-examination1 it turned out that he had twelve wives1 and he was informed that a polygamist could not be a ,christian4 ,the next year he presented himself again for the purpose of joining the church1 and stated that he was not a polygamist--that he had only one wife4 ,when the missionaries asked him what he had done with the other eleven he replied3 ,i ate them4 ,the indissoluble marriage was a reaction from polygamy4 ,the church has always pretended that it was governed by the will of ,god1 and that for all its dogmas it had a thus saith the ,lord4 ,reason and experience were branded as false guides4 ,the priests insisted that they were in direct communication with the ,infinite--that they spoke by the authority of ,god1 and that the duty of the people was to obey without question and to submit with at least the appearance of gladness4 ,we now know that no such communication exists--that priests spoke without authority1 and that the duty of the people was and is to examine for themselves4 ,we now know that no one knows what the will of ,god is1 or whether or not such a being exists4 ,we now know that nature has furnished all the light there is1 and that the inspired books are like all books1 and that their value depends on the truth1 the beauty1 and the wisdom they contain4 ,we also know that it is now impossible to substantiate the supernatural4 ,judging from experience--reasoning from known facts--we can safely say that society has no right to demand the sacrifice of an innocent individual4 ,society has no right1 under the plea of self-preservation1 to compel women to remain the wives of men who have violated the contract of marriage1 and who have become objects of contempt and loathing to their wives4 ,it is not to the best interest of society to maintain such firesides--such homes4 ,the time has not arrived1 in my judgment1 for the ,congress of the ,united ,states1 under an amendment to the ,constitution1 to pass a general law applicable to all the ,states1 fixing the terms and conditions of divorce4 ,the ,states of the ,union are not equally enlightened4 ,some are far more conservative than others4 ,let us wait until a majority of the ,states have abandoned the theological theories upon this subject4 ,upon this question light comes from the ,west1 where men have recently laid the foundations of ,states1 and where the people are not manacled and burdened with old constitutions and statutes and decisions1 and where with a large majority the tendency is to correct the mistakes of their ancestors4 ,let the ,states in their own way solve this question1 and the time will come when the people will be ready to enact sensible and reasonable laws touching this important subject1 and then the ,constitution can be amended and the whole subject controlled by ,federal law4 ,the law1 as it now exists in many of the ,states1 is to the last degree absurd and cruel4 ,in some ,states the husband can obtain a divorce on the ground that the wife has been guilty of adultery1 but the wife cannot secure a divorce from the husband simply for the reason that he has been guilty of the same offence4 ,so1 in most of the ,states where divorce is granted on account of desertion for a certain number of years1 the husband can return on the last day of the time fixed1 and the poor wife who has been left in want is obliged to receive the wretch with open arms4 ,in some ,states nothing is considered cruelty that does not endanger life or limb or health4 ,the whole question is in great confusion1 but after all there are some ,states where the law is reasonable1 and the consequence is1 that hundreds and thousands of suffering wives are released from a bondage worse than death4 ,the idea that marriage is something more than a contract is at the bottom of all the legal and judicial absurdities that surround this subject4 ,the moment that it is regarded from a purely secular standpoint the infamous laws will disappear4 ,we shall then take into consideration the real rights and obligations of the parties to the contract of marriage4 ,we shall have some respect for the sacred feelings of mothers--for the purity of woman--the freedom of the fireside--the real democracy of the hearthstone and1 above all1 for love1 the purest1 the profoundest and the holiest of all passions4 ,we shall no longer listen to priests who regard celibacy as a higher state than marriage1 nor to those statesmen who look upon a barbarous code as the foundation of all law4 ,as long as men imagine that they have property in wives2 that women can be owned1 body and mind2 that it is the duty of wives to obey2 that the husband is the master1 the source of authority--that his will is law1 and that he can call on legislators and courts to protect his superior rights1 that to enforce obedience the power of the ,state is pledged--just so long will millions of husbands be arrogant1 tyrannical and cruel4 ,no gentleman will be content to have a slave for the mother of his children4 ,force has no place in the world of love4 ,it is impossible to control likes and dislikes by law4 ,no one ever did and no one ever can love on compulsion4 ,courts can not obtain jurisdiction of the heart4 ,the tides and currents of the soul care nothing for the creeds4 ,people who make rules for the conduct of others generally break them themselves4 ,it is so easy to bear with fortitude the misfortunes of others4 ,every child should be well-born--well fathered and mothered4 ,society has as great an interest in children as in parents4 ,the innocent should not be compelled by law to suffer for the crimes of the guilty4 ,wretched and weeping wives are not essential to the welfare of ,states and ,nations4 ,the church cries now whom ,god hath joined together let not man put asunder2 but when the people are really civilized the ,state will say3 whom ,nature hath put asunder let not man bind and manacle together4 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,answer ,,to ,,lyman ,,abbott4 99 ,this unfinished article was written as a reply to the ,rev4 ,lyman ,abbott's article entitled1 ,flaws in ,ingersollism1 which was printed in the ,april number of the ,north ,american ,review for #ahij4 ,,in your ,open ,letter to me1 published in this ,review1 you attack what you supposed to be my position1 and ask several questions to which you demand answers2 but in the same letter1 you state that you wish no controversy with me4 ,is it possible that you wrote the letter to prevent a controversy8 ,do you attack only those with whom you wish to live in peace1 and do you ask questions1 coupled with a request that they remain unanswered8 ,in addition to this1 you have taken pains to publish in your own paper1 that it was no part of your design in the article in the ,north ,american ,review1 to point out errors in my statements1 and that this design was distinctly disavowed in the opening paragraph of your article4 ,you further say1 that your simple object was to answer the question ,what is ,christianity8 ,may ,i be permitted to ask why you addressed the letter to me1 and why do you now pretend that1 although you did address a letter to me1 ,i was not in your mind1 and that you had no intention of pointing out any flaws in my doctrines or theories8 ,can you afford to occupy this position8 ,you also stated in your own paper1 ,the ,christian ,union1 that the title of your article had been changed by the editor of the ,review1 without your knowledge or consent2 leaving it to be inferred that the title given to the article by you was perfectly consistent with your statement1 that it was no part of your design in the article in the ,north ,american ,review1 to point out errors in my 7,ingersoll's7 statements2 and that your simple object was to answer the question1 ,what is ,christianity8 ,and yet1 the title which you gave your own article was as follows3 ,to ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll3 ,a ,reply4 ,first4 ,we are told that only twelve crimes were punished by death3 idolatry1 witchcraft1 blasphemy1 fraudulent prophesying1 ,sabbath-breaking1 rebellion against parents1 resistance to judicial officers1 murder1 homicide by negligence1 adultery1 incestuous marriages1 and kidnapping4 ,we are then told that as late as the year #afjj there were #bfc crimes capital in ,england4 ,does not the world know that all the crimes or offences punishable by death in ,england could be divided in the same way8 ,for instance1 treason4 ,this covered a multitude of offences1 all punishable by death4 ,larceny covered another multitude4 ,perjury--trespass1 covered many others4 ,there might still be made a smaller division1 and one who had made up his mind to define the ,criminal ,code of ,england might have said that there was only one offence punishable by death--wrong-doing4 ,the facts with regard to the ,criminal ,code of ,england are1 that up to the reign of ,george ,i4 there were #afg offences punishable by death4 ,between the accession of ,george ,i4 and termination of the reign of ,george ,,iii41 there were added #ef new crimes to which capital punishment was attached4 ,so that when ,george ,,iv4 became king1 there were #bbc offences capital in ,england4 ,john ,bright1 commenting upon this subject1 says3 ,during all these years1 so far as this question goes1 our ,government was becoming more cruel and more barbarous1 and we do not find1 and have not found1 that in the great ,church of ,england1 with its fifteen or twenty thousand ministers1 and with its more than score of ,bishops in the ,house of ,lords1 there ever was a voice raised1 or an organization formed1 in favor of a more merciful code1 or in condemnation of the enormous cruelties which our law was continually inflicting4 ,was not ,voltaire justified in saying that the ,english were the only people who murdered by law8 ,as a matter of fact1 taking into consideration the situation of the people1 the number of subjects covered by law1 there were far more offences capital in the days of ,moses1 than in the reign of ,george ,,iv4 ,is it possible that a minister1 a theologian of the nineteenth century1 imagines that he has substantiated the divine origin of the ,old ,testament by endeavoring to show that the government of ,god was not quite as bad as that of ,england8 ,mr4 ,abbott also informs us that the reason ,moses killed so many was1 that banishment from the camp during the wandering in the ,wilderness was a punishment worse than death4 ,if so1 the poor wretches should at least have been given their choice4 ,few1 in my judgment1 would have chosen death1 because the history shows that a large majority were continually clamoring to be led back to ,egypt4 ,it required all the cunning and power of ,god to keep the fugitives from returning in a body4 ,many were killed by ,jehovah1 simply because they wished to leave the camp--because they longed passionately for banishment1 and thought with joy of the flesh-pots of ,egypt1 preferring the slavery of ,pharaoh to the liberty of ,jehovah4 ,the memory of leeks and onions was enough to set their faces toward the ,nile4 ,second4 ,i am charged with saying that the ,christian missionaries say to the heathen3 ,you must examine your religion--and not only so1 but you must reject it2 and unless you do reject it1 and in addition to such rejection1 adopt ours1 you will be eternally damned4 ,mr4 ,abbott denies the truth of this statement4 ,let me ask him1 ,if the religion of ,jesus ,christ is preached clearly and distinctly to a heathen1 and the heathen understands it1 and rejects it deliberately1 unequivocally1 and finally1 can he be saved8 ,this question is capable of a direct answer4 ,the reverend gentleman now admits that an acceptance of ,christianity is not essential to salvation4 ,if the acceptance of ,christianity is not essential to the salvation of the heathen who has heard ,christianity preached--knows what its claims are1 and the evidences that support those claims1 is the acceptance of ,christianity essential to the salvation of an adult intelligent