,,the ,,works ,,of ,,robert ,g4 ,,ingersoll ,by ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll ,,to ,,plow ,,is ,,to ,,pray2 ,,to ,,plant ,,is ,,to ,,prophesy1 ,,and ,,the ,,harvest ,,answers ,,and ,,fulfills4 ,,in ,,twelve ,,volumes1 ,,volume ,,xi4 ,,miscellany #aijj ,,dresden ,,edition ,,contents ,,of ,,volume ,,xi4 ,,address ,,on ,,the ,,civil ,,rights ,,act4 ,introduction by ,frederick ,douglass7,abou ,ben ,adhem7--,decision of the ,united ,states ,supreme ,court pronouncing the ,civil ,rights ,act ,unconstitutional--,limitations of ,judges--,illusion ,destroyed by the ,decision in the ,dred ,scott ,case--,mistake of ,our ,fathers in adopting the ,common ,law of ,england--,the #acth ,amendment to the ,constitution ,quoted--,the ,clause of the ,constitution upholding ,slavery--,effect of this ,clause--,definitions of a ,state by ,justice ,wilson and ,chief ,justice ,chase--,effect of the ,thirteenth ,amendment--,justice ,field on ,involuntary ,servitude--,civil ,rights ,act ,quoted--,definition of the ,word ,servitude by the ,supreme ,court--,obvious ,purpose of the ,amendment--,justice ,miller on the #adth ,amendment--,citizens ,created by this ,amendment--,opinion of ,justice ,field--,rights and ,immunities guaranteed by the ,constitution--,opinion delivered by ,chief-,justice ,waite--,further ,opinions of ,courts on the question of ,citizenship--,effect of the #acth1 #adth and #aeth ,amendments--,corrective ,legislation by ,congress--,denial of equal ,social ,privileges--,is a ,state responsible for the ,action of its ,agent when acting contrary to ,law8--,the ,word ,state must include the ,people of the ,state as well as the ,officers of the ,state--,the ,louisiana ,civil ,rights ,law1 and a ,case tried under it--,uniformity of ,duties essential to the ,carrier--,congress left ,powerless to protect ,rights conferred by the ,constitution--,definition of ,appropriate ,legislation--,propositions laid down regarding the ,sovereignty of the ,state1 the powers of the ,general ,government1 etc4--,a ,tribute to ,justice ,harlan--,a ,denial that ,property exists by ,virtue of ,law--,civil ,rights not a ,question of ,social ,equality--,considerations upon which ,social ,equality depends--,liberty not a ,question of ,social ,equality--,the ,superior ,man--,inconsistencies of the ,past--,no ,reason why we should ,hate the ,colored ,people--,the ,issues that are upon ,us4 ,,trial ,,of ,c4 ,b4 ,,reynolds ,,for ,,blasphemy4 ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,jury4 ,report of the ,case from the ,new ,york ,times 7note7--,the ,right to express ,opinions--,attempts to ,rule the ,minds of ,men by ,force--,liberty the ,greatest ,good--,intellectual ,hospitality ,defined--,when the ,catholic ,church had ,power--,advent of the ,protestants--,the ,puritans1 ,quakers4 ,unitarians1 ,universalists--,what is ,blasphemy8--,why this ,trial should not have ,taken ,place--,argument cannot be put in ,jail--,the ,constitution of ,new ,jersey--,a higher ,law than ,men can ,make--,the ,blasphemy ,statute ,quoted and ,discussed--,is the ,statute ,constitutional8--,the ,harm done by ,blasphemy ,laws--,the ,meaning of this ,persecution--,religions are ,ephemeral--,let us judge each other by our ,actions--,men who have braved ,public ,opinion should be ,honored--,the ,blasphemy ,law if enforced would rob the ,world of the ,results of ,scientific ,research--,it declares the ,great ,men of to-day to be ,criminals--,the ,indictment ,read and ,commented upon--,laws that go to ,sleep--,obsolete ,dogmas the ,denial of which was once punished by ,death--,blasphemy ,characterized--,on the ,argument that ,blasphemy ,endangers the ,public ,peace--,a ,definition of real ,blasphemy--,trials for ,blasphemy in ,england--,the case of ,abner ,kneeland--,true ,worship1 ,prayer1 and ,religion--,what is ,holy and ,sacred--,what is ,claimed in this ,case--,for the ,honor of the ,state--,the word ,liberty--,result of the ,trial 7note74 ,,god ,,in ,,the ,,constitution4 ,the ,feudal ,system--,office and ,purpose of our ,constitution--,which ,god shall we ,select8--,the ,existence of any ,god a ,matter of ,opinion--,what is entailed by a ,recognition of a ,god in the ,constitution--,can the ,infinite be ,flattered with a ,constitutional ,amendment8--,this government is ,secular--,the ,government of ,god a ,failure--,the ,difference between the ,theological and the ,secular ,spirit--,a ,nation neither ,christian nor ,infidel--,the ,priest no longer a ,necessity--,progress of ,science and the ,development of the ,mind4 ,a ,,reply ,,to ,,bishop ,,spalding4 ,on ,god in the ,constitution--,why the ,constitutional ,convention ignored the ,question of ,religion--,the ,fathers ,misrepresented--,reasons why the ,attributes of ,god should not form an ,organic ,part of the ,law of the ,land--,the ,effect of a ,clause ,recognizing ,god4 ,,crimes ,,against ,,criminals4 ,the ,three ,pests of a ,community--,i4 ,forms of ,punishment and ,torture--,more ,crimes ,committed than ,prevented by ,governments--,,ii4 ,are not ,vices transmitted by ,nature8--#aaa4 ,is it ,possible for all ,people to be ,honest8--,children of ,vice as the natural ,product of ,society--,statistics3 the ,relation between ,insanity1 ,pauperism1 and ,crime--,,iv4 ,the ,martyrs of ,vice--,franklin's ,interest in the ,treatment of ,prisoners--,v4 ,kindness as a ,remedy--,condition of the ,discharged ,prisoner--,,vi4 ,compensation for ,convicts--,,vii4 ,professional ,criminals--,shall the ,nation take ,life8--,influence of ,public ,executions on the ,spectators--,lynchers for the ,most ,part ,criminals at ,heart--,,viii4 ,the ,poverty of the ,many a perpetual ,menace--,limitations of ,land-holding4--,,ix4 ,defective ,education by our ,schools--,hands should be educated as well as ,head--,conduct improved by a clearer ,perception of ,consequences--,x4 ,the ,discipline of the average ,prison ,hardening and ,degrading--,while ,society cringes before ,great ,thieves there will be ,little ,ones to fill the ,jails--,,xi4 ,our ,ignorance ,should make us ,hesitate4 ,a ,,wooden ,,god4 ,on ,christian and ,chinese worship--,report of the ,select ,committee on ,chinese ,immigration--,the only true ,god as contrasted with ,joss--,sacrifices to the ,living ,god--,messrs4 ,wright1 ,dickey1 ,o',connor and ,murch on the ,religious ,system of the ,american ,union--,how to prove that ,christians are better than ,heathens--,injustice in the ,name of ,god--,an honest ,merchant the best ,missionary--,a ,few ,extracts from ,confucius--,the ,report proves that the ,wise ,men of ,china who predicted that ,christians could not be ,trusted were not only ,philosophers but ,prophets4 ,,some ,,interrogation ,,points4 ,a ,new ,party and its ,purpose--,the ,classes that ,exist in every ,country--,effect of ,education on the ,common ,people--,wants ,increased by ,intelligence--,the ,dream of #aggf--,the ,monopolist and the ,competitor--,the ,war between the ,gould and ,mackay ,cables--,competition between ,monopolies--,all ,advance in ,legislation made by ,repealing ,laws--,wages and ,values not to be fixed by ,law--,men and ,machines--,the ,specific of the ,capitalist3 ,economy--,the poor ,man and ,woman devoured by their ,fellow-men--,socialism one of the ,worst ,possible forms of ,slavery--,liberty not to be exchanged for ,comfort--,will the ,workers always give their ,earnings for the ,useless8--,priests1 ,successful ,frauds1 and ,robed ,impostors4 ,,art ,,and ,,morality4 ,the ,origin of ,man's ,thoughts--,the imaginative ,man--,medicinal ,view of ,poetry--,rhyme and ,religion--,the theological ,poets and their ,purpose in ,writing--,moral ,poets and their ,unwelcome ,truths--,the really ,passionate are the ,virtuous--,difference between the ,nude and the ,naked--,morality the ,melody of ,conduct--,the inculcation of ,moral ,lessons not contemplated by ,artists or great ,novelists--,mistaken ,reformers--,art not a ,sermon--,language a ,multitude of ,pictures--,great ,pictures and ,great ,statues painted and chiseled with ,words--,mediocrity moral from a ,necessity which it calls ,virtue--,why ,art ,civilizes--,the ,nude--,the ,venus de ,milo--,this is ,art4 ,,the ,,divided ,,household ,,of ,,faith4 ,the ,way in which ,theological ,seminaries were ,endowed--,religious ,guide-boards--,vast ,interests interwoven with ,creeds--,pretensions of ,christianity--,kepler's ,discovery of his ,three ,great ,laws--,equivocations and ,evasions of the ,church--,nature's ,testimony against the ,bible--,the ,age of ,man on the ,earth--,inspired ,morality of the ,bible--,miracles--,christian ,dogmas--,what the church has been ,compelled to ,abandon--,the ,appeal to ,epithets1 ,hatred and ,punishment--,spirituality the last ,resource of the ,orthodox--,what is it to be ,spiritual8--,two ,questions for the ,defenders of ,orthodox ,creeds4 ,,why ,,am ,i ,,an ,,agnostic8 ,part ,i4 ,inharmony of ,nature and the ,lot of ,man with the ,goodness and ,wisdom of a supposed ,deity--,why a ,creator is ,imagined--,difficulty of the ,act of ,creation--,belief in ,supernatural ,beings--,belief and ,worship among ,savages--,questions of ,origin and ,destiny--,progress impossible without ,change of ,belief--,circumstances ,determining ,belief--,how may the ,true ,religion be ,ascertained8--,prosperity of ,nations nor ,virtue of ,individuals ,dependent on ,religions or ,gods--,uninspired ,books ,superior--,part ,,ii4 ,the ,christian ,religion--,credulity--,miracles cannot be ,established--,effect of ,testimony--,miraculous ,qualities of all ,religions--,theists and ,naturalists--,the ,miracle of ,inspiration--,how can the alleged ,fact of ,inspiration be ,established8--,god's work and ,man's--,rewards for ,falsehood offered by the ,church4 ,,huxley ,,and ,,agnosticism4 ,statement by the ,principal of ,king's ,college--,on the ,irrelevancy of a ,lack of ,scientific ,knowledge--,difference between the ,agnostic and the ,christian not in ,knowledge but in ,credulity--,the real name of an ,agnostic said to be ,infidel--,what an ,infidel is--,unpleasant significance of the ,word--,belief in ,christ--,our ,lord and his ,apostles possibly ,honest ,men--,their ,character not ,invoked--,possession by evil spirits--,professor ,huxley's ,candor and ,clearness--,the splendid ,dream of ,auguste ,comte--,statement of the ,positive ,philosophy--,huxley and ,harrison4 ,,ernest ,,renan4 ,his ,rearing and his ,anticipated ,biography--,the complex ,character of the ,christ of the ,gospels--,regarded as a ,man by ,renan--,the ,sin against the ,holy ,ghost--,renan on the ,gospels--,no ,evidence that they were written by the ,men whose ,names they ,bear--,written long after the ,events they ,describe--,metaphysics of the ,church found in the ,gospel of ,john--,not ,apparent why ,four ,gospels should have been ,written--,regarded as legendary ,biographies--,in flagrant contradiction one with another--,the ,divine ,origin of ,christ an ,after-growth--,improbable that he intended to form a ,church--,renan's ,limitations--,hebrew ,scholarship--,his ,people of ,israel--,his ,banter and ,blasphemy4 ,,tolstoy ,,and ,,the ,,kreutzer ,,sonata4 ,tolstoy's ,belief and ,philosophy--,his ,asceticism--,his ,view of ,human ,love--,purpose of ,the ,kreutzer ,sonata--,profound ,difference between the ,love of ,men and that of ,women--,tolstoy cannot now found a ,religion1 but may create the ,necessity for another ,asylum--,the ,emotions--,the ,curious ,opinion ,dried ,apples have of ,fruit upon the ,tree--,impracticability of selling ,all and giving to the ,poor--,love and ,obedience--,unhappiness in the ,marriage ,relation not the fault of ,marriage4 ,,thomas ,,paine4 ,life by ,moncure ,d4 ,conway--,early ,advocacy of ,reforms against ,dueling and ,cruelty to ,animals--,the ,first to write ,the ,united ,states of ,america--,washington's ,sentiment against ,separation from ,great ,britain--,paine's ,thoughts in the ,declaration of ,independence--,author of the first ,proclamation of ,emancipation in ,america--,establishment of a ,fund for the ,relief of the ,army--,h's ,farewell ,address--,the ,rights of ,man--,elected to the ,french ,convention--,efforts to save the ,life of the ,king--,his ,thoughts on ,religion--,arrested--,the ,age of ,reason and the ,weapons it has furnished ,advanced ,theologians--,neglect by ,gouverneur ,morris and ,washington--,james ,monroe's letter to ,paine and to the ,committee of ,general ,safety--,the vaunted ,religious ,liberty of ,colonial ,maryland--,orthodox ,christianity at the ,beginning of the #aith ,century--,new ,definitions of ,god--,the ,funeral of ,paine4 ,,the ,,three ,,philanthropists4 ,i4 ,mr4 ,a41 the ,professional ,philanthropist1 who established a ,colony for the ,enslavement of the ,poor who could not take care of themselves1 amassed a large ,fortune thereby1 built several churches1 and earned the ,epitaph1 ,he was the ,providence of the ,poor--,,ii4 ,mr4 ,b41 the ,manufacturer1 who enriched himself by taking advantage of the ,necessities of the ,poor1 paid the lowest ,rate of ,wages1 considered himself one of ,god's ,stewards1 endowed the ,b ,asylum and the ,b ,college1 never lost a ,dollar1 and of whom it was recorded1 ,he ,lived for ,others4 ,,iii4 ,mr4 ,c41 who divided his ,profits with the ,people who had earned it1 established no ,public ,institutions1 suppressed ,nobody2 and those who have worked for him said1 ,he allowed ,others to live for ,themselves4 ,,should ,,the ,,chinese ,,be ,,excluded8 ,trampling on the ,rights of ,inferiors--,rise of the ,irish and ,germans to ,power--,the ,burlingame ,treaty--,character of ,chinese ,laborers--,their ,enemies in the ,pacific ,states--,violation of ,treaties--,the ,geary ,law--,the ,chinese ,hated for their ,virtues--,more ,piety than ,principle among the ,people's ,representatives--,shall we go back to ,barbarism8 ,a ,,word ,,about ,,education4 ,what the ,educated ,man ,knows--,necessity of finding out the ,facts of ,nature--,scholars not always ,educated ,men2 from necessaries to luxuries2 who may be called educated2 mental misers2 the first duty of man2 university education not necessary to usefulness1 no advantage in learning useless facts4 ,,what ,i ,,want ,,for ,,christmas4 ,would have the ,kings and ,emperors resign1 the ,nobility drop their ,titles1 the ,professors agree to teach only ,what they ,know1 the ,politicians changed to ,statesmen1 the ,editors print only the ,truth--,would like to see ,drunkenness and ,prohibition abolished1 ,corporal ,punishment done away with1 and the whole ,world free4 ,,fool ,,friends4 ,the ,fool ,friend believes every ,story against you1 never denies a ,lie unless it is in your ,favor1 regards your ,reputation as ,common ,prey1 forgets his ,principles to gratify your ,enemies1 and is so friendly that you cannot ,kick him4 ,,inspiration4 ,nature tells a different ,story to all ,eyes and ,ears--,horace ,greeley and the ,big ,trees--,the ,man who always did like rolling land--,what the ,snow looked like to the ,german--,shakespeare's different ,story for each ,reader--,as with ,nature so with the ,bible4 ,,the ,,truth ,,of ,,history4 ,people who live by ,lying--,a ,case in point--,h4 ,hodson ,rugg's ,account of the ,conversion of ,ingersoll and #e1jjj of his ,followers--,the ,identity of ,lost ,israel with the ,british ,nation--,old ,falsehoods about ,infidels--,the ,new ,york ,observer and ,thomas ,paine--,a ,rascally ,english ,editor--,the ,charge that ,ingersoll's ,son had been ,converted--,the ,fecundity of ,falsehood4 ,,how ,,to ,,edit ,a ,,liberal ,,paper4 ,the ,editor should not narrow his ,horizon so that he can see only ,one ,thing--,to know the ,defects of the ,bible is but the ,beginning of ,wisdom--,the ,liberal ,paper should not discuss ,theological ,questions ,alone--,a ,column for ,children--,candor and ,kindness--,nothing should be ,asserted that is not ,known--,above ,all1 teach the ,absolute ,freedom of the ,mind4 ,,secularism4 ,the religion of ,humanity2 what it ,embraces and what it ,advocates--,a ,protest against ,ecclesiastical ,tyranny--,believes in ,building a ,home here--,means ,food and ,fireside--,the ,right to express your ,thought--,its advice to every ,human ,being--,a ,religion without ,mysteries1 ,miracles1 or ,persecutions4 ,,criticism ,,of ,,robert ,,elsmere1 ,,john ,,ward1 ,,preacher1 ,,and ,,an ,,african ,,farm4 ,religion unsoftened by ,infidelity--,the ,orthodox ,minister whose ,wife has a ,heart--,honesty of ,opinion not a ,mitigating ,circumstance--,repulsiveness of an ,orthodox ,life--,john ,ward an ,object of ,pity--,lyndall of the ,african ,farm--,the ,story of the ,hunter--,death of ,waldo--,women the ,caryatides of the ,church--,attitude of ,christianity toward other ,religions--,egotism of the ancient ,jews4 ,,the ,,libel ,,laws4 ,all ,articles appearing in a newspaper should be ,signed by the ,writer--,the ,law if changed should throw greater ,safeguards around the ,reputation of the ,citizen--,pains should be taken to give ,prominence to ,retractions--,the ,libel ,laws like a ,bayonet in ,war4 ,,rev4 ,,dr4 ,,newton',s ,,sermon ,,on ,a ,,new ,,religion4 ,mr4 ,newton not ,regarded as a ,sceptic--,new ,meanings given to ,old ,words--,the vanishing ,picture of ,hell--,the ,atonement--,confidence being ,lost in the ,morality of the ,gospel--,exclusiveness of the ,churches--,the ,hope of ,immortality and ,belief in ,god have ,nothing to do with ,real ,religion--,special ,providence a ,mistake4 ,,an ,,essay ,,on ,,christmas4 ,the ,day regarded as a ,holiday--,a ,festival far older than ,christianity--,relics of ,sun-worship in ,christian ,ceremonies--,christianity furnished new ,steam for an old ,engine--,pagan ,festivals correspond to ,ours--,why ,holidays are ,popular--,they must be for the ,benefit of the ,people4 ,,has ,,freethought ,a ,,constructive ,,side8 ,the ,object of ,freethought--what the ,religionist calls ,affirmative and ,positive--,the ,positive ,side of ,freethought--,constructive ,work of ,christianity4 ,,the ,,improved ,,man4 ,he will be in ,favor of universal ,liberty1 neither ,master nor ,slave2 of ,equality and ,education2 will develop in the ,direction of the ,beautiful2 will believe only in the ,religion of this ,world--,his ,motto--,will not endeavor to change the ,mind of the ,infinite--,will have no ,bells or ,censers--,will be satisfied that the ,supernatural does not exist--,will be ,self-poised1 ,independent1 ,candid and ,free4 ,,eight ,,hours ,,must ,,come4 ,the ,working ,people should be protected by ,law--,life of no particular ,importance to the ,man who gets up before ,daylight and works till after ,dark--,a ,revolution probable in the ,relations between ,labor and ,capital--,working ,people becoming ,educated and more ,independent--,the ,government can ,aid by means of ,good ,laws--,women the worst ,paid--,there should be no ,resort to ,force by either ,labor or ,capital4 ,,the ,,jews4 ,much like ,people of other ,religions--,teaching given ,christian ,children about those who die in the ,faith of ,abraham--,dr4 ,john ,hall on the ,persecution of the ,jews in ,russia as the ,fulfillment of ,prophecy--,hostility of ,orthodox early ,christians excited by ,jewish ,witnesses against the ,faith--,an infamous ,chapter of ,history--,good and bad ,men of every ,faith--,jews should outgrow their own ,superstitions--,what the intelligent ,jew ,knows4 ,,crumbling ,,creeds4 ,the ,common ,people called upon to ,decide as between the ,universities and the ,synods--,modern ,medicine1 ,law1 ,literature and ,pictures as against the ,old--,creeds agree with the ,sciences of their ,day--,apology the ,prelude to ,retreat--,the ,presbyterian ,creed ,infamous1 but no worse than the ,catholic--,progress begins when ,expression of ,opinion is ,allowed--,examining the ,religions of other ,countries--,the ,pulpit's ,position ,lost--,the ,dogma of ,eternal ,pain the ,cause of the orthodox ,creeds losing ,popularity--,every ,church teaching this ,infinite ,lie must ,fall4 ,,our ,,schools4 ,education the only ,lever capable of raising ,mankind--,the ,school-house more ,important than the ,church--,criticism of ,new ,york's ,school-,buildings--,the ,kindergarten ,system ,recommended--,poor ,pay of ,teachers--,the great ,danger to the ,republic is ,ignorance4 ,,vivisection4 ,the ,hell of ,science--,brutal ,curiosity of ,vivisectors--,the ,pretence that they are working for the ,good of ,man--,have these scientific ,assassins added to useful ,knowledge8--,no ,good to the ,race to be ,accomplished by ,torture--,the ,tendency to produce a ,race of intelligent ,wild ,beasts4 ,,the ,,census ,,enumerator',s ,,official ,,catechism4 ,right of the ,government to ask ,questions and of the ,citizen to refuse to answer them--,matters which the ,government has no ,right to pry into--,exposing the ,debtor's financial ,condition--,a ,man might decline to tell whether he has a ,chronic ,disease or not4 ,,the ,,agnostic ,,christmas4 ,natural ,phenomena and ,myths celebrated--,the great ,day of the first ,religion1 ,sun-worship--,a ,god that ,knew no ,hatred nor ,sought ,revenge--,the ,festival of ,light4 ,,spirituality4 ,a much-abused ,word--,the ,early ,christians too ,spiritual to be ,civilized--,calvin and ,knox--,paine1 ,voltaire and ,humboldt not ,spiritual--,darwin also ,lacking--,what it is to be really ,spiritual--,no connection with ,superstition4 ,,sumter',s ,,gun4 ,what were thereby blown into ,rags and ,ravelings--,the ,birth of a new ,epoch announced--,lincoln made the most commanding ,figure of the ,century--,story of its ,echoes4 ,,what ,,infidels ,,have ,,done4 ,what might have been ,asked of a ,christian #ajj years after ,christ--,hospitals and ,asylums not all built for ,charity--,girard ,college--,lick ,observatory--,carnegie not an ,orthodox ,christian--,christian ,colleges--,give us ,time4 ,,cruelty ,,in ,,the ,,elmira ,,reformatory4 ,brockway a ,savage--,the ,lash will neither develop the ,brain nor cultivate the ,heart--,brutality a ,failure--,bishop ,potter's apostolical ,remark4 ,,law',s ,,delay4 ,the ,object of a ,trial--,justice can afford to ,wait--,the right of ,appeal--,case of ,mrs4 ,maybrick--,life ,imprisonment for ,murderers--,american ,courts better than the ,english4 ,,bigotry ,,of ,,colleges4 ,universities naturally ,conservative--,kansas ,state ,university's ,objection to ,ingersoll as a commencement ,orator--,comment by ,mr4 ,depew 7note7--,action of ,cornell and the ,university of ,missouri4 ,a ,,young ,,man',s ,,chances ,,to-,,day4 ,the ,chances a few ,years ago--,capital now ,required--,increasing competition in ,civilized ,life--,independence the first ,object--,if he has something to say1 there will be plenty to listen4 ,,science ,,and ,,sentiment4 ,science goes hand in hand with ,imagination--,artistic and ,ethical ,development--,science destroys ,superstition1 not true ,religion--,education preferable to ,legislation--,our ,obligation to our ,children4 ,,sowing ,,and ,,reaping4 ,moody's ,belief accounted for--,a dishonest and corrupting ,doctrine--,a want of ,philosophy and ,sense--,have ,souls in ,heaven no ,regrets8--,mr4 ,moody should read some useful ,books4 ,,should ,,infidels ,,send ,,their ,,children ,,to ,,sunday ,,school8 ,teachings of orthodox ,sunday ,schools--,the ferocious ,god of the ,bible--,miracles--,a ,christian in ,constantinople would not send his ,child to a ,mosque--,advice to all ,agnostics--,strangle the ,serpent of ,superstition4 ,,what ,,would ,,you ,,substitute ,,for ,,the ,,bible ,,as ,a ,,moral ,,guide8 ,character of the ,bible--,men and ,women not virtuous because of any ,book--,the ,commandments both ,good and ,bad--,books that do not help ,morality--,jehovah not a moral ,god--,what is ,morality8--,intelligence the only moral guide4 ,,governor ,,rollins' ,,fast-,,day ,,proclamation4 ,decline of the ,christian ,religion in ,new ,hampshire--,outgrown ,beliefs--,present-day ,views of ,christ and the ,holy ,ghost--,abandoned ,notions about the ,atonement--,salvation for ,credulity--,the ,miracles of the ,new ,testament--,the ,bible not true but inspired--,the ,higher ,critics riding two ,horses--,infidelity in the ,pulpit--,the restraining ,influences of ,religion as illustrated by ,spain and ,portugal--,thinking1 ,working and ,praying--,the kind of ,faith that has ,departed4 ,a ,,look ,,backward ,,and ,a ,,prophecy4 ,the ,truth ,seeker congratulated on its ,twenty-fifth ,birthday--,teachings of ,twenty-five ,years ago--,dodging and evading--,the ,clerical ,assault on ,darwin--,draper1 ,buckle1 ,hegel1 ,spencer1 ,emerson--,comparison of ,prejudices--,vanished ,belief in the ,devil--,matter and ,force--,contradictions ,dwelling in ,unity--,substitutes for ,jehovah--,a ,prophecy4 ,,political ,,morality4 ,argument in the contested ,election ,case of ,strobach against ,herbert--,the ,importance of ,honest ,elections--,poisoning the ,source of ,justice--,the ,fraudulent ,voter a ,traitor to his ,sovereign1 the ,will of the ,people--,political ,morality ,imperative4 ,a ,,few ,,reasons ,,for ,,doubting ,,the ,,inspiration ,,of ,,the ,,bible4 ,date and ,manner of ,composing the ,old ,testament--,other ,books not now in ,existence1 and ,disagreements about the ,canon--,composite ,character of certain ,books--,various ,versions--,why was ,god's message given to the ,jews alone8--,the ,story of the ,creation1 of the ,flood1 of the ,tower1 and of ,lot's wife--,moses and ,aaron and the ,plagues of ,egypt--,laws of ,slavery--,instructions by ,jehovah ,calculated to excite ,astonishment and ,mirth--,sacrifices and the ,scapegoat--,passages showing that the ,laws of ,moses were made after the ,jews had left the ,desert--,jehovah's dealings with his ,people--,the ,sabbath ,law--,prodigies--,joshua's ,miracle--,damned ,ignorance and ,infamy--,jephthah's ,sacrifice--,incredible ,stories--,the ,woman of ,endor and the ,temptation of ,david--,elijah and ,elisha--,loss of the ,pentateuch from ,moses to ,josiah--,the ,jews before and after being ,abandoned by ,jehovah--,wealth of ,solomon and other ,marvels4 ,,address ,,on ,,the ,,civil ,,rights ,,act4 ,,on the #bb;d of ,october1 #ahhc1 a vast number of citizens met at ,lincoln ,hall1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 to give expression to their views concerning the decision of the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states1 in which it is held that the ,civil ,rights ,act is unconstitutional4 ,col4 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll was one of the speakers4 ,the ,hon4 ,frederick ,douglass introduced him as follows3 ,abou ,ben ,adhem--7may his tribe increase67 ,awoke one night from a deep dream of peace1 ,and saw within the moonlight of his room1 ,making it rich and like a lily in bloom1 ,an angel writing in a book of gold3 ,exceeding peace had made ,ben ,adhem bold2 ,and to the presence in the room he said1 ,what writest thou8 ,the vision raised its head1 ,and1 with a look made all of sweet accord1 ,answered1 ,the names of those who love the ,lord4 ,and is mine one8 asked ,abou4 ,nay1 not so1 ,replied the angel4 ,abou spoke more low1 ,but cheerily still2 and said1 ,i pray thee1 then1 ,write me as one that loves his fellow-men4 ,the angel wrote1 and vanished4 ,the next night ,it came again1 with a great wakening light1 ,and showed the names whom love of ,god had blest2 ,and1 lo6 ,ben ,adhem's name led all the rest4 ,i have the honor to introduce ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,,mr4 ,,ingersoll',s ,,speech4 ,ladies and ,gentlemen3 ,we have met for the purpose of saying a few words about the recent decision of the ,supreme ,court1 in which that tribunal has held the first and second sections of the ,civil ,rights ,act to be unconstitutional2 and so held in spite of the fact that for years the people of the ,north and ,south have1 with singular unanimity1 supposed the ,act to be constitutional--supposed that it was upheld by the #acth and #adth ,amendments1--and so supposed because they knew with certainty the intention of the framers of the amendments4 ,they knew this intention1 because they knew what the enemies of the amendments and the enemies of the ,civil ,rights ,act claimed was the intention4 ,and they also knew what the friends of the amendments and the law admitted the intention to be4 ,the prejudices born of ignorance and of slavery had died or fallen asleep1 and even the enemies of the amendments and the law had accepted the situation4 ,but ,i shall speak of the decision as ,i feel1 and in the same manner as ,i should speak even in the presence of the ,court4 ,you must remember that ,i am not attacking persons1 but opinions--not motives1 but reasons--not judges1 but decisions4 ,the ,supreme ,court has decided3 #a4 ,that the first and second sections of the ,civil ,rights ,act of ,march #a1 #ahge1 are unconstitutional1 as applied to the ,states--not being authorized by the #acth and #adth ,amendments4 #b4 ,that the #adth ,amendment is prohibitory upon the ,states only1 and the legislation forbidden to be adopted by ,congress for enforcing it1 is not direct legislation1 but corrective1--such as may be necessary or proper for counteracting and restraining the effect of laws or acts passed or done by the several ,states4 #c4 ,that the #acth ,amendment relates only to slavery and involuntary servitude1 which it abolishes4 #d4 ,that the #acth ,amendment establishes universal freedom in the ,united ,states4 #e4 ,that ,congress may probably pass laws directly enforcing its provisions4 #f4 ,that such legislative power in ,congress extends only to the subject of slavery1 and its incidents4 #g4 ,that the denial of equal accommodations in inns1 public conveyances and places of public amusement1 imposes no badge of slavery or involuntary servitude upon the party1 but at most infringes rights which are protected from ,state aggression by the #adth ,amendment4 #h4 ,the ,court is uncertain whether the accommodations and privileges sought to be protected by the first and second sections of the ,civil ,rights ,act are or are not rights constitutionally demandable1--and if they are1 in what form they are to be protected4 #i4 ,neither does the ,court decide whether the law1 as it stands1 is operative in the ,territories and the ,district of ,columbia4 #aj4 ,neither does the ,court decide whether ,congress1 under the commercial power1 may or may not pass a law securing to all persons equal accommodations on lines of public conveyance between two or more ,states4 #aa4 ,the ,court also holds1 in the present case1 that until some ,state law has been passed1 or some ,state action through its officers or agents has been taken adverse to the rights of citizens sought to be protected by the #adth ,amendment1 no legislation of the ,united ,states under said amendment1 or any proceeding under such legislation1 can be called into activity1 for the reason that the prohibitions of the amendment are against ,state laws and acts done under ,state authority4 ,the essence of said decision being1 that the managers and owners of inns1 railways1 and all public conveyances1 of theatres and all places of public amusement1 may discriminate on account of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude1 and that the citizen so discriminated against1 is without redress4 ,this decision takes from seven millions of people the shield of the ,constitution4 ,it leaves the best of the colored race at the mercy of the meanest of the white4 ,it feeds fat the ancient grudge that vicious ignorance bears toward race and color4 ,it will be approved and quoted by hundreds of thousands of unjust men4 ,the masked wretches who1 in the darkness of night1 drag the poor negro from his cabin1 and lacerate with whip and thong his quivering flesh1 will1 with bloody hands1 applaud the ,supreme ,court4 ,the men who1 by mob violence1 prevent the negro from depositing his ballot--who with gun and revolver drive him from the polls1 and those who insult with vile and vulgar words the inoffensive colored girl1 will welcome this decision with hyena joy4 ,the basest will rejoice--the noblest will mourn4 ,but even in the presence of this decision1 we must remember that it is one of the necessities of government that there should be a court of last resort2 and while all courts will more or less fail to do justice1 still1 the wit of man has1 as yet1 devised no better way4 ,even after reading this decision1 we must take it for granted that the judges of the ,supreme ,court arrived at their conclusions honestly and in accordance with the best light they had4 ,while they had the right to render the decision1 every citizen has the right to give his opinion as to whether that decision is good or bad4 ,knowing that they are liable to be mistaken1 and honestly mistaken1 we should always be charitable enough to admit that others may be mistaken2 and we may also take another step1 and admit that we may be mistaken about their being mistaken4 ,we must remember1 too1 that we have to make judges out of men1 and that by being made judges their prejudices are not diminished and their intelligence is not increased4 ,no matter whether a man wears a crown or a robe or a rag4 ,under the emblem of power and the emblem of poverty1 the man alike resides4 ,the real thing is the man--the distinction often exists only in the clothes4 ,take away the crown--there is only a man4 ,remove the robe--there remains a man4 ,take away the rag1 and we find at least a man4 ,there was a time in this country when all bowed to a decision of the ,supreme ,court4 ,it was unquestioned4 ,it was regarded as a voice from on high4 ,the people heard and they obeyed4 ,the ,dred ,scott decision destroyed that illusion forever4 ,from that day to this the people have claimed the privilege of putting the decisions of the ,supreme ,court in the crucible of reason4 ,these decisions are no longer exempt from honest criticism4 ,while the decision remains1 it is the law4 ,no matter how absurd1 no matter how erroneous1 no matter how contrary to reason and justice1 it remains the law4 ,it must be overturned either by the ,court itself 7and the ,court has overturned hundreds of its own decisions71 or by legislative action1 or by an amendment to the ,constitution4 ,we do not appeal to armed revolution4 ,our ,government is so framed that it provides for what may be called perpetual peaceful revolution4 ,for the redress of any grievance1 for the purpose of righting any wrong1 there is the perpetual remedy of an appeal to the people4 ,we must remember1 too1 that judges keep their backs to the dawn4 ,they find what has been1 what is1 but not what ought to be4 ,they are tied and shackled by precedent1 fettered by old decisions1 and by the desire to be consistent1 even in mistakes4 ,they pass upon the acts and words of others1 and like other people1 they are liable to make mistakes4 ,in the olden time we took what the doctors gave us1 we believed what the preachers said2 and accepted1 without question1 the judgments of the highest court4 ,now it is different4 ,we ask the doctor what the medicine is1 and what effect he expects it to produce4 ,we cross-examine the minister1 and we criticise the decision of the ,chief-,justice4 ,we do this1 because we have found that some doctors do not kill1 that some ministers are quite reasonable1 and that some judges know something about law4 ,in this country1 the people are the sovereigns4 ,all officers--including judges--are simply their servants1 and the sovereign has always the right to give his opinion as to the action of his agent4 ,the sovereignty of the people is the rock upon which rests the right of speech and the freedom of the press4 ,unfortunately for us1 our fathers adopted the common law of ,england--a law poisoned by kingly prerogative--by every form of oppression1 by the spirit of caste1 and permeated1 saturated1 with the political heresy that the people received their rights1 privileges and immunities from the crown4 ,the thirteen original colonies received their laws1 their forms1 their ideas of justice1 from the old world4 ,all the judicial1 legislative1 and executive springs and sources had been touched and tainted4 ,in the struggle with ,england1 our fathers justified their rebellion by declaring that ,nature had clothed all men with the right to life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4 ,the moment success crowned their efforts1 they changed their noble declaration of equal rights for all1 and basely interpolated the word white4 ,they adopted a ,constitution that denied the ,declaration of ,independence--a ,constitution that recognized and upheld slavery1 protected the slave-trade1 legalized piracy upon the high seas--that demoralized1 degraded1 and debauched the nation1 and that at last reddened with brave blood the fields of the ,republic4 ,our fathers planted the seeds of injustice1 and we gathered the harvest4 ,in the blood and flame of civil war1 we retraced our fathers' steps4 ,in the stress of war1 we implored the aid of ,liberty1 and asked once more for the protection of ,justice4 ,we civilized the ,constitution of our fathers4 ,we adopted three ,amendments--the #acth1 #adth and #aeth--the ,trinity of ,liberty4 ,let us examine these amendments3 ,neither slavery1 nor involuntary servitude1 except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted1 shall exist within the ,united ,states or any place subject to their jurisdiction4 ,congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation4 ,before the adoption of this amendment1 the ,constitution had always been construed to be the perfect shield of slavery4 ,in order that slavery might be protected1 the slave ,states were considered as sovereign4 ,freedom was regarded as a local prejudice1 slavery as the ward of the ,nation1 the jewel of the ,constitution4 ,for three-quarters of a century1 the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states exhausted judicial ingenuity in guarding1 protecting and fostering that infamous institution4 ,for the purpose of preserving that infinite outrage1 words and phrases were warped1 and stretched1 and tortured1 and thumbscrewed1 and racked4 ,slavery was the one sacred thing1 and the ,supreme ,court was its constitutional guardian4 ,to show the faithfulness of that tribunal1 ,i call your attention to the #c;d clause of the #b;d section of the #dth article of the ,constitution3 ,no person held to service or labor in any ,state under the laws thereof1 escaping to another1 shall1 in consequence of any law or regulation therein1 be discharged from such service or labor1 but shall be delivered up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due4 ,the framers of the ,constitution were ashamed to use the word slave1 and thereupon they said person4 ,they were ashamed to use the word slavery1 and they evaded it by saying1 held to service or labor4 ,they were ashamed to put in the word master1 so they called him the party to whom service or labor may be due4 ,how can a slave owe service8 ,how can a slave owe labor8 ,how could a slave make a contract8 ,how could the master have a legal claim against a slave8 ,and yet1 the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states found no difficulty in upholding the ,fugitive ,slave ,law by virtue of that clause4 ,there were hundreds of decisions declaring that ,congress had power to pass laws to carry that clause into effect1 and it was carried into effect4 ,you will observe the wording of this clause3 ,no person held to service or labor in any ,state under the laws thereof1 escaping into another1 shall1 in consequence of any law or regulation therein1 be discharged from such service or labor1 but shall be delivered up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due4 ,to whom was this clause directed8 ,to individuals or to ,states8 ,it expressly provides that the person held to service or labor shall not be discharged from such service or labor in consequence of any law or regulation in the ,state to which he has fled4 ,did that law apply to ,states1 or to individuals8 ,the ,supreme ,court held that it applied to individuals as well as to ,states4 ,any person1 in any ,state1 interfering with the master who was endeavoring to steal the person he called his slave1 was liable to indictment1 and hundreds and thousands were indicted1 and hundreds languished in prisons because they were noble enough to hold in infinite contempt such infamous laws and such infamous decisions4 ,the best men in the ,united ,states--the noblest spirits under the flag--were imprisoned because they were charitable1 because they were just1 because they showed the hunted slave the path to freedom1 and taught him where to find amid the glittering host of heaven the blessed ,northern ,star4 ,every fugitive slave carried that clause with him when he entered a free ,state2 carried it into every hiding place2 and every ,northern man was bound1 by virtue of that clause1 to act as the spy and hound of slavery4 ,the ,supreme ,court1 with infinite ease1 made a club of that clause with which to strike down the liberty of the fugitive and the manhood of the ,north4 ,in the ,dred ,scott decision it was solemnly decided that a man of ,african descent1 whether a slave or not1 was not1 and could not be1 a citizen of a ,state or of the ,united ,states4 ,the ,supreme ,court held on the even tenor of its way1 and in the ,rebellion that tribunal was about the last fort to surrender4 ,the moment the #acth ,amendment was adopted1 the slaves became freemen4 ,the distinction between white and colored vanished4 ,the negroes became as though they had never been slaves--as though they had always been free--as though they had been white4 ,they became citizens--they became a part of the people1 and the people constituted the ,state1 and it was the ,state thus constituted that was entitled to the constitutional guarantee of a republican government4 ,these freed men became citizens--became a part of the ,state in which they lived4 ,the highest and noblest definition of a ,state1 in our ,reports1 was given by ,justice ,wilson1 in the case of ,chisholm1 c41 vs4 ,georgia2 ,by a ,state1 ,i mean a complete body of free persons1 united for their common benefit1 to enjoy peaceably what is their own1 and to do justice to others4 ,chief ,justice ,chase declared that3 ,the people1 in whatever territory dwelling1 whether temporarily or permanently1 or whether organized under regular government1 or united by less definite relations1 constitute the ,state4 ,now1 if the people1 the moment the #acth ,amendment was adopted were all free1 and if these people constituted the ,state2 if1 under the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 every ,state is guaranteed a republican government1 then it is the duty of the ,general ,government to see to it that every ,state has such a government4 ,if distinctions are made between free men on account of race or color1 the government is not republican4 ,the manner in which this guarantee of a republican form of government is to be enforced or made good1 must be left to the wisdom and discretion of ,congress4 ,the #acth ,amendment not only destroyed1 but it built4 ,it destroyed the slave-pen1 and on its site erected the temple of ,liberty4 ,it did not simply free slaves--it made citizens4 ,it repealed every statute that upheld slavery4 ,it erased from every ,report every decision against freedom4 ,it took the word white from every law1 and blotted from the ,constitution all clauses acknowledging property in man4 ,if1 then1 all the people in each ,state1 were1 by virtue of the #acth ,amendment1 free1 what right had a majority to enslave a minority8 ,what right had a majority to make any distinctions between free men8 ,what right had a majority to take from a minority any privilege1 or any immunity1 to which they were entitled as free men8 ,what right had the majority to make that unequal which the ,constitution made equal8 ,not satisfied with saying that slavery should not exist1 we find in the amendment the words nor involuntary servitude4 ,this was intended to destroy every mark and badge of legal inferiority4 ,justice ,field upon this very question1 says3 ,it is1 however1 clear that the words 'involuntary servitude' include something more than slavery1 in the strict sense of the term4 ,they include also serfage1 vassalage1 villanage1 peonage1 and all other forms of compulsory service for the mere benefit or pleasure of others4 ,nor is this the full import of the term4 ,the abolition of slavery and involuntary servitude was intended to make every one born in this country a free man1 and as such to give him the right to pursue the ordinary avocations of life without other restraint than such as affects all others1 and to enjoy equally with them the fruits of his labor4 ,a person allowed to pursue only one trade or calling1 and only in one locality of the country1 would not be1 in the strict sense of the term1 in a condition of slavery1 but probably no one would deny that he would be in a condition of servitude4 ,he certainly would not possess the liberties1 or enjoy the privileges of a freeman4 ,justice ,field also quotes with approval the language of the counsel for the plaintiffs in the case3 ,whenever a law of a ,state1 or a law of the ,united ,states1 makes a discrimination between classes of persons which deprives the one class of their freedom or their property1 or which makes a caste of them1 to subserve the power1 pride1 avarice1 vanity or vengeance of others--there involuntary servitude exists within the meaning of the #acth ,amendment4 ,to show that the framers of the #acth ,amendment intended to blot out every form of slavery and servitude1 ,i call attention to the ,civil ,rights ,act1 approved ,april #i1 #ahff1 which provided1 among other things1 that3 ,all persons born in the ,united ,states1 and not subject to any foreign power--excluding ,indians not taxed--are citizens of the ,united ,states2 and such citizens1 of every race and color1 without regard to any previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude1 are entitled to the full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property enjoyed by white citizens1 and shall be subject to like punishments1 pains and penalties--and to none other--any law1 statute1 ordinance1 regulation or custom to the contrary notwithstanding2 and they shall have the same rights in every ,state and ,territory of the ,united ,states as white persons4 ,the ,supreme ,court1 in ,the ,slaughter-,house ,cases1 7#af ,wallace1 #fi7 has said that the word servitude has a larger meaning than the word slavery4 ,the word 'servitude' implies subjection to the will of another contrary to the common right4 ,a man is in a state of involuntary servitude when he is forced to do1 or prevented from doing1 a thing1 not by the law of the ,state1 but by the simple will of another4 ,he who enjoys less than the common rights of a citizen1 he who can be forced from the public highway at the will of another1 who can be denied entrance to the cars of a common carrier1 is in a state of servitude4 ,the #acth ,amendment did away with slavery not only1 and with involuntary servitude1 but with every badge and brand and stain and mark of slavery4 ,it abolished forever distinctions on account of race and color4 ,in the language of the ,supreme ,court3 ,it was the obvious purpose of the #acth ,amendment to forbid all shades and conditions of ,african slavery4 ,and to that ,i add1 it was the obvious purpose of that amendment to forbid all shades and conditions of slavery1 no matter of what sort or kind--all marks of legal inferiority4 ,each citizen was to be absolutely free4 ,all his rights complete1 whole1 unmaimed and unabridged4 ,from the moment of the adoption of that amendment1 the law became color-blind4 ,all distinctions on account of complexion vanished4 ,it took the whip from the hand of the white man1 and put the nation's flag above the negro's hut4 ,it gave horizon1 scope and dome to the lowest life4 ,it stretched a sky studded with stars of hope above the humblest head4 ,the ,supreme ,court has admitted1 in the very case we are now discussing1 that3 ,under the #acth ,amendment the legislation meaning the legislation of ,congress--so far as necessary or proper to eradicate all forms and incidents of slavery and involuntary servitude1 may be direct and primary1 operating upon the acts of individuals1 whether sanctioned by ,state legislation or not4 ,here we have the authority for dealing with individuals4 ,the only question then remaining is1 whether an individual1 being the keeper of a public inn1 or the agent of a railway corporation1 created by a ,state1 can be held responsible in a ,federal ,court for discriminating against a citizen of the ,united ,states on account of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude4 ,if such discrimination is a badge of slavery1 or places the party discriminated against in a condition of involuntary servitude1 then the ,civil ,rights ,act may be upheld by the #acth ,amendment4 ,in ,the ,united ,slates vs4 ,harris1 #ajf ,u4 ,s41 #fdj1 the ,supreme ,court says3 ,it is clear that the #acth ,amendment1 besides abolishing forever slavery and involuntary servitude within the ,united ,states1 gives power to ,congress to protect all citizens from being in any way subjected to slavery or involuntary servitude1 except for the punishment of crime1 and in the enjoyment of that freedom which it was the object of the amendment to secure4 ,this declaration covers the entire case4 ,i agree with ,justice ,field3 ,the #acth ,amendment is not confined to ,african slavery4 ,it is general and universal in its application--prohibiting the slavery of white men as well as black men1 and not prohibiting mere slavery in the strict sense of the term1 but involuntary servitude in every form4 #af ,wallace1 #ij4 ,the #acth ,amendment declares that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist4 ,who must see to it that this declaration is carried out8 ,there can be but one answer4 ,it is the duty of ,congress4 ,at last the question narrows itself to this3 ,is a citizen of the ,united ,states1 when denied admission to public inns1 railway cars and theatres1 on account of his race or color1 in a condition of involuntary servitude8 ,if he is1 then he is under the immediate protection of the ,general ,government1 by virtue of the #acth ,amendment2 and the ,civil ,rights ,act is clearly constitutional4 ,if excluded from one inn1 he may be from all2 if from one car1 why not from all8 ,the man who depends for the preservation of his privileges upon a conductor1 instead of the ,constitution1 is in a condition of involuntary servitude4 ,he who depends for his rights--not upon the laws of the land1 but upon a landlord1 is in a condition of involuntary servitude4 ,the framers of the #acth ,amendment knew that the negro would be persecuted on account of his race and color--knew that many of the ,states could not be trusted to protect the rights of the colored man2 and for that reason1 the ,general ,government was clothed with power to protect the colored people from all forms of slavery and involuntary servitude4 ,of what use are the declarations in the ,constitution that slavery and involuntary servitude shall not exist1 and that all persons born or naturalized in the ,united ,states shall be citizens--not only of the ,united ,states1 but of the ,states in which they reside--if1 behind these declarations1 there is no power to act--no duty for the ,general ,government to discharge8 ,notwithstanding the #acth ,amendment had been adopted--notwithstanding slavery and involuntary servitude had been legally destroyed--it was found that the negro was still the helpless victim of the white man4 ,another amendment was needed2 and all the ,justices of the ,supreme ,court have told us why the #adth ,amendment was adopted4 ,justice ,miller1 speaking for the entire court1 tells us that3 ,in the struggle of the civil war1 slavery perished1 and perished as a necessity of the bitterness and force of the conflict4 ,that3 ,when the armies of freedom found themselves on the soil of slavery1 they could do nothing else than free the victims whose enforced servitude was the foundation of the war4 ,he also admits that3 ,when hard pressed in the contest1 the colored men 7for they proved themselves men in that terrible crisis7 offered their services1 and were accepted1 by thousands1 to aid in suppressing the unlawful rebellion4 ,he also informs us that3 ,notwithstanding the fact that the ,southern ,states had formerly recognized the abolition of slavery1 the condition of the slave1 without further protection of the ,federal ,government1 was almost as bad as it had been before4 ,and he declares that3 ,the ,southern ,states imposed upon the colored race onerous disabilities and burdens--curtailed their rights in the pursuit of liberty and property1 to such an extent that their freedom was of little value1 while the colored people had lost the protection which they had received from their former owners from motives of interest4 ,and that3 ,the colored people in some ,states were forbidden to appear in the towns in any other character than that of menial servants--that they were required to reside on the soil without the right to purchase or own it--that they were excluded from many occupations of gain and profit--that they were not permitted to give testimony in the courts where white men were on trial--and it was said that their lives were at the mercy of bad men1 either because laws for their protection were insufficient1 or were not enforced4 ,we are informed by the ,supreme ,court that1 under these circumstances1 the proposition for the #adth ,amendment was passed through ,congress1 and that ,congress declined to treat as restored to full participation in the ,government of the ,union1 the ,states which had been in insurrection1 until they ratified that article by a formal vote of their legislative bodies4 ,thus it will be seen that the rebel ,states were restored to the ,union by adopting the #adth ,amendment4 ,in order to become equal members of the ,federal ,union1 these ,states solemnly agreed to carry out the provisions of that amendment4 ,the #adth ,amendment provides that3 ,all persons born or naturalized in the ,united ,states1 and subject to the jurisdiction thereof1 are citizens of the ,united ,states1 and of the ,state wherein they reside4 ,that is affirmative in its character4 ,that affirmation imposes the obligation upon the ,general ,government to protect its citizens everywhere4 ,that affirmation clothes the ,federal ,government with power to protect its citizens4 ,under that clause1 the ,federal arm can reach to the boundary of the ,republic1 for the purpose of protecting the weakest citizen from the tyranny of citizens or ,states4 ,that clause is a contract between the ,government and every man--a contract wherein the citizen promises allegiance1 and the nation promises protection4 ,by this clause1 the ,federal ,government adopted all the citizens of all the ,states and ,territories1 including the ,district of ,columbia1 and placed them under the shield of the ,constitution--made each one a ward of the ,republic4 ,under this contract1 the ,government is under direct obligation to the citizen4 ,the ,government cannot shirk its responsibility by leaving a citizen to be protected in his rights1 as a citizen of the ,united ,states1 by a ,state4 ,the obligation of protection is direct4 ,the obligation on the part of the citizen to the ,government is direct4 ,the citizen cannot be untrue to the ,government because his ,state is1 ,the action of the ,state under the #adth ,amendment is no excuse for the citizen4 ,he must be true to the ,government4 ,in war1 the ,government has a right to his service4 ,in peace1 he has the right to be protected4 ,if the citizen must depend upon the ,state1 then he owes the first allegiance to that government or power that is under obligation to protect him4 ,then1 if a ,state secedes from the ,union1 the citizen should go with the ,state--should go with the power that protects4 ,that is not my doctrine4 ,my doctrine is this3 ,the first duty of the ,general ,government is to protect each citizen4 ,the first duty of each citizen is to be true--not to his ,state1 but to the ,republic4 ,this clause of the #adth ,amendment made us all citizens of the ,united ,states--all children of the ,republic4 ,under this decision1 the ,republic refuses to acknowledge her children4 ,under this decision of the ,supreme ,court1 they are left upon the doorsteps of the ,states4 ,citizens are changed to foundlings4 ,if the #adth ,amendment created citizens of the ,united ,states1 the power that created must define the rights of the citizens thus created1 and must provide a remedy where such rights are infringed4 ,the ,federal ,government speaks through its representatives--through ,congress2 and ,congress1 by the ,civil ,rights ,act1 defined some of the rights1 privileges and immunities of a citizen of the ,united ,states--and ,congress provided a remedy when such rights and privileges were invaded1 and gave jurisdiction to the ,federal courts4 ,no ,state1 or the department of any ,state1 can authoritatively define the rights1 privileges and immunities of a citizen of the ,united ,states4 ,these rights and immunities must be defined by the ,united ,states1 and when so defined1 they cannot be abridged by ,state authority4 ,in the case of ,bartemeyer vs4 ,iowa1 #ah ,wall41 p4 #adj1 ,justice ,field1 in a concurring opinion1 speaking of the #adth ,amendment1 says3 ,it grew out of the feeling that a nation which had been maintained by such costly sacrifices was1 after all1 worthless1 if a citizen could not be protected in all his fundamental rights1 everywhere--,north and ,south1 ,east and ,west--throughout the limits of the ,republic4 ,the amendment was not1 as held in the opinion of the majority1 primarily intended to confer citizenship on the negro race4 ,it had a much broader purpose4 ,it was intended to justify legislation extending the protection of the ,national ,government over the common rights of all citizens of the ,united ,states1 and thus obviate objection to the legislation adopted for the protection of the emancipated race4 ,it was intended to make it possible for all persons--which necessarily included those of every race and color--to live in peace and security wherever the jurisdiction of the nation reached4 ,it therefore recognized1 if it did not create1 a national citizenship4 ,this national citizenship is primary and not secondary44 ,i cannot refrain from calling attention to the splendor and nobility of the truths expressed by ,justice ,field in this opinion4 ,so1 ,justice ,field1 in his dissenting opinion in what are known as ,the ,slaughter-,house ,cases1 found in #af ,wallace1 p4 #ie1 still speaking of the #adth ,amendment1 says3 ,it recognizes in express terms--if it does not create--citizens of the ,united ,states1 and it makes their citizenship dependent upon the place of their birth or the fact of their adoption1 and not upon the constitution or laws of any ,state1 or the condition of their ancestry4 ,a citizen of a ,state is now only a citizen of the ,united ,states residing in that ,state4 ,the fundamental rights1 privileges and immunities which belong to him as a free man and a free citizen of the ,united ,states1 are not dependent upon the citizenship of any ,state4 99 99 99 ,they do not derive their existence from its legislation1 and cannot be destroyed by its power4 ,what are the fundamental rights1 privileges and immunities which belong to a free man8 ,certainly the rights of all citizens of the ,united ,states are equal4 ,their immunities and privileges must be the same4 ,he who makes a discrimination between citizens on account of color1 violates the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,have all citizens the same right to travel on the highways of the country8 ,have they all the same right to ride upon the railways created by ,state authority8 ,a railway is an improved highway4 ,it was only by holding that it was an improved highway that counties and ,states aided in their construction4 ,it has been decided1 over and over again1 that a railway is an improved highway4 ,a railway corporation is the creation of a ,state--an agent of the ,state4 ,it is under the control of the ,state--and upon what principle can a citizen be prevented from using the highways of a ,state on an equality with all other citizens8 ,these are all rights and immunities guaranteed by the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,now1 the question is--and it is the only question--can these rights and immunities1 thus guaranteed and thus confirmed1 be protected by the ,general ,government8 ,in the case of ,the ,u4 ,s4 vs4 ,reese1 et al41 #ib ,u4 ,s41 p4 #bjg1 the ,supreme ,court decided1 the opinion having been delivered by ,chief-,justice ,waite1 as follows3 ,rights and immunities created by1 and dependent upon1 the ,constitution of the ,united ,states can be protected by ,congress4 ,the form and the manner of the protection may be such as ,congress in the legitimate exercise of its legislative discretion shall provide4 ,this may be varied to meet the necessities of the particular right to be protected4 ,this decision was acquiesced in by ,justices ,strong1 ,bradley1 ,swayne1 ,davis1 ,miller and ,field4 ,dissenting opinions were filed by ,justices ,clifford and ,hunt1 but neither dissented from the proposition that3 ,rights and immunities created by or dependent upon the ,constitution of the ,united ,states can be protected by ,congress1 and that the form and manner of the protection may be such as ,congress in the exercise of its legitimate discretion shall provide4 ,so1 in the same case1 ,i find this language3 ,it follows that the ,amendment--meaning the #aeth--has invested the citizens of the ,united ,states with a new constitutional right1 which is within the protecting power of ,congress4 ,this1 under the express provisions of the second section of the ,amendment1 ,congress may enforce by appropriate legislation4 ,if the #aeth ,amendment invested the citizens of the ,united ,states with a new constitutional right--that is1 the right to vote--and if for that reason that right is within the protecting power of ,congress1 then ,i ask1 if the #adth ,amendment made certain persons citizens of the ,united ,states1 did such citizenship become a constitutional right8 ,and is such citizenship within the protecting power of ,congress8 ,does citizenship mean anything except certain rights1 privileges and immunities8 ,is it not an invasion of citizenship to invade the immunities or privileges or rights belonging to a citizen8 ,are not1 then1 all the immunities and privileges and rights under the protecting power of ,congress8 ,the #acth ,amendment found the negro a slave1 and made him a free man4 ,that gave to him a new constitutional right1 and according to the ,supreme ,court1 that right is within the protecting power of ,congress4 ,what rights are within the protecting power of ,congress8 ,all the rights belonging to a free man4 ,the #adth ,amendment made the negro a citizen4 ,what then is under the protecting power of ,congress8 ,all the rights1 privileges and immunities belonging to him as a citizen4 ,so1 in the case of ,tennessee vs1 ,davis1 #ajj ,u1 ,s11 #bfc1 the ,supreme ,court1 held that3 ,the ,united ,states is a government whose authority extends over the whole territory of the ,union1 acting upon all the ,states1 and upon all the people of all the ,states4 ,no ,state can exclude the ,federal ,government from the exercise of any authority conferred upon it by the ,constitution1 or withhold from it for a moment the cognizance of any subject which the ,constitution has committed to it4 ,this opinion was given by ,justice ,strong1 and acquiesced in by ,chief-,justice ,waite1 ,justices ,miller1 ,swayne1 ,bradley and ,harlan4 ,so in the case of ,pensacola ,tel4 ,co4 vs4 ,western ,union ,tel4 ,co41 #if ,u4 ,s41 p4 #aj1 the opinion having been delivered by ,chief-,justice ,waite1 ,i find this3 ,the ,government of the ,united ,states1 within the scope of its power1 operates upon every foot of territory under its jurisdiction4 ,it legislates for the whole ,nation1 and is not embarrassed by ,state lines4 ,this was acquiesced in by ,justices ,clifford1 ,strong1 ,bradley1 ,swayne and ,miller4 ,so we are told by the entire ,supreme ,court in the case of ,tiernan vs4 ,rynker1 #ajb ,u4 ,s41 #abf1 that3 ,when the subject to which the power applies is national in its character1 or of such a nature as to admit of uniformity of regulation1 the power is exclusive of ,state authority4 ,surely the question of citizenship is national in its character4 ,surely the question as to what are the rights1 privileges and immunities of a citizen of the ,united ,states is national in its character4 ,unless the declarations and definitions1 the patriotic paragraphs1 and the legal principles made1 given1 uttered and defined by the ,supreme ,court are but a judicial jugglery of words1 the ,civil ,rights ,act is upheld by the intent1 spirit and language of the #adth ,amendment4 ,it was found that the #acth ,amendment did not protect the negro4 ,then the #adth was adopted4 ,still the colored citizen was trodden under foot4 ,then the #aeth was adopted4 ,the #acth made him free1 and1 in my judgment1 made him a citizen1 and clothed him with all the rights of a citizen4 ,that was denied1 and then the #adth declared that he was a citizen4 ,in my judgment1 that gave him the right to vote4 ,but that was denied--then the #aeth was adopted1 declaring that his right to vote should never be denied4 ,the #acth ,amendment made all free4 ,it broke the chains1 pulled up the whipping-posts1 overturned the auction-blocks1 gave the colored mother her child1 put the shield of the ,constitution over the cradle1 destroyed all forms of involuntary servitude1 and in the azure heaven of our flag it put the ,northern ,star4 ,the #adth ,amendment made us all citizens4 ,it is a contract between the ,republic and each individual--a contract by which the ,nation agrees to protect the citizen1 and the citizen agrees to defend the ,nation4 ,this amendment placed the crown of sovereignty on every brow4 ,the #aeth ,amendment secured the citizen in his right to vote1 in his right to make and execute the laws1 and put these rights above the power of any ,state4 ,this amendment placed the ballot--the sceptre of authority--in every sovereign hand4 ,we are told by the ,supreme ,court1 in the case under discussion1 that3 ,we must not forget that the province and scope of the #acth and #adth ,amendments are different2 that the #acth ,amendment simply abolished slavery1 and that the #adth ,amendment prohibited the ,states from abridging the privileges and immunities of citizens of the ,united ,states2 from depriving them of life1 liberty or property1 without due process of law2 and from denying to any the equal protection of the laws4 ,we are told that3 ,the amendments are different1 and the powers of ,congress under them are different4 ,what ,congress has power to do under one it may not have power to do under the other4 ,that under the #acth ,amendment it has only to do with slavery and its incidents2 but that under the #adth ,amendment it has power to counteract and render nugatory all ,state laws or proceedings which have the effect to abridge any of the privileges or immunities of the citizens of the ,united ,states1 or to deprive them of life1 liberty or property1 without due process of law1 or to deny to any of them the equal protection of the laws4 ,did not ,congress have that power under the #acth ,amendment8 ,could the ,states1 in spite of the #acth ,amendment1 deprive free men of life or property without due process of law8 ,does the ,supreme ,court wish to be understood1 that until the #adth ,amendment was adopted the ,states had the right to rob and kill free men8 ,yet1 in its effort to narrow and belittle the #acth ,amendment1 it has been driven to this absurdity4 ,did not ,congress1 under the #acth ,amendment1 have power to destroy slavery and involuntary servitude8 ,did not ,congress1 under that amendment1 have the power to protect the lives1 liberty and property of free men8 ,and did not ,congress have the power to render nugatory all ,state laws and proceedings under which free men were to be deprived of life1 liberty or property1 without due process of law8 ,if ,congress was not clothed with such power by the #acth ,amendment1 what was the object of that amendment8 ,was that amendment a mere opinion1 or a prophecy1 or the expression of a hope8 ,the #adth ,amendment provides that3 ,no ,state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the ,united ,states4 ,nor shall any ,state deprive any person of life1 liberty1 or property without due process of law2 nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws4 ,we are told by the ,supreme ,court that ,congress has no right to enforce the #adth ,amendment by direct legislation1 but that the legislation under that amendment can only be of a corrective character--such as may be necessary or proper for counteracting and redressing the effect of unconstitutional laws passed by the ,states4 ,in other words1 that ,congress has no duty to perform1 except to counteract the effect of unconstitutional laws by corrective legislation4 ,the ,supreme ,court has also decided1 in the present case1 that ,congress has no right to legislate for the purpose of enforcing these clauses until the ,states shall have taken action4 ,what action can the ,state take8 ,if a ,state passes laws contrary to these provisions or clauses1 they are void4 ,if a ,state passes laws in conformity to these provisions1 certainly ,congress is not called on to legislate4 ,under what circumstances1 then1 can ,congress be called upon to act by way of corrective legislation1 as to these particular clauses8 ,what can ,congress do8 ,suppose the ,state passes no law upon the subject1 but allows citizens of the ,state--managers of railways1 and keepers of public inns1 to discriminate between their passengers and guests on account of race or color--what then8 ,again1 what is the difference between a ,state that has no law on the subject1 and a ,state that has passed an unconstitutional law8 ,in other words1 what is the difference between no law and a void law8 ,if the corrective legislation of ,congress is not needed where the ,state has passed an unconstitutional law1 is it needed where the ,state has passed no law8 ,what is there in either case to correct8 ,surely it requires no particular legislation on the part of ,congress to kill a law that never had life4 ,the ,states are prohibited by the ,constitution from making any regulations of foreign commerce4 ,consequently1 all regulations made by the ,states are null and void1 no matter what the motive of the ,states may have been1 and it requires no law of ,congress to annul such laws or regulations4 ,this was decided by the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states1 long ago1 in what are known as ,the ,license ,cases4 ,the opinion may be found in the #eth of ,howard1 #ehc4 ,the nullity of any act inconsistent with the ,constitution1 is produced by the declaration that the ,constitution is supreme4 ,this was decided by the ,supreme ,court1 the opinion having been delivered by ,chief ,justice ,marshall1 in the case of ,gibbons vs4 ,ogden1 #i ,wheat1 #baj4 ,the same doctrine was held in the case of ,henderson et al41 vs4 ,mayor of ,new ,york1 et al41 #ib ,u4 ,s4 #bgb--the opinion of the ,court being delivered by ,justice ,miller4 ,so it was held in the case of ,the ,board of ,liquidation vs4 ,mc,comb--#b ,otto1 #eda4 ,that an unconstitutional law will be treated by the courts as null and void--citing ,osborn vs4 ,the ,bank of the ,united ,states1 #i ,wheaton1 #hei1 and ,davis vs4 ,gray1 #af ,wallace1 #bbj4 ,now1 if the legislation of ,congress must be corrective1 then ,i ask1 corrective of what8 ,certainly not of unconstitutional and void laws4 ,that which is void1 cannot be corrected4 ,that which is unconstitutional is not the subject of correction4 ,congress either has the right to legislate directly1 or not at all2 because indirect or corrective legislation can apply only1 according to the ,supreme ,court1 to unconstitutional and void laws that have been passed by a ,stale2 and as such laws cannot be corrected1 the doctrine of corrective legislation dies an extremely natural death4 ,a ,state can do one of three things3 #a4 ,it can pass an unconstitutional law2 #b4 ,it can pass a constitutional law2 #c4 ,it can fail to pass any law4 ,the unconstitutional law1 being void1 cannot be corrected4 ,the constitutional law does not need correction4 ,and where no law has been passed1 correction is impossible4 ,the ,supreme ,court insists that ,congress can not take action until the ,state does4 ,a ,state that fails to pass any law on the subject1 has not taken action4 ,this leaves the person whose immunities and privileges have been invaded1 with no redress except such as he may find in the ,state ,courts in a suit at law2 and if the ,state ,court takes the same view that is apparently taken by the ,supreme ,court in this case1--namely1 that it is a social question1 one not to be regulated by law1 and not covered in any way by the ,constitution--then1 discrimination can be made against citizens by landlords and railway conductors1 and they are left absolutely without remedy4 ,the ,supreme ,court asks1 in this decision1 ,can the act of a mere individual--the owner of the inn1 or public conveyance1 or place of amusement1 refusing the accommodation1 be justly regarded as imposing any badge of slavery or servitude upon the applicant1 or only as inflicting an ordinary civil injury properly cognizable by the laws of the ,state1 and presumably subject to redress by those laws1 until the contrary appears8 ,how is the contrary to appear8 ,suppose a person denied equal privileges upon the railway on account of race and color1 brings suit and is defeated8 ,and suppose the highest tribunal of the ,state holds that the question is of a social character--what then8 ,if1 to use the language of the ,supreme ,court1 it is an ordinary civil injury1 imposing no badge of slavery or servitude1 then1 no ,federal question is involved4 ,why did not the ,supreme ,court tell us what may be done when the contrary appears8 ,nothing is clearer than the intention of the ,supreme ,court in this case--and that is1 to decide that denying to a man equal accommodations at public inns on account of race or color1 is not an abridgment of a privilege or immunity of a citizen of the ,united ,states1 and that such person1 so denied1 is not in a condition of involuntary servitude1 or denied the equal protection of the laws4 ,in other words--that it is a social question4 ,i have been told by one who heard the decision when it was read from the bench1 that the following phrase was in the opinion3 ,there are certain physiological differences of race that cannot be ignored4 ,that phrase is a lamp1 in the light of which the whole decision should be read4 ,suppose that in one of the ,southern ,states1 the negroes being in a decided majority and having entire control1 had drawn the color line1 had insisted that3 ,there were certain physiological differences between the races that could not be ignored1 and had refused to allow white people to enter their hotels1 to ride in the best cars1 or to occupy the aristocratic portion of a theatre2 and suppose that a white man1 thrust from the hotels1 denied the entrance to cars1 had brought his suit in the ,federal ,court4 ,does any one believe that the ,supreme ,court would have intimated to that man that there is only a social question involved1--a question with which the ,constitution and laws have nothing to do1 and that he must depend for his remedy upon the authors of the injury8 ,would a white man1 under such circumstances1 feel that he was in a condition of involuntary servitude8 ,would he feel that he was treated like an underling1 like a menial1 like a serf8 ,would he feel that he was under the protection of the laws1 shielded like other men by the ,constitution8 ,of course1 the argument of color is just as strong on one side as on the other4 ,the white man says to the black1 ,you are not my equal because you are black2 and the black man can with the same propriety1 reply1 ,you are not my equal because you are white4 ,the difference is just as great in the one case as in the other4 ,the pretext that this question involves1 in the remotest degree1 a social question1 is cruel1 shallow1 and absurd4 ,the ,supreme ,court1 some time ago1 held that the #dth ,section of the ,civil ,rights ,act was constitutional4 ,that section declares that3 ,no citizen possessing all other qualifications which are or maybe prescribed by law1 shall be disqualified for service as grand or petit juror in any court of the ,united ,states or of any ,state1 on account of color or previous condition of servitude4 ,it also provides that3 ,if any officer or other person charged with any duty in the selection or summoning of jurors1 shall exclude1 or fail to summon1 any citizen in the case aforesaid1 he shall1 on conviction1 be guilty of misdemeanor and be fined not more than five hundred dollars4 ,in the case known as ,ex-parte vs4 ,virginia--found in #ajj ,u4 ,s4 #cci--;it was held that an indictment against a ,state officer1 under this section1 for excluding persons of color from the jury1 could be sustained4 ,now1 let it be remembered1 there was no law of the ,state of ,virginia1 by virtue of which a man was disqualified from sitting on the jury by reason of race or color4 ,the officer did exclude1 and did fail to summon1 a citizen on account of race or color or previous condition of servitude4 ,and the ,supreme ,court held3 ,that whether the ,statute-book of the ,state actually laid down any such rule of disqualification or not1 the ,state1 through its officer1 enforced such rule2 and that it was against such ,state action1 through its officers and agents1 that the last clause of the section was directed4 ,the ,court further held that3 ,this aspect of the law was deemed sufficient to divest it of any unconstitutional character4 ,in other words1 the ,supreme ,court held that the officer was an agent of the ,state1 although acting contrary to the statute of the ,state2 and that1 consequently1 such officer1 acting outside of law1 was amenable to the ,civil ,rights ,act1 under the #adth ,amendment1 that referred only to ,states4 ,the question arises3 ,is a ,state responsible for the action of its agent when acting contrary to law8 ,in other words3 ,is the principal bound by the acts of his agent1 that act not being within the scope of his authority8 ,is a ,state liable--or is the ,government liable--for the act of any officer1 that act not being authorized by law8 ,it has been decided a thousand times1 that a ,state is not liable for the torts and trespasses of its officers4 ,how then can the agent1 acting outside of his authority1 be prosecuted under a law deriving its entire validity from a constitutional amendment applying only to ,states8 ,does an officer1 by acting contrary to ,state law1 become so like a ,state that the word ,state1 used in the ,constitution1 includes him8 ,so it was held in the case of ,neal vs4 ,delaware1--#ajc ,u4 ,s41 #cjg1--that an officer acting contrary to the laws of the ,state--in defiance of those laws--would be amenable to the ,civil ,rights ,act1 passed under an amendment to the ,constitution now held applicable only to ,states4 ,it is admitted1 and expressly decided in the case of ,the ,u4 ,s4 vs4 ,reese et al41 7already quoted7 that when the wrongful refusal at an election is because of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude1 ,congress can interfere and provide for the punishment of any individual guilty of such refusal1 no matter whether such individual acted under or against the authority of the ,state4 ,with this statement ,i most heartily agree4 ,i agree that3 ,when the wrongful refusal is because of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude1 ,congress can interfere and provide for the punishment of any individual guilty of such refusal4 ,that is the key that unlocks the whole question4 ,congress has power--full1 complete1 and ample1--to protect all citizens from unjust discrimination1 and from being deprived of equal privileges on account of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude4 ,and this language is just as applicable to the #acth and #adth1 as to the #aeth ,amendment4 ,if a citizen is denied the accommodations of a public inn1 or a seat in a railway car1 on account of race or color1 or deprived of liberty on account of race or color1 the ,constitution has been violated1 and the citizen thus discriminated against or thus deprived of liberty1 is entitled to redress in a ,federal ,court4 ,it is held by the ,supreme ,court that the word ,state does not apply to the people of the ,state--that it applies only to the agents of the people of the ,state4 ,and yet1 the word ,state1 as used in the ,constitution1 has been held to include not only the persons in office1 but the people who elected them--not only the agents1 but the principals4 ,in the ,constitution it is provided that no ,state shall coin money2 and no ,state shall emit bills of credit4 ,according to this decision1 any person in any ,state1 unless prevented by ,state authority1 has the right to coin money and to emit bills of credit1 and ,congress has no power to legislate upon the subject--provided he does not counterfeit any of the coins or current money of the ,united ,states4 ,congress would have to deal--not with the individuals1 but with the ,state2 and unless the ,state had passed some act allowing persons to coin money1 or emit bills of credit1 ,congress could do nothing4 ,yet1 long ago1 ,congress passed a statute preventing any person in any ,state from coining money4 ,no matter if a citizen should coin it of pure gold1 of the requisite fineness and weight1 and not in the likeness of ,united ,states coins1 he would be a criminal4 ,we have a silver dollar1 coined by the ,government1 worth eighty-five cents2 and yet1 if any person1 in any ,state1 should coin what he called a dollar1 not like our money1 but with a dollar's worth of silver in it1 he would be guilty of a crime4 ,it may be said that the ,constitution provides that ,congress shall have power to coin money1 and provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the ,united ,states2 in other words1 that the ,constitution gives power to ,congress to coin money and denies it to the ,states1 not only1 but gives ,congress the power to legislate against counterfeiting4 ,so1 in the #acth1 #adth1 and #aeth ,amendments1 power is given to ,congress1 and power is denied to the ,states1 not only1 but ,congress is expressly authorized to enforce the amendments by appropriate legislation4 ,certainly the power is as broad in the one case as in the other2 and in both cases1 individuals can be reached as well as ,states4 ,so the ,constitution provides that3 ,congress shall have power to regulate commerce among the several ,states4 ,under this clause ,congress deals directly with individuals4 ,the ,states are not engaged in commerce1 but the people are2 and ,congress makes rules and regulations for the government of the people so engaged4 ,the ,constitution also provides that3 ,congress shall have power to regulate commerce with the ,indian tribes4 ,it was held in the case of ,the ,united ,states vs4 ,holliday1 #c ,wall41 #djg1 that3 ,commerce with the ,indian tribes means commerce with the individuals composing those tribes4 ,and under this clause it has been further decided that ,congress has the power to regulate commerce not only between white people and ,indian tribes1 but between ,indian tribes2 and not only that1 but between individual ,indians4 ,worcester vs4 ,the ,state1 #f ,pet41 #ege2 ,the ,united ,states vs4 #d4c ,gallons1 #ic ,u4 ,s41 #ahh2 ,the ,united ,states vs4 ,shawmux1 #b ,saw41 #cjd4 ,now1 if the word tribe includes individual ,indians1 may not the word ,state include citizens8 ,in this decision it is admitted by the ,supreme ,court that where a subject is submitted to the general legislative power of ,congress1 then ,congress has plenary powers of legislation over the whole subject4 ,let us apply these words to the #acth ,amendment4 ,in this very decision ,i find that the #acth ,amendment3 ,by its own unaided force and effect1 abolished slavery and established universal freedom4 ,the ,court admits that3 ,legislation may be necessary and proper to meet all the various cases and circumstances to be affected by it1 and to prescribe proper modes of redress for its violation in letter or spirit4 ,the ,court further admits3 ,and such legislation may be primary and direct in its character4 ,and then gives the reason3 ,for the amendment is not a mere prohibition of ,state laws establishing or upholding slavery1 but an absolute declaration that slavery or involuntary servitude shall not exist in any part of the ,united ,states4 ,i now ask1 has that subject--that is to say1 ,liberty1--been submitted to the general legislative power of ,congress8 ,the #acth ,amendment provides that ,congress shall have power to enforce that amendment by appropriate legislation4 ,in construing the #acth and #adth ,amendments and the ,civil ,rights ,act1 it seems to me that the ,supreme ,court has forgotten the principle of construction that has been laid down so often by courts1 and that is this3 that in construing statutes1 courts may look to the history and condition of the country as circumstances from which to gather the intention of the ,legislature4 ,so it seems to me that the ,court failed to remember the rule laid down by ,story in the case of ,prigg vs4 ,the ,commonwealth of ,pennsylvania1 #af ,pet41 #faa1 a rule laid down in the interest of slavery--laid down for the purpose of depriving human beings of their liberty3 ,perhaps the safest rule of interpretation1 after all1 will be found to be to look to the nature and objects of the particular powers1 duties and rights with all the lights and aids of contemporary history1 and to give to the words of each just such operation and force consistent with their legitimate meaning1 as may fairly secure and attain the ends proposed4 ,it must be admitted that certain rights were conferred by the #acth ,amendment4 ,surely certain rights were conferred by the #adth ,amendment2 and these rights should be protected and upheld by the ,federal ,government4 ,and it was held in the case last cited1 that3 ,if by one mode of interpretation the right must become shadowy and unsubstantial1 and without any remedial power adequate to the end1 and by another mode it will attain its just end and secure its manifest purpose--it would seem1 upon principles of reasoning absolutely irresistable1 that the latter ought to prevail4 ,no court of justice can be authorized so as to construe any clauses of the ,constitution as to defeat its obvious ends1 when another construction1 equally accordant with the words and sense thereof1 will enforce and protect them4 ,in the present case1 the ,supreme ,court holds1 that ,congress can not legislate upon this subject until the ,state has passed some law contrary to the ,constitution4 ,i call attention in reply to this1 to the case of ,hall vs4 ,de ,cuir1 #ie ,u4 ,s41 #dhf4 ,the ,state of ,louisiana1 in #ahfi1 acting in the spirit of these amendments to the ,constitution1 passed a law requiring that all persons engaged within that ,state in the business of common carriers of passengers1 should make no discrimination on account of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude4 ,under this law1 ,mrs4 ,de ,cuir1 a colored woman1 took passage on a steamer1 buying a ticket from ,new ,orleans to ,hermitage--the entire trip being within the limits of the ,state4 ,the captain of the boat refused to give her equal accommodations with other passengers--the refusal being on the ground of her color4 ,she commenced suit against the captain in the ,state ,court of ,louisiana1 and recovered judgment for one thousand dollars4 ,the defendant appealed to the ,supreme ,court of that ,state1 and the judgment of the lower court was sustained4 ,thereupon1 the captain died1 and the case was taken to the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states by his administrator1 on the ground that a ,federal question was involved4 ,you will see that this was a case where the ,state had acted1 and had acted exactly in accordance with the constitutional amendments1 and had by law provided that the privileges and immunities of the citizen of the ,united ,states--residing in the ,state of ,louisiana--should not be abridged1 and that no distinction should be made on account of race or color4 ,but in that case the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states solemnly decided that the legislation of the ,state was void--that the ,state of ,louisiana had no right to interfere--no right1 by law1 to protect a citizen of the ,united ,states from being discriminated against under such circumstances4 ,you will remember that the plaintiff1 ,mrs4 ,de ,cuir1 was to be carried from ,new ,orleans to ,hermitage1 and that both places were within the ,state of ,louisiana4 ,notwithstanding this1 the ,supreme ,court held3 ,that if the public good required such legislation1 it must come from ,congress and not from the ,state4 ,what reason do you suppose was given8 ,it was this3 ,the ,constitution gives to ,congress power to regulate commerce between the ,states2 and it appeared from the evidence given in that case1 that the boat plied between the ports of ,new ,orleans and ,vicksburg4 ,consequently1 it was engaged in interstate commerce4 ,therefore1 it was under the protection of ,congress2 and being under the protection of ,congress1 the ,state had no authority to protect its citizens by a law in perfect harmony with the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 while such citizens were within the limits of ,louisiana4 ,the ,supreme ,court scorns the protection of a ,state6 ,in the case recently decided1 and about which we are talking to-night1 the ,supreme ,court decides exactly the other way4 ,it decides that if the public good requires such legislation1 it must come from the ,states1 and not from ,congress2 that ,congress cannot act until the ,state has acted1 and until the ,state has acted wrong1 and that ,congress can then only act for the purpose of correcting such ,state action4 ,the decision in ,hall vs4 ,de ,cuir was rendered in #ahgg4 ,the ,civil ,rights ,act was then in force1 and applied to all persons within the jurisdiction of the ,united ,states1 and provided expressly that3 ,all persons within the jurisdiction of the ,united ,states shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the accommodations1 privileges1 and facilities of inns1 public conveyances on land or water1 theatres1 and other places of public amusement1 without regard to race or color4 ,and yet the ,supreme ,court said3 ,no carrier of passengers can conduct his business with satisfaction to himself1 or comfort to those employing him1 if on one side of a ,state line his passengers1 both white and colored1 must be permitted to occupy the same cabin1 and on the other to be kept separate4 ,what right had the other ,state to pass a law that passengers should be kept separate1 on account of race or color8 ,how could such a law have been constitutional8 ,the ,civil ,rights ,act applied to all ,states1 and to both sides of the lines between all ,states1 and produced absolute uniformity--and did not put the captain to the trouble of dividing his passengers4 ,the ,court further said3 ,uniformity in the regulations by which the carrier is to be governed from one end to the other of his route1 is a necessity in his business4 ,the uniformity had been guaranteed by the ,civil ,rights ,act1 and the statute of the ,state of ,louisiana was in exact conformity with the #adth ,amendment and the ,civil ,rights ,act4 ,the ,court also said3 ,and to secure uniformity1 ,congress1 which is untrammeled by ,state lines1 has been invested with the exclusive power of determining what such regulations shall be4 ,yes4 ,congress has been invested with such power1 and ,congress has used it in passing the ,civil ,rights ,act--and yet1 under these circumstances1 the ,court proceeds to imagine the difficulty that a captain would have in dividing his passengers as he crosses a ,state line1 keeping them apart until he reaches the line of another ,state1 and then bringing them together1 and so going on through the process of dispersing and huddling1 to the end of his unfortunate route4 ,it is held by the ,supreme ,court1 that uniformity of duties is essential to the carrier1 and so essential1 that ,congress has control of the whole matter4 ,if uniformity is so desirable for the carrier that ,congress takes control1 then uniformity as to the rights of passengers is equally desirable2 and under the #acth and #adth ,amendments1 ,congress has the exclusive power to state what the rights1 privileges and immunities of passengers shall be4 ,so that1 in #ahgg1 the ,supreme ,court decided that the ,states could not legislate2 and in #ahhc1 that ,congress could not1 unless the ,state had4 ,if ,congress controls interstate commerce upon the navigable waters1 it also controls interstate commerce upon the railways4 ,and if ,congress has exclusive jurisdiction in the one case1 it has in the other4 ,and if it has exclusive jurisdiction1 it does not have to wait until ,states take action4 ,if it does not have to wait until ,states take action1 then the ,civil ,rights ,act1 in so far as it refers to the rights of passengers going from one ,state to another1 must be constitutional4 ,it must be remembered1 in this discussion1 that the #hth ,section of the ,constitution conferred upon ,congress the power3 ,to make all laws that may be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers vested by the ,constitution in the ,government of the ,united ,states4 ,so the #bnd ,section of the #acth ,article provides3 ,congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation4 ,the same language is used in the #adth and #aeth ,amendments4 ,this clause does not limit--it enlarges--the powers vested in the ,general ,government4 ,it is an additional power--not a restriction on those already granted4 ,it does not impair the right of the ,legislature to exercise its best judgment in the selection of measures to carry into execution the constitutional powers of the ,government4 ,a sound construction of the ,constitution must allow to the ,national ,legislature that discretion with respect to the means by which the powers it confers are to be carried into execution1 which will enable that body to perform the high duties assigned to it in the manner most beneficial to the people4 ,let the end be legitimate--let it be within the scope of the ,constitution1 and all means which are appropriate--which are plainly adapted to that end--are constitutional4 ,this is the language of ,chief ,justice ,marshall1 in the case of ,m',caulay1 vs4 ,the ,state1 #d ,wheaton1 #caf4 ,congress must possess the choice of means1 and must be empowered to use any means which are in fact conducive to the exercise of a power granted by the ,constitution4 ,u4 ,s4 vs4 ,fisher1 #b ,cranch1 #ceh4 ,again3 ,the power of ,congress to pass laws to enforce rights conferred by the ,constitution is not limited to the express powers of legislation enumerated in the ,constitution4 ,the powers which are necessary and proper as means to carry into effect rights expressly given and duties expressly enjoined1 are always implied4 ,the end being given1 the means to accomplish it are given also4 ,prigs vs4 ,the ,commonwealth1 #af ,peters1 #eci4 ,this decision was delivered by ,justice ,story1 and is the same one already referred to1 in which liberty was taken from a human being by judicial construction4 ,it was held in that case that the #bnd ,section of the #dth ,article of the ,constitution1 to which ,i have already called attention1 contained a positive and unqualified recognition of the right of the owner in a slave1 unaffected by any ,state law or regulation4 ,if this is so1 then ,i assert that the #acth ,amendment contains a positive and unqualified recognition of the right of every human being to liberty2 that the #adth ,amendment contains a positive and unqualified recognition of the right to citizenship2 and that the #aeth ,amendment contains a positive and unqualified recognition of the right to vote4 ,justice ,story held in that case that3 ,under and by virtue of that section of the ,constitution the owner of a slave was clothed with entire authority in every ,state in the nation to seize and recapture his slave4 ,he also held that3 ,in that sense1 and to that extent1 that clause of the ,constitution might properly be said to execute itself1 and to require no aid from legislation--,state or ,national4 ,but1 says ,justice ,story3 ,the clause of the ,constitution does not stop there1 but says that he1 the slave1 shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due4 ,and he holds that3 ,under that clause of the section ,congress became clothed with the appropriate authority to legislate for its enforcement4 ,now let us look at the #acth and #adth ,amendments in the light of that decision4 ,first4 ,liberty and citizenship were given the colored people by this amendment4 ,and ,justice ,story tells us that3 ,the power of ,congress to enforce rights conferred by the ,constitution is not limited to the express powers of legislation enumerated in the ,constitution1 but the powers which are necessary to protect such rights are always implied4 ,language cannot be stronger2 words cannot be clearer4 ,but now this decision has been reversed by the ,supreme ,court1 and ,congress is left powerless to protect rights conferred by the ,constitution4 ,it has been shorn of implied powers4 ,it has duties to perform1 and no power to act4 ,it has rights to protect1 but cannot choose the means4 ,it is entangled in its own strength4 ,it is a prisoner in the bastile of judicial construction4 ,let us go further4 ,justice ,story tells us that3 ,the words 'but shall be given up on the claim of the person to whom such labor or service may be due1' clothes ,congress with the appropriate authority to legislate for its enforcement4 ,in the light of this remark1 let us look at the #adth ,amendment3 ,all persons bom or naturalized in the ,united ,states1 and subject to the jurisdiction thereof1 are citizens of the ,united ,states and of the ,state wherein they reside4 ,to which are added these words3 ,no ,state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the ,united ,states2 nor shall any ,state deprive any person of life1 liberty or property without due process of law2 nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws4 ,now1 if the words3 ,but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due1 clothes ,congress with power to legislate upon the entire subject1 then ,i ask if the words in the #adth ,amendment declaring that no law shall be made by any ,state1 or enforced1 which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the ,united ,states2 and that no ,state shall deprive any person of life1 liberty or property without due process of law2 nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws1 does not clothe ,congress with the power to legislate upon the entire subject8 ,in the two cases there is only this difference3 ,the first decision was made in the interest of human slavery--made to protect property in man2 and the second decision ought to have been made for exactly the opposite purpose4 ,under the first decision1 ,congress had the right to select the means--but now that is denied4 ,and yet it was decided in ,m',cauley vs4 ,the ,state1 #d ,wheaton1 #caf1 that3 ,when the ,government has a right to do an act1 and has imposed on it the duty of performing an act1 then it must1 according to the dictates of reason1 be allowed to select the means4 ,again3 ,the ,government has the right to employ freely every means not prohibited1 for the fulfillment of its acknowledged duties4 ,the ,legal ,tender ,cases--#ab ,wallace1 #deg4 ,it will thus be seen that ,congress has the undoubted right to make all laws necessary for the exercise of all the powers vested in it by the ,constitution4 ,when the ,constitution imposes a duty upon ,congress1 it grants the necessary means4 ,congress certainly1 then1 has the right to pass all necessary laws for the enforcement of the #acth1 #adth and #aeth ,amendments4 ,any legislation is appropriate that is calculated to accomplish the end sought and that is not repugnant to the ,constitution4 ,within these limits ,congress has the sovereign power of choice4 ,no better definition of appropriate legislation has been given than that by the ,supreme ,court of ,california1 in the case of ,the ,people vs4 ,washington1 #ch ,california1 #feh3 ,legislation which practically tends to facilitate the securing to all1 through the aid of the judicial and executive departments of the ,government1 the full enjoyment of personal freedom1 is appropriate4 ,the ,supreme ,court despairingly asks3 ,if this legislation is appropriate for enforcing the prohibitions of the ,amendment1 it is difficult to see where it is to stop4 ,why may not ,congress1 with equal show of authority1 enact a code of laws for the enforcement and vindication of all rights of life1 liberty and property8 ,my answer is3 ,the legislation will stop when and where the discriminations on account of race1 color or previous condition of servitude1 stop4 ,whenever an immunity or privilege of a citizen of the ,united ,states is trodden down by the ,state1 or by an individual1 under the circumstances mentioned in the ,civil ,rights ,act--that is to say1 on account of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude--then the ,federal ,government must interfere4 ,the ,government must defend the immunities and privileges of its citizens1 not only from ,state invasion1 but from individual invaders1 when that invasion is based upon the distinction of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude4 ,the ,government has taken upon itself that duty4 ,this duty can be discharged by a law making a uniform rule1 obligatory not only upon ,states1 but upon individuals4 ,all this will stop when the discriminations stop4 ,after such examination of the authorities as ,i have been able to make1 ,i lay down the following propositions1 namely3 #a4 ,the sovereignty of a ,state extends only to that which exists by its own authority4 #b4 ,the powers of the ,general ,government were not conferred by the people of a single ,state2 they were given by the people of the ,united ,states2 and the laws of the ,united ,states1 in pursuance of the ,constitution1 are supreme over the entire ,republic4 #c4 ,the ,constitution of the ,united ,states is the supreme law of each ,state4 #d4 ,the ,united ,states is a ,government whose authority extends over the whole territory of the ,union1 acting upon all the ,states and upon all the people of all the ,states4 #e4 ,no ,state can exclude the ,federal ,government from the exercise of any authority conferred upon it by the ,constitution1 or withhold from it1 for a moment1 the cognizance of any subject which that instrument has committed to it4 #f4 ,it is the duty of ,congress to enforce the ,constitution1 and it has been clothed with power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution all the powers vested by the ,constitution in the ,general ,government4 #g4 ,it is the duty of the ,government to protect every citizen of the ,united ,states in all his rights1 everywhere1 without regard to race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude2 and this the ,government has the right to do by direct legislation4 #h4 ,every citizen1 when his privileges and immunities are invaded by the legislature of a ,state1 has the right of appeal from such4 ,state to the ,supreme ,court of the nation4 #i4 ,when a ,state fails to pass any law protecting a citizen from discrimination on account of race or color1 and fails1 in fact1 to protect such citizen1 then such citizen has the right to find redress in the ,federal ,courts4 #aj4 ,whenever1 in the ,constitution1 a ,state is prohibited from doing anything that in the nature of the thing can be done by any citizen of that ,state1 then the word ,state embraces and includes all the people of a ,state4 #aa4 ,the #acth ,amendment declares that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the jurisdiction of the ,united ,states4 ,this is not a mere negation--it is a splendid affirmation4 ,the duty is imposed upon the ,general ,government by that amendment to see to it that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist4 ,it is a question absolutely within the power of the ,federal ,government1 and the ,federal ,government is clothed with power to make all necessary laws to enforce that amendment against ,states and persons4 #ab4 ,the #adth ,amendment provides that all persons born or naturalized in the ,united ,states and subject to the jurisdiction thereof1 are citizens of the ,united ,states and of the ,states wherein they reside4 ,this is also an affirmation4 ,it is not a prohibition4 ,the moment that amendment was adopted1 it became the duty of the ,united ,states to protect the citizens recognized or created by that amendment4 ,we are no longer citizens of the ,united ,states because we are citizens of a ,state1 but we are citizens of the ,united ,states because we have been born or have been naturalized within the jurisdiction of the ,united ,states4 ,it therefore follows1 that it is not only the right1 but it is the duty1 of ,congress1 to pass all laws necessary for the protection of citizens of the ,united ,states4 #ac4 ,congress can not shirk this responsibility by leaving citizens of the ,united ,states to the care and keeping of the several ,states4 ,the recent decision of the ,supreme ,court cuts1 as with a sword1 the tie that binds the citizen to the nation4 ,under the old ,constitution1 it was not certainly known who were citizens of the ,united ,states4 ,there were citizens of the ,states1 and such citizens looked to their several ,states for protection4 ,the ,federal ,government had no citizens4 ,patriotism did not rest on mutual obligation4 ,under the #adth ,amendment1 we are all citizens of a common country2 and our first duty1 our first obligation1 our highest allegiance1 is not to the ,state in which we reside1 but to the ,federal ,government4 ,the #adth ,amendment tends to destroy ,state prejudices and lays a foundation for national patriotism4 #ad4 ,all statutes--all amendments to the ,constitution--in derogation of natural rights1 should be strictly construed4 #ae4 ,all statutes and amendments for the preservation of natural rights should be liberally construed4 ,every court should1 by strict construction1 narrow the scope of every law that infringes upon any natural human right2 and every court should1 by construction1 give the broadest meaning to every statute or constitutional provision passed or adopted for the preservation of freedom4 #af4 ,in construing the #acth1 #adth and #aeth ,amendments1 the ,supreme ,court need not go back to decisions rendered in the days of slavery--when every statute was construed in favor of the sovereignty of the ,state and the rights of the master4 ,these amendments utterly obliterated such decisions4 ,the ,supreme ,court should begin with the amendments4 ,it need not look behind them4 ,they are a part of the fundamental organic law of the nation4 ,they were adopted to destroy the old statutes1 to obliterate the infamous clauses in the ,constitution1 and to lay a new foundation for a new nation4 #ag4 ,congress has the power to eradicate all forms and incidents of slavery and involuntary servitude1 by direct and primary legislation binding upon ,states and individuals alike4 ,and when citizens are denied the exercise of common rights and privileges--when they are refused admittance to public inns and railway cars1 on an equality with white persons--and when such denial and refusal are based upon race and color1 such citizens are in a condition of involuntary servitude4 ,the ,supreme ,court has failed to take into consideration the intention of the framers of these amendments4 ,it has failed to comprehend the spirit of the age4 ,it has undervalued the accomplishment of the war4 ,it has not grasped in all their height and depth the great amendments to the ,constitution and the real object of government4 ,to preserve liberty is the only use for government4 ,there is no other excuse for legislatures1 or presidents1 or courts1 for statutes or decisions4 ,liberty is not simply a means--it is an end4 ,take from our history1 our literature1 our laws1 our hearts--that word1 and we are naught but moulded clay4 ,liberty is the one priceless jewel4 ,it includes and holds and is the weal and wealth of life4 ,liberty is the soil and light and rain--it is the plant and bud and flower and fruit--and in that sacred word lie all the seeds of progress1 love and joy4 ,this decision1 in my judgment1 is not worthy of the ,court by which it was delivered4 ,it has given new life to the serpent of ,state ,sovereignty4 ,it has breathed upon the dying embers of ignorant hate4 ,it has furnished food and drink1 breath and blood1 to prejudices that were perishing of famine1 and in the old case of ,civilization vs4 ,barbarism1 it has given the defendant a new trial4 ,from this decision1 ,john ,m4 ,harlan had the breadth of brain1 the goodness of heart1 and the loyalty to logic1 to dissent4 ,by the fortress of ,liberty1 one sentinel remains at his post4 ,for moral courage ,i have supreme respect1 and ,i admire that intellectual strength that breaks the cords and chains of prejudice and damned custom as though they were but threads woven in a spider's loom4 ,this judge has associated his name with freedom1 and he will be remembered as long as men are free4 ,we are told by the ,supreme ,court that3 ,slavery cannot exist without law1 any more than property and lands and goods can exist without law4 ,i deny that property exists by virtue of law4 ,i take exactly the opposite ground4 ,it was the fact that man had property in lands and goods1 that produced laws for the protection of such property4 ,the ,supreme ,court has mistaken an effect for a cause4 ,laws passed for the protection of property1 sprang from the possession and ownership of the thing to be protected4 ,when one man enslaves another1 it is a violation of all justice--a subversion of the foundation of all law4 ,statutes passed for the purpose of enabling man to enslave his fellow-man1 resulted from a conspiracy entered into by the representatives of brute force4 ,nothing can be more absurd than to call such a statute1 born of such a conspiracy a law4 ,according to the idea of the ,supreme ,court1 man never had property until he had passed a law upon the subject4 ,the first man who gathered leaves upon which to sleep1 did not own them1 because no law had been passed on the leaf subject4 ,the first man who gathered fruit--the first man who fashioned a club with which to defend himself from wild beasts1 according to the ,supreme ,court1 had no property in these things1 because no laws had been passed1 and no courts had published their decisions4 ,so the defenders of monarchy have taken the ground that societies were formed by contract--as though at one time men all lived apart1 and came together by agreement and formed a government4 ,we might just as well say that the trees got into groves by contract or conspiracy4 ,man is a social being4 ,by living together there grow out of the relation1 certain regulations1 certain customs4 ,these at last hardened into what we call law--into what we call forms of government--and people who wish to defend the idea that we got everything from the king1 say that our fathers made a contract4 ,nothing can be more absurd4 ,men did not agree upon a form of government and then come together2 but being together1 they made rules for the regulation of conduct4 ,men did not make some laws and then get some property to fit the laws1 but having property they made laws for its protection4 ,it is hinted by the ,supreme ,court that this is in some way a question of social equality4 ,it is claimed that social equality cannot be enforced by law4 ,nobody thinks it can4 ,this is not a question of social equality1 but of equal rights4 ,a colored citizen has the same right to ride upon the cars--to be fed and lodged at public inns1 and to visit theatres1 that ,i have4 ,social equality is not involved4 ,the ,federal soldiers who escaped from ,libby and ,andersonville1 and who in swamps1 in storm1 and darkness1 were rescued and fed by the slave1 had no scruples about eating with a negro4 ,they were willing to sit beneath the same tree and eat with him the food he brought4 ,the white soldier was then willing to find rest and slumber beneath the negro's roof4 ,charity has no color4 ,it is neither white nor black4 ,justice and ,patriotism are the same4 ,even the ,confederate soldier was willing to leave his wife and children under the protection of a man whom he was fighting to enslave4 ,danger does not draw these nice distinctions as to race or color4 ,hunger is not proud4 ,famine is exceedingly democratic in the matter of food4 ,in the moment of peril1 prejudices perish4 ,the man fleeing for his life does not have the same ideas about social questions1 as he who sits in the ,capitol1 wrapped in official robes4 ,position is apt to be supercilious4 ,power is sometimes cruel4 ,prosperity is often heartless4 ,this cry about social equality is born of the spirit of caste--the most fiendish of all things4 ,it is worse than slavery4 ,slavery is at least justified by avarice--by a desire to get something for nothing--by a desire to live in idleness upon the labor of others--but the spirit of caste is the offspring of natural cruelty and meanness4 ,social relations depend upon almost an infinite number of influences and considerations4 ,we have our likes and dislikes4 ,we choose our companions4 ,this is a natural right4 ,you cannot force into my house persons whom ,i do not want4 ,but there is a difference between a public house and a private house4 ,the one is for the public4 ,the private house is for the family and those they may invite4 ,the landlord invites the entire public1 and he must serve those who come if they are fit to be received4 ,a railway is public1 not private4 ,it derives its powers and its rights from the ,state4 ,it takes private land for public purposes4 ,it is incorporated for the good of the public1 and the public must be served4 ,the railway1 the hotel1 and the theatre1 have a right to make a distinction between people of good and bad manners--between the clean and the unclean4 ,there are white people who have no right to be in any place except a bath-tub1 and there are colored people in the same condition4 ,an unclean white man should not be allowed to force himself into a hotel1 or into a railway car--neither should the unclean colored4 ,what ,i claim is1 that in public places1 no distinction should be made on account of race or color4 ,the bad black man should be treated like the bad white man1 and the good black man like the good white man4 ,social equality is not contended for--neither between white and white1 black and black1 nor between white and black4 ,in all social relations we should have the utmost liberty--but public duties should be discharged and public rights should be recognized1 without the slightest discrimination on account of race or color4 ,riding in the same cars1 stopping at the same inns1 sitting in the same theatres1 no more involve a social question1 or social equality1 than speaking the same language1 reading the same books1 hearing the same music1 traveling on the same highway1 eating the same food1 breathing the same air1 warming by the same sun1 shivering in the same cold1 defending the same flag1 loving the same country1 or living in the same world4 ,and yet1 thousands of people are in deadly fear about social equality4 ,they imagine that riding with colored people is dangerous--that the chance acquaintance may lead to marriage4 ,they wish to be protected from such consequences by law4 ,they dare not trust themselves4 ,they appeal to the ,supreme ,court for assistance1 and wish to be barricaded by a constitutional amendment4 ,they are willing that colored women shall prepare their food--that colored waiters shall bring it to them--willing to ride in the same cars with the porters and to be shown to their seats in theatres by colored ushers--willing to be nursed in sickness by colored servants4 ,they see nothing dangerous--nothing repugnant1 in any of these relations1--but the idea of riding in the same car1 stopping at the same hotel1 fills them with fear--fear for the future of our race4 ,such people can be described only in the language of ,walt ,whitman4 ,they are the immutable1 granitic pudding-heads of the world44 ,liberty is not a social question4 ,civil equality is not social equality4 ,we are equal only in rights4 ,no two persons are of equal weight1 or height4 ,there are no two leaves in all the forests of the earth alike--no two blades of grass--no two grains of sand--no two hairs4 ,no two any-things in the physical world are precisely alike4 ,neither mental nor physical equality can be created by law1 but law recognizes the fact that all men have been clothed with equal rights by ,nature1 the mother of us all4 ,the man who hates the black man because he is black1 has the same spirit as he who hates the poor man because he is poor4 ,it is the spirit of caste4 ,the proud useless despises the honest useful4 ,the parasite idleness scorns the great oak of labor on which it feeds1 and that lifts it to the light4 ,i am the inferior of any man whose rights ,i trample under foot4 ,men are not superior by reason of the accidents of race or color4 ,they are superior who have the best heart--the best brain4 ,superiority is born of honesty1 of virtue1 of charity1 and above all1 of the love of liberty4 ,the superior man is the providence of the inferior4 ,he is eyes for the blind1 strength for the weak1 and a shield for the defenceless4 ,he stands erect by bending above the fallen4 ,he rises by lifting others4 ,in this country all rights must be preserved1 all wrongs redressed1 through the ballot4 ,the colored man has in his possession in his care1 a part of the sovereign power of the ,republic4 ,at the ballot-box he is the equal of judges and senators1 and presidents1 and his vote1 when counted1 is the equal of any other4 ,he must use this sovereign power for his own protection1 and for the preservation of his children4 ,the ballot is his sword and shield4 ,it is his political providence4 ,it is the rock on which he stands1 the column against which he leans4 ,he should vote for no man who dees not believe in equal rights for all--in the same privileges and immunities for all citizens1 irrespective of race or color4 ,he should not be misled by party cries1 or by vague promises in political platforms4 ,he should vote for the men1 for the party1 that will protect him2 for congressmen who believe in liberty1 for judges who worship justice1 whose brains are not tangled by technicalities1 and whose hearts are not petrified by precedents2 and for presidents who will protect the blackest citizen from the tyranny of the whitest ,state4 ,as you cannot trust the word of some white people1 and as some black people do not always tell the truth1 you must compel all candidates to put their principle' in black and white4 ,of one thing you can rest assured3 ,the best white people are your friends4 ,the humane1 the civilized1 the just1 the most intelligent1 the grandest1 are on your side4 ,the sympathies of the noblest are with you4 ,your enemies are also the enemies of liberty1 of progress and of justice4 ,the white men who make the white race honorable believe in equal rights for you4 ,the noblest living are1 the noblest dead were1 your friends4 ,i ask you to stand with your friends4 ,do not hold the ,republican party responsible for this decision1 unless the ,republican party endorses it4 ,had the question been submitted to that party1 it would have been decided exactly the other way--at least a hundred to one4 ,that party gave you the #acth1 #adth and #aeth ,amendments4 ,they were given in good faith4 ,these amendments put you on a constitutional and political equality with white men4 ,that they have been narrowed in their application by the ,supreme ,court1 is not the fault of the ,republican party4 ,let us wait and see what the ,republican party will do4 ,that party has a strange history1 and in that history is a mingling of cowardice and courage4 ,the army of progress always becomes fearful after victory1 and courageous after defeat4 ,it has been the custom for principle to apologize to prejudice4 ,the ,proclamation of ,emancipation gave liberty only to slaves beyond our lines--those beneath our flag were left to wear their chains4 ,we said to the ,southern ,states3 ,lay down your arms1 and you shall keep your slaves4 ,we tried to buy peace at the expense of the negro4 ,we offered to sacrifice the manhood of the ,north1 and the natural rights of the colored man1 upon the altar of the ,union4 ,the rejection of that offer saved us from infamy4 ,at one time we refused to allow the loyal black man to come within our lines4 ,we would meet him at the outposts1 receive his information1 and drive him back to chain and lash4 ,the ,government publicly proclaimed that the war was waged to save the ,union1 with slavery4 ,we were afraid to claim that the negro was a man--afraid to admit that he was property--and so we called him contraband4 ,we hesitated to allow the negro to fight for his own freedom--hesitated to let him wear the uniform of the nation while he battled for the supremacy of its flag4 ,these are some of the inconsistencies of the past4 ,in spite of them we advanced4 ,we were educated by events1 and at last we clearly saw that slavery was rebellion2 that the institution had borne its natural fruit--civil war2 that the entire country was responsible for slavery1 and that slavery was responsible for rebellion4 ,we declared that slavery should be extirpated from the ,republic4 ,the great armies led by the greatest commander of the modern world1 shattered1 crushed and demolished the ,rebellion4 ,the ,north grew grand4 ,the people became sublime4 ,the three sacred amendments were adopted4 ,the ,republic was free4 ,then came a period of hesitation1 apology and fear4 ,the colored citizen was left to his fate4 ,for years the ,federal arm1 palsied by policy1 was powerless to protect2 and this period of fear1 of hesitation1 of apology1 of lack of confidence in the right1 has borne its natural fruit--this decision of the ,supreme ,court4 ,but it is not for me to give you advice4 ,your conduct has been above all praise4 ,you have been as patient as the earth beneath1 as the stars above4 ,you have been law-abiding and industrious1 ,you have not offensively asserted your rights1 or offensively borne your wrongs4 ,you have been modest and forgiving4 ,you have returned good for evil4 ,when ,i remember that the ancestors of my race were in universities and colleges and common schools while you and your fathers were on the auction-block1 in the slave-pen1 or in the field beneath the cruel lash1 in ,states where reading and writing were crimes1 ,i am astonished at the progress you have made4 ,all that ,i--all that any reasonable man--can ask is1 that you continue doing as you have done4 ,above all things--educate your children--strive to make yourselves independent--work for homes--work for yourselves--and wherever it is possible become the masters of yourselves4 ,nothing gives me more pleasure than to see your little children with books under their arms1 going and coming from school4 ,it is very easy to see why colored people should hate us1 but why we should hate them is beyond my comprehension4 ,they never sold our wives4 ,they never robbed our cradles44 ,they never scarred our backs4 ,they never pursued us with bloodhounds4 ,they never branded our flesh4 ,it has been said that it is hard to forgive a man to whom we have done a great injury4 ,i can conceive of no other reason why we should hate the colored people4 ,to us they are a standing reproach4 ,their history is our shame4 ,their virtues seem to enrage some white people--their patience to provoke1 and their forgiveness to insult4 ,turn the tables--change places--and with what fierceness1 with what ferocity1 with what insane and passionate intensity we would hate them6 ,the colored people do not ask for revenge--they simply ask for justice4 ,they are willing to forget the past--willing to hide their scars--anxious to bury the broken chains1 and to forget the miseries and hardships1 the tears and agonies1 of two hundred years4 ,the old issues are again upon us4 ,is this a ,nation8 ,have all citizens of the ,united ,states equal rights1 without regard to race or color8 ,is it the duty of the ,general ,government to protect its citizens8 ,can the ,federal arm be palsied by the action or non-action of a ,state8 ,another opportunity is given for the people of this country to take sides4 ,according to my belief1 the supreme thing for every man to do is to be absolutely true to himself4 ,all consequences--whether rewards or punishments1 whether honor and power1 or disgrace and poverty1 are as dreams undreamt4 ,i have made my choice4 ,i have taken my stand4 ,where my brain and heart go1 there ,i will publicly and openly walk4 ,doing this1 is my highest conception of duty4 ,being allowed to do this1 is liberty4 ,if this is not now a free ,government2 if citizens cannot now be protected1 regardless of race or color2 if the three sacred amendments have been undermined by the ,supreme ,court--we must have another2 and if that fails1 then another2 and we must neither stop1 nor pause1 until the ,constitution shall become a perfect shield for every right1 of every human being1 beneath our flag4 ,,trial ,,of ,c4 ,b4 ,,reynolds ,,for ,,blasphemy4 ,address to the ,jury4 99 ,within thirty miles of ,new ,york1 in the city of ,morristown1 ,new ,jersey1 a man was put on trial yesterday for distributing a pamphlet argument against the infallibility of the ,bible4 ,the crime which the ,indictment alleges ,is ,blasphemy1 for which the statutes of ,new ,jersey provide a penalty of two hundred dollars fine1 or twelve months imprisonment1 or both4 ,it is the first case of the kind ever tried in ,new ,jersey1 although the law dates back to colonial days4 ,charles ,b4 ,reynolds is the man on trial1 and the ,state of ,new ,jersey1 through the ,prosecuting ,attorney of ,morris ,county1 is the prosecutor4 ,the ,circuit ,court1 ,judge ,francis ,child1 assisted by ,county ,judges ,munson and ,quimby1 sit upon the case4 ,prosecutor ,wilder ,w4 ,cutler represents the ,state1 and ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll appears for the defendant4 ,mr4 ,reynolds went to ,boonton last summer to hold free- thought meetings4 ,announcing his purpose without any flourish1 he secured a piece of ground1 pitched a tent upon it1 and invited the towns-people to come and hear him4 ,it was understood that he had been a ,methodist minister3 that1 finding it impossible to reconcile his mind to some of the historical parts of the ,bible1 and unable to accept it in its entirety as a moral guide1 he left the church and set out to proclaim his conclusions4 ,the churches in ,boonton arrayed themselves against him4 ,the ,catholics and ,methodists were especially active4 ,taking this opposition as an excuse1 one element of the town invaded his tent4 ,they pelted ,reynolds with ancient eggs and vegetables4 ,they chopped away the guy ropes of the tent and slashed the canvas with their knives4 ,when the tent collapsed1 the crowd rushed for the speaker to inflict further punishment by plunging him in the duck pond ,they rummaged the wrecked tent1 but in vain4 ,he had made his way ont in the confusion and was no more seen in ,boonton4 ,but what he had said did not leave ,boonton with him1 and the pamphlets he had distributed were read by many who probably would not have looked between their covers had his visit been attended by no unusual circumstances4 ,boonton was still agitated up on the subject when ,mr4 ,reynolds appeared in ,morristown4 ,this time he did not try to hold meetings1 but had his pamphlets with him4 ,mr4 ,reynolds appeared in ,morristown with the pamphlets on ,october thirteenth4 ,a ,boonton delegation was there1 clamoring for his indictment for blasphemy4 ,the ,grand ,jury heard of his visit and found two indictments against him2 one for blasphemy at ,boonton and the second for blasphemy at ,morristown4 ,he furnished a five hundred dollar bond to appear for trial4 ,on account of ,colonel ,ingersoll's throat troubles the case was adjourned several times through the winter and until ,monday last1 when it was set peremptorily for trial yesterday4 ,the public feeling excited at ,boonton was overshadowed by that at ,morristown and the neighboring region4 ,for six months no topic was so interesting to the public as this4 ,it monopolized attention at the stores1 and became a fruitful subject of gossip in social and church circles4 ,under such circumstances it was to be expected that everybody who could spare the time would go to court yesterday4 ,lines of people began to climb the court house hill early in the morning4 ,at the hour of opening court the room set apart for the trial was packed1 and distaffs had to be stationed at the foot of the stairs to keep back those who were not early enough4 ,from nine thirty to eleven o'clock the crowd inside talked of blasphemy in all the phases suggested by this case1 and the outsiders waited patiently on the lawn and steps and along the dusty approaches to the gray building4 ,eleven o'clock brought the train from ,new ,york and on it ,colonel ,ingersoll4 ,his arrival at the court house with his clerk opened a new chapter in the day's gossip4 ,the event was so absorbing indeed1 that the crowd failed entirely to notice an elderly man wearing a black frock snit1 a silk hat1 with an army badge pinned to his coat1 and looking like a merchant of means1 who entered the court house a few minutes behind the famous lawyer4 ,the last comer was the defendant4 ,all was ready for the case4 ,within five minutes five jurors were in the box4 ,then ,colonel ,ingersoll asked what were his rights about challenges4 ,he was informed that he might make six peremptory challenges and must challenge before the jurors took their seats4 ,the only disqualification the ,court would recognize would be the inability of a juror to change his opinion in spite of evidence4 ,colonel ,ingersoll induced the ,court to let him examine the five in the box and promptly ejected two ,presbyterians4 ,thereafter ,colonel ,ingersoll examined every juror as soon as presented4 ,he asked particularly about the nature of each man's prejudice1 if he had one4 ,to a juror who did not know that he understood the word1 the ,colonel replied3 ,i may not define the word legally1 but my own idea is that a man is prejudiced when he has made up his mind on a case without knowing anything about it4 ,this juror thought that he came under that category4 ,presbyterians had a rather hard time with the examiner4 ,after twenty men had been examined and the defence had exercised five of its peremptory challenges1 the following were sworn as jurymen4 99 99 99 99 ,the jury having been sworn1 ,prosecutor ,cutler announced that he would try only the indictment for the offence in ,morristown4 ,he said that ,reynolds was charged with distributing pamphlets containing matter claimed to be blasphemous under the law4 ,if the charge could be proved he asked a verdict of guilty4 ,then he called sixteen towns- people1 to most of whom ,reynolds had given a pamphlet4 ,colonel ,ingersoll tried to get the ,presbyterian witnesses to say that they had read the pamphlet4 ,not one of them admitted it4 ,further than this he attempted no cross-examination4 ,i do not know that ,i shall have any witnesses one way or the other1 ,colonel ,ingersoll said1 rising to suggest a recess4 ,perhaps after dinner ,i may feel like making a few remarks4 ,there will be great disappointment if you do not ,judge ,child responded1 in a tone that meant a word for himself as well as for the other listeners4 ,the spectators nodded approval to this sentiment4 ,at #d3bj o'clock ,col4 ,ingersoll having spoken since #b o'clock1 ,judge ,child adjourned court until this morning4 ,as ,colonel ,ingersoll left the room a throng pressed after him to offer congratulations4 ,one old man said3 ,colonel ,ingersoll ,i am a ,presbyterian pastor1 but ,i must say that was the noblest speech in defence of liberty ,i ever heard6 ,your hand1 sir2 your hand1--,the ,times1 ,new ,york1 ,may #bj1ahhg4 ,,gentlemen of the ,jury3 ,i regard this as one of the most important cases that can be submitted to a jury4 ,it is not a case that involves a little property1 neither is it one that involves simply the liberty of one man4 ,it involves the freedom of speech1 the intellectual liberty of every citizen of ,new ,jersey4 ,the question to be tried by you is whether a man has the right to express his honest thought2 and for that reason there can be no case of greater importance submitted to a jury4 ,and it may be well enough for me1 at the outset1 to admit that there could be no case in which ,i could take a greater--a deeper interest4 ,for my part1 ,i would not wish to live in a world where ,i could not express my honest opinions4 ,men who deny to others the right of speech are not fit to live with honest men4 ,i deny the right of any man1 of any number of men1 of any church1 of any ,state1 to put a padlock on the lips--to make the tongue a convict4 ,i passionately deny the right of the ,herod of authority to kill the children of the brain4 ,a man has a right to work with his hands1 to plow the earth1 to sow the seed1 and that man has a right to reap the harvest4 ,if we have not that right1 then all are slaves except those who take these rights from their fellow-men4 ,if you have the right to work with your hands and to gather the harvest for yourself and your children1 have you not a right to cultivate your brain8 ,have you not the right to read1 to observe1 to investigate--and when you have so read and so investigated1 have you not the right to reap that field8 ,and what is it to reap that field8 ,it is simply to express what you have ascertained--simply to give your thoughts to your fellow-men4 ,if there is one subject in this world worthy of being discussed1 worthy of being understood1 it is the question of intellectual liberty4 ,without that1 we are simply painted clay2 without that1 we are poor1 miserable serfs and slaves4 ,if you have not the right to express your opinions1 if the defendant has not this right1 then no man ever walked beneath the blue of heaven that had the right to express his thought4 ,if others claim the right1 where did they get it8 ,how did they happen to have it1 and how did you happen to be deprived of it8 ,where did a church or a nation get that right8 ,are we not all children of the same ,mother8 ,are we not all compelled to think1 whether we wish to or not8 ,can you help thinking as you do8 ,when you look out upon the woods1 the fields1--when you look at the solemn splendors of the night--these things produce certain thoughts in your mind1 and they produce them necessarily4 ,no man can think as he desires4 ,no man controls the action of his brain1 any more than he controls the action of his heart4 ,the blood pursues its old accustomed ways in spite of you4 ,the eyes see1 if you open them1 in spite of you4 ,the ears hear1 if they are unstopped1 without asking your permission4 ,and the brain thinks in spite of you4 ,should you express that thought8 ,certainly you should1 if others express theirs4 ,you have exactly the same right4 ,he who takes it from you is a robber4 ,for thousands of years people have been trying to force other people to think their way4 ,did they succeed8 ,no4 ,will they succeed8 ,no4 ,why8 ,because brute force is not an argument4 ,you can stand with the lash over a man1 or you can stand by the prison door1 or beneath the gallows1 or by the stake1 and say to this man3 ,recant or the lash descends1 the prison door is locked upon you1 the rope is put about your neck1 or the torch is given to the fagot4 ,and so the man recants4 ,is he convinced8 ,not at all4 ,have you produced a new argument8 ,not the slightest4 ,and yet the ignorant bigots of this world have been trying for thousands of years to rule the minds of men by brute force4 ,they have endeavored to improve the mind by torturing the flesh--to spread religion with the sword and torch4 ,they have tried to convince their brothers by putting their feet in iron boots1 by putting fathers1 mothers1 patriots1 philosophers and philanthropists in dungeons4 ,and what has been the result8 ,are we any nearer thinking alike to-day than we were then8 ,no orthodox church ever had power that it did not endeavor to make people think its way by force and flame4 ,and yet every church that ever was established commenced in the minority1 and while it was in the minority advocated free speech--every one4 ,john ,calvin1 the founder of the ,presbyterian ,church1 while he lived in ,france1 wrote a book on religious toleration in order to show that all men had an equal right to think2 and yet that man afterward1 clothed in a little authority1 forgot all his sentiments about religious liberty1 and had poor ,servetus burned at the stake1 for differing with him on a question that neither of them knew anything about4 ,in the minority1 ,calvin advocated toleration--in the majority1 he practiced murder4 ,i want you to understand what has been done in the world to force men to think alike4 ,it seems to me that if there is some infinite being who wants us to think alike1 he would have made us alike4 ,why did he not do so8 ,why did he make your brain so that you could not by any possibility be a ,methodist8 ,why did he make yours so that you could not be a ,catholic8 ,and why did he make the brain of another so that he is an unbeliever--why the brain of another so that he became a ,mohammedan--if he wanted us all to believe alike8 ,after all1 may be ,nature is good enough and grand enough and broad enough to give us the diversity born of liberty4 ,may be1 after all1 it would not be best for us all to be just the same4 ,what a stupid world1 if everybody said yes to everything that everybody else might say4 ,the most important thing in this world is liberty4 ,more important than food or clothes--more important than gold or houses or lands--more important than art or science--more important than all religions1 is the liberty of man4 ,if civilization tends to do away with liberty1 then ,i agree with ,mr4 ,buckle that civilization is a curse4 ,gladly would ,i give up the splendors of the nineteenth century--gladly would ,i forget every invention that has leaped from the brain of man--gladly would ,i see all books ashes1 all works of art destroyed1 all statues broken1 and all the triumphs of the world lost--gladly1 joyously would ,i go back to the abodes and dens of savagery1 if that were necessary to preserve the inestimable gem of human liberty4 ,so would every man who has a heart and brain4 ,how has the church in every age1 when in authority1 defended itself8 ,always by a statute against blasphemy1 against argument1 against free speech4 ,and there never was such a statute that did not stain the book that it was in1 and that did not certify to the savagery of the men who passed it4 ,never4 ,by making a statute and by defining blasphemy1 the church sought to prevent discussion--sought to prevent argument--sought to prevent a man giving his honest opinion4 ,certainly a tenet1 a dogma1 a doctrine1 is safe when hedged about by a statute that prevents your speaking against it4 ,in the silence of slavery it exists4 ,it lives because lips are locked4 ,it lives because men are slaves4 ,if ,i understand myself1 ,i advocate only the doctrines that in my judgment will make this world happier and better4 ,if ,i know myself1 ,i advocate only those things that will make a man a better citizen1 a better father1 a kinder husband--that will make a woman a better wife1 a better mother--doctrines that will fill every home with sunshine and with joy4 ,and if ,i believed that anything ,i should say to-day would have any other possible tendency1 ,i would stop4 ,i am a believer in liberty4 ,that is my religion--to give to every other human being every right that ,i claim for myself1 and ,i grant to every other human being1 not the right--because it is his right--but instead of granting ,i declare that it is his right1 to attack every doctrine that ,i maintain1 to answer every argument that ,i urge--in other words1 he must have absolute freedom of speech4 ,i am a believer in what ,i call intellectual hospitality4 ,a man comes to your door4 ,if you are a gentleman and he appears to be a good man1 you receive him with a smile4 ,you ask after his health4 ,you say3 ,take a chair2 are you thirsty1 are you hungry1 will you not break bread with me8 ,that is what a hospitable1 good man does--he does not set the dog on him4 ,now1 how should we treat a new thought8 ,i say that the brain should be hospitable and say to the new thought3 ,come in2 sit down2 ,i want to cross-examine you2 ,i want to find whether you are good or bad2 if good1 stay2 if bad1 ,i don't want to hurt you--probably you think you are all right1--but your room is better than your company1 and ,i will take another idea in your place4 ,why not8 ,can any man have the egotism to say that he has found it all out8 ,no4 ,every man who has thought1 knows not only how little he knows1 but how little every other human being knows1 and how ignorant1 after all1 the world must be4 ,there was a time in ,europe when the ,catholic ,church had power4 ,and ,i want it distinctly understood with this jury1 that while ,i am opposed to ,catholicism ,i am not opposed to ,catholics--while ,i am opposed to ,presbyterianism ,i am not opposed to ,presbyterians4 ,i do not fight people1--,i fight ideas1 ,i fight principles1 and ,i never go into personalities4 ,as ,i said1 ,i do not hate ,presbyterians1 but ,presbyterianism--that is1 ,i am opposed to their doctrine4 ,i do not hate a man that has the rheumatism--,i hate the rheumatism when it has a man4 ,so ,i attack certain principles because ,i think they are wrong1 but ,i always want it understood that ,i have nothing against persons--nothing against victims4 ,there was a time when the ,catholic ,church was in power in the ,old ,world4 ,all at once there arose a man called ,martin ,luther1 and what did the dear old ,catholics think8 ,oh1 they said1 that man and his followers are going to hell4 ,but they did not go4 ,they were very good people4 ,they may have been mistaken--,i do not know4 ,i think they were right in their opposition to ,catholicism--but ,i have just as much objection to the religion they founded as ,i have to the church they left4 ,but they thought they were right1 and they made very good citizens1 and it turned out that their differing from the ,mother ,church did not hurt them4 ,and then after awhile they began to divide1 and there arose ,baptists2 and-the other gentlemen1 who believed in this law that is now in ,new ,jersey1 began cutting off their ears so that they could hear better2 they began putting them in prison so that they would have a chance to think4 ,but the ,baptists turned out to be good folks--first rate--good husbands1 good fathers1 good citizens4 ,and in a little while1 in ,england1 the people turned to be ,episcopalians1 on account of a little war that ,henry ,,viii4 had with the ,pope1--and ,i always sided with the ,pope in that war--but it made no difference2 and in a little while the ,episcopalians turned out to be just about like other folks--no worse--and1 as ,i know of1 no better4 ,after awhile arose the ,puritan1 and the ,episcopalian said1 ,we don't want anything of him--he is a bad man2 and they finally drove some of them away and they settled in ,new ,england1 and there were among them ,quakers1 than whom there never were better people on the earth--industrious1 frugal1 gentle1 kind and loving--and yet these ,puritans began hanging them4 ,they said3 ,they are corrupting our children2 if this thing goes on1 everybody will believe in being kind and gentle and good1 and what will become of us8 ,they were honest about it4 ,so they went to cutting off ears4 ,but the ,quakers were good people and none of the prophecies were fulfilled4 ,in a little while there came some ,unitarians and they said1 ,the world is going to ruin1 sure2--but the world went on as usual1 and the ,unitarians produced men like ,channing--one of the tenderest spirits that ever lived--they produced men like ,theodore ,parker--one of the greatest brained and greatest hearted men produced upon this continent--a good man--and yet they thought he was a blasphemer--they even prayed for his death--on their bended knees they asked their ,god to take time to kill him4 ,well1 they were mistaken4 ,honest1 probably4 ,after awhile came the ,universalists1 who said3 ,god is good4 ,he will not damn anybody always1 just for a little mistake he made here4 ,this is a very short life2 the path we travel is very dim1 and a great many shadows fall in the way1 and if a man happens to stub his toe1 ,god will not burn him forever4 ,and then all the rest of the sects cried out1 ,why1 if you do away with hell1 everybody will murder just for pastime--everybody will go to stealing just to enjoy themselves4 ,but they did not4 ,the ,universalists were good people--just as good as any others4 ,most of them much better4 ,none of the prophecies were fulfilled1 and yet the differences existed4 ,and so we go on until we find people who do not believe the ,bible at all1 and when they say they do not1 they come within this statute4 ,now1 gentlemen1 ,i am going to try to show you1 first1 that this statute under which ,mr4 ,reynolds is being tried is unconstitutional--that it is not in harmony with the constitution of ,new ,jersey2 and ,i am going to try to show you in addition to that1 that it was passed hundreds of years ago1 by men who believed it was right to burn heretics and tie ,quakers to the end of a cart2 men and even modest women--stripped naked--and lash them from town to town4 ,they were the men who originally passed that statute1 and ,i want to show you that it has slept all this time1 and ,i am informed--,i do not know how it is--that there never has been a prosecution in this ,state for blasphemy4 ,now1 gentlemen1 what is blasphemy8 ,of course nobody knows what it is1 unless he takes into consideration where he is4 ,what is blasphemy in one country would be a religious exhortation1 in another4 ,it is owing to where you are and who is in authority4 ,and let me call your attention to the impudence and bigotry of the ,american ,christians4 ,we send missionaries to other countries4 ,what for8 ,to tell them that their religion is false1 that their gods are myths and monsters1 that their saviors and apostles were impostors1 and that our religion is true4 ,you send a man from ,morristown--a ,presbyterian1 over to ,turkey4 ,he goes there1 and he tells the ,mohammedans--and he has it in a pamphlet and he distributes it--that the ,koran is a lie1 that ,mohammed was not a prophet of ,god1 that the angel ,gabriel is not so large that it is four hundred leagues between his eyes--that it is all a mistake--there never was an angel so large as that4 ,then what would the ,turks do8 ,suppose the ,turks had a law like this statute in ,new ,jersey4 ,they would put the ,morristown missionary in jail1 and he would send home word1 and then what would the people of ,morristown say8 ,honestly--what do you think they would say8 ,they would say1 ,why1 look at those poor1 heathen wretches4 ,we sent a man over there armed with the truth1 and yet they were so blinded by their idolatrous religion1 so steeped in superstition1 that they actually put that man in prison4 ,gentlemen1 does not that show the need of more missionaries8 ,i would say1 yes4 ,now1 let us turn the tables4 ,a gentleman comes from ,turkey to ,morristown4 ,he has got a pamphlet4 ,he says1 ,the ,koran is the inspired book1 ,mohammed is the real prophet1 your ,bible is false and your ,savior simply a myth4 ,thereupon the ,morristown people put him in jail4 ,then what would the ,turks say8 ,they would say1 ,morristown needs more missionaries1 and ,i would agree with them4 ,in other words1 what we want is intellectual hospitality4 ,let the world talk4 ,and see how foolish this trial is4 ,i have no doubt that the prosecuting attorney-agrees with me to-day1 that whether this law is good or bad1 this trial should not have taken place4 ,and let me tell you why4 ,here comes a man into your town and circulates a pamphlet4 ,now1 if they had just kept still1 very few would ever have heard of it4 ,that would have been the end4 ,the diameter of the echo would have been a few thousand feet4 ,but in order to stop the discussion of that question1 they indicted this man1 and that question has been more discussed in this country since this indictment than all the discussions put together since ,new ,jersey was first granted to ,charles ,,ii4's dearest brother ,james1 the ,duke of ,york44 ,and what else8 ,a trial here that is to be reported and published all over the ,united ,states1 a trial that will give ,mr4 ,reynolds a congregation of fifty millions of people4 ,and yet this was done for the purpose of stopping a discussion of this subject4 ,i want to show you that the thing is in itself almost idiotic--that it defeats itself1 and that you cannot crush out these things by force4 ,not only so1 but ,mr4 ,reynolds has the right to be defended1 and his counsel has the right to give his opinions on this subject4 ,suppose that we put ,mr4 ,reynolds in jail4 ,the argument has not been sent to jail4 ,that is still going the rounds1 free as the winds4 ,suppose you keep him at hard labor a year--all the time he is there1 hundreds and thousands of people will be reading some account1 or some fragment1 of this trial4 ,there is the trouble4 ,if you could only imprison a thought1 then intellectual tyranny might succeed4 ,if you could only take an argument and put a striped suit of clothes on it--if you could only take a good1 splendid1 shining fact and lock it up in some dungeon of ignorance1 so that its light would never again enter the mind of man1 then you might succeed in stopping human progress4 ,otherwise1 no4 ,let us see about this particular statute4 ,in the first place1 the ,state has a constitution4 ,that constitution is a rule1 a limitation to the power of the ,legislature1 and a certain breastwork for the protection of private rights1 and the constitution says to this sea of passions and prejudices3 ,thus far and no farther4 ,the constitution says to each individual3 ,this shall panoply you2 this is your complete coat of mail2 this shall defend your rights4 ,and it is usual in this country to make as a part of each constitution several general declarations--called the ,bill of ,rights4 ,so ,i find that in the old constitution of ,new ,jersey1 which was adopted in the year of grace #aggf1 although the people at that time were not educated as they are now--the spirit of the ,revolution at that time not having permeated all classes of society--a declaration in favor of religious freedom4 ,the people were on the eve of a revolution4 ,this constitution was adopted on the third day of ,july1 #aggf1 one day before the immortal ,declaration of ,independence4 ,now1 what do we find in this--and we have got to go by this light1 by this torch1 when we examine the statute4 ,i find in that constitution1 in its ,eighteenth ,section1 this3 ,no person shall ever in this ,state be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping ,god1 in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience2 nor under any pretence whatever be compelled to attend any place of worship contrary to his own faith and judgment2 nor shall he be obliged to pay tithes1 taxes1 or any other rates for the purpose of building or repairing any church or churches1 contrary to what he believes to be true4 ,that was a very great and splendid step4 ,it was the divorce of church and state4 ,it no longer allowed the ,state to levy taxes for the support of a particular religion1 and it said to every citizen of ,new ,jersey3 ,all that you give for that purpose must be voluntarily given1 and the ,state will not compel you to pay for the maintenance of a church in which you do not believe4 ,so far so good4 ,the next paragraph was not so good4 ,there shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this ,state in preference to another1 and no ,protestant inhabitants of this ,state shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right merely on account of his religious principles2 but all persons professing a belief in the faith of any ,protestant sect1 who shall demean themselves peaceably1 shall be capable of being elected to any office of profit or trust1 and shall fully and freely enjoy every privilege and immunity enjoyed by other citizens4 ,what became of the ,catholics under that clause1 ,i do not know--whether they had any right to be elected to office or not under this ,act4 ,but in #ahdd1 the ,state having grown civilized in the meantime1 another constitution was adopted4 ,the word ,protestant was then left out4 ,there was to be no establishment of one religion over another4 ,but ,protestantism did not render a man capable of being elected to office any more than ,catholicism1 and nothing is said about any religious belief whatever4 ,so far1 so good4 ,no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office of public trust4 ,no person shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right on account of his religious principles4 ,that is a very broad and splendid provision4 ,no person shall be denied any civil right on account of his religious principles4 ,that was copied from the ,virginia constitution1 and that clause in the ,virginia constitution was written by ,thomas ,jefferson1 and under that clause men were entitled to give their testimony in the courts of ,virginia whether they believed in any religion or not1 in any bible or not1 or in any god or not4 ,that same clause was afterward adopted by the ,state of ,illinois1 also by many other ,states1 and wherever that clause is1 no citizen can be denied any civil right on account of his religious principles4 ,it is a broad and generous clause4 ,this statute1 under which this indictment is drawn1 is not in accordance with the spirit of that splendid sentiment4 ,under that clause1 no man can be deprived of any civil right on account of his religious principles1 or on account of his belief4 ,and yet1 on account of this miserable1 this antiquated1 this barbarous and savage statute1 the same man who cannot be denied any political or civil right1 can be sent to the penitentiary as a common felon for simply expressing his honest thought4 ,and before ,i get through ,i hope to convince you that this statute is unconstitutional4 ,but we will go another step3 ,every person may freely speak1 write1 or publish his sentiments on all subjects1 being responsible for the abuse of that right4 ,that is in the constitution of nearly every ,state in the ,union1 and the intention of that is to cover slanderous words--to cover a case where a man under pretence of enjoying the freedom of speech falsely assails or accuses his neighbor4 ,of course he should be held responsible for that abuse4 ,then follows the great clause in the constitution of #ahdd--more important than any other clause in that instrument--a clause that shines in that constitution like a star at night4-- ,no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press4 ,can anything be plainer--anything be more forcibly stated8 ,no law shall be passed to abridge the liberty of speech4 ,now1 while you are considering this statute1 ,i want you to keep in mind this other statement3 ,no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press4 ,and right here there is another thing ,i want to call your attention to4 ,there is a constitution higher than any statute4 ,there is a law higher than any constitution4 ,it is the law of the human conscience1 and no man who is a man will defile and pollute his conscience at the bidding of any legislature4 ,above all things1 one should maintain his selfrespect1 and there is but one way to do that1 and that is to live in accordance with your highest ideal4 ,there is a law higher than men can make4 ,the facts as they exist in this poor world--the absolute consequences of certain acts--they are above all4 ,and this higher law is the breath of progress1 the very outstretched wings of civilization1 under which we enjoy the freedom we have4 ,keep that in your minds4 ,there never was a legislature great enough--there never was a constitution sacred enough1 to compel a civilized man to stand between a black man and his liberty4 ,there never was a constitution great enough to make me stand between any human being and his right to express his honest thoughts4 ,such a constitution is an insult to the human soul1 and ,i would care no more for it than ,i would for the growl of a wild beast4 ,but we are not driven to that necessity here4 ,this constitution is in accord with the highest and noblest aspirations of the heart--,no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech4 ,now let us come to this old law--this law that was asleep for a hundred years before this constitution was adopted--this law coiled like a snake beneath the foundations of the ,government--this law1 cowardly1 dastardly--this law passed by wretches who were afraid3 to discuss--this law passed by men who could not1 and who knew they could not1 defend their creed--and so they said3 ,give us the sword of the ,state and we will cleave the heretic down4 ,and this law was made to control the minority4 ,when the ,catholics were in power they visited that law upon their opponents4 ,when the ,episcopalians were in power1 they tortured and burned the poor ,catholic who had scoffed and who had denied the truth of their religion4 ,whoever was in power used that1 and whoever was out of power cursed that--and yet1 the moment he got in power he used it3 ,the people became civilized--but that law was on the statute book4 ,it simply remained4 ,there it was1 sound asleep--its lips drawn over its long and cruel teeth4 ,nobody savage enough to waken it4 ,and it slept on1 and ,new ,jersey has flourished4 ,men have done well4 ,you have had average health in this country4 ,nobody roused the statute until the defendant in this case went to ,boonton1 and there made a speech in which he gave his honest thought1 and the people not having an argument handy1 threw stones4 ,thereupon ,mr4 ,reynolds1 the defendant1 published a pamphlet on ,blasphemy and in it gave a photograph of the ,boonton ,christians4 ,that is his offence4 ,now let us read this infamous statute3 ,if any person shall willfully blaspheme the holy name of ,god by denying1 cursing1 or contumeliously reproaching his being-- ,i want to say right here--many a man has cursed the ,god of another man4 ,the ,catholics have cursed the ,god of the ,protestant4 ,the ,presbyterians have cursed the ,god of the ,catholics--charged them with idolatry--cursed their images1 laughed at their ceremonies4 ,and these compliments have been interchanged between all the religions of the world4 ,but ,i say here to-day that no man1 unless a raving maniac1 ever cursed the ,god in whom he believed4 ,no man1 no human being1 has ever lived who cursed his own idea of ,god4 ,he always curses the idea that somebody else entertains4 ,no human being ever yet cursed what he believed to be infinite wisdom and infinite goodness--and you know it4 ,every man on this jury knows that4 ,he feels that that must be an absolute certainty4 ,then what have they cursed8 ,some ,god they did not believe in--that is all4 ,and has a man that right8 ,i say1 yes4 ,he has a right to give his opinion of ,jupiter1 and there is nobody in ,morristown who will deny him that right4 ,but several thousands years ago it would have been very dangerous for him to have cursed ,jupiter1 and yet ,jupiter is just as powerful now as he was then1 but the ,roman people are not powerful1 and that is all there was to ,jupiter--the ,roman people4 ,so there was a time when you could have cursed ,zeus1 the god of the ,greeks1 and like ,socrates1 they would have compelled you to drink hemlock4 ,yet now everybody can curse this god4 ,why8 ,is the god dead8 ,no4 ,he is just as alive as he ever was4 ,then what has happened8 ,the ,greeks have passed away4 ,that is all4 ,so in all of our churches here4 ,whenever a church is in the minority it clamors for free speech4 ,when it gets in the majority1 no4 ,i do not believe the history of the world will show that any orthodox church when in the majority ever had the courage to face the free lips of the world4 ,it sends for a constable4 ,and is it not wonderful that they should do this when they preach the gospel of universal forgiveness--when they say1 if a man strike you on one cheek turn to him the other also--but if he laughs at your religion1 put him in the penitentiary8 ,is that the doctrine8 ,is that the law8 ,now1 read this law4 ,do you know as ,i read it ,i can almost hear ,john ,calvin laugh in his grave4 ,that would have been a delight to him4 ,it is written exactly as he would have written it4 ,there never was an inquisitor who would not have read that law with a malicious smile4 ,the ,christians who brought the fagots and ran with all their might to be at the burning1 would have enjoyed that law4 ,you know that when they used to burn people for having said something against religion1 they used to cut their tongues out before they burned them4 ,why8 ,for fear that if they did not1 the poor1 burning victims might say something that would scandalize the ,christian gentlemen who were building the fire4 ,all these persons would have been delighted with this law4 ,let us read a little further3 --,or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching ,jesus ,christ4 ,why1 whoever did1 since the poor man1 or the poor ,god1 was crucified8 ,how did they come to crucify him8 ,because they did not believe in free speech in ,jerusalem4 ,how else8 ,because there was a law against blasphemy in ,jerusalem--a law exactly like this4 ,just think of it4 ,oh1 ,i tell you we have passed too many mile-stones on the shining road of human progress to turn back and wallow in that blood1 in that mire4 ,no3 ,some men have said that he was simply a man4 ,some believed that he was actually a ,god4 ,others believed that he was not only a man1 but that he stood as the representative of infinite love and wisdom4 ,no man ever said one word against that ,being for saying ,do unto others as ye would that others should do unto you4 ,no man ever raised his voice against him because he said1 ,blessed are the merciful1 for they shall obtain mercy4 ,and are they the merciful who when some man endeavors to answer their argument1 put him in the penitentiary8 ,no4 ,the trouble is1 the priests--the trouble is1 the ministers--the trouble is1 the people whose business it was to tell the meaning of these things1 quarreled' with each other1 and they put meanings upon human expressions by malice1 meanings that the words will not bear4 ,and let me be just to them4 ,i believe that nearly all that has been done in this world has been honestly done4 ,i believe that the poor savage who kneels down and prays to a stuffed snake--prays that his little children may recover from the fever--is honest1 and it seems to me that a good ,god would answer his prayer if he could1 if it was in accordance with wisdom1 because the poor savage was doing the best he could1 and no one