citizen of the ,united ,states8 ,will the reverend gentleman tell us1 and without circumlocution1 whether the acceptance of ,christianity is necessary to the salvation of anybody8 ,if he says that it is1 then he admits that ,i was right in my statement concerning what is said to the heathen4 ,if he says that it is not1 then ,i ask him1 ,what do you do with the following passages of ,scripture3 ,there is none other name given under heaven or among men whereby we must be saved4 ,go ye into all the world and preach the ,gospel to every creature1 and whosoever believeth1 and is baptized1 shall be saved2 and whosoever believeth not shall be damned8 ,i am delighted to know that millions of ,pagans will be found to have entered into eternal life without any knowledge of ,christ or his religion4 ,another question naturally arises3 ,if a heathen can hear and reject the ,gospel1 and yet be saved1 what will become of the heathen who never heard of the ,gospel8 ,are they all to be saved8 ,if all who never heard are to be saved1 is it not dangerous to hear8--,is it not cruel to preach8 ,why not stop preaching and let the entire world become heathen1 so that after this1 no soul may be lost8 ,third4 ,you say that ,i desire to deprive mankind of their faith in ,god1 in ,christ and in the ,bible4 ,i do not1 and have not1 endeavored to destroy the faith of any man in a good1 in a just1 in a merciful ,god1 or in a reasonable1 natural1 human ,christ1 or in any truth that the ,bible may contain4 ,i have endeavored--and with some degree of success--to destroy the faith of man in the ,jehovah of the ,jews1 and in the idea that ,christ was in fact the ,god of this universe4 ,i have also endeavored to show that there are many things in the ,bible ignorant and cruel--that the book was produced by barbarians and by savages1 and that its influence on the world has been bad4 ,and ,i do believe that life and property will be safer1 that liberty will be surer1 that homes will be sweeter1 and life will be more joyous1 and death less terrible1 if the myth called ,jehovah can be destroyed from the human mind4 ,it seems to me that the heart of the ,christian ought to burst into an efflorescence of joy when he becomes satisfied that the ,bible is only the work of man2 that there is no such place as perdition--that there are no eternal flames--that men's souls are not to suffer everlasting pain--that it is all insanity and ignorance and fear and horror4 ,i should think that every good and tender soul would be delighted to know that there is no ,christ who can say to any human being--to any father1 mother1 or child--,depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels4 ,i do believe that he will be far happier when the ,psalms of ,david are sung no more1 and that he will be far better when no one could sing the #ajith ,psalm without shuddering and horror4 ,these ,psalms for the most part breathe the spirit of hatred1 of revenge1 and of everything fiendish in the human heart4 ,there are some good lines1 some lofty aspirations--these should be preserved2 and to the extent that they do give voice to the higher and holier emotions1 they should be preserved4 ,so ,i believe the world will be happier when the life of ,christ1 as it is written now in the ,new ,testament1 is no longer believed4 ,some of the ,ten ,commandments will fall into oblivion1 and the world will be far happier when they do4 ,most of these commandments are universal4 ,they were not discovered by ,jehovah--they were not original with him4 ,thou shalt not kill1 is as old as life4 ,and for this reason a large majority of people in all countries have objected to being murdered4 ,thou shalt not steal1 is as old as industry4 ,there never has been a human being who was willing to work through the sun and rain and heat of summer1 simply for the purpose that some one who had lived in idleness might steal the result of his labor4 ,consequently1 in all countries where it has been necessary to work1 larceny has been a crime4 ,thou shalt not lie1 is as old as speech4 ,men have desired1 as a rule1 to know the truth2 and truth goes with courage and candor4 ,thou shalt not commit adultery1 is as old as love4 ,honor thy father and thy mother1 is as old as the family relation4 ,all these commandments were known among all peoples thousands and thousands of years before ,moses was born4 ,the new one1 ,thou shalt worship no other ,gods but me1 is a bad commandment--because that ,god was not worthy of worship4 ,thou shalt make no graven image1--a bad commandment4 ,it was the death of art4 ,thou shalt do no work on the ,sabbath-day1--a bad commandment2 the object of that being1 that one-seventh of the time should be given to the worship of a monster1 making a priesthood necessary1 and consequently burdening industry with the idle and useless4 ,if ,professor ,clifford felt lonely at the loss of such a companion as ,jehovah1 it is impossible for me to sympathize with his feelings4 ,no one wishes to destroy the hope of another life--no one wishes to blot out any good that is1 or that is hoped for1 or the hope of which gives consolation to the world4 ,neither do ,i agree with this gentleman when he says1 ,let us have the truth1 cost what it may4 ,i say3 ,let us have happiness--well-being4 ,the truth upon these matters is of but little importance compared with the happiness of mankind4 ,whether there is1 or is not1 a ,god1 is absolutely unimportant1 compared with the well-being of the race4 ,whether the ,bible is1 or is not1 inspired1 is not of as much consequence as human happiness4 ,of course1 if the ,old and ,new ,testaments are true1 then human happiness becomes impossible1 either in this world1 or in the world to come--that is1 impossible to all people who really believe that these books are true4 ,it is often necessary to know the truth1 in order to prepare ourselves to bear consequences2 but in the metaphysical world1 truth is of no possible importance except as it affects human happiness4 ,if there be a ,god1 he certainly will hold us to no stricter responsibility about metaphysical truth than about scientific truth4 ,it ought to be just as dangerous to make a mistake in ,geology as in ,theology--in ,astronomy as in the question of the ,atonement4 ,i am not endeavoring to overthrow any faith in ,god1 but the faith in a bad ,god4 ,and in order to accomplish this1 ,i have endeavored to show that the question of whether an ,infinite ,god exists1 or not1 is beyond the power of the human mind4 ,anything is better than to believe in the ,god of the ,bible4 ,fourth4 ,mr4 ,abbott1 like the rest1 appeals to names instead of to arguments4 ,he appeals to ,socrates1 and yet he does not agree with ,socrates4 ,he appeals to ,goethe1 and yet ,goethe was far from a ,christian4 ,he appeals to ,isaac ,newton and to ,mr4 ,gladstone--and after mentioning these names1 says1 that on his side is this faith of the wisest1 the best1 the noblest of mankind4 ,was ,socrates after all greater than ,epicurus--had he a subtler mind--was he any nobler in his life8 ,was ,isaac ,newton so much greater than ,humboldt--than ,charles ,darwin1 who has revolutionized the thought of the civilized world8 ,did he do the one-hundredth part of the good for mankind that was done by ,voltaire--was he as great a metaphysician as ,spinoza8 ,but why should we appeal to names8 ,in a contest between ,protestantism and ,catholicism are you willing to abide by the tests of names8 ,in a contest between ,christianity and ,paganism1 in the first century1 would you have considered the question settled by names8 ,had ,christianity then produced the equals of the great ,greeks and ,romans8 ,the new can always be overwhelmed with names that were in favor of the old4 ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 in his day1 could have been overwhelmed by the names of the great who had preceded him4 ,christ was overwhelmed by this same method--,moses and the ,prophets were appealed to as against this ,peasant of ,palestine4 ,this is the argument of the cemetery--this is leaving the open field1 and crawling behind gravestones4 ,newton was understood to be1 all his life1 a believer in the ,trinity2 but he dared not say what his real thought was4 ,after his death there was found among his papers an argument that he published against the divinity of ,christ4 ,this had been published in ,holland1 because he was afraid to have it published in ,england4 ,how do we really know what the great men of whom you speak believed1 or believe8 ,i do not agree with you when you say that ,gladstone is the greatest statesman4 ,he will not1 in my judgment1 for one moment compare with ,thomas ,jefferson--with ,alexander ,hamilton--or1 to come down to later times1 with ,gambetta2 and he is immeasurably below such a man as ,abraham ,lincoln4 ,lincoln was not a believer4 ,gambetta was an atheist4 ,and yet1 these names prove nothing4 ,instead of citing a name1 and saying that this great man--,sir ,isaac ,newton1 for instance--believed in our doctrine1 it is far better to give the reasons that ,sir ,isaac ,newton had for his belief4 ,nearly all organizations are filled with snobbishness4 ,each church has a list of great names1 and the members feel in duty bound to stand by their great men4 ,why is idolatry the worst of sins8 ,is it not far better to worship a ,god of stone than a ,god who threatens to punish in eternal flames the most of his children8 ,if you simply mean by idolatry a false conception of ,god1 you must admit that no finite mind can have a true conception of ,god--and you must admit that no two men can have the same false conception of ,god1 and that1 as a consequence1 no two men can worship identically the same ,deity4 ,consequently they are all idolaters4 ,i do not think idolatry the worst of sins4 ,cruelty is the worst of sins4 ,it is far better to worship a false ,god1 than to injure your neighbor--far better to bow before a monstrosity of stone1 than to enslave your fellow-men4 ,fifth4 ,i am glad that you admit that a bad ,god is worse than no ,god4 ,if so1 the atheist is far better than the believer in ,jehovah1 and far better than the believer in the divinity of ,jesus ,christ--because ,i am perfectly satisfied that none but a bad ,god would threaten to say to any human soul1 ,depart1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels4 ,so that1 before any ,christian can be better than an atheist1 he must reform his ,god4 ,the agnostic does not simply say1 ,i do not know4 ,he goes another step1 and he says1 with great emphasis1 that you do not know4 ,he insists that you are trading on the ignorance of others1 and on the fear of others4 ,he is not satisfied with saying that you do not know1--he demonstrates that you do not know1 and he drives you from the field of fact--he drives you from the realm of reason--he drives you from the light1 into the darkness of conjecture--into the world of dreams and shadows1 and he compels you to say1 at last1 that your faith has no foundation in fact4 ,you say that religion tells us that life is a battle with temptation--the result is eternal life to the victors4 ,but what of the victims8 ,did your ,god create these victims1 knowing that they would be victims8 ,did he deliberately change the clay into the man--into a being with wants1 surrounded by difficulties and temptations--and did he deliberately surround this being with temptations that he knew he could not withstand1 with obstacles that he knew he could not overcome1 and whom he knew at last would fall a victim upon the field of death8 ,is there no hope for this victim8 ,no remedy for this mistake of your ,god8 ,is he to remain a victim forever8 ,is it not better to have no ,god than such a ,god8 ,could the condition of this victim be rendered worse by the death of ,god8 ,sixth4 ,of course ,i agree with you when you say that character is worth more than condition--that life is worth more than place4 ,but ,i do not agree with you when you say that being--that simple existence--is better than