can do any better than that4 ,so ,i believe that the ,presbyterians who used to think that nearly everybody was going to hell1 said exactly what they believed4 ,they were honest about it1 and ,i would not send one of them to jail--would never think of such a thing--even if he called the unbelievers of the world wretches1 dogs1 and devils4 ,what would ,i do8 ,i would simply answer him--that is all2 answer him kindly4 ,i might laugh at him a little1 but ,i would answer him in kindness4 ,so these divisions of the human mind are natural4 ,they are a necessity4 ,do you know that all the mechanics that ever lived--take the best ones--cannot make two clocks that will run exactly alike one hour1 one minute8 ,they cannot make two pendulums that will beat in exactly the same time1 one beat4 ,if you cannot do that1 how are you going to make hundreds1 thousands1 billions of people1 each with a different quality and quantity of brain1 each clad in a robe of living1 quivering flesh1 and each driven by passion's storm over the wild sea of life--how are you going to make them all think alike8 ,this is the impossible thing that ,christian ignorance and bigotry and malice have been trying to do4 ,this was the object of the ,inquisition and of the foolish ,legislature that passed this statute4 ,let me read you another line from this ignorant statute3-- ,or the ,christian religion4 ,well1 what is the ,christian religion8 ,if you scoff at the ,christian religion--if you curse the ,christian religion4 ,well what is it8 ,gentlemen1 you hear ,presbyterians every day attack the ,catholic ,church4 ,is that the ,christian religion8 ,the ,catholic believes it is the ,christian religion1 and you have to admit that it is the oldest one1 and then the ,catholics turn round and scoff at the ,protestants4 ,is that the ,christian religion8 ,if so1 every ,christian religion has been cursed by every other ,christian religion4 ,is not that an absurd and foolish statute8 ,i say that the ,catholic has the right to attack the ,presbyterian and tell him1 ,your doctrine is all wrong4 ,i think he has the right to say to him1 ,you are leading thousands to hell4 ,if he believes it1 he not only has the right to say it1 but it is his duty to say it2 and if the ,presbyterian really believes the ,catholics are all going to the devil1 it is his duty to say so4 ,why not8 ,i will never have any religion that ,i cannot defend--that is1 that ,i do not believe ,i can defend4 ,i may be mistaken1 because no man is absolutely certain that he knows4 ,we all understand that4 ,every one is liable to be mistaken4 ,the horizon of each individual is very narrow1 and in his poor sky the stars are few and very small4 ,or the ,word of ,god-- ,what is that8 ,the canonical ,scriptures contained in the books of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,now1 what has a man the right to say about that8 ,has he the right to show that the book of ,revelation got into the canon by one vote1 and one only8 ,has he the right to show that they passed in convention upon what books they would put in and what they would not8 ,has he the right to show that there were twenty-eight books called ,the ,books of the ,hebrew's8 ,has he the right to show that8 ,has he the right to show that ,martin ,luther said he did not believe there was one solitary word of gospel in the ,epistle to the ,romans8 ,has he the right to show that some of these books were not written till nearly two hundred years afterward8 ,has he the right to say it1 if he believes it8 ,i do not say whether this is true or not1 but has a man the right to say it if he believes it8 ,suppose ,i should read the ,bible all through right here in ,morristown1 and after ,i got through ,i should make up my mind that it is not a true book--what ought ,i to say8 ,ought ,i to clap my hand over my mouth and start for another ,state1 and the minute ,i got over the line say1 ,it is not true1 ,it is not true8 ,or1 ought ,i to have the right and privilege of saying right here in ,new ,jersey1 ,my fellow-citizens1 ,i have read the book--,i do not believe that it is the word of ,god8 ,suppose ,i read it and think it is true1 then ,i am bound to say so4 ,if ,i should go to ,turkey and read the ,koran and make up my mind that it is false1 you would all say that ,i was a miserable poltroon if ,i did not say so4 ,by force you can make hypocrites--men who will agree with you from the teeth out1 and in their hearts hate you4 ,we want no more hypocrites4 ,we have enough in every community4 ,and how are you going to keep from having more8 ,by having the air free1--by wiping from your statute books such miserable and infamous laws as this4 ,the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,are they holy8 ,must a man be honest8 ,has he the right to be sincere8 ,there are thousands of things in the ,scriptures that everybody believes4 ,everybody believes the ,scriptures are right when they say1 ,thou shalt not steal--everybody4 ,and when they say ,give good measure1 heaped up and running over1 everybody says1 ,good6 ,so when they say ,love your neighbor1 everybody applauds that4 ,suppose a man believes that1 and practices it1 does it make any difference whether he believes in the flood or not8 ,is that of any importance8 ,whether a man built an ark or not--does that make the slightest difference8 ,a man might deny it and yet be a very good man4 ,another might believe it and be a very mean man4 ,could it now1 by any possibility1 make a man a good father1 a good husband1 a good citizen8 ,does it make any difference whether you believe it or not8 ,does it make any difference whether or not you believe that a man was going through town1 and his hair was a little short1 like mine1 and some little children laughed at him1 and thereupon two bears from the woods came down and tore to pieces about forty of these children8 ,is it necessary to believe that8 ,suppose a man should say1 ,i guess that is a mistake2 they did not copy that right2 ,i guess the man that reported that was a little dull of hearing and did not get the story exactly right4 ,any harm in saying that8 ,is a man to be sent to the penitentiary for that8 ,can you imagine an infinitely good ,god sending a man to hell because he did not believe the bear story8 ,so ,i say if you believe the ,bible1 say so2 if you do not believe it1 say so4 ,and here is the vital mistake1 ,i might almost say1 in ,protestantism itself4 ,the ,protestants when they fought the ,catholics said3 ,read the ,bible for yourselves--stop taking it from your priests--read the sacred volume with your own eyes2 it is a revelation from ,god to his children1 and you are the children4 ,and then they said3 ,if after you read it you do not believe it1 and you say anything against it1 we will put you in jail1 and ,god will put you in hell4 ,that is a fine position to get a man in4 ,it is like a man who invited his neighbor to come and look at his pictures1 saying3 ,they are the finest in the place1 and ,i want your candid opinion4 ,a man who looked at them the other day said they were daubs1 and ,i kicked him downstairs--now ,i want your candid judgment4 ,so the ,protestant ,church says to a man1 ,this ,bible is a message from your ,father1--your ,father in heaven4 ,read it4 ,judge for yourself4 ,but if after you have read it you say it is not true1 ,i will put you in the penitentiary for one year4 ,the ,catholic ,church has a little more sense about that--at least more logic4 ,it says3 ,this ,bible is not given to everybody4 ,it is given to the world1 to be sure1 but it must be interpreted by the church4 ,god would not give a ,bible to the world unless he also appointed some one1 some organization1 to tell the world what it means4 ,they said3 ,we do not want the world filled with interpretations1 and all the interpreters fighting each other4 ,and the ,protestant has gone to the infinite absurdity of saying3 ,judge for yourself1 but if you judge wrong you will go to the penitentiary here and to hell hereafter44 ,now1 let us see further3 ,or by profane scoffing expose them to ridicule ,think of such a law as that1 passed under a constitution that says1 ,no law shall abridge the liberty of speech4 ,but you must not ridicule the ,scriptures4 ,did anybody ever dream of passing a law to protect ,shakespeare from being laughed at8 ,did anybody ever think of such a thing8 ,did anybody ever want any legislative enactment to keep people from holding ,robert ,burns in contempt8 ,the songs of ,burns will be sung as long as there is love in the human heart4 ,do we need to protect him from ridicule by a statute8 ,does he need assistance from ,new ,jersey8 ,is any statute needed to keep ,euclid from being laughed at in this neighborhood8 ,and is it possible that a work written by an infinite ,being has to be protected by a legislature8 ,is it possible that a book cannot be written by a ,god so that it will not excite the laughter of the human race8 ,why1 gentlemen1 humor is one of the most valuable things in the human brain4 ,it is the torch of the mind--it sheds light4 ,humor is the readiest test of truth--of the natural1 of the sensible--and when you take from a man all sense of humor1 there will only be enough left to make a bigot4 ,teach this man who has no humor--no sense of the absurd--the ,presbyterian creed1 fill his darkened brain with superstition and his heart with hatred--then frighten him with the threat of hell1 and he will be ready to vote for that statute4 ,such men made that law4 ,let us read another clause3-- ,and every person so offending shall1 on conviction1 be fined nor exceeding two hundred dollars1 or imprisoned at hard labor not exceeding twelve months1 or both4 ,i want you to remember that this statute was passed in ,england hundreds of years ago--just in that language4 ,the punishment1 however1 has been somewhat changed4 ,in the good old days when the king sat on the throne--in the good old days when the altar was the right-bower of the throne--then1 instead of saying3 ,fined two hundred dollars and imprisoned one year1 it was3 ,all his goods shall be confiscated2 his tongue shall be bored with a hot iron1 and upon his forehead he shall be branded with the letter ,b2 and for the second offence he shall suffer death by burning4 ,those were the good old days when people maintained the orthodox religion in all its purity and in all its ferocity4 ,the first question for you1 gentlemen1 to decide in this case is3 ,is this statute constitutional8 ,is this statute in harmony with1 the part of the constitution of #ahdd which says3 ,the liberty of speech shall not be abridged8 ,that is for you to say4 ,is this law constitutional1 or is it simply an old statute that fell asleep1 that was forgotten1 that people simply failed to repeal8 ,i believe ,i can convince you1 if you will think a moment1 that our fathers never intended to establish a government like that4 ,when they fought for what they believed to be religious liberty--when they fought for what they believed to be liberty of speech1 they believed that all such statutes would be wiped from the statute books of all the ,states4 ,let me tell you another reason why ,i believe this4 ,we have in this country naturalization laws4 ,people may come here irrespective of their religion4 ,they must simply swear allegiance to this country--they must forswear allegiance to every other potentate1 prince and power--but they do not have to change their religion4 ,a ,hindoo may become a citizen of the ,united ,states1 and the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 like the constitution of ,new ,jersey1 guarantees religious liberty4 ,that ,hindoo believes in a ,god--in a ,god that no ,christian does believe in4 ,he believes in a sacred book that every ,christian looks upon as a collection of falsehoods4 ,he believes1 too1 in a ,savior--in ,buddha4 ,now1 ,i ask you1--when that man comes here and becomes a citizen--when the ,constitution is about him1 above him--has he the right to give his ideas about his religion8 ,has he the right to say in ,new ,jersey3 ,there is no ,god except the ,supreme ,brahm--there is no ,savior except ,buddha1 the ,illuminated1 ,buddha the ,blest8 ,i say that he has that right--and you have no right1 because in addition to that he says1 ,you are mistaken2 your ,god is not ,god2 your ,bible is not true1 and your religion is a mistake1 to abridge his liberty of speech4 ,he has the right to say it1 and if he has the right to say it1 ,i insist before this ,court and before this jury1 that he has the right to give his reasons for saying it2 and in giving those reasons1 in maintaining his side1 he has the right1 not simply to appeal to history1 not simply to the masonry of logic1 but he has the right to shoot the arrows of wit1 and to use the smile of ridicule4 ,anything that can be laughed out of this world ought not to stay in it4 ,so the ,persian--the believer in ,zoroaster1 in the spirits of ,good and ,evil1 and that the spirit of ,evil will finally triumph forever--if that is his religion--has the right to state it1 and the right to give his reasons for his belief4 ,how infinitely preposterous for you1 one of the ,states of this ,union1 to invite a ,persian or a ,hindoo to come to your shores4 ,you do not ask him to renounce his ,god4 ,you ask him to renounce the ,shah4 ,then when he becomes a citizen1 having the rights of every other citizen1 he has the right to defend his religion and to denounce yours4 ,there is another thing4 ,what was the spirit of our ,government at that time8 ,you must look at the leading men4 ,who were they8 ,what were their opinions8 ,were most of them as guilty of blasphemy as is the defendant in this case8 ,thomas ,jefferson--and there is1 in my judgment1 only one name on the page of ,american history greater than his--only one name for which ,i have a greater and tenderer reverence--and that is ,abraham ,lincoln1 because of all men who ever lived and had power1 he was the most merciful4 ,and that is the way to test a man4 ,how does he use power8 ,does he want to crush his fellow citizens8 ,does he like to lock somebody up in the penitentiary because he has the power of the moment8 ,does he wish to use it as a despot1 or as a philanthropist--like a devil1 or like a man8 ,thomas ,jefferson entertained about the same views entertained by the defendant in this case1 and he was made ,president of the ,united ,states4 ,he was the author of the ,declaration of ,independence1 founder of the ,university of ,virginia1 writer of that clause in the constitution of that ,state1 that made all the citizens equal before the law4 ,and when ,i come to the very sentences here charged as blasphemy1 ,i will show you that these were the common sentiments of thousands of very great1 of very intellectual and admirable men4 ,i have no time1 and it may be this is not the place and the occasion1 to call your attention to the infinite harm that has been done in almost every religious nation by statutes such as this4 ,where that statute is1 liberty can not be2 and if this statute is enforced by this jury and by this ,court1 and if it is afterwards carried out1 and if it could be carried out in the ,states of this ,union1 there would be an end of all intellectual progress4 ,we would go back to the ,dark ,ages4 ,every man's mind1 upon these subjects at least1 would become a stagnant pool1 covered with the scum of prejudice and meanness4 ,and wherever such laws have been enforced1 have the people been friends8 ,here we are to-day in this blessed air--here amid these happy fields4 ,can we imagine1 with these surroundings1 that a man for having been found with a crucifix in his poor little home1 had been taken from his wife and children and burned--burned by ,protestants8 ,you cannot conceive of such a thing now4 ,neither can you conceive that there was a time when ,catholics found some poor ,protestant contradicting one of the dogmas of the church1 and took that poor honest wretch--while his wife wept--while his children clung to his hands--to the public square1 drove a stake in the ground1 put a chain or two about him1 lighted the fagots1 and let the wife whom he loved and his little children see the flames climb around his limbs--you cannot imagine that any such infamy was ever practiced4 ,and yet ,i tell you that the same spirit made this detestable1 infamous1 devilish statute4 ,you can hardly imagine that there was a time when the same kind of men that made this law said to another man3 ,you say this world is round8 ,yes1 sir2 ,i think it is1 because ,i have seen its shadow on the moon4 ,you have8--,now1 can you imagine a society1 outside of hyenas and boa-constrictors1 that would take that man1 put him in the penitentiary1 in a dungeon1 turn the key upon him1 and let his name be blotted from the book of human life8 ,years afterward some explorer amid ruins finds a few bones4 ,the same spirit that did that1 made this statute--the same spirit that did that1 went before the grand jury in this case--exactly4 ,give the men that had this man indicted1 the power1 and ,i would not want to live in that particular part of the country4 ,i would not willingly live with such men4 ,i would go somewhere else1 where the air is free1 where ,i could speak my sentiments to my wife1 to my children1 and to my neighbors4 ,now1 this persecution differs only in degree from the infamies of the olden times4 ,what does it mean8 ,it means that the ,state of ,new ,jersey has all the light it wants4 ,and what does that mean8 ,it means that the ,state of ,new ,jersey is absolutely infallible--that it has got its growth and does not propose to grow any more4 ,new ,jersey knows enough1 and it will send teachers to the penitentiary4 ,it is hardly possible that this ,state has accomplished all that it is ever going to accomplish4 ,religions are for a day4 ,they are the clouds4 ,humanity is the eternal blue4 ,religions are the waves of the sea4 ,these waves depend upon the force and direction of the wind--that is to say1 of passion2 but ,humanity is the great sea4 ,and so our religions change from day to day1 and it is a blessed thing that they do4 ,why8 ,because we grow1 and we are getting a little more civilized every day1--and any man that is not willing to let another man express his opinion1 is not a civilized man1 and you know it4 ,any man that does not give to everybody else the rights he claims for himself1 is not in honest man4 ,here is a man who says1 ,i am going to join the ,methodist ,church4 ,what right has he8 ,just the same right to join it that ,i have not to join it--no more1 no less4 ,but if you are a ,methodist and ,i am not1 it simply proves that you do not agree with me1 and that ,i do not agree with you--that is all4 ,another man is a ,catholic4 ,he was born a ,catholic1 or is convinced that ,catholicism is right4 ,that is his business1 and any man that would persecute him on that account1 is a poor barbarian--a savage2 any man that would abuse him on that account1 is a barbarian--a savage4 ,then ,i take the next step4 ,a man does not wish to belong to any church4 ,how are you going to judge him8 ,judge him by the way he treats his wife1 his children1 his neighbors4 ,does he pay his debts8 ,does he tell the truth8 ,does he help the poor8 ,has he got a heart that melts when he hears grief's story8 ,that is the way to judge him4 ,i do not care what he thinks about the bears1 or the flood1 about bibles or gods4 ,when some poor mother is found wandering in the street with a babe at her breast1 does he quote ,scripture1 or hunt for his pocket-book8 ,that is the way to judge4 ,and suppose he does not believe in any bible whatever8 ,if ,christianity is true1 that is his misfortune1 and everybody should pity the poor wretch that is going down the hill4 ,why kick him8 ,you will get your revenge on him through all eternity--is not that enough8 ,so ,i say1 let us judge each other by our actions1 not by theories1 not by what we happen to believe--because that depends very much on where we were born4 ,if you had been born in ,turkey1 you probably would have been a ,mohammedan4 ,if ,i had been born among the ,hindoos1 ,i might have been a ,buddhist--,i can't tell4 ,if ,i had been raised in ,scotland1 on oatmeal1 ,i might have been a ,covenanter--nobody knows4 ,if ,i had lived in ,ireland1 and seen my poor wife and children driven into the street1 ,i think ,i might have been a ,home-ruler--no doubt of it4 ,you see it depends on where you were born--much depends on our surroundings4 ,of course1 there are men born in ,turkey who are not ,mohammedans1 and there are men born in this country who are not ,christians--,methodists1 ,unitarians1 or ,catholics1 plenty of them1 who are unbelievers--plenty of them who deny the truth of the ,scriptures--plenty of them who say3 ,i know not whether there be a ,god or not4 ,well1 it is a thousand times better to say that honestly than to say dishonestly that you believe in ,god4 ,if you want to know the opinion of your neighbor1 you want his honest opinion4 ,you do not want to be deceived4 ,you do not want to talk with a hypocrite4 ,you want to get straight at his honest mind--and then you are going to judge him1 not by what he says but by what he does4 ,it is very easy to sail along with the majority--easy to sail the way the boats are going--easy to float with the stream2 but when you come to swim against the tide1 with the men on the shore throwing rocks at you1 you will get a good deal of exercise in this world4 ,and do you know that we ought to feel under the greatest obligation to men who have fought the prevailing notions of their day8 ,there is not a ,presbyterian in ,morristown that does not hold up for admiration the man that carried the flag of the ,presbyterians when they were in the minority--not one4 ,there is not a ,methodist in this ,state who does not admire ,john and ,charles ,wesley and ,whitefield1 who carried the banner of that new and despised sect when it was in the minority4 ,they glory in them because they braved public opinion1 because they dared to oppose idiotic1 barbarous and savage statutes like this4 ,and there is not a ,universalist that does not worship dear old ,hosea ,ballou--,i love him myself--because he said to the ,presbyterian minister3 ,you are going around trying to keep people out of hell1 and ,i am going around trying to keep hell out of the people4 ,every ,universalist admires him and loves him because when despised and railed at and spit upon1 he stood firm1 a patient witness for the eternal mercy of ,god4 ,and there is not a solitary ,protestant who does not honor ,martin ,luther--who does not honor the ,covenanters in poor ,scotland1 and that poor girl who was tied out on the sand of the sea by ,episcopalians1 and kept there till the rising tide drowned her1 and all she had to do to save her life was to say1 ,god save the king1 but she would not say it without the addition of the words1 ,if it be ,god's will4 ,no one1 who is not a miserable1 contemptible wretch1 can fail to stand in admiration before such courage1 such self-denial--such heroism4 ,no matter what the attitude of your body may be1 your soul falls on its knees before such men and such women4 ,let us take another step4 ,where would we have been if authority had always triumphed8 ,where would we have been if such statutes had always been carried out8 ,we have now a science called astronomy4 ,that science has done more to enlarge the horizon of human thought than all things else4 ,we now live in an infinite universe4 ,we know that the sun is a million times larger than our earth1 and we know that there are other great luminaries millions of times larger than our sun4 ,we know that there are planets so far away that light1 traveling at the rate of one hundred and eighty-five thousand miles a second1 requires fifteen thousand years to reach this grain of sand1 this tear1 we call the earth--and we now know that all the fields of space are sown thick with constellations4 ,if that statute had been enforced1 that science would not now be the property of the human mind4 ,that science is contrary to the ,bible1 and for asserting the truth you become a criminal4 ,for what sum of money1 for what amount of wealth1 would the world have the science of astronomy expunged from the brain of man8 ,we learned the story of the stars in spite of that statute4 ,the first men who said the world was round were scourged for scoffing at the ,scriptures4 ,and even ,martin ,luther1 speaking of one of the greatest men that ever lived1 said3 ,does he think with his little lever to overturn the ,universe of ,god8 ,martin ,luther insisted that such men ought to be trampled under foot4 ,if that statute had been carried into effect1 ,galileo would have been impossible4 ,kepler1 the discoverer of the three laws1 would have died with the great secret locked in his brain1 and mankind would have been left ignorant1 superstitious1 and besotted4 ,and what else8 ,if that statute had been carried out1 the world would have been deprived of the philosophy of ,spinoza2 of the philosophy1 of the literature1 of the wit and wisdom1 the justice and mercy of ,voltaire1 the greatest ,frenchman that ever drew the breath of life--the man who by his mighty pen abolished torture in a nation1 and helped to civilize a world4 ,if that statute had been enforced1 nearly all the books that enrich the libraries of the world could not have been written4 ,if that statute had been enforced1 ,humboldt could not have delivered the lectures now known as ,the ,cosmos4 ,if that statute had been enforced1 ,charles ,darwin would not have been allowed to give to the world his discoveries that have been of more benefit to mankind than all the sermons ever uttered4 ,in ,england they have placed his sacred dust in the great ,abbey4 ,if he had lived in ,new ,jersey1 and this statute could have been enforced1 he would have lived one year at least in your penitentiary4 ,why8 ,that man went so far as not simply to deny the truth of your ,bible1 but absolutely to deny the existence of your ,god4 ,was he a good man8 ,yes1 one of the noblest and greatest of men4 ,humboldt1 the greatest ,german who ever lived1 was of the same opinion4 ,and so ,i might go on with the great men of to-day4 ,who are the men who are leading the race upward and shedding light in the intellectual world8 ,they are the men declared by that statute to be criminals4 ,mr4 ,spencer could not publish his books in the ,state of ,new ,jersey4 ,he would be arrested1 tried1 and imprisoned2 and yet that man has added to the intellectual wealth of the world4 ,so with ,huxley1 so with ,tyndall1 so with ,helmholtz--so with the greatest thinkers and greatest writers of modern times4 ,you may not agree with these men--and what does that prove8 ,it simply proves that they do not agree with you--that is all4 ,who is to blame8 ,i do not know4 ,they may be wrong1 and you may be right2 but if they had the power1 and put you in the penitentiary simply because you differed with them1 they would be savages2 and if you have the power and imprison men because they differ from you1 why then1 of course1 you are savages4 ,no2 ,i believe in intellectual hospitality4 ,i love men that have a little horizon to their minds--a little sky1 a little scope4 ,i hate anything that is narrow and pinched and withered and mean and crawling1 and that is willing to live on dust4 ,i believe in creating such an atmosphere that things will burst into blossom4 ,i believe in good will1 good health1 good fellowship1 good feeling--and if there is any ,god on the earth1 or in heaven1 let us hope that he will be generous and grand4 ,do you not see what the effect will be8 ,i am not cursing you because you are a ,methodist1 and not damning you because you are a ,catholic1 or because you are an ,infidel--a good man is more than all of these4 ,the grandest of all things is to be in the highest and noblest sense a man4 ,now let us see the frightful things that this man1 the defendant in this case1 has done4 ,let me read the charges against him as set out in this indictment4 ,i shall insist that this statute does not cover any publication--that it covers simply speech--not in writing1 not in book or pamphlet4 ,let us see3 ,this ,bible describes ,god as so loving that he drowned the whole world in his mad fury4 ,well1 the great question about that is1 is it true8 ,does the ,bible describe ,god as having drowned the whole world with the exception of eight people8 ,does it1 or does it not8 ,i do not know whether there is anybody in this county who has really read the ,bible1 but ,i believe the story of the flood is there4 ,it does say that ,god destroyed all flesh1 and that he did so because he was angry4 ,he says so1 himself1 if the ,bible be true4 ,the defendant has simply repeated what is in the ,bible4 ,the ,bible says that ,god is loving1 and says that he drowned the world1 and that he was angry4 ,is it blasphemy to quote from the ,sacred ,scriptures8 ,because it was so much worse than he1 knowing all things1 ever supposed it could be4 ,well1 the ,bible does say that he repented having made man4 ,now1 is there any blasphemy in saying that the ,bible is true8 ,that is the only question4 ,it is a fact that ,god1 according to the ,bible1 did drown nearly everybody4 ,if ,god knows all things1 he must have known at the time he made them that he was going to drown them4 ,is it likely that a being of infinite wisdom would deliberately do what he knew he must undo8 ,is it blasphemy to ask that question8 ,have you a right to think about it at all8 ,if you have1 you have the right to tell somebody what you think--if not1 you have no right to discuss it1 no right to think about it4 ,all you have to do is to read it and believe it--to open your mouth like a young robin1 and swallow--worms or shingle nails--no matter which4 ,the defendant further blasphemed and said that3-- ,an all-wise1 unchangeable ,god1 who got out of patience with a world which was just what his own stupid blundering had made it1 knew no better way out of the muddle than to destroy it by drowning6 ,is that true8 ,was not the world exactly as ,god made it8 ,certainly4 ,did he not1 if the ,bible is true1 drown the people8 ,he did4 ,did he know he would drown them when he made them8 ,he did4 ,did he know they ought to be drowned when they were made8 ,he did4 ,where then1 is the blasphemy in saying so8 ,there is not a minister in this world who could explain it--who would be permitted to explain it--under this statute4 ,and yet you would arrest this man and put him in the penitentiary4 ,but after you lock him in the cell1 there remains the question still4 ,is it possible that a good and wise ,god1 knowing that he was going to drown them1 made millions of people8 ,what did he make them for8 ,i do not know4 ,i do not pretend to be wise enough to answer that question4 ,of course1 you cannot answer the question4 ,is there anything blasphemous in that8 ,would it be blasphemy in me to say ,i do not believe that any ,god ever made men1 women and children--mothers1 with babes clasped to their breasts1 and then sent a flood to fill the world with death8 ,a rain lasting for forty days--the water rising hour by hour1 and the poor wretched children of ,god climbing to the tops of their houses--then to the tops of the hills4 ,the water still rising--no mercy4 ,the people climbing higher and higher1 looking to the mountains for salvation--the merciless rain still falling1 the inexorable flood still rising4 ,children falling from the arms of mothers--no pity4 ,the highest hills covered--infancy and old age mingling in death--the cries of women1 the sobs and sighs lost in the roar of waves--the heavens still relentless4 ,the mountains are covered--a shoreless sea rolls round the world1 and on its billows are billions of corpses4 ,this is the greatest crime that man has imagined1 and this crime is called a deed of infinite mercy4 ,do you believe that8 ,i do not believe one word of it1 and ,i have the right to say to all the world that this is false4 ,if there be a good ,god1 the story is not true4 ,if there be a wise ,god1 the story is not true4 ,ought an honest man to be sent to the penitentiary for simply telling the truth8 ,suppose we had a statute that whoever scoffed at science--whoever by profane language should bring the rule of three into contempt1 or whoever should attack the proposition that two parallel lines will never include a space1 should be sent to the penitentiary--what would you think of it8 ,it would be just as wise and just as idiotic as this4 ,and what else says the defendant8 ,the ,bible-,god says that his people made him jealous4 ,provoked him to anger4 ,is that true8 ,it is4 ,if it is true1 is it blasphemous8 ,let us read another line-- ,and now he will raise the mischief with them2 that his anger bums like hell4 ,that is true4 ,the ,bible says of ,god--,my anger burns to the lowest hell4 ,and that is all that the defendant says4 ,every word of it is in the ,bible4 ,he simply does not believe it--and for that reason is a blasphemer4 ,i say to you now1 gentlemen1--and ,i shall argue to the ,court1--that there is not in what ,i have read a solitary blasphemous word--not a word that has not been said in hundreds of pulpits in the ,christian world4 ,theodore ,parker1 a ,unitarian1 speaking of this ,bible-,god said3 ,vishnu with a necklace of skulls1 ,vishnu with bracelets of living1 hissing serpents1 is a figure of ,love and ,mercy compared to the ,god of the ,old ,testament4 ,that1 we might call blasphemy1 but not what ,i have read4 ,let us read on3-- ,he would destroy them all were it not that he feared the wrath of the enemy4 ,that is in the ,bible--word for word4 ,then the defendant in astonishment says3 ,the ,almighty ,god afraid of his enemies6 ,that is what the ,bible says4 ,what does it mean8 ,if the ,bible is true1 ,god was afraid4 ,can the mind conceive of more horrid blasphemy8 ,is not that true8 ,if ,god be infinitely good and wise and powerful1 is it possible he is afraid of anything8 ,if the defendant had said that ,god was afraid of his enemies1 that might have been blasphemy--but this man says the ,bible says that1 and you are asked to say that it is blasphemy4 ,now1 up to this point there is no blasphemy1 even if you were to enforce this infamous statute--this savage law4 ,the ,old ,testament records for our instruction in morals1 the most foul and bestial instances of fornication1 incest1 and polygamy1 perpetrated by ,god's own saints1 and the ,new ,testament indorses these lecherous wretches as examples for all good ,christians to follow44 ,now1 is it not a fact that the ,old ,testament does uphold polygamy8 ,abraham would have gotten into trouble in ,new ,jersey--no doubt of that4 ,sarah could have obtained a divorce in this ,state--no doubt of that4 ,what is the use of telling a falsehood about it8 ,let us tell the truth about the patriarchs4 ,everybody knows that the same is true of ,moses4 ,we have all heard of ,solomon--a gentleman with five or six hundred wives1 and three or four hundred other ladies with whom he was acquainted4 ,this is simply what the defendant says4 ,is there any blasphemy about that8 ,it is only the truth4 ,if ,solomon were living in the ,united ,states to-day1 we would put him in the penitentiary4 ,you know that under the ,edmunds ,mormon law he would be locked up4 ,if you should present a petition signed by his eleven hundred wives1 you could not get him out4 ,so it was with ,david4 ,there are some splendid things about ,david1 of course4 ,i admit that1 and pay my tribute of respect to his courage--but he happened to have ten or twelve wives too many1 so he shut them up1 put them in a kind of penitentiary and kept them there till they died4 ,that would not be considered good conduct even in ,morristown4 ,you know that4 ,is it any harm to speak of it8 ,there are plenty of ministers here to set it right--thousands of them all over the country1 every one with his chance to talk all day ,sunday and nobody to say a word back4 ,the pew cannot reply to the pulpit1 you know2 it has just to sit there and take it4 ,if there is any harm in this1 if it is not true1 they ought to answer it4 ,but it is here1 and the only answer is an indictment4 ,i say that ,lot was a bad man4 ,so ,i say of ,abraham1 and of ,jacob4 ,did you ever know of a more despicable fraud practiced by one brother on another than ,jacob practiced on ,esau8 ,my sympathies have always been with ,esau4 ,he seemed to be a manly man4 ,is it blasphemy to say that you do not like a hypocrite1 a murderer1 or a thief1 because his name is in the ,bible8 ,how do you know what such men are mentioned for8 ,may be they are mentioned as examples1 and you certainly ought not to be led away and induced to imagine that a man with seven hundred wives is a pattern of domestic propriety1 one to be followed by yourself and your sons4 ,i might go on and mention the names of hundreds of others who committed every conceivable crime1 in the name of religion--who declared war1 and on the field of battle killed men1 women and babes1 even children yet unborn1 in the name of the most merciful ,god4 ,the ,bible is filled with the names and crimes of these sacred savages1 these inspired beasts4 ,any man who says that a ,god of love commanded the commission of these crimes is1 to say the least of it1 mistaken4 ,if there be a ,god1 then it is blasphemous to charge him with the commission of crime4 ,but let us read further from this indictment3 ,the aforesaid printed document contains other scandalous1 infamous and blasphemous matters and things1 to the tenor and effect following1 that is to say-- ,then comes this particularly blasphemous line3 ,now1 reader1 take time and calmly think it over 4 ,gentlemen1 there are many things ,i have read that ,i should not have expressed in exactly the same language used by the defendant1 and many things that ,i am going to read ,i might not have said at all1 but the defendant had the right to say every word with which he is charged in this indictment4 ,he had the right to give his honest thought1 no matter whether any human being agreed with what he said or not1 and no matter whether any other man approved of the manner in which he said these things4 ,i defend his right to speak1 whether ,i believe in what he spoke or not1 or in the propriety of saying what he did4 ,i should defend a man just as cheerfully who had spoken against my doctrine1 as one who had spoken against the popular superstitions of my time4 ,it would make no difference to me how unjust the attack was upon my belief--how maliciously ingenious2 and no matter how sacred the conviction that was attacked1 ,i would defend the freedom of speech4 ,and why8 ,because no attack can be answered by force1 no argument can be refuted by a blow1 or by imprisonment1 or by fine4 ,you may imprison the man1 but the argument is free2 you may fell the man to the earth1 but the statement stands4 ,the defendant in this case has attacked certain beliefs1 thought by the ,christian world to be sacred4 ,yet1 after all1 nothing is sacred but the truth1 and by truth ,i mean what a man sincerely and honestly believes4 ,the defendant says3 ,take time to calmly think it over3 ,was a ,jewish girl the mother of ,god1 the mother of your ,god8 ,the defendant probably asked this question1 supposing that it must be answered by all sensible people in the negative4 ,if the ,christian religion is true1 then a ,jewish girl was the mother of ,almighty ,god4 ,personally1 if the doctrine is true1 ,i have no fault to find with the statement that a ,jewish maiden was the mother of ,god4--,millions believe1 that this is true--,i do not believe1--but who knows8 ,if a ,god came from the throne of the universe1 came to this world and became the child of a pure and loving woman1 it would not lessen1 in my eyes1 the dignity or the greatness of that ,god4 ,there is no more perfect picture on the earth1 or within the imagination of man1 than a mother holding in her thrilled and happy arms a child1 the fruit of love4 ,no matter how the statement is made1 the fact remains the same4 ,a ,jewish girl became the mother of ,god4 ,if the ,bible is true1 that is true1 and to repeat it1 even according to your law1 is not blasphemous1 and to doubt it1 or to express the doubt1 or to deny it1 is not contrary to your constitution4 ,to this defendant it seemed improbable that ,god was ever born of woman1 was ever held in the lap of a mother2 and because he cannot believe this1 he is charged with blasphemy4 ,could you pour contempt on ,shakespeare by saying that his mother was a woman1--by saying that he was once a poor1 crying1 little1 helpless child8 ,of course he was2 and he afterwards became the greatest human being that ever touched the earth1--the only man whose intellectual wings have reached from sky to sky2 and he was once a crying babe4 ,what of it8 ,does that cast any scorn or contempt upon him8 ,does this take any of the music from ,midsummer ,night's ,dream8--any of the passionate wealth from ,antony and ,cleopatra1 any philosophy from ,macbeth1 any intellectual grandeur from ,king ,lear8 ,on the contrary1 these great productions of the brain show the growth of the dimpled babe1 give every mother a splendid dream and hope for her child1 and cover every cradle with a sublime possibility4 ,the defendant is also charged with having said that3 ,god cried and screamed4 ,why not8 ,if he was absolutely a child1 he was like other children1--like yours1 like mine4 ,i have seen the time1 when absent from home1 that ,i would have given more to have heard my children cry1 than to have heard the finest orchestra that ever made the air burst into flower4 ,what if ,god did cry8 ,it simply shows that his humanity was real and not assumed1 that it was a tragedy1 real1 and not a poor pretence4 ,and the defendant also says that if the orthodox religion be true1 that the ,god of the ,universe kicked1 and flung about his little arms1 and made aimless dashes into space with his little fists4 ,is there anything in this that is blasphemous8 ,one of the best pictures ,i ever saw of the ,virgin and ,child was painted by the ,spaniard1 ,murillo4 ,christ appears to be a truly natural1 chubby1 happy babe4 ,such a picture takes nothing from the majesty1 the beauty1 or the glory of the incarnation4 ,i think it is the best thing about the ,catholic ,church that it lifts up for adoration and admiration1 a mother1--that it pays what it calls ,divine honors to a woman4 ,there is certainly goodness in that1 and where a church has so few practices that are good1 ,i am willing to point this one out4 ,it is the one redeeming feature about ,catholicism1 that it teaches the worship of a woman4 ,the defendant says more about the childhood of ,christ4 ,he goes so far as to say1 that3 ,he was found staring foolishly at his own little toes4 ,and why not8 ,the ,bible says1 that he increased in wisdom and stature4 ,the defendant might have referred to something far more improbable4 ,in the same verse in which ,st4 ,luke says that ,jesus increased in wisdom and stature1 will be found the assertion that he increased in favor with ,god and man4 ,the defendant might have asked how it was that the love of ,god for ,god increased4 ,but the defendant has simply stated that the child ,jesus grew1 as other children grow2 that he acted like other children1 and if he did1 it is more than probable that he did stare at his own toes4 ,i have laughed many a time to see little children astonished with the sight of their feet4 ,they seem to wonder what on earth puts the little toes in motion4 ,certainly there is nothing blasphemous in supposing that the feet of ,christ amused him1 precisely as the feet of other children have amused them4 ,there is nothing blasphemous about this2 on the contrary1 it is beautiful4 ,if ,i believed in the existence of ,god1 the ,creator of this world1 the ,being who1 with the hand of infinity1 sowed the fields of space with stars1 as a farmer sows his grain1 ,i should like to think of him as a little1 dimpled babe1 overflowing with joy1 sitting upon the knees of a loving mother4 ,the ministers themselves might take a lesson even from the man who is charged with blasphemy1 and make an effort to bring an infinite ,god a little nearer to the human heart4 ,the defendant also says1 speaking of the infant ,christ1 ,he was nursed at ,mary's breast4 ,yes1 and if the story be true1 that is the tenderest fact in it4 ,nursed at the breast of woman4 ,no painting1 no statue1 no words can make a deeper and a tenderer impression upon the heart of man than this3 ,the infinite ,god1 a babe1 nursed at the holy breast of woman4 ,you see these things do not strike all people the same4 ,to a man that has been raised on the orthodox desert1 these things are incomprehensible4 ,he has been robbed of his humanity4 ,he has no humor1 nothing but the stupid and the solemn4 ,his fancy sits with folded wings4 ,imagination1 like the atmosphere of spring1 woos every seed of earth to seek the blue of heaven1 and whispers of bud and flower and fruit4 ,imagination gathers from every field of thought and pours the wealth of many lives into the lap of one4 ,to the contracted1 to the cast-iron people who believe in heartless and inhuman creeds1 the words of the defendant seem blasphemous1 and to them the thought that ,god was a little child is monstrous4 ,they cannot bear to hear it said that he nursed at the breast of a maiden1 that he was wrapped in swaddling clothes1 that he had the joys and sorrows of other babes4 ,i hope1 gentlemen1 that not only you1 but the attorneys for the prosecution1 have read what is known as the ,apocryphal ,new ,testament1 books that were once considered inspired1 once admitted to be genuine1 and that once formed a part of our ,new ,testament4 ,i hope you have read the books of ,joseph and ,mary1 of the ,shepherd of ,hermes1 of the ,infancy and of ,mary1 in which many of the things done by the youthful ,christ are described--books that were once the delight of the ,christian world2 books that gave joy to children1 because in them they read that ,christ made little birds of clay1 that would at his command stretch out their wings and fly with joy above his head4 ,if the defendant in this case had said anything like that1 here in the ,state of ,new ,jersey1 he would have been indicted2 the orthodox ministers would have shouted blasphemy1 and yet1 these little stories made the name of ,christ dearer to children4 ,the church of to-day lacks sympathy2 the theologians are without affection4 ,after all1 sympathy is genius4 ,a man who really sympathizes with another understands him4 ,a man who sympathizes with a religion1 instantly sees the good that is in it1 and the man who sympathizes with the right1 sees the evil that a creed contains4 ,but the defendant1 still speaking of the infant ,christ1 is charged with having said3 ,god smiled when he was comfortable4 ,he lay in a cradle and was rocked to sleep4 ,yes1 and there is no more beautiful picture than that4 ,let some great religious genius paint a picture of this kind--of a babe smiling with content1 rocked in the cradle by the mother who bends tenderly and proudly above him4 ,there could be no more beautiful1 no more touching1 picture than this4 ,what would ,i not give for a picture of ,shakespeare as a babe1--a picture that was a likeness1--rocked by his mother8 ,i would give more for this than for any painting that now enriches the walls of the world4 ,the defendant also says1 that3 ,god was sick when cutting his teeth4 ,and what of that8 ,we are told that he was tempted in all points1 as we are4 ,that is to say1 he was afflicted1 he was hungry1 he was thirsty1 he suffered the pains and miseries common to man4 ,otherwise1 he was not flesh1 he was not human4 ,he caught the measles1 the mumps1 the scarlet fever and the whooping cough4 ,certainly he was liable to have these diseases1 for he was1 in fact1 a child4 ,other children have them4 ,other children1 loved as dearly by their mothers as ,christ could have been by his1 and yet they are taken from the little family by fever2 taken1 it may be1 and buried in the snow1 while the poor mother goes sadly home1 wishing that she was lying by its side4 ,all that can be said of every word in this address1 about ,christ and about his childhood1 amounts to this2 that he lived the life of a child2 that he acted like other children4 ,i have read you substantially what he has said1 and this is considered blasphemous4 ,he has said1 that3 ,according to the ,old ,testament1 the ,god of the ,christian world commanded people to destroy each other4 ,if the ,bible is true1 then the statement of the defendant is true4 ,is it calculated to bring ,god into contempt to deny that he upheld polygamy1 that he ever commanded one of his generals to rip open with the sword of war1 the woman with child8 ,is it blasphemy to deny that a ,god of infinite love gave such commandments8 ,is such a denial calculated to pour contempt and scorn upon the ,god of the orthodox8 ,is it blasphemous to deny that ,god commanded his children to murder each other8 ,is it blasphemous to say that he was benevolent1 merciful and just8 ,it is impossible to say that the ,bible is true and that ,god is good4 ,i do not believe that a ,god made this world1 filled it with people and then drowned them4 ,i do not believe that infinite wisdom ever made a mistake4 ,if there be any ,god he was too good to commit such an infinite crime1 too wise1 to make such a mistake4 ,is this blasphemy8 ,is it blasphemy to say that ,solomon was not a virtuous man1 or that ,david was an adulterer8 ,must we say when this ancient ,king had one of his best generals placed in the front of the battle--deserted him and had him murdered for the purpose of stealing his wife1 that he was a man after ,god's own heart8 ,suppose the defendant in this case were guilty of something like that8 ,uriah was fighting for his country1 fighting the battles of ,david1 the ,king4 ,david wanted to take from him his wife4 ,he sent for ,joab1 his commander-in-chief1 and said to him3 ,make a feint to attack a town4 ,put ,uriah at the front of the attacking force1 and when the people sally forth from the town to defend its gate1 fall back so that this gallant1 noble1 patriotic man may be slain4 ,this was done and the widow was stolen by the ,king4 ,is it blasphemy to tell the truth and to say exactly what ,david was8 ,let us be honest with each other2 let us be honest with this defendant4 ,for thousands of years men have taught that the ancient patriarchs were sacred1 that they were far better than the men of modern times1 that what was in them a virtue1 is in us a crime4 ,children are taught in ,sunday schools to admire and respect these criminals of the ancient days4 ,the time has come to tell the truth about these men1 to call things by their proper names1 and above all1 to stand by the right1 by the truth1 by mercy and by justice4 ,if what the defendant has said is blasphemy under this statute then the question arises1 is the statute in accordance with the constitution8 ,if this statute is constitutional1 why has it been allowed to sleep for all these years8 ,i take this position3 ,any law made for the preservation of a human right1 made to guard a human being1 cannot sleep long enough to die2 but any law that deprives a human being of a natural right--if that law goes to sleep1 it never wakes1 it sleeps the sleep of death4 ,i call the attention of the ,court to that remarkable case in ,england where1 only a few years ago1 a man appealed to trial by battle4 ,the law allowing trial by battle had been asleep in the statute book of ,england for more than two hundred years1 and yet the court held that1 in spite of the fact that the law had been asleep--it being a law in favor of a defendant--he was entitled to trial by battle4 ,and why8 ,because it was a statute at the time made in defence of a human right1 and that statute could not sleep long enough or soundly enough to die4 ,in consequence of this decision1 the ,parliament of ,england passed a special act1 doing away forever with the trial by battle4 ,when a statute attacks an individual right1 the ,state must never let it sleep4 ,when it attacks the right of the public at large and is allowed to pass into a state of slumber1 it cannot be raised for the purpose of punishing an individual4 ,now1 gentlemen1 a few words more4 ,i take an almost infinite interest in this trial1 and before you decide1 ,i am exceedingly anxious that you should understand with clearness the thoughts ,i have expressed upon this subject ,i want you to know how the civilized feel1 and the position now taken by the leaders of the world4 ,a few years ago almost everything spoken against the grossest possible superstition was considered blasphemous4 ,the altar hedged itself about with the sword2 the ,priest went in partnership with the ,king4 ,in those days statutes were leveled against all human speech4 ,men were convicted of blasphemy because they believed in an actual personal ,god2 because they insisted that ,god had body and parts4 ,men were convicted of blasphemy because they denied that ,god had form4 ,they have been imprisoned for denying the doctrine of transubstantiation1 and they have been torn in pieces for defending that doctrine4 ,there are but few dogmas now believed by any ,christian church that have not at some time been denounced as blasphemous4 ,when ,henry ,,viii4 put himself at the head of the ,episcopal ,church a creed was made1 and in that creed there were five dogmas that must1 of necessity1 be believed4 ,anybody who denied any one1 was to be punished--for the first offence1 with fine1 with imprisonment1 or branding1 and for the second offence1 with death4 ,not one of these five dogmas is now a part of the creed of the ,church of ,england4 ,so ,i could go on for days and weeks and months1 showing that hundreds and hundreds of religious dogmas1 to deny which was death1 have been either changed or abandoned for others nearly as absurd as the old ones were4 ,it may be1 however1 sufficient to say1 that wherever the church has had power it has been a crime for any man to speak his honest thought4 ,no church has ever been willing that any opponent should give a transcript of his mind4 ,every church in power has appealed to brute force1 to the sword1 for the purpose of sustaining its creed4 ,not one has had the courage to occupy the open field4 ,the church has not been satisfied with calling ,infidels and unbelievers blasphemers4 ,each church has accused nearly every other church of being a blasphemer4 ,every pioneer has been branded as a criminal4 ,the ,catholics called ,martin ,luther a blasphemer1 and ,martin ,luther called ,copernicus a blasphemer4 ,pious ignorance always regards intelligence as a kind of blasphemy4 ,some of the greatest men of the world1 some of the best1 have been put to death for the crime of blasphemy1 that is to say1 for the crime of endeavoring to benefit their fellow-men4 ,as long as the church has the power to close the lips of men1 so long and no longer will superstition rule this world4 ,blasphemy is the word that the majority hisses into the ear of the few4 ,after every argument of the church has been answered1 has been refuted1 then the church cries1 blasphemy6 ,blasphemy is what an old mistake says of a newly discovered truth4 ,blasphemy is what a withered last year's leaf says to a this year's bud4 ,blasphemy is the bulwark of religious prejudice4 ,blasphemy is the breastplate of the heartless4 ,and let me say now1 that the crime of blasphemy1 as set out in this statute1 is impossible4 ,no man can blaspheme a book4 ,no man can commit blasphemy by telling his honest thought4 ,no man can blaspheme a ,god1 or a ,holy ,ghost1 or a ,son of ,god4 ,the ,infinite cannot be blasphemed4 ,in the olden time1 in the days of savagery and superstition1 when some poor man was struck by lightning1 or when a blackened mark was left on the breast of a wife and mother1 the poor savage supposed that some god1 angered by something he had done1 had taken his revenge4 ,what else did the savage suppose8 ,he believed that this god had the same feelings1 with regard to the loyalty of his subjects1 that an earthly chief had1 or an earthly king had1 with regard to the loyalty or treachery of members of his tribe1 or citizens of his kingdom4 ,so the savage said1 when his country was visited by a calamity1 when the flood swept the people away1 or the storm scattered their poor houses in fragments3 ,we have allowed some ,freethinker to live2 some one is in our town or village who has not brought his gift to the priest1 his incense to the altar2 some man of our tribe or of our country does not respect our god4 ,then1 for the purpose of appeasing the supposed god1 for the purpose of again winning a smile from heaven1 for the purpose of securing a little sunlight for their fields and homes1 they drag the accused man from his home1 from his wife and children1 and with all the ceremonies of pious brutality1 shed his blood4 ,they did it in self-defence2 they believed that they were saving their own lives and the lives of their children2 they did it to appease their god4 ,most people are now beyond that point4 ,now when disease visits a community1 the intelligent do not say the disease came because the people were wicked2 when the cholera comes1 it is not because of the ,methodists1 of the ,catholics1 of the ,presbyterians1 or of the ,infidels4 ,when the wind destroys a town in the far ,west1 it is not because somebody there had spoken his honest thoughts4 ,we are beginning to see that the wind blows and destroys without the slightest reference to man1 without the slightest care whether it destroys the good or the bad1 the irreligious or the religious4 ,when the lightning leaps from the clouds it is just as likely to strike a good man as a bad man1 and when the great serpents of flame climb around the houses of men1 they burn just as gladly and just as joyously1 the home of virtue1 as they do the den and lair of vice4 ,then the reason for all these laws has failed4 ,the laws were made on account of a superstition4 ,that superstition has faded from the minds of intelligent men1 and1 as a consequence1 the laws based on the superstition ought to fail4 ,there is one splendid thing in nature1 and that is that men and nations must reap the consequences of their acts--reap them in this world1 if they live1 and in another if there be one4 ,the man who leaves this world a bad man1 a malicious man1 will probably be the same man when he reaches another realm1 and the man who leaves this shore good1 charitable and honest1 will be good1 charitable and honest1 no matter on what star he lives again4 ,the world is growing sensible upon these subjects1 and as we grow sensible1 we grow charitable4 ,another reason has been given for these laws against blasphemy1 the most absurd reason that can by any possibility be given4 ,it is this3 ,there should be laws against blasphemy1 because the man who utters blasphemy endangers the public peace4 ,is it possible that ,christians will break the peace8 ,is it possible that they will violate the law8 ,is it probable that ,christians will congregate together and make a mob1 simply because a man has given an opinion against their religion8 ,what is their religion8 ,they say1 ,if a man smites you on one cheek1 turn the other also4 ,they say1 ,we must love our neighbors as we love ourselves4 ,is it possible then1 that you can make a mob out of ,christians1--that these men1 who love even their enemies1 will attack others1 and will destroy life1 in the name of universal love8 ,and yet1 ,christians themselves say that there ought to be laws against blasphemy1 for fear that ,christians1 who are controlled by universal love1 will become so outraged1 when they hear an honest man express an honest thought1 that they will leap upon him and tear him in pieces4 ,what is blasphemy8 ,i will give you a definition2 ,i will give you my thought upon this subject4 ,what is real blasphemy8 ,to live on the unpaid labor of other men--that is blasphemy4 ,to enslave your fellow-man1 to put chains upon his body--that is blasphemy4 ,to enslave the minds of men1 to put manacles upon the brain1 padlocks upon the lips--that is blasphemy4 ,to deny what you believe to be true1 to admit to be true what you believe to be a lie--that is blasphemy4 ,to strike the weak and unprotected1 in order that you may gain the applause of the ignorant and superstitious mob--that is blasphemy4 ,to persecute the intelligent few1 at the command of the ignorant many--that is blasphemy4 ,to forge chains1 to build dungeons1 for your honest fellow-men--that is blasphemy4 ,to pollute the souls of children with the dogma of eternal pain--that is blasphemy4 ,to violate your conscience--that is blasphemy4 ,the jury that gives an unjust verdict1 and the judge who pronounces an unjust sentence1 are blasphemers4 ,the man who bows to public opinion against his better judgment and against his honest conviction1 is a blasphemer4 ,why should we fear our fellow-men8 ,why should not each human being have the right1 so far as thought and its expression are concerned1 of all the world8 ,what harm can come from an honest interchange of thought8 ,i have been giving you my real ideas4 ,i have spoken freely1 and yet the sun rose this morning1 just the same as it always has4 ,there is no particular change visible in the world1 and ,i do not see but that we are all as happy to-day as though we had spent yesterday in making somebody else miserable4 ,i denounced on yesterday the superstitions of the ,christian world1 and yet1 last night ,i slept the sleep of peace4 ,you will pardon me for saying again that ,i feel the greatest possible interest in the result of this trial1 in the principle at stake4 ,this is my only apology1 my only excuse1 for taking your time4 ,for years ,i have felt that the great battle for human liberty1 the battle that has covered thousands of fields with heroic dead1 had finally been won4 ,when ,i read the history of this world1 of what has been endured1 of what has been suffered1 of the heroism and infinite courage of the intellectual and honest few1 battling with the countless serfs and slaves of kings and priests1 of tyranny1 of hypocrisy1 of ignorance and prejudice1 of faith and fear1 there was in my heart the hope that the great battle had been fought1 and that the human race1 in its march towards the dawn1 had passed midnight1 and that the great balance weighed up morning4 ,this hope1 this feeling1 gave me the greatest possible joy4 ,when ,i thought of the many who had been burnt1 of how often the sons of liberty had perished in ashes1 of how many o6 the noblest and greatest had stood upon scaffolds1 and of the countless hearts1 the grandest that ever throbbed in human breasts1 that had been broken by the tyranny of church and state1 of how many of the noble and loving had sighed themselves away in dungeons1 the only consolation was that the last bastile had fallen1 that the dungeons of the ,inquisition had been torn down and that the scaffolds of the world could no longer be wet with heroic blood4 ,you know that sometimes1 after a great battle has been fought1 and one of the armies has been broken1 and its fortifications carried1 there are occasional stragglers beyond the great field1 stragglers who know nothing of the fate of their army1 know nothing of the victory1 and for that reason1 fight on4 ,there are a few such stragglers in the ,state of ,new ,jersey4 ,they have never heard of the great victory4 ,they do not know that in all civilized countries the hosts of superstition have been put to flight4 ,they do not know that ,freethinkers1 ,infidels1 are to-day the leaders of the intellectual armies of the world4 ,one of the last trials of this character1 tried in ,great ,britain1--and that is the country that our ancestors fought in the sacred name of liberty1--one of the last trials in that country1 a country ruled by a state church1 ruled by a woman who was born a queen1 ruled by dukes and nobles and lords1 children of ancient robbers--was in the year #ahdc4 ,george ,jacob ,holyoake1 one of the best of the human race1 was imprisoned on a charge of ,atheism1 charged with having written a pamphlet and having made a speech in which he had denied the existence of the ,british ,god4 ,the judge who tried him1 who passed sentence upon him1 went down to his grave with a stain upon his intellect and upon his honor4 ,all the real intelligence of ,great ,britain rebelled against the outrage4 ,there was a trial after that to which ,i will call your attention4 ,judge ,coleridge1 father of the present ,chief ,justice of ,england1 presided at this trial4 ,a poor man by the name of ,thomas ,pooley1 a man who dug wells for a living1 wrote on the gate of a priest1 that1 if people would burn their ,bibles and scatter the ashes on the lands1 the crops would be better1 and that they would also save a good deal of money in tithes4 ,he wrote several sentences of a kindred character4 ,he was a curious man4 ,he had an idea that the world was a living1 breathing animal4 ,he would not dig a well beyond a certain depth for fear he might inflict pain upon this animal1 the earth4 ,he was tried before ,judge ,coleridge1 on that charge4 ,an infinite ,god was about to be dethroned1 because an honest well-digger had written his sentiments on the fence of a parson4 ,he was indicted1 tried1 convicted and sentenced to prison4 ,afterward1 many intelligent people asked for his pardon1 on the ground that he was in danger of becoming insane4 ,the judge refused to sign the petition4 ,the pardon was refused4 ,long before his sentence expired1 he became a raving maniac4 ,he was removed to an asylum and there died4 ,some of the greatest men in ,england attacked that judge1 among these1 ,mr4 ,buckle1 author of ,the ,history of ,civilization in ,england1 one of the greatest books in this world4 ,mr4 ,buckle denounced ,judge ,coleridge4 ,he brought him before the bar of ,english opinion1 and there was not a man in ,england1 whose opinion was worth anything1 who did not agree with ,mr4 ,buckle1 and did not with him1 declare the conviction of ,thomas ,pooley to be an infamous outrage4 ,what were the reasons given8 ,this1 among others3 ,the law was dead2 it had been asleep for many years2 it was a law passed during the ignorance of the ,middle ,ages1 and a law that came out of the dungeon of religious persecution2 a law that was appealed to by bigots and by hypocrites1 to punish1 to imprison an honest man4 ,in many parts of this country1 people have entertained the idea that ,new ,england was still filled with the spirit of ,puritanism1 filled with the descendants of those who killed ,quakers in the name of universal benevolence1 and traded ,quaker children in the ,barbadoes for rum1 for the purpose of establishing the fact that ,god is an infinite father4 ,yet1 the last trial in ,massachusetts on a charge like this1 was when ,abner ,kneeland was indicted on a charge of ,atheism4 ,he was tried for having written this sentence3 ,the ,universalists believe in a ,god which ,i do not4 ,he was convicted and imprisoned4 ,chief ,justice ,shaw upheld the decision1 and upheld it because he was afraid of public opinion2 upheld it1 although he must have known that the statute under which ,kneeland was indicted was clearly and plainly in violation of the ,constitution4 ,no man can read the decision of ,justice ,shaw without being convinced that he was absolutely dominated1 either by bigotry1 or hypocrisy4 ,one of the judges of that court1 a noble man1 wrote a dissenting opinion1 and in that dissenting opinion is the argument of a civilized1 of an enlightened jurist4 ,no man can answer the dissenting opinion of ,justice ,morton4 ,the case against ,kneeland was tried more than fifty years ago1 and there has been none since in the ,new ,england ,states2 and this case1 that we are now trying1 is the first ever tried in ,new ,jersey4 ,the fact that it is the first1 certifies to my interpretation of this statute1 and it also certifies to the toleration and to the civilization of the people of this ,state4 ,the statute is upon your books4 ,you inherited it from your ignorant ancestors1 and they inherited it from their savage ancestors4 ,the people of ,new ,jersey were heirs of the mistakes and of the atrocities of ancient ,england4 ,it is too late to enforce a law like this4 ,why has it been allowed to slumber8 ,who obtained this indictment8 ,were they actuated by good and noble motives8 ,had they the public weal at heart1 or were they simply endeavoring to be revenged upon this defendant8 ,were they willing to disgrace the ,state1 in order that they might punish him8 ,i have given you my definition of blasphemy1 and now the question arises1 what is worship8 ,who is a worshiper8 ,what is prayer8 ,what is real religion8 ,let me answer these questions4 ,good1 honest1 faithful work1 is worship4 ,the man who ploughs the fields and fells the forests2 the man who works in mines1 the man who battles with the winds and waves out on the wide sea1 controlling the commerce of the world2 these men are worshipers4 ,the man who goes into the forest1 leading his wife by the hand1 who builds him a cabin1 who makes a home in the wilderness1 who helps to people and civilize and cultivate a continent1 is a worshiper4 ,labor is the only prayer that ,nature answers2 it is the only prayer that deserves an answer1--good1 honest1 noble work4 ,a woman whose husband has gone down to the gutter1 gone down to degradation and filth2 the woman who follows him and lifts him out of the mire and presses him to her noble heart1 until he becomes a man once more1 this woman is a worshiper4 ,her act is worship4 ,the poor man and the poor woman who work night and day1 in order that they may give education to their children1 so that they may have a better life than their father and mother had2 the parents who deny themselves the comforts of life1 that they may lay up something to help their children to a higher place--they are worshipers2 and the children who1 after they reap the benefit of this worship1 become ashamed of their parents1 are blasphemers4 ,the man who sits by the bed of his invalid wife1--a wife prematurely old and gray1--the husband who sits by her bed and holds1 her thin1 wan hand in his as lovingly1 and kisses it as rapturously1 as passionately1 as when it was dimpled1--that is worship2 that man is a worshiper2 that is real religion4 ,whoever increases the sum of human joy1 is a worshiper4 ,he who adds to the sum of human misery1 is a blasphemer4 ,gentlemen1 you can never make me believe--no statute can ever convince me1 that there is any infinite ,being in this universe who hates an honest man4 ,it is impossible to satisfy me that there is any ,god1 or can be any ,god1 who holds in abhorrence a soul that has the courage to express his thought4 ,neither can the whole world convince me that any man should be punished1 either in this world or in the next1 for being candid with his fellow-men4 ,if you send men to the penitentiary for speaking their thoughts1 for endeavoring to enlighten their fellows1 then the penitentiary will become a place of honor1 and the victim will step from it--not stained1 not disgraced1 but clad in robes of glory4 ,let us take one more step4 ,what is holy1 what is sacred8 ,i reply that human happiness is holy1 human rights are holy4 ,the body and soul of man--these are sacred4 ,the liberty of man is of far more importance than any book2 the rights of man more sacred than any religion--than any ,scriptures1 whether inspired or not4 ,what we want is the truth1 and does any one suppose that all of the truth is confined in one book--that the mysteries of the whole world are explained by one volume8 ,all that is--all that conveys information to man--all that has been produced by the past--all that now exists--should be considered by an intelligent man4 ,all the known truths of this world--all the philosophy1 all the poems1 all the pictures1 all the statues1 all the entrancing music--the prattle of babes1 the lullaby of mothers1 the words of honest men1 the trumpet calls to duty--all these make up the bible of the world--everything that is noble and true and free1 you will find in this great book4 ,if we wish to be true to ourselves1--if we wish to benefit our fellow-men--if we wish to live honorable lives--we will give to every other human being every right that we claim for ourselves4 ,there is another thing that should be remembered by you4 ,you are the judges of the law1 as well as the judges of the facts4 ,in a case like this1 you are the final judges as to what the law is2 and if you acquit1 no court can reverse your verdict4 ,to prevent the least misconception1 let me state to you again what ,i claim3 ,first4 ,i claim that the constitution of ,new ,jersey declares that3 ,the liberty of speech shall not be abridged4 ,second4 ,that this statute1 under which this indictment is found1 is unconstitutional1 because it does abridge the liberty of speech2 it does exactly that which the constitution emphatically says shall not be done4 ,third4 ,i claim1 also1 that under this law--even if it be constitutional--the words charged in this indictment do not amount to blasphemy1 read even in the light1 or rather in the darkness1 of this statute4 ,do not1 ,i pray you1 forget this point4 ,do not forget1 that1 no matter what the ,court may tell you about the law--how good it is1 or how bad it is--no matter what the ,court may instruct you on that subject--do not forget one thing1 and that is3 ,that the words charged in the indictment are the only words that you can take into consideration in this case4 ,remember that no matter what else may be in the pamphlet--no matter what pictures or cartoons there may be of the gentlemen in ,boonton who mobbed this man in the name of universal liberty and love--do not forget that you have no right to take one word into account except the exact words set out in this indictment--that is to say1 the words that ,i have read to you4 ,upon this point the ,court will instruct you that you have nothing to do with any other line in that pamphlet2 and ,i now claim1 that should the ,court instruct you that the statute is constitutional1 still ,i insist that the words set out in this indictment do not amount to blasphemy4 ,there is still another point4 ,this statute says3 ,whoever shall willfully speak against4 ,now1 in this case1 you must find that the defendant willfully did so and so--that is to say1 that he made the statements attributed to him knowing that they were not true4 ,if you believe that he was honest in what he said1 then this statute does not touch him4 ,even under this statute1 a man may give his honest opinion4 ,certainly1 there is no law that charges a man with willfully being honest--willfully telling his real opinion--willfully giving to his fellow-men his thought4 ,where a man is charged with larceny1 the indictment must set out that he took the goods or the property with the intention to steal--with what the law calls the animus furandi4 ,if he took the goods with the intention to steal1 then he is a thief2 but if he took the goods believing them to be his own1 then he is guilty of no offence4 ,so in this case1 whatever was said by the defendant must have been willfully said4 ,and ,i claim that if you believe that what the man said was honestly said1 you cannot find him guilty under this statute4 ,one more point3 ,this statute has been allowed to slumber so long1 that no man had the right to awaken it4 ,for more than one hundred years it has slept2 and so far as ,new ,jersey is concerned1 it has been sound asleep since #affd4 ,for the first time it is dug out of its grave4 ,the breath of life is sought to be breathed into it1 to the end that some people may wreak their vengeance on an honest man4 ,is there any evidence--has there been any--to show that the defendant was not absolutely candid in the expression of his opinions8 ,is there one particle of evidence tending1 to show that he is not a perfectly honest and sincere man8 ,did the prosecution have the courage to attack his reputation8 ,no4 ,the ,state has simply proved to you that he circulated that pamphlet--that is all4 ,it was claimed1 among other things1 that the defendant circulated this pamphlet among children4 ,there was no such evidence--not the slightest4 ,the only evidence about schools1 or school-children was1 that when the defendant talked with the bill-poster1--whose business the defendant was interfering with1--he asked him something about the population of the town1 and about the schools4 ,but according to the evidence1 and as a matter of fact1 not a solitary pamphlet was ever given to any child1 or to any youth4 ,according to the testimony1 the defendant went into two or three stores1--laid the pamphlets on a show case1 or threw them upon a desk--put them upon a stand where papers were sold1 and in one instance handed a pamphlet to a man4 ,that is all4 ,in my judgment1 however1 there would have been no harm in giving this pamphlet to every citizen of your place4 ,again ,i say1 that a law that has been allowed to sleep for all these years--allowed to sleep by reason of the good sense and by reason of the tolerant spirit of the ,state of ,new ,jersey1 should not be allowed to leap into life because a few are intolerant1 or because a few lacked good sense and judgment4 ,this snake should not be warmed into vicious life by the blood of anger4 ,probably not a man on this jury agrees with me about the subject of religion4 ,probably not a member of this jury thinks that ,i am right in the opinions that ,i have entertained and have so often expressed4 ,most of you belong to some church1 and ,i presume that those who do1 have the good of what they call ,christianity at heart4 ,there maybe among you some ,methodists4 ,if so1 they have read the history of their church1 and they know that when it was in the minority1 it was persecuted1 and they know that they can not read the history of that persecution without becoming indignant4 ,they know that the early ,methodists were denounced as heretics1 as ranters1 as ignorant pretenders4 ,there are also on this jury1 ,catholics1 and they know that there is a tendency in many parts of this country to persecute a man now because he is a ,catholic4 ,they also know that their church has persecuted in times past1 whenever and wherever it had the power2 and they know that ,protestants1 when in power1 have always persecuted ,catholics2 and they know1 in their hearts1 that all persecution1 whether in the name of law1 or religion1 is monstrous1 savage1 and fiendish4 ,i presume that each one of you has the good of what you call ,christianity at heart4 ,if you have1 ,i beg of you to acquit this man4 ,if you believe ,christianity to be a good1 it never can do any church any good to put a man in jail for the expression of opinion4 ,any church that imprisons a man because he has used an argument against its creed1 will simply convince the world that it cannot answer the argument4 ,christianity will never reap any honor1 will never reap any profit1 from persecution4 ,it is a poor1 cowardly1 dastardly way of answering arguments4 ,no gentleman will do it--no civilized man ever did do it--no decent human being ever did1 or ever will4 ,i take it for granted that you have a certain regard1 a certain affection1 for the ,state in which you live--that you take a pride in the ,commonwealth of ,new ,jersey4 ,if you do1 ,i beg of you to keep the record of your ,state clean4 ,allow no verdict to be recorded against the freedom of speech4 ,at present there is not to be found on the records of any inferior court1 or on those of the ,supreme tribunal--any case in which a man has been punished for speaking his sentiments4 ,the records have not been stained--have not been polluted--with such a verdict4 ,keep such a verdict from the ,reports of your ,state--from the ,records of your courts4 ,no jury has yet1 in the ,state of ,new ,jersey1 decided that the lips of honest men are not free--that there is a manacle upon the brain4 ,for the sake of your ,state--for the sake of her reputation throughout the world--for your own sakes--and those of your children1 and their children yet to be--say to the world that ,new ,jersey shares in the spirit of this age1--that ,new ,jersey is not a survival of the ,dark ,ages1--that ,new ,jersey does not still regard the thumbscrew as an instrument of progress1--that ,new ,jersey needs no dungeon to answer the arguments of a free man1 and does not send to the penitentiary1 men who think1 and men who speak4 ,say to the world1 that where arguments are without foundation1 ,new ,jersey has confidence enough in the brains of her people to feel that such arguments can be refuted by reason4 ,for the sake of your ,state1 acquit this man4 ,for the sake of something of far more value to this world than ,new ,jersey--for the sake of something of more importance to mankind than this continent--for the sake of ,human ,liberty1 for the sake of ,free ,speech1 acquit this man4 ,what light is to the eyes1 what love is to the heart1 ,liberty is to the soul of man4 ,without it1 there come suffocation1 degradation and death4 ,in the name of ,liberty1 ,i implore--and not only so1 but ,i insist--that you shall find a verdict in favor of this defendant4 ,do not do the slightest thing to stay the march of human progress4 ,do not carry us back1 even for a moment1 to the darkness of that cruel night that good men hoped had passed away forever4 ,liberty is the condition of progress4 ,without ,liberty1 there remains only barbarism4 ,without ,liberty1 there can be no civilization4 ,if another man has not the right to think1 you have not even the right to think that he thinks wrong4 ,if every man has not the right to think1 the people of ,new ,jersey had no right to make a statute1 or to adopt a constitution--no jury has the right to render a verdict1 and no court to pass its sentence4 ,in other words1 without liberty of thought1 no human being has the right to form a judgment4 ,it is impossible that there should be such a thing as real religion without liberty4 ,without liberty there can be no such thing as conscience1 no such word as justice4 ,all human actions--all good1 all bad--have for a foundation the idea of human liberty1 and without ,liberty there can be no vice1 and there can be no virtue4 ,without ,liberty there can be no worship1 no blasphemy--no love1 no hatred1 no justice1 no progress4 ,take the word ,liberty from human speech and all the other words become poor1 withered1 meaningless sounds--but with that word realized--with that word understood1 the world becomes a paradise4 ,understand me4 ,i am not blaming the people4 ,i am not blaming the prosecution1 or the prosecuting attorney4 ,the officers of the court are simply doing what they feel to be their duty4 ,they did not find the indictment4 ,that was found by the grand jury4 ,the grand jury did not find the indictment of its own motion4 ,certain people came before the grand jury and made their complaint--gave their testimony1 and upon that testimony1 under this statute1 the indictment was found4 ,while ,i do not blame these people--they not being on trial--,i do ask you to stand on the side of right4 ,i cannot conceive of much greater happiness than to discharge a public duty1 than to be absolutely true to conscience1 true to judgment1 no matter what authority may say1 no matter what public opinion may demand4 ,a man who stands by the right1 against the world1 cannot help applauding himself1 and saying3 ,i am an honest man4 ,i want your verdict--a verdict born of manhood1 of courage2 and ,i want to send a dispatch to-day to a woman who is lying sick4 ,i wish you to furnish the words of this dispatch--only two words--and these two words will fill an anxious heart with joy4 ,they will fill a soul with light4 ,it is a very short message--only two words--and ,i ask you to furnish them3 ,not guilty4 ,you are expected to do this1 because ,i believe you will be true to your consciences1 true to your best judgment1 true to the best interests of the people of ,new ,jersey1 true to the great cause of ,liberty4 ,i sincerely hope that it will never be necessary again1 under the flag of the ,united ,states--that flag for which has been shed the bravest and best blood of the world--under that flag maintained by ,washington1 by ,jefferson1 by ,franklin and by ,lincoln--under that flag in defence of which ,new ,jersey poured out her best and bravest blood--,i hope it will never be necessary again for a man to stand before a jury and plead for the ,liberty of ,speech4 ,note3 ,the jury in this case brought in a verdict of guilty4 ,the ,judge imposed a fine of twenty-five dollars and costs amounting in all to seventy-five dollars1 which ,colonel ,ingersoll paid1 giving his services free4--,c4 ,p4 ,farrell4 ,,god ,,in ,,the ,,constitution4 ,all governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed4 ,,in this country it is admitted that the power to govern resides in the people themselves2 that they are the only rightful source of authority4 ,for many centuries before the formation of our ,government1 before the promulgation of the ,declaration of ,independence1 the people had but little voice in the affairs of nations4 ,the source of authority was not in this world2 kings were not crowned by their subjects1 and the sceptre was not held by the consent of the governed4 ,the king sat on his throne by the will of ,god1 and for that reason was not accountable to the people for the exercise of his power4 ,he commanded1 and the people obeyed4 ,he was lord of their bodies1 and his partner1 the priest1 was lord of their souls4 ,the government of earth was patterned after the kingdom on high4 ,god was a supreme autocrat in heaven1 whose will was law1 and the king was a supreme autocrat on earth whose will was law4 ,the ,god in heaven had inferior beings to do his will1 and the king on earth had certain favorites and officers to do his4 ,these officers were accountable to him1 and he was responsible to ,god4 ,the ,feudal system was supposed to be in accordance with the divine plan4 ,the people were not governed by intelligence1 but by threats and promises1 by rewards and punishments4 ,no effort was made to enlighten the common people2 no one thought of educating a peasant--of developing the mind of a laborer4 ,the people were created to support thrones and altars4 ,their destiny was to toil and obey--to work and want4 ,they were to be satisfied with huts and hovels1 with ignorance and rags1 and their children must expect no more4 ,in the presence of the king they fell upon their knees1 and before the priest they groveled in the very dust4 ,the poor peasant divided his earnings with the state1 because he imagined it protected his body2 he divided his crust with the church1 believing that it protected his soul4 ,he was the prey of ,throne and ,altar--one deformed his body1 the other his mind--and these two vultures fed upon his toil4 ,he was taught by the king to hate the people of other nations1 and by the priest to despise the believers in all other religions4 ,he was made the enemy of all people except his own4 ,he had no sympathy with the peasants of other lands1 enslaved and plundered like himself41 ,he was kept in ignorance1 because education is the enemy of superstition1 and because education is the foe of that egotism often mistaken for patriotism4 ,the intelligent and good man holds in his affections the good and true of every land--the boundaries of countries are not the limitations of his sympathies4 ,caring nothing for race1 or color1 he loves those who speak other languages and worship other gods4 ,between him and those who suffer1 there is no impassable gulf4 ,he salutes the world1 and extends the hand of friendship to the human race4 ,he does not bow before a provincial and patriotic god--one who protects his tribe or nation1 and abhors the rest of mankind4 ,through all the ages of superstition1 each nation has insisted that it was the peculiar care of the true ,god1 and that it alone had the true religion--that the gods of other nations were false and fraudulent1 and that other religions were wicked1 ignorant and absurd4 ,in this way the seeds of hatred had been sown1 and in this way have been kindled the flames of war4 ,men have had no sympathy with those of a different complexion1 with those who knelt at other altars and expressed their thoughts in other words--and even a difference in garments placed them beyond the sympathy of others4 ,every peculiarity was the food of prejudice and the excuse for hatred4 ,the boundaries of nations were at last crossed by commerce4 ,people became somewhat acquainted1 and they found that the virtues and vices were quite evenly distributed4 ,at last1 subjects became somewhat acquainted with kings--peasants had the pleasure of gazing at princes1 and it was dimly perceived that the differences were mostly in rags and names4 ,in #aggf our fathers endeavored to retire the gods from politics4 ,they declared that all governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed4 ,this was a contradiction of the then political ideas of the world2 it was1 as many believed1 an act of pure blasphemy--a renunciation of the ,deity4 ,it was in fact a declaration of the independence of the earth4 ,it was a notice to all churches and priests that thereafter mankind would govern and protect themselves4 ,politically it tore down every altar and denied the authority of every sacred book1 and appealed from the ,providence of ,god to the ,providence of ,man4 ,those who promulgated the ,declaration adopted a ,constitution for the great ,republic4 ,what was the office or purpose of that ,constitution8 ,admitting that all power came from the people1 it was necessary1 first1 that certain means be adopted for the purpose of ascertaining the will of the people1 and second1 it was proper and convenient to designate certain departments that should exercise certain powers of the ,government4 ,there must be the legislative1 the judicial and the executive departments4 ,those who make laws should not execute them4 ,those who execute laws should not have the power of absolutely determining their meaning or their constitutionality4 ,for these reasons1 among others1 a ,constitution was adopted4 ,this ,constitution also contained a declaration of rights4 ,it marked out the limitations of discretion1 so that in the excitement of passion1 men shall not go beyond the point designated in the calm moment of reason4 ,when man is unprejudiced1 and his passions subject to reason1 it is well he should define the limits of power1 so that the waves driven by the storm of passion shall not overbear the shore4 ,a constitution is for the government of man in this world4 ,it is the chain the people put upon their servants1 as well as upon themselves4 ,it defines the limit of power and the limit of obedience4 ,it follows1 then1 that nothing should be in a constitution that cannot be enforced by the power of the state--that is1 by the army and navy4 ,behind every provision of the ,constitution should stand the force of the nation4 ,every sword1 every bayonet1 every cannon should be there4 ,suppose1 then1 that we amend the ,constitution and acknowledge the existence and supremacy of ,god--what becomes of the supremacy of the people1 and how is this amendment to be enforced8 ,a constitution does not enforce itself4 ,it must be carried out by appropriate legislation4 ,will it be a crime to deny the existence of this constitutional ,god8 ,can the offender be proceeded against in the criminal courts8 ,can his lips be closed by the power of the state8 ,would not this be the inauguration of religious persecution8 ,and if there is to be an acknowledgment of ,god in the ,constitution1 the question naturally arises as to which ,god is to have this honor4 ,shall we select the ,god of the ,catholics--he who has established an infallible church presided over by an infallible pope1 and who is delighted with certain ceremonies and placated by prayers uttered in exceedingly common ,latin8 ,is it the ,god of the ,presbyterian with the ,five ,points of ,calvinism1 who is ingenious enough to harmonize necessity and responsibility1 and who in some way justifies himself for damning most of his own children8 ,is it the ,god of the ,puritan1 the enemy of joy--of the ,baptist1 who is great enough to govern the universe1 and small enough to allow the destiny of a soul to depend on whether the body it inhabited was immersed or sprinkled8 ,what ,god is it proposed to put in the ,constitution8 ,is it the ,god of the ,old ,testament1 who was a believer in slavery and who justified polygamy8 ,if slavery was right then1 it is right now2 and if ,jehovah was right then1 the ,mormons are right now4 ,are we to have the ,god who issued a commandment against all art--who was the enemy of investigation and of free speech8 ,is it the ,god who commanded the husband to stone his wife to death because she differed with him on the subject of religion8 ,are we to have a ,god who will re-enact the ,mosaic code and punish hundreds of offences with death8 ,what court1 what tribunal of last resort1 is to define this ,god1 and who is to make known his will8 ,in his presence1 laws passed by men will be of no value4 ,the decisions of courts will be as nothing4 ,but who is to make known the will of this supreme ,god8 ,will there be a supreme tribunal composed of priests8 ,of course all persons elected to office will either swear or affirm to support the ,constitution4 ,men who do not believe in this ,god1 cannot so swear or affirm4 ,such men will not be allowed to hold any office of trust or honor4 ,a ,god in the ,constitution will not interfere with the oaths or affirmations of hypocrites4 ,such a provision will only exclude honest and conscientious unbelievers4 ,intelligent people know that #aaj one knows whether there is a ,god or not4 ,the existence of such a ,being is merely a matter of opinion4 ,men who believe in the liberty of man1 who are willing to die for the honor of their country1 will be excluded from taking any part in the administration of its affairs4 ,such a provision would place the country under the feet of priests4 ,to recognize a ,deity in the organic law of our country would be the destruction of religious liberty4 ,the ,god in the ,constitution would have to be protected4 ,there would be laws against blasphemy1 laws against the publication of honest thoughts1 laws against carrying books and papers in the mails in which this constitutional ,god should be attacked4 ,our land would be filled with theological spies1 with religious eavesdroppers1 and all the snakes and reptiles of the lowest natures1 in this sunshine of religious authority1 would uncoil and crawl4 ,it is proposed to acknowledge a ,god who is the lawful and rightful ,governor of nations2 the one who ordained the powers that be4 ,if this ,god is really the ,governor of nations1 it is not necessary to acknowledge him in the ,constitution4 ,this would not add to his power4 ,if he governs all nations now1 he has always controlled the affairs of men4 ,having this control1 why did he not see to it that he was recognized in the ,constitution of the ,united ,states8 ,if he had the supreme authority and neglected to put himself in the ,constitution1 is not this1 at least1 prima facie evidence that he did not desire to be there8 ,for one1 ,i am not in favor of the ,god who has ordained the powers that be4 ,what have we to say of ,russia--of ,siberia8 ,what can we say of the persecuted and enslaved8 ,what of the kings and nobles who live on the stolen labor of others8 ,what of the priest and cardinal and pope who wrest1 even from the hand of poverty1 the single coin thrice earned8 ,is it possible to flatter the ,infinite with a constitutional amendment8 ,the ,confederate ,states acknowledged ,god in their constitution1 and yet they were overwhelmed by a people in whose organic law no reference to ,god is made4 ,all the kings of the earth acknowledge the existence of ,god1 and ,god is their ally2 and this belief in ,god is used as a means to enslave and rob1 to govern and degrade the people whom they call their subjects4 ,the ,government of the ,united ,states is secular4 ,it derives its power from the consent of man4 ,it is a ,government with which ,god has nothing whatever to do--and all forms and customs1 inconsistent with the fundamental fact that the people are the source of authority1 should be abandoned4 ,in this country there should be no oaths--no man should be sworn to tell the truth1 and in no court should there be any appeal to any supreme being4 ,a rascal by taking the oath appears to go in partnership with ,god1 and ignorant jurors credit the firm instead of the man4 ,a witness should tell his story1 and if he speaks falsely should be considered as guilty of perjury4 ,governors and ,presidents should not issue religious proclamations4 ,they should not call upon the people to thank ,god4 ,it is no part of their official duty4 ,it is outside of and beyond the horizon of their authority4 ,there is nothing in the ,constitution of the ,united ,states to justify this religious impertinence4 ,for many years priests have attempted to give to our ,government a religious form4 ,zealots have succeeded in putting the legend upon our money3 ,in ,god ,we ,trust2 and we have chaplains in the army and navy1 and legislative proceedings are usually opened with prayer4 ,all this is contrary to the genius of the ,republic1 contrary to the ,declaration of ,independence1 and contrary really to the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,we have taken the ground that the people can govern themselves without the assistance of any supernatural power4 ,we have taken the position that the people are the real and only rightful source of authority4 ,we have solemnly declared that the people must determine what is politically right and what is wrong1 and that their legally expressed will is the supreme law4 ,this leaves no room for national superstition--no room for patriotic gods or supernatural beings--and this does away with the necessity for political prayers4 ,the government of ,god has been tried4 ,it was tried in ,palestine several thousand years ago1 and the ,god of the ,jews was a monster of cruelty and ignorance1 and the people governed by this ,god lost their nationality4 ,theocracy was tried through the ,middle ,ages4 ,god was the ,governor--the pope was his agent1 and every priest and bishop and cardinal was armed with credentials from the ,most ,high--and the result was that the noblest and best were in prisons1 the greatest and grandest perished at the stake4 ,the result was that vices were crowned with honor1 and virtues whipped naked through the streets4 ,the result was that hypocrisy swayed the sceptre of authority1 while honesty languished in the dungeons of the ,inquisition4 ,the government of ,god was tried in ,geneva when ,john ,calvin was his representative2 and under this government of ,god the flames climbed around the limbs and blinded the eyes of ,michael ,servetus1 because he dared to express an honest thought4 ,this government of ,god was tried in ,scotland1 and the seeds of theological hatred were sown1 that bore1 through hundreds of years1 the fruit of massacre and assassination4 ,this government of ,god was established in ,new ,england1 and the result was that ,quakers were hanged or burned--the laws of ,moses re-enacted and the witch was not suffered to live4 ,the result was that investigation was a crime1 and the expression of an honest thought a capital offence4 ,this government of ,god was established in ,spain1 and the ,jews were expelled1 the ,moors were driven out1 ,moriscoes were exterminated1 and nothing left but the ignorant and bankrupt worshipers of this monster4 ,this government of ,god was tried in the ,united ,states when slavery was regarded as a divine institution1 when men and women were regarded as criminals because they sought for liberty by flight1 and when others were regarded as criminals because they gave them food and shelter4 ,the pulpit of that day defended the buying and selling of women and babes1 and the mouths of slave-traders were filled with passages of ,scripture1 defending and upholding the traffic in human flesh4 ,we have entered upon a new epoch4 ,this is the century of man4 ,every effort to really better the condition of mankind has been opposed by the worshipers of some ,god4 ,the church in all ages and among all peoples has been the consistent enemy of the human race4 ,everywhere and at all times1 it has opposed the liberty of thought and expression4 ,it has been the sworn enemy of investigation and of intellectual development4 ,it has denied the existence of facts1 the tendency of which was to undermine its power4 ,it has always been carrying fagots to the feet of ,philosophy4 ,it has erected the gallows for ,genius4 ,it has built the dungeon for ,thinkers4 ,and to-day the orthodox church is as much opposed as it ever was to the mental freedom of the human race4 ,of course1 there is a distinction made between churches and individual members4 ,there have been millions of ,christians who have been believers in liberty and in the freedom of expression--millions who have fought for the rights of man--but churches as organizations1 have been on the other side4 ,it is true that churches have fought churches--that ,protestants battled with the ,catholics for what they were pleased to call the freedom of conscience2 and it is also true that the moment these ,protestants obtained the civil power1 they denied this freedom of conscience to others4 ',let me show you the difference between the theological and the secular spirit4 ,nearly three hundred years ago1 one of the noblest of the human race1 ,giordano ,bruno1 was burned at ,rome by the ,catholic ,church--that is to say1 by the ,triumphant ,beast4 ,this man had committed certain crimes--he had publicly stated that there were other worlds than this--other constellations than ours4 ,he had ventured the supposition that other planets might be peopled4 ,more than this1 and worse than this1 he had asserted the heliocentric theory--that the earth made its annual journey about the sun4 ,he had also given it as his opinion that matter is eternal4 ,for these crimes he was found unworthy to live1 and about his body were piled the fagots of the ,catholic ,church4 ,this man1 this genius1 this pioneer of the science of the nineteenth century1 perished as serenely as the sun sets4 ,the ,infidels of to-day find excuses for his murderers4 ,they take into consideration the ignorance and brutality of the times4 ,they remember that the world was governed by a ,god who was then the source of all authority4 ,this is the charity of ,infidelity1--of philosophy4 ,but the church of to-day is so heartless1 is still so cold and cruel1 that it can find no excuse for the murdered4 ,this is the difference between ,theocracy and ,democracy--between ,god and man4 ,if ,god is allowed in the ,constitution1 man must abdicate4 ,there is no room for both4 ,if the people of the great ,republic become superstitious enough and ignorant enough to put ,god in the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 the experiment of self-government will have failed1 and the great and splendid declaration that all governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed will have been denied1 and in its place will be found this3 ,all power comes from ,god2 priests are his agents1 and the people are their slaves4 ,religion is an individual matter1 and each soul should be left entirely free to form its own opinions and to judge of its accountability to a supposed supreme being4 ,with religion1 government has nothing whatever to do4 ,government is founded upon force1 and force should never interfere with the religious opinions of men4 ,laws should define the rights of men and their duties toward each other1 and these laws should be for the benefit of man in this world4 ,a nation can neither be ,christian nor ,infidel--a nation is incapable of having opinions upon these subjects4 ,if a nation is ,christian1 will all the citizens go to heaven8 ,if it is not1 will they all be damned8 ,of course it is admitted that the majority of citizens composing a nation may believe or disbelieve1 and they may call the nation what they please4 ,a nation is a corporation4 ,to repeat a familiar saying1 it has no soul4 ,there can be no such thing as a ,christian corporation4 ,several ,christians may form a corporation1 but it can hardly be said that the corporation thus formed was included in the atonement4 ,for instance3 ,seven ,christians form a corporation--that is to say1 there are seven natural persons and one artificial--can it be said that there are eight souls to be saved8 ,no human being has brain enough1 or knowledge enough1 or experience enough1 to say whether there is1 or is not1 a ,god4 ,into this darkness ,science has not yet carried its torch4 ,no human being has gone beyond the horizon of the natural4 ,as to the existence of the supernatural1 one man knows precisely as much1 and exactly as little as another4 ,upon this question1 chimpanzees and cardinals1 apes and popes1 are upon exact equality4 ,the smallest insect discernible only by the most powerful microscope1 is as familiar with this subject1 as the greatest genius that has been produced by the human race4 ,governments and laws are for the preservation of rights and the regulation of conduct4 ,one man should not be allowed to interfere with the liberty of another4 ,in the metaphysical world there should be no interference whatever1 ,the same is true in the world of art4 ,laws cannot regulate what is or is not music1 what is or what is not beautiful--and constitutions cannot definitely settle and determine the perfection of statues1 the value of paintings1 or the glory and subtlety of thought4 ,in spite of laws and constitutions the brain will think4 ,in every direction consistent with the well-being and peace of society1 there should be freedom4 ,no man should be compelled to adopt the theology of another2 neither should a minority1 however small1 be forced to acquiesce in the opinions of a majority1 however large4 ,if there be an infinite ,being1 he does not need our help--we need not waste our energies in his defence4 ,it is enough for us to give to every other human being the liberty we claim for ourselves4 ,there may or may not be a ,supreme ,ruler of the universe--but we are certain that man exists1 and we believe that freedom is the condition of progress2 that it is the sunshine of the mental and moral world1 and that without it man will go back to the den of savagery1 and will become the fit associate of wild and ferocious beasts4 ,we have tried the government of priests1 and we know that such governments are without mercy4 ,in the administration of theocracy1 all the instruments of torture have been invented4 ,if any man wishes to have ,god recognized in the ,constitution of our country1 let him read the history of the ,inquisition1 and let him remember that hundreds of millions of men1 women and children have been sacrificed to placate the wrath1 or win the approbation of this ,god4 ,there has been in our country a divorce of church and state4 ,this follows as a natural sequence of the declaration that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed4 ,the priest was no longer a necessity4 ,his presence was a contradiction of the principle on which the ,republic was founded4 ,he represented1 not the authority of the people1 but of some ,power from on ,high1 and to recognize this other ,power was inconsistent with free government4 ,the founders of the ,republic at that time parted company with the priests1 and said to them3 ,you may turn your attention to the other world--we will attend to the affairs of this4 ,equal liberty was given to all4 ,but the ultra theologian is not satisfied with this--he wishes to destroy the liberty of the people--he wishes a recognition of his ,god as the source of authority1 to the end that the church may become the supreme power4 ,but the sun will not be turned backward4 ,the people of the ,united ,states are intelligent4 ,they no longer believe implicitly in supernatural religion4 ,they are losing confidence in the miracles and marvels of the ,dark ,ages4 ,they know the value of the free school4 ,they appreciate the benefits of science4 ,they are believers in education1 in the free play of thought1 and there is a suspicion that the priest1 the theologian1 is destined to take his place with the necromancer1 the astrologer1 the worker of magic1 and the professor of the black art4 ,we have already compared the benefits of theology and science4 ,when the theologian governed the world1 it was covered with huts and hovels for the many1 palaces and cathedrals for the few4 ,to nearly all the children of men1 reading and writing were unknown arts4 ,the poor were clad in rags and skins--they devoured crusts1 and gnawed bones4 ,the day of ,science dawned1 and the luxuries of a century ago are the necessities of to-day4 ,men in the middle ranks of life have more of the conveniences and elegancies than the princes and kings of the theological times4 ,but above and over all this1 is the development of mind4 ,there is more of value in the brain of an average man of to-day--of a master-mechanic1 of a chemist1 of a naturalist1 of an inventor1 than there was in the brain of the world four hundred years ago4 ,these blessings did not fall from the skies1 ,these benefits did not drop from the outstretched hands of priests4 ,they were not found in cathedrals or behind altars--neither were they searched for with holy candles4 ,they were not discovered by the closed eyes of prayer1 nor did they come in answer to superstitious supplication4 ,they are the children of freedom1 the gifts of reason1 observation and experience--and for them all1 man is indebted to man4 ,let us hold fast to the sublime declaration of ,lincoln4 ,let us insist that this1 the ,republic1 is ,a government of the people1 by the people1 and for the people4--,the ,arena1 ,boston1 ,mass41 ,january1 #ahij4 ,a ,,reply ,,to ,,bishop ,,spalding4 99 ,an unfinished reply to ,bishop ,j4 ,l4 ,spalding's article ,god in the ,constitution1 which appeared in the ,arena4 ,boston1 ,mass41 ,april1 #ahij4 ,,bishop ,,spalding admits that ,the introduction of the question of religion would not only have brought discord into the ,constitutional convention1 but would have also engendered strife throughout the land4 ,undoubtedly this is true4 ,i am compelled to admit this1 for the reason that in all times and in all lands the introduction of the question of religion has brought discord and has engendered strife4 ,he also says3 ,in the presence of such danger1 like wise men and patriots1 they avoided irritating subjects--the irritating subject being the question of religion4 ,i admit that it always has been1 and promises always to be1 an irritating subject1 because it is not a subject decided by reason1 but by ignorance1 prejudice1 arrogance and superstition4 ,consequently he says3 ,it was prudence1 then1 not skepticism1 which induced them to leave the question of religion to the several ,states4 ,the ,bishop admits that it was prudent for the founders of this ,government to leave the question of religion entirely to the ,states4 ,it was prudent because the question of religion is irritating--because religious questions engender strife and hatred4 ,now1 if it was prudent for the framers of the ,constitution to leave religion out of the ,constitution1 and allow that question to be settled by the several ,states themselves under that clause preventing the establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof1 why is it not wise still--why is it not prudent now8 ,my article was written against the introduction of religion into the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,i am opposed to a recognition of ,god and of ,jesus ,christ in that instrument2 and the reason ,i am opposed to it is1 that3 ,the introduction of the question of religion would not only bring discord1 but would engender strife throughout the land4 ,i am opposed to it for the reason that religion is an irritating subject1 and also because if it was prudent when the ,constitution was made1 to leave ,god out1 it is prudent now to keep him out4 ,the ,bishop is mistaken--as bishops usually are--when he says3 ,had our fathers been skeptics1 or anti-theists1 they would not have required the ,president and ,vice-,president1 the ,senators and ,representatives in ,congress1 and all executive and judicial officers of the ,united ,states1 to call ,god to witness that they intended to perform their duties under the ,constitution like honest men and loyal citizens4 ,the framers of the ,constitution did no such thing4 ,they allowed every officer1 from the ,president down1 either to swear or to affirm1 and those who affirmed did not call ,god to witness4 ,in other words1 our ,constitution allowed every officer to abolish the oath and to leave ,god out of the question4 ,the ,bishop informs us1 however1 that3 ,the causes which would have made it unwise to introduce any phase of religious controversy into the ,constitutional convention have long since ceased to exist4 ,is there as much division now in the religious world as then8 ,has the ,catholic ,church thrown away the differences between it and the ,protestants8 ,are we any better friends to-day than we were in #aghi8 ,as a matter of fact1 is there not now a cause which did not to the same extent exist then8 ,have we not in the ,united ,states1 millions of people who believe in no religion whatever1 and who regard all creeds as the work of ignorance and superstition8 ,the trouble about putting ,god in the ,constitution in #aghi was1 that they could not agree on the ,god to go in2 and the reason why our fathers did not unite church and state was1 that they could not agree on which church was to be the bride4 ,the ,catholics of ,maryland certainly would not have permitted the nation to take the ,puritan ,church1 neither would the ,presbyterians of ,pennsylvania have agreed to this1 nor would the ,episcopalians of ,new ,york1 or of any ,southern ,state4 ,each church said3 ,marry me1 or die a bachelor4 ,the ,bishop asks whether there are still reasons why an express recognition of ,god's sovereignty and providence should not form part of the organic law of the land8 ,i ask1 were there any reasons1 in #aghi1 why an express recognition of ,god's sovereignty and providence should not form part of the organic law of the land8 ,did not the ,bishop say1 only a few lines back of that1 that the introduction of the question of religion into that body would have brought discord1 and would have engendered strife throughout the land4 ,what is the question of religion to which he referred8 ,certainly the recognition of ,god's sovereignty and providence1 with the addition of describing the ,god as the author of the supposed providence4 ,thomas ,jefferson would have insisted on having a ,god in the ,constitution who was not the author of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,benjamin ,franklin would have asked for the same ,god2 and on that question ,john ,adams would have voted yes4 ,others would have voted for a ,catholic ,god--others for an ,episcopalian1 and so on1 until the representatives of the various creeds were exhausted4 ,i took the ground1 and ,i still take the ground1 that there is nothing in the ,constitution that cannot on occasion be enforced by the army and navy--that is to say1 that cannot be defended and enforced by the sword4 ,suppose ,god is acknowledged in the ,constitution1 and somebody denies the existence of this ,god--what are you to do with him8 ,every man elected to office must swear or affirm that he will support the ,constitution4 ,can one who does not believe in this ,god1 conscientiously take such oath1 or make such affirmation8 ,the effect1 then1 of such a clause in the ,constitution would be to drive from public life all except the believers in this ,god1 and this providence4 ,the ,government would be in fact a theocracy and would resort for its preservation to one of the old forms of religious persecution4 ,i took the ground in my article1 and still maintain it1 that all intelligent people know that no one knows whether there is a ,god or not4 ,this cannot be answered by saying1 that nearly all intelligent men in every age1 including our own1 have believed in ,god and have held that they had rational grounds for such faith4 ,this is what is called a departure in pleading--it is a shifting of the issue4 ,i did not say that intelligent people do not believe in the existence of ,god4 ,what ,i did say is1 that intelligent people know that no one knows whether there is a ,god or not4 ,it is not true that we know the conditions of thought4 ,neither is it true that we know that these conditions are unconditioned4 ,there is no such thing as the unconditioned conditional4 ,we might as well say that the relative is unrelated--that the unrelated is the absolute--and therefore that there is no difference between the absolute and the relative4 ,the ,bishop says we cannot know the relative without knowing the absolute4 ,the probability is that he means that we cannot know the relative without admitting the existence of the absolute1 and that we cannot know the phenomenal without taking the noumenal for granted4 ,still1 we can neither know the absolute nor the noumenal for the reason that our mind is limited to relations4 ,,crimes ,,against ,,criminals4 99 ,an ,address delivered before the ,state ,bar ,association at ,albany1 ,n4 ,y41 ,january #a1 #ahij4 ,,in this brief address1 the object is to suggest--there being no time to present arguments at length4 ,the subject has been chosen for the reason that it is one that should interest the legal profession1 because that profession to a certain extent controls and shapes the legislation of our country and fixes definitely the scope and meaning of all laws4 ,lawyers ought to be foremost in legislative and judicial reform1 and of all men they should understand the philosophy of mind1 the causes of human action1 and the real science of government4 ,it has been said that the three pests of a community are3 ,a priest without charity2 a doctor without knowledge1 and1 a lawyer without a sense of justice4 ,i4 ,all nations seem to have had supreme confidence in the deterrent power of threatened and inflicted pain4 ,they have regarded punishment as the shortest road to reformation4 ,imprisonment1 torture1 death1 constituted a trinity under whose protection society might feel secure4 ,in addition to these1 nations have relied on confiscation and degradation1 on maimings1 whippings1 brandings1 and exposures to public ridicule and contempt4 ,connected with the court of justice was the chamber of torture4 ,the ingenuity of man was exhausted in the construction of instruments that would surely reach the most sensitive nerve4 ,all this was done in the interest of civilization--for the protection of virtue1 and the well-being of states4 ,curiously it was found that the penalty of death made little difference4 ,thieves and highwaymen1 heretics and blasphemers1 went on their way4 ,it was then thought necessary to add to this penalty of death1 and consequently1 the convicted were tortured in every conceivable way before execution4 ,they were broken on the wheel--their joints dislocated on the rack4 ,they were suspended by their legs and arms1 while immense weights were placed upon their breasts4 ,their flesh was burned and torn with hot irons4 ,they were roasted at slow fires4 ,they were buried alive--given to wild beasts--molten lead was poured in their ears--their eye-lids were cut off and1 the wretches placed with their faces toward the sun--others were securely bound1 so that they could move neither hand nor foot1 and over their stomachs were placed inverted bowls2 under these bowls rats were confined2 on top of the bowls were heaped coals of fire1 so that the rats in their efforts to escape would gnaw into the bowels of the victims4 ,they were staked out on the sands of the sea1 to be drowned by the slowly rising tide--and every means by which human nature can be overcome slowly1 painfully and terribly1 was conceived and carried into execution4 ,and yet the number of so-called criminals increased4 ,enough1 the fact is that1 no matter how severe the punishments were1 the crimes increased4 ,for petty offences men were degraded--given to the mercy of the rabble4 ,their ears were cut off1 their nostrils slit1 their foreheads branded4 ,they were tied to the tails of carts and flogged from one town to another4 ,and yet1 in spite of all1 the poor wretches obstinately refused to become good and useful citizens4 ,degradation has been thoroughly tried1 with its maimings and brandings1 and the result was that those who inflicted the punishments became as degraded as their victims4 ,only a few years ago there were more than two hundred offences in ,great ,britain punishable by death4 ,the gallows-tree bore fruit through all the year1 and the hangman was the busiest official in the kingdom--but the criminals increased4 ,crimes were committed to punish crimes1 and crimes were committed to prevent crimes4 ,the world has been filled with prisons and dungeons1 with chains and whips1 with crosses and gibbets1 with thumbscrews and racks1 with hangmen and headsmen--and yet these frightful means and instrumentalities and crimes have accomplished little for the preservation of property or life4 ,it is safe to say that governments have committed far more crimes than they have prevented4 ,why is it that men will suffer and risk so much for the sake of stealing8 ,why will they accept degradation and punishment and infamy as their portion8 ,some will answer this question by an appeal to the dogma of original sin2 others by saying that millions of men and women are under the control of fiends--that they are actually possessed by devils2 and others will declare that all these people act from choice--that they are possessed of free wills1 of intelligence--that they know and appreciate consequences1 and that1 in spite of all1 they deliberately prefer a life of crime4 ,,ii4 ,have we not advanced far enough intellectually to deny the existence of chance8 ,are we not satisfied now that back of every act and thought and dream and fancy is an efficient cause8 ,is anything1 or can anything1 be produced that is not necessarily produced8 ,can the fatherless and motherless exist8 ,is there not a connection between all events1 and is not every act related to all other acts8 ,is it not possible1 is it not probable1 is it not true1 that the actions of all men are determined by countless causes over which they have no positive control8 ,certain it is that men do not prefer unhappiness to joy4 ,it can hardly be said that man intends permanently to injure himself1 and that he does what he does in order that he may live a life of misery4 ,on the other hand1 we must take it for granted that man endeavors to better his own condition1 and seeks1 although by mistaken ways1 his own well-being4 ,the poorest man would like to be rich--the sick desire health--and no sane man wishes to win the contempt and hatred of his fellow-men4 ,every human being prefers liberty to imprisonment4 ,are the brains of criminals exactly like the brains of honest men8 ,have criminals the same ambitions1 the same standards of happiness or of well-being8 ,if a difference exists in brain1 will that in part account for the difference in character8 ,is there anything in heredity8 ,are vices as carefully transmitted by nature as virtues8 ,does each man in some degree bear burdens imposed by ancestors8 ,we know that diseases of flesh and blood are transmitted--that the child is the heir of physical deformity4 ,are diseases of the brain--are deformities of the soul1 of the mind1 also transmitted8 ,we not only admit1 but we assert1 that in the physical world there are causes and effects4 ,we insist that there is and can be no effect without an efficient cause4 ,when anything happens in that world1 we are satisfied that it was naturally and necessarily produced4 ,the causes may be obscure1 but we as implicitly believe in their existence as when we know positively what they are4 ,in the physical world we have taken the ground that there is nothing miraculous--that everything is natural--and if we cannot explain it1 we account for our inability to explain1 by our own ignorance4 ,is it not possible1 is it not probable1 that what is true in the physical world is equally true in the realm of mind--in that strange world of passion and desire8 ,is it possible that thoughts or desires or passions are the children of chance1 born of nothing8 ,can we conceive of nothing as a force1 or as a cause8 ,if1 then1 there is behind every thought and desire and passion an efficient cause1 we can1 in part at least1 account for the actions of men4 ,a certain man under certain conditions acts in a certain way4 ,there are certain temptations that he1 with his brain1 with his experience1 with his intelligence1 with his surroundings cannot withstand4 ,he is irresistibly led to do1 or impelled to do1 certain things2 and there are other things that he can not do4 ,if we change the conditions of this man1 his actions will be changed4 ,develop his mind1 give him new subjects of thought1 and you change the man2 and the man being ,changed1 it follows of necessity that his conduct will be different4 ,in civilized countries the struggle for existence is severe--the competition far sharper than in savage lands4 ,the consequence is that there are many failures4 ,these failures lack1 it may be1 opportunity or brain or moral force or industry1 or something without which1 under the circumstances1 success is impossible4 ,certain lines of conduct are called legal1 and certain others criminal1 and the men who fail in one line may be driven to the other4 ,how do we know that it is possible for all people to be honest8 ,are we certain that all people can tell the truth8 ,is it possible for all men to be generous or candid or courageous8 ,i am perfectly satisfied that there are millions of people incapable of committing certain crimes1 and it may be true that there are millions of others incapable of practicing certain virtues4 ,we do not blame a man because he is not a sculptor1 a poet1 a painter1 or a statesman4 ,we say he has not the genius4 ,are we certain that it does not require genius to be good8 ,where is the man with intelligence enough to take into consideration the circumstances of each individual case8 ,who has the mental balance with which to weigh the forces of heredity1 of want1 of temptation1--and who can analyze with certainty the mysterious motions of the brain8 ,where and what are the sources of vice and virtue8 ,in what obscure and shadowy recesses of the brain are passions born8 ,and what is it that for the moment destroys the sense of right and wrong8 ,who knows to what extent reason becomes the prisoner of passion--of some strange and wild desire1 the seeds of which were sown1 it may be1 thousands of years ago in the breast of some savage8 ,to what extent do antecedents and surroundings affect the moral sense8 ,is it not possible that the tyranny of governments1 the injustice of nations1 the fierceness of what is called the law1 produce in the individual a tendency in the same direction8 ,is it not true that the citizen is apt to imitate his nation8 ,society degrades its enemies--the individual seeks to degrade his4 ,society plunders its enemies1 and now and then the citizen has the desire to plunder his4 ,society kills its enemies1 and possibly sows in the heart of some citizen the seeds of murder4 ,,iii4 ,is it not true that the criminal is a natural product1 and that society unconsciously produces these children of vice8 ,can we not safely take another step1 and say that the criminal is a victim1 as the diseased and insane and deformed are victims8 ,we do not think of punishing a man because he is afflicted with disease--our desire is to find a cure4 ,we send him1 not to the penitentiary1 but to the hospital1 to an asylum4 ,we do this because we recognize the fact that disease is naturally produced--that it is inherited from parents1 or the result of unconscious negligence1 or it may be of recklessness--but instead of punishing1 we pity4 ,if there are diseases of the mind1 of the brain1 as there are diseases of the body2 and if these diseases of the mind1 these deformities of the brain1 produce1 and necessarily produce1 what we call vice1 why should we punish the-criminal1 and pity those who are physically diseased8 ,socrates1 in some respects at least one of the wisest of men1 said3 ,it is strange that you should not be angry when you meet a man with an ill-conditioned body1 and yet be vexed when you encounter one with an ill-conditioned soul4 ,we know that there are deformed bodies1 and we are equally certain that there are deformed minds4 ,of course1 society has the right to protect itself1 no matter whether the persons who attack its well-being are responsible or not1 no matter whether they are sick in mind1 or deformed in brain4 ,the right of self-defence exists1 not only in the individual1 but in society4 ,the great question is1 ,how shall this right of self-defence be exercised8 ,what spirit shall be in the nation1 or in society--the spirit of revenge1 a desire to degrade and punish and destroy1 or a spirit born of the recognition of the fact that criminals are victims8 ,the world has thoroughly tried confiscation1 degradation1 imprisonment1 torture and death1 and thus far the world has failed4 ,in this connection ,i call your attention to the following statistics gathered in our own country3 ,in #ahej1 we had twenty-three millions of people1 and between six and seven thousand prisoners4 ,in #ahfj--thirty-one millions of people1 and nineteen thousand prisoners4 ,in #ahgj--thirty-eight millions of people1 and thirty-two thousand prisoners4 ,in #ahhj--;fifty millions of people1 and fifty-eight thousand prisoners4 ,it may be curious to note the relation between insanity1 pauperism and crime3 ,in #ahej1 there were fifteen thousand insane2 in #ahfj1 twenty-four thousand2 in #ahgj1 thirty-seven thousand2 in #ahhj1 ninety-one thousand4 ,in the light of these statistics1 we are not succeeding in doing away with crime4 ,there were in #ahhj1 fifty-eight thousand prisoners1 and in the same year fifty-seven thousand homeless children1 and sixty-six thousand paupers in almshouses4 ,is it possible that we must go to the same causes for these effects8 ,,iv4 ,there is no reformation in degradation4 ,to mutilate a criminal is to say to all the world that he is a criminal1 and to render his reformation substantially impossible4 ,whoever is degraded by society becomes its enemy4 ,the seeds of malice are sown in his heart1 and to the day of his death he will hate the hand that sowed the seeds4 ,there is also another side to this question4 ,a punishment that degrades the punished will degrade the man who inflicts the punishment1 and will degrade the government that procures the infliction4 ,the whipping-post pollutes1 not only the whipped1 but the whipper1 and not only the whipper1 but the community at large4 ,wherever its shadow falls it degrades4 ,if1 then1 there is no reforming power in degradation--no deterrent power--for the reason that the degradation of the criminal degrades the community1 and in this way produces more criminals1 then the next question is1 ,whether there is any reforming power in torture8 ,the trouble with this is that it hardens and degrades to the last degree the ministers of the law4 ,those who are not affected by the agonies of the bad will in a little time care nothing for the sufferings of the good4 ,there seems to be a little of the wild beast in men--a something that is fascinated by suffering1 and that delights in inflicting pain4 ,when a government tortures1 it is in the same state of mind that the criminal was when he committed his crime4 ,it requires as much malice in those who execute the law1 to torture a criminal1 as it did in the criminal to torture and kill his victim4 ,the one was a crime by a person1 the other by a nation4 ,there is something in injustice1 in cruelty1 that tends to defeat itself4 ,there were never as many traitors in ,england as when the traitor was drawn and quartered--when he was tortured in every possible way--when his limbs1 torn and bleeding1 were given to the fury of mobs or exhibited pierced by pikes or hung in chains4 ,these frightful punishments produced intense hatred of the government1 and traitors continued to increase until they became powerful enough to decide what treason was and who the traitors were1 and to inflict the same torments on others4 ,think for a moment of what man has suffered in the cause of crime4 ,think of the millions that have been imprisoned1 impoverished and degraded because they were thieves and forgers1 swindlers and cheats4 ,think for a moment of what they have endured--of the difficulties under which they have pursued their calling1 and it will be exceedingly hard to believe that they were sane and natural people possessed of good brains1 of minds well-poised1 and that they did what they did from a choice unaffected by heredity and the countless circumstances that tend to determine the conduct of human beings4 ,the other day ,i was asked these questions3 ,has there been as much heroism displayed for the right as for the wrong8 ,has virtue had as many martyrs as vice8 ,for hundreds of years the world has endeavored to destroy the good by force4 ,the expression of honest thought was regarded as the greatest of crimes4 ,dungeons were filled by the noblest and the best1 and the blood of the bravest was shed by the sword or consumed by flame4 ,it was impossible to destroy the longing in the heart of man for liberty and truth4 ,is it not possible that brute force and cruelty and revenge1 imprisonment1 torture and death are as impotent to do away with vice as to destroy virtue8 ,in our country there has been for many years a growing feeling that convicts should neither be degraded nor tortured4 ,it was provided in the ,constitution of the ,united ,states that cruel and unusual punishments should not be inflicted4 ,benjamin ,franklin took great interest in the treatment of prisoners1 being a thorough believer in the reforming influence of justice1 having no confidence whatever in punishment for punishment's sake4 ,to me it has always been a mystery how the average man1 knowing something of the weakness of human nature1 something of the temptations to which he himself has been exposed--remembering the evil of his life1 the things he would have done had there been opportunity1 had he absolutely known that discovery would be impossible--should have feelings of hatred toward the imprisoned4 ,is it possible that the average man assaults the criminal in a spirit of self-defence8 ,does he wish to convince his neighbors that the evil thought and impulse were never in his mind8 ,are his words a shield that he uses to protect himself from suspicion8 ,for my part1 ,i sympathize sincerely with all failures1 with the victims of society1 with those who have fallen1 with the imprisoned1 with the hopeless1 with those who have been stained by verdicts of guilty1 and with those who1 in the moment of passion have destroyed1 as with a blow1 the future of their lives4 ,how perilous1 after all1 is the state of man4 ,it is the work of a life to build a great and splendid character4 ,it is the work of a moment to destroy it utterly1 from turret to foundation stone4 ,how cruel hypocrisy is6 ,is there any remedy8 ,can anything be done for the reformation of the criminal8 ,he should be treated with kindness4 ,every right should be given him1 consistent with the safety of society4 ,he should neither be degraded nor robbed4 ,the ,state should set the highest and noblest example4 ,the powerful should never be cruel1 and in the breast of the supreme there should be no desire for revenge4 ,a man in a moment of want steals the property of another1 and he is sent to the penitentiary--first1 as it is claimed1 for the purpose of deterring others2 and secondly1 of reforming him4 ,the circumstances of each individual case are rarely inquired into4 ,investigation stops when the simple fact of the larceny has been ascertained4 ,no distinctions are made except as between first and subsequent offences4 ,nothing is allowed for surroundings4 ,all will admit that the industrious must be protected4 ,in this world it is necessary to work4 ,labor is the foundation of all prosperity4 ,larceny is the enemy of industry4 ,society has the right to protect itself4 ,the question is1 ,has it the right to punish8--has it the right to degrade8--or should it endeavor to reform the convict8 ,a man is taken to the penitentiary4 ,he is clad in the garments of a convict4 ,he is degraded--he loses his name--he is designated by a number4 ,he is no longer treated as a human being--he becomes the slave of the ,state4 ,nothing is done for his improvement--nothing for his reformation4 ,he is driven like a beast of burden2 robbed of his labor2 leased1 it may be1 by the ,state to a contractor1 who gets out of his hands1 out of his muscles1 out of his poor brain1 all the toil that he can4 ,he is not allowed to speak with a fellow-prisoner4 ,at night he is alone in his cell4 ,the relations that should exist between men are destroyed4 ,he is a convict4 ,he is no longer worthy to associate even with his keepers4 ,the jailer is immensely his superior1 and the man who turns the key upon him at night regards himself1 in comparison1 as a model of honesty1 of virtue and manhood4 ,the convict is pavement on which those who watch him walk4 ,he remains for the time of his sentence1 and when that expires he goes forth a branded man4 ,he is given money enough to pay his fare back to the place from whence he came4 ,what is the condition of this man8 ,can he get employment8 ,not if he honestly states who he is and where he has been4 ,the first thing he does is to deny his personality1 to assume a name4 ,he endeavors by telling falsehoods to lay the foundation for future good conduct4 ,the average man does not wish to employ an ex-convict1 because the average man has no confidence in the reforming power of the penitentiary4 ,he believes that the convict who comes out is worse than the convict who went in4 ,he knows that in the penitentiary the heart of this man has been hardened--that he has been subjected to the torture of perpetual humiliation--that he has been treated like a ferocious beast2 and so he believes that this ex-convict has in his heart hatred for society1 that he feels he has been degraded and robbed4 ,under these circumstances1 what avenue is opened to the ex-convict8 ,if he changes his name1 there will be some detective1 some officer of the law1 some meddlesome wretch1 who will betray his secret4 ,he is then discharged4 ,he seeks employment again1 and he must seek it by again telling what is not true4 ,he is again detected and again discharged4 ,and finally he becomes convinced that he cannot live as an honest man4 ,he naturally drifts back into the society of those who have had a like experience2 and the result is that in a little while he again stands in the dock1 charged with the commission of another crime4 ,again he is sent to the penitentiary--and this is the end4 ,he feels that his day is done1 that the future has only degradation for him4 ,the men in the penitentiaries do not work for themselves4 ,their labor belongs to others4 ,they have no interest in their toil--no reason for doing the best they can--and the result is that the product of their labor is poor4 ,this product comes in competition with the work of mechanics1 honest men1 who have families to support1 and the cry is that convict labor takes the bread from the mouths of virtuous people4 ,,vi4 ,why should the ,state take without compensation the labor of these men2 and why should they1 after having been imprisoned for years1 be turned out without the means of support8 ,would it not be far better1 far more economical1 to pay these men for their labor1 to lay aside their earnings from day to day1 from month to month1 and from year to year--to put this money at interest1 so that when the convict is released after five years of imprisonment he will have several hundred dollars of his own--not merely money enough to pay his way back to the place from which he was sent1 but enough to make it possible for him to commence business on his own account1 enough to keep the wolf of crime from the door of his heart8 ,suppose the convict comes out with five hundred dollars4 ,this would be to most of that class a fortune4 ,it would form a breastwork1 a fortress1 behind which the man could fight temptation4 ,this would give him food and raiment1 enable him to go to some other ,state or country where he could redeem himself4 ,if this were done1 thousands of convicts would feel under immense obligation to the ,government4 ,they would think of the penitentiary as the place in which they were saved--in which they were redeemed--and they would feel that the verdict of guilty rescued them from the abyss of crime4 ,under these circumstances1 the law would appear beneficent1 and the heart of the poor convict1 instead of being filled with malice1 would overflow with gratitude4 ,he would see the propriety of the course pursued by the ,government4 ,he would recognize and feel and experience the benefits of this course1 and the result would be good1 not only to him1 but to the nation as well4 ,if the convict worked for himself1 he would do the best he could1 and the wares produced in the penitentiaries would not cheapen the labor of other men4 ,,vii4 ,there are1 however1 men who pursue crime as a vocation--as a profession--men who have been convicted again and again1 and who will persist in using the liberty of intervals to prey upon the rights of others4 ,what shall be done with these men and women8 ,put one thousand hardened thieves on an island--compel them to produce what they eat and use--and ,i am almost certain that a large majority would be opposed to theft4 ,those who worked would not permit those who did not1 to steal the result of their labor4 ,in other words1 self-preservation would be the dominant idea1 and these men would instantly look upon the idlers as the enemies of their society4 ,such a community would be self-supporting4 ,let women of the same class be put by themselves4 ,keep the sexes absolutely apart4 ,those who are beyond the power of reformation should not have the liberty to reproduce themselves4 ,those who cannot be reached by kindness--by justice--those who under no circumstances are willing to do their share1 should be separated4 ,they should dwell apart1 and dying1 should leave no heirs4 ,what shall be done with the slayers of their fellow-men--with murderers8 ,shall the nation take life8 ,it has been contended that the death penalty deters others--that it has far more terror than imprisonment for life4 ,what is the effect of the example set by a nation8 ,is not the tendency to harden and degrade not only those who inflict and those who witness1 but the entire community as well8 ,a few years ago a man was hanged in ,alexandria1 ,virginia4 ,one who witnessed the execution1 on that very day1 murdered a peddler in the ,smithsonian grounds at ,washington4 ,he was tried and executed1 and one who witnessed his hanging went home1 and on the same day murdered his wife4 ,the tendency of the extreme penalty is to prevent conviction4 ,in the presence of death it is easy for a jury to find a doubt4 ,technicalities become important1 and absurdities1 touched with mercy1 have the appearance for a moment of being natural and logical4 ,honest and conscientious men dread a final and irrevocable step4 ,if the penalty were imprisonment for life1 the jury would feel that if any mistake were made it could be rectified2 but where the penalty is death a mistake is fatal4 ,a conscientious man takes into consideration the defects of human nature--the uncertainty of testimony1 and the countless shadows that dim and darken the understanding1 and refuses to find a verdict that1 if wrong1 cannot be righted4 ,the death penalty1 inflicted by the ,government1 is a perpetual excuse for mobs4 ,the greatest danger in a ,republic is a mob1 and as long as ,states inflict the penalty of death1 mobs will follow the example4 ,if the ,state does not consider life sacred1 the mob1 with ready rope1 will strangle the suspected4 ,the mob will say3 ,the only difference is in the trial2 the ,state does the same--we know the man is guilty--why should time be wasted in technicalities8 ,in other words1 why may not the mob do quickly that which the ,state does slowly8 ,every execution tends to harden the public heart--tends to lessen the sacredness of human life4 ,in many ,states of this ,union the mob is supreme4 ,for certain offences the mob is expected to lynch the supposed criminal4 ,it is the duty of every citizen--and as it seems to me especially of every lawyer--to do what he can to destroy the mob spirit4 ,one would think that men would be afraid to commit any crime in a community where the mob is in the ascendency1 and yet1 such are the contradictions and subtleties of human nature1 that it is exactly the opposite4 ,and there is another thing in this connection--the men who constitute the mob are1 as a rule1 among the worst1 the lowest1 and the most depraved4 ,a few years ago1 in ,illinois1 a man escaped from jail1 and1 in escaping1 shot the sheriff4 ,he was pursued1 overtaken--lynched4 ,the man who put the rope around his neck was then out on bail1 having been indicted for an assault to murder4 ,and after the poor wretch was dead1 another man climbed the tree from which he dangled and1 in derision1 put a cigar in the mouth of the dead2 and this man was on bail1 having been indicted for larceny4 ,those who are the fiercest to destroy and hang their fellow-men for having committed crimes1 are1 for the most part1 at heart1 criminals themselves4 ,as long as nations meet on the fields of war--as long as they sustain the relations of savages to each other--as long as they put the laurel and the oak on the brows of those who kill--just so long will citizens resort to violence1 and the quarrels of individuals be settled by dagger and revolver4 ,,viii4 ,if we are to change the conduct of men1 we must change their conditions4 ,extreme poverty and crime go hand in hand4 ,destitution multiplies temptations and destroys the finer feelings4 ,the bodies and souls of men are apt to be clad in like garments4 ,if the body is covered with rags1 the soul is generally in the same condition4 ,selfrespect is gone--the man looks down--he has neither hope nor courage4 ,he becomes sinister--he envies the prosperous--hates the fortunate1 and despises himself4 ,as long as children are raised in the tenement and gutter1 the prisons will be full4 ,the gulf between the rich and poor will grow wider and wider4 ,one will depend on cunning1 the other on force4 ,it is a great question whether those who live in luxury can afford to allow others to exist in want4 ,the value of property depends1 not on the prosperity of the few1 but on the prosperity of a very large majority4 ,life and property must be secure1 or that subtle thing called value takes its leave4 ,the poverty of the many is a perpetual menace4 ,if we expect a prosperous and peaceful country1 the citizens must have homes4 ,the more homes1 the more patriots1 the more virtue1 and the more security for all that gives worth to life4 ,we need not repeat the failures of the old world4 ,to divide lands among successful generals1 or among favorites of the crown1 to give vast estates for services rendered in war1 is no worse than to allow men of great wealth to purchase and hold vast tracts of land4 ,the result is precisely the same--that is to say1 a nation composed of a few landlords and of many tenants--the tenants resorting from time to time to mob violence1 and the landlords depending upon a standing army4 ,the property of no man1 however1 should be taken for either private or public use without just compensation and in accordance with law4 ,there is in the ,state what is known as the right of eminent domain4 ,the ,state reserves to itself the power to take the land of any private citizen for a public use1 paying to that private citizen a just compensation to be legally ascertained4 ,when a corporation wishes to build a railway1 it exercises this right of eminent domain1 and where the owner of land refuses to sell a right of way1 or land for the establishment of stations or shops1 and the corporation proceeds to condemn the land to ascertain its value1 and when the amount thus ascertained is paid1 the property vests in the corporation4 ,this power is exercised because in the estimation of the people the construction of a railway is a public good4 ,i believe that this power should be exercised in another direction4 ,it would be well as it seems to me1 for the ,legislature to fix the amount of land that a private citizen may own1 that will not be subject to be taken for the use of which ,i am about to speak4 ,the amount to be thus held will depend upon many local circumstances1 to be decided by each ,state for itself4 ,let me suppose that the amount of land that may be held for a farmer for cultivation has been fixed at one hundred and sixty acres--and suppose that ,a has several thousand acres4 ,b wishes to buy one hundred and sixty acres or less of this land1 for the purpose of making himself a home4 ,a refuses to sell4 ,now1 ,i believe that the law should be so that ,b can invoke this right of eminent domain1 and file his petition1 have the case brought before a jury1 or before commissioners1 who shall hear the evidence and determine the value1 and on the payment of the amount the land shall belong to ,b4 ,i would extend the same law to lots and houses in cities and villages--the object being to fill our country with the owners of homes1 so that every child shall have a fireside1 every father and mother a roof1 provided they have the intelligence1 the energy and the industry to acquire the necessary means4 ,tenements and flats and rented lands are1 in my judgment1 the enemies of civilization4 ,they make the rich richer1 and the poor poorer4 ,they put a few in palaces1 but they put many in prisons4 ,i would go a step further than this4 ,i would exempt homes of a certain value not only from levy and sale1 but from every kind of taxation1 ,state and ,national--so that these poor people would feel that they were in partnership with nature--that some of the land was absolutely theirs1 and that no one could drive them from their home--so that mothers could feel secure4 ,if the home increased in value1 and exceeded the limit1 then taxes could be paid on the excess2 and if the home were sold1 ,i would have the money realized exempt for a certain time in order that the family should have the privilege of buying another home4 ,the home1 after all1 is the unit of civilization1 of good government2 and to secure homes for a great majority of our citizens1 would be to lay the foundation of our ,government deeper and broader and stronger than that of any nation that has existed among men4 ,,ix4 ,no one places a higher value upon the free school than ,i do2 and no one takes greater pride in the prosperity of our colleges and universities4 ,but at the same time1 much that is called education simply unfits men successfully to fight the battle of life4 ,thousands are to-day studying things that will be of exceedingly little importance to them or to others4 ,much valuable time is wasted in studying languages that long ago were dead1 and histories in which there is no truth4 ,there was an idea in the olden time--and it is not yet dead--that whoever was educated ought not to work2 that he should use his head and not his hands4 ,graduates were ashamed to be found engaged in manual labor1 in ploughing fields1 in sowing or in gathering grain4 ,to this manly kind of independence they preferred the garret and the precarious existence of an unappreciated poet1 borrowing their money from their friends1 and their ideas from the dead4 ,the educated regarded the useful as degrading--they were willing to stain their souls to keep their hands white4 ,the object of all education should be to increase the use fulness of man--usefulness to himself and others4 ,every human being should be taught that his first duty is to take care of himself1 and that to be self-respecting he must be self-supporting4 ,to live on the labor of others1 either by force which enslaves1 or by cunning which robs1 or by borrowing or begging1 is wholly dishonorable4 ,every man should be taught some useful art4 ,his hands should be educated as well as his head4 ,he should be taught to deal with things as they are--with life as it is4 ,this would give a feeling of independence1 which is the firmest foundation of honor1 of character4 ,every man knowing that he is useful1 admires himself4 ,in all the schools children should be taught to work in wood and iron1 to understand the construction and use of machinery1 to become acquainted with the great forces that man is using to do his work4 ,the present system of education teaches names1 not things4 ,it is as though we should spend years in learning the names of cards1 without playing a game4 ,in this way boys would learn their aptitudes--would ascertain what they were fitted for--what they could do4 ,it would not be a guess1 or an experiment1 but a demonstration4 ,education should increase a boy's chances for getting a living4 ,the real good of it is to get food and roof and raiment1 opportunity to develop the mind and the body and live a full and ample life4 ,the more real education1 the less crime--and the more homes1 the fewer prisons4 ,x4 ,the fear of punishment may deter some1 the fear of exposure others2 but there is no real reforming power in fear or punishment4 ,men cannot be tortured into greatness1 into goodness4 ,all this1 as ,i said before1 has been thoroughly tried4 ,the idea that punishment was the only relief1 found its limit1 its infinite1 in the old doctrine of eternal pain2 but the believers in that dogma stated distinctly that the victims never would be1 and never could be1 reformed4 ,as men become civilized they become capable of greater pain and of greater joy4 ,to the extent that the average man is capable of enjoying or suffering1 to that extent he has sympathy with others4 ,the average man1 the more enlightened he becomes1 the more apt he is to put himself in the place of another4 ,he thinks of his prisoner1 of his employee1 of his tenant--and he even thinks beyond these2 he thinks of the community at large4 ,as man becomes civilized he takes more and more into consideration circumstances and conditions4 ,he gradually loses faith in the old ideas and theories that every man can do as he wills1 and in the place of the word wills1 he puts the word must4 ,the time comes to the intelligent man when in the place of punishments he thinks of consequences1 results--that is to say1 not something inflicted by some other power1 but something necessarily growing out of what is done4 ,the clearer men perceive the consequences of actions1 the better they will be4 ,behind consequences we place no personal will1 and consequently do not regard them as inflictions1 or punishments4 ,consequences1 no matter how severe they may be1 create in the mind no feeling of resentment1 no desire for revenge4' ,we do not feel bitterly toward the fire because it burns1 or the frost that freezes1 or the flood that overwhelms1 or the sea that drowns--because we attribute to these things no motives1 good or bad4 ,so1 when through the development of the intellect man perceives not only the nature1 but the absolute certainty of consequences1 he refrains from certain actions1 and this may be called reformation through the intellect--and surely there is no better reformation than this4 ,some may be1 and probably millions have been1 reformed1 through kindness1 through gratitude--made better in the sunlight of charity4 ,in the atmosphere of kindness the seeds of virtue burst into bud and flower4 ,cruelty1 tyranny1 brute force1 do not and can not by any possibility better the heart of man4 ,he who is forced upon his knees has the attitude1 but never the feeling1 of prayer4 ,i am satisfied that the discipline of the average prison hardens and degrades4 ,it is for the most part a perpetual exhibition of arbitrary power4 ,there is really no appeal4 ,the cries of the convict are not heard beyond the walls4 ,the protests die in cells1 and the poor prisoner feels that the last tie between him and his fellow-men has been broken4 ,he is kept in ignorance of the outer world4 ,the prison is a cemetery1 and his cell is a grave4 ,in many of the penitentiaries there are instruments of torture1 and now and then a convict is murdered4 ,inspections and investigations go for naught1 because the testimony of a convict goes for naught4 ,he is generally prevented by fear from telling his wrongs2 but if he speaks1 he is not believed--he is regarded as less than a human being1 and so the imprisoned remain without remedy4 ,when the visitors are gone1 the convict who has spoken is prevented from speaking again4 ,every manly feeling1 every effort toward real reformation1 is trampled under foot1 so that when the convict's time is out there is little left on which to build4 ,he has been humiliated to the last degree1 and his spirit has so long been bent by authority and fear that even the desire to stand erect has almost faded from the mind4 ,the keepers feel that they are safe1 because no matter what they do1 the convict when released will not tell the story of his wrongs1 for if he conceals his shame1 he must also hide their guilt4 ,every penitentiary should be a real reformatory4 ,that should be the principal object for the establishment of the prison4 ,the men in charge should be of the kindest and noblest4 ,they should be filled with divine enthusiasm for humanity1 and every means should be taken to convince the prisoner that his good is sought--that nothing is done for revenge--nothing for a display of power1 and nothing for the gratification of malice4 ,he should feel that the warden is his unselfish friend4 ,when a convict is charged with a violation of the rules--with insubordination1 or with any offence1 there should be an investigation in due and proper form1 giving the convict an opportunity to be heard4 ,he should not be for one moment the victim of irresponsible power4 ,he would then feel that he had some rights1 and that some little of the human remained in him still4 ,they should be taught things of value--instructed by competent men4 ,pains should be taken1 not to punish1 not to degrade1 but to benefit and ennoble4 ,we know1 if we know anything1 that men in the penitentiaries are not altogether bad1 and that many out are not altogether good2 and we feel that in the brain and heart of all1 there are the seeds of good and bad4 ,we know1 too1 that the best are liable to fall1 and it may be that the worst1 under certain conditions1 may be capable of grand and heroic deeds4 ,of one thing we may be assured--and that is1 that criminals will never be reformed by being robbed1 humiliated and degraded4 ,ignorance1 filth1 and poverty are the missionaries of crime4 ,as long as dishonorable success outranks honest effort--as long as society bows and cringes before the great thieves1 there will be little ones enough to fill the jails4 ,,xi4 ,all the penalties1 all the punishments1 are inflicted under a belief that man can do right under all circumstances--that his conduct is absolutely under his control1 and that his will is a pilot that can1 in spite of winds and tides1 reach any port desired4 ,all this is1 in my judgment1 a mistake4 ,it is a denial of the integrity of nature4 ,it is based upon the supernatural and miraculous1 and as long as this mistake remains the corner-stone of criminal jurisprudence1 reformation will be impossible4 ,we must take into consideration the nature of man--the facts of mind--the power of temptation--the limitations of the intellect--the force of habit--the result of heredity--the power of passion--the domination of want--the diseases of the brain--the tyranny of appetite--the cruelty of conditions--the results of association--the effects of poverty and wealth1 of helplessness and power4 ,until these subtle things are understood--until we know that man1 in spite of all1 can certainly pursue the highway of the right1 society should not impoverish and degrade1 should not chain and kill those who1 after all1 may be the helpless victims of unknown causes that are deaf and blind4 ,we know something of ourselves--of the average man--of his thoughts1 passions1 fears and aspirations--something of his sorrows and his joys1 his weakness1 his liability to fall--something of what he resists--the struggles1 the victories and the failures of his life4 ,we know something of the tides and currents of the mysterious sea--something of the circuits of the wayward winds--but we do not know where the wild storms are born that wreck and rend4 ,neither do we know in what strange realm the mists and clouds are formed that darken all the heaven of the mind1 nor from whence comes the tempest of the brain in which the will to do1 sudden as the lightning's flash1 seizes and holds the man until the dreadful deed is done that leaves a curse upon the soul4 ,we do not know4 ,our ignorance should make us hesitate4 ,our weakness should make us merciful4 ,i cannot more fittingly close this address than by quoting the prayer of the ,buddhist3 ,i pray thee to have pity on the vicious--thou hast already had pity on the virtuous by making them so4 ,a ,,wooden ,,god4 ,to the ,editor3 ,to-day ,messrs4 ,wright1 ,dickey1 ,o',connor1 and ,murch1 of the select committee on the causes of the present depression of labor1 presented the majority special report upon ,chinese immigration4 ,these gentlemen are in great fear for the future of our most holy and perfectly authenticated religion1 and have1 like faithful watchmen1 from the walls and towers of ,zion1 hastened to give the alarm4 ,they have informed ,congress that ,joss has his temple of worship in the ,chinese quarters1 in ,san ,francisco4 ,within the walls of a dilapidated structure is exposed to the view of the faithful the god of the ,chinaman1 and here are his altars of worship4 ,here he tears up his pieces of paper2 here he offers up his prayers2 here he receives his religious consolations1 and here is his road to the celestial land2 that ,joss is located in a long1 narrow room in a building in a back alley1 upon a kind of altar2 that he is a wooden image1 looking as much like an alligator as like a human being2 that the ,chinese think there is such a place as heaven2 that all classes of ,chinamen worship idols2 that the temple is open every day at all hours2 that the ,chinese have no ,sunday2 that this heathen god has huge jaws1 a big red tongue1 large white teeth1 a half-dozen arms1 and big1 fiery eyeballs4 ,about him are placed offerings of meat and other eatables--a sacrificial offering4 99,a letter to the ,chicago ,times1 written at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 ,march #bg1ahhj4 ,no wonder that these members of the committee were shocked at such an image of ,god1 knowing as they did that the only true ,god was correctly described by the inspired lunatic of ,patmos in the following words3 ,and there sat in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks one like unto the ,son of man1 clothed with a garment down to the foot1 and girt about the paps with a golden girdle4 ,his head and his hairs were white like wool1 as white as snow2 and his eyes were as a flame of fire2 and his feet like unto fine brass1 as if they burned in a furnace2 and his voice as the sound of many waters4 ,and he had in his right hand seven stars3 and out of his mouth went a sharp1 two-edged sword3 and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength4 ,certainly a large mouth filled with white