happiness4 ,if a man is not happy1 it is far better not to be4 ,i utterly dissent from your philosophy of life4 ,from my standpoint1 ,i do not understand you when you talk about self-denial4 ,i can imagine a being of such character1 that certain things he would do for the one he loved1 would by others be regarded as acts of self-denial1 but they could not be so regarded by him4 ,in these acts of so-called selfdenial1 he would find his highest joy4 ,this pretence that to do right is to carry a cross1 has done an immense amount of injury to the world4 ,only those who do wrong carry a cross4 ,to do wrong is the only possible self-denial4 ,the pulpit has always been saying that1 although the virtuous and good1 the kind1 the tender1 and the loving1 may have a very bad time here1 yet they will have their reward in heaven--having denied themselves the pleasures of sin1 the ecstasies of crime1 they will be made happy in a world hereafter2 but that the wicked1 who have enjoyed larceny1 and rascality in all its forms1 will be punished hereafter4 ,all this rests upon the idea that man should sacrifice himself1 not for his fellow-men1 but for ,god--that he should do something for the ,almighty--that he should go hungry to increase the happiness of heaven--that he should make a journey to ,our ,lady of ,loretto1 with dried peas in his shoes2 that he should refuse to eat meat on ,friday2 that he should say so many prayers before retiring to rest2 that he should do something that he hated to do1 in order that he might win the approbation of the heavenly powers4 ,for my part1 ,i think it much better to feed the hungry1 than to starve yourself4 ,you ask me1 ,what is ,christianity8 ,you then proceed to partially answer your own question1 and you pick out what you consider the best1 and call that ,christianity4 ,but you have given only one side1 and that side not all of it good4 ,why did you not give the other side of ,christianity--the side that talks of eternal flames1 of the worm that dieth not--the side that denounces the investigator and the thinker--the side that promises an eternal reward for credulity--the side that tells men to take no thought for the morrow but to trust absolutely in a ,divine ,providence8 ,within thirty years after the crucifixion of ,jesus1 faith in his resurrection had become the inspiration of the church4 ,i ask you1 ,was there a resurrection8 ,what advance has been made in what you are pleased to call the doctrine of the brotherhood of man1 through the instrumentality of the church8 ,was there as much dread of ,god among the ,pagans as there has been among ,christians8 ,i do not believe that the church is a conservator of civilization4 ,it sells crime on credit4 ,i do not believe it is an educator of good will4 ,it has caused more war than all other causes4 ,neither is it a school of a nobler reverence and faith4 ,the church has not turned the minds of men toward principles of justice1 mercy and truth--it has destroyed the foundation of justice4 ,it does not minister comfort at the coffin--it fills the mourners with fear4 ,it has never preached a gospel of ,peace on ,earth--it has never preached ,good ,will toward men4 ,for my part1 ,i do not agree with you when you say that3 ,the most stalwart anti-,romanists can hardly question that with the ,roman ,catholic ,church abolished by instantaneous decree1 its priests banished and its churches closed1 the disaster to ,american communities would be simply awful in its proportions1 if not irretrievable in its results4 ,i may agree with you in this1 that the most stalwart anti-,romanists would not wish to have the ,roman ,catholic ,church abolished by tyranny1 and its priests banished1 and its churches closed4 ,but if the abolition of that church could be produced by the development of the human mind2 and if its priests1 instead of being banished1 should become good and useful citizens1 and were in favor of absolute liberty of mind1 then ,i say that there would be no disaster1 but a very wide and great and splendid blessing4 ,the church has been the ,centaur--not ,theseus2 the church has not been ,hercules1 but the serpent4 ,so ,i believe that there is something far nobler than loyalty to any particular man4 ,loyalty to the truth as we perceive it--loyalty to our duty as we know it--loyalty to the ideals of our brain and heart--is1 to my mind1 far greater and far nobler than loyalty to the life of any particular man or ,god4 ,there is a kind of slavery--a kind of abdication--for any man to take any other man as his absolute pattern and to hold him up as the perfection of all life1 and to feel that it is his duty to grovel in the dust in his presence4 ,it is better to feel that the springs of action are within yourself--that you are poised upon your own feet--and that you look at the world with your own eyes1 and follow the path that reason shows4 ,i do not believe that the world could be re-organized upon the simple but radical principles of the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,neither do ,i believe that this sermon was ever delivered by one man4 ,it has in it many fragments that ,i imagine were dropped from many mouths4 ,it lacks coherence--it lacks form4 ,some of the sayings are beautiful1 sublime and tender2 and others seem to be weak1 contradictory and childish4 ,seventh4 ,i do not say that ,i do not know whether this faith is true1 or not4 ,i say distinctly and clearly1 that ,i know it is not true4 ,i admit that ,i do not know whether there is any infinite personality or not1 because ,i do not know that my mind is an absolute standard4 ,but according to my mind1 there is no such personality2 and according to my mind1 it is an infinite absurdity to suppose that there is such an infinite personality4 ,but ,i do know something of human nature2 ,i do know a little of the history of mankind2 and ,i know enough to know that what is known as the ,christian faith1 is not true4 ,i am perfectly satisfied1 beyond all doubt and beyond all per-adventure1 that all miracles are falsehoods4 ,i know as well as ,i know that ,i live--that others live--that what you call your faith1 is not true4 ,i am glad1 however1 that you admit that the miracles of the ,old ,testament1 or the inspiration of the ,old ,testament1 are not essentials4 ,i draw my conclusion from what you say3 ,i have not in this paper discussed the miracles1 or the inspiration of the ,old ,testament2 partly because those topics1 in my opinion1 occupy a subordinate position in ,christian faith1 and ,i wish to consider only essentials4 ,at the same time1 you tell us that1 ,on historical evidence1 and after a careful study of the arguments on both sides1 ,i regard as historical the events narrated in the four ,gospels1 ordinarily regarded as miracles4 ,at the same time1 you say that you fully agree with me that the order of nature has never been violated or interrupted4 ,in other words1 you must believe that all these so-called miracles were actually in accordance with the laws1 or facts rather1 in nature4 ,eighth4 ,you wonder that ,i could write the following3 ,to me there is nothing of any particular value in the ,pentateuch4 ,there is not1 so far as ,i know1 a line in the ,book of ,genesis calculated to make a human being better4 ,you then call my attention to ,the magnificent ,psalm of ,praise to the ,creator with which ,genesis opens2 to the beautiful legend of the first sin and its fateful consequences2 the inspiring story of ,abraham--the first selfexile for conscience sake2 the romantic story of ,joseph the ,peasant boy becoming a ,prince1 which you say would have attraction for any one if he could have found a charm in1 for example1 the ,legends of the ,round ,table4 ,the magnificent ,psalm of ,praise to the ,creator with which ,genesis opens is filled with magnificent mistakes1 and is utterly absurd4 ,the beautiful legend of the first sin and its fateful consequences is probably the most contemptible story that was ever written1 and the treatment of the first pair by ,jehovah is unparalleled in the cruelty of despotic governments4 ,according to this infamous account1 ,god cursed the mothers of the world1 and added to the agonies of maternity4 ,not only so1 but he made woman a slave1 and man something1 if possible1 meaner--a master4 ,i must confess that ,i have very little admiration for ,abraham4 7,give reasons47 ,so far as ,joseph is concerned1 let me give you the history of ,joseph1--how he conspired with ,pharaoh to enslave the people of ,egypt4 ,you seem to be astonished that ,i am not in love with the character of ,joseph1 as pictured in the ,bible4 ,let me tell you who ,joseph was4 ,it seems1 from the account1 that ,pharaoh had a dream4 ,none of his wise men could give its meaning4 ,he applied to ,joseph1 and ,joseph1 having been enlightened by ,jehovah1 gave the meaning of the dream to ,pharaoh4 ,he told the king that there would be in ,egypt seven years of great plenty1 and after these seven years of great plenty1 there would be seven years of famine1 and that the famine would consume the land4 ,thereupon ,joseph gave to ,pharaoh some advice4 ,first1 he was to take up a fifth part of the land of ,egypt1 in the seven plenteous years--he was to gather all the food of those good years1 and lay up corn1 and he was to keep this food in the cities4 ,this food was to be a store to the land against the seven years of famine4 ,and thereupon ,pharaoh said unto ,joseph1 ,forasmuch as ,god hath showed thee all this1 there is none so discreet and wise as thou art3 thou shalt be over my house1 and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled3 only in the throne will ,i be greater than thou4 ,and ,pharaoh said unto ,joseph1 ,see ,i have set thee over all the land of ,egypt4 ,we are further informed by the holy writer1 that in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls1 and that ,joseph gathered up all the food of the seven years1 which were in the land of ,egypt1 and laid up the food in the cities1 and that he gathered corn as the sand of the sea4 ,this was done through the seven plenteous years4 ,then commenced the years of dearth4 ,then the people of ,egypt became hungry1 and they cried to ,pharaoh for bread1 and ,pharaoh said unto all the ,egyptians1 ,go unto ,joseph4 ,the famine was over all the face of the earth1 and ,joseph opened the storehouses1 and sold unto the ,egyptians1 and the famine waxed sore in the land of ,egypt4 ,there was no bread in the land1 and ,egypt fainted by reason of the famine4 ,and ,joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of ,egypt1 by the sale of corn1 and brought the money to ,pharaoh's house4 ,after a time the money failed in the land of ,egypt1 and the ,egyptians came unto ,joseph and said1 ,give us bread2 why should we die in thy presence8 for the money faileth4 ,and ,joseph said1 ,give your cattle1 and ,i will give you for your cattle4 ,and they brought their cattle unto ,joseph1 and he gave them bread in exchange for horses and flocks and herds1 and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year4 ,when the year was ended1 they came unto him the second year1 and said1 ,our money is spent1 our cattle are gone1 naught is left but our bodies and our lands4 ,and they said to ,joseph1 ,buy us1 and our land1 for bread1 and we and our land will be servants unto ,pharaoh2 and give us seed that we may live and not die1 that the land be not desolate4 ,and ,joseph bought all the land of ,egypt for ,pharaoh2 for the ,egyptians sold every man his field1 because the famine prevailed over them4 ,so the land became ,pharaoh's4 ,then ,joseph said to the people1 ,i have bought you this day1 and your land2 lo1 here is seed for you1 and ye shall sow the land4 ,and thereupon the people said1 ,thou hast saved our lives2 we will be ,pharaoh's servants4 ,and ,joseph made it a law over the land of ,egypt unto this day1 that ,pharaoh should have the fifth part1 except the land of the priests only1 which became not ,pharaoh's4 ,yet ,i am asked1 by a minister of