teeth is preferable to one used as the scabbard of a sharp1 two-edged sword4 ,why should these gentlemen object to a god with big1 fiery eyeballs1 when their own ,deity has eyes like a flame of fire8 ,is it not a little late in the day to object to people because they sacrifice meat and other eatables to their god8 ,we all know that for thousands of years the real ,god was exceedingly fond of roasted meat2 that he loved the savor of burning flesh1 and delighted in the perfume of fresh1 warm blood4 ,the following account of the manner in which the living ,god desired that his chosen people should sacrifice1 tends to show the degradation and religious blindness of the ,chinese3 ,aaron therefore went unto the altar1 and slew the calf of the sin offering1 which was for himself4 ,and the sons of ,aaron brought the blood unto him3 and he dipped his finger in the blood1 and put it upon the horns of the altar1 and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar3 ,but the fat1 and the kidneys1 and the caul above the liver of the sin offering1 he burnt upon the altar2 as the ,lord commanded ,moses4 ,and the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp4 ,and he slew the burnt offering2 and ,aaron's sons presented unto him the blood1 which he sprinkled round about upon the altar4 99 99 99 ,and he brought the meat offering1 and took a handful thereof1 and burnt it upon the altar4 99 99 99 ,he slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offering1 which was for the people3 and ,aaron's sons presented unto him the blood1 which he sprinkled upon the altar round about1 and the fat of the bullock and of the ram1 the rump1 and that which covereth the inwards and the kidneys1 and the caul above the liver1 and they put the fat upon the breasts1 and he burnt the fat upon the altar4 ,and the breast and the right shoulder ,aaron waved for a wave offering before the ,lord1 as ,moses commanded4 ,if the ,chinese only did something like this1 we would know that they worshiped the living ,god4 ,the idea that the supreme head of the ,american system of religion can be placated with a little meat and ordinary eatables is simply preposterous4 ,he has always asked for blood1 and has always asserted that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin4 ,the world is also informed by these gentlemen that the idolatry of the ,chinese produces a demoralizing effect upon our ,american youth by bringing sacred things into disrespect1 and making religion a theme of disgust and contempt4 ,in ,san ,francisco there are some three hundred thousand people4 ,is it possible that a few ,chinese can bring our holy religion into disgust and contempt8 ,in that city there are fifty times as many churches as joss-houses4 ,scores of sermons are uttered every week2 religious books and papers are plentiful as leaves in autumn1 and somewhat dryer2 thousands of ,bibles are within the reach of all4 ,and there1 too1 is the example of a ,christian city4 ,why should we send missionaries to ,china if we can not convert the heathen when they come here8 ,when missionaries go to a foreign land1 the poor1 benighted people have to take their word for the blessings showered upon a ,christian people2 but when the heathen come here they can see for themselves4 ,what was simply a story becomes a demonstrated fact4 ,they come in contact with people who love their enemies4 ,they see that in a ,christian land men tell the truth2 that they will not take advantage of strangers2 that they are just and patient1 kind and tender2 that they never resort to force2 that they have no prejudice on account of color1 race1 or religion2 that they look upon mankind as brethren2 that they speak of ,god as a universal ,father1 and are willing to work1 and even to suffer1 for the good not only of their own countrymen1 but of the heathen as well4 ,all this the ,chinese see and know1 and why they still cling to the religion of their country is to me a matter of amazement4 ,we all know that the disciples of ,jesus do unto others as they would that others should do unto them1 and that those of ,confucius do not unto others anything that they would not that others should do unto them4 ,surely1 such peoples ought to live together in perfect peace4 ,rising with the subject1 growing heated with a kind of holy indignation1 these ,christian representatives of a ,christian people most solemnly declare that3 ,anyone who is really endowed with a correct knowledge of our religious system1 which acknowledges the existence of a living ,god and an accountability to him1 and a future state of reward and punishment1 who feels that he has an apology for this abominable pagan worship is not a fit person to be ranked as a good citizen of the ,american ,union4 ,it is absurd to make any apology for its toleration4 ,it must be abolished1 and the sooner the decree goes forth by the power of this ,government the better it will be for the interests of this land4 ,i take this1 the earliest opportunity1 to inform these gentlemen composing a majority of the committee1 that we have in the ,united ,states no religious system2 that this is a secular ,government4 ,that it has no religious creed2 that it does not believe or disbelieve in a future state of reward and punishment2 that it neither affirms nor denies the existence of a living ,god2 and that the only god1 so far as this ,government is concerned1 is the legally expressed will of a majority of the people4 ,under our flag the ,chinese have the same right to worship a wooden god that you have to worship any other4 ,the ,constitution protects equally the church of ,jehovah and the house of ,joss4 ,whatever their relative positions may be in heaven1 they stand upon a perfect equality in the ,united ,states4 ,this ,government is an ,infidel ,government4 ,we have a ,constitution with man put in and ,god left out2 and it is the glory of this country that we have such a ,constitution4 ,it may be surprising to you that ,i have an apology for pagan worship1 yet ,i have4 ,and it is the same one that ,i have for the writers of this report4 ,i account for both by the word superstition4 ,why should we object to their worshiping ,god as they please8 ,if the worship is improper1 the protestation should come not from a committee of ,congress1 but from ,god himself4 ,if he is satisfied that is sufficient4 ,our religion can only be brought into contempt by the actions of those who profess to be governed by its teachings4 ,this report will do more in that direction than millions of ,chinese could do by burning pieces of paper before a wooden image4 ,if you wish to impress the ,chinese with the value of your religion1 of what you are pleased to call ,the ,american system1 show them that ,christians are better than heathens4 ,prove to them that what you are pleased to call the living ,god teaches higher and holier things1 a grander and purer code of morals than can be found upon pagan pages4 ,excel these wretches in industry1 in honesty1 in reverence for parents1 in cleanliness1 in frugality2 and above all by advocating the absolute liberty of human thought4 ,do not trample upon these people because they have a different conception of things about which even this committee knows nothing4 ,give them the same privilege you enjoy of making a ,god after their own fashion4 ,and let them describe him as they will4 ,would you be willing to have them remain1 if one of their race1 thousands of years ago1 had pretended to have seen ,god1 and had written of him as follows3 ,there went up a smoke out of his nostrils1 and fire out of his mouth devoured3 coals were kindled by it1 99 99 99 and he rode upon a cherub and did fly4 ,why should you object to these people on account of their religion8 ,your objection has in it the spirit of hate and intolerance4 ,of that spirit the ,inquisition was born4 ,that spirit lighted the fagot1 made the thumbscrew1 put chains upon the limbs1 and lashes upon the backs of men4 ,the same spirit bought and sold1 captured and kidnapped human beings2 sold babes1 and justified all the horrors of slavery4 ,congress has nothing to do with the religion of the people4 ,its members are not responsible to ,god for the opinions of their constituents1 and it may tend to the happiness of the constituents for me to state that they are in no way responsible for the religion of the members4 ,religion is an individual1 not a national1 matter4 ,and where the nation interferes with the right of conscience1 the liberties of the people are devoured by the monster superstition4 ,if you wish to drive out the ,chinese1 do not make a pretext of religion4 ,do not pretend that you are trying to do ,god a favor4 ,injustice in his name is doubly detestable4 ,the assassin can not sanctify his dagger by falling on his knees1 and it does not help a falsehood if it be uttered as a prayer4 ,religion1 used to intensify the hatred of men toward men under the pretence of pleasing ,god1 has cursed this world4 ,a portion of this most remarkable report is intensely religious4 ,there is in it almost the odor of sanctity2 and when reading it1 one is impressed with the living piety of its authors4 ,but on the twenty-fifth page there are a few passages that must pain the hearts of true believers4 ,leaving their religious views1 the members immediately betake themselves to philosophy and prediction4 ,listen3 ,the ,chinese race and the ,american citizen1 whether native-born or one who is eligible to our naturalization laws and becomes a citizen1 are in a state of antagonism4 ,they cannot1 or will not1 ever meet upon common ground1 and occupy together the same social level4 ,this is impossible4 ,the pagan and the ,christian travel different paths4 ,this one believes in a living ,god2 and that one in a type of monsters and the worship of wood and stone4 ,thus in the religion of the two races of men they are as wide apart as the poles of the two hemispheres4 ,they cannot now and never will approach the same religious altar4 ,the ,christian will not recede to barbarism1 nor will the ,chinese advance to the enlightened belt 7whatever it is7 of civilization4 99 99 99 ,he cannot be converted to those modern ideas of religious worship which have been accepted by ,europe and which crown the ,american system4 ,christians used to believe that through their religion all the nations of the earth were finally to be blest4 ,in accordance with that belief missionaries have been sent to every land1 and untold wealth has been expended for what has been called the spread of the gospel4 ,i am almost sure that ,i have read somewhere that ,christ died for all men1 and that ,god is no respecter of persons4 ,it was once taught that it was the duty of ,christians to tell all people the tidings of great joy4 ,i have never believed these things myself1 but have always contended that an honest merchant was the best missionary4 ,commerce makes friends1 religion makes enemies2 the one enriches and the other impoverishes2 the one thrives best where the truth is told1 the other where falsehoods are believed4 ,for myself1 ,i have but little confidence in any business or enterprise or investment that promises dividends only after the death of the stockholders4 ,but ,i am astonished that four ,christian statesmen1 four members of ,congress1 in the last quarter of the nineteenth century1 who seriously object to people on account of their religious convictions1 should still assert that the very religion in which they believe--and the only religion established by the living ,god1 head of the ,american system--is not adapted to the spiritual needs of one-third of the human race4 ,it is amazing that these four gentlemen have1 in the defence of the ,christian religion1 announced the discovery that it is wholly inadequate for the civilization of mankind2 that the light of the cross can never penetrate the darkness of ,china2 that all the labors of the missionary1 the example of the good1 the exalted character of our civilization1 make no impression upon the pagan life of the ,chinese2 and that even the report of this committee will not tend to elevate1 refine1 and ,christianize the yellow heathen of the ,pacific coast4 ,in the name of religion these gentlemen have denied its power1 and mocked at the enthusiasm of its founder4 ,worse than this1 they have predicted for the ,chinese a future of ignorance and idolatry in this world1 and1 if the ,american system of religion is true1 hell-fire in the next4 ,for the benefit of these four philosophers and prophets ,i will give a few extracts from the writings of ,confucius1 that will1 in my judgment1 compare favorably with the best passages of their report3 ,my doctrine is that man must be true to the principles of his nature1 and the benevolent exercise of them toward others4 ,with coarse rice to eat1 with water to drink1 and with my bended arm for a pillow1 ,i still have joy4 ,riches and honor acquired by injustice are to me but floating clouds4 ,the man who1 in view of gain1 thinks of righteousness2 who1 in view of danger1 forgets life1 and who remembers an old agreement1 however far back it extends1 such a man may be reckoned a complete man4 ,recompense injury with justice1 and kindness with kindness4 ,there is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life3 ,reciprocity is that word4 ,when the ancestors of the four ,christian ,congressmen were barbarians1 when they lived in caves1 gnawed bones1 and worshiped dried snakes1 the infamous ,chinese were reading these sublime sentences of ,confucius4 ,when the forefathers of these ,christian statesmen were hunting toads to get the jewels out of their heads1 to be used as charms1 the wretched ,chinese were calculating eclipses1 and measuring the circumference of the earth4 ,when the progenitors of these representatives of the ,american system of religion were burning women charged with nursing devils1 the people incapable of being influenced by the exalted character of our civilization1 were building asylums for the insane4 ,neither should it be forgotten that1 for thousands of years1 the ,chinese have honestly practiced the great principle known as ,civil ,service ,reform--a something that even the administration of ,mr4 ,hayes has reached only through the proxy of promise4 ,if we wish to prevent the immigration of the ,chinese1 let us reform our treaties with the vast empire from whence they came4 ,for thousands of years the ,chinese secluded themselves from the rest of the world4 ,they did not deem the ,christian nations fit to associate with4 ,we forced ourselves upon them4 ,we called1 not with cards1 but with cannon4 ,the ,english battered down the door in the names of opium and ,christ4 ,this infamy was regarded as another triumph for the gospel4 ,at last1 in self-defence1 the ,chinese allowed ,christians to touch their shores4 ,their wise men1 their philosophers1 protested1 and prophesied that time would show that ,christians could not be trusted4 ,this report proves that the wise men were not only philosophers1 but prophets4 ,treat ,china as you would ,england4 ,keep a treaty while it is in force4 ,change it if you will1 according to the laws of nations1 but on no account excuse a breach of national faith by pretending that we are dishonest for ,god's sake4 ,,some ,,interrogation ,,points4 ,a ,,new party is struggling for recognition--a party with leaders who are not politicians1 with followers who are not seekers after place4 ,some of those who suffer and some of those who sympathize1 have combined4 ,those who feel that they are oppressed are organized for the purpose of redressing their wrongs4 ,the workers for wages1 and the seekers for work have uttered a protest4 ,this party is an instrumentality for the accomplishment of certain things that are very near and very dear to the hearts of many millions4 ,the object to be attained is a fairer division of profits between employers and employed4 ,there is a feeling that in some way the workers should not want--that the industrious should not be the indigent4 ,there is a hope that men and women and children are not forever to be the victims of ignorance and want--that the tenement house is not always to be the home of the poor1 or the gutter the nursery of their babes4 ,as yet1 the methods for the accomplishment of these aims have not been agreed upon4 ,many theories have been advanced and none has been adopted4 ,the question is so vast1 so complex1 touching human interests in so many ways1 that no one has yet been great enough to furnish a solution1 or1 if any one has furnished a solution1 no one else has been wise enough to understand it4 ',the hope of the future is that this question will finally be understood4 ,it must not be discussed in anger4 ,if a broad and comprehensive view is to be taken1 there is no place for hatred or for prejudice4 ,capital is not to blame4 ,labor is not to blame4 ,both have been caught in the net of circumstances4 ,the rich are as generous as the poor would be if they should change places4 ,men acquire through the noblest and the tenderest instincts4 ,they work and save not only for themselves1 but for their wives and for their children4 ,there is but little confidence in the charity of the world4 ,the prudent man in his youth makes preparation for his age4 ,the loving father1 having struggled himself1 hopes to save his children from drudgery and toil4 ,in every country there are classes--that is to say1 the spirit of caste1 and this spirit will exist until the world is truly civilized4 ,persons in most communities are judged not as individuals1 but as members of a class4 ,nothing is more natural1 and nothing more heartless4 ,these lines that divide hearts on account of clothes or titles1 are growing more and more indistinct1 and the philanthropists1 the lovers of the human race1 believe that the time is coming when they will be obliterated4 ,we may do away with kings and peasants1 and yet there may still be the rich and poor1 the intelligent and foolish1 the beautiful and deformed1 the industrious and idle1 and it may be1 the honest and vicious4 ,these classifications are in the nature of things4 ,they are produced for the most part by forces that are now beyond the control of man--but the old rule1 that men are disreputable in the proportion that they are useful1 will certainly be reversed4 ,the idle lord was always held to be the superior of the industrious peasant1 the devourer better than the producer1 and the waster superior to the worker4 ,while in this country we have no titles of nobility1 we have the rich and the poor--no princes1 no peasants1 but millionaires and mendicants4 ,the individuals composing these classes are continually changing4 ,the rich of to-day may be the poor of to-morrow1 and the children of the poor may take their places4 ,in this country1 the children of the poor are educated substantially in the same schools with those of the rich4 ,all read the same papers1 many of the same books1 and all for many years hear the same questions discussed4 ,they are continually being educated1 not only at schools1 but by the press1 by political campaigns1 by perpetual discussions on public questions1 and the result is that those who are rich in gold are often poor in thought1 and many who have not whereon to lay their heads have within those heads a part of the intellectual wealth of the world4 ,years ago the men of wealth were forced to contribute toward the education of the children of the poor4 ,the support of schools by general taxation was defended on the ground that it was a means of providing for the public welfare1 of perpetuating the institutions of a free country by making better men and women4 ,this policy has been pursued until at last the schoolhouse is larger than the church1 and the common people through education have become uncommon4 ,they now know how little is really known by what are called the upper classes--how little after all is understood by kings1 presidents1 legislators1 and men of culture4 ,they are capable not only of understanding a few questions1 but they have acquired the art of discussing those that no one understands4 ,with the facility of politicians they can hide behind phrases1 make barricades of statistics1 and chevaux-de-frise of inferences and assertions4 ,they understand the sophistries of those who have governed4 ,in some respects these common people are the superiors of the so-called aristocracy4 ,while the educated have been turning their attention to the classics1 to the dead languages1 and the dead ideas and mistakes that they contain--while they have been giving their attention to ceramics1 artistic decorations1 and compulsory prayers1 the common people have been compelled to learn the practical things--to become acquainted with facts--by doing the work of the world4 ,the professor of a college is no longer a match for a master mechanic4 ,the master mechanic not only understands principles1 but their application4 ,he knows things as they are4 ,he has come in contact with the actual1 with realities4 ,he knows something of the adaptation of means to ends1 and this is the highest and most valuable form of education4 ,the men who make locomotives1 who construct the vast engines that propel ships1 necessarily know more than those who have spent their lives in conjugating ,greek verbs1 looking for ,hebrew roots1 and discussing the origin and destiny of the universe4 ,intelligence increases wants4 ,by education the necessities of the people become increased4 ,the old wages will not supply the new wants4 ,man longs for a harmony between the thought within and the things without4 ,when the soul lives in a palace the body is not satisfied with rags and patches4 ,the glaring inequalities among men1 the differences in condition1 the suffering and the poverty1 have appealed to the good and great of every age1 and there has been in the brain of the philanthropist a dream--a hope1 a prophecy1 of a better day4 ,it was believed that tyranny was the foundation and cause of the differences between men--that the rich were all robbers and the poor all victims1 and that if a society or government could be founded on equal rights and privileges1 the inequalities would disappear1 that all would have food and clothes and reasonable work and reasonable leisure1 and that content would be found by every hearth4 ,there was a reliance on nature--an idea that men had interfered with the harmonious action of great principles which if left to themselves would work out universal wellbeing for the human race4 ,others imagined that the inequalities between men were necessary--that they were part of a divine plan1 and that all would be adjusted in some other world--that the poor here would be the rich there1 and the rich here might be in torture there4 ,heaven became the reward of the poor1 of the slave1 and hell their revenge4 ,when our ,government was established it was declared that all men are endowed by their ,creator with certain inalienable rights1 among which were life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4 ,it was then believed that if all men had an equal opportunity1 if they were allowed to make and execute their own laws1 to levy their own taxes1 the frightful inequalities seen in the despotisms and monarchies of the old world would entirely disappear4 ,this was the dream of #aggf4 ,the founders of the ,government knew how kings and princes and dukes and lords and barons had lived upon the labor of the peasants4 ,they knew the history of those ages of want and crime1 of luxury and suffering4 ,but in spite of our ,declaration1 in spite of our ,constitution1 in spite of universal suffrage1 the inequalities still exist4 ,we have the kings and princes1 the lords and peasants1 in fact1 if not in name4 ,monopolists1 corporations1 capitalists1 workers for wages1 have taken their places1 and we are forced to admit that even universal suffrage cannot clothe and feed the world4 ,for thousands of years men have been talking and writing about the great law of supply and demand--and insisting that in some way this mysterious law has governed and will continue to govern the activities of the human race4 ,it is admitted that this law is merciless--that when the demand fails1 the producer1 the laborer1 must suffer1 must perish--that the law feels neither pity nor malice--it simply acts1 regardless of consequences4 ,under this law capital will employ the cheapest4 ,the single man can work for less than the married4 ,wife and children are luxuries not to be enjoyed under this law4 ,the ignorant have fewer wants than the educated1 and for this reason can afford to work for less4 ,the great law will give employment to the single and to the ignorant in preference to the married and intelligent4 ,the great law has nothing to do with food or clothes1 with filth or crime4 ,it cares nothing for homes1 for penitentiaries1 or asylums4 ,it simply acts--and some men triumph1 some succeed1 some fail1 and some perish4 ,others insist that the curse of the world is monopoly4 ,and yet1 as long as some men are stronger than others1 as long as some are more intelligent than others1 they must be1 to the extent of such advantage1 monopolists4 ,every man of genius is a monopolist4 ,we are told that the great remedy against monopoly--that is to say1 against extortion1 is free and unrestricted competition4 ,but after all1 the history of this world shows that the brutalities of competition are equaled only by those of monopoly4 ,the successful competitor becomes a monopolist1 and if competitors fail to destroy each other1 the instinct of self-preservation suggests a combination4 ,in other words1 competition is a struggle between two or more persons or corporations for the purpose of determining which shall have the uninterrupted privilege of extortion4 ,in this country the people have had the greatest reliance on competition4 ,if a railway company charged too much a rival road was built4 ,as a matter of fact1 we are indebted for half the railroads of the ,united ,states to the extortion of the other half1 and the same may truthfully be said of telegraph lines4 ,as a rule1 while the exactions of monopoly constructed new roads and new lines1 competition has either destroyed the weaker1 or produced the pool which is a means of keeping both monopolies alive1 or of producing a new monopoly with greater needs1 supplied by methods more heartless than the old4 ,when a rival road is built the people support the rival because the fares and freights are somewhat less4 ,then the old and richer monopoly inaugurates war1 and the people1 glorying in the benefits of competition1 are absurd enough to support the old4 ,in a little while the new company1 unable to maintain the contest1 left by the people at the mercy of the stronger1 goes to the wall1 and the triumphant monopoly proceeds to make the intelligent people pay not only the old price1 but enough in addition to make up for the expenses of the contest4 ,is there any remedy for this8 ,none1 except with the people themselves4 ,when the people become intelligent enough to support the rival at a reasonable price2 when they know enough to allow both roads to live2 when they are intelligent enough to recognize a friend and to stand by that friend as against a known enemy1 this question will be at least on the edge of a solution4 ,so far as ,i know1 this course has never been pursued except in one instance1 and that is the present war between the ,gould and ,mackay cables4 ,the ,gould system had been charging from sixty to eighty cents a word1 and the ,mackay system charged forty4 ,then the old monopoly tried to induce the rival to put the prices back to sixty4 ,the rival refused1 and thereupon the ,gould combination dropped to twelve and a half1 for the purpose of destroying the rival4 ,the ,mackay cable fixed the tariff at twenty-five cents1 saying to its customers1 ,you are intelligent enough to understand what this war means4 ,if our cables are defeated1 the ,gould system will go back not only to the old price1 but will add enough to reimburse itself for the cost of destroying us4 ,if you really wish for competition1 if you desire a reasonable service at a reasonable rate1 you will support us4 ,fortunately an exceedingly intelligent class of people does business by the cables4 ,they are merchants1 bankers1 and brokers1 dealing with large amounts1 with intricate1 complicated1 and international questions4 ,of necessity1 they are used to thinking for themselves4 ,they are not dazzled into blindness by the glare of the present4 ,they see the future4 ,they are not duped by the sunshine of a moment or the promise of an hour4 ,they see beyond the horizon of a penny saved4 ,these people had intelligence enough to say1 ,the rival who stands between us and extortion is our friend1 and our friend shall not be allowed to die4 ,does not this tend to show that people must depend upon themselves1 and that some questions can be settled by the intelligence of those who buy1 of those who use1 and that customers are not entirely helpless8 ,another thing should not be forgotten1 and that is this3 there is the same war between monopolies that there is between individuals1 and the monopolies for many years have been trying to destroy each other4 ,they have unconsciously been working for the extinction of monopolies4 ,these monopolies differ as individuals do4 ,you find among them the rich and the poor1 the lucky and the unfortunate1 millionaires and tramps4 ,the great monopolies have been devouring the little ones4 ,only a few years ago1 the railways in this country were controlled by local directors and local managers4 ,the people along the lines were interested in the stock4 ,as a consequence1 whenever any legislation was threatened hostile to the interests of these railways1 they had local friends who used their influence with legislators1 governors and juries4 ,during this time they were protected1 but when the hard times came many of these companies were unable to pay their interest4 ,they suddenly became ,socialists4 ,they cried out against their prosperous rivals4 ,they felt like joining the ,knights of ,labor4 ,they began to talk about rights and wrongs4 ,but in spite of their cries1 they have passed into the hands of the richer roads--they were seized by the great monopolies4 ,now the important railways are owned by persons living in large cities or in foreign countries4 ,they have no local friends1 and when the time conies1 and it may come1 for the ,general ,government to say how much these companies shall charge for passengers and freight1 they will have no local friends4 ,it may be that the great mass of the people will then be on the other side4 ,so that after all1 the great corporations have been busy settling the question against themselves4 ,possibly a majority of the ,american people believe to-day that in some way all these questions between capital and labor can be settled by constitutions1 laws1 and judicial decisions4 ,most people imagine that a statute is a sovereign specific for any evil4 ,but while the theory has all been one way1 the actual experience has been the other--just as the free traders have all the arguments and the protectionists most of the facts4 ,the truth is1 as ,mr4 ,buckle says1 that for five hundred years all real advance in legislation has been made by repealing laws4 ,of one thing we must be satisfied1 and that is that real monopolies have never been controlled by law1 but the fact that such monopolies exist1 is a demonstration that the law has been controlled4 ,in our country1 legislators are for the most part controlled by those who1 by their wealth and influence1 elect them4 ,the few1 in reality1 cast the votes of the many1 and the few influence the ones voted for by the many4 ,special interests1 being active1 secure special legislation1 and the object of special legislation is to create a kind of monopoly--that is to say1 to get some advantage4 ,chiefs1 barons1 priests1 and kings ruled1 robbed1 destroyed1 and duped1 and their places have been taken by corporations1 monopolists1 and politicians4 ,the large fish still live on the little ones1 and the fine theories have as yet failed to change the condition of mankind4 ,law in this country is effective only when it is the recorded will of a majority4 ,when the zealous few get control of the ,legislature1 and laws are passed to prevent ,sabbath-breaking1 or wine-drinking1 they succeed only in putting their opinions and provincial prejudices in legal phrase4 ,there was a time when men worked from fourteen to sixteen hours a day4 ,these hours have not been lessened1 they have not been shortened by law4 ,the law has followed and recorded1 but the law is not a leader and not a prophet4 ,it appears to be impossible to fix wages--just as impossible as to fix the values of all manufactured things1 including works of art4 ,the field is too great1 the problem too complicated1 for the human mind to grasp4 ,to fix the value of labor is to fix all values--labor being the foundation of all values4 ,the value of labor cannot be fixed unless we understand the relations that all things bear to each other and to man4 ,if labor were a legal tender--if a judgment for so many dollars could be discharged by so many days of labor1--and the law was that twelve hours of work should be reckoned as one day1 then the law could change the hours to ten or eight1 and the judgments could be paid in the shortened days4 ,but it is easy to see that in all contracts made after the passage of such a law1 the difference in hours would be taken into consideration4 ,we must remember that law is not a creative force4 ,it produces nothing4 ,it raises neither corn nor wine4 ,the legitimate object of law is to protect the weak1 to prevent violence and fraud1 and to enforce honest contracts1 to the end that each person may be free to do as he desires1 provided only that he does not interfere with the rights of others4 ,our fathers tried to make people religious by law4 ,they failed4 ,thousands are now trying to make people temperate in the same manner4 ,such efforts always have been and probably always will be failures4 ,people who believe that an infinite ,god gave to the ,hebrews a perfect code of laws1 must admit that even this code failed to civilize the inhabitants of ,palestine4 ,it seems impossible to make people just or charitable or industrious or agreeable or successful1 by law1 any more than you can make them physically perfect or mentally sound4 ,of course we admit that good people intend to make good laws1 and that good laws faithfully and honestly executed1 tend to the preservation of human rights and to the elevation of the race1 but the enactment of a law not in accordance with a sentiment already existing in the minds and hearts of the people--the very people who are depended upon to enforce this law--is not a help1 but a hindrance4 ,a real law is but the expression1 in an authoritative and accurate form1 of the judgment and desire of the majority4 ,as we become intelligent and kind1 this intelligence and kindness find expression in law4 ,but how is it possible to fix the wages of every man8 ,to fix wages is to fix prices1 and a government to do this intelligently1 would necessarily have to have the wisdom generally attributed to an infinite ,being4 ,it would have to supervise and fix the conditions of every exchange of commodities and the value of every conceivable thing4 ,many things can be accomplished by law1 employeers may be held responsible for injuries to the employed4 ,the mines can be ventilated4 ,children can be rescued from the deformities of toil--burdens taken from the backs of wives and mothers--houses made wholesome1 food healthful--that is to say1 the weak can be protected from the strong1 the honest from the vicious1 honest contracts can be enforced1 and many rights protected4 ,the men who have simply strength1 muscle1 endurance1 compete not only with other men of strength1 but with the inventions of genius4 ,what would doctors say if physicians of iron could be invented with curious cogs and wheels1 so that when a certain button was touched the proper prescription would be written8 ,how would lawyers feel if a lawyer could be invented in such a way that questions of law1 being put in a kind of hopper and a crank being turned1 decisions of the highest court could be prophesied without failure8 ,and how would the ministers feel if somebody should invent a clergyman of wood that would to all intents and purposes answer the purpose8 ,invention has filled the world with the competitors not only of laborers1 but of mechanics--mechanics of the highest skill4 ,to-day the ordinary laborer is for the most part a cog in a wheel4 ,he works with the tireless--he feeds the insatiable4 ,when the monster stops1 the man is out of employment1 out of bread2 ,he has not saved anything4 ,the machine that he fed was not feeding him1 was not working for him--the invention was not for his benefit4 ,the other day ,i heard a man say that it was almost impossible for thousands of good mechanics to get employment1 and that1 in his judgment1 the ,government ought to furnish work for the people4 ,a few minutes after1 ,i heard another say that he was selling a patent for cutting out clothes1 that one of his machines could do the work of twenty tailors1 and that only the week before he had sold two to a great house in ,new ,york1 and that over forty cutters had been discharged4 ,on every side men are being discharged and machines are being invented to take their places4 ,when the great factory shuts down1 the workers who inhabited it and gave it life1 as thoughts do the brain1 go away and it stands there like an empty skull4 ,a few workmen1 by the force of habit1 gather about the closed doors and broken windows and talk about distress1 the price of food and the coming winter4 ,they are convinced that they have not had their share of what their labor created4 ,they feel certain that the machines inside were not their friends4 ,they look at the mansion of the employeer and think of the places where they live4 ,they have saved nothing--nothing but themselves4 ,the employeer seems to have enough4 ,even when employeers fail1 when they become bankrupt1 they are far better off than the laborers ever were4 ,their worst is better than the toilers' best4 ,the capitalist comes forward with his specific4 ,he tells the workingman that he must be economical--and yet1 under the present system1 economy would only lessen wages4 ,under the great law of supply and demand every saving1 frugal1 self-denying workingman is unconsciously doing what little he can to reduce the compensation of himself and his fellows4 ,the slaves who did not wish to run away helped fasten chains on those who did4 ,so the saving mechanic is a certificate that wages are high enough4 ,does the great law demand that every worker live on the least possible amount of bread8 ,is it his fate to work one day1 that he may get enough food to be able to work another8 ,is that to be his only hope--that and death8 ,capital has always claimed and still claims the right to combine4 ,manufacturers meet and determine upon prices1 even in spite of the great law of supply and demand4 ,have the laborers the same right to consult and combine8 ,the rich meet in the bank1 the clubhouse1 or parlor4 ,workingmen1 when they combine1 gather in the street4 ,all the organized forces of society are against them4 ,capital has the army and the navy1 the legislative1 the judicial1 and the executive departments4 ,when the rich combine1 it is for the purpose of exchanging ideas4 ,when the poor combine1 it is a conspiracy4 ,if they act in concert1 if they really do something1 it is a mob4 ,if they defend themselves1 it is treason4 ,how is it that the rich control the departments of government8 ,in this country the political power is equally divided among the men4 ,there are certainly more poor than there are rich4 ,why should the rich control8 ,why should not the laborers combine for the purpose of controlling the executive1 legislative1 and judicial departments8 ,will they ever find how powerful they are8 ,in every country there is a satisfied class--too satisfied to care4 ,they are like the angels in heaven1 who are never disturbed by the miseries of earth4 ,they are too happy to be generous4 ,this satisfied class asks no questions and answers none4 ,they believe the world is as it should be4 ,all reformers are simply disturbers of the peace4 ,when they talk low1 they should not be listened to2 when they talk loud1 they should be suppressed4 ,the truth is to-day what it always has been--what it always will be--those who feel are the only ones who think4 ,a cry comes from the oppressed1 from the hungry1 from the down-trodden1 from the unfortunate1 from men who despair and from women who weep4 ,there are times when mendicants become revolutionists--when a rag becomes a banner1 under which the noblest and bravest battle for the right4 ,how are we to settle the unequal contest between men and machines8 ,will the machine finally go into partnership with the laborer8 ,can these forces of nature be controlled for the benefit of her suffering children8 ,will extravagance keep pace with ingenuity8 ,will the workers become intelligent enough and strong enough to be the owners of the machines8 ,will these giants1 these ,titans1 shorten or lengthen the hours of labor8 ,will they give leisure to the industrious1 or will they make the rich richer1 and the poor poorer8 ,is man involved in the general scheme of things8 ,is there no pity1 no mercy8 ,can man become intelligent enough to be generous1 to be just2 or does the same law or fact control him that controls the animal and vegetable world8 ,the great oak steals the sunlight from the smaller trees4 ,the strong animals devour the weak--everything eating something else--everything at the mercy of beak and claw and hoof and tooth--of hand and club1 of brain and greed--inequality1 injustice1 everywhere4 ,the poor horse standing in the street with his dray1 overworked1 over-whipped1 and under-fed1 when he sees other horses groomed to mirrors1 glittering with gold and silver1 scorning with proud feet the very earth1 probably indulges in the usual socialistic reflections1 and this same horse1 worn out and old1 deserted by his master1 turned into the dusty road1 leans his head on the topmost rail1 looks at donkeys in a field of clover1 and feels like a ,nihilist4 ,in the days of savagery the strong devoured the weak--actually ate their flesh4 ,in spite of all the laws that man has made1 in spite of all advance in science1 literature and art1 the strong1 the cunning1 the heartless still live on the weak1 the unfortunate1 and foolish4 ,true1 they do not eat their flesh1 they do not drink their blood1 but they live on their labor1 on their self-denial1 their weariness and want4 ,the poor man who deforms himself by toil1 who labors for wife and child through all his anxious1 barren1 wasted life--who goes to the grave without even having had one luxury--has been the food of others4 ,he has been devoured by his fellow-men4 ,the poor woman living in the bare and lonely room1 cheerless and fireless1 sewing night and day to keep starvation from a child1 is slowly being eaten by her fellow-men4 ,when ,i take into consideration the agony of civilized life--the number of failures1 the poverty1 the anxiety1 the tears1 the withered hopes1 the bitter realities1 the hunger1 the crime1 the humiliation1 the shame--,i am almost forced to say that cannibalism1 after all1 is the most merciful form in which man has ever lived upon his fellow-man4 ,some of the best and purest of our race have advocated what is known as ,socialism4 ,they have not only taught1 but1 what is much more to the purpose1 have believed that a nation should be a family2 that the government should take care of all its children2 that it should provide work and food and clothes and education for all1 and that it should divide the results of all labor equitably with all4 ,seeing the inequalities among men1 knowing of the destitution and crime1 these men were willing to sacrifice1 not only their own liberties1 but the liberties of all4 ,socialism seems to be one of the worst possible forms of slavery4 ,nothing1 in my judgment1 would so utterly paralyze all the forces1 all the splendid ambitions and aspirations that now tend to the civilization of man4 ,in ordinary systems of slavery there are some masters1 a few are supposed to be free2 but in a socialistic state all would be slaves4 ,if the government is to provide work it must decide for the worker what he must do4 ,it must say who shall chisel statues1 who shall paint pictures1 who shall compose music1 and who shall practice the professions4 ,is any government1 or can any government1 be capable of intelligently performing these countless duties8 ,it must not only control work1 it must not only decide what each shall do1 but it must control expenses1 because expenses bear a direct relation to products4 ,therefore the government must decide what the worker shall eat and wherewithal he shall be clothed2 the kind of house in which he shall live2 the manner in which it shall be furnished1 and1 if this government furnishes the work1 it must decide on the days or the hours of leisure4 ,more than this1 it must fix values2 it must decide not only who shall sell1 but who shall buy1 and the price that must be paid--and it must fix this value not simply upon the labor1 but on everything that can be produced1 that can be exchanged or sold4 ,is it possible to conceive of a despotism beyond this8 ,the present condition of the world is bad enough1 with its poverty and ignorance1 but it is far better than it could by any possibility be under any government like the one described4 ,there would be less hunger of the body1 but not of the mind4 ,each man would simply be a citizen of a large penitentiary1 and1 as in every well regulated prison1 somebody would decide what each should do4 ,the inmates of a prison retire early2 they rise with the sun2 they have something to eat2 they are not dissipated2 they have clothes2 they attend divine service2 they have but little to say about their neighbors2 they do not suffer from cold2 their habits are excellent1 and yet1 no one envies their condition4 ,socialism destroys the family4 ,the children belong to the state4 ,certain officers take the places of parents4 ,individuality is lost4 ,the human race cannot afford to exchange its liberty for any possible comfort4 ,you remember the old fable of the fat dog that met the lean wolf in the forest4 ,the wolf1 astonished to see so prosperous an animal1 inquired of the dog where he got his food1 and the dog told him that there was a man who took care of him1 gave him his breakfast1 his dinner1 and his supper with the utmost regularity1 and that he had all that he could eat and very little to do4 ,the wolf said1 ,do you think this man would treat me as he does you8 ,the dog replied1 ,yes1 come along with me4 ,so they jogged on together toward the dog's home4 ,on the way the wolf happened to notice that some hair was worn off the dog's neck1 and he said1 ,how did the hair become worn8 ,that is1 said the dog1 the mark of the collar--my master ties me at night4 ,oh1 said the wolf1 ,are you chained8 ,are you deprived of your liberty8 ,i believe ,i will go back4 ,i prefer hunger4 ,it is impossible for any man with a good heart to be satisfied with this world as it now is4 ,no one can truly enjoy even what he earns--what he knows to be his own1 knowing that millions of his fellow-men are in misery and want4 ,when we think of the famished we feel that it is almost heartless to eat4 ,to meet the ragged and shivering makes one almost ashamed to be well dressed and warm--one feels as though his heart was as cold as their bodies4 ,in a world filled with millions and millions of acres of land waiting to be tilled1 where one man can raise the food for hundreds1 millions are on the edge of famine4 ,who can comprehend the stupidity at the bottom of this truth8 ,is there to be no change8 ,are the law of supply and demand1 invention and science1 monopoly and competition1 capital and legislation always to be the enemies of those who toil8 ,will the workers always be ignorant enough and stupid enough to give their earnings for the useless8 ,will they support millions of soldiers to kill the sons of other workingmen8 ,will they always build temples for ghosts and phantoms1 and live in huts and dens themselves8 ,will they forever allow parasites with crowns1 and vampires with mitres1 to live upon their blood8 ,will they remain the slaves of the beggars they support8 ,how long will they be controlled by friends who seek favors1 and by reformers who want office8 ,will they always prefer famine in the city to a feast in the fields8 ,will they ever feel and know that they have no right to bring children into this world that they cannot support8 ,will they use their intelligence for themselves1 or for others8 ,will they become wise enough to know that they cannot obtain their own liberty by destroying that of others8 ,will they finally see that every man has a right to choose his trade1 his profession1 his employment1 and has the right to work when1 and for whom1 and for what he will8 ,will they finally say that the man who has had equal privileges with all others has no right to complain1 or will they follow the example that has been set by their oppressors8 ,will they learn that force1 to succeed1 must have a thought behind it1 and that anything done1 in order that it may endure1 must rest upon the corner-stone of justice8 ,will they1 at the command of priests1 forever extinguish the spark that sheds a little light in every brain8 ,will they ever recognize the fact that labor1 above all things1 is honorable--that it is the foundation of virtue8 ,will they understand that beggars cannot be generous1 and that every healthy man must earn the right to live8 ,will honest men stop taking off their hats to successful fraud8 ,will industry1 in the presence of crowned idleness1 forever fall upon its knees1 and will the lips unstained by lies forever kiss the robed impostor's hand8--,north ,american ,review1 ,march1 #ahhg4 ,,art ,,and ,,morality4 ,,art is the highest form of expression1 and exists for the sake of expression4 ,through art thoughts become visible4 ,back of forms are the desire1 the longing1 the brooding creative instinct1 the maternity of mind and the passion that give pose and swell1 outline and color4 ,of course there is no such thing as absolute beauty or absolute morality4 ,we now clearly perceive that beauty and conduct are relative4 ,we have outgrown the provincialism that thought is back of substance1 as well as the old ,platonic absurdity1 that ideas existed before the subjects of thought4 ,so far1 at least1 as man is concerned1 his thoughts have been produced by his surroundings1 by the action and interaction of things upon his mind2 and so far as man is concerned1 things have preceded thoughts4 ,the impressions that these things make upon us are what we know of them4 ,the absolute is beyond the human mind4 ,our knowledge is confined to the relations that exist between the totality of things that we call the universe1 and the effect upon ourselves4 ,actions are deemed right or wrong1 according to experience and the conclusions of reason4 ,things are beautiful by the relation that certain forms1 colors1 and modes of expression bear to us4 ,at the foundation of the beautiful will be found the fact of happiness1 the gratification of the senses1 the delight of intellectual discovery and the surprise and thrill of appreciation4 ,that which we call the beautiful1 wakens into life through the association of ideas1 of memories1 of experiences1 of suggestions of pleasure past and the perception that the prophecies of the ideal have been and will be fulfilled4 ,art cultivates and kindles the imagination1 and quickens the conscience4 ,it is by imagination that we put ourselves in the place of another4 ,when the wings of that faculty are folded1 the master does not put himself in the place of the slave2 the tyrant is not locked in the dungeon1 chained with his victim4 ,the inquisitor did not feel the flames that devoured the martyr4 ,the imaginative man1 giving to the beggar1 gives to himself4 ,those who feel indignant at the perpetration of wrong1 feel for the instant that they are the victims2 and when they attack the aggressor they feel that they are defending themselves4 ,love and pity are the children of the imagination4 ,our fathers read with great approbation the mechanical sermons in rhyme written by ,milton1 ,young and ,pollok4 ,those theological poets wrote for the purpose of convincing their readers that the mind of man is diseased1 filled with infirmities1 and that poetic poultices and plasters tend to purify and strengthen the moral nature of the human race4 ,nothing to the true artist1 to the real genius1 is so contemptible as the medicinal view4 ,poems were written to prove that the practice of virtue was an investment for another world1 and that whoever followed the advice found in those solemn1 insincere and lugubrious rhymes1 although he might be exceedingly unhappy in this world1 would with great certainty be rewarded in the next4 ,these writers assumed that there was a kind of relation between rhyme and religion1 between verse and virtue2 and that it was their duty to call the attention of the world to all the snares and pitfalls of pleasure4 ,they wrote with a purpose4 ,they had a distinct moral end in view4 ,they had a plan4 ,they were missionaries1 and their object was to show the world how wicked it was and how good they1 the writers1 were4 ,they could not conceive of a man being so happy that everything in nature partook of his feeling2 that all the birds were singing for him1 and singing by reason of his joy2 that everything sparkled and shone and moved in the glad rhythm of his heart4 ,they could not appreciate this feeling4 ,they could not think of this joy guiding the artist's hand1 seeking expression in form and color4 ,they did not look upon poems1 pictures1 and statues as results1 as children of the brain fathered by sea and sky1 by flower and star1 by love and light4 ,they were not moved by gladness4 ,they felt the responsibility of perpetual duty4 ,they had a desire to teach1 to sermonize1 to point out and exaggerate the faults of others and to describe the virtues practiced by themselves4 ,art became a colporteur1 a distributer of tracts1 a mendicant missionary whose highest ambition was to suppress all heathen joy4 ,happy people were supposed to have forgotten1 in a reckless moment1 duty and responsibility4 ,true poetry would call them back to a realization of their meanness and their misery4 ,it was the skeleton at the feast1 the rattle of whose bones had a rhythmic sound4 ,it was the forefinger of warning and doom held up in the presence of a smile4 ,these moral poets taught the unwelcome truths1 and by the paths of life put posts on which they painted hands pointing at graves4 ,they loved to see the pallor on the cheek of youth1 while they talked1 in solemn tones1 of age1 decrepitude and lifeless clay4 ,before the eyes of love they thrust1 with eager hands1 the skull of death4 ,they crushed the flowers beneath their feet and plaited crowns of thorns for every brow4 ,according to these poets1 happiness was inconsistent with virtue4 ,the sense of infinite obligation should be perpetually present4 ,they assumed an attitude of superiority4 ,they denounced and calumniated the reader4 ,they enjoyed his confusion when charged with total depravity4 ,they loved to paint the sufferings of the lost1 the worthlessness of human life1 the littleness of mankind1 and the beauties of an unknown world4 ,they knew but little of the heart4 ,they did not know that without passion there is no virtue1 and that the really passionate are the virtuous4 ,art has nothing to do directly with morality or immorality4 ,it is its own excuse for being2 it exists for itself4 ,the artist who endeavors to enforce a lesson1 becomes a preacher2 and the artist who tries by hint and suggestion to enforce the immoral1 becomes a pander4 ,there is an infinite difference between the nude and the naked1 between the natural and the undressed4 ,in the presence of the pure1 unconscious nude1 nothing can be more contemptible than those forms in which are the hints and suggestions of drapery1 the pretence of exposure1 and the failure to conceal4 ,the undressed is vulgar--the nude is pure4 ,the old ,greek statues1 frankly1 proudly nude1 whose free and perfect limbs have never known the sacrilege of clothes1 were and are as free from taint1 as pure1 as stainless1 as the image of the morning star trembling in a drop of perfumed dew4 ,morality is the harmony between act and circumstance4 ,it is the melody of conduct4 ,a wonderful statue is the melody of proportion4 ,a great picture is the melody of form and color4 ,a great statue does not suggest labor2 it seems to have been created as a joy4 ,a great painting suggests no weariness and no effort2 the greater1 the easier it seems4 ,so a great and splendid life seems to have been without effort4 ,there is in it no idea of obligation1 no idea of responsibility or of duty4 ,the idea of duty changes to a kind of drudgery that which should be1 in the perfect man1 a perfect pleasure4 ,the artist1 working simply for the sake of enforcing a moral1 becomes a laborer4 ,the freedom of genius is lost1 and the artist is absorbed in the citizen4 ,the soul of the real artist should be moved by this melody of proportion as the body is unconsciously swayed by the rhythm of a symphony4 ,no one can imagine that the great men who chiseled the statues of antiquity intended to teach the youth of ,greece to be obedient to their parents4 ,we cannot believe that ,michael ,angelo painted his grotesque and somewhat vulgar ,day of ,judgment for the purpose of reforming ,italian thieves4 ,the subject was in all probability selected by his employeer1 and the treatment was a question of art1 without the slightest reference to the moral effect1 even upon priests4 ,we are perfectly certain that ,corot painted those infinitely poetic landscapes1 those cottages1 those sad poplars1 those leafless vines on weather-tinted walls1 those quiet pools1 those contented cattle1 those fields flecked with light1 over which bend the skies1 tender as the breast of a mother1 without once thinking of the ten commandments4 ,there is the same difference between moral art and the product of true genius1 that there is between prudery and virtue4 ,the novelists who endeavor to enforce what they are pleased to call moral truths1 cease to be artists4 ,they create two kinds of characters--types and caricatures4 ,the first never has lived1 and the second never will4 ,the real artist produces neither4 ,in his pages you will find individuals1 natural people1 who have the contradictions and inconsistencies inseparable from humanity4 ,the great artists hold the mirror up to nature1 and this mirror reflects with absolute accuracy4 ,the moral and the immoral writers--that is to say1 those who have some object besides that of art--use convex or concave mirrors1 or those with uneven surfaces1 and the result is that the images are monstrous and deformed4 ,the little novelist and the little artist deal either in the impossible or the exceptional4 ,the men of genius touch the universal4 ,their words and works throb in unison with the great ebb and flow of things4 ,they write and work for all races and for all time4 ,it has been the object of thousands of reformers to destroy the passions1 to do away with desires2 and could this object be accomplished1 life would become a burden1 with but one desire--that is to say1 the desire for extinction4 ,art in its highest forms increases passion1 gives tone and color and zest to life4 ,but while it increases passion1 it refines4 ,it extends the horizon4 ,the bare necessities of life constitute a prison1 a dungeon4 ,under the influence of art the walls expand1 the roof rises1 and it becomes a temple4 ,art is not a sermon1 and the artist is not a preacher4 ,art accomplishes by indirection4 ,the beautiful refines4 ,the perfect in art suggests the perfect in conduct4 ,the harmony in music teaches1 without intention1 the lesson of proportion in life4 ,the bird in his song has no moral purpose1 and yet the influence is humanizing4 ,the beautiful in nature acts through appreciation and sympathy4 ,it does not browbeat1 neither does it humiliate4 ,it is beautiful without regard to you4 ,roses would be unbearable if in their red and perfumed hearts were mottoes to the effect that bears eat bad boys and that honesty is the best policy4 ,art creates an atmosphere in which the proprieties1 the amenities1 and the virtues unconsciously grow4 ,the rain does not lecture the seed4 ,the light does not make rules for the vine and flower4 ,the heart is softened by the pathos of the perfect4 ,the world is a dictionary of the mind1 and in this dictionary of things genius discovers analogies1 resemblances1 and parallels amid opposites1 likeness in difference1 and corroboration in contradiction4 ,language is but a multitude of pictures4 ,nearly every word is a work of art1 a picture represented by a sound1 and this sound represented by a mark1 and this mark gives not only the sound1 but the picture of something in the outward world and the picture of something within the mind1 and with these words which were once pictures1 other pictures are made4 ,the greatest pictures and the greatest statues1 the most wonderful and marvelous groups1 have been painted and chiseled with words4 ,they are as fresh to-day as when they fell from human lips4 ,penelope still ravels1 weaves1 and waits2 ,ulysses' bow is bent1 and through the level rings the eager arrow flies4 ,cordelia's tears are falling now4 ,the greatest gallery of the world is found in ,shakespeare's book4 ,the pictures and the marbles of the ,vatican and ,louvre are faded1 crumbling things1 compared with his1 in which perfect color gives to perfect form the glow and movement of passion's highest life4 ,everything except the truth wears1 and needs to wear1 a mask4 ,little souls are ashamed of nature4 ,prudery pretends to have only those passions that it cannot feel4 ,moral poetry is like a respectable canal that never overflows its banks4 ,it has weirs through which slowly and without damage any excess of feeling is allowed to flow4 ,it makes excuses for nature1 and regards love as an interesting convict4 ,moral art paints or chisels feet1 faces1 and rags4 ,it regards the body as obscene4 ,it hides with drapery that which it has not the genius purely to portray4 ,mediocrity becomes moral from a necessity which it has the impudence to call virtue4 ,it pretends to regard ignorance as the foundation of purity and insists that virtue seeks the companionship of the blind4 ,art creates1 combines1 and reveals4 ,it is the highest manifestation of thought1 of passion1 of love1 of intuition4 ,it is the highest form of expression1 of history and prophecy4 ,it allows us to look at an unmasked soul1 to fathom the abysses of passion1 to understand the heights and depths of love4 ,compared with what is in the mind of man1 the outward world almost ceases to excite our wonder4 ,the impression produced by mountains1 seas1 and stars is not so great1 so thrilling1 as the music of ,wagner4 ,the constellations themselves grow small when we read ,troilus and ,cres-sida1 ,hamlet1 or ,lear4 ,what are seas and stars in the presence of a heroism that holds pain and death as naught8 ,what are seas and stars compared with human hearts8 ,what is the quarry compared with the statue8 ,art civilizes because it enlightens1 develops1 strengthens1 ennobles4 ,it deals with the beautiful1 with the passionate1 with the ideal4 ,it is the child of the heart4 ,to be great1 it must deal with the human4 ,it must be in accordance with the experience1 with the hopes1 with the fears1 and with the possibilities of man4 ,no one cares to paint a palace1 because there is nothing in such a picture to touch the heart4 ,it tells of responsibility1 of the prison1 of the conventional4 ,it suggests a load--it tells of apprehension1 of weariness and ennui4 ,the picture of a cottage1 over which runs a vine1 a little home thatched with content1 with its simple life1 its natural sunshine and shadow1 its trees bending with fruit1 its hollyhocks and pinks1 its happy children1 its hum of bees1 is a poem--a smile in the desert of this world4 ,the great lady1 in velvet and jewels1 makes but a poor picture4 ,there is not freedom enough in her life4 ,she is constrained4 ,she is too far away from the simplicity of happiness4 ,in her thought there is too much of the mathematical4 ,in all art you will find a touch of chaos1 of liberty2 and there is in all artists a little of the vagabond--that is to say1 genius4 ,the nude in art has rendered holy the beauty of woman4 ,every ,greek statue pleads for mothers and sisters4 ,from these marbles come strains of music4 ,they have filled the heart of man with tenderness and worship4 ,they have kindled reverence1 admiration and love4 ,the ,venus de ,milo1 that even mutilation cannot mar1 tends only to the elevation of our race4 ,it is a miracle of majesty and beauty1 the supreme idea of the supreme woman4 ,it is a melody in marble4 ,all the lines meet in a kind of voluptuous and glad content4 ,the pose is rest itself4 ,the eyes are filled with thoughts of love4 ,the breast seems dreaming of a child4 ,the prudent is not the poetic2 it is the mathematical4 ,genius is the spirit of abandon2 it is joyous1 irresponsible4 ,it moves in the swell and curve of billows2 it is careless of conduct and consequence4 ,for a moment1 the chain of cause and effect seems broken2 the soul is free4 ,it gives an account not even to itself4 ,limitations are forgotten2 nature seems obedient to the will2 the ideal alone exists2 the universe is a symphony4 ,every brain is a gallery of art1 and every soul is1 to a greater or less degree1 an artist4 ,the pictures and statues that now enrich and adorn the walls and niches of the world1 as well as those that illuminate the pages of its literature1 were taken originally from the private galleries of the brain4 ,the soul--that is to say the artist--compares the pictures in its own brain with the pictures that have been taken from the galleries of others and made visible4 ,this soul1 this artist1 selects that which is nearest perfection in each1 takes such parts as it deems perfect1 puts them together1 forms new pictures1 new statues1 and in this way creates the ideal4 ,to express desires1 longings1 ecstasies1 prophecies and passions in form and color2 to put love1 hope1 heroism and triumph in marble2 to paint dreams and memories with words2 to portray the purity of dawn1 the intensity and glory of noon1 the tenderness of twilight1 the splendor and mystery of night1 with sounds2 to give the invisible to sight and touch1 and to enrich the common things of earth with gems and jewels of the mind--this is ,art4--,north ,american ,review1 ,march1 #ahhh4 ,,the ,,divided ,,household ,,of ,,faith4 ,let determined things to destiny hold unbewailed their way4 ,,there is a continual effort in the mind of man to find the harmony that he knows must exist between all known facts4 ,it is hard for the scientist to implicitly believe anything that he suspects to be inconsistent with a known fact4 ,he feels that every fact is a key to many mysteries--that every fact is a detective1 not only1 but a perpetual witness4 ,he knows that a fact has a countless number of sides1 and that all these sides will match all other facts1 and he also suspects that to understand one fact perfectly--like the fact of the attraction of gravitation--would involve a knowledge of the universe4 ,it requires not only candor1 but courage1 to accept a fact4 ,when a new fact is found it is generally denied1 resisted1 and calumniated by the conservatives until denial becomes absurd1 and then they accept it with the statement that they always supposed it was true4 ,the old is the ignorant enemy of the new4 ,the old has pedigree and respectability2 it is filled with the spirit of caste2 it is associated with great events1 and with great names2 it is intrenched2 it has an income--it represents property4 ,besides1 it has parasites1 and the parasites always defend themselves4 ,long ago frightened wretches who had by tyranny or piracy amassed great fortunes1 were induced in the moment of death to compromise with ,god and to let their money fall from their stiffening hands into the greedy palms of priests4 ,in this way many theological seminaries were endowed1 and in this way prejudices1 mistakes1 absurdities1 known as religious truths1 have been perpetuated4 ,in this way the dead hypocrites have propagated and supported their kind4 ,most religions--no matter how honestly they originated--have been established by brute force4 ,kings and nobles have used them as a means to enslave1 to degrade and rob4 ,the priest1 consciously and unconsciously1 has been the betrayer of his followers4 ,near ,chicago there is an ox that betrays his fellows4 ,cattle--twenty or thirty at a time--are driven to the place of slaughter4 ,this ox leads the way--the others follow4 ,when the place is reached1 this ,bishop ,dupanloup turns and goes back for other victims4 ,this is the worst side3 ,there is a better4 ,honest men1 believing that they have found the whole truth--the real and only faith--filled with enthusiasm1 give all for the purpose of propagating the divine creed4 ,they found colleges and universities1 and in perfect1 pious1 ignorant sincerity1 provide that the creed1 and nothing but the creed1 must be taught1 and that if any professor teaches anything contrary to that1 he must be instantly dismissed--that is to say1 the children must be beaten with the bones of the dead4 ,these good religious souls erect guide-boards with a provision to the effect that the guide-boards must remain1 whether the roads are changed or not1 and with the further provision that the professors who keep and repair the guide-boards must always insist that the roads have not been changed4 ,there is still another side4 ,professors do not wish to lose their salaries4 ,they love their families and have some regard for themselves4 ,there is a compromise between their bread and their brain4 ,on pay-day they believe--at other times they have their doubts4 ,they settle with their own consciences by giving old words new meanings4 ,they take refuge in allegory1 hide behind parables1 and barricade themselves with oriental imagery4 ,they give to the most frightful passages a spiritual meaning--and while they teach the old creed to their followers1 they speak a new philosophy to their equals4 ,there is still another side4 ,a vast number of clergymen and laymen are perfectly satisfied4 ,they have no doubts4 ,they believe as their fathers and mothers did4 ,the scheme of salvation suits them because they are satisfied that they are embraced within its terms4 ,they give themselves no trouble4 ,they believe because they do not understand4 ,they have no doubts because they do not think4 ,they regard doubt as a thorn in the pillow of orthodox slumber4 ,their souls are asleep1 and they hate only those who disturb their dreams4 ,these people keep their creeds for future use4 ,they intend to have them ready at the moment of dissolution4 ,they sustain about the same relation to daily life that the small-boats carried by steamers do to ordinary navigation--they are for the moment of shipwreck4 ,creeds1 like life-preservers1 are to be used in disaster4 ,we must also remember that everything in nature--bad as well as good--has the instinct of self-preservation4 ,all lies go armed1 and all mistakes carry concealed weapons4 ,driven to the last corner1 even non-resistance appeals to the dagger4 ,vast interests--political1 social1 artistic1 and individual--are interwoven with all creeds4 ,thousands of millions of dollars have been invested2 many millions of people obtain their bread by the propagation and support of certain religious doctrines1 and many millions have been educated for that purpose and for that alone4 ,nothing is more natural than that they should defend themselves--that they should cling to a creed that gives them roof and raiment4 ,only a few years ago ,christianity was a complete system4 ,it included and accounted for all phenomena2 it was a philosophy satisfactory to the ignorant world2 it had an astronomy and geology of its own2 it answered all questions with the same readiness and the same inaccuracy2 it had within its sacred volumes the history of the past1 and the prophecies of all the future2 it pretended to know all that was1 is1 or ever will be necessary for the well-being of the human race1 here and hereafter4 ,when a religion has been founded1 the founder admitted the truth of everything that was generally believed that did not interfere with his system4 ,imposture always has a definite end in view1 and for the sake of the accomplishment of that end1 it will admit the truth of anything and everything that does not endanger its success4 ,the writers of all sacred books--the inspired prophets--had no reason for disagreeing with the common people about the origin of things1 the creation of the world1 the rising and setting of the sun1 and the uses of the stars1 and consequently the sacred books of all ages have indorsed the belief general at the time4 ,you will find in our sacred books the astronomy1 the geology1 the philosophy and the morality of the ancient barbarians4 ,the religionist takes these general ideas as his foundation1 and upon them builds the supernatural structure4 ,for many centuries the astronomy1 geology1 philosophy and morality of our ,bible were accepted4 ,they were not questioned1 for the reason that the world was too ignorant to question4 ,a few centuries ago the art of printing was invented4 ,a new world was discovered4 ,there was a complete revolution in commerce4 ,the arts were born again4 ,the world was filled with adventure2 millions became self-reliant2 old ideas were abandoned--old theories were put aside--and suddenly1 the old leaders of thought were found to be ignorant1 shallow and dishonest4 ,the literature of the classic world was discovered and translated into modern languages4 ,the world was circumnavigated2 ,copernicus discovered the true relation sustained by our earth to the solar system1 and about the beginning of the seventeenth century many other wonderful discoveries were made4 ,in #afji1 a ,hollander found that two lenses placed in a certain relation to each other magnified objects seen through them4 ,this discovery was the foundation of astronomy4 ,in a little while it came to the knowledge of ,galileo2 the result was a telescope1 with which man has read the volume of the skies4 ,on the #hth day of ,may1 #afah1 ,kepler discovered the greatest of his three laws4 ,these were the first great blows struck for the enfranchisement of the human mind4 ,a few began to suspect that the ancient ,hebrews were not astronomers4 ,from that moment the church became the enemy of science4 ,in every possible way the inspired ignorance was defended--the lash1 the sword1 the chain1 the fagot and the dungeon were the arguments used by the infuriated church4 ,to such an extent was the church prejudiced against the new philosophy1 against the new facts1 that priests refused to look through the telescope of ,galileo4 ,at last it became evident to the intelligent world that the inspired writings1 literally translated1 did not contain the truth--the ,bible was in danger of being driven from the heavens4 ,the church also had its geology4 ,the time when the earth was created had been definitely fixed and was certainly known4 ,this fact had not only been stated by inspired writers1 but their statement had been indorsed by priests1 by bishops1 cardinals1 popes and ecumenical councils2 that was settled4 ,but a few men had learned the art of seeing4 ,there were some eyes not always closed in prayer4 ,they looked at the things about them2 they observed channels that had been worn in solid rock by streams2 they saw the vast territories that had been deposited by rivers2 their attention was called to the slow inroads upon continents by seas--to the deposits by volcanoes--to the sedimentary rocks--to the vast reefs that had been built by the coral1 and to the countless evidences of age1 of the lapse of time--and finally it was demonstrated that this earth had been pursuing its course about the sun for millions and millions of ages4 ,the church disputed every step1 denied every fact1 resorted to every device that cunning could suggest or ingenuity execute1 but the conflict could not be maintained4 ,the ,bible1 so far as geology was concerned1 was in danger of being driven from the earth4 ,beaten in the open field1 the church began to equivocate1 to evade1 and to give new meanings to inspired words4 ,finally1 falsehood having failed to harmonize the guesses of barbarians with the discoveries of genius1 the leading churchmen suggested that the ,bible was not written to teach astronomy1 was not written to teach geology1 and that it was not a scientific book1 but that it was written in the language of the people1 and that as to unimportant things it contained the general beliefs of its time4 ,the ground was then taken that1 while it was not inspired in its science1 it was inspired in its morality1 in its prophecy1 in its account of the miraculous1 in the scheme of salvation1 and in all that it had to say on the subject of religion4 ,the moment it was suggested that the ,bible was not inspired in everything within its lids1 the seeds of suspicion were sown4 ,the priest became less arrogant4 ,the church was forced to explain4 ,the pulpit had one language for the faithful and another for the philosophical1 i4 e41 it became dishonest with both4 ,the next question that arose was as to the origin of man4 ,the ,bible was being driven from the skies4 ,the testimony of the stars was against the sacred volume4 ,the church had also been forced to admit that the world was not created at the time mentioned in the ,bible--so that the very stones of the earth rose and united with the stars in giving testimony against the sacred volume4 ,as to the creation of the world1 the church resorted to the artifice of saying that days in reality meant long periods of time2 so that no matter how old the earth was1 the time could be spanned by six periods--in other words1 that the years could not be too numerous to be divided by six4 ,but when it came to the creation of man1 this evasion1 or artifice1 was impossible4 ,the ,bible gives the date of the creation of man1 because it gives the age at which the first man died1 and then it gives the generations from ,adam to the flood1 and from the flood to the birth of ,christ1 and in many instances the actual age of the principal ancestor is given4 ,so that1 according to this account--according to the inspired figures--man has existed upon the earth only about six thousand years4 ,there is no room left for any people beyond ,adam4 ,if the ,bible is true1 certainly ,adam was the first man2 consequently1 we know1 if the sacred volume be true1 just how long man has lived and labored and suffered on this earth4 ,the church cannot and dare not give up the account of the creation of ,adam from the dust of the earth1 and of ,eve from the rib of the man4 ,the church cannot give up the story of the ,garden of ,eden--the serpent--the fall and the expulsion2 these must be defended because they are vital4 ,without these absurdities1 the system known as ,christianity cannot exist4 ,without the fall1 the atonement is a non sequitur4 ,facts bearing upon these questions were discovered and discussed by the greatest and most thoughtful of men4 ,lamarck1 ,humboldt1 ,haeckel1 and above all1 ,darwin1 not only asserted1 but demonstrated1 that man is not a special creation4 ,if anything can be established by observation1 by reason1 then the fact has been established that man is related to all life below him--that he has been slowly produced through countless years--that the story of ,eden is a childish myth--that the fall of man is an infinite absurdity4 ,if anything can be established by analogy and reason1 man has existed upon the earth for many millions of ages4 ,we know now1 if we know anything1 that people not only existed before ,adam1 but that they existed in a highly civilized state2 that thousands of years before the ,garden of ,eden was planted men communicated to each other their ideas by language1 and that artists clothed the marble with thoughts and passions4 ,this is a demonstration that the origin of man given in the ,old ,testament is untrue--that the account was written by the ignorance1 the prejudice and the egotism of the olden time4 ,so1 if anything outside of the senses can be known1 we do know that civilization is a growth--that man did not commence a perfect being1 and then degenerate1 but that from small beginnings he has slowly risen1 to the intellectual height he now occupies4 ,the church1 however1 has not been willing to accept these truths1 because they contradict the sacred word4 ,some of the most ingenious of the clergy have been endeavoring for years to show that there is no conflict--that the account in ,genesis is in perfect harmony with the theories of ,charles ,darwin1 and these clergymen in some way manage to retain their creed and to accept a philosophy that utterly destroys it4 ,but in a few years the ,christian world will be forced to admit that the ,bible is not inspired in its astronomy1 in its geology1 or in its anthropology--that is to say1 that the inspired writers knew nothing of the sciences1 knew nothing of the origin of the earth1 nothing of the origin of man--in other words1 nothing of any particular value to the human race4 ,it is1 however1 still insisted that the ,bible is inspired in its morality4 ,let us examine this question4 ,we must admit1 if we know anything1 if we feel anything1 if conscience is more than a word1 if there is such a thing as right and such a thing as wrong beneath the dome of heaven--we must admit that slavery is immoral4 ,if we are honest1 we must also admit that the ,old ,testament upholds slavery4 ,it will be cheerfully admitted that ,jehovah was opposed to the enslavement of one ,hebrew by another4 ,christians may quote the commandment ,thou shalt not steal as being opposed to human slavery1 but after that commandment was given1 ,jehovah himself told his chosen people that they might buy their bondmen and bondwomen of the heathen round about1 and that they should be their bondmen and their bondwomen forever4 ,so all that ,jehovah meant by the commandment ,thou shalt not steal was that one ,hebrew should not steal from another ,hebrew1 but that all ,hebrews might steal from the people of any other race or creed4 ,it is perfectly apparent that the ,ten ,commandments were made only for the ,jews1 not for the world1 because the author of these commandments commanded the people to whom they were given to violate them nearly all as against the surrounding people4 ,a few years ago it did not occur to the ,christian world that slavery was wrong4 ,it was upheld by the church4 ,ministers bought and sold the very people for whom they declared that ,christ had died4 ,clergymen of the ,english church owned stock in slave-ships1 and the man who denounced slavery was regarded as the enemy of morality1 and thereupon was duly mobbed by the followers of ,jesus ,christ4 ,churches were built with the results of labor stolen from colored ,christians4 ,babes were sold from mothers and a part of the money given to send missionaries from ,america to heathen lands with the tidings of great joy4 ,now every intelligent man on the earth1 every decent man1 holds in abhorrence the institution of human slavery4 ,so with the institution of polygamy4 ,if anything on the earth is immoral1 that is4 ,if there is anything calculated to destroy home1 to do away with human love1 to blot out the idea of family life1 to cover the hearthstone with serpents1 it is the institution of polygamy4 ,the ,jehovah of the ,old ,testament was a believer in that institution4 ,can we now say that the ,bible is inspired in its morality8 ,consider for a moment the manner in which1 under the direction of ,jehovah1 wars were waged4 ,remember the atrocities that were committed4 ,think of a war where everything was the food of the sword4 ,think for a moment of a deity capable of committing the crimes that are described and gloated over in the ,old ,testament4 ,the civilized man has outgrown the sacred cruelties and absurdities4 ,there is still another side to this question4 ,a few centuries ago nothing was more natural than the unnatural4 ,miracles were as plentiful as actual events4 ,in those blessed days1 that which actually occurred was not regarded of sufficient importance to be recorded4 ,a religion without miracles would have excited derision4 ,a creed that did not fill the horizon--that did not account for everything--that could not answer every question1 would have been regarded as worthless4 ,after the birth of ,protestantism1 it could not be admitted by the leaders of the ,reformation that the ,catholic ,church still had the power of working miracles4 ,if the ,catholic ,church was still in partnership with ,god1 what excuse could have been made for the ,reformation8 ,the ,protestants took the ground that the age of miracles had passed4 ,this was to justify the new faith4 ,but ,protestants could not say that miracles had never been performed1 because that would take the foundation not only from the ,catholics but from themselves2 consequently they were compelled to admit that miracles were performed in the apostolic days1 but to insist that1 in their time1 man must rely upon the facts in nature4 ,protestants were compelled to carry on two kinds of war2 they had to contend with those who insisted that miracles had never been performed2 and in that argument they were forced to insist upon the necessity for miracles1 on the probability that they were performed1 and upon the truthfulness of the apostles4 ,a moment afterward1 they had to answer those who contended that miracles were performed at that time2 then they brought forward against the ,catholics the same arguments that their first opponents had brought against them4 ,this has made every ,protestant brain a house divided against itself4 ,this planted in the ,reformation the irrepressible conflict4 ,but we have learned more and more about what we call ,nature--about what we call facts4 ,slowly it dawned upon the mind that force is indestructible--that we cannot imagine force as existing apart from matter--that we cannot even think of matter existing apart from force--that we cannot by any possibility conceive of a cause without an effect1 of an effect without a cause1 of an effect that is not also a cause4 ,we find no room between the links of cause and effect for a miracle4 ,we now perceive that a miracle must be outside of ,nature--that it can have no father1 no mother--that is to say1 that it is an impossibility4 ,the intellectual world has abandoned the miraculous4 ,most ministers are now ashamed to defend a miracle4 ,some try to explain miracles1 and yet1 if a miracle is explained1 it ceases to exist4 ,few congregations could keep from smiling were the minister to seriously assert the truth of the ,old ,testament miracles4 ,miracles must be given up4 ,that field must be abandoned by the religious world4 ,the evidence accumulates every day1 in every possible direction in which the human mind can investigate1 that the miraculous is simply the impossible4 ,confidence in the eternal constancy of ,nature increases day by day4 ,the scientist has perfect confidence in the attraction of gravitation--in chemical affinities--in the great fact of evolution1 and feels absolutely certain that the nature of things will remain forever the same4 ,we have at last ascertained that miracles can be perfectly understood2 that there is nothing mysterious about them2 that they are simply transparent falsehoods4 ,the real miracles are the facts in nature4 ,no one can explain the attraction of gravitation4 ,no one knows why soil and rain and light become the womb of life4 ,no one knows why grass grows1 why water runs1 or why the magnetic needle points to the north4 ,the facts in nature are the eternal and the only mysteries4 ,there is nothing strange about the miracles of superstition4 ,they are nothing but the mistakes of ignorance and fear1 or falsehoods framed by those who wished to live on the labor of others4 ,in our time the champions of ,christianity1 for the most part1 take the exact ground occupied by the ,deists4 ,they dare not defend in the open field the mistakes1 the cruelties1 the immoralities and the absurdities of the ,bible4 ,they shun the ,garden of ,eden as though the serpent was still there4 ,they have nothing to say about the fall of man4 ,they are silent as to the laws upholding slavery and polygamy4 ,they are ashamed to defend the miraculous4 ,they talk about these things to ,sunday schools and to the elderly members of their congregations2 but when doing battle for the faith1 they misstate the position of their opponents and then insist that there must be a ,god1 and that the soul is immortal4 ,we may admit the existence of an infinite ,being2 we may admit the immortality of the soul1 and yet deny the inspiration of the ,scriptures and the divine origin of the ,christian religion4 ,these doctrines1 or these dogmas1 have nothing in common4 ,the pagan world believed in ,god and taught the dogma of immortality4 ,these ideas are far older than ,christianity1 and they have been almost universal4 ,christianity asserts more than this4 ,it is based upon the inspiration of the ,bible1 on the fall of man1 on the atonement1 on the dogma of the ,trinity1 on the divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 on his resurrection from the dead1 on his ascension into heaven4 ,christianity teaches not simply the immortality of the soul--not simply the immortality of joy--but it teaches the immortality of pain1 the eternity of sorrow4 ,it insists that evil1 that wickedness1 that immorality and that every form of vice are and must be perpetuated forever4 ,it believes in immortal convicts1 in eternal imprisonment and in a world of unending pain4 ,it has a serpent for every breast and a curse for nearly every soul4 ,this doctrine is called the dearest hope of the human heart1 and he who attacks it is denounced as the most infamous of men4 ,let us see what the church1 within a few years1 has been compelled substantially to abandon1--that is to say1 what it is now almost ashamed to defend4 ,first1 the astronomy of the sacred ,scriptures2 second1 the geology2 third1 the account given of the origin of man2 fourth1 the doctrine of original sin1 the fall of the human race2 fifth1 the mathematical contradiction known as the ,trinity2 sixth1 the atonement--because it was only on the ground that man is accountable for the sin of another1 that he could be justified by reason of the righteousness of another2 seventh1 that the miraculous is either the misunderstood or the impossible2 eighth1 that the ,bible is not inspired in its morality1 for the reason that slavery is not moral1 that polygamy is not good1 that wars of extermination are not merciful1 and that nothing can be more immoral than to punish the innocent on account of the sins of the guilty2 and ninth1 the divinity of ,christ4 ,all this must be given up by the really intelligent1 by those not afraid to think1 by those who have the courage of their convictions and the candor to express their thoughts4 ,what then is left8 ,let me tell you4 ,everything in the ,bible that is true1 is left2 it still remains and is still of value4 ,it cannot be said too often that the truth needs no inspiration2 neither can it be said too often that inspiration cannot help falsehood4 ,every good and noble sentiment uttered in the ,bible is still good and noble4 ,every fact remains4 ,all that is good in the ,sermon on the ,mount is retained4 ,the ,lord's ,prayer is not affected4 ,the grandeur of self-denial1 the nobility of forgiveness1 and the ineffable splendor of mercy are with us still4 ,and besides1 there remains the great hope for all the human race4 ,what is lost8 ,all the mistakes1 all the falsehoods1 all the absurdities1 all the cruelties and all the curses contained in the ,scriptures4 ,we have almost lost the hope of eternal pain--the consolation of perdition2 and in time we shall lose the frightful shadow that has fallen upon so many hearts1 that has darkened so many lives4 ,the great trouble for many years has been1 and still is1 that the clergy are not quite candid4 ,they are disposed to defend the old creed4 ,they have been educated in the universities of the ,sacred ,mistake--universities that ,bruno would call the widows of true learning4 ,they have been taught to measure with a false standard2 they have weighed with inaccurate scales4 ,in youth1 they became convinced of the truth of the creed4 ,this was impressed upon them by the solemnity of professors who spoke in tones of awe4 ,the enthusiasm of life's morning was misdirected4 ,they went out into the world knowing nothing of value4 ,they preached a creed outgrown4 ,having been for so many years entirely certain of their position1 they met doubt with a spirit of irritation--afterward with hatred4 ,they are hardly courageous enough to admit that they are wrong4 ,once the pulpit was the leader--it spoke with authority4 ,by its side was the sword of the state1 with the hilt toward its hand4 ,now it is apologized for--it carries a weight4 ,it is now like a living man to whom has been chained a corpse4 ,it cannot defend the old1 and it has not accepted the new4 ,in some strange way it imagines that morality cannot live except in partnership with the sanctified follies and falsehoods of the past4 ,the old creeds cannot be defended by argument4 ,they are not within the circumference of reason--they are not embraced in any of the facts within the experience of man4 ,all the subterfuges have been exposed2 all the excuses have been shown to be shallow1 and at last the church must meet1 and fairly meet1 the objections of our time4 ,solemnity is no longer an argument4 ,falsehood is no longer sacred4 ,people are not willing to admit that mistakes are divine4 ,truth is more important than belief--far better than creeds1 vastly more useful than superstitions4 ,the church must accept the truths of the present1 must admit the demonstrations of science1 or take its place in the mental museums with the fossils and monstrosities of the past4 ,the time for personalities has passed2 these questions cannot be determined by ascertaining the character of the disputants2 epithets are no longer regarded as arguments2 the curse of the church produces laughter2 theological slander is no longer a weapon2 argument must be answered with argument1 and the church must appeal to reason1 and by that standard it must stand or fall4 ,the theories and discoveries of ,darwin cannot be answered by the resolutions of synods1 or by quotations from the ,old ,testament4 ,the world has advanced4 ,the ,bible has remained the same4 ,we must go back to the book--it cannot come to us--or we must leave it forever4 ,in order to remain orthodox we must forget the discoveries1 the inventions1 the intellectual efforts of many centuries2 we must go back until our knowledge--or rather our ignorance--will harmonize with the barbaric creeds4 ,it is not pretended that all the creeds have not been naturally produced4 ,it is admitted that under the same circumstances the same religions would again ensnare the human race4 ,it is also admitted that under the same circumstances the same efforts would be made by the great and intellectual of every age to break the chains of superstition4 ,there is no necessity of attacking people--we should combat error4 ,we should hate hypocrisy1 but not the hypocrite--larceny1 but not the thief--superstition1 but not its victim4 ,we should do all within our power to inform1 to educate1 and to benefit our fellow-men4 ,there is no elevating power in hatred4 ,there is no reformation in punishment4 ,the soul grows greater and grander in the air of kindness1 in the sunlight of intelligence4 ,we must rely upon the evidence of our senses1 upon the conclusions of our reason4 ,for many centuries the church has insisted that man is totally depraved1 that he is naturally wicked1 that all of his natural desires are contrary to the will of ,god4 ,only a few years ago it was solemnly asserted that our senses were originally honest1 true and faithful1 but having been debauched by original sin1 were now cheats and liars2 that they constantly deceived and misled the soul2 that they were traps and snares2 that no man could be safe who relied upon his senses1 or upon his reason2--he must simply rely upon faith2 in other words1 that the only way for man to really see was to put out his eyes4 ,there has been a rapid improvement in the intellectual world4 ,the improvement has been slow in the realm of religion1 for the reason that religion was hedged about1 defended and barricaded by fear1 by prejudice and by law4 ,it was considered sacred4 ,it was illegal to call its truth in question4 ,whoever disputed the priest became a criminal2 whoever demanded a reason1 or an explanation1 became a blasphemer1 a scoffer1 a moral leper4 ,the church defended its mistakes by every means within its power4 ,but in spite of all this there has been advancement1 and there are enough of the orthodox clergy left to make it possible for us to measure the distance that has been traveled by sensible people4 ,the world is beginning to see that a minister should be a teacher1 and that he should not endeavor to inculcate a particular system of dogmas1 but to prepare his hearers for exercising their own judgments4 ,as a last resource1 the orthodox tell the thoughtful that they are not spiritual--that they are of the earth1 earthy--that they cannot perceive that which is spiritual4 ,they insist that ,god is a spirit1 and must be worshiped in spirit4 ,but let me ask1 ,what is it to be spiritual8 ,in order to be really spiritual1 must a man sacrifice this world for the sake of another8 ,were the selfish hermits1 who deserted their wives and children for the miserable purpose of saving their own little souls1 spiritual8 ,were those who put their fellow-men in dungeons1 or burned them at the state99 on account of a difference of opinion1 all spiritual people8 ,did ,john ,calvin give evidence of his spirituality by burning ,servetus8 ,were they spiritual people who invented and used instruments of torture--who denied the liberty of thought and expression--who waged wars for the propagation of the faith8 ,were they spiritual people who insisted that ,infinite ,love could punish his poor1 ignorant children forever8 ,is it necessary to believe in eternal torment to understand the meaning of the word spiritual8 ,is it necessary to hate those who disagree with you1 and to calumniate those whose argument you cannot answer1 in order to be spiritual8 ,must you hold a demonstrated fact in contempt2 must you deny or avoid what you know to be true1 in order to substantiate the fact that you are spiritual8 ,what is it to be spiritual8 ,is the man spiritual who searches for the truth--who lives in accordance with his highest ideal--who loves his wife and children--who discharges his obligations--who makes a happy fireside for the ones he loves--who succors the oppressed--who gives his honest opinions--who is guided by principle--who is merciful and just8 ,is the man spiritual who loves the beautiful--who is thrilled by music1 and touched to tears in the presence of the sublime1 the heroic and the self-denying8 ,is the man spiritual who endeavors by thought and deed to ennoble the human race8 ,the defenders of the orthodox faith1 by this time1 should know that the foundations are insecure4 ,they should have the courage to defend1 or the candor to abandon4 ,if the ,bible is an inspired book1 it ought to be true4 ,its defenders must admit that ,jehovah knew the facts not only about the earth1 but about the stars1 and that the ,creator of the universe knew all about geology and astronomy even four thousand years ago4 ,the champions of ,christianity must show that the ,bible tells the truth about the creation of man1 the ,garden of ,eden1 the temptation1 the fall and the flood4 ,they must take the ground that the sacred book is historically correct2 that the events related really happened2 that the miracles were actually performed2 that the laws promulgated from ,sinai were and are wise and just1 and that nothing is upheld1 commanded1 indorsed1 or in any way approved or sustained that is not absolutely right4 ,in other words1 if they insist that a being of infinite goodness and intelligence is the author of the ,bible1 they must be ready to show that it is absolutely perfect4 ,they must defend its astronomy1 geology1 history1 miracle and morality4 ,if the ,bible is true1 man is a special creation1 and if man is a special creation1 millions of facts must have conspired1 millions of ages ago1 to deceive the scientific world of to-day4 ,if the ,bible is true1 slavery is right1 and the world should go back to the barbarism of the lash and chain4 ,if the ,bible' is true1 polygamy is the highest form of virtue4 ,if the ,bible is true1 nature has a master1 and the miraculous is independent of and superior to cause and effect4 ,if the ,bible is true1 most of the children of men are destined to suffer eternal pain4 ,if the ,bible is true1 the science known as astronomy is a collection of mistakes--the telescope is a false witness1 and light is a luminous liar4 ,if the ,bible is true1 the science known as geology is false and every fossil is a petrified perjurer4 ,the defenders of orthodox creeds should have the courage to candidly answer at least two questions3 ,first1 ,is the ,bible inspired8 ,second1 ,is the ,bible true8 ,and when they answer these questions1 they should remember that if the ,bible is true1 it needs no inspiration1 and that if not true1 inspiration can do it no good4--,north ,american ,review1 ,august1 #ahhh4 ,,why ,,am ,i ,,an ,,agnostic8 ,i4 ,with thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls4 ,,the same rules or laws of probability must govern in religious questions as in others4 ,there is no subject--and can be none--concerning which any human being is under any obligation to believe without evidence4 ,neither is there any intelligent being who can1 by any possibility1 be flattered by the exercise of ignorant credulity4 ,the man who1 without prejudice1 reads and understands the ,old and ,new ,testaments will cease to be an orthodox ,christian4 ,the intelligent man who investigates the religion of any country without fear and without prejudice will not and cannot be a believer4 ,most people1 after arriving at the conclusion that ,jehovah is not ,god1 that the ,bible is not an inspired book1 and that the ,christian religion1 like other religions1 is the creation of man1 usually say3 ,there must be a ,supreme ,being1 but ,jehovah is not his name1 and the ,bible is not his word4 ,there must be somewhere an over-ruling ,providence or ,power4 ,this position is just as untenable as the other4 ,he who cannot harmonize the cruelties of the ,bible with the goodness of ,jehovah1 cannot harmonize the cruelties of ,nature with the goodness and wisdom of a supposed ,deity4 ,he will find it impossible to account for pestilence and famine1 for earthquake and storm1 for slavery1 for the triumph of the strong over the weak1 for the countless victories of injustice4 ,he will find it impossible to account for martyrs--for the burning of the good1 the noble1 the loving1 by the ignorant1 the malicious1 and the infamous4 ,how can the ,deist satisfactorily account for the sufferings of women and children8 ,in what way will he justify religious persecution--the flame and sword of religious hatred8 ,why did his ,god sit idly on his throne and allow his enemies to wet their swords in the blood of his friends8 ,why did he not answer the prayers of the imprisoned1 of the helpless8 ,and when he heard the lash upon the naked back of the slave1 why did he not also hear the prayer of the slave8 ,and when children were sold from the breasts of mothers1 why was he deaf to the mother's cry8 ,it seems to me that the man who knows the limitations of the mind1 who gives the proper value to human testimony1 is necessarily an ,agnostic4 ,he gives up the hope of ascertaining first or final causes1 of comprehending the supernatural1 or of conceiving of an infinite personality4 ,from out the words ,creator1 ,preserver1 and ,providence1 all meaning falls4 ,the mind of man pursues the path of least resistance1 and the conclusions arrived at by the individual depend upon the nature and structure of his mind1 on his experience1 on hereditary drifts and tendencies1 and on the countless things that constitute the difference in minds4 ,one man1 finding himself in the midst of mysterious phenomena1 comes to the conclusion that all is the result of design2 that back of all things is an infinite personality--that is to say1 an infinite man2 and he accounts for all that is by simply saying that the universe was created and set in motion by this infinite personality1 and that it is miraculously and supernaturally governed and preserved4 ,this man sees with perfect clearness that matter could not create itself1 and therefore he imagines a creator of matter4 ,he is perfectly satisfied that there is design in the world1 and that consequently there must have been a designer4 ,it does not occur to him that it is necessary to account for the existence of an infinite personality4 ,he is perfectly certain that there can be no design without a designer1 and he is equally certain that there can be a designer who was not designed4 ,the absurdity becomes so great that it takes the place of a demonstration4 ,he takes it for granted that matter was created and that its creator was not4 ,he assumes that a creator existed from eternity1 without cause1 and created what is called matter out of nothing2 or1 whereas there was nothing1 this creator made the something that we call substance4 ,is it possible for the human mind to conceive of an infinite personality8 ,can it imagine a beginningless being1 infinitely powerful and intelligent8 ,if such a being existed1 then there must have been an eternity during which nothing did exist except this being2 because1 if the ,universe was created1 there must have been a time when it was not1 and back of that there must have been an eternity during which nothing but an infinite personality existed4 ,is it possible to imagine an infinite intelligence dwelling for an eternity in infinite nothing8 ,how could such a being be intelligent8 ,what was there to be intelligent about8 ,there was but one thing to know1 namely1 that there was nothing except this being4 ,how could such a being be powerful8 ,there was nothing to exercise force upon4 ,there was nothing in the universe to suggest an idea4 ,relations could not exist--except the relation between infinite intelligence and infinite nothing4 ,the next great difficulty is the act of creation4 ,my mind is so that ,i cannot conceive of something being created out of nothing4 ,neither can ,i conceive of anything being created without a cause4 ,let me go one step further4 ,it is just as difficult to imagine something being created with1 as without1 a cause4 ,to postulate a cause does not in the least lessen the difficulty4 ,in spite of all1 this lever remains without a fulcrum4 ,we cannot conceive of the destruction of substance4 ,the stone can be crushed to powder1 and the powder can be ground to such a fineness that the atoms can only be distinguished by the most powerful microscope1 and we can then imagine these atoms being divided and subdivided again and again and again2 but it is impossible for us to conceive of the annihilation of the least possible imaginable fragment of the least atom of which we can think4 ,consequently the mind can imagine neither creation nor destruction4 ,from this point it is very easy to reach the generalization that the indestructible could not have been created4 ,these questions1 however1 will be answered by each individual according to the structure of his mind1 according to his experience1 according to his habits of thought1 and according to his intelligence or his ignorance1 his prejudice or his genius4 ,probably a very large majority of mankind believe in the existence of supernatural beings1 and a majority of what are known as the civilized nations1 in an infinite personality4 ,in the realm of thought majorities do not determine4 ,each brain is a kingdom1 each mind is a sovereign4 ,the universality of a belief does not even tend to prove its truth4 ,a large majority of mankind have believed in what is known as ,god1 and an equally large majority have as implicitly believed in what is known as the ,devil4 ,these beings have been inferred from phenomena4 ,they were produced for the most part by ignorance1 by fear1 and by selfishness4 ,man in all ages has endeavored to account for the mysteries of life and death1 of substance1 of force1 for the ebb and flow of things1 for earth and star4 ,the savage1 dwelling in his cave1 subsisting on roots and reptiles1 or on beasts that could be slain with club and stone1 surrounded by countless objects of terror1 standing by rivers1 so far as he knew1 without source or end1 by seas with but one shore1 the prey of beasts mightier than himself1 of diseases strange and fierce1 trembling at the voice of thunder1 blinded by the lightning1 feeling the earth shake beneath him1 seeing the sky lurid with the volcano's glare1--fell prostrate and begged for the protection of the ,unknown4 ,in the long night of savagery1 in the midst of pestilence and famine1 through the long and dreary winters1 crouched in dens of darkness1 the seeds of superstition were sown in the brain of man4 ,the savage believed1 and thoroughly believed1 that everything happened in reference to him2 that he by his actions could excite the anger1 or by his worship placate the wrath1 of the ,unseen4 ,he resorted to flattery and prayer4 ,to the best of his ability he put in stone1 or rudely carved in wood1 his idea of this god4 ,for this idol he built a hut1 a hovel1 and at last a cathedral4 ,before these images he bowed1 and at these shrines1 whereon he lavished his wealth1 he sought protection for himself and for the ones he loved4 ,the few took advantage of the ignorant many4 ,they pretended to have received messages from the ,unknown4 ,they stood between the helpless multitude and the gods4 ,they were the carriers of flags of truce4 ,at the court of heaven they presented the cause of man1 and upon the labor of the deceived they lived4 ,the ,christian of to-day wonders at the savage who bowed before his idol2 and yet it must be confessed that the god of stone answered prayer and protected his worshipers precisely as the ,christian's ,god answers prayer and protects his worshipers to-day4 ,my mind is so that it is forced to the conclusion that substance is eternal2 that the universe was without beginning and will be without end2 that it is the one eternal existence2 that relations are transient and evanescent2 that organisms are produced and vanish2 that forms change1--but that the substance of things is from eternity to eternity4 ,it may be that planets are born and die1 that constellations will fade from the infinite spaces1 that countless suns will be quenched1--but the substance will remain4 ,the questions of origin and destiny seem to be beyond the powers of the human mind4 ,heredity is on the side of superstition4 ,all our ignorance pleads for the old4 ,in most men there is a feeling that their ancestors were exceedingly good and brave and wise1 and that in all things pertaining to religion their conclusions should be followed4 ,they believe that their fathers and mothers were of the best1 and that that which satisfied them should satisfy their children4 ,with a feeling of reverence they say that the religion of their mother is good enough and pure enough and reasonable enough for them4 ,in this way the love of parents and the reverence for ancestors have unconsciously bribed the reason and put out1 or rendered exceedingly dim1 the eyes of the mind4 ,there is a kind of longing in the heart of the old to live and die where their parents lived and died--a tendency to go back to the homes of their youth4 ,around the old oak of manhood grow and cling these vines4 ,yet it will hardly do to say that the religion of my mother is good enough for me1 any more than to say the geology or the astronomy or the philosophy of my mother is good enough for me4 ,every human being is entitled to the best he can obtain2 and if there has been the slightest improvement on the religion of the mother1 the son is entitled to that improvement1 and he should not deprive himself of that advantage by the mistaken idea that he owes it to his mother to perpetuate1 in a reverential way1 her ignorant mistakes4 ,if we are to follow the religion of our fathers and mothers1 our fathers and mothers should have followed the religion of theirs4 ,had this been done1 there could have been no improvement in the world of thought4 ,the first religion would have been the last1 and the child would have died as ignorant as the mother4 ,progress would have been impossible1 and on the graves of ancestors would have been sacrificed the intelligence of mankind4 ,we know1 too1 that there has been the religion of the tribe1 of the community1 and of the nation1 and that there has been a feeling that it was the duty of every member of the tribe or community1 and of every citizen of the nation1 to insist upon it that the religion of that tribe1 of that community1 of that nation1 was better than that of any other4 ,we know that all the prejudices against other religions1 and all the egotism of nation and tribe1 were in favor of the local superstition4 ,each citizen was patriotic enough to denounce the religions of other nations and to stand firmly by his own4 ,and there is this peculiarity about man3 he can see the absurdities of other religions while blinded to those of his own4 ,the ,christian can see clearly enough that ,mohammed was an impostor4 ,he is sure of it1 because the people of ,mecca who were acquainted with him declared that he was no prophet2 and this declaration is received by ,christians as a demonstration that ,mohammed was not inspired4 ,yet these same ,christians admit that the people of ,jerusalem who were acquainted with ,christ rejected him2 and this rejection they take as proof positive that ,christ was the ,son of ,god4 ,the average man adopts the religion of his country1 or1 rather1 the religion of his country adopts him4 ,he is dominated by the egotism of race1 the arrogance of nation1 and the prejudice called patriotism4 ,he does not reason--he feels4 ,he does not investigate--he believes4 ,to him the religions of other nations are absurd and infamous1 and their gods monsters of ignorance and cruelty4 ,in every country this average man is taught1 first1 that there is a supreme being2 second1 that he has made known his will2 third1 that he will reward the true believer2 fourth1 that he will punish the unbeliever1 the scoffer1 and the blasphemer2 fifth1 that certain ceremonies are pleasing to this god2 sixth1 that he has established a church2 and seventh1 that priests are his representatives on earth4 ,and the average man has no difficulty in determining that the ,god of his nation is the true ,god2 that the will of this true ,god is contained in the sacred scriptures of his nation2 that he is one of the true believers1 and that the people of other nations--that is1 believing other religions--are scoffers2 that the only true church is the one to which he belongs2 and that the priests of his country are the only ones who have had or ever will have the slightest influence with this true ,god4 ,all these absurdities to the average man seem self-evident propositions2 and so he holds all other creeds in scorn1 and congratulates himself that he is a favorite of the one true ,god4 ,if the average ,christian had been born in ,turkey1 he would have been a ,mohammedan2 and if the average ,mohammedan had been born in ,new ,england and educated at ,andover1 he would have regarded the damnation of the heathen as the tidings of great joy4 ,nations have eccentricities1 peculiarities1 and hallucinations1 and these find expression in their laws1 customs1 ceremonies1 morals1 and religions4 ,and these are in great part determined by soil1 climate1 and the countless circumstances that mould and dominate the lives and habits of insects1 individuals1 and nations4 ,the average man believes implicitly in the religion of his country1 because he knows nothing of any other and has no desire to know4 ,it fits him because he has been deformed to fit it1 and he regards this fact of fit as an evidence of its inspired truth4 ,has a man the right to examine1 to investigate1 the religion of his own country--the religion of his father and mother8 ,christians admit that the citizens of all countries not ,christian have not only this right1 but that it is their solemn duty4 ,thousands of missionaries are sent to heathen countries to persuade the believers in other religions not only to examine their superstitions1 but to renounce them1 and to adopt those of the missionaries4 ,it is the duty of a heathen to disregard the religion of his country and to hold in contempt the creed of his father and of his mother4 ,if the citizens of heathen nations have the right to examine the foundations of their religion1 it would seem that the citizens of ,christian nations have the same right4 ,christians1 however1 go further than this2 they say to the heathen3 ,you must examine your religion1 and not only so1 but you must reject it2 and1 unless you do reject it1 and1 in addition to such rejection1 adopt ours1 you will be eternally damned4 ,then these same ,christians say to the inhabitants of a ,christian country3 ,you must not examine2 you must not investigate2 but whether you examine or not1 you must believe1 or you will be eternally damned4 ,if there be one true religion1 how is it possible to ascertain which of all the religions the true one is8 ,there is but one way4 ,we must impartially examine the claims of all4 ,the right to examine involves the necessity to accept or reject4 ,understand me1 not the right to accept or reject1 but the necessity4 ,from this conclusion there is no possible escape4 ,if1 then1 we have the right to examine1 we have the right to tell the conclusion reached4 ,christians have examined other religions somewhat1 and they have expressed their opinion with the utmost freedom--that is to say1 they have denounced them all as false and fraudulent2 have called their gods idols and myths1 and their priests impostors4 ,the ,christian does not deem it worth while to read the ,koran4 ,probably not one ,christian in a thousand ever saw a copy of that book4 ,and yet all ,christians are perfectly satisfied that the ,koran is the work of an impostor1 ,no ,presbyterian thinks it is worth his while to examine the religious systems of ,india2 he knows that the ,brahmins are mistaken1 and that all their miracles are falsehoods4 ,no ,methodist cares to read the life of ,buddha1 and no ,baptist will waste his time studying the ethics of ,confucius4 ,christians of every sort and kind take it for granted that there is only one true religion1 and that all except ,christianity are absolutely without foundation4 ,the ,christian world believes that all the prayers of ,india are unanswered2 that all the sacrifices upon the countless altars of ,egypt1 of ,greece1 and of ,rome were without effect4 ,they believe that all these mighty nations worshiped their gods in vain2 that their priests were deceivers or deceived2 that their ceremonies were wicked or meaningless2 that their temples were built by ignorance and fraud1 and that no ,god heard their songs of praise1 their cries of despair1 their words of thankfulness2 that on account of their religion no pestilence was stayed2 that the earthquake and volcano1 the flood and storm went on their ways of death--while the real ,god looked on and laughed at their calamities and mocked at their fears4 ,we find now that the prosperity of nations has depended1 not upon their religion1 not upon the goodness or providence of some god1 but on soil and climate and commerce1 upon the ingenuity1 industry1 and courage of the people1 upon the development of the mind1 on the spread of education1 on the liberty of thought and action2 and that in this mighty panorama of national life1 reason has built and superstition has destroyed4 ,being satisfied that all believe precisely as they must1 and that religions have been naturally produced1 ,i have neither praise nor blame for any man4 ,good men have had bad creeds1 and bad men have had good ones4 ,some of the noblest of the human race have fought and died for the wrong4 ,the brain of man has been the trysting-place of contradictions4 ,passion often masters reason1 and the state of man1 like to a little kingdom1 suffers then the nature of an insurrection4 ,in the discussion of theological or religious questions1 we have almost passed the personal phase1 and we are now weighing arguments instead of exchanging epithets and curses4 ,they who really seek for truth must be the best of friends4 ,each knows that his desire can never take the place of fact1 and that1 next to finding truth1 the greatest honor must be won in honest search4 ,we see that many ships are driven in many ways by the same wind4 ,so men1 reading the same book1 write many creeds and lay out many roads to heaven4 ,to the best of my ability1 ,i have examined the religions of many countries and the creeds of many sects4 ,they are much alike1 and the testimony by which they are substantiated is of such a character that to those who believe is promised an eternal reward4 ,in all the sacred books there are some truths1 some rays of light1 some words of love and hope4 ,the face of savagery is sometimes softened by a smile--the human triumphs1 and the heart breaks into song4 ,but in these books are also found the words of fear and hate1 and from their pages crawl serpents that coil and hiss in all the paths of men4 ,for my part1 ,i prefer the books that inspiration has not claimed4 ,such is the nature of my brain that ,shakespeare gives me greater joy than all the prophets of the ancient world4 ,there are thoughts that satisfy the hunger of the mind4 ,i am convinced that ,humboldt knew more of geology than the author of ,genesis2 that ,darwin was a greater naturalist than he who told the story of the flood2 that ,laplace was better acquainted with the habits of the sun and moon than ,joshua could have been1 and that ,haeckel1 ,huxley1 and ,tyndall know more about the earth and stars1 about the history of man1 the philosophy of life--more that is of use1 ten thousand times--than all the writers of the sacred books4 ,i believe in the religion of reason--the gospel of this world2 in the development of the mind1 in the accumulation of intellectual wealth1 to the end that man may free himself from superstitious fear1 to the end that he may take advantage of the forces of nature to feed and clothe the world4 ,let us be honest with ourselves4 ,in the presence of countless mysteries2 standing beneath the boundless heaven sown thick with constellations2 knowing that each grain of sand1 each leaf1 each blade of grass1 asks of every mind the answer-less question2 knowing that the simplest thing defies solution2 feeling that we deal with the superficial and the relative1 and that we are forever eluded by the real1 the absolute1--let us admit the limitations of our minds1 and let us have the courage and the candor to say3 ,we do not know4 ,north ,american ,review1 ,december1 #ahhi4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,christian religion rests on miracles4 ,there are no miracles in the realm of science4 ,the real philosopher does not seek to excite wonder1 but to make that plain which was wonderful4 ,he does not endeavor to astonish1 but to enlighten4 ,he is perfectly confident that there are no miracles in nature4 ,he knows that the mathematical expression of the same relations1 contents1 areas1 numbers and proportions must forever remain the same4 ,he knows that there are no miracles in chemistry2 that the attractions and repulsions1 the loves and hatreds1 of atoms are constant4 ,under like conditions1 he is certain that like will always happen2 that the product ever has been and forever will be the same2 that the atoms or particles unite in definite1 unvarying proportions1--so many of one kind mix1 mingle1 and harmonize with just so many of another1 and the surplus will be forever cast out4 ,there are no exceptions4 ,substances are always true to their natures4 ,they have no caprices1 no prejudices1 that can vary or control their action4 ,they are the same yesterday1 to-day1 and forever4 ,in this fixedness1 this constancy1 this eternal integrity1 the intelligent man has absolute confidence4 ,it is useless to tell him that there was a time when fire would not consume the combustible1 when water would not flow in obedience to the attraction of gravitation1 or that there ever was a fragment of a moment during which substance had no weight4 ,credulity should be the servant of intelligence4 ,the ignorant have not credulity enough to believe the actual1 because the actual appears to be contrary to the evidence of their senses4 ,to them it is plain that the sun rises and sets1 and they have not credulity enough to believe in the rotary motion of the earth--that is to say1 they have not intelligence enough to comprehend the absurdities involved in their belief1 and the perfect harmony between the rotation of the earth and all known facts4 ,they trust their eyes1 not their reason4 ,ignorance has always been and always will be at the mercy of appearance4 ,credulity1 as a rule1 believes everything except the truth4 ,the semi-civilized believe in astrology1 but who could convince them of the vastness of astronomical spaces1 the speed of light1 or the magnitude and number of suns and constellations8 ,if ,hermann1 the magician1 and ,humboldt1 the philosopher1 could have appeared before savages1 which would have been regarded as a god8 ,when men knew nothing of mechanics1 nothing of the correlation of force1 and of its indestructibility1 they were believers in perpetual motion4 ,so when chemistry was a kind of sleight-of-hand1 or necromancy1 something accomplished by the aid of the supernatural1 people talked about the transmutation of metals1 the universal solvent1 and the philosopher's stone4 ,perpetual motion would be a mechanical miracle2 and the transmutation of metals would be a miracle in chemistry2 and if we could make the result of multiplying two by two five1 that would be a miracle in mathematics4 ,no one expects to find a circle the diameter of which is just one fourth of the circumference4 ,if one could find such a circle1 then there would be a miracle in geometry4 ,in other words1 there are no miracles in any science4 ,the moment we understand a question or subject1 the miraculous necessarily disappears4 ,if anything actually happens in the chemical world1 it will1 under like conditions1 happen again4 ,no one need take an account of this result from the mouths of others3 all can try the experiment for themselves4 ,there is no caprice1 and no accident4 ,it is admitted1 at least by the ,protestant world1 that the age of miracles has passed away1 and1 consequently1 miracles cannot at present be established by miracles2 they must be substantiated by the testimony of witnesses who are said by certain writers--or1 rather1 by uncertain writers--to have lived several centuries ago2 and this testimony is given to us1 not by the witnesses themselves1 not by persons who say that they talked with those witnesses1 but by unknown persons who did not give the sources of their information4 ,the question is3 ,can miracles be established except by miracles8 ,we know that the writers may have been mistaken4 ,it is possible that they may have manufactured these accounts themselves4 ,the witnesses may have told what they knew to be untrue1 or they may have been honestly deceived1 or the stories may have been true as at first told4 ,imagination may have added greatly to them1 so that after several centuries of accretion a very simple truth was changed to a miracle4 ,we must admit that all probabilities must be against miracles1 for the reason that that which is probable cannot by any possibility be a miracle4 ,neither the probable nor the possible1 so far as man is concerned1 can be miraculous4 ,the probability therefore says that the writers and witnesses were either mistaken or dishonest4 ,we must admit that we have never seen a miracle ourselves1 and we must admit that1 according to our experience1 there are no miracles4 ,if we have mingled with the world1 we are compelled to say that we have known a vast number of persons--including ourselves--to be mistaken1 and many others who have failed to tell the exact truth4 ,the probabilities are on the side of our experience1 and1 consequently1 against the miraculous2 and it is a necessity that the free mind moves along the path of least resistance4 ,the effect of testimony depends on the intelligence and honesty of the witness and the intelligence of him who weighs4 ,a man living in a community where the supernatural is expected1 where the miraculous is supposed to be of almost daily occurrence1 will1 as a rule1 believe that all wonderful things are the result of supernatural agencies4 ,he will expect providential interference1 and1 as a consequence1 his mind will pursue the path of least resistance1 and will account for all phenomena by what to him is the easiest method4 ,such people1 with the best intentions1 honestly bear false witness4 ,they have been imposed upon by appearances1 and are victims of delusion and illusion4 ,in an age when reading and writing were substantially unknown1 and when history itself was but the vaguest hearsay handed down from dotage to infancy1 nothing was rescued from oblivion except the wonderful1 the miraculous4 ,the more marvelous the story1 the greater the interest excited4 ,narrators and hearers were alike ignorant and alike honest4 ,at that time nothing was known1 nothing suspected1 of the orderly course of nature--of the unbroken and unbreakable chain of causes and effects4 ,the world was governed by caprice4 ,everything was at the mercy of a being1 or beings1 who were themselves controlled by the same passions that dominated man4 ,fragments of facts were taken for the whole1 and the deductions drawn were honest and monstrous4 ,it is probably certain that all of the religions of the world have been believed1 and that all the miracles have found credence in countless brains2 otherwise they could not have been perpetuated4 ,they were not all born of cunning4 ,those who told were as honest as those who heard4 ,this being so1 nothing has been too absurd for human credence4 ,all religions1 so far as ,i know1 claim to have been miraculously founded1 miraculously preserved1 and miraculously propagated4 ,the priests of all claimed to have messages from ,god1 and claimed to have a certain authority1 and the miraculous has always been appealed to for the purpose of substantiating the message and the authority4 ,if men believe in the supernatural1 they will account for all phenomena by an appeal to supernatural means or power4 ,we know that formerly everything was accounted for in this way except some few simple things with which man thought he was perfectly acquainted4 ,after a time men found that under like conditions like would happen1 and as to those things the supposition of supernatural interference was abandoned2 but that interference was still active as to all the unknown world4 ,in other words1 as the circle of man's knowledge grew1 supernatural interference withdrew and was active only just beyond the horizon of the known4 ,now1 there are some believers in universal special providence--that is1 men who believe in perpetual interference by a supernatural power1 this interference being for the purpose of punishing or rewarding1 of destroying or preserving1 individuals and nations4 ,others have abandoned the idea of providence in ordinary matters1 but still believe that ,god interferes on great occasions and at critical moments1 especially in the affairs of nations1 and that his presence is manifest in great disasters4 ,this is the compromise position4 ,these people believe that an infinite being made the universe and impressed upon it what they are pleased to call laws1 and then left it to run in accordance with those laws and forces2 that as a rule it works well1 and that the divine maker interferes only in cases of accident1 or at moments when the machine fails to accomplish the original design4 ,there are others who take the ground that all is natural2 that there never has been1 never will be1 never can be any interference from without1 for the reason that nature embraces all1 and that there can be no without or beyond4 ,the first class are ,theists pure and simple2 the second are ,theists as to the unknown1 ,naturalists as to the known2 and the third are ,naturalists without a touch or taint of superstition4 ,what can the evidence of the first class be worth8 ,this question is answered by reading the history of those nations that believed thoroughly and implicitly in the supernatural4 ,there is no conceivable absurdity that was not established by their testimony4 ,every law or every fact in nature was violated4 ,children were bom without parents2 men lived for thousands of years2 others subsisted without food1 without sleep2 thousands and thousands were possessed with evil spirits controlled by ghosts and ghouls2 thousands confessed themselves guilty of impossible offences1 and in courts1 with the most solemn forms1 impossibilities were substantiated by the oaths1 affirmations1 and confessions of men1 women1 and children4 ,these delusions were not confined to ascetics and peasants1 but they took possession of nobles and kings2 of people who were at that time called intelligent2 of the then educated4 ,no one denied these wonders1 for the reason that denial was a crime punishable generally with death4 ,societies1 nations1 became insane--victims of ignorance1 of dreams1 and1 above all1 of fears4 ,under these conditions human testimony is not and cannot be of the slightest value4 ,we now know that nearly all of the history of the world is false1 and we know this because we have arrived at that phase or point of intellectual development where and when we know that effects must have causes1 that everything is naturally produced1 and that1 consequently1 no nation could ever have been great1 powerful1 and rich unless it had the soil1 the people1 the intelligence1 and the commerce4 ,weighed in these scales1 nearly all histories are found to be fictions4 ,the same is true of religions4 ,every intelligent ,american is satisfied that the religions of ,india1 of ,egypt1 of ,greece and ,rome1 of the ,aztecs1 were and are false1 and that all the miracles on which they rest are mistakes4 ,our religion alone is excepted4 ,every intelligent ,hindoo discards all religions and all miracles except his own4 ,the question is3 ,when will people see the defects in their own theology as clearly as they perceive the same defects in every other8 ,all the so-called false religions were substantiated by miracles1 by signs and wonders1 by prophets and martyrs1 precisely as our own4 ,our witnesses are no better than theirs1 and our success is no greater4 ,if their miracles were false1 ours cannot be true4 ,nature was the same in ,india and in ,palestine4 ,one of the corner-stones of ,christianity is the miracle of inspiration1 and this same miracle lies at the foundation of all religions4 ,how can the fact of inspiration be established8 ,how could even the inspired man know that he was inspired8 ,if he was influenced to write1 and did write1 and did express thoughts and facts that to him were absolutely new1 on subjects about which he had previously known nothing1 how could he know that he had been influenced by an infinite being8 ,and if he could know1 how could he convince others8 ,what is meant by inspiration8 ,did the one inspired set down only the thoughts of a supernatural being8 ,was he simply an instrument1 or did his personality color the message received and given8 ,did he mix his ignorance with the divine information1 his prejudices and hatreds with the love and justice of the ,deity8 ,if ,god told him not to eat the flesh of any beast that dieth of itself1 did the same infinite being also tell him to sell this meat to the stranger within his gates8 ,a man says that he is inspired--that ,god appeared to him in a dream1 and told him certain things4 ,now1 the things said to have been communicated may have been good and wise2 but will the fact that the communication is good or wise establish the inspiration8 ,if1 on the other hand1 the communication is absurd or wicked1 will that conclusively show that the man was not inspired8 ,must we judge from the communication8 ,in other words1 is our reason to be the final standard8 ,how could the inspired man know that the communication was received from ,god8 ,if ,god in reality should appear to a human being1 how could this human being know who had appeared8 ,by what standard would he judge8 ,upon this question man has no experience2 he is not familiar enough with the supernatural to know gods even if they exist4 ,although thousands have pretended to receive messages1 there has been no message in which there was1 or is1 anything above the invention of man4 ,there are just as wonderful things in the uninspired as in the inspired books1 and the prophecies of the heathen have been fulfilled equally with those of the ,judean prophets4 ,if1 then1 even the inspired man cannot certainly know that he is inspired1 how is it possible for him to demonstrate his inspiration to others8 ,the last solution of this question is that inspiration is a miracle about which only the inspired can have the least knowledge1 or the least evidence1 and this knowledge and this evidence not of a character to absolutely convince even the inspired4 ,there is certainly nothing in the ,old or the ,new ,testament that could not have been written by uninspired human beings4 ,to me there is nothing of any particular value in the ,pentateuch4 ,i do not know of a solitary scientific truth contained in the five books commonly attributed to ,moses4 ,there is not1 as far as ,i know1 a line in the book of ,genesis calculated to make a human being better4 ,the laws contained in ,exodus1 ,leviticus1 ,numbers1 and ,deuteronomy are for the most part puerile and cruel4 ,surely there is nothing in any of these books that could not have been produced by uninspired men4 ,certainly there is nothing calculated to excite intellectual admiration in the book of ,judges or in the wars of ,joshua2 and the same may be said of ,samuel1 ,chronicles1 and ,kings4 ,the history is extremely childish1 full of repetitions of useless details1 without the slightest philosophy1 without a generalization bom of a wide survey4 ,nothing is known of other nations2 nothing imparted of the slightest value2 nothing about education1 discovery1 or invention4 ,and these idle and stupid annals are interspersed with myth and miracle1 with flattery for kings who supported priests1 and with curses and denunciations for those who would not hearken to the voice of the prophets4 ,if all the historic books of the ,bible were blotted from the memory of mankind1 nothing of value would be lost4 ,is it possible that the writer or writers of ,first and ,second ,kings were inspired1 and that ,gibbon wrote ,the ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire without supernatural assistance8 ,is it possible that the author of ,judges was simply the instrument of an infinite ,god1 while ,john ,w4 ,draper wrote ,the ,intellectual ,development of ,europe without one ray of light from the other world8 ,can we believe that the author of ,genesis had to be inspired1 while ,darwin experimented1 ascertained1 and reached conclusions for himself4 ,ought not the work of a ,god to be vastly superior to that of a man8 ,and if the writers of the ,bible were in reality inspired1 ought not that book to be the greatest of books8 ,for instance1 if it were contended that certain statues had been chiselled by inspired men1 such statues should be superior to any that uninspired man has made4 ,as long as it is admitted that the ,venus de ,milo is the work of man1 no one will believe in inspired sculptors--at least until a superior statue has been found4 ,so in the world of painting4 ,we admit that ,corot was uninspired4 ,nobody claims that ,angelo had supernatural assistance4 ,now1 if some one should claim that a certain painter was simply the instrumentality of ,god1 certainly the pictures produced by that painter should be superior to all others4 ,i do not see how it is possible for an intelligent human being to conclude that the ,song of ,solomon is the work of ,god1 and that the tragedy of ,lear was the work of an uninspired man4 ,we are all liable to be mistaken1 but the ,iliad seems to me a greater work than the ,book of ,esther1 and ,i prefer it to the writings of ,haggai and ,hosea4 ,a,eschylus is superior to ,jeremiah1 and ,shakespeare rises immeasurably above all the sacred books of the world4 ,it does not seem possible that any human being ever tried to establish a truth--anything that really happened--by what is called a miracle4 ,it is easy to understand how that which was common became wonderful by accretion1--by things added1 and by things forgotten1--and it is easy to conceive how that which was wonderful became by accretion what was called supernatural4 ,but it does not seem possible that any intelligent1 honest man ever endeavored to prove anything by a miracle4 ,as a matter of fact1 miracles could only satisfy people who demanded no evidence2 else how could they have believed the miracle8 ,it also appears to be certain that1 even if miracles had been performed1 it would be impossible to establish that fact by human testimony4 ,in other words1 miracles can only be established by miracles1 and in no event could miracles be evidence except to those who were actually present2 and in order for miracles to be of any value1 they would have to be perpetual4 ,it must also be remembered that a miracle actually performed could by no possibility shed any light on any moral truth1 or add to any human obligation4 ,if any man has1 ever been inspired1 this is a secret miracle1 known to no person1 and suspected only by the man claiming to be inspired4 ,it would not be in the power of the inspired to give satisfactory evidence of that fact to anybody else4 ,the testimony of man is insufficient to establish the supernatural4 ,neither the evidence of one man nor of twelve can stand when contradicted by the experience of the intelligent world4 ,if a book sought to be proved by miracles is true1 then it makes no difference whether it was inspired or not2 and if it is not true1 inspiration cannot add to its value4 ,the truth is that the church has always--unconsciously1 perhaps--offered rewards for falsehood4 ,it was founded upon the supernatural1 the miraculous1 and it welcomed all statements calculated to support the foundation4 ,it rewarded the traveller who found evidences of the miraculous1 who had seen the pillar of salt into which the wife of ,lot had been changed1 and the tracks of ,pharaoh's chariots on the sands of the ,red ,sea4 ,it heaped honors on the historian who filled his pages with the absurd and impossible4 ,it had geologists and astronomers of its own who constructed the earth and the constellations in accordance with the ,bible4 ,with sword and flame it destroyed the brave and thoughtful men who told the truth4 ,it was the enemy of investigation and of reason4 ,faith and fiction were in partnership4 ,to-day the intelligence of the world denies the miraculous4 ,ignorance is the soil of the supernatural4 ,the foundation of ,christianity has crumbled1 has disappeared1 and the entire fabric must fall4 ,the natural is true4 ,the miraculous is false4 ,north ,american ,review1 ,march1 #ahij4 ,,huxley ,,and ,,agnosticism4 ,,professor ,,huxley ,,and ,,agnosticism4 ,,in the ,february number of the ,nineteenth ,century1 #ahhi1 is an article by ,professor ,huxley1 entitled ,agnosticism4 ,it seems that a church congress was held at ,manchester in ,october1 #ahhh1 and that the ,principal of ,king's ,college brought the topic of ,agnosticism before the assembly and made the following statement3 ,but if this be so1 for a man to urge as an escape from this article of belief that he has no means of a scientific knowledge of an unseen world1 or of the future1 is irrelevant4 ,his difference from ,christians lies1 not in the fact that he has no knowledge of these things1 but that he does not believe the authority on which they are stated4 ,he may prefer to call himself an ,agnostic1 but his real name is an older one--he is an infidel2 that is to say1 an unbeliever4 ,the word infidel1 perhaps1 carries an unpleasant significance4 ,perhaps it is right that it should4 ,it is1 and it ought to be1 an unpleasant thing for a man to have to say plainly that he does not believe in ,jesus ,christ4 ,let us examine this statement1 putting it in language that is easily understood2 and for that purpose we will divide it into several paragraphs4 ,first4--,for a man to urge that he has no means of a scientific knowledge of the unseen world1 or of the future1 is irrelevant4 ,is there any other knowledge than a scientific knowledge8 ,are there several kinds of knowing8 ,is there such a thing as scientific ignorance8 ,if a man says1 ,i know nothing of the unseen world because ,i have no knowledge upon that subject1 is the fact that he has no knowledge absolutely irrelevant8 ,will the ,principal of ,king's ,college say that having no knowledge is the reason he knows8 ,when asked to give your opinion upon any subject1 can it be said that your ignorance of that subject is irrelevant8 ,if this be true1 then your knowledge of the subject is also irrelevant8 ,is it possible to put in ordinary ,english a more perfect absurdity8 ,how can a man obtain any knowledge of the unseen world8 ,he certainly cannot obtain it through the medium of the senses4 ,it is not a world that he can visit4 ,he cannot stand upon its shores1 nor can he view them from the ocean of imagination4 ,the ,principal of ,king's ,college1 however1 insists that these impossibilities are irrelevant4 ,no person has come back from the unseen world4 ,no authentic message has been delivered4 ,through all the centuries1 not one whisper has broken the silence that lies beyond the grave4 ,countless millions have sought for some evidence1 have listened in vain for some word4 ,it is most cheerfully admitted that all this does not prove the non-existence of another world--all this does not demonstrate that death ends all4 ,but it is the justification of the ,agnostic1 who candidly says1 ,i do not know4 ,second4--,the ,principal of ,king's ,college states that the difference between an ,agnostic and a ,christian lies1 not in the fact that he has no knowledge of these things1 but that he does not believe the authority on which they are stated4 ,is this a difference in knowledge1 or a difference in belief--that is to say1 a difference in credulity8 ,the ,christian believes the ,mosaic account4 ,he reverently hears and admits the truth of all that he finds within the ,scriptures4 ,is this knowledge8 ,how is it possible to know whether the reputed authors of the books of the ,old ,testament were the real ones8 ,the witnesses are dead4 ,the lips that could testify are dust4 ,between these shores roll the waves of many centuries4 ,who knows whether such a man as ,moses existed or not8 ,who knows the author of ,kings and ,chronicles8 ,by what testimony can we substantiate the authenticity of the prophets1 or of the prophecies1 or of the fulfillments8 ,is there any difference between the knowledge of the ,christian and of the ,agnostic8 ,does the ,principal of ,king's ,college know any more as to the truth of the ,old ,testament than the man who modestly calls for evidence8 ,has not a mistake been made8 ,is not the difference one of belief instead of knowledge8 ,and is not this difference founded on the difference in credulity8 ,would not an infinitely wise and good being--where belief is a condition to salvation--supply the evidence8 ,certainly the ,creator of man--if such exist--knows the exact nature of the human mind--knows the evidence necessary to convince2 and1 consequently1 such a being would act in accordance with such conditions4 ,there is a relation between evidence and belief4 ,the mind is so constituted that certain things1 being in accordance with its nature1 are regarded as reasonable1 as probable4 ,there is also this fact that must not be overlooked3 that is1 that just in the proportion that the brain is developed it requires more evidence1 and becomes less and less credulous4 ,ignorance and credulity go hand in hand4 ,intelligence understands something of the law of average1 has an idea of probability4 ,it is not swayed by prejudice1 neither is it driven to extremes by suspicion4 ,it takes into consideration personal motives4 ,it examines the character of the witnesses1 makes allowance for the ignorance of the time1--for enthusiasm1 for fear1--and comes to its conclusion without fear and without passion4 ,what knowledge has the ,christian of another world8 ,the senses of the ,christian are the same as those of the ,agnostic4 ,he hears1 sees1 and feels substantially the same4 ,his vision is limited4 ,he sees no other shore and hears nothing from another world4 ,knowledge is something that can be imparted4 ,it has a foundation in fact4 ,it comes within the domain of the senses4 ,it can be told1 described1 analyzed1 and1 in addition to all this1 it can be classified4 ,whenever a fact becomes the property of one mind1 it can become the property of the intellectual world4 ,there are words in which the knowledge can be conveyed4 ,the ,christian is not a supernatural person1 filled with supernatural truths4 ,he is a natural person1 and all that he knows of value can be naturally imparted4 ,it is within his power to give all that he has to the ,agnostic4 ,the ,principal of ,king's ,college is mistaken when he says that the difference between the ,agnostic and the ,christian does not lie in the fact that the ,agnostic has no knowledge1 but that he does not believe the authority on which these things are stated4 ,the real difference is this3 the ,christian says that he has knowledge2 the ,agnostic admits that he has none2 and yet the ,christian accuses the ,agnostic of arrogance1 and asks him how he has the impudence to admit the limitations of his mind4 ,to the ,agnostic every fact is a torch1 and by this light1 and this light only1 he walks4 ,it is also true that the ,agnostic does not believe the authority relied on by the ,christian4 ,what is the authority of the ,christian8 ,thousands of years ago it is supposed that certain men1 or1 rather1 uncertain men1 wrote certain things4 ,it is alleged by the ,christian that these men were divinely inspired1 and that the words of these men are to be taken as absolutely true1 no matter whether or not they are verified by modern discovery and demonstration4 ,how can we know that any human being was divinely inspired8 ,there has been no personal revelation to us to the effect that certain people were inspired--it is only claimed that the revelation was to them4 ,for this we have only their word1 and about that there is this difficulty3 we know nothing of them1 and1 consequently1 cannot1 if we desire1 rely upon their character for truth4 ,this evidence is not simply hearsay--it is far weaker than that4 ,we have only been told that they said these things2 we do not know whether the persons claiming to be inspired wrote these things or not2 neither are we certain that such persons ever existed4 ,we know now that the greatest men with whom we are acquainted are often mistaken about the simplest matters4 ,we also know that men saying something like the same things1 in other countries and in ancient days1 must have been impostors4 ,the ,christian has no confidence in the words of ,mohammed2 the ,mohammedan cares nothing about the declarations of ,buddha2 and the ,agnostic gives to the words of the ,christian the value only of the truth that is in them4 ,he knows that these sayings get neither truth nor worth from the person who uttered them4 ,he knows that the sayings themselves get their entire value from the truth they express4 ,so that the real difference between the ,christian and the ,agnostic does not lie in their knowledge1--for neither of them has any knowledge on this subject1--but the difference does lie in credulity1 and in nothing else4 ,the ,agnostic does not rely on the authority of ,moses and the prophets4 ,he finds that they were mistaken in most matters capable of demonstration4 ,he finds that their mistakes multiply in the proportion that human knowledge increases4 ,he is satisfied that the religion of the ancient ,jews is1 in most things1 as ignorant and cruel as other religions of the ancient world4 ,he concludes that the efforts1 in all ages1 to answer the questions of origin and destiny1 and to account for the phenomena of life1 have all been substantial failures4 ,in the presence of demonstration there is no opportunity for the exercise of faith4 ,truth does not appeal to credulity--it appeals to evidence1 to established facts1 to the constitution of the mind4 ,it endeavors to harmonize the new fact with all that we know1 and to bring it within the circumference of human experience4 ,the church has never cultivated investigation4 ,it has never said3 ,let him who has a mind to think1 think2 but its cry from the first until now has been3 ,let him who has ears to hear1 hear4 ,the pulpit does not appeal to the reason of the pew2 it speaks by authority and it commands the pew to believe1 and it not only commands1 but it threatens4 ,the ,agnostic knows that the testimony of man is not sufficient to establish what is known as the miraculous4 ,we would not believe to-day the testimony of millions to the effect that the dead had been raised4 ,the church itself would be the first to attack such testimony4 ,if we cannot believe those whom we know1 why should we believe witnesses who have been dead thousands of years1 and about whom we know nothing8 ,third4--,the ,principal of ,king's ,college1 growing somewhat severe1 declares that he may prefer to call himself an ,agnostic1 but his real name is an older one--he is an infidel2 that is to say1 an unbeliever4 ,this is spoken in a kind of holy scorn4 ,according to this gentleman1 an unbeliever is1 to a certain extent1 a disreputable person4 ,in this sense1 what is an unbeliever8 ,he is one whose mind is so constituted that what the ,christian calls evidence is not satisfactory to him4 ,is a person accountable for the constitution of his mind1 for the formation of his brain8 ,is any human being responsible for the weight that evidence has upon him8 ,can he believe without evidence8 ,is the weight of evidence a question of choice8 ,is there such a thing as honestly weighing testimony8 ,is the result of such weighing necessary8 ,does it involve moral responsibility8 ,if the ,mosaic account does not convince a man that it is true1 is he a wretch because he is candid enough to tell the truth8 ,can he preserve his manhood only by making a false statement8 ,the ,mohammedan would call the ,principal of ,king's ,college an unbeliever1--so would the tribes of ,central ,africa1--and he would return the compliment1 and all would be equally justified4 ,has the ,principal of ,king's ,college any knowledge that he keeps from the rest of the world8 ,has he the confidence of the ,infinite8 ,is there anything praiseworthy in believing where the evidence is sufficient1 or is one to be praised for believing only where the evidence is insufficient8 ,is a man to be blamed for not agreeing with his fellow-citizen8 ,were the unbelievers in the pagan world better or worse than their neighbors8 ,it is probably true that some of the greatest ,greeks believed in the gods of that nation1 and it is equally true that some of the greatest denied their existence4 ,if credulity is a virtue now1 it must have been in the days of ,athens4 ,if to believe without evidence entities one to eternal reward in this century1 certainly the same must have been true in the days of the ,pharaohs4 ,an infidel is one who does not believe in the prevailing religion4 ,we now admit that the infidels of ,greece and ,rome were right4 ,the gods that they refused to believe in are dead4 ,their thrones are empty1 and long ago the sceptres dropped from their nerveless hands4 ,to-day the world honors the men who denied and derided these gods4 ,fourth4--,the ,principal of ,king's ,college ventures to suggest that the word infidel1 perhaps1 carries an unpleasant significance2 perhaps it is right that it should4 ,a few years ago the word infidel did carry an unpleasant significance4 ,a few years ago its significance was so unpleasant that the man to whom the word was applied found himself in prison or at the stake4 ,in particularly kind communities he was put in the stocks1 pelted with offal1 derided by hypocrites1 scorned by ignorance1 jeered by cowardice1 and all the priests passed by on the other side4 ,there was a time when ,episcopalians were regarded as infidels2 when a true ,catholic looked upon a follower of ,henry ,,viii4 as an infidel1 as an unbeliever2 when a true ,catholic held in detestation the man who preferred a murderer and adulterer--a man who swapped religions for the sake of exchanging wives--to the ,pope1 the head of the universal church4 ,it is easy enough to conceive of an honest man denying the claims of a church based on the caprice of an ,english king4 ,the word infidel carries an unpleasant significance only where the ,christians are exceedingly ignorant1 intolerant1 bigoted1 cruel1 and unmannerly4 ,the real gentleman gives to others the rights that he claims for himself4 ,the civilized man rises far above the bigotry of one who has been born again4 ,good breeding is far gentler than universal love4 ,it is natural for the church to hate an unbeliever--natural for the pulpit to despise one who refuses to subscribe1 who refuses to give4 ,it is a question of revenue instead of religion4 ,the ,episcopal ,church has the instinct of self-preservation4 ,it uses its power1 its influence1 to compel contribution4 ,it forgives the giver4 ,fifth4--,the ,principal of ,king's ,college insists that it is1 and it ought to be1 an unpleasant thing for a man to have to say plainly that he does not believe in ,jesus ,christ4 ,should it be an unpleasant thing for a man to say plainly what he believes8 ,can this be unpleasant except in an uncivilized community--a community in which an uncivilized church has authority8 ,why should not a man be as free to say that he does not believe as to say that he does believe8 ,perhaps the real question is whether all men have an equal right to express their opinions4 ,is it the duty of the minority to keep silent8 ,are majorities always right8 ,if the minority had never spoken1 what to-day would have been the condition of this world8 ,are the majority the pioneers of progress1 or does the pioneer1 as a rule1 walk alone8 ,is it his duty to close his lips8 ,must the inventor allow his inventions to die in the brain8 ,must the discoverer of new truths make of his mind a tomb8 ,is man under any obligation to his fellows8 ,was the ,episcopal religion always in the majority8 ,was it at any time in the history of the world an unpleasant thing to be called a ,protestant8 ,did the word ,protestant carry an unpleasant significance8 ,was it perhaps right that it should8 ,was ,luther a misfortune to the human race8 ,if a community is thoroughly civilized1 why should it be an unpleasant thing for a man to express his belief in respectful language8 ,if the argument is against him1 it might be unpleasant2 but why should simple numbers be the foundation of unpleasantness8 ,if the majority have the facts1--if they have the argument1--why should they fear the mistakes of the minority8 ,does any theologian hate the man he can answer8 ,it is claimed by the ,episcopal ,church that ,christ was in fact ,god2 and it is further claimed that the ,new ,testament is an inspired account of what that being and his disciples did and said4 ,is there any obligation resting on any human being to believe this account8 ,is it within the power of man to determine the influence that testimony shall have upon his mind8 ,if one denies the existence of devils1 does he1 for that reason1 cease to believe in ,jesus ,christ8 ,is it not possible to imagine that a great and tender soul living in ,palestine nearly twenty centuries ago was misunderstood8 ,is it not within the realm of the possible that his words have been inaccurately reported8 ,is it not within the range of the probable that legend and rumor and ignorance and zeal have deformed his life and belittled his character8 ,if the man ,christ lived and taught and suffered1 if he was1 in reality1 great and noble1 who is his friend--the one who attributes to him feats of jugglery1 or he who maintains that these stories were invented by zealous ignorance and believed by enthusiastic credulity8 ,if he claimed to have wrought miracles1 he must have been either dishonest or insane2 consequently1 he who denies miracles does what little he can to rescue the reputation of a great and splendid man4 ,the ,agnostic accepts the good he did1 the truth he said1 and rejects only that which1 according to his judgment1 is inconsistent with truth and goodness4 ,the ,principal of ,king's ,college evidently believes in the necessity of belief4 ,he puts conviction or creed or credulity in place of character4 ,according to his idea1 it is impossible to win the approbation of ,god by intelligent investigation and by the expression of honest conclusions4 ,he imagines that the ,infinite is delighted with credulity1 with belief without evidence1 faith without question4 ,man has but little reason1 at best2 but this little should be used4 ,no matter how small the taper is1 how feeble the ray of light it casts1 it is better than darkness1 and no man should be rewarded for extinguishing the light he has4 ,we know now1 if we know anything1 that man in this1 the nineteenth century1 is better capable of judging as to the happening of any event1 than he ever was before4 ,we know that the standard is higher to-day--we know that the intellectual light is greater--we know that the human mind is better equipped to deal with all questions of human interest1 than at any other time within the known history of the human race4 ,it will not do to say that our ,lord and his apostles must at least be regarded as honest men4 ,let this be admitted1 and what does it prove8 ,honesty is not enough4 ,intelligence and honesty must go hand in hand4 ,we may admit now that our ,lord and his apostles were perfectly honest men2 yet it does not follow that we have a truthful account of what they said and of what they did4 ,it is not pretended that our ,lord wrote anything1 and it is not known that one of the apostles ever wrote a word4 ,consequently1 the most that we can say is that somebody has written something about our ,lord and his apostles4 ,whether that somebody knew or did not know is unknown to us4 ,as to whether what is written is true or false1 we must judge by that which is written4 ,first of all1 is it probable8 is it within the experience of mankind8 ,we should judge of the gospels as