the nineteenth century1 whether it is possible that ,i do not admire the character of ,joseph4 ,this man received information from ,god--and gave that information to ,pharaoh1 to the end that he might impoverish and enslave a nation4 ,this man1 by means of intelligence received from ,jehovah1 took from the people what they had1 and compelled them at last to sell themselves1 their wives and their children1 and to become in fact bondmen forever4 ,yet ,i am asked by the successor of ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 if ,i do not admire the infamous wretch who was guilty of the greatest crime recorded in the literature of the world4 ,so1 it is difficult for me to understand why you speak of ,abraham as a self-exile for conscience sake4 ,if the king of ,england had told one of his favorites that if he would go to ,north ,america he would give him a territory hundreds of miles square1 and would defend him in its possession1 and that he there might build up an empire1 and the favorite believed the king1 and went1 would you call him a self-exile for conscience sake8 ,according to the story in the ,bible1 the ,lord promised ,abraham that if he would leave his country and kindred1 he would make of him a great nation1 would bless him1 and make his name great1 that he would bless them that blessed ,abraham1 and that he would curse him whom ,abraham cursed2 and further1 that in him all the families of the earth should be blest4 ,if this is true1 would you call ,abraham a self-exile for conscience sake8 ,if ,abraham had only known that the ,lord was not to keep his promise1 he probably would have remained where he was--the fact being1 that every promise made by the ,lord to ,abraham1 was broken4 ,do you think that ,abraham was a self-exile for conscience sake when he told ,sarah1 his wife1 to say that she was his sister--in consequence of which she was taken into ,pharaoh's house1 and by reason of which ,pharaoh made presents of sheep and oxen and man servants and maid servants to ,abraham8 ,what would you call such a proceeding now8 ,what would you think of a man who was willing that his wife should become the mistress of the king1 provided the king would make him presents8 ,was it for conscience sake that the same subterfuge was adopted again1 when ,abraham said to ,abimelech1 the ,king of ,gerar1 ,she is my sister--in consequence of which ,abimelech sent for ,sarah and took her8 ,mr4 ,ingersoll having been called to ,montana1 as counsel in a long and important law suit1 never finished this article4 ,,answer ,,to ,,archdeacon ,,farrar4 99 ,this fragment 7found among ,col4 ,ingersoll's papers7 is a mere outline of a contemplated answer to ,archdeacon ,farrar's article in the ,north ,american ,review1 ,may1 #ahaj1 entitled3 ,a ,few ,words on ,col4 ,ingersoll4 ,,archdeacon ,,farrar1 in the opening of his article1 in a burst of confidence1 takes occasion to let the world know how perfectly angelic he intends to be4 ,he publicly proclaims that he can criticise the arguments of one with whom he disagrees1 without resorting to invective1 or becoming discourteous4 ,does he call attention to this because most theologians are hateful and ungentlemanly8 ,is it a rare thing for the pious to be candid8 ,why should an ,archdeacon be cruel1 or even ill-bred8 ,yet1 in the very beginning1 the ,archdeacon in effect says3 ,behold1 ,i show you a mystery--a ,christian who can write about an infidel1 without invective and without brutality4 ,is it then so difficult for those who love their enemies to keep within the bounds of decency when speaking of unbelievers who have never injured them8 ,as a matter of fact1 ,i was somewhat surprised when ,i read the proclamation to the effect that the writer was not to use invective1 and was to be guilty of no discourtesy2 but on reading the article1 and finding that he had failed to keep his promise1 ,i was not surprised4 ,it is an old habit with theologians to beat the living with the bones of the dead4 ,the arguments that cannot be answered provoke epithet4 ,,archdeacon ,,farrar criticises several of my statements3 ,the same rules or laws of probability must govern in religious questions as in others4 ,this apparently self-evident statement seems to excite almost the ire of this ,archdeacon1 and for the purpose of showing that it is not true1 he states1 first1 that the first postulate of revelation is that it appeals to man's spirit2 second1 that the spirit is a sphere of being which transcends the spheres of the senses and the understanding2 third1 that if a man denies the existence of a spiritual intuition1 he is like a blind man criticising colors1 or a deaf man criticising harmonies2 fourth1 that revelation must be judged by its own criteria2 and fifth1 that ,st4 ,paul draws a marked distinction between the spirit of the world and the spirit which is of ,god1 and that the same ,saint said that the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of ,god1 for they are foolishness unto him1 and he cannot know them1 because they are spiritually discerned4 ,let us answer these objections in their order4 #a4 ,the first postulate of revelation is that it appeals to man's spirit4 ,what does the ,archdeacon mean by spirit8 ,a man says that he has received a revelation from ,god1 and he wishes to convince another man that he has received a revelation--how does he proceed8 ,does he appeal to the man's reason8 ,will he tell him the circumstances under which he received the revelation8 ,will he tell him why he is convinced that it was from ,god8 ,will the ,archdeacon be kind enough to tell how the spirit can be approached passing by the reason1 the understanding1 the judgment and the intellect8 ,if the ,archdeacon replies that the revelation itself will bear the evidence within itself1 what then1 ,i ask1 does he mean by the word evidence8 ,evidence about what8 ,is it such evidence as satisfies the intelligence1 convinces the reason1 and is it in conformity with the known facts of the mind8 ,it may be said by the ,archdeacon that anything that satisfies what he is pleased to call the spirit1 that furnishes what it seems by nature to require1 is of supernatural origin4 ,we hear music1 and this music seems to satisfy the desire for harmony--still1 no one argues1 from that fact1 that music is of supernatural origin4 ,it may satisfy a want in the brain--a want unknown until the music was heard--and yet we all agree in saying that music has been naturally produced1 and no one claims that ,beethoven1 or ,wagner1 was inspired4 ,the same may be said of things that satisfy the palate--of statues1 of paintings1 that reveal to him who looks1 the existence of that of which before that time he had not even dreamed4 ,why is it that we love color--that we are pleased with harmonies1 or with a succession of sounds rising and falling at measured intervals8 ,no one would answer this question by saying that sculptors and painters and musicians were inspired2 neither would they say that the first postulate of art is that it appeals to man's spirit1 and for that reason the rules or laws of probability have nothing to do with the question of art4 #b4 ,that the spirit is a sphere of being which transcends the spheres of the senses and the understanding4 ,let us imagine a man without senses4 ,he cannot feel1 see1 hear1 taste1 or smell4 ,what is he8 ,would it be possible for him to have an idea8 ,would such a man have a spirit to which revelation could appeal1 or would there be locked in the dungeon of his brain a spirit1 that is to say1 a sphere of being which transcends the spheres of the senses and the understanding8 ,admit that in the person supposed1 the machinery of life goes on--what is he more than an inanimate machine8 #c4 ,that if a man denies the very existence of a spiritual intuition1 he is like a blind man criticising colors1 or a deaf man criticising harmonies4 ,what do you mean by spiritual intuition8 ,when did this spiritual intuition become the property of man--before1 or after1 birth8 ,is it of supernatural1 or miraculous1 origin1 and is it possible that this spiritual intuition is independent of the man8 ,is it based upon experience8 ,was it in any way born of the senses1 or of the effect of nature upon the brain--that is to say1 of things seen1 or heard1 or touched8 ,is a spiritual intuition an entity8 ,if man can exist without the spiritual intuition1 do you insist that the spiritual intuition can exist without the man8 ,you may remember that ,mr4 ,locke frequently remarked3 ,define your terms4 ,it is to be regretted that in the hurry of writing your article1 you forgot to give an explanation of spiritual intuition4 ,i will also take the liberty of asking you how a blind man could criticise colors1 and how a deaf man could criticise harmonies4 ,possibly you may imagine that spiritual intuition can take cognizance of colors1 as well as of harmonies4 ,let me ask3 ,why cannot a blind man criticise colors8 ,let me answer3 ,for the same reason that ,archdeacon ,farrar can tell us nothing about an infinite personality4 #d4 ,that revelation must be judged by its own criteria4 ,suppose the ,bible had taught that selfishness1 larceny and murder were virtues2 would you deny its inspiration8 ,would not your denial be based upon a conclusion that had been reached by your reason that no intelligent being could have been its author--that no good being could1 by any possibility1 uphold the commission of such crimes8 ,in that case would you be guided by spiritual intuition1 or by your reason8 ,when we examine the claims of a history--as1 for instance1 a history of ,england1 or of ,america1 are we to decide according to spiritual intuition1 or in accordance with the laws or rules of probability8 ,is there a different standard for a history written in ,hebrew1 several thousand years ago1 and one written in ,english in the nineteenth century8 ,if a history should now be written in ,england1 in which the most miraculous and impossible things should be related as facts1 and if ,i should deny these alleged facts1 would you consider that the author had overcome my denial by saying1 history must be judged by its own criteria8 #e4 ,that the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of ,god1 for they are foolishness unto him1 and he cannot know them1 because they are spiritually discerned4 ,the ,archdeacon admits that the natural man cannot know the things of the spirit1 because they are not naturally1 but spiritually1 discerned4 ,on the next page we are told1 that the truths which ,agnostics repudiate have been1 and are1 acknowledged by all except a fraction of the human race4 ,it goes without saying that a large majority of the human race are natural2 consequently1 the statement of the ,archdeacon contradicts the statement of ,st4 ,paul4 ,the ,archdeacon insists that all except a fraction of the human race acknowledge the truths which ,agnostics repudiate1 and they must acknowledge them because they are by them spiritually discerned2 and yet1 ,st4 ,paul says that this is impossible1 and insists that the natural man cannot know the things of the spirit of ,god1 because they are spiritually discerned4 ,there is only one way to harmonize the statement of the ,archdeacon and the ,saint1 and that is1 by saying that nearly all of the human race are unnatural1 and that only a small fraction are natural1 and that the small fraction of men who are natural1 are ,agnostics1 and only those who accept what the ,archdeacon calls truths are unnatural to such a degree that they can discern spiritual things4 ,upon this subject1 the last things to which the ,archdeacon appeals1 are the very things that he1 at first1 utterly repudiated4 ,he asks1 ,are we contemptuously to reject the witness of innumerable multitudes of the good and wise1 that--with a spiritual reality more convincing to them than the material evidences which converted the apostles1--they have seen1 and heard1 and their hands have handled the ,word of ,life8 ,thus at last the ,archdeacon appeals to the evidences of the senses4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,archdeacon then proceeds to attack the following statement3 ,there is no subject1 and can be none1 concerning which any human being is under any obligation to believe without evidence4 ,one would suppose that it would be impossible to formulate an objection to this statement4 ,what is or is not evidence1 depends upon the mind to which it is presented4 ,there is no possible insinuation in this statement1 one way or the other4 ,there is nothing sinister in it1 any more than there would be in the statement that twice five are ten4 ,how did it happen to occur to the ,archdeacon that when ,i spoke of believing without evidence1 ,i referred to all people who believe in the existence of a ,god1 and that ,i intended to say that one-third of the world's inhabitants had embraced the faith of ,christians without evidence8 ,certain things may convince one mind and utterly fail to convince others4 ,undoubtedly the persons who have believed in the dogmas of ,christianity have had what was sufficient evidence for them4 ,all ,i said was1 that there is no subject1 and can be none1 concerning which any human being is under any obligation to believe without evidence4 ,does the ,archdeacon insist that there is an obligation resting on any human mind to believe without evidence8 ,is he willing to go a step further and say that there is an obligation resting upon the minds of men to believe contrary to evidence8 ,if one is under obligation to believe without evidence1 it is just as reasonable to say that he is under obligation to believe in spite of evidence4 ,what does the word evidence mean8 ,a man in whose honesty ,i have great confidence1 tells me that he saw a dead man raised to life4 ,i do not believe him4 ,why8 ,his statement is not evidence to my mind4 ,why8 ,because it contradicts all of my experience1 and1 as ,i believe1 the experience of the intelligent world4 ,no one pretends that one-third of the world's inhabitants have embraced the faith of ,christians without evidence--that is1 that all ,christians have embraced the faith without evidence4 ,in the olden time1 when hundreds of thousands of men were given their choice between being murdered and baptized1 they generally accepted baptism--probably they accepted ,christianity without critically examining the evidence4 ,is it historically absurd that millions of people have believed in systems of religion without evidence8 ,thousands of millions have believed that ,mohammed was a prophet of ,god4 ,and not only so1 but have believed in his miraculous power4 ,did they believe without evidence8 ,is it historically absurd to say that ,mohammedanism is based upon mistake8 ,what shall we say of the followers of ,buddha1 who far outnumber the followers of ,christ8 ,have they believed without evidence8 ,and is it historically absurd to say that our ancestors of a few hundred years ago were as credulous as the disciples of ,buddha8 ,is it not true that the same gentlemen who believed thoroughly in all the miracles of the ,new ,testament also believed the world to be flat1 and were perfectly satisfied that the sun made its daily journey around the earth8 ,did they have any evidence8 ,is it historically absurd to say that they believed without evidence8 ,,iii4 ,neither is there any intelligent being who can by any possibility be flattered by the exercise of ignorant credulity4 ,,the ,archdeacon asks what ,i gain by stigmatizing as ignorant credulity that inspired1 inspiring1 invincible conviction--the formative principle of noble efforts and self-sacrificing lives1 which at this moment1 as during all the long millenniums of the past1 has been held not only by the ignorant and the credulous1 but by those whom all the ages have regarded as the ablest1 the wisest1 the most learned and the most gifted of mankind8 ,does the ,archdeacon deny that credulity is ignorant8 ,in this connection1 what does the word credulity mean8 ,it means that condition or state of the mind in which the impossible1 or the absurd1 is accepted as true4 ,is not such credulity ignorant8 ,do we speak of wise credulity--of intelligent credulity8 ,we may say theological credulity1 or ,christian credulity1 but certainly not intelligent credulity4 ,is the flattery of the ignorant and credulous--the flattery being based upon that which ignorance and credulity have accepted--acceptable to any intelligent being8 ,is it possible that we can flatter ,god by pretending to believe1 or by believing1 that which is repugnant to reason1 that which upon examination is seen to be absurd8 ,the ,archdeacon admits that ,god cannot possibly be so flattered4 ,if1 then1 he agrees with my statement1 why endeavor to controvert it8 ,,iv4 ,the man who without prejudice reads and understands the ,old and ,new ,testaments will cease to be an orthodox ,christian4 ,,the ,archdeacon says that he cannot pretend to imagine what my definition of an orthodox ,christian is4 ,i will use his own language to express my definition4 ,by an orthodox ,christian ,i mean one who believes what is commonly called the ,apostles' ,creed4 ,i also believe that the essential doctrines of the church must be judged by her universal formulae1 not by the opinions of this or that theologian1 however eminent1 or even of any number of theologians1 unless the church has stamped them with the sanction of her formal and distinct acceptance4 ,this is the language of the ,archdeacon himself1 and ,i accept it as a definition of orthodoxy4 ,with this definition in mind1 ,i say that the man who without prejudice reads and understands the ,old and ,new ,testaments will cease to be an orthodox ,christian4 ,by prejudice1 ,i mean the tendencies and trends given to his mind by heredity1 by education1 by the facts and circumstances entering into the life of man4 ,we know how children are poisoned in the cradle1 how they are deformed in the ,sunday ,school1 how they are misled by the pulpit4 ,and we know how numberless interests unite and conspire to prevent the individual soul from examining for itself4 ,we know that nearly all rewards are in the hands of ,superstition--that she holds the sweet wreath1 and that her hands lead the applause of what is called the civilized world4 ,we know how many men give up their mental independence for the sake of pelf and power4 ,we know the influence of mothers and fathers--of ,church and ,state--of ,faith and ,fashion4 ,all these influences produce in honest minds what may be known as prejudice1--in other minds1 what may be known as hypocrisy4 ,it is hardly worth my while to speak of the merits of students of ,holy ,writ who1 the ,archdeacon was polite enough to say1 know ten thousand times more of the ,scriptures than ,i do4 ,this1 to say the least of it1 is a gratuitous assertion1 and one that does not tend to throw the slightest ray of light on any matter in controversy4 ,neither is it true that it was my point to say that all people are prejudiced1 merely because they believe in ,god2 it was my point to say that no man can read the miracles of the ,old ,testament1 without prejudice1 and believe them2 it was my point to say that no man can read many of the cruel and barbarous laws said to have been given by ,god himself1 and yet believe1--unless he was prejudiced1--that these laws were divinely given4 ,neither do ,i believe that there is now beneath the cope of heaven an intelligent man1 without prejudice1 who believes in the inspiration of the ,bible4 ,v4 ,the intelligent man who investigates the religion of any country1 without fear and without prejudice1 will not and cannot be a believer4 ,,in answering this statement the ,archdeacon says3 ,argal1 every believer in any religion is either an incompetent idiot1 or coward--with a dash of prejudice4 ,i hardly know what the gentleman means by an incompetent idiot1 as ,i know of no competent ones4 ,it was not my intention to say that believers in religion are idiots or cowards4 ,i did not mean1 by using the word fear1 to say that persons actuated by fear are cowards4 ,that was not in my mind4 ,by fear1 ,i intended to convey that fear commonly called awe1 or superstition1--that is to say1 fear of the supernatural1--fear of the gods--fear of punishment in another world--fear of some ,supreme ,being2 not fear of some other man--not the fear that is branded with cowardice4 ,and1 of course1 the ,archdeacon perfectly understood my meaning2 but it was necessary to give another meaning in order to make the appearance of an answer possible4 ,by prejudice1 ,i mean that state of mind that accepts the false for the true4 ,all prejudice is honest4 ,and the probability is1 that all men are more or less prejudiced on some subject4 ,but on that account ,i do not call them incompetent idiots1 or cowards1 with a dash of prejudice4 ,i have no doubt that the ,archdeacon himself believes that all ,mahommedans are prejudiced1 and that they are actuated more or less by fear1 inculcated by their parents and by society at large4 ,neither have ,i any doubt that he regards all ,catholics as prejudiced1 and believes that they are governed more or less by fear4 ,it is no answer to what ,i have said for the ,archdeacon to say that others have studied every form of religion with infinitely greater power than ,i have done4 ,this is a personality that has nothing to do with the subject in hand4 ,it is no argument to repeat a list of names4 ,it is an old trick of the theologians to use names instead of arguments--to appeal to persons instead of principles--to rest their case upon the views of kings and nobles and others who pretend eminence in some department of human learning or ignorance1 rather than on human knowledge4 ,this is the argument of the old against the new1 and on this appeal the old must of necessity have the advantage4 ,when some man announces the discovery of a new truth1 or of some great fact contrary to the opinions of the learned1 it is easy to overwhelm him with names4 ,there is but one name on his side--that is to say1 his own4 ,all others who are living1 and the dead1 are on the other side4 ,and if this argument is good1 it ought to have ended all progress many thousands of years ago4 ,if this argument is conclusive1 the first man would have had freedom of opinion2 the second man would have stood an equal chance2 but if the third man differed from the other two1 he would have been gone4 ,yet this is the argument of the church4 ,they say to every man who advances something new3 ,are you greater than the dead8 ,the man who is right is generally modest4 ,men in the wrong1 as a rule1 are arrogant2 and arrogance is generally in the majority4 ,the ,archdeacon appeals to certain names to show that ,i am wrong4 ,in order for this argument to be good--that is to say1 to be honest--he should agree with all the opinions of the men whose names he gives4 ,he shows1 or endeavors to show1 that ,i am wrong1 because ,i do not agree with ,st4 ,augustine4 ,does the ,archdeacon agree with ,st4 ,augustine8 ,does he now believe that the bones of a saint were taken to ,hippo--that being in the diocese of ,st4 ,augustine--and that five corpses1 having been touched with these bones1 were raised to life8 ,does he believe that a demoniac1 on being touched with one of these bones1 was relieved of a multitude of devils1 and that these devils then and there testified to the genuineness of the bones1 not only1 but told the hearers that the doctrine of the ,trinity was true8 ,does the ,archdeacon agree with ,st4 ,augustine that over seventy miracles were performed with these bones1 and that in a neighboring town many hundreds of miracles were performed8 ,does he agree with ,st4 ,augustine in his estimate of women--placing them on a par with beasts8 ,i admit that ,st4 ,augustine had great influence with the people of his day--but what people8 ,i admit also that he was the founder of the first begging brotherhood--that he organized mendicancy--and that he most cheerfully lived on the labor of