we judge of other histories1 of other biographies4 ,we know that many biographies written by perfectly honest men are not correct4 ,we know1 if we know anything1 that honest men can be mistaken1 and it is not necessary to believe everything that a man writes because we believe he was honest4 ,dishonest men may write the truth4 ,at last the standard or criterion is for each man to judge according to what he believes to be human experience4 ,we are satisfied that nothing more wonderful has happened than is now happening4 ,we believe that the present is as wonderful as the past1 and just as miraculous as the future4 ,if we are to believe in the truth of the ,old ,testament1 the word evidence loses its meaning2 there ceases to be any standard of probability1 and the mind simply accepts or denies without reason4 ,we are told that certain miracles were performed for the purpose of attesting the mission and character of ,christ4 ,how can these miracles be verified8 ,the miracles of the ,middle ,ages rest upon substantially the same evidence4 ,the same may be said of the wonders of all countries and of all ages4 ,how is it a virtue to deny the miracles of ,mohammed and to believe those attributed to ,christ8 ,you may say of ,st4 ,augustine that what he said was true or false4 ,we know that much of it was false2 and yet we are not justified in saying that he was dishonest4 ,thousands of errors have been propagated by honest men4 ,as a rule1 mistakes get their wings from honest people4 ,the testimony of a witness to the happening of the impossible gets no weight from the honesty of the witness4 ,the fact that falsehoods are in the ,new ,testament does not tend to prove that the writers were knowingly untruthful4 ,no man can be honest enough to substantiate1 to the satisfaction of reasonable men1 the happening of a miracle4 ,for this reason it makes not the slightest difference whether the writers of the ,new ,testament were honest or not4 ,their character is not involved4 ,whenever a man rises above his contemporaries1 whenever he excites the wonder of his fellows1 his biographers always endeavor to bridge over the chasm between the people and this man1 and for that purpose attribute to him the qualities which in the eyes of the multitude are desirable4 ,miracles are demanded by savages1 and1 consequently1 the savage biographer attributes miracles to his hero4 ,what would we think now of a man who1 in writing the life of ,charles ,darwin1 should attribute to him supernatural powers8 ,what would we say of an admirer of ,humboldt who should claim that the great ,german could cast out devils8 ,we would feel that ,darwin and ,humboldt had been belittled2 that the biographies were written for children and by men who had not outgrown the nursery4 ,if the reputation of our ,lord is to be preserved--if he is to stand with the great and splendid of the earth--if he is to continue a constellation in the intellectual heavens1 all claim to the miraculous1 to the supernatural1 must be abandoned4 ,no one can overestimate the evils that have been endured by the human race by reason of a departure from the standard of the natural4 ,the world has been governed by jugglery1 by sleight-of-hand4 ,miracles1 wonders1 tricks1 have been regarded as of far greater importance than the steady1 the sublime and unbroken march of cause and effect4 ,the improbable has been established by the impossible4 ,falsehood has furnished the foundation for faith4 ,is the human body at present the residence of evil spirits1 or have these imps of darkness perished from the world8 ,where are they8 ,if the ,new ,testament establishes anything1 it is the existence of innumerable devils1 and that these satanic beings absolutely took possession of the human mind4 ,is this true8 ,can anything be more absurd8 ,does any intellectual man who has examined the question believe that depraved demons live in the bodies of men8 ,do they occupy space8 ,do they live upon some kind of food8 ,of what shape are they8 ,could they be classified by a naturalist8 ,do they run or float or fly8 ,if to deny the existence of these supposed beings is to be an infidel1 how can the word infidel carry an unpleasant significance8 ,of course it is the business of the principals of most colleges1 as well as of bishops1 cardinals1 popes1 priests1 and clergymen to insist upon the existence of evil spirits4 ,all these gentlemen are employeed to counteract the influence of these supposed demons4 ,why should they take the bread out of their own mouths8 ,is it to be expected that they will unfrock themselves8 ,the church1 like any other corporation1 has the instinct of self-preservation4 ,it will defend itself2 it will fight as long as it has the power to change a hand into a fist4 ,the ,agnostic takes the ground that human experience is the basis of morality4 ,consequently1 it is of no importance who wrote the gospels1 or who vouched or vouches for the genuineness of the miracles4 ,in his scheme of life these things are utterly unimportant4 ,he is satisfied that the miraculous is the impossible4 ,he knows that the witnesses were wholly incapable of examining the questions involved1 that credulity had possession of their minds1 that the miraculous was expected1 that it was their daily food4 ,all this is very clearly and delightfully stated by ,professor ,huxley1 and it hardly seems possible that any intelligent man can read what he says without feeling that the foundation of all superstition has been weakened4 ,the article is as remarkable for its candor as for its clearness4 ,nothing is avoided--everything is met4 ,no excuses are given44 ,he has left all apologies for the other side4 ,when you have finished what ,professor ,huxley has written1 you feel that your mind has been in actual contact with the mind of another1 that nothing has been concealed2 and not only so1 but you feel that this mind is not only willing1 but anxious1 to know the actual truth4 ,to me1 the highest uses of philosophy are1 first1 to free the mind of fear1 and1 second1 to avert all the evil that can be averted1 through intelligence--that is to say1 through a knowledge of the conditions of well-being4 ,we are satisfied that the absolute is beyond our vision1 beneath our touch1 above our reach4 ,we are now convinced that we can deal only with phenomena1 with relations1 with appearances1 with things that impress the senses1 that can be reached by reason1 by the exercise of our faculties4 ,we are satisfied that the reasonable road is the straight road1 the only sacred way4 ,of course there is faith in the world--faith in this world--and always will be1 unless superstition succeeds in every land4 ,but the faith of the wise man is based upon facts4 ,his faith is a reasonable conclusion drawn from the known4 ,he has faith in the progress of the race1 in the triumph of intelligence1 in the coming sovereignty of science4 ,he has faith in the development of the brain1 in the gradual enlightenment of the mind4 ,and so he works for the accomplishment of great ends1 having faith in the final victory of the race4 ,he has honesty enough to say that he does not know4 ,he perceives and admits that the mind has limitations4 ,he doubts the so-called wisdom of the past4 ,he looks for evidence1 and he endeavors to keep his mind free from prejudice4 ,he believes in the manly virtues1 in the judicial spirit1 and in his obligation to tell his honest thoughts4 ,it is useless to talk about a destruction of consolations4 ,that which is suspected to be untrue loses its power to console4 ,a man should be brave enough to bear the truth4 ,professor ,huxley has stated with great clearness the attitude of the ,agnostic4 ,it seems that he is somewhat severe on the ,positive ,philosophy1 ,while it is hard to see the propriety of worshiping ,humanity as a being1 it is easy to understand the splendid dream of ,august ,comte4 ,is the human race worthy to be worshiped by itself--that is to say1 should the individual worship himself8 ,certainly the religion of humanity is better than the religion of the inhuman4 ,the ,positive ,philosophy is better far than ,catholicism4 ,it does not fill the heavens with monsters1 nor the future with pain4 ,it may be said that ,luther and ,comte endeavored to reform the ,catholic ,church4 ,both were mistaken1 because the only reformation of which that church is capable is destruction4 ,it is a mass of superstition4 ,the mission of ,positivism is1 in the language of its founder1 to generalize science and to systematize sociality4 ,it seems to me that ,comte stated with great force and with absolute truth the three phases of intellectual evolution or progress4 ,first4--,in the supernatural phase the mind seeks causes--aspires to know the essence of things1 and the ,how and ,why of their operation4 ,in this phase1 all facts are regarded as the productions of supernatural agents1 and unusual phenomena are interpreted as the signs of the pleasure or displeasure of some god4 ,here at this point is the orthodox world of to-day4 ,the church still imagines that phenomena should be interpreted as the signs of the pleasure or displeasure of ,god4 ,nearly every history is deformed with this childish and barbaric view4 ,second4--,the next phase or modification1 according to ,comte1 is the metaphysical4 ,the supernatural agents are dispensed with1 and in their places we find abstract forces or entities supposed to inhere in substances and capable of engendering phenomena4 ,in this phase people talk about laws and principles as though laws and principles were forces capable of producing phenomena4 ,third4--,the last stage is the ,positive4 ,the mind1 convinced of the futility of all enquiry into causes and essences1 restricts itself to the observation and classification of phenomena1 and to the discovery of the invariable relations of succession and similitude--in a word1 to the discovery of the relations of phenomena4 ,why is not the ,positive stage the point reached by the ,agnostic8 ,he has ceased to inquire into the origin of things4 ,he has perceived the limitations of the mind4 ,he is thoroughly convinced of the uselessness and futility and absurdity of theological methods1 and restricts himself to the examination of phenomena1 to their relations1 to their effects1 and endeavors to find in the complexity of things the true conditions of human happiness4 ,although ,i am not a believer in the philosophy of ,auguste ,comte1 ,i cannot shut my eyes to the value of his thought2 neither is it possible for me not to applaud his candor1 his intelligence1 and the courage it required even to attempt to lay the foundation of the ,positive ,philosophy4 ,professor ,huxley and ,frederic ,harrison are splendid soldiers in the army of ,progress4 ,they have attacked with signal success the sacred and solemn stupidities of superstition4 ,both have appealed to that which is highest and noblest in man4 ,both have been the destroyers of prejudice4 ,both have shed light1 and both have won great victories on the fields of intellectual conflict4 ,they cannot afford to waste time in attacking each other4 ,after all1 the ,agnostic and the ,positivist have the same end in view--both believe in living for this world4 ,the theologians1 finding themselves unable to answer the arguments that have been urged1 resort to the old subterfuge--to the old cry that ,agnosticism takes something of value from the life of man4 ,does the ,agnostic take any consolation from the world8 ,does he blot out1 or dim1 one star in the heaven of hope8 ,can there be anything more consoling than to feel1 to know1 that ,jehovah is not ,god--that the message of the ,old ,testament is not from the infinite8 ,is it not enough to fill the brain with a happiness unspeakable to know that the words1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 will never be spoken to one of the children of men8 ,is it a small thing to lift from the shoulders of industry the burdens of superstition8 ,is it a little thing to drive the monster of fear from the hearts of men8--,north ,american ,review1 ,april1 #ahhi4 ,,ernest ,,renan4 ,blessed are those ,whose blood and judgment are so well co-mingled ,that they are not a pipe for fortune's finger ,to sound what stop she please4 ,,ernest ,,renan is dead4 ,another source of light2 another force of civilization2 another charming personality2 another brave soul1 graceful in thought1 generous in deed2 a sculptor in speech1 a colorist in words--clothing all in the poetry born of a delightful union of heart and brain--has passed to the realm of rest4 ,reared under the influences of ,catholicism1 educated for the priesthood1 yet by reason of his natural genius1 he began to think4 ,forces that utterly subjugate and enslave the mind of mediocrity sometimes rouse to thought and action the superior soul4 ,renan began to think--a dangerous thing for a ,catholic to do4 ,thought leads to doubt1 doubt to investigation1 investigation to truth--the enemy of all superstition4 ,he lifted the ,catholic extinguisher from the light and flame of reason4 ,he found that his mental vision was improved4 ,he read the ,scriptures for himself1 examined them as he did other books not claiming to be inspired4 ,he found the same mistakes1 the same prejudices1 the same miraculous impossibilities in the book attributed to ,god that he found in those known to have been written by men4 ,into the path of reason1 or rather into the highway1 ,renan was led by ,henriette1 his sister1 to whom he pays a tribute that has the perfume of a perfect flower4 ,i was1 writes ,renan1 brought up by women and priests1 and therein lies the whole explanation of my good qualities and of my defects4 ,in most that he wrote is the tenderness of woman1 only now and then a little touch of the priest showing itself1 mostly in a reluctance to spoil the ivy by tearing down some prison built by superstition4 ,in spite of the heartless scheme of things he still found it in his heart to say1 ,when ,god shall be complete1 ,he will be just1 at the same time saying that nothing proves to us that there exists in the world a central consciousness--a soul of the universe--and nothing proves the contrary4 ,so1 whatever was the verdict of his brain1 his heart asked for immortality4 ,he wanted his dream1 and he was willing that others should have theirs4 ,such is the wish and will of all great souls4 ,he knew the church thoroughly and anticipated what would finally be written about him by churchmen3 ,having some experience of ecclesiastical writers ,i can sketch out in advance the way my biography will be written in ,spanish in some ,catholic review1 of ,santa ,fe1 in the year #b1jjj4 ,heavens6 how black ,i shall be6 ,i shall be so all the more1 because the church when she feels that she is lost will end with malice4 ,she will bite like a mad dog4 ,he anticipated such a biography because he had thought for himself1 and because he had expressed his thoughts--because he had declared that our universe1 within the reach of our experience1 is not governed by any intelligent reason4 ,god1 as the common herd understand him1 the living ,god1 the acting ,god--the ,god-,providence1 does not show himself in the universe--because he attacked the mythical and the miraculous in the life of ,christ and sought to rescue from the calumnies of ignorance and faith a serene and lofty soul4 ,the time has arrived when ,jesus must become a myth or a man4 ,the idea that he was the infinite ,god must be abandoned by all who are not religiously insane4 ,those who have given up the claim that he was ,god1 insist that he was divinely appointed and illuminated2 that he was a perfect man--the highest possible type of the human race and1 consequently1 a perfect example for all the world4 ,as time goes on1 as men get wider or grander or more complex ideas of life1 as the intellectual horizon broadens1 the idea that ,christ was perfect may be modified4 ,the ,new ,testament seems to describe several individuals under the same name1 or at least one individual who passed through several stages or phases of religious development4 ,christ is described as a devout ,jew1 as one who endeavored to comply in all respects with the old law4 ,many sayings are attributed to him consistent with this idea4 ,he certainly was a ,hebrew in belief and feeling when he said1 ,swear not by ,heaven1 because it is ,god's throne1 nor by earth1 for it is his footstool2 nor by ,jerusalem1 for it is his holy city4 ,these reasons were in exact accordance with the mythology of the ,jews4 ,god was regarded simply as an enormous man1 as one who walked in the garden in the cool of the evening1 as one who had met man face to face1 who had conversed with ,moses for forty days upon ,mount ,sinai1 as a great king1 with a throne in the heavens1 using the earth to rest his feet upon1 and regarding ,jerusalem as his holy city4 ,then we find plenty of evidence that he wished to reform the religion of the ,jews2 to fulfill the law1 not to abrogate it ,then there is still another change3 he has ceased his efforts to reform that religion and has become a destroyer4 ,he holds the ,temple in contempt and repudiates the idea that ,jerusalem is the holy city4 ,he concludes that it is unnecessary to go to some mountain or some building to worship or to find ,god1 and insists that the heart is the true temple1 that ceremonies are useless1 that all pomp and pride and show are needless1 and that it is enough to worship ,god under heaven's dome1 in spirit and in truth4 ,it is impossible to harmonize these views unless we admit that ,christ was the subject of growth and change2 that in consequence of growth and change he modified his views2 that1 from wanting to preserve ,judaism as it was1 he became convinced that it ought to be reformed4 ,that he then abandoned the idea of reformation1 and made up his mind that the only reformation of which the ,jewish religion was capable was destruction4 ,if he was in fact a man1 then the course he pursued was natural2 but if he was ,god1 it is perfectly absurd4 ,if we give to him perfect knowledge1 then it is impossible to account for change or growth4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the ground is taken that he was a perfect man1 then1 it might be asked1 ,was he perfect when he wished to preserve1 or when he wished to reform1 or when he resolved to destroy1 the religion of the ,jews8 ,if he is to be regarded as perfect1 although not divine1 when did he reach perfection8 ,it is perfectly evident that ,christ1 or the character that bears that name1 imagined that the world was about to be destroyed1 or at least purified by fire1 and that1 on account of this curious belief1 he became the enemy of marriage1 of all earthly ambition and of all enterprise4 ,with that view in his mind1 he said to himself1 ,why should we waste our energies in producing food for destruction8 ,why should we endeavor to beautify a world that is so soon to perish8 ,filled with the thought of coming change1 he insisted that there was but one important thing1 and that was for each man to save his soul4 ,he should care nothing for the ties of kindred1 nothing for wife or child or property1 in the shadow of the coming disaster4 ,he should take care of himself4 ,he endeavored1 as it is said1 to induce men to desert all they had1 to let the dead1 bury the dead1 and follow him4 ,he told his disciples1 or those he wished to make his disciples1 according to the ,testament1 that it was their duty to desert wife and child and property1 and if they would so desert kindred and wealth1 he would reward them here and hereafter4 ,we know now--if we know anything--that ,jesus was mistaken about the coming of the end1 and we know now that he was greatly controlled in his ideas of life1 by that mistake4 ,believing that the end was near1 he said1 ,take no thought for the morrow1 what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink or wherewithal ye shall be clothed4 ,it was in view of the destruction of the world that he called the attention of his disciples to the lily that toiled not and yet excelled ,solomon in the glory of its raiment4 ,having made this mistake1 having acted upon it1 certainly we cannot now say that he was perfect in knowledge4 ,he is regarded by many millions as the impersonation of patience1 of forbearance1 of meekness and mercy1 and yet1 according to the account1 he said many extremely bitter words1 and threatened eternal pain4 ,we also know1 if the account be true1 that he claimed to have supernatural power1 to work miracles1 to cure the blind and to raise the dead1 and we know that he did nothing of the kind4 ,so if the writers of the ,new ,testament tell the truth as to what ,christ claimed1 it is absurd to say that he was a perfect man4 ,if honest1 he was deceived1 and those who are deceived are not perfect4 ,there is nothing in the ,new ,testament1 so far as we know1 that touches on the duties of nation to nation1 or of nation to its citizens2 nothing of human liberty2 not one word about education2 not the faintest hint that there is such a thing as science2 nothing calculated to stimulate industry1 commerce1 or invention2 not one word in favor of art1 of music or anything calculated to feed or clothe the body1 nothing to develop the brain of man4 ,when it is assumed that the life of ,christ1 as described in the ,new ,testament1 is perfect1 we at least take upon ourselves the burden of deciding what perfection is4 ,people who asserted that ,christ was divine1 that he was actually ,god1 reached the conclusion1 without any laborious course of reasoning1 that all he said and did was absolute perfection4 ,they said this because they had first been convinced that he was divine4 ,the moment his divinity is given up and the assertion is made that he was perfect1 we are not permitted to reason in that way4 ,they said he was ,god1 therefore perfect4 ,now1 if it is admitted that he was human1 the conclusion that he was perfect does not follow4 ,we then take the burden upon ourselves of deciding what perfection is4 ,to decide what is perfect is beyond the powers of the human mind4 ,renan1 in spite of his education1 regarded ,christ as a man1 and did the best he could to account for the miracles that had been attributed to him1 for the legends that had gathered about his name1 and the impossibilities connected with his career1 and also tried to account for the origin or birth of these miracles1 of these legends1 of these myths1 including the resurrection and ascension4 ,i am not satisfied with all the conclusions he reached or with all the paths he traveled4 ,the refraction of light caused by passing through a woman's tears is hardly a sufficient foundation for a belief in so miraculous a miracle as the bodily ascension of ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is another thing attributed to ,christ that seems to me conclusive evidence against the claim of perfection4 ,christ is reported to have said that all sins could be forgiven except the sin against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this sin1 however1 is not defined4 ,although ,christ died for the whole world1 that through him all might be saved1 there is this one terrible exception3 ,there is no salvation for those who have sinned1 or who may hereafter sin1 against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,thousands of persons are now in asylums1 having lost their reason because of their fear that they had committed this unknown1 this undefined1 this unpardonable sin4 ,it is said that a ,roman ,emperor went through a form of publishing his laws or proclamations1 posting them so high on pillars that they could not be read1 and then took the lives of those who ignorantly violated these unknown laws4 ,he was regarded as a tyrant1 as a murderer4 ,and yet1 what shall we say of one who declared that the sin against the ,holy ,ghost was the only one that could not be forgiven1 and then left an ignorant world to guess what that sin is8 ,undoubtedly this horror is an interpolation4 ,there is something like it in the ,old ,testament4 ,it is asserted by ,christians that the ,ten ,commandments are the foundation of all law and of all civilization1 and you will find lawyers insisting that the ,mosaic ,code was the first information that man received on the subject of law2 that before that time the world was without any knowledge of justice or mercy4 ,if this be true the ,jews had no divine laws1 no real instruction on any legal subject until the ,ten ,commandments were given4 ,consequently1 before that time there had been proclaimed or published no law against the worship of other gods or of idols4 ,moses had been on ,mount ,sinai talking with ,jehovah4 ,at the end of the dialogue he received the ,tables of ,stone and started down the mountain for the purpose of imparting this information to his followers4 ,when he reached the camp he heard music4 ,he saw people dancing1 and he found that in his absence ,aaron and the rest of the people had cast a molten calf which they were then worshiping4 ,this so enraged ,moses that he broke the ,tables of ,stone and made preparations for the punishment of the ,jews4 ,remember that they knew nothing about this law1 and1 according to the modern ,christian claims1 could not have known that it was wrong to melt gold and silver and mould it in the form of a calf4 ,and yet ,moses killed about thirty thousand of these people for having violated a law of which they had never heard2 a law known only to one man and one ,god4 ,nothing could be more unjust1 more ferocious1 than this2 and yet it can hardly be said to exceed in cruelty the announcement that a certain sin was unpardonable and then fail to define the sin4 ,possibly1 to inquire what the sin is1 is the sin4 ,renan regards ,jesus as a man1 and his work gets its value from the fact that it is written from a human standpoint4 ,at the same time he1 consciously or unconsciously1 or may be for the purpose of sprinkling a little holy water on the heat of religious indignation1 now and then seems to speak of him as more than human1 or as having accomplished something that man could not4 ,he asserts that the ,gospels are in part legendary2 that they contain many things not true2 that they are full of miracles and of the supernatural4 ,at the same time he insists that these legends1 these miracles1 these supernatural things do not affect the truth of the probable things contained in these writings4 ,he sees1 and sees clearly1 that there is no evidence that ,matthew or ,mark or ,luke or ,john wrote the books attributed to them2 that1 as a matter of fact1 the mere title of according to ,matthew1 according to ,mark1 shows that they were written by others who claimed them to be in accordance with the stories that had been told by ,matthew or by ,mark4 ,so ,renan takes the ground that the ,gospel of ,luke is founded on anterior documents and is the work of a man who selected1 pruned and combined1 and that the same man wrote the ,acts of the ,apostles and in the same way4 ,the gospels were certainly written long after the events described1 and ,renan finds the reason for this in the fact that the ,christians believed that the world was about to end2 that1 consequently1 there was no need of composing books2 it was only necessary for them to preserve in their hearts during the little margin of time that remained a lively image of ,him whom they soon expected to meet in the clouds4 ,for this reason the gospels themselves had but little authority for #aej years1 the ,christians relying on oral traditions4 ,renan shows that there was not the slightest scruple about inserting additions in the gospels1 variously combining them1 and in completing some by taking parts from others2 that the books passed from hand to hand1 and that each one transcribed in the margin of his copy the words and parables he had found elsewhere which touched him2 that it was not until human tradition became weakened that the text bearing the names of the apostles became authoritative4 ,renan has criticised the gospels somewhat in the same spirit that he would criticise a modern work4 ,he saw clearly that the metaphysics filling the discourses of ,john were deformities and distortions1 full of mysticism1 having nothing to do really with the character of ,jesus4 ,he shows too that the simple idea of the ,kingdom of ,god1 at the time the ,gospel according to ,st4 ,john was written1 had faded away2 that the hope of the advent of ,christ was growing dim1 and that from belief the disciples passed into discussion1 from discussion to dogma1 from dogma to ceremony1 and1 finding that the new ,heaven and the new ,earth were not coming as expected1 they turned their attention to governing the old ,heaven and the old ,earth4 ,the disciples were willing to be humble for a few days1 with the expectation of wearing crowns forever4 ,they were satisfied with poverty1 believing that the wealth of the world was to be theirs4 ,the coming of ,christ1 however1 being for some unaccountable reason delayed1 poverty and humility grew irksome1 and human nature began to assert itself4 ,in the ,gospel of ,john you will find the metaphysics of the church4 ,there you find the ,second ,birth4 ,there you find the doctrine of the atonement clearly set forth4 ,there you find that ,god died for the whole world1 and that whosoever believeth not in him is to be damned4 ,there is nothing of the kind in ,matthew4 ,matthew makes ,christ say that1 if you will forgive others1 ,god will forgive you4 ,the ,gospel according to ,mark is the same4 ,so is the ,gospel according to ,luke4 ,there is nothing about salvation through belief1 nothing about the atonement4 ,in ,mark1 in the last chapter1 the apostles are told to go into all the world and preach the gospel1 with the statement that whoever believed and was baptised should be saved1 and whoever failed to believe should be damned4 ,but we now know that that is an interpolation4 ,consequently1 ,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke never had the faintest conception of the ,christian religion4 ,they knew nothing of the atonement1 nothing of salvation by faith--nothing4 ,so that if a man had read only ,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke1 and had strictly followed what he found1 he would have found himself1 after death1 in perdition4 ,renan finds that certain portions of the ,gospel according to ,john were added later2 that the entire twenty-first chapter is an interpolation2 also1 that many places bear the traces of erasures and corrections4 ,so he says that it would be impossible for any one to compose a life of ,jesus1 with any meaning in it1 from the discourses which ,john attributes to him1 and he holds that this ,gospel of ,john is full of preaching1 ,christ demonstrating himself2 full of argumentation1 full of stage effect1 devoid of simplicity1 with long arguments after each miracle1 stiff and awkward discourses1 the tone of which is often false and unequal4 ,he also insists that there are evidently artificial portions1 variations like that of a musician improvising on a given theme4 ,in spite of all this1 ,renan1 willing to soothe the prejudice of his time1 takes the ground that the four canonical gospels are authentic1 that they date from the first century1 that the authors were1 generally speaking1 those to whom they are attributed2 but he insists that their historic value is very diverse4 ,this is a back-handed stroke4 ,admitting1 first1 that they are authentic2 second1 that they were written about the end of the first century2 third1 that they are not of equal value1 disposes1 so far as he is concerned1 of the dogma of inspiration4 ,one is at a loss to understand why four gospels should have been written4 ,as a matter of fact there can be only one true account of any occurrence1 or of any number of occurrences4 ,now1 it must be taken for granted1 that an inspired account is true4 ,why then should there be four inspired accounts8 ,it may be answered that all were not to write the entire story4 ,to this the reply is that all attempted to cover substantially the same ground4 ,many years ago the early fathers thought it necessary to say why there were four inspired books1 and some of them said1 because there were four cardinal directions and the gospels fitted the north1 south1 east and west4 ,others said that there were four principal winds--a gospel for each wind4 ,they might have added that some animals have four legs4 ,renan admits that the narrative portions have not the same authority2 that many legends proceeded from the zeal of the second ,christian generation2 that the narrative of ,luke is historically weak2 that sentences attributed to ,jesus have been distorted and exaggerated2 that the book was written outside of ,palestine and after the siege of ,jerusalem2 that ,luke endeavors to make the different narratives agree1 changing them for that purpose2 that he softens the passages which had become embarrassing2 that he exaggerated the marvelous1 omitted errors in chronology2 that he was a compiler1 a man who had not been an eye-witness himself1 and who had not seen eye-witnesses1 but who labors at texts and wrests their sense to make them agree4 ,this certainly is very far from inspiration4 ,so ,luke interprets the documents according to his own idea2 being a kind of anarchist1 opposed to property1 and persuaded that the triumph of the poor was approaching2 that he was especially fond of the anecdotes showing the conversion of sinners1 the exaltation of the humble1 and that he modified ancient traditions to give them this meaning4 ,renan reached the conclusion that the gospels are neither biographies after the manner of ,suetonius nor fictitious legends in the style of ,philostratus1 but that they are legendary biographies like the legends of the saints1 the lives of ,plotinus and ,isidore1 in which historical truth and the desire to present models of virtue are combined in various degrees2 that they are inexact that they contain numerous errors and discordances4 ,so he takes the ground that twenty or thirty years after ,christ1 his reputation had greatly increased1 that legends had begun to gather about ,him like clouds1 that death added to ,his perfection1 freeing ,him from all defects in the eyes of those who had loved ,him1 that ,his followers wrested the prophecies so that they might fit ,him4 ,they said1 ',he is the ,messiah4' ,the ,messiah was to do certain things2 therefore ,jesus did certain things4 ,then an account would be given of the doing4 ,all of which of course shows that there can be maintained no theory of inspiration4 ,it is admitted that where individuals are witnesses of the same transaction1 and where they agree upon the vital points and disagree upon details1 the disagreement may be consistent with their honesty1 as tending to show that they have not agreed upon a story2 but if the witnesses are inspired of ,god then there is no reason for their disagreeing on anything1 and if they do disagree it is a demonstration that they were not inspired1 but it is not a demonstration that they are not honest4 ,while perfect agreement may be evidence of rehearsal1 a failure to perfectly agree is not a demonstration of the truth or falsity of a story2 but if the witnesses claim to be inspired1 the slightest disagreement is a demonstration that they were not inspired4 ,renan reaches the conclusion1 proving every step that he takes1 that the four principal documents--that is to say1 the four gospels--are in flagrant contradiction one with another4 ,he attacks1 and with perfect success1 the miracles of the ,scriptures1 and upon this subject says3 ,observation1 which has never once been falsified1 teaches us that miracles never happen1 but in times and countries in which they are believed and before persons disposed to believe them4 ,no miracle ever occurred in the presence of men capable of testing its miraculous character4 ,he further takes the ground that no contemporary miracle will bear inquiry1 and that consequently it is probable that the miracles of antiquity which have been performed in popular gatherings would be shown to be simple illusion1 were it possible to criticise them in detail4 ,in the name of universal experience he banishes miracles from history4 ,these were brave things to do1 things that will bear good fruit4 ,as long as men believe in miracles1 past or present they remain the prey of superstition4 ,the ,catholic is taught that miracles were performed anciently not only1 but that they are still being performed4 ,this is consistent inconsistency4 ,protestants teach a double doctrine3 ,that miracles used to be performed1 that the laws of nature used to be violated1 but that no miracle is performed now4 ,no ,protestant will admit that any miracle was performed by the ,catholic ,church4 ,otherwise1 ,protestants could not be justified in leaving a church with whom the ,god of miracles dwelt4 ,so every ,protestant has to adopt two kinds of reasoning3 that the laws of ,nature used to be violated and that miracles used to be performed1 but that since the apostolic age ,nature has had her way and the ,lord has allowed facts to exist and to hold the field4 ,a supernatural account1 according to ,renan1 always implies credulity or imposture1--probably both4 ,it does not seem possible to me that ,christ claimed for himself what the ,testament claims for him4 ,these claims were made by admirers1 by followers1 by missionaries4 ,when the early ,christians went to ,rome they found plenty of demigods4 ,it was hard to set aside the religion of a demigod by telling the story of a man from ,nazareth4 ,these missionaries1 not to be outdone in ancestry1 insisted--and this was after the ,gospel according to ,st4 ,john had been written--that ,christ was the ,son of ,god4 ,matthew believed that he was the son of ,david1 and the ,messiah1 and gave the genealogy of ,joseph1 his father1 to support that claim4 ,in the time of ,christ no one imagined that he was of divine origin4 ,this was an after-growth4 ,in order to place themselves on an equality with ,pagans they started the claim of divinity1 and also took the second step requisite in that country3 ,first1 a god for his father1 and second1 a virgin for his mother4 ,this was the ,pagan combination of greatness1 and the ,christians added to this that ,christ was ,god4 ,it is hard to agree with the conclusion reached by ,renan1 that ,christ formed and intended to form a church4 ,such evidence1 it seems to me1 is hard to find in the ,testament4 ,christ seemed to satisfy himself1 according to the ,testament1 with a few statements1 some of them exceedingly wise and tender1 some utterly impracticable and some intolerant4 ,if we accept the conclusions reached by ,renan we will throw away1 the legends without foundation2 the miraculous legends2 and everything inconsistent with what we know of ,nature4 ,very little will be left--a few sayings to be found among those attributed to ,confucius1 to ,buddha1 to ,krishna1 to ,epictetus1 to ,zeno1 and to many others4 ,some of these sayings are full of wisdom1 full of kindness1 and others rush to such extremes that they touch the borders of insanity4 ,when struck on one cheek to turn the other1 is really joining a conspiracy to secure the triumph of brutality4 ,to agree not to resist evil is to become an accomplice of all injustice4 ,we must not take from industry1 from patriotism1 from virtue1 the right of self-defence4 ,undoubtedly ,renan gave an honest transcript of his mind1 the road his thought had followed1 the reasons in their order that had occurred to him1 the criticisms born of thought1 and the qualifications1 softening phrases1 children of old sentiments and emotions that had not entirely passed away4 ,he started1 one might say1 from the altar and1 during a considerable part of the journey1 carried the incense with him4 ,the farther he got away1 the greater was his clearness of vision and the more thoroughly he was convinced that ,christ was merely a man1 an idealist4 ,but1 remembering the altar1 he excused exaggeration in the inspired books1 not because it was from heaven1 not because it was in harmony with our ideas of veracity1 but because the writers of the gospel were imbued with the ,oriental spirit of exaggeration1 a spirit perfectly understood by the people who first read the gospels1 because the readers knew the habits of the writers4 ,it had been contended for many years that no one could pass judgment on the veracity of the ,scriptures who did not understand ,hebrew4 ,this position was perfectly absurd4 ,no man needs to be a student of ,hebrew to know that the shadow on the dial did not go back several degrees to convince a petty king that a boil was not to be fatal4 ,renan1 however1 filled the requirement4 ,he was an excellent ,hebrew scholar4 ,this was a fortunate circumstance1 because it answered a very old objection4 ,the founder of ,christianity was1 for his own sake1 taken from the divine pedestal and allowed to stand like other men on the earth1 to be judged by what he said and did1 by his theories1 by his philosophy1 by his spirit4 ,no matter whether ,renan came to a correct conclusion or not1 his work did a vast deal of good4 ,he convinced many that implicit reliance could not be placed upon the gospels1 that the gospels themselves are of unequal worth2 that they were deformed by ignorance and falsehood1 or1 at least1 by mistake2 that if they wished to save the reputation of ,christ they must not rely wholly on the gospels1 or on what is found in the ,new ,testament1 but they must go farther and examine all legends touching him4 ,not only so1 but they must throw away the miraculous1 the impossible and the absurd4 ,he also has shown that the early followers of ,christ endeavored to add to the reputation of their ,master by attributing to him the miraculous and the foolish2 that while these stories added to his reputation at that time1 since the world has advanced they must be cast aside or the reputation of the ,master must suffer4 ,it will not do now to say that ,christ himself pretended to do miracles4 ,this would establish the fact at least that he was mistaken4 ,but we are compelled to say that his disciples insisted that he was a worker of miracles4 ,this shows1 either that they were mistaken or untruthful4 ,we all know that a sleight-of-hand performer could gain a greater reputation among savages than ,darwin or ,humboldt2 and we know that the world in the time of ,christ was filled with barbarians1 with people who demanded the miraculous1 who expected it2 with people1 in fact1 who had a stronger belief in the supernatural than in the natural2 people who never thought it worth while to record facts4 ,the hero of such people1 the ,christ of such people1 with his miracles1 cannot be the ,christ of the thoughtful and scientific4 ,renan was a man of most excellent temper2 candid2 not striving for victory1 but for truth2 conquering1 as far as he could1 the old superstitions2 not entirely free1 it may be1 but believing himself to be so4 ,he did great good4 ,he has helped to destroy the fictions of faith4 ,he has helped to rescue man from the prison of superstition1 and this is the greatest benefit that man can bestow on man4 ,he did another great service1 not only to ,jews1 but to ,christendom1 by writing the history of ,the ,people of ,israel4 ,christians for many centuries have persecuted the ,jews4 ,they have charged them with the greatest conceivable crime--with having crucified an infinite ,god4 ,this absurdity has hardened the hearts of men and poisoned the minds of children4 ,the persecution of the ,jews is the meanest1 the most senseless and cruel page in history4 ,every civilized ,christian should feel on his cheeks the red spots of shame as he reads the wretched and infamous story4 ,the flame of this prejudice is fanned and fed in the ,sunday schools of our day1 and the orthodox minister points proudly to the atrocities perpetrated against the ,jews by the barbarians of ,russia as evidences of the truth of the inspired ,scriptures4 ,in every wound ,god puts a tongue to proclaim the truth of his book4 ,if the charge that the ,jews killed ,god were true1 it is hardly reasonable to hold those who are now living responsible for what their ancestors did nearly nineteen centuries ago4 ,but there is another point in connection with this matter3 ,if ,christ was ,god1 then the ,jews could not have killed him without his consent2 and1 according to the orthodox creed1 if he had not been sacrificed1 the whole world would have suffered eternal pain4 ,nothing can exceed the meanness of the prejudice of ,christians against the ,jewish people4 ,they should not be held responsible for their savage ancestors1 or for their belief that ,jehovah was an intelligent and merciful ,god1 superior to all other gods4 ,even ,christians do not wish to be held responsible for the ,inquisition1 for the ,torquemadas and the ,john ,calvins1 for the witch-burners and the ,quaker-whippers1 for the slave-traders and child-stealers1 the most of whom were believers in our glorious gospel1 and many of whom had been bom the second time4 ,renan did much to civilize the ,christians by telling the truth in a charming and convincing way about the ,people of ,israel4 ,both sides are greatly indebted to him3 one he has ably defended1 and the other greatly enlightened4 ,having done what good he could in giving what he believed was light to his fellow-men1 he had no fear of becoming a victim of ,god's wrath1 and so he laughingly said3 ,for my part ,i imagine that if the ,eternal in his severity were to send me to hell ,i should succeed in escaping from it4 ,i would send up to my ,creator a supplication that would make him smile4 ,the course of reasoning by which ,i would prove to him that it was through his fault that ,i was damned would be so subtle that he would find some difficulty in replying4 ,the fate which would suit me best is ,purgatory--a charming place1 where many delightful romances begun on earth must be continued4 ,such cheerfulness1 such good philosophy1 with cap and bells1 such banter and blasphemy1 such sound and solid sense drive to madness the priest who thinks the curse of ,rome can fright the world4 ,how the snake of superstition writhes when he finds that his fangs have lost their poison4 ,he was one of the gentlest of men--one of the fairest in discussion1 dissenting from the views of others with modesty1 presenting his own with clearness and candor4 ,his mental manners were excellent4 ,he was not positive as to the unknowable4 ,he said ,perhaps4 ,he knew that knowledge is good if it increases the happiness of man2 and he felt that superstition is the assassin of liberty and civilization4 ,he lived a life of cheerfulness1 of industry1 devoted to the welfare of mankind4 ,he was a seeker of happiness by the highway of the natural1 a destroyer of the dogmas of mental deformity1 a worshiper of ,liberty and the ,ideal4 ,as he lived1 he died--hopeful and serene--and now1 standing in imagination by his grave1 we ask3 ,will the night be eternal8 ,the brain says1 ,perhaps2 while the heart hopes for the ,dawn4--,north ,american ,review1 ,november1 #ahib4 ,,tolstoi ,,and ,,the ,,kreutzer ,,sonata4 ,,count ,,tolstoi is a man of genius4 ,he is acquainted with ,russian life from the highest to the lowest--that is to say1 from the worst to the best4 ,he knows the vices of the rich and the virtues of the poor4 ,he is a ,christian1 a real believer in the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 an honest follower of the ,peasant of ,palestine4 ,he denounces luxury and ease1 art and music2 he regards a flower with suspicion1 believing that beneath every blossom lies a coiled serpent4 ,he agrees with ,lazarus and denounces ,dives and the tax-gatherers4 ,he is opposed1 not only to doctors of divinity1 but of medicine4 ,from the ,mount of ,olives he surveys the world4 ,he is not a ,christian like the ,pope in the ,vatican1 or a cardinal in a palace1 or a bishop with revenues and retainers1 or a millionaire who hires preachers to point out the wickedness of the poor1 or the director of a museum who closes the doors on ,sunday4 ,he is a ,christian something like ,christ4 ,to him this life is but a breathing-spell between the verdict and the execution2 the sciences are simply sowers of the seeds of pride1 of arrogance and vice4 ,shocked by the cruelties and unspeakable horrors of war1 he became a non-resistant and averred that he would not defend his own body or that of his daughter from insult and outrage4 ,in this he followed the command of his ,master3 ,resist not evil4 ,he passed1 not simply from war to peace1 but from one extreme to the other1 and advocated a doctrine that would leave the basest of mankind the rulers of the world4 ,this was and is the error of a great and tender soul4 ,he did not accept all the teachings of ,christ at once4 ,his progress has been1 judging from his writings1 somewhat gradual2 but by accepting one proposition he prepared himself for the acceptance of another4 ,he is not only a ,christian1 but has the courage of his convictions1 and goes without hesitation to the logical conclusion4 ,he has another exceedingly rare quality2 he acts in accordance with his belief4 ,his creed is translated into deed4 ,he opposes the doctors of divinity1 because they darken and deform the teachings of the ,master4 ,he denounces the doctors of medicine1 because he depends on ,providence and the promises of ,jesus ,christ4 ,to him that which is called progress is1 in fact1 a profanation1 and property is a something that the organized few have stolen from the unorganized many4 ,he believes in universal labor1 which is good1 each working for himself4 ,he also believes that each should have only the necessaries of life--which is bad4 ,according to his idea1 the world ought to be filled with peasants4 ,there should be only arts enough to plough and sow and gather the harvest1 to build huts1 to weave coarse cloth1 to fashion clumsy and useful garments1 and to cook the simplest food4 ,men and women should not adorn their bodies4 ,they should not make themselves desirable or beautiful4 ,but even under such circumstances they might1 like the ,quakers1 be proud of humility and become arrogantly meek4 ,tolstoi would change the entire order of human development4 ,as a matter of fact1 the savage who adorns himself or herself with strings of shells1 or with feathers1 has taken the first step towards civilization4 ,the tatooed is somewhat in advance of the unfrescoed4 ,at the bottom of all this is the love of approbation1 of the admiration of their fellows1 and this feeling1 this love1 cannot be torn from the human heart4 ,in spite of ourselves we are attracted by what to us is beautiful1 because beauty is associated with pleasure1 with enjoyment4 ,the love of the well-formed1 of the beautiful1 is prophetic of the perfection of the human race4 ,it is impossible to admire the deformed4 ,they may be loved for their goodness or genius1 but never because of their deformity4 ,there is within us the love of proportion4 ,there is a physical basis for the appreciation of harmony1 which is also a kind of proportion4 ,the love of the beautiful is shared with man by most animals4 ,the wings of the moth are painted by love1 by desire4 ,this is the foundation of the bird's song4 ,this love of approbation1 this desire to please1 to be admired1 to be loved1 is in some way the cause of all heroic1 self-denying1 and sublime actions4 ,count ,tolstoi1 following parts of the ,new ,testament1 regards love as essentially impure4 ,he seems really to think that there is a love superior to human love2 that the love of man for woman1 of woman for man1 is1 after all1 a kind of glittering degradation2 that it is better to love ,god than woman2 better to love the invisible phantoms of the skies than the children upon our knees--in other words1 that it is far better to love a heaven somewhere else than to make one here4 ,he seems to think that women adorn themselves simply for the purpose of getting in their power the innocent and unsuspecting men4 ,he forgets that the best and purest of human beings are controlled1 for the most part unconsciously1 by the hidden1 subtle tendencies of nature4 ,he seems to forget the great fact of natural selection1 and that the choice of one in preference to all others is the result of forces beyond the control of the individual4 ,to him there seems to be no purity in love1 because men are influenced by forms1 by the beauty of women2 and women1 knowing this fact1 according to him1 act1 and consequently both are equally guilty4 ,he endeavors to show that love is a delusion2 that at best it can last but for a few days2 that it must of necessity be succeeded by indifference1 then by disgust1 lastly by hatred2 that in every ,garden of ,eden is a serpent of jealousy1 and that the brightest days end with the yawn of ennui4 ,of course he is driven to the conclusion that life in this world is without value1 that the race can be perpetuated only by vice1 and that the practice of the highest virtue would leave the world without the form of man4 ,strange as it may sound to some1 this is the same conclusion reached by his ,divine ,master3 ,they did eat1 they drank1 they married1 they were given in marriage1 until the day that ,noe entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all4 ,every one that hath forsaken houses1 or brethren1 or sisters1 or father1 or mother1 or wife1 or children1 or lands1 for my name's sake1 shall receive an hundredfold1 and shall inherit everlasting life4 ,according to ,christianity1 as it really is and really was1 the ,christian should have no home in this world--at least none until the earth has been purified by fire4 ,his affections should be given to ,god2 not to wife and children1 not to friends or country4 ,he is here but for a time on a journey1 waiting for the summons4 ,this life is a kind of dock running out into the sea of eternity1 on which he waits for transportation4 ,nothing here is of any importance2 the joys of life are frivolous and corrupting1 and by losing these few gleams of happiness in this world he will bask forever in the unclouded rays of infinite joy4 ,why should a man risk an eternity of perfect happiness for the sake of enjoying himself a few days with his wife and children8 ,why should he become an eternal outcast for the sake of having a home and fireside here8 ,the ,fathers of the church had the same opinion of marriage4 ,they agreed with ,saint ,paul1 and ,tolstoi agrees with them4 ,they had the same contempt for wives and mothers1 and uttered the same blasphemies against that divine passion that has filled the world with art and song4 ,all this is to my mind a kind of insanity2 nature soured or withered--deformed so that celibacy is mistaken for virtue4 ,the imagination becomes polluted1 and the poor wretch believes that he is purer than his thoughts1 holier than his desires1 and that to outrage nature is the highest form of religion4 ,but nature imprisoned1 obstructed1 tormented1 always has sought for and has always found revenge4 ,some of these victims1 regarding the passions as low and corrupting1 feeling humiliated by hunger and thirst1 sought through maimings and mutilations the purification of the soul4 ,count ,tolstoi in ,the ,kreutzer ,sonata1 has drawn1 with a free hand1 one of the vilest and basest of men for his hero4 ,he is suspicious1 jealous1 cruel1 infamous4 ,the wife is infinitely too good for such a wild unreasoning beast1 and yet the writer of this insane story seems to justify the assassin4 ,if this is a true picture of wedded life in ,russia1 no wonder that ,count ,tolstoi looks forward with pleasure to the extinction of the human race4 ,of all passions that can take possession of the heart or brain jealousy is the worst4 ,for many generations the chemists sought for the secret by which all metals could be changed to gold1 and through which the basest could become the best4 ,jealousy seeks exactly the opposite4 ,it endeavors to transmute the very gold of love into the dross of shame and crime4 ,the story of ,the ,kreutzer ,sonata seems to have been written for the purpose of showing that woman is at fault2 that she has no right to be attractive1 no right to be beautiful2 and that she is morally responsible for the contour of her throat1 for the pose of her body1 for the symmetry of her limbs1 for the red of her lips1 and for the dimples in her cheeks4 ,the opposite of this doctrine is nearer true4 ,it would be far better to hold people responsible for their ugliness than for their beauty4 ,it may be true that the soul1 the mind1 in some wondrous way fashions the body1 and that to that extent every individual is responsible for his looks4 ,it may be that the man or woman thinking high thoughts will give1 necessarily1 a nobility to expression and a beauty to outline4 ,it is not true that the sins of man can be laid justly at the feet of woman4 ,women are better than men2 they have greater responsibilities2 they bear even the burdens of joy4 ,this is the real reason why their faults are considered greater4 ,men and women desire each other1 and this desire is a condition of civilization1 progress1 and happiness1 and of everything of real value4 ,but there is this profound difference in the sexes3 in man this desire is the foundation of love1 while in woman love is the foundation of this desire4 ,tolstoi seems to be a stranger to the heart of woman4 ,is it not wonderful that one who holds self-denial in such high esteem should say1 ,that life is embittered by the fear of one's children1 and not only on account of their real or imaginary illnesses1 but even by their very presence8 ,has the father no real love for the children8 ,is he not paid a thousand times through their caresses1 their sympathy1 their love8 ,is there no joy in seeing their minds unfold1 their affections develop8 ,of course1 love and anxiety go together4 ,that which we love we wish to protect4 ,the perpetual fear of death gives love intensity and sacredness4 ,yet ,count ,tolstoi gives us the feelings of a father incapable of natural affection2 of one who hates to have his children sick because the orderly course of his wretched life is disturbed4 ,so1 too1 we are told that modern mothers think too much of their children1 care too much for their health1 and refuse to be comforted when they die4 ,lest these words may be thought libellous1 the following extract is given2 ,in old times women consoled themselves with the belief1 ,the ,lord hath given1 and the ,lord hath taken away4 ,blessed be the name of the ,lord4 ,they consoled themselves with the thought that the soul of the departed had returned to him who gave it2 that it was better to die innocent than to live in sin4 ,if women nowadays had such a comfortable faith to support them1 they might take their misfortunes less hard4 ,the conclusion reached by the writer is that without faith in ,god1 woman's love grovels in the mire4 ,in this case the mire is made by the tears of mothers falling on the clay that hides their babes4 ,the one thing constant1 the one peak that rises above all clouds1 the one window in which the light forever burns1 the one star that darkness cannot quench1 is woman's love4 ,this one fact justifies the existence and the perpetuation of the human race4 ,again ,i say that women are better than men2 their hearts are more unreservedly given2 in the web of their lives sorrow is inextricably woven with the greatest joys2 self-sacrifice is a part of their nature1 and at the behest of love and maternity they walk willingly and joyously down to the very gates of death4 ,is there nothing in this to excite the admiration1 the adoration1 of a modern reformer8 ,are the monk and nun superior to the father and mother8 ,the author of ,the ,kreutzer ,sonata is unconsciously the enemy of mankind4 ,he is filled with what might be called a merciless pity1 a sympathy almost malicious4 ,had he lived a few centuries ago1 he might have founded a religion2 but the most he can now do is1 perhaps1 to create the necessity for another asylum4 ,count ,tolstoi objects to music--not the ordinary kind1 but to great music1 the music that arouses the emotions1 that apparently carries us beyond the limitations of life1 that for the moment seems to break the great chain of cause and effect1 and leaves the soul soaring and free4 ,emotion and duty1 he declares1 do not go hand in hand4 ,all art touches and arouses the emotional nature4 ,the painter1 the poet1 the sculptor1 the composer1 the orator1 appeal to the emotions1 to the passions1 to the hopes and fears4 ,the commonplace is transfigured2 the cold and angular facts of existence take form and color2 the blood quickens2 the fancies spread their wings2 the intellect grows sympathetic2 the river of life flows full and free2 and man becomes capable of the noblest deeds4 ,take emotion from the heart of man and the idea of obligation would be lost2 right and wrong would lose their meaning1 and the word ought would never again be spoken4 ,we are subject to conditions1 liable to disease1 pain1 and death4 ,we are capable of ecstasy4 ,of these conditions1 of these possibilities1 the emotions are born4 ,only the conditionless can be the emotionless4 ,we are conditioned beings2 and if the conditions are changed1 the result may be pain or death or greater joy4 ,we can only live within certain degrees of heat4 ,if the weather were a few degrees hotter or a few degrees colder1 we could not exist4 ,we need food and roof and raiment4 ,life and happiness depend on these conditions4 ,we do not certainly know what is to happen1 and consequently our hopes and fears are constantly active--that is to say1 we are emotional beings4 ,the generalization of ,tolstoi1 that emotion never goes hand in hand with duty1 is almost the opposite of the truth4 ,the idea of duty could not exist without emotion4 ,think of men and women without love1 without desires1 without passions8 ,think of a world without art or music--a world without beauty1 without emotion4 ,and yet there are many writers busy pointing out the loathsomeness of love and their own virtues4 ,only a little while ago an article appeared in one of the magazines in which all women who did not dress according to the provincial prudery of the writer were denounced as impure4 ,millions of refined and virtuous wives and mothers were described as dripping with pollution because they enjoyed dancing and were so well formed that they were not obliged to cover their arms and throats to avoid the pity of their associates4 ,and yet the article itself is far more indelicate than any dance or any dress1 or even lack of dress4 ,what a curious opinion dried apples have of fruit upon the tree6 ,count ,tolstoi is also the enemy of wealth1 of luxury4 ,in this he follows the ,new ,testament4 ,it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,he gathers his inspiration from the commandment1 ,sell all that thou hast and give to the poor4 ,wealth is not a crime any more than health or bodily or intellectual strength4 ,the weak might denounce the strong1 the sickly might envy the healthy1 just as the poor may denounce or envy the rich4 ,a man is not necessarily a criminal because he is wealthy4 ,he is to be judged1 not by his wealth1 but by the way he uses his wealth4 ,the strong man can use his strength1 not only for the benefit of himself1 but for the good of others4 ,so a man of intelligence can be a benefactor of the human race4 ,intelligence is often used to entrap the simple and to prey upon the unthinking1 but we do not wish to do away with intelligence4 ,so strength is often used to tyrannize over the weak1 and in the same way wealth may be used to the injury of mankind4 ,to sell all that you have and give to the poor is not a panacea for poverty4 ,the man of wealth should help the poor man to help himself4 ,men cannot receive without giving some consideration1 and if they have not labor or property to give1 they give their manhood1 their self-respect4 ,besides1 if all should obey this injunction1 ,sell what thou hast and give to the poor1 who would buy8 ,we know that thousands and millions of rich men lack generosity and have but little feeling for their fellows4 ,the fault is not in the money1 not in the wealth1 but in the individuals4 ,they would be just as bad were they poor4 ,the only difference is that they would have less power4 ,the good man should regard wealth as an instrumentality1 as an opportunity1 and he should endeavor to benefit his fellow-men1 not by making them the recipients of his charity1 but by assisting them to assist themselves4 ,the desire to clothe and feed1 to educate and protect1 wives and children1 is the principal reason for making money--one of the great springs of industry1 prudence1 and economy4 ,those who labor have a right to live4 ,they have a right to what they earn4 ,he who works has a right to home and fireside and to the comforts of life4 ,those who waste the spring1 the summer1 and the autumn of their lives must bear the winter when it comes4 ,many of our institutions are absurdly unjust4 ,giving the land to the few1 making tenants of the many1 is the worst possible form of socialism--of paternal government4 ,in most of the nations of our day the idlers and non-producers are either beggars or aristocrats1 paupers or princes1 and the great middle laboring class support them both4 ,rags and robes have a liking for each other4 ,beggars and kings are in accord2 they are all parasites1 living on the same blood1 stealing the same labor--one by beggary1 the other by force4 ,and yet in all this there can be found no reason for denouncing the man who has accumulated4 ,one who wishes to tear down his bams and build greater has laid aside something to keep the wolf of want from the door of home when he is dead4 ,even the beggars see the necessity of others working1 and the nobility see the same necessity with equal clearness4 ,but it is hardly reasonable to say that all should do the same kind of work1 for the reason that all have not the same aptitudes1 the same talents4 ,some can plough1 others can paint2 some can reap and mow1 while others can invent the instruments that save labor2 some navigate the seas2 some work in mines2 while others compose music that elevates and refines the heart of the world4 ,but the worst thing in ,the ,kreutzer ,sonata is the declaration that a husband can by force compel the wife to love and obey him4 ,love is not the child of fear2 it is not the result of force4 ,no one can love on compulsion4 ,even ,jehovah found that it was impossible to compel the ,jews to love him4 ,he issued his command to that effect1 coupled with threats of pain and death1 but his chosen people failed to respond4 ,love is the perfume of the heart2 it is not subject to the will of husbands or kings or ,god4 ,count ,tolstoi would establish slavery in every house2 he would make every husband a tyrant and every wife a trembling serf4 ,no wonder that he regards such marriage as a failure4 ,he is in exact harmony with the curse of ,jehovah when he said unto the woman3 ,i will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception2 in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children1 and thy desire shall be unto thy husband1 and he shall rule over thee4 ,this is the destruction of the family1 the pollution of home1 the crucifixion of love4 ,those who are truly married are neither masters nor servants4 ,the idea of obedience is lost in the desire for the happiness of each4 ,love is not a convict1 to be detained with bolts and chains4 ,love is the highest expression of liberty4 ,love neither commands nor obeys4 ,the curious thing is that the orthodox world insists that all men and women should obey the injunctions of ,christ2 that they should take him as the supreme example1 and in all things follow his teachings4 ,this is preached from countless pulpits1 and has been for many centuries4 ,and yet the man who does follow the ,savior1 who insists that he will not resist evil1 who sells what he has and gives to the poor1 who deserts his wife and children for the love of ,god1 is regarded as insane4 ,tolstoi1 on most subjects1 appears to be in accord with the founder of ,christianity1 with the apostles1 with the writers of the ,new ,testament1 and with the ,fathers of the church2 and yet a ,christian teacher of a ,sabbath school decides1 in the capacity of ,postmaster-,general1 that ,the ,kreutzer ,sonata is unfit to be carried in the mails4 ,although ,i disagree with nearly every sentence in this book1 regard the story as brutal and absurd1 the view of life presented as cruel1 vile1 and false1 yet ,i recognize the right of ,count ,tolstoi to express his opinions on all subjects1 and the right of the men and women of ,america to read for themselves4 ,as to the sincerity of the author1 there is not the slightest doubt4 ,he is willing to give all that he has for the good of his fellow-men4 ,he is a soldier in what he believes to be a sacred cause1 and he has the courage of his convictions4 ,he is endeavoring to organize society in accordance with the most radical utterances that have been attributed to ,jesus ,christ4 ,the philosophy of ,palestine is not adapted to an industrial and commercial age4 ,christianity was born when the nation that produced it was dying4 ,it was a requiem--a declaration that life was a failure1 that the world was about to end1 and that the hopes of mankind should be lifted to another sphere4 ,tolstoi stands with his back to the sunrise and looks mournfully upon the shadow4 ,he has uttered many tender1 noble1 and inspiring words4 ,there are many passages in his works that must have been written when his eyes were filled with tears4 ,he has fixed his gaze so intently on the miseries and agonies of life that he has been driven to the conclusion that nothing could be better than the effacement of the human race4 ,some men1 looking only at the faults and tyrannies of government1 have said3 ,anarchy is better4 ,others1 looking at the misfortunes1 the poverty1 the crimes1 of men1 have1 in a kind of pitying despair1 reached the conclusion that the best of all is death4 ,these are the opinions of those who have dwelt in gloom--of the self-imprisoned4 ,by comparing long periods of time1 we see that1 on the whole1 the race is advancing2 that the world is growing steadily1 and surely1 better2 that each generation enjoys more and suffers less than its predecessor4 ,we find that our institutions have the faults of individuals4 ,nations must be composed of men and women2 and as they have their faults1 nations cannot be perfect4 ,the institution of marriage is a failure to the extent1 and only to the extent1 that the human race is a failure4 ,undoubtedly it is the best and the most important institution that has been established by the civilized world4 ,if there is unhappiness in that relation1 if there is tyranny upon one side and misery upon the other1 it is not the fault of marriage4 ,take homes from the world and only wild beasts are left4 ,we cannot cure the evils of our day and time by a return to savagery4 ,it is not necessary to become ignorant to increase our happiness4 ,the highway of civilization leads to the light4 ,the time will come when the human race will be truly enlightened1 when labor will receive its due reward1 when the last institution begotten of ignorance and savagery will disappear4 ,the time will come when the whole world will say that the love of man for woman1 of woman for man1 of mother for child1 is the highest1 the noblest1 the purest1 of which the heart is capable4 ,love1 human love1 love of men and women1 love of mothers fathers1 and babes1 is the perpetual and beneficent force4 ,not the love of phantoms1 the love that builds cathedrals and dungeons1 that trembles and prays1 that kneels and curses2 but the real love1 the love that felled the forests1 navigated the seas1 subdued the earth1 explored continents1 built countless homes1 and founded nations--the love that kindled the creative flame and wrought the miracles of art1 that gave us all there is of music1 from the cradle-song that gives to infancy its smiling sleep to the great symphony that bears the soul away with wings of fire--the real love1 mother of every virtue and of every joy4--,north ,american ,review1 ,september1 #ahij4 ,,thomas ,,paine4 ,a ,,magazine ,,article4 ,a great man's memory may outlive his life half a year1 ,but1 by'r lady1 he must build churches then4 ,,eighty-,,three years ago ,thomas ,paine ceased to defend himself4 ,the moment he became dumb all his enemies found a tongue4 ,he was attacked on every hand4 ,the ,tories of ,england had been waiting for their revenge4 ,the believers in kings1 in hereditary government1 the nobility of every land1 execrated his memory4 ,their greatest enemy was dead4 ,the believers in human slavery1 and all who clamored for the rights of the ,states as against the sovereignty of a ,nation1 joined in the chorus of denunciation4 ,in addition to this1 the believers in the inspiration of the ,scriptures1 the occupants of orthodox pulpits1 the professors in ,christian colleges1 and the religious historians1 were his sworn and implacable foes4 ,this man had gratified no ambition at the expense of his fellow-men2 he had desolated no country with the flame and sword of war2 he had not wrung millions from the poor and unfortunate2 he had betrayed no trust1 and yet he was almost universally despised4 ,he gave his life for the benefit of mankind4 ,day and night for many1 many weary years1 he labored for the good of others1 and gave himself body and soul to the great cause of human liberty4 ,and yet he won the hatred of the people for whose benefit1 for whose emancipation1 for whose civilization1 for whose exaltation he gave his life4 ,against him every slander that malignity could coin and hypocrisy pass was gladly and joyously taken as genuine1 and every truth with regard to his career was believed to be counterfeit4 ,he was attacked by thousands where he was defended by one1 and the one who defended him was instantly attacked1 silenced1 or destroyed4 ,at last his life has been written by ,moncure ,d4 ,conway1 and the real history of ,thomas ,paine1 of what he attempted and accomplished1 of what he taught and suffered1 has been intelligently1 truthfully and candidly given to the world4 ,henceforth the slanderer will be without excuse4 ,he who reads ,mr4 ,conway's pages will find that ,thomas ,paine was more than a patriot--that he was a philanthropist--a lover not only of his country1 but of all mankind4 ,he will find that his sympathies were with those who suffered1 without regard to religion or race1 country or complexion4 ,he will find that this great man did not hesitate to attack the governing class of his native land--to commit what was called treason against the king1 that he might do battle for the rights of men2 that in spite of the prejudices of birth1 he took the side of the ,american ,colonies2 that he gladly attacked the political abuses and absurdities that had been fostered by altars and thrones for many centuries2 that he was for the people against nobles and kings1 and that he put his life in pawn for the good of others4 ,in the winter of #aggd1 ,thomas ,paine came to ,america4 ,after a time he was employeed as one of the writers on the ,pennsylvania ,magazine4 ,let us see what he did1 calculated to excite the hatred of his fellow-men4 ,the first article he ever wrote in ,america1 and the first ever published by him anywhere1 appeared in that magazine on the #hth of ',march1 #agge4 ,it was an attack on ,american slavery--a plea for the rights of the negro4 ,in that article will be found substantially all the arguments that can be urged against that most infamous of all institutions4 ,every is full of humanity1 pity1 tenderness1 and love of justice4 ,five days after this article appeared the ,american ,anti-,slavery ,society was formed4 ,certainly this should not excite our hatred4 ,to-day the civilized world agrees with the essay written by ,thomas ,paine in #agge4 ,at that time great interests were against him4 ,the owners of slaves became his enemies1 and the pulpits1 supported by slave labor1 denounced this abolitionist4 ,the next article published by ,thomas ,paine1 in the same magazine1 and for the next month1 was an attack on the practice of dueling1 showing that it was barbarous1 that it did not even tend to settle the right or wrong of a dispute1 that it could not be defended on any just grounds1 and that its influence was degrading and cruel4 ,the civilized world now agrees with the opinions of ,thomas ,paine upon that barbarous practice4 ,in ,may1 #agge1 appeared in the same magazine another article written by ,thomas ,paine1 a ,protest ,against ,cruelty to ,animals4 ,he began the work that was so successfully and gloriously carried out by ,henry ,bergh1 one of the noblest1 one of the grandest1 men that this continent has produced4 ,the good people of this world agree with ,thomas ,paine4 ,in ,august of the same year he wrote a plea for the ,rights of ,woman1 the first ever published in the ,new ,world4 ,certainly he should not be hated for that4 ,he was the first to suggest a union of the colonies4 ,before the ,declaration of ,independence was issued1 ,paine had written of and about the ,free and ,independent ,states of ,america4 ,he had also spoken of the ,united ,colonies as the ,glorious ,union1 and he was the first to write these words3 ,the ,united ,states of ,america4 ,in ,may1 #agge1 ,washington said3 ,if you ever hear of me joining in any such measure 7as separation from ,great ,britain7 you have my leave to set me down for everything wicked4 ,he had also said2 ,it is not the wish or interest of the government 7meaning ,massachusetts71 or of any other upon this continent1 separately or collectively1 to set up for independence4 ,and in the same year ,benjamin ,franklin assured ,chatham that no one in ,america was in favor of separation4 ,as a matter of fact1 the people of the colonies wanted a redress of their grievances--they were not dreaming of separation1 of independence4 ,in #agge ,paine wrote the pamphlet known as ,common ,sense4 ,this was published on the #ajth of ,january1 #aggf4 ,it was the first appeal for independence1 the first cry for national life1 for absolute separation4 ,no pamphlet1 no book1 ever kindled such a sudden conflagration1--a purifying flame1 in which the prejudices and fears of millions were consumed4 ,to read it now1 after the lapse of more than a hundred years1 hastens the blood4 ,it is but the meagre truth to say that ,thomas ,paine did more for the cause of separation1 to sow the seeds of independence1 than any other man of his time4 ,certainly we should not despise him for this4 ,the ,declaration of ,independence followed1 and in that declaration will be found not only the thoughts1 but some of the expressions of ,thomas ,paine4 ,during the war1 and in the very darkest hours1 ,paine wrote what is called ,the ,crisis1 a series of pamphlets giving from time to time his opinion of events1 and his prophecies4 ,these marvelous publications produced an effect nearly as great as the pamphlet ,common ,sense4 ,these strophes1 written by the bivouac fires1 had in them the soul of battle4 ,in all he wrote1 ,paine was direct and natural4 ,he touched the very heart of the subject4 ,he was not awed by names or titles1 by place or power4 ,he never lost his regard for truth1 for principle--never wavered in his allegiance to reason1 to what he believed to be right4 ,his arguments were so lucid1 so unanswerable1 his comparisons and analogies so apt1 so unexpected1 that they excited the passionate admiration of friends and the unquenchable hatred of enemies4 ,so great were these appeals to patriotism1 to the love of liberty1 the pride of independence1 the glory of success1 that it was said by some of the best and greatest of that time that the ,american cause owed as much to the pen of ,paine as to the sword of ,washington4 ,on the #b;d day of ,november1 #aggi1 there was introduced into the ,assembly of ,pennsylvania an act for the abolition of slavery4 ,the preamble was written by ,thomas ,paine4 ,to him belongs the honor and glory of having written the first ,proclamation of ,emancipation in ,america--,paine the first1 ,lincoln the last4 ,paine1 of all others1 succeeded in getting aid for the struggling colonies from ,france4 ,according to ,lamartine1 the ,king1 ,louis ,,xvi41 loaded ,paine with favors1 and a gift of six millions was confided into the hands of ,franklin and ,paine4 ,on the #beth of ,august1 #agha1 ,paine reached ,boston bringing two million five hundred thousand livres in silver1 and in convoy a ship laden with clothing and military stores4 ,in ,november1 #aggi1 ,paine was elected clerk to the ,general ,assembly of ,pennsylvania4 ,in #aghj1 the ,assembly received a letter from ,general ,washington in the field1 saying that he feared the distresses in the army would lead to mutiny in the ranks4 ,this letter was read by ,paine to the ,assembly4 ,he immediately wrote to ,blair ,mc,clenaghan1 a ,philadelphia merchant1 explaining the urgency1 and inclosing five hundred dollars1 the amount of salary due him as clerk1 as his contribution towards a relief fund4 ,the merchant called a meeting the next day1 and read ,paine's letter4 ,a subscription list was immediately circulated1 and in a short time about one million five hundred thousand dollars was raised4 ,with this capital the ,pennsylvania bank--afterwards the bank of ,north ,america--was established for the relief of the army4 ,in #aghc ,paine wrote a memorial to ,chancellor ,livingston1 ,secretary of ,foreign ,affairs1 ,robert ,morris1 ,minister of ,finance1 and his assistant1 urging the necessity of adding a ,continental ,legislature to ,congress1 to be elected by the several ,states4 ,robert ,morris invited the ,chancellor and a number of eminent men to meet ,paine at dinner1 where his plea for a stronger ,union was discussed and approved4 ,this was probably the earliest of a series of consultations preliminary to the ,constitutional ,convention4 ,on the #aith of ,april1 #aghc1 it being the eighth anniversary of the ,battle of ,lexington1 ,paine printed