others4 ,if ,st4 ,augustine lived now he would be the inmate of an asylum4 ,this same ,st4 ,augustine believed that the fire of hell was material--that the body itself having influenced the soul to sin1 would be burned forever1 and that ,god by a perpetual miracle would save the body from being annihilated and devoured in those eternal flames4 ,let me ask the ,archdeacon a question3 ,do you agree with ,st4 ,augustine8 ,if you do not1 do you claim to be a greater man8 ,is your mole-hill higher than his ,dhawalagiri8 ,are you looking down upon him from the altitude of your own inferiority8 ,precisely the same could be said of ,st4 ,jerome4 ,the ,archdeacon appeals to ,charlemagne1 one of the great generals of the world--a man who in his time shed rivers of blood1 and who on one occasion massacred over four thousand helpless prisoners--a ,christian gentleman who had1 ,i think1 about nine wives1 and was the supposed father of some twenty children4 ',this same ,charlemagne had laws against polygamy1 and yet practiced it himself4 ,are we under the same obligation to share his vices as his views8 ,it is wonderful how the church has always appealed to the so-called great--how it has endeavored to get certificates from kings and queens1 from successful soldiers and statesmen1 to the truth of the ,bible and the moral character of ,christ6 ,how the saints have crawled in the dust before the slayers of mankind6 ,think of proving the religion of love and forgiveness by ,charlemagne and ,napoleon6 ,an appeal is also made to ,roger ,bacon4 ,yet this man attained all his eminence by going contrary to the opinions and teachings of the church4 ,in his time1 it was matter of congratulation that you knew nothing of secular things4 ,he was a student of ,nature1 an investigator1 and by the very construction of his mind was opposed to the methods of ,catholicism4 ,copernicus was an astronomer1 but he certainly did not get his astronomy from the church1 nor from ,general ,joshua1 nor from the story of the ,jewish king for whose benefit the sun was turned back in heaven ten degrees4 ,neither did ,kepler find his three laws in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 nor were they the utterances of ,jehovah on ,mount ,sinai4 ,he did not make his discoveries because he was a ,christian2 but in spite of that fact4 ,as to ,lord ,bacon1 let me ask1 are you willing to accept his ideas8 ,if not1 why do you quote his name8 ,am ,i bound by the opinions of ,bacon in matters of religion1 and not in matters of science8 ,bacon denied the ,coperni-can system1 and died a believer in the ,ptolemaic--died believing that the earth is stationary and that the sun and stars move around it as a center4 ,do you agree with ,bacon8 ,if not1 do you pretend that your mind is greater8 ,would it be fair for a believer in ,bacon to denounce you as an egotist and charge you with obstreperousness because you merely suggested that ,mr4 ,bacon was a little off in his astronomical opinions8 ,do you not see that you have furnished the cord for me to tie your hands behind you8 ,i do not know how you ascertained that ,shakespeare was what you call a believer4 ,substantially all that we know of ,shakespeare is found in what we know as his works ,all else can be read in one minute4 ,may ,i ask1 how you know that ,shakespeare was a believer8 ,do you prove it by the words he put in the mouths of his characters8 ,if so1 you can prove that he was anything1 nothing1 and everything4 ,have you literary bread to eat that ,i know not of8 ,whether ,dante was1 or was not1 a ,christian1 ,i am not prepared to say4 ,i have always admired him for one thing3 he had the courage to see a pope in hell4 ,probably you are not prepared to agree with ,milton--especially in his opinion that marriage had better be by contract1 for a limited time4 ,and if you disagree with ,milton on this point1 do you thereby pretend to say that you could have written a better poem than ,paradise ,lost8 ,so ,newton is supposed to have been a ,trinitarian4 ,and yet it is said that1 after his death1 there was found an article1 which had been published by him in ,holland1 against the dogma of the ,trinity4 ,after all1 it is quite difficult to find out what the great men have believed4 ,they have been actuated by so many unknown motives2 they have wished for place2 they have desired to be ,archdeacons1 ,bishops1 ,cardinals1 ,popes2 their material interests have sometimes interfered with the expression of their thoughts4 ,most of the men to whom you have alluded lived at a time when the world was controlled by what may be called a ,christian mob--when the expression of an honest thought would have cost the life of the one who expressed it--when the followers of ,christ were ready with sword and fagot to exterminate philosophy and liberty from the world4 ,is it possible that we are under any obligation to believe the ,mosaic account of the ,garden of ,eden1 or of the talking serpent1 because ,whewell had an encyclopaedic range of knowledge8 ,must we believe that ,joshua stopped the sun1 because ,faraday was the most eminent man of science of his day8 ,shall we believe the story of the fiery furnace1 because ,mr4 ,spottiswoode was president of the ,royal ,society--had rare mathematical genius--so rare that he was actually buried in ,westminster ,abbey8 ,shall we believe that ,jonah spent three days and nights in the inside of a whale because ,professor ,clark ,maxwell's death was mourned by all8 ,are we under any obligation to believe that an infinite ,god sent two she bears to tear forty children in pieces because they laughed at a prophet without hair8 ,must we believe this because ,sir ,gabriel ,stokes is the living president of the ,royal ,society1 and a ,churchman besides8 ,are we bound to believe that ,daniel spent one of the happiest evenings of his life in the lion's den1 because ,sir ,william ,dawson of ,canada1 two years ago1 presided over the ,british ,association8 ,and must we believe in the ten plagues of ,egypt1 including the lice1 because ,professor ,max ,mueller made an eloquent plea in ,westminster ,abbey in favor of ,christian missions8 ,possibly he wanted missionaries to visit heathen lands so that they could see the difference for themselves between theory and practice1 in what is known as the ,christian religion4 ,must we believe the miracles of the ,new ,testament--the casting out of devils--because ,lord ,tennyson and ,mr4 ,browning stand far above all other poets of this generation in ,england1 or because ,longfellow1 ,holmes1 and ,lowell and ,whittier occupy the same position in ,america8 ,must we admit that devils entered into swine because ,bancroft and ,parkman are the leading prose writers of ,america--which ,i take this occasion to deny8 ,it is to be hoped that some time the ,archdeacon will read that portion of ,mr4 ,bancroft's history in which he gives the account of how the soldiers1 commonly called ,hessians1 were raised by the ,british ,government during the ,american ,revolution4 ,these poor wretches were sold at so much apiece4 ,for every one that was killed1 so much was paid1 and for every one that was wounded a certain amount was given4 ,mr4 ,bancroft tells us that ,god was not satisfied with this business1 and although he did not interfere in any way to save the poor soldiers1 he did visit the petty tyrants who made the bargains with his wrath4 ,i remember that as a punishment to one of these1 his wife was induced to leave him2 another one died a good many years afterwards2 and several of them had exceedingly bad luck4 ,after reading this philosophic dissertation on the dealings of ,providence1 ,i doubt if the ,archdeacon will still remain of the opinion that ,mr4 ,bancroft is one of the leading prose writers of ,america4 ,if the ,archdeacon will read a few of the sermons of ,theodore ,parker1 and essays of ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson1 if he will read the life of ,voltaire by ,james ,parton1 he may change his opinion as to the great prose writers of ,america4 ,my argument against miracles is answered by reference to ,dr4 ,lightfoot1 a man of such immense learning that he became the equal of his successor ,dr4 ,westcott4 ,and when ,i say that there are errors and imperfections in the ,bible1 ,i am told that ,dr4 ,westcott investigated the ,christian religion and its earliest documents au fond1 and was an orthodox believer4 ,of course the ,archdeacon knows that no one now knows who wrote one of the books of the ,bible4 ,he knows that no one now lives who ever saw one of the original manuscripts1 and that no one now lives who ever saw anybody who had seen anybody who had seen an original manuscript4 ,,vi4 ,is it possible for the human mind to conceive of an infinite personality8 ,,the ,archdeacon says that it is1 and yet in the same article he quotes the following from ,job3 ,canst thou by searching find out ,god8 ,it is as high as ,heaven2 what canst thou do8 deeper than ,hell2 what canst thou know8 ,and immediately after making these quotations1 the ,archdeacon takes the ground of the agnostic1 and says1 with the wise ancient ,rabbis1 we learn to say1 ,i do not know4 ,it is impossible for me to say what any other human being cannot conceive2 but ,i am absolutely certain that my mind cannot conceive of an infinite personality--of an infinite ,ego4 ,man is conscious of his individuality4 ,man has wants4 ,a multitude of things in nature seems to work against him2 and others seem to be favorable to him4 ,there is conflict between him and nature4 ,if man had no wants--if there were no conflict between him and any other being1 or any other thing1 he could not say ,i--that is to say1 he could not be conscious of personality4 ,now1 it seems to me that an infinite personality is a contradiction in terms1 says ,i4 ,,vii4 ,,the same line of argument applies to the next statement that is criticised by the ,archdeacon3 ,can the human mind conceive a beginningless being8 ,we know that there is such a thing as matter1 but we do not know that there is a beginningless being4 ,we say1 or some say1 that matter is eternal1 because the human mind cannot conceive of its commencing4 ,now1 if we knew of the existence of an ,infinite ,being1 we could not conceive of his commencing4 ,but we know of no such being4 ,we do know of the existence of matter2 and my mind is so1 that ,i cannot conceive of that matter having been created by a beginningless being4 ,i do not say that there is not a beginningless being1 but ,i do not believe there is1 and it is beyond my power to conceive of such a being4 ,the ,archdeacon also says that space is quite as impossible to conceive as ,god4 ,but nobody pretends to love space--no one gives intention and will to space--no one1 so far as ,i know1 builds altars or temples to space4 ,now1 if ,god is as inconceivable as space1 why should we pray to ,god8 ,the ,archdeacon1 however1 after quoting ,sir ,william ,hamilton as to the inconceivability of space as absolute or infinite1 takes occasion to say that space is an entity4 ,may ,i be permitted to ask how he knows that space is an entity8 ,as a matter of fact1 the conception of infinite space is a necessity of the mind1 the same as eternity is a necessity of the mind4 ,,viii4 ,,the next sentence or statement to which the ,archdeacon objects is as follows3 ,he who cannot harmonize the cruelties of the ,bible with the goodness of ,jehovah1 cannot harmonize the cruelties of ,nature with the goodness or wisdom of a supposed ,deity4 ,he will find it impossible to account for pestilence and famine1 for earthquake and storm1 for slavery1 and for the triumph of the strong over the weak4 ,one objection that he urges to this statement is that ,st4 ,paul had made a stronger one in the same direction4 ,the ,archdeacon however insists that a world without a contingency1 or an agony1 could have had no hero and no saint1 and that science enables us to demonstrate that much of the apparent misery and anguish is transitory and even phantasmal2 that many of the seeming forces of destruction are overruled to ends of beneficence2 that most of man's disease and anguish is due to his own sin and folly and wilfulness4 ,i will not say that these things have been said before1 but ,i will say that they have been answered before4 ,the idea that the world is a school in which character is formed and in which men are educated is very old4 ,if1 however1 the world is a school1 and there is trouble and misfortune1 and the object is to create character--that is to say1 to produce heroes and saints--then the question arises1 what becomes of those who die in infancy8 ,they are left without the means of education4 ,are they to remain forever without character8 ,or is there some other world of suffering and sorrow8 ,is it possible to form character in heaven8 ,how did the angels become good8 ,how do you account for the justice of ,god8 ,did he attain character through struggle and suffering8 ,what would you say of a school teacher who should kill one-third of the children on the morning of the first day8 ,and what can you say of ,god1--if this world is a school1--who allows a large per cent1 of his children to die in infancy--consequently without education--therefore1 without character8 ,if the world is the result of infinite wisdom and goodness1 why is the ,christian ,church engaged in endeavoring to make it better2 or1 rather1 in an effort to change it8 ,why not leave it as an infinite ,god made it8 ,is it true that most of man's diseases are due to his own sin and folly and wilfulness8 ,is it not true that no matter how good men are they must die1 and will they not die of diseases8 ,is it true that the wickedness of man has created the microbe8 ,is it possible that the sinfulness of man created the countless enemies of human life that lurk in air and water and food8 ,certainly the wickedness of man has had very little influence on tornadoes1 earthquakes and floods4 ,is it true that the signature of beauty with which ,god has stamped the visible world--alike in the sky and on the earth--alike in the majestic phenomena of an intelligent creation and in its humblest and most microscopic production--is a perpetual proof that ,god is a ,god of love8 ,let us see4 ,the scientists tell us that there is a little microscopic animal1 one who is very particular about his food--so particular1 that he prefers to all other things the optic nerve1 and after he has succeeded in destroying that nerve and covering the eye with the mask of blindness1 he has intelligence enough to bore his way through the bones of the nose in search of the other optic nerve4 ,is it not somewhat difficult to discover the signature of beauty with which ,god has stamped this animal8 ,for my part1 ,i see but little beauty in poisonous serpents1 in man-eating sharks1 in crocodiles1 in alligators4 ,it would be impossible for me to gaze with admiration upon a cancer4 ,think1 for a moment1 of a ,god ingenious enough and good enough to feed a cancer with the quivering flesh of a human being1 and to give for the sustenance of that cancer the life of a mother4 ,it is well enough to speak of the myriad voices of nature in their mirth and sweetness1 and it is also well enough to think of the other side4 ,the singing birds have a few notes of love--the rest are all of warning and of fear4 ,nature1 apparently with infinite care1 produces a living thing1 and at the same time is just as diligently at work creating another living thing to devour the first1 and at the same time a third to devour the second1 and so on around the great circle of life and death1 of agony and joy--tooth and claw1 fang and tusk1 hunger and rapine1 massacre and murder1 violence and vengeance and vice everywhere and through all time4 ,here the manuscript ends1 with the following notes4 ,,sayings ,,from ,,the ,,indian4 ,the rain seems hardest when the wigwam leaks4 ,when the tracks get too large and too numerous1 the wise ,indian says that he is hunting something else4 ,a little crook in the arrow makes a great miss4 ,a great chief counts scalps1 not hairs4 ,you cannot strengthen the bow by poisoning the arrows4 ,no one saves water in a flood4 ,,origen4 ,origen considered that the punishment of the wicked consisted in separation from ,god4 ,there was too much pity in his heart to believe in the flames of hell4 ,but he was condemned as heretical by the ,council of ,carthage1 ,a4 ,d41 #cih1 and afterwards by other councils4 ,,st4 ,,augustine4 ,st4 ,augustine censures ,origen for his merciful view1 and says3 ,the church1 not without reason1 condemned him for this error4 ,he also held that hell was in the centre of the earth1 and that ,god supplied the centre with perpetual fire by a miracle4 ,,dante4 ,dante is a wonderful mixture of melancholy and malice1 of religion and revenge1 and he represents himself as so pitiless that when he found his political opponents in hell1 he struck their faces and pulled the hair of the tormented4 ,,aquinas4 ,aquinas believed the same4 ,he was the loving gentleman who believed in the undying worm4 ,,is ,,corporal ,,punishment ,,degrading8 99 ,this unfinished and unrevised article was found among ,col4 ,ingersoll's papers1 and is here reproduced without change4-- ,it is a reply to the ,dean of ,st ,paul's ,contribution to the ,north ,american ,review for ,dec41 #ahia1 entitled3 ,is ,corporal ,punishment ,degrading8 ,,the ,dean of ,st4 ,paul protests against the kindness of parents1 guardians and teachers toward children1 wards and pupils4 ,he believes in the gospel of ferule and whips1 and has perfect faith in the efficacy of flogging in homes and schools4 ,he longs for the return of the good old days when fathers were severe1 and children affectionate and obedient4 ,in ,america1 for many years1 even wife-beating has been somewhat unpopular1 and the flogging of children has been considered cruel and unmanly4 ,wives with bruised and swollen faces1 and children with lacerated backs1 have excited pity for themselves rather than admiration for savage husbands and brutal fathers4 ,it is also true that the church has far less power here than in ,england1 and it may be that those who wander from the orthodox fold grow merciful and respect the rights even of the weakest4 ,but whatever the cause may be1 the fact is that we1 citizens of the ,republic1 feel that certain domestic brutalities are the children of monarchies and despotisms2 that they were produced by superstition1 ignorance1 and savagery2 and that they are not in accord with the free and superb spirit that founded and preserves the ,great ,republic4 ,of late years1 confidence in the power of kindness has greatly increased1 and there is a wide-spread suspicion that cruelty and violence are not the instrumentalities of civilization4 ,physicians no longer regard corporal punishment as a sure cure even for insanity--and it is generally admitted that the lash irritates rather than soothes the victim of melancholia4 ,civilized men now insist that criminals cannot always be reformed even by the most ingenious instruments of torture4 ,it is known that some convicts repay the smallest acts of kindness with the sincerest gratitude4 ,some of the best people go so far as to say that kindness is the sunshine in which the virtues grow4 ,we know that for many ages governments tried to make men virtuous with dungeon and fagot and scaffold2 that they tried to cure even disease of the mind with brandings and maimings and lashes on the naked flesh of men and women--and that kings endeavored to sow the seeds of patriotism--to plant and nurture them in the hearts of their subjects--with whip and chain4 ,in ,england1 only a few years ago1 there were hundreds of brave soldiers and daring sailors whose breasts were covered with honorable scars--witnesses of wounds received at ,trafalgar and ,balaklava--while on the backs of these same soldiers and sailors were the marks of ,english whips4 ,these shameless cruelties were committed in the name of discipline1 and were upheld by officers1 statesmen and clergymen4 ,the same is true of nearly all civilized nations4 ,these crimes have been excused for the reason that our ancestors were1 at that time1 in fact1 barbarians--that they had no idea of justice1 no comprehension of liberty1 no conception of the rights of men1 women1 and children4 ,at that time the church was1 in most countries1 equal to1 or superior to1 the state1 and was a firm believer in the civilizing influences of cruelty and torture4 ,according to the creeds of that day1 ,god intended to torture the wicked forever1 and the church1 according to its power1 did all that it could in the same direction4 ,learning their rights and duties from priests1 fathers not only beat their children1 but their wives4 ,in those days most homes were penitentiaries1 in which wives and children were the convicts and of which husbands and fathers were the wardens and turnkeys4 ,the king imitated his supposed ,god1 and imprisoned1 flogged1 branded1 beheaded and burned his enemies1 and the husbands and fathers imitated the king1 and guardians and teachers imitated them4 ,yet in spite of all the beatings and burnings1 the whippings and hangings1 the world was not reformed4 ,crimes increased1 the cheeks of wives were furrowed with tears1 the faces of children white with fear--fear of their own fathers2 pity was almost driven from the heart of man and found refuge1 for the most part1 in the breasts of women1 children1 and dogs4 ,in those days1 misfortunes were punished as crimes4 ,honest debtors were locked in loathsome dungeons1 and trivial offences were punished with death4 ,worse than all that1 thousands of men and women were destroyed1 not because they were vicious1 but because they were virtuous1 honest and noble4 ,extremes beget obstructions4 ,the victims at last became too numerous1 and the result did not seem to justify the means4 ,the good1 the few1 protested against the savagery of kings and fathers4 ,nothing seems clearer to me than that the world has been gradually growing better for many years4 ,men have a clearer conception of rights and obligations--a higher philosophy--a far nobler ideal4 ,even kings admit that they should have some regard for the well-being of their subjects4 ,nations and individuals are slowly outgrowing the savagery of revenge1 the desire to kill1 and it is generally admitted that criminals should neither be imprisoned nor tortured for the gratification of the public4 ,at last we are beginning to know that revenge is a mistake--that cruelty not only hardens the victim1 but makes a criminal of him who inflicts it1 and that mercy guided by intelligence is the highest form of justice4 ,the tendency of the world is toward kindness4 ,the religious creeds are being changed or questioned1 because they shock the heart of the present4 ,all civilized churches1 all humane ,christians1 have given up the dogma of eternal pain4 ,this infamous doctrine has for many centuries polluted the imagination and hardened the heart4 ,this coiled viper no longer inhabits the breast of a civilized man4 ,in all civilized countries slavery has been abolished1 the honest debtor released1 and all are allowed the liberty of speech4 ,long ago flogging was abolished in our army and navy and all cruel and unusual punishments prohibited by law4 ,in many parts of the ,republic the whip has been banished from the public schools1 the flogger of children is held in abhorrence1 and the wife-beater is regarded as a cowardly criminal4 ,the gospel of kindness is not only preached1 but practiced4 ,such has been the result of this advance of civilization--of this growth of kindness--of this bursting into blossom of the flower called pity1 in the heart--that we treat our horses 7thanks to ,henry ,bergh7 better than our ancestors did their slaves1 their servants or their tenants4 ,the gentlemen of to-day show more affection for their dogs than most of the kings of ,england exhibited toward their wives4 ,the great tide is toward mercy2 the savage creeds are being changed2 heartless laws have been repealed2 shackles have been broken2 torture abolished1 and the keepers of prisons are no longer allowed to bruise and scar the flesh of convicts4 ,the insane are treated with kindness--asylums are in the midst of beautiful grounds1 the rooms are filled with flowers1 and the wandering mind is called back by the golden voice of music4 ,in the midst of these tendencies--of these accomplishments--in the general harmony between the minds of men1 acting together1 to the end that the world may be governed by kindness through education and the blessed agencies of reformation and prevention1 the ,dean of ,st4 ,paul raises his voice in favor of the methods and brutalities of the past4 ,the reverend gentleman takes the ground that the effect of flogging on the flogged is not degrading2 that the effect of corporal punishment is ennobling2 that it tends to make boys manly by ennobling and teaching them to bear bodily pain with fortitude4 ,to be flogged develops character1 self-reliance1 courage1 contempt of pain and the highest heroism4 ,the ,dean therefore takes the ground that parents should flog their children1 guardians their wards1 and teachers their pupils4 ,if the ,dean is wrong he goes too far1 and if he is right he does not go far enough4 ,he does not advocate the flogging of children who obey their parents1 or of pupils who violate no rule4 ,it follows then that such children are in great danger of growing up unmanly1 without the courage and fortitude to bear bodily pain4 ,if flogging is really a blessing it should not be withheld from the good and lavished on the unworthy4 ,the ,dean should have the courage of his convictions4 ,the teacher should not make a pretext of the misconduct of the pupil to do him a great service4 ,he should not be guilty of calling a benefit a punishment ,he should not deceive the children under his care and develop their better natures under false pretences4 ,but what is to become of the boys and girls who behave themselves1 who attend to their studies1 and comply with the rules8 ,they lose the benefits conferred on those who defy their parents and teachers1 reach maturity without character1 and so remain withered and worthless4 ,the ,dean not only defends his position by an appeal to the ,bible1 the history of nations1 but to his personal experience4 ,in order to show the good effects of brutality and the bad consequences of kindness1 he gives two instances that came under his observation4 ,the first is that of an intelligent father who treated his sons with great kindness and yet these sons neglected their affectionate father in his old age4 ,the second instance is that of a mother who beat her daughter4 ,the wretched child1 it seems1 was sent out to gather sticks from the hedges1 and when she brought home a large stick1 the mother suspected that she had obtained it wrongfully and thereupon proceeded to beat the child4 ,and yet the ,dean tells us that this abused daughter treated the hyena mother with the greatest kindness1 and loved her as no other daughter ever loved a mother4 ,in order to make this case strong and convincing the ,dean states that this mother was a most excellent ,christian4 ,from these two instances the ,dean infers1 and by these two instances proves1 that kindness breeds bad sons1 and that flogging makes affectionate daughters4 ,the ,dean says to the ,christian mother3 ,if you wish to be loved by your daughter1 you must beat her4 ,and to the ,christian father he says3 ,if you want to be neglected in your old age by your sons1 you will treat them with kindness4 ,the ,dean does not follow his logic to the end4 ,let me give him two instances that support his theory4 ,a good man married a handsome woman4 ,he was old1 rich1 kind and indulgent4 ,he allowed his wife to have her own way4 ,he never uttered a cross or cruel word4 ,he never thought of beating her4 ,and yet1 as the ,dean would say1 in consequence of his kindness1 she poisoned him1 got his money and married another man4 ,in this city1 not long ago1 a man1 a foreigner1 beat his wife according to his habit4 ,on this particular occasion the punishment was excessive4 ,he beat her until she became unconscious2 she was taken to a hospital and the physician said that she could not live4 ,the husband was brought to the hospital and preparations were made to take her dying statement4 ,after being told that she was dying1 she was asked if her husband had beaten her4 ,her face was so bruised and swollen that the lids of her eyes had to be lifted in order that she might see the wretch who had killed her4 ,she beckoned him to her side--threw her arms about his neck--drew his face to hers--kissed him1 and said3 ,he is not the man4 ,he did not do it--then--died4 ,according to the philosophy of the ,dean1 these instances show that kindness causes crime1 and that wife-beating cultivates in the highest degree the affectional nature of woman4 ,the ,dean1 if consistent1 is a believer in slavery1 because the lash judiciously applied brings out the finer feelings of the heart4 ,slaves have been known to die for their masters1 while under similar circumstances hired men have sought safety in flight4 ,we all know of many instances where the abused1 the maligned1 and the tortured have returned good for evil--and many instances where the loved1 the honored1 and the trusted have turned against their benefactors1 and yet we know that cruelty and torture are not superior to love and kindness4 ,yet1 the ,dean tries to show that severity is the real mother of affection1 and that kindness breeds monsters4 ,if kindness and affection on the part of parents demoralize children1 will not kindness and affection on the part of children demoralize the parents8 ,when the children are young and weak1 the parents who are strong beat the children in order that they may be affectionate4 ,now1 when the children get strong and the parents are old and weak1 ought not the children to beat them1 so that they too may become kind and loving8 ,if you want an affectionate son1 beat him4 ,if you desire a loving wife1 beat her4 ,this is really the advice of the ,dean of ,st ,paul4 ,to me it is one of the most pathetic facts in nature that wives and children love husbands and fathers who are utterly unworthy4 ,it is enough to sadden a life to think of the affection that has been lavished upon the brutal1 of the countless pearls that ,love has thrown to swine4 ,the ,dean1 quoting from ,hooker1 insists that the voice of man is as the sentence of ,god himself1--in other words1 that the general voice1 practice and opinion of the human race are true4 ,and yet1 cannibalism1 slavery1 polygamy1 the worship of snakes and stones1 the sacrifice of babes1 have during vast periods of time been practiced and upheld by an overwhelming majority of mankind4 ,whether the general voice can be depended on depends much on the time1 the epoch1 during which the general voice was uttered4 ,there was a time when the general voice was in accord with the appetite of man2 when all nations were cannibals and lived on each other1 and yet it can hardly be said that this voice and appetite were in exact accord with divine goodness4 ,it is hardly safe to depend on the general voice of savages1 no matter how numerous they may have been4 ,like most people who defend the cruel and absurd1 the ,dean appeals to the ,bible as the supreme authority in the moral world1--and yet if the ,english ,parliament should re-enact the ,mosaic ,code every member voting in the affirmative would be subjected to personal violence1 and an effort to enforce that code would produce a revolution that could end only in the destruction of the government4 ,the morality of the ,old ,testament is not always of the purest2 when ,jehovah tried to induce ,pharaoh to let the ,hebrews go1 he never took the ground that slavery was wrong4 ,he did not seek to convince by argument1 to soften by pity1 or to persuade by kindness4 ,he depended on miracles and plagues4 ,he killed helpless babes and the innocent beasts of the fields4 ,no wonder the ,dean appeals to the ,bible to justify the beating of children4 ,so1 too1 we are told that all sensible persons1 ,christian and otherwise1 will admit that there are in every child born into the world tendencies to evil that need rooting out4 ,the ,dean undoubtedly believes in the creed of the established church1 and yet he does not hesitate to say that a ,god of infinite goodness and intelligence never created a child--never allowed one to be born into the world without planting in its little heart tendencies to evil that need rooting out4 ,so1 ,solomon is quoted to the effect that he that spareth his rod hateth his son4 ,to me it has always been a matter of amazement why civilized people1 living in the century of ,darwin and ,humboldt1 should quote as authority the words of ,solomon1 a murderer1 an ingrate1 an idolater1 and a polygamist--a man so steeped and sodden in ignorance that he really believed he could be happy with seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines4 ,the ,dean seems to regret that flogging is no longer practiced in the ,british navy1 and quotes with great cheerfulness a passage from ,deuteronomy to prove that forty lashes on the naked back will meet with the approval of ,god4 ,he insists that ,st4 ,paul endured corporal punishment without the feeling of degradation not only1 but that he remembered his sufferings with a sense of satisfaction4 ,does the ,dean think that the satisfaction of ,st4 ,paul justified the wretches who beat and stoned him8 ,leaving the ,hebrews1 the ,dean calls the ,greeks as witnesses to establish the beneficence of flogging4 ,they resorted to corporal punishment in their schools1 says the ,dean and then naively remarks that ,plutarch was opposed to this4 ,the ,dean admits that in ,rome it was found necessary to limit by law the punishment that a father might inflict upon his children1 and yet he seems to regret that the legislature interfered4 ,the ,dean observes that ,quintillian severely censured corporal punishment and then accounts for the weakness and folly of the censure1 by saying that ,quintillian wrote in the days when the glories of ,rome were departed4 ,and then adds these curiously savage words3 ,it is worthy of remark that no children treated their parents with greater tenderness and reverence than did those of ,rome in the days when the father possessed the unlimited power of punishment4 ,not quite satisfied with the strength of his case although sustained by ,moses and ,solomon1 ,st4 ,paul and several schoolmasters1 he proceeds to show that ,god is thoroughly on his side1 not only in theory1 but in practice2 whom the ,lord loveth lie chasteneth1 and scourgeth every sou whom he receiveth44 ,the ,dean asks this question3 ,which custom1 kindness or severity1 does experience show to be the less dangerous8 ,and he answers from a new heart3 ,i fear that ,i must unhesitatingly give the palm to severity4 ,i have found that there have been more reverence and affection1 more willingness to make sacrifices for parents1 more pleasure in contributing to their pleasure or happiness in that life where the tendency has been to a severe method of treatment4 ,is it possible that any good mail exists who is willing to gain the affection of his children in that way8 ,how could such a man beat and bruise the flesh of his babes1 knowing that they would give him in return obedience and love2 that they would fill the evening of his days--the leafless winter of his life--with perfect peace8 ,think of being fed and clothed by children you had whipped--whose flesh you had scarred6 ,think of feeling in the hour of death upon your withered lips1 your withered cheeks1 the kisses and the tears of one whom1 you had beaten--upon whose flesh were still the marks of your lash6 ,the whip degrades2 a severe father teaches his children to dissemble2 their love is pretence1 and their obedience a species of self-defence4 ,fear is the father of lies4