a little pamphlet entitled ',thoughts on ,peace and the ,probable ,advantages ,thereof4' ,in this pamphlet he pleads for a supreme ,nationality absorbing all cherished sovereignties4 ,mr4 ,conway calls this pamphlet ,paine's ,farewell ,address1 and gives the following extract3 ,it was the cause of ,america that made me an author4 ,the force with which it struck my mind1 and the dangerous condition in which the country was in1 by courting an impossible and an unnatural reconciliation with those who were determined to reduce her1 instead of striking out into the only line that could save her1--a ,declaration of ,independence4--made it impossible for me1 feeling as ,i did1 to be silent2 and if1 in the course of more than seven years1 ,i have rendered her any service1 ,i have likewise added something to the reputation of literature1 by freely and disinterestedly employing it in the great cause of mankind4444 ,but as the scenes of war are closed1 and every man preparing for home and happier times1 ,i therefore take leave of the subject4 ,i have most sincerely followed it from beginning to end1 and through all its turns and windings2 and whatever country ,i may hereafter be in1 ,i shall always feel an honest pride at the part ,i have taken and acted1 and a gratitude to nature and providence for putting it in my power to be of some use to mankind4 ,paine had made some enemies1 first1 by attacking ,african slavery1 and1 second1 by insisting upon the sovereignty of the ,nation4 ,during the ,revolution our forefathers1 in order to justify making war on ,great ,britain1 were compelled to take the ground that all men are entitled to life1 liberty and the pursuit of happiness4 ,in no other way could they justify their action4 ,after the war1 the meaner instincts began to take possession of the mind1 and those who had fought for their own liberty were perfectly willing to enslave others4 ,we must also remember that the ,revolution was begun and carried on by a noble minority--that the majority were really in favor of ,great ,britain and did what they dared to prevent the success of the ,american cause4 ,the minority1 however1 had control of affairs4 ,they were active1 energetic1 enthusiastic1 and courageous1 and the majority were overawed1 shamed1 and suppressed4 ,but when peace came1 the majority asserted themselves and the interests of trade and commerce were consulted4 ,enthusiasm slowly died1 and patriotism was mingled with the selfishness of traffic4 ,but1 after all1 the enemies of ,paine were few1 the friends were many4 ,he had the respect and admiration of the greatest and the best1 and was enjoying the fruits of his labor4 ,the ,revolution was ended1 the colonies were free4 ,they had been united1 they formed a ,nation1 and the ,united ,states of ,america had a place on the map of the world4 ,paine was not a politician4 ,he had not labored for seven years to get an office4 ,his services were no longer needed in ,america4 ,he concluded to educate the ,english people1 to inform them of their rights1 to expose the pretences1 follies and fallacies1 the crimes and cruelties of nobles1 kings1 and parliaments4 ,in the brain and heart of this man were the dream and hope of the universal republic4 ,he had confidence in the people4 ,he hated tyranny and war1 despised the senseless pomp and vain show of crowned robbers1 laughed at titles1 and the honorable badges worn by the obsequious and servile1 by fawners and followers2 loved liberty with all his heart1 and bravely fought against those who could give the rewards of place and gold1 and for those who could pay only with thanks4 ,hoping to hasten the day of freedom1 he wrote the ,rights of ,man--a book that laid the foundation for all the real liberty that the ,english now enjoy--a book that made known to ,englishmen the ,declaration of ,nature1 and convinced millions that all are children of the same mother1 entitled to share equally in her gifts4 ,every ,englishman who has outgrown the ideas of #afhh should remember ,paine with love and reverence4 ,every ,englishman who has sought to destroy abuses1 to lessen or limit the prerogatives of the crown1 to extend the suffrage1 to do away with rotten boroughs1 to take taxes from knowledge1 to increase and protect the freedom of speech and the press1 to do away with bribes under the name of pensions1 and to make ,england a government of principles rather than of persons1 has been compelled to adopt the creed and use the arguments of ,thomas ,paine4 ,in ,england every step toward freedom has been a triumph of ,paine over ,burke and ,pitt4 ,no man ever rendered a greater service to his native land4 ,the book called the ,rights of ,man was the greatest contribution that literature had given to liberty4 ,it rests on the bed-rock4 ,no attention is paid to precedents except to show that they are wrong4 ,paine was not misled by the proverbs that wolves had written for sheep4 ,he had the intelligence to examine for himself1 and the courage to publish his conclusions4 ,as soon as the ,rights of ,man was published the ,government was alarmed4 ,every effort was made to suppress it4 ,the author was indicted2 those who published1 and those who sold1 were arrested and imprisoned4 ,but the new gospel had been preached--a great man had shed light--a new force had been born1 and it was beyond the power of nobles and kings to undo what the author-hero had done4 ,to avoid arrest and probable death1 ,paine left ,england4 ,he had sown with brave hand the seeds of thought1 and he knew that he had lighted a fire that nothing could extinguish until ,england should be free4 ,the fame of ,thomas ,paine had reached ,france in many ways--principally through ,lafayette4 ,his services in ,america were well known4 ,the pamphlet ,common ,sense had been published in ,french1 and its effect had been immense4 ,the ,rights of ,man that had created1 and was then creating1 such a stir in ,england1 was also known to the ,french4 ,the lovers of liberty everywhere were the friends and admirers of ,thomas ,paine4 ,in ,america1 ,england1 ,scotland1 ,ireland1 and ,france he was known as the defender of popular rights4 ,he had preached a new gospel4 ,he had given a new ,magna ,charta to the people4 ,so popular was ,paine in ,france that he was elected by three constituencies to the ,national ,convention4 ,he chose to represent ,calais4 ,from the moment he entered ,french territory he was received with almost royal honors4 ,he at once stood with the foremost1 and was welcomed by all enlightened patriots4 ,as in ,america1 so in ,france1 he knew no idleness--he was an organizer and worker4 ,the first thing he did was to found the first ,republican ,society1 and the next to write its ,manifesto1 in which the ground was taken that ,france did not need a king2 that the people should govern themselves4 ,in this ,manifesto was this argument3 ,what kind of office must that be in a government which requires neither experience nor ability to execute8 that may be abandoned to the desperate chance of birth2 that may be filled with an idiot1 a madman1 a tyrant1 with equal effect as with the good1 the virtuous1 the wise8 ,an office of this nature is a mere nonentity2 it is a place of show1 not of use4 ,he said3 ,i am not the personal enemy of kings4 ,quite the contrary4 ,no man wishes more heartily than myself to see them all in the happy and honorable state of private individuals2 but ,i am the avowed1 open and intrepid enemy of what is called monarchy2 and ,i am such by principles which nothing can either alter or corrupt1 by my attachment to humanity1 by the anxiety which ,i feel within myself for the dignity and honor of the human race4 ,one of the grandest things done by ,thomas ,paine was his effort to save the life of ,louis ,,xvi4 ,the ,convention was in favor of death4 ,paine was a foreigner4 ,his career had caused some jealousies4 ,he knew the danger he was in--that the tiger was already crouching for a spring--but he was true to his principles4 ,he was opposed to the death penalty4 ,he remembered that ,louis ,,xvi4 had been the friend of ,america1 and he very cheerfully risked his life1 not only for the good of ,france1 not only to save the king1 but to pay a debt of gratitude4 ,he asked the ,convention to exile the king to the ,united ,states4 ,he asked this as a member of the ,convention and as a citizen of the ,united ,states4 ,as an ,american he felt grateful not only to the king1 but to every ,frenchman4 ,he1 the adversary of all kings1 asked the ,convention to remember that kings were men1 and subject to human frailties4 ,he took still another step1 and said3 ,as ,france has been the first of ,european nations to abolish royalty1 let us also be the first to abolish the punishment of death4 ,even after the death of ,louis had been voted1 ,paine made another appeal4 ,with a courage born of the highest possible sense of duty he said3 ,france has but one ally--the ,united ,states of ,america4 ,that is the only nation that can furnish ,france with naval provisions1 for the kingdoms of ,northern ,europe are1 or soon will be1 at war with her4 ,it happens that the person now under discussion is regarded in ,america as a deliverer of their country4 ,i can assure you that his execution will there spread universal sorrow1 and it is in your power not thus to wound the feelings of your ally4 ,could ,i speak the ,french language ,i would descend to your bar1 and in their name become your petitioner to respite the execution of your sentence on ,louis4 ,ah1 citizens1 give not the tyrant of ,england the triumph of seeing the man perish on the scaffold who helped my dear brothers of ,america to break his chains4 ,this was worthy of the man who had said3 ,where ,liberty is not1 there is my country4 ,paine was second on the committee to prepare the draft of a constitution for ,france to be submitted to the ,convention4 ,he was the real author1 not only of the draft of the ,constitution1 but of the ,declaration of ,rights4 ,in ,france1 as in ,america1 he took the lead4 ,his first thoughts seemed to be first principles4 ,he was clear because he was profound4 ,people without ideas experience great difficulty in finding words to express them4 ,from the moment that ,paine cast his vote in favor of mercy--in favor of life--the shadow of the guillotine was upon him4 ,he knew that when he voted for the ,king's life1 he voted for his own death4 ,paine remembered that the king had been the friend of ,america1 and to him ingratitude seemed the worst of crimes4 ,he worked to destroy the monarch1 not the man2 the king1 not the friend4 ,he discharged his duty and accepted death4 ,this was the heroism of goodness--the sublimity of devotion4 ,believing that his life was near its close1 he made up his mind to give to the world his thoughts concerning revealed religion4 ,this he had for some time intended to do1 but other matters had claimed his attention4 ,feeling that there was no time to be lost1 he wrote the first part of the ,age of ,reason1 and gave the manuscript to ,joel ,barlow4 ,six hours after1 he was arrested4 ,the second part was written in prison while he was waiting for death4 ,paine clearly saw that men could not be really free1 or defend the freedom they had1 unless they were free to think and speak4 ,he knew that the church was the enemy of liberty1 that the altar and throne were in partnership1 that they helped each other and divided the spoils4 ,he felt that1 being a man1 he had the right to examine the creeds and the ,scriptures for himself1 and that1 being an honest man1 it was his duty and his privilege to tell his fellow-men the conclusions at which he arrived4 ,he found that the creeds of all orthodox churches were absurd and cruel1 and that the ,bible was no better4 ,of course he found that there were some good things in the creeds and in the ,bible4 ,these he defended1 but the infamous1 the inhuman1 he attacked4 ,in matters of religion he pursued the same course that he had in things political4 ,he depended upon experience1 and above all on reason4 ,he refused to extinguish the light in his own soul4 ,he was true to himself1 and gave to others his honest thoughts4 ,he did not seek wealth1 or place1 or fame4 ,he sought the truth4 ,he had felt it to be his duty to attack the institution of slavery in ,america1 to raise his voice against dueling1 to plead for the rights of woman1 to excite pity for the sufferings of domestic animals1 the speechless friends of man2 to plead the cause of separation1 of independence1 of ,american nationality1 to attack the abuses and crimes of mon-archs1 to do what he could to give freedom to the world4 ,he thought it his duty to take another step4 ,kings asserted that they derived their power1 their right to govern1 from ,god4 ,to this assertion ,paine replied with the ,rights of ,man4 ,priests pretended that they were the authorized agents of ,god4 ,paine replied with the ,age of ,reason4 ,this book is still a power1 and will be as long as the absurdities and cruelties of the creeds and the ,bible have defenders4 ,the ,age of ,reason affected the priests just as the ,rights of ,man affected nobles and kings4 ,the kings answered the arguments of ,paine with laws1 the priests with lies4 ,kings appealed to force1 priests to fraud4 ,mr4 ,conway has written in regard to the ,age of ,reason the most impressive and the most interesting chapter in his book4 ,paine contended for the rights of the individual1--tor the jurisdiction of the soul4 ,above all religions he placed ,reason1 above all kings1 ,men1 and above all men1 ,law4 ,the first part of the ,age of ,reason was written in the shadow of a prison1 the second part in the gloom of death4 ,from that shadow1 from that gloom1 came a flood of light4 ,this testament1 by which the wealth of a marvelous brain1 the love of a great and heroic heart were given to the world1 was written in the presence of the scaffold1 when the writer believed he was giving his last message to his fellow-men4 ,the ,age of ,reason was his crime4 ,franklin1 ,jefferson1 ,sumner and ,lincoln1 the four greatest statesmen that ,america has produced1 were believers in the creed of ,thomas ,paine4 ,the ,universalists and ,unitarians have found their best weapons1 their best arguments1 in the ,age of ,reason4 ,slowly1 but surely1 the churches are adopting not only the arguments1 but the opinions of the great ,reformer4 ,theodore ,parker attacked the ,old ,testament and ,calvinistic theology with the same weapons and with a bitterness excelled by no man who has expressed his thoughts in our language4 ,paine was a century in advance of his time4 ,if he were living now his sympathy would be with ,savage1 ,chadwick1 ,professor ,briggs and the advanced theologians4 ,he1 too1 would talk about the higher criticism and the latest definition of inspiration4 ,these advanced thinkers substantially are repeating the ,age of ,reason4 ,they still wear the old uniform--clinging to the toggery of theology--but inside of their religious rags they agree with ,thomas ,paine4 ,not one argument that ,paine urged against the inspiration of the ,bible1 against the truth of miracles1 against the barbarities and infamies of the ,old ,testament1 against the pretensions of priests and the claims of kings1 has ever been answered4 ,his arguments in favor of the existence of what he was pleased to call the ,god of ,nature were as weak as those of all ,theists have been4 ,but in all the affairs of this world1 his clearness of vision1 lucidity of expression1 cogency of argument1 aptness of comparison1 power of statement and comprehension of the subject in hand1 with all its bearings and consequences1 have rarely1 if ever1 been excelled4 ,he had no reverence for mistakes because they were old4 ,he did not admire the castles of ,feudalism even when they were covered with ivy4 ,he not only said that the ,bible was not inspired1 but he demonstrated that it could not all be true4 ,this was brutal4 ,he presented arguments so strong1 so clear1 so convincing1 that they could not be answered4 ,this was vulgar4 ,he stood for liberty against kings1 for humanity against creeds and gods4 ,this was cowardly and low4 ,he gave his life to free and civilize his fellow-men4 ,this was infamous4 ,paine was arrested and imprisoned in ,december1 #agic4 ,he was1 to say the least1 neglected by ,gouverneur ,morris and ,washington4 ,he was released through the efforts of ,james ,monroe1 in ,november1 #agid4 ,he was called back to the ,convention1 but too late to be of use4 ,as most of the actors had suffered death1 the tragedy was about over and the curtain was falling4 ,paine remained in ,paris until the ,reign of ,terror was ended and that of the ,corsican tyrant had commenced4 ,paine came back to ,america hoping to spend the remainder of his life surrounded by those for whose happiness and freedom he had labored so many years4 ,he expected to be rewarded with the love and reverence of the ,american people4 ,in #agid ,james ,monroe had written to ,paine these words3 ,it is unnecessary for me to tell you how much all your countrymen1 ,i speak of the great mass of the people1 are interested in your welfare4 ,they have not forgot the history of their own ,revolution and the difficult scenes through which they passed2 nor do they review its several stages without reviving in their bosoms a due sensibility of the merits of those who served them in that great and arduous conflict4 ,the crime of ingratitude has not yet stained1 and ,i hope never will stain1 our national character4 ,you are considered by them as not only having rendered important services in our own ,revolution1 but as being on a more extensive scale the friend of human rights and a distinguished and able advocate of public liberty4 ,to the welfare of ,thomas ,paine we are not and cannot be indifferent4 ,in the same year ,mr4 ,monroe wrote a letter to the ,committee of ,general ,safety1 asking for the release of ,mr4 ,paine1 in which1 among other things1 he said3 ,the services ,thomas ,paine rendered to his country in its struggle for freedom have implanted in the hearts of his countrymen a sense of gratitude never to be effaced as long as they shall deserve the title of a just and generous people4 ,on reaching ,america1 ,paine found that the sense of gratitude had been effaced4 ,he found that the ,federalists hated him with all their hearts because he believed in the rights of the people and was still true to the splendid principles advocated during the darkest days of the ,revolution4 ,in almost every pulpit he found a malignant and implacable foe1 and the pews were filled with his enemies4 ,the slaveholders hated him4 ,he was held responsible even for the crimes of the ,french ,revolution4 ,he was regarded as a blasphemer1 an ,atheist1 an enemy of ,god and man4 ,the ignorant citizens of ,bordentown1 as cowardly as orthodox1 longed to mob the author of ,common ,sense and ,the ,crisis4 ,they thought he had sold himself to the ,devil because he had defended ,god against the slanderous charges that he had inspired the writers of the ,bible--because he had said that a being of infinite goodness and purity did not establish slavery and polygamy4 ,paine had insisted that men had the right to think for themselves4 ,this so enraged the average ,american citizen that he longed for revenge4 ,in #ahjb the people of the ,united ,states had exceedingly crude ideas about the liberty of thought and expression ,neither had they any conception of religious freedom4 ,their highest thought on that subject was expressed by the word toleration1 and even this toleration extended only to the various ,christian sects4 ,even the vaunted religious liberty of colonial ,maryland was only to the effect that one kind of ,christian should not fine1 imprison and kill another kind of ,christian1 but all kinds of ,christians had the right1 and it was their duty1 to brand1 imprison and kill ,infidels of every kind4 ,paine had been guilty of thinking for himself and giving his conclusions to the world without having asked the consent of a priest--just as he had published his political opinions without leave of the king4 ,he had published his thoughts on religion and had appealed to reason--to the light in every mind1 to the humanity1 the pity1 the goodness which he believed to be in every heart4 ,he denied the right of kings to make laws and of priests to make creeds4 ,he insisted that the people should make laws1 and that every human being should think for himself4 ,while some believed in the freedom of religion1 he believed in the religion of freedom4 ,if ,paine had been a hypocrite1 if he had concealed his opinions1 if he had defended slavery with quotations from the sacred ,scriptures--if he had cared nothing for the liberties of men in other lands--if he had said that the state could not live without the church--if he had sought for place instead of truth1 he would have won wealth and power1 and his brow would have been crowned with the laurel of fame4 ,he made what the pious call the mistake of being true to himself--of living with an unstained soul4 ,he had lived and labored for the people4 ,the people were untrue' to him4 ,they returned evil for good1 hatred for benefits received1 and yet this great chivalric soul remembered their ignorance and loved them with all his heart1 and fought their oppressors with all his strength4 ,we must remember what the churches and creeds were in that day1 what the theologians really taught1 and what the people believed4 ,to save a few in spite of their vices1 and to damn the many without regard to their virtues1 and all for the glory of the ,damner3--this was ,calvinism4 ,he that hath ears to hear1 let him hear1 but he that hath a brain to think must not think4 ,he that believeth without evidence is good1 and he that believeth in spite of evidence is a saint4 ,only the wicked doubt1 only the blasphemer denies4 ,this was orthodox ,christianity4 ,thomas ,paine had the courage1 the sense1 the heart1 to denounce these horrors1 these absurdities1 these infinite infamies4 ,he did what he could to drive these theological vipers1 these ,calvinistic cobras1 these fanged and hissing serpents of superstition from the heart of man4 ,a few civilized men agreed with him then1 and the world has progressed since #ahji4 ,intellectual wealth has accumulated2 vast mental estates have been left to the world4 ,geologists have forced secrets from the rocks1 astronomers from the stars1 historians from old records and lost languages4 ,in every direction the thinker and the investigator have ventured and explored1 and even the pews have begun to ask questions of the pulpits4 ,humboldt has lived1 and ,darwin and ,haeckel and ,huxley1 and the armies led by them1 have changed the thought of the world4 ,the churches of #ahji could not be the friends of ,thomas ,paine4 ,no church asserting that belief is necessary to salvation ever was1 or ever will be1 the champion of true liberty4 ,a church founded on slavery--that is to say1 on blind obedience1 worshiping irresponsible and arbitrary power1 must of necessity be the enemy of human freedom4 ,the orthodox churches are now anxious to save the little that ,paine left of their creed4 ,if one now believes in ,god1 and lends a little financial aid1 he is considered a good and desirable member4 ,he need not define ,god after the manner of the catechism4 ,he may talk about a ,power that works for righteousness1 or the tortoise ,truth that beats the rabbit ,lie in the long run1 or the ,unknowable1 or the ,unconditioned1 or the ,cosmic ,force1 or the ,ultimate ,atom1 or ,protoplasm1 or the ,what--provided he begins this word with a capital4 ,we must also remember that there is a difference between independence and liberty4 ,millions have fought for independence--to throw off some foreign yoke--and yet were at heart the enemies of true liberty4 ,a man in jail1 sighing to be free1 may be said to be in favor of liberty1 but not from principle2 but a man who1 being free1 risks or gives his life to free the enslaved1 is a true soldier of liberty4 ,thomas ,paine had passed the legendary limit of life4 ,one by one most of his old friends and acquaintances had deserted him4 ,maligned on every side1 execrated1 shunned and abhorred--his virtues denounced as vices--his services forgotten--his character blackened1 he preserved the poise and balance of his soul4 ,he was a victim of the people1 but his convictions remained unshaken4 ,he was still a soldier in the army of freedom1 and still tried to enlighten and civilize those who were impatiently waiting for his death4 ,even those who loved their enemies hated him1 their friend--the friend of the whole world--with all their hearts4 ,on the #hth of ,june1 #ahji1 death came--,death1 almost his only friend4 ,at his funeral no pomp1 no pageantry1 no civic procession1 no military display4 ,in a carriage1 a woman and her son who had lived on the bounty of the dead--,on horseback1 a ,quaker1 the humanity of whose heart dominated the creed of his head--and1 following on foot1 two negroes filled with gratitude--constituted the funeral cortege of ,thomas ,paine4 ,he who had received the gratitude of many millions1 the thanks of generals and statesmen--he who had been the friend and companion of the wisest and best--he who had taught a people to be free1 and whose words had inspired armies and enlightened nations1 was thus given back to ,nature1 the mother of us all4 ,if the people of the great ,republic knew the life of this generous1 this chivalric man1 the real story of his services1 his sufferings and his triumphs--of what he did to compel the robed and crowned1 the priests and kings1 to give back to the people liberty1 the jewel of the soul2 if they knew that he was the first to write1 ,the ,religion of ,humanity2 if they knew that he1 above all others1 planted and watered the seeds of independence1 of union1 of nationality1 in the hearts of our forefathers--that his words were gladly repeated by the best and bravest in many lands2 if they knew that he attempted1 by the purest means1 to attain the noblest and loftiest ends--that he was original1 sincere1 intrepid1 and that he could truthfully say3 ,the world is my country1 to do good my religion--if the people only knew all this--the truth--they would repeat the words of ,andrew ,jackson3 ,thomas ,paine needs no monument made with hands2 he has erected a monument in the hearts of all lovers of liberty4--,north ,american ,review1 ,august1 #ahic4 ,,the ,,three ,,philanthropists4 ,well1 while ,i am a beggar1 ,i will rail1 ,and say there is no sin but to be rich4 ,,mr4 ,a4 lived in the kingdom of--------4 ,he was a sincere professional philanthropist4 ,he was absolutely certain that he loved his fellow-men1 and that his views were humane and scientific4 ,he concluded to turn his attention to taking care of people less fortunate than himself4 ,with this object in view he investigated the common people that lived about him1 and he found that they were extremely ignorant1 that many of them seemed to take no particular interest in life or in business1 that few of them had any theories of their own1 and that1 while many had muscle1 there was only now and then one who had any mind worth speaking of4 ,nearly all of them were destitute of ambition4 ,they were satisfied if they got something to eat1 a place to sleep1 and could now and then indulge in some form of dissipation4 ,they seemed to have great confidence in to-morrow--trusted to luck1 and took no thought for the future4 ,many of them were extravagant1 most of them dissipated1 and a good many dishonest4 ,mr4 ,a4 found that many of the husbands not only failed to support their families1 but that some of them lived on the labor of their wives2 that many of the wives were careless of their obligations1 knew nothing about the art of cooking2 nothing about keeping house2 and that parents1 as a general thing1 neglected their children or treated them with cruelty4 ,he also found that many of the people were so shiftless that they died of want and exposure4 ,after having obtained this information ,mr4 ,a4 made up his mind to do what little he could to better their condition4 ,he petitioned the king to assist him1 and asked that he be allowed to take control of five hundred people in consideration that he would pay a certain amount into the treasury of the kingdom4 ,the king being satisfied that ,mr4 ,a4 could take care of these people better than they were taking care of themselves1 granted the petition4 ,mr4 ,a41 with the assistance of a few soldiers1 took these people from their old homes and haunts to a plantation of his own4 ,he divided them into groups1 and over each group placed a superintendent4 ,he made certain rules and regulations for their conduct4 ,they were only compelled to work from twelve to fourteen hours a day1 leaving ten hours for sleep and recreation4 ,good and substantial food was provided4 ,their houses were comfortable and their clothing sufficient4 ,their work was laid out from day to day and from month to month1 so that they knew exactly what they were to do in each hour of every day4 ,these rules were made for the good of the people1 to the end that they might not interfere with each other1 that they might attend to their duties1 and enjoy themselves in a reasonable way4 ,they were not allowed to waste their time1 or to use stimulants or profane language4 ,they were told to be respectful to the superintendents1 and especially to ,mr4 ,a42 to be obedient1 and1 above all1 to accept the position in which ,providence had placed them1 without complaining1 and to cheerfully perform their tasks4 ,mr4 ,a4 had found out all that the five hundred persons had earned the year before they were taken control of by him--just how much they had added to the wealth of the world4 ,he had statistics taken for the year before with great care showing the number of deaths1 the cases of sickness and of destitution1 the number who had committed suicide1 how many had been convicted of crimes and misdemeanors1 how many days they had been idle1 and how much time and money they had spent in drink and for worthless amusements4 ,during the first year of their enslavement he kept like statistics4 ,he found that they had earned several times as much2 that there had been no cases of destitution1 no drunkenness2 that no crimes had been committed2 that there had been but little sickness1 owing to the regular course of their lives2 that few had been guilty of misdemeanors1 owing to the certainty of punishment2 and that they had been so watched and superintended that for the most part they had traveled the highway of virtue and industry4 ,mr4 ,a4 was delighted1 and with a vast deal of pride showed these statistics to his friends4 ,he not only demonstrated that the five hundred people were better off than they had been before1 but that his own income was very largely increased4 ,he congratulated himself that he had added to the well-being of these people not only1 but had laid the foundation of a great fortune for himself4 ,on these facts and these figures he claimed not only to be a philanthropist1 but a philosopher2 and all the people who had a mind to go into the same business agreed with him4 ,some denounced the entire proceeding as unwarranted1 as contrary to reason and justice4 ,these insisted that the five hundred people had a right to live in their own way provided they did not interfere with others2 that they had the right to go through the world with little food and with poor clothes1 and to live in huts1 if such was their choice4 ,but ,mr4 ,a4 had no trouble in answering these objectors4 ,he insisted that well-being is the only good1 and that every human being is under obligation1 not only to take care of himself1 but to do what little he can towards taking care of others2 that where five hundred people neglect to take care of themselves1 it is the duty of somebody else1 who has more intelligence and more means1 to take care of them2 that the man who takes five hundred people and improves their condition1 gives them on the average better food1 better clothes1 and keeps them out of mischief1 is a benefactor4 ,these people1 said ,mr4 ,a41 were tried4 ,they were found incapable of taking care of themselves4 ,they lacked intelligence or will or honesty or industry or ambition or something1 so that in the struggle for existence they fell behind1 became stragglers1 dropped by the wayside1 died in gutters2 while many were destined to end their days either in dungeons or on scaffolds4 ,besides all this1 they were a nuisance to their prosperous fellow-citizens1 a perpetual menace to the peace of society4 ,they increased the burden of taxation2 they filled the ranks of the criminal classes1 they made it necessary to build more jails1 to employ more policemen and judges2 so that ,i1 by enslaving them1 not only assisted them1 not only protected them against themselves1 not only bettered their condition1 not only added to the well-being of-society at large1 but greatly increased my own fortune4 ,mr4 ,a4 also took the ground that ,providence1 by giving him superior intelligence1 the genius of command1 the aptitude for taking charge of others1 had made it his duty to exercise these faculties for the well-being of the people and for the glory of ,god4 ,mr4 ,a4 frequently declared that he was ,god's steward4 ,he often said he thanked ,god that he was not governed by a sickly sentiment1 but that he was a man of sense1 of judgment1 of force of character1 and that the means employeed by him were in accordance with the logic of facts4 ,some of the people thus enslaved objected1 saying that they had the same right to control themselves that ,mr4 ,a4 had to control himself4 ,but it only required a little discipline to satisfy them that they were wrong4 ,some of the people were quite happy1 and declared that nothing gave them such perfect contentment as the absence of all responsibility4 ,mr4 ,a4 insisted that all men had not been endowed with the same capacity2 that the weak ought to be cared for by the strong2 that such was evidently the design of the ,creator1 and that he intended to do what little he could to carry that design into effect4 ,mr4 ,a4 was very successful4 ,in a few years he had several thousands of men1 women1 and children working for him4 ,he amassed a large fortune4 ,he felt that he had been intrusted with this money by ,providence4 ,he therefore built several churches1 and once in a while gave large sums to societies for the spread of civilization4 ,he passed away regretted by a great many people--not including those who had lived under his immediate administration4 ,he was buried with great pomp1 the king being one of the pall-bearers1 and on his tomb was this3 ,,he ,,was ,,the ,,providence ,,of ,,the ,,poor4 ,,ii4 ,and1 being rich1 my virtue then shall be ,to say there is no vice but beggary4 ,mr4 ,b4 did not believe in slavery4 ,he despised the institution with every drop of his blood1 and was an advocate of universal freedom4 ,he held all the ideas of ,mr4 ,a4 in supreme contempt1 and frequently spent whole evenings in denouncing the inhumanity and injustice of the whole business4 ,he even went so far as to contend that many of ,a4's slaves had more intelligence than ,a4 himself1 and that1 whether they had intelligence or not1 they had the right to be free4 ,he insisted that ,mr4 ,a4's philanthropy was a sham2 that he never bought a human being for the purpose of bettering that being's condition2 that he went into the business simply to make money for himself2 and that his talk about his slaves committing less crime than when they were free was simply to justify the crime committed by himself in enslaving his fellow-men4 ,mr4 ,b4 was a manufacturer1 and he employeed some five or six thousand men4 ,he used to say that these men were not forced to work for him2 that they were at perfect liberty to accept or reject the terms2 that1 so far as he was concerned1 he would just as soon commit larceny or robbery as to force a man to work for him4 ,every laborer under my roof1 he used to say1 is as free to choose as ,i am4 ,mr ,b4 believed in absolutely free trade2 thought it an outrage to interfere with the free interplay of forces2 said that every man should buy1 or at least have the privilege of buying1 where he could buy cheapest1 and should have the privilege of selling where he could get the most4 ,he insisted that a man who has labor to sell has the right to sell it to the best advantage1 and that the purchaser has the right to buy it at the lowest price4 ,he did not enslave men--he hired them4 ,some said that he took advantage of their necessities2 but he answered that he created no necessities1 that he was not responsible for their condition1 that he did not make them poor1 that he found them poor and gave them work1 and gave them the same wages that he could employ others for4 ,he insisted that he was absolutely just to all2 he did not give one man more than another1 and he never refused to employ a man on account of the man's religion or politics2 all that he did was simply to employ that man if the man wished to be employed1 and give him the wages1 no more and no less1 that some other man of like capacity was willing to work for4 ,mr4 ,b4 also said that the price of the article manufactured by him fixed the wages of the persons employed1 and that he1 ,mr4 ,b41 was not responsible for the price of the article he manufactured2 consequently he was not responsible for the wages of the workmen4 ,he agreed to pay them a certain price1 he taking the risk of selling his articles1 and he paid them regularly just on the day he agreed to pay them1 and if they were not satisfied with the wages1 they were at perfect liberty to leave4 ,one of his private sayings was3 ,the poor ye have always with you4 ,and from this he argued that some men were made poor so that others could be generous4 ,take poverty and suffering from the world1 he said1 and you destroy sympathy and generosity4 ,mr4 ,b4 made a large amount of money4 ,many of his workmen complained that their wages did not allow them to live in comfort4 ,many had large families1 and therefore but little to eat4 ,some of them lived in crowded rooms4 ,many of the children were carried off by disease2 but ,mr4 ,b4 took the ground that all these people had the right to go1 that he did not force them to remain1 that if they were not healthy it was not his fault1 and that whenever it pleased ,providence to remove a child1 or one of the parents1 he1 ,mr4 ,b41 was not responsible4 ,mr4 ,b4 insisted that many of his workmen were extravagant2 that they bought things that they did not need2 that they wasted in beer and tobacco1 money that they should save for funerals2 that many of them visited places of amusement when they should have been thinking about death1 and that others bought toys to please the children when they hardly had bread enough to eat4 ,he felt that he was in no way accountable for this extravagance1 nor for the fact that their wages did not give them the necessaries of life1 because he not only gave them the same wages that other manufacturers gave1 but the same wages that other workmen were willing to work for4 ,mr4 ,b4 said1--and he always said this as though it ended the argument1--and he generally stood up to say it3 ,the great law of supply and demand is of divine origin2 it is the only law that will work in all possible or conceivable cases2 and this law fixes the price of all labor1 and from it there is no appeal4 ,if people are not satisfied with the operation of the law1 then let them make a new world for themselves4 ,some of ,mr4 ,b4's friends reported that on several occasions1 forgetting what he had said on others1 he did declare that his confidence was somewhat weakened in the law of supply and demand2 but this was only when there seemed to be an over-production of the things he was engaged in manufacturing1 and at such times he seemed to doubt the absolute equity of the great law4 ,mr4 ,b4 made even a larger fortune than ,mr4 ,a41 because when his workmen got old he did not have to care for them1 when they were sick he paid no doctors1 and when their children died he bought no coffins4 ,in this way he was relieved of a large part of the expenses that had to be borne by ,mr4 ,a4 ,when his workmen became too old1 they were sent to the poorhouse2 when they were sick1 they were assisted by charitable societies2 and when they died1 they were buried by pity4 ,in a few years ,mr4 ,b4 was the owner of many millions4 ,he also considered himself as one of ,god's stewards2 felt that ,providence had given him the intelligence to combine interests1 to carry out great schemes1 and that he was specially raised up to give employment to many thousands of people4 ,he often regretted that he could do no more for his laborers without lessening his own profits1 or1 rather1 without lessening his fund for the blessing of mankind--the blessing to begin immediately after his death4 ,he was so anxious to be the providence of posterity that he was sometimes almost heartless in his dealings with contemporaries4 ,he felt that it was necessary for him to be economical1 to save every dollar that he could1 because in this way he could increase the fund that was finally to bless mankind4 ,he also felt that in this way he could lay the foundations of a permanent fame--that he could build1 through his executors1 an asylum to be called the ,b4 ,asylum1 that he could fill a building with books to be called the ,b4 ,library1 and that he could also build and endow an institution of learning to be called the ,b4 ,college1 and that1 in addition1 a large amount of money could be given for the purpose of civilizing the citizens of less fortunate countries1 to the end that they might become imbued with that spirit of combination and manufacture that results in putting large fortunes in the hands of those who have been selected by ,providence1 on account of their talents1 to make a better distribution of wealth than those who earned it could have done4 ,mr4 ,b4 spent many thousands of dollars to procure such legislation as would protect him from foreign competition4 ,he did not believe the law of supply and demand would work when interfered with by manufacturers living in other countries4 ,mr4 ,b41 like ,mr4 ,a41 was a man of judgment4 ,he had what is called a level head1 was not easily turned aside from his purpose1 and felt that he was in accord with the general sentiment of his time4 ,by his own exertions he rose from poverty to wealth4 ,he was born in a hut and died in a palace4 ,he was a patron of art and enriched his walls with the works of the masters4 ,he insisted that others could and should follow his example4 ,for those who failed or refused he had no sympathy4 ,he accounted for their poverty and wretchedness by saying3 ,these paupers have only themselves to blame4 ,he died without ever having lost a dollar4 ,his funeral was magnificent1 and clergymen vied with each other in laudations of the dead4 ,over his dust rises a monument of marble with the words3 ,,he ,,lived ,,for ,,others4 ,,iii ,but there are men who steal1 and vainly try ,to gild the crime with pompous charity4 ,there was another man1 ,mr4 ,c41 who also had the genius for combination4 ,he understood the value of capital1 the value of labor2 knew exactly how much could be done with machinery2 understood the economy of things2 knew how to do everything in the easiest and shortest way4 ,and he1 too1 was a manufacturer and had in his employ many thousands of men1 women1 and children4 ,he was what is called a visionary1 a sentimentalist1 rather weak in his will1 not very obstinate1 had but little egotism2 and it never occurred to him that he had been selected by ,providence1 or any supernatural power1 to divide the property of others4 ,it did not seem to him that he had any right to take from other men their labor without giving them a full equivalent4 ,he felt that if he had more intelligence than his fellow-men he ought to use that intelligence not only for his own good but for theirs2 that he certainly ought not to use it for the purpose of gaining an advantage over those who were his intellectual inferiors4 ,he used to say that a man strong intellectually had no more right to take advantage of a man weak intellectually than the physically strong had to rob the physically weak4 ,he also insisted that we should not take advantage of each other's necessities2 that you should not ask a drowning man a greater price for lumber than you would if he stood on the shore2 that if you took into consideration the necessities of your fellow-man1 it should be only to lessen the price of that which you would sell to him1 not to increase it4 ,he insisted that honest men do not take advantage of their fellows4 ,he was so weak that he had not perfect confidence in the great law of supply and demand as applied to flesh and blood4 ,he took into consideration another law of supply and demand2 he knew that the workingman had to be supplied with food1 and that his nature demanded something to eat1 a house to live in1 clothes to wear4 ,mr4 ,c4 used to think about this law of supply and demand as applicable to individuals4 ,he found that men would work for exceedingly small wages when pressed for the necessaries of life2 that under some circumstances they would give their labor for half of what it was worth to the employer1 because they were in a position where they must do something for wife or child4 ,he concluded that he had no right to take advantage of the necessities of others1 and that he should in the first place honestly find what the work was worth to him1 and then give to the man who did the work that amount4 ,other manufacturers regarded ,mr4 ,c4 as substantially insane1 while most of his workmen looked upon him as an exceedingly good-natured man1 without any particular genius for business4 ,mr4 ,c41 however1 cared little about the opinions of others1 so long as he maintained his respect for himself4 ,at the end of the first year he found that he had made a large profit1 and thereupon he divided this profit with the people who had earned it4 ,some of his friends said to him that he ought to endow some public institution2 that there should be a college in his native town2 but ,mr4 ,c4 was of such a peculiar turn of mind that he thought justice ought to go before charity1 and a little in front of egotism1 and a desire to immortalize one's self4 ,he said that it seemed to him that of all persons in the world entitled to this profit were the men who had earned it1 the men who had made it by their labor1 by days of actual toil4 ,he insisted that1 as they had earned it1 it was really theirs1 and if it was theirs1 they should have it and should spend it in their own way4 ,mr4 ,c4 was told that he would make the workmen in other factories dissatisfied1 that other manufacturers would become his enemies1 and that his course would scandalize some of the greatest men who had done so much for the civilization of the world and for the spread of intelligence4 ,mr4 ,c4 became extremely unpopular with men of talent1 with those who had a genius for business4 ,he1 however1 pursued his way1 and carried on his business with the idea that the men who did the work were entitled to a fair share of the profits2 that1 after all1 money was not as sacred as men1 and that the law of supply and demand1 as understood1 did not apply to flesh and blood4 ,mr4 ,c4 said3 ,i cannot be happy if those who work for me are defrauded4 ,if ,i feel ,i am taking what belongs to them1 then my life becomes miserable4 ,to feel that ,i have done justice is one of the necessities of my nature4 ,i do not wish to establish colleges4 ,i wish to establish no public institution4 ,my desire is to enable those who work for me to establish a few thousand homes for themselves4 ,my ambition is to enable them to buy the books they really want to read4 ,i do not wish to establish a hospital1 but ,i want to make it possible for my workmen to have the services of the best physicians--physicians of their own choice4 ,it is not for me to take their money and use it for the good of others or for my own glory4 ,it is for me to give what they have earned to them4 ,after ,i have given them the money that belongs to them1 ,i can give them my advice--,i can tell them how ,i hope they will use it2 and after ,i have advised them1 they will use it as they please4 ,you cannot make great men and great women by suppression4 ,slavery is not the school in which genius is born4 ,every human being must make his own mistakes for himself1 must learn for himself1 must have his own experience2 and if the world improves1 it must be from choice1 not from force2 and every man who does justice1 who sets the example of fair dealing1 hastens the coming of universal honesty1 of universal civilization4 ,mr4 ,c4 carried his doctrine out to the fullest extent1 honestly and faithfully4 ,when he died1 there were at the funeral those who had worked for him1 their wives and their children4 ,their tears fell upon his grave4 ,they planted flowers and paid to him the tribute of their love4 ,above his silent dust they erected a monument with this inscription3 ,,he ,,allowed ,,others ,,to ,,live ,,for ,,themselves4 ,north ,american ,review1 ,december1 #ahca4 ,,should ,,the ,,chinese ,,be ,,excluded8 ,,the average ,american1 like the average man of any country1 has but little imagination4 ,people who speak a different language1 or worship some other god1 or wear clothing unlike his own1 are beyond the horizon of his sympathy4 ,he cares but little or nothing for the sufferings or misfortunes of those who are of a different complexion or of another race4 ,his imagination is not powerful enough to recognize the human being1 in spite of peculiarities4 ,instead of this he looks upon every difference as an evidence of inferiority1 and for the inferior he has but little if any feeling4 ,if these inferior people claim equal rights he feels insulted1 and for the purpose of establishing his own superiority tramples on the rights of the so-called inferior4 ,in our own country the native has always considered himself as much better than the immigrant1 and as far superior to all people of a different complexion4 ,at one time our people hated the ,irish1 then the ,germans1 then the ,italians1 and now the ,chinese4 ,the ,irish and ,germans1 however1 became numerous4 ,they became citizens1 and1 most important of all1 they had votes4 ,they combined1 became powerful1 and the political parties sought their aid4 ,they had something to give in exchange for protection--in exchange for political rights4 ,in consequence of this they were flattered by candidates1 praised by the political press1 and became powerful enough not only to protect themselves1 but at last to govern the principal cities in the ,united ,states4 ,as a matter of fact the ,irish and the ,germans drove the native ,americans out of the trades and from the lower forms of labor4 ,they built the railways and canals4 ,they became servants4 ,afterward the ,irish and the ,germans were driven from the canals and railways by the ,italians4 ,the ,irish and ,germans improved their condition4 ,they went into other businesses1 into the higher and more lucrative trades4 ,they entered the professions1 turned their attention to politics1 became merchants1 brokers1 and professors in colleges4 ,they are not now building railroads or digging on public works4 ,they are contractors1 legislators1 holders of office1 and the ,italians and ,chinese are doing the old work4 ,if matters had been allowed to work in a natural way1 without the interference of mobs or legislators1 the ,chinese would have driven the ,italians to better employments1 and all menial labor would1 in time1 be done by the ,mongolians4 ,in olden times each nation hated all others4 ,this was considered natural and patriotic4 ,spain1 after many centuries of war1 expelled the ,moors1 then the ,moriscoes1 and then the ,jews4 ,and ,spain1 in the name of religion and patriotism1 succeeded in driving from its territory its industry1 its taste and its intelligence1 and by these mistakes became poor1 ignorant and weak4 ,france started on the same path when the ,huguenots were expelled1 and even ,england at one time deported the ,jews4 ,in those days a difference of race or religion was sufficient to justify any absurdity and any cruelty4 ,in our country1 as a matter of fact1 there is but little prejudice against emigrants coming from ,europe1 except among naturalized citizens2 but nearly all foreign-born citizens are united in their prejudice against the ,chinese4 ,the truth is that the ,chinese came to this country by invitation4 ,under the ,burlingame ,treaty1 ,china and the ,united ,states recognized3 ,the inherent and inalienable right of man to change his home and allegiance1 and also the mutual advantage of free migration and emigration of their citizens and subjects respectively from one country to the other for purposes of curiosity1 of trade1 or as permanent residents4 ,and it was provided3 ,that the citizens of the ,united ,states visiting or residing in ,china and ,chinese subjects visiting or residing in the ,united ,states should reciprocally enjoy the same privileges1 immunities and exemptions1 in respect to travel or residence1 as shall be enjoyed by the citizens or subjects of the most favored nation1 in the country in which they shall respectively be visiting or residing4 ,so1 by the treaty of #ahhj1 providing for the limitation or suspension of emigration of ,chinese labor1 it was declared3 ,that the limitation or suspension should apply only to ,chinese who emigrated to the ,united ,states as laborers2 but that ,chinese laborers who were then in the ,united ,states should be allowed to go and come of their own free will and should be accorded all the rights1 privileges1 immunities and exemptions1 which were accorded to the citizens and subjects of the most favored nations4 ,it will thus be seen that all ,chinese laborers who came to this country prior to the treaty of #ahhj were to be treated the same as the citizens and subjects of the most favored nation2 that is to say1 they were to be protected by our laws the same as we protect our own citizens4 ,these ,chinese laborers are inoffensive1 peaceable and law-abiding4 ,they are honest1 keeping their contracts1 doing as they agree4 ,they are exceedingly industrious1 always ready to work and always giving satisfaction to their employers4 ,they do not interfere with other people4 ,they cannot become citizens4 ,they have no voice in the making or the execution of the laws4 ,they attend to their own business4 ,they have their own ideas1 customs1 religion and ceremonies--about as foolish as our own2 but they do not try to make converts or to force their dogmas on others4 ,they are patient1 uncomplaining1 stoical and philosophical4 ,they earn what they can1 giving reasonable value for the money they receive1 and as a rule1 when they have amassed a few thousand dollars1 they go back to their own country4 ,they do not interfere with our ideas1 our ways or customs4 ,they are silent workers1 toiling without any object1 except to do their work and get their pay4 ,they do not establish saloons and run for ,congress4 ,neither do they combine for the purpose of governing others4 ,of all the people on our soil they are the least meddlesome4 ,some of them smoke opium1 but the opium-smoker does not beat his wife4 ,some of them play games of chance1 but they are not members of the ,stock ,exchange4 ,they eat the bread that they earn2 they neither beg nor steal1 but they are of no use to parties or politicians except as they become fuel to supply the flame of prejudice4 ,they are not citizens and they cannot vote4 ,their employers are about the only friends they have4 ,in the ,pacific ,states the lowest became their enemies and asked for their expulsion4 ,they denounced the ,chinese and those who gave them work4 ,the patient followers of ,confucius were treated as outcasts--stoned by boys in the streets and mobbed by the fathers4 ,few seemed to have any respect for their rights or their feelings4 ,they were unlike us4 ,they wore different clothes4 ,they dressed their hair in a peculiar way1 and therefore they were beyond our sympathies4 ,these ideas1 these practices1 demoralized many communities2 the laboring people became cruel and the small politicians infamous4 ,when the rights of even one human being are held in contempt the rights of all are in danger4 ,we cannot destroy the liberties of others without losing our own4 ,by exciting the prejudices of the ignorant we at last produce a contempt for law and justice1 and sow the seeds of violence and crime4 ,both of the great political parties pandered to the leaders of the crusade against the ,chinese for the sake of electoral votes1 and in the ,pacific ,states the friends of the ,chinese were forced to keep still or to publicly speak contrary to their convictions4 ,the orators of the ,sand ,lots were in power1 and the policy of the whole country was dictated by the most ignorant and prejudiced of our citizens4 ,both of the great parties ratified the outrages committed by the mobs1 and proceeded with alacrity to violate the treaties and solemn obligations of the ,government4 ,these treaties were violated1 these obligations were denied1 and thousands of ,chinamen were deprived of their rights1 of their property1 and hundreds were maimed or murdered4 ,they were driven from their homes4 ,they were hunted like wild beasts4 ,all this was done in a country that sends missionaries to ,china to tell the benighted savages of the blessed religion of the ,united ,states4 ,at first a demand was made that the ,chinese should be driven out1 then that no others should be allowed to come1 and laws with these objects in view were passed1 in spite of the treaties1 preventing the coming of any more4 ,for a time that satisfied the haters of the ,mongolian4 ,then came a demand for more stringent legislation1 so that many of the ,chinese already here could be compelled to leave4 ,the answer or response to this demand is what is known as the ,geary ,law4 ,by this act it is provided1 among other things1 that any ,chinaman convicted of not being lawfully in the country shall be removed to ,china1 after having been imprisoned at hard labor for not exceeding one year4 ,this law also does away with bail on habeas corpus1 proceedings where the right to land has been denied to a ,chinaman4 ,it also compels all ,chinese laborers to obtain1 within one year after the passage of the law1 certificates of residence from the revenue collectors1 and if found without such certificate they shall be held to be unlawfully in the ,united ,states4 ,it is further provided that if a ,chinaman claims that he failed to get such certificate by accident1 sickness or other unavoidable cause1 then he must clearly establish such claim to the satisfaction of the judge by at least one credible white witness4 ,if we were at war with ,china then we might legally consider every ,chinaman as an enemy1 but we were and are at peace with that country4 ,the ,geary ,act was passed by ,congress and signed by the ,president simply for the sake of votes4 ,the ,democrats in ,congress voted for it to save the ,pacific ,states to the ,democratic column2 and a ,republican ,president signed it so that the ,pacific ,states should vote the ,republican ticket4 ,principle was forgotten1 or rather it was sacrificed1 in the hope of political success4 ,it was then known1 as now1 that ,china is a peaceful nation1 that it does not believe in war as a remedy1 that it relies on negotiation and treaty4 ,it is also known that the ,chinese in this country were helpless1 without friends1 without power to defend themselves4 ,it is possible that many members of ,congress voted in favor of the ,act believing that the ,supreme ,court would hold it unconstitutional1 and that in the meantime it might be politically useful4 ,the idea of imprisoning a man at hard labor for a year1 and this man a citizen of a friendly nation1 for the crime of being found in this country without a certificate of residence1 must be abhorrent to the mind of every enlightened man4 ,such punishment for such an offence is barbarous and belongs to the earliest times of which we know4 ,this law makes industry a crime and puts one who works for his bread on a level with thieves and the lowest criminals1 treats him as a felon1 and clothes him in the stripes of a convict1--and all this is done at the demand of the ignorant1 of the prejudiced1 of the heartless1 and because the ,chinese are not voters and have no political power4 ,the ,chinese are not driven away because there is no room for them4 ,our country is not crowded4 ,there are many millions of acres waiting for the plow4 ,there is plenty of room here under our flag for five hundred millions of people4 ,these ,chinese that we wish to oppress and imprison are people who understand the art of irrigation4 ,they can redeem the deserts4 ,they are the best of gardeners4 ,they are modest and willing to occupy the lowest seats4 ,they only ask to be day-laborers1 washers and ironers4 ,they are willing to sweep and scrub4 ,they are good cooks4 ,they can clear lands and build railroads4 ,they do not ask to be masters--they wish only to serve4 ,in every capacity they are faithful2 but in this country their virtues have made enemies1 and they are hated because of their patience1 their honesty and their industry4 ,the ,geary ,law1 however1 failed to provide the ways and means for carrying it into effect1 so that the probability is it will remain a dead letter upon the statute book4 ,the sum of money required to carry it out is too large1 and the law fails to create the machinery and name the persons authorized to deport the ,chinese4 ,neither is there any mode of trial pointed out4 ,according to the law there need be no indictment by a grand jury1 no trial by a jury1 and the person found guilty of being here without a certificate of residence can be imprisoned and treated as a felon without the ordinary forms of trial4 ,this law is contrary to the laws and customs of nations4 ,the punishment is unusual1 severe1 and contrary to our ,constitution1 and under its provisions aliens--citizens of a friendly nation--can be imprisoned without due process of law4 ,the law is barbarous1 contrary to the spirit and genius of ,american institutions1 and was passed in violation of solemn treaty stipulations4 ,the ,congress-that passed it is the same that closed the gates of the ,world's ,fair on the blessed ,sabbath1 thinking it wicked to look at statues and pictures on that day4 ,these representatives of the people seem to have had more piety than principle4 ,after the passage of such a law by the ,united ,states is it not indecent for us to send missionaries to ,china8 ,is there not work enough for them at home8 ,we send ministers to ,china to convert the heathen2 but when we find a ,chinaman on our soil1 where he can be saved by our example1 we treat him as a criminal4 ,it is to the interest of this country to maintain friendly relations with ,china4 ,we want the trade of nearly one-fourth of the human race4 ,we want to pay for all we get from that country in articles of our own manufacture4 ,we lost the trade of ,mexico and the ,south ,american ,republics because of slavery1 because we hated people in whose veins was found a drop of ,african blood1 and now we are losing the trade of ,china by pandering to the prejudices of the ignorant and cruel4 ,after all1 it pays to do right4 ,this is a hard truth to learn--especially for a nation4 ,a great nation should be bound by the highest conception of justice and honor4 ,above all things it should be true to its treaties1 its contracts1 its obligations4 ,it should remember that its responsibilities are in accordance with its power and intelligence4 ,our ,government is founded on the equality of human rights--on the idea1 the sacred truth1 that all are entitled to life1 liberty and the pursuit of happiness4 ,our country is an asylum for the oppressed of all nations--of all races4 ,here1 the ,government gets its power from the consent of the governed4 ,after the abolition of slavery these great truths were not only admitted1 but they found expression in our ,constitution and laws4 ,shall we now go back to barbarism8 ,russia is earning the hatred of the civilized world by driving the ,jews from their homes4 ,but what can the ,united ,states say8 ,our mouths are closed by the ,geary ,law4 ,we are in the same business4 ,our law is as inhuman as the order or ukase of the ,czar4 ,let us retrace our steps1 repeal the law and accomplish what we justly desire by civilized means4 ,let us treat ,china as we would ,england2 and1 above all1 let us respect the rights of men1--,north ,american ,review1 ,july1 #ahic4 ,a ,,word ,,about ,,education4 ,,the end of life--the object of life--is happiness4 ,nothing can be better than that--nothing higher4 ,in order to be really happy1 man must be in harmony with his surroundings1 with the conditions of well-being4 ,in order to know these surroundings1 he must be educated1 and education is of value only as it contributes to the wellbeing of man1 and only that is education which increases the power of man to gratify his real wants--wants of body and of mind4 ,the educated man knows the necessity of finding out the facts in nature1 the relations between himself and his fellow-men1 between himself and the world1 to the end that he may take advantage of these facts and relations for the benefit of himself and others4 ,he knows that a man may understand ,latin and ,greek1 ,hebrew and ,sanscrit1 and be as ignorant of the great facts and forces in nature as a native of ,central ,africa4 ,the educated man knows something that he can use1 not only for the benefit of himself1 but for the benefit of others4 ,every skilled mechanic1 every good farmer1 every man who knows some of the real facts in nature that touch him1 is to that extent an educated man4 ,the skilled mechanic and the intelligent farmer may not be what we call scholars1 and what we call scholars may not be educated men4 ,man is in constant need4 ,he must protect himself from cold and heat1 from sun and storm4 ,he needs food and raiment for the body1 and he needs what we call art for the development and gratification of his brain4 ,beginning with what are called the necessaries of life1 he rises to what are known as the luxuries1 and the luxuries become necessaries1 and above luxuries he rises to the highest wants of the soul4 ,the man who is fitted to take care of himself1 in the conditions he may be placed1 is1 in a very important sense1 an educated man4 ,the savage who understands the habits of animals1 who is a good hunter and fisher1 is a man of education1 taking into consideration his circumstances4 ,the graduate of a university who cannot take care of himself--no matter how much he may have studied--is not an educated man4 ,in our time1 an educated man1 whether a mechanic1 a farmer1 or one who follows a profession1 should know something about what the world has discovered4 ,he should have an idea of the outlines of the sciences4 ,he should have read a little1 at least1 of the best that has been written4 ,he should know something of mechanics1 a little about politics1 commerce1 and metaphysics2 and in addition to all this1 he should know how to make something4 ,his hands should be educated1 so that he can1 if necessary1 supply his own wants by supplying the wants of others4 ,there are mental misers--men who gather learning all their lives and keep it to themselves4 ,they are worse than hoarders of gold1 because when they die their learning dies with them1 while the metal miser is compelled to leave his gold for others4 ,the first duty of man is to support himself--to see to it that he does not become a burden4 ,his next duty is to help others if he has a surplus1 and if he really believes they deserve to be helped4 ,it is not necessary to have what is called a university education in order to be useful or to be happy1 any more than it is necessary to be rich1 to be happy4 ,great wealth is a great burden1 and to have more than you can use1 is to care for more than you want4 ,the happiest are those who are prosperous1 and who by reasonable endeavor can supply their reasonable wants and have a little surplus year by year for the winter of their lives4 ,so1 it is no use to learn thousands and thousands of useless facts1 or to fill the brain with unspoken tongues4 ,this is burdening yourself with more than you can use4 ,the best way is to learn the useful4 ,we all know that men in moderate circumstances cau have just as comfortable houses as the richest1 just as comfortable clothing1 just as good food4 ,they can see just as fine paintings1 just as marvelous statues1 and they can hear just as good music4 ,they can attend the same theatres and the same operas4 ,they can enjoy the same sunshine1 and above all1 can love and be loved just as well as kings and millionaires4 ,so the conclusion of the whole matter is1 that he is educated who knows how to take care of himself2 and that the happy man is the successful man1 and that it is only a burden to have more than you want1 or to learn those things that you cannot use4--,the ,high ,school ,register1 ,omaha1 ,nebraska1 ,january4 #ahia4 ,,what ,i ,,want ,,for ,,christmas4 ,,if ,i had the power to produce exactly what ,i want for next ,christmas1 ,i would have all the kings and emperors resign and allow the people to govern themselves4 ,i would have all the nobility drop their titles and give their lands back to the people4 ,i would have the ,pope throw away his tiara1 take off his sacred vestments1 and admit that he is not acting for ,god--is not infallible--but is just an ordinary ,italian4 ,i would have all the cardinals1 archbishops1 bishops1 priests and clergymen admit that they know nothing about theology1 nothing about hell or heaven1 nothing about the destiny of the human race1 nothing about devils or ghosts1 gods or angels4 ,i would have them tell all their flocks to think for themselves1 to be manly men and womanly women1 and to do all in their power to increase the sum of human happiness4 ,i would have all the professors in colleges1 all the teachers in schools of every kind1 including those in ,sunday schools1 agree that they would teach only what they know1 that they would not palm off guesses as demonstrated truths4 ,i would like to see all the politicians changed to statesmen1--to men who long to make their country great and free1--to men who care more for public good than private gain--men who long to be of use4 ,i would like to see all the editors of papers and magazines agree to print the truth and nothing but the truth1 to avoid all slander and misrepresentation1 and to let the private affairs of the people alone4 ,i would like to see drunkenness and prohibition both abolished4 ,i would like to see corporal punishment done away with in every home1 in every school1 in every asylum1 reformatory1 and prison4 ,cruelty hardens and degrades1 kindness reforms and ennobles4 ,i would like to see the millionaires unite and form a trust for the public good4 ,i would like to see a fair division of profits between capital and labor1 so that the toiler could save enough to mingle a little ,june with the ,december of his life4 ,i would like to see an international court established in which to settle disputes between nations1 so that armies could be disbanded and the great navies allowed to rust and rot in perfect peace4 ,i would like to see the whole world free--free from injustice--free from superstition4 ,this will do for next ,christmas4 ,the following ,christmas1 ,i may want more4--,the ,arena1 ,boston1 ,december1 #ahig4 ,,fool ,,friends4 ,,nothing hurts a man1 nothing hurts a party so terribly as fool friends4 ,a fool friend is the sewer of bad news1 of slander and all base and unpleasant things4 ,a fool friend always knows every mean thing that has been said against you and against the party4 ,he always knows where your party is losing1 and the other is making large gains4 ,he always tells you of the good luck your enemy has had4 ,he implicitly believes every story against you1 and kindly suspects your defence4 ,a fool friend is always full of a kind of stupid candor4 ,he is so candid that he always believes the statement of an enemy4 ,he never suspects anything on your side4 ,nothing pleases him like being shocked by horrible news concerning some good man4 ,he never denies a lie unless it is in your favor4 ,he is always finding fault with his party1 and is continually begging pardon for not belonging to the other side4 ,he is frightfully anxious that all his candidates should stand well with the opposition4 ,he is forever seeing the faults of his party and the virtues of the other4 ,he generally shows his candor by scratching the ticket4 ,he always searches every nook and comer of his conscience to find a reason for deserting a friend or a principle4 ,in the moment of victory he is magnanimously on your side4 ,in defeat he consoles you by repeating prophecies made after the event4 ,the fool friend regards your reputation as common prey for all the vultures1 hyenas and jackals4 ,he takes a sad pleasure in your misfortunes4 ,he forgets his principles to gratify your enemies4 ,he forgives your maligner1 and slanders you with all his heart4 ,he is so friendly that you cannot kick him4 ,he generally talks for you but always bets the other way4 ,,inspiration ,,we are told that we have in our possession the inspired will of ,god4 ,what is meant by the word inspired is not exactly known2 but whatever else it may mean1 certainly it means that the inspired must be the true4 ,if it is true1 there is in fact no need of its being inspired--the truth will take care of itself4 ,the church is forced to say that the ,bible differs from all other books2 it is forced to say that it contains the actual will of ,god4 ,let us then see what inspiration really is4 ,a man looks at the sea1 and the sea says something to him4 ,it makes an impression upon his mind4 ,it awakens memory1 and this impression depends upon the man's experience--upon his intellectual capacity4 ,another looks upon the same sea4 ,he has a different brain2 he has had a different experience4 ,the sea may speak to him of joy2 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 ,another1 standing upon the shore1 listening to what the great ,greek tragedian called ,the multitudinous laughter of the sea1 may say3 ,every drop has visited all the shores of the earth2 every one has been frozen in the vast and icy ,north2 every one has fallen in snow1 has been whirled by storms around mountain peaks2 every one has been kissed to vapor by the sun2 every one has worn the seven-hued garment of light2 every one has fallen in pleasant rain1 gurgled from springs and laughed in brooks while lovers wooed upon the banks1 and every one has rushed with mighty rivers back to the sea's embrace4 ,everything in ,nature tells a different story to all eyes that see1 and to all ears that hear4 ,once in my life1 and once only1 ,i heard ,horace ,greeley deliver a lecture4 ,i think the title was ,across the ,continent4 ,at last he reached the mammoth trees of ,california1 and ,i thought1 ,here is an opportunity for the old man to indulge his fancy4 ,here are trees that have outlived a thousand human governments4 ,there are limbs above his head older than the pyramids4 ,while man was emerging from barbarism to something like civilization1 these trees were growing4 ,older than history1 every one appeared to be a memory1 a witness1 and a prophecy4 ,the same wind that filled the sails of the ,argonauts had swayed these trees4 ,but these trees said nothing of this kind to ,mr4 ,greeley4 ,upon these subjects not a word was told him4 ,instead1 he took his pencil1 and after figuring awhile1 remarked3 ,one of these trees1 sawed into inch boards1 would make more than three hundred thousand feet of lumber4 ,i was once riding in the cars in ,illinois4 ,there had been a violent thunder storm4 ,the rain had ceased1 the sun was going down4 ,the great clouds had floated toward the west1 and there they assumed most wonderful architectural shapes4 ,there were temples and palaces domed and turreted1 and they were touched with silver1 with amethyst and gold4 ,they looked like the homes of the ,titans1 or the palaces of the gods4 ,a man was sitting near me4 ,i touched him and said1 ,did you ever see anything so beautiful8 ,he looked out4 ,he saw nothing of the cloud1 nothing of the sun1 nothing of the color2 he saw only the country1 and replied1 ,yes1 it is beautiful2 ,i always did like rolling land4 ,on another occasion ,i was riding in a stage4 ,there had been a snow1 and after the snow a sleet1 and all the trees were bent1 and all the boughs were arched4 ,every fence1 every log cabin1 had been transfigured1 touched with a glory almost beyond this world4 ,the great fields were a pure and perfect white2 the forests1 drooping beneath their load of gems1 made wonderful caves1 from which one almost expected to see troops of fairies come4 ,the whole world looked like a bride1 jeweled from head to foot4 ,a ,german on the back seat1 hearing our talk1 and our exclamations of wonder1 leaned forward1 looked out of the stage window1 and said1 ,y-a-a-s2 it looks like a clean table cloth6 ,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 violet1 has to tell4 ,nature says to me all that ,i am capable of understanding--gives all that ,i can receive4 ,as with star or flower or sea1 so with a book4 ,a man reads ,shakespeare4 ,what does he get from him8 ,all that he has the mind to understand4 ,he gets his little cup full4 ,let another read him 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 acquaintances--he may know a few--he may know all4 ,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 impression gained from ancestors1 the hereditary fears and drifts and trends--the natural food of thought must be the impression made upon the brain by coming in contact1 through the medium of the five senses1 with what we call the outward world4 ,the brain is natural4 ,its food is natural4 ,the result--thought--must be natural4 ,the supernatural can be constructed with no material except the natural4 ,of the supernatural we can have no conception4 ,thought may be deformed1 and the thought of one may be strange to1 and denominated as 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 can be religious monstrosities and misshapen1 but they must be naturally produced4 ,some people have ideas about what they are pleased to call the supernatural2 what they call the supernatural is simply the deformed4 ,the world is to each man according to each man4 ,it takes the world as it really is1 and that man to make that man's world1 and that man's world cannot exist without that man4 ,you may ask1 and what of all this8 ,i reply3 ,as with everything in ,nature1 so with the ,bible4 ,it has a different story for each reader4 ,is then1 the ,bible a different book to every human being who reads it8 ,it is4 ,can ,god1 then1 through the ,bible1 make the same revelation to two persons8 ,he cannot4 ,why8 ,because the man who reads it is the man who inspires4 ,inspiration is in the man1 as well as in the book4 ,god should have inspired readers as well as writers4 ,you may reply1 ,god knew that his book would be understood differently by each one2 really 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 ,suppose1 then1 that ,i do read this ,bible honestly1 carefully1 and when ,i get through ,i am compelled to say1 ,the book is not true6 ,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 the 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 upon the ignorance of him who reads4--,the ,truth ,seeker ,annual1 ,new ,york1 #ahhe4 ,,the ,,truth ,,of ,,history4 ,,thousands of ,christians have asked3 ,how was it possible for ,christ and his apostles to deceive the people of ,jerusalem8 ,how came the miracles to be believed8 ,who had the impudence to say that lepers had been cleansed1 and that the dead had been raised8 ,how could such impostors have escaped exposure8 ,i ask3 ,how did ,mohammed deceive the people of ,mecca8 ,how has the ,catholic ,church imposed upon millions of people8 ,who can account for the success of falsehood8 ,millions of people are directly interested in the false4 ,they live by lying4 ,to deceive is the business of their lives4 ,truth is a cripple2 lies have wings4 ,it is almost impossible to overtake and kill and bury a lie4 ,if you do1 some one will erect a monument over the grave1 and the lie is born again as an epitaph4 ,let me give you a case in point4 ,a few days ago the ,matlock ,register1 a paper published in ,england1 printed the following3 ,,conversion ,,of ,,the ,,arch ,,atheist4 ,mr4 ,isaac ,loveland1 of ,shoreham1 desires us to insert the following3-- ,november #bg1 #ahhf4 ,dear ,mr4 ,loveland4--,a day or two since1 ,i received from ,mr4 ,hine the exhilarating intelligence that through his lectures on the ',identity of the ,british ,nation with ,lost ,israel1' in ,canada and the ,united ,states1 that ,col4 ,bob ,ingersoll1 the arch ,atheist1 has been converted to ,christianity1 and has joined the ,episcopal ,church4 ,praise the ,lord666 #e1jjj of his followers have been won for ,christ through ,mr4 ,hine's grand mission work1 the other side of the ,atlantic4 ,the ,colonel's cousin1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll1 wrote to ,mr4 ,hine soon after he began lecturing in ,america1 informing him that his lectures had made a great impression on the ,colonel and other ,atheists4 ,i noted it at the time in the ,messenger4 ,bradlaugh will yet be converted2 his brother has been1 and has joined a ,british ,israel ,identity ,association4 ,this is progress1 and shows what an energetic1 determined man 7like ,mr4 ,hine71 who is earnest in his faith1 can do4 ,very faithfully yours1 ,h4 ,,hodson ,,rugg4 ,grove-road1 ,st4 ,john's ,wood1 ,london4 ,how can we account for an article like that8 ,who made up this story8 ,who had the impudence to publish it8 ,as a matter of fact1 ,i never saw ,mr4 ,hine1 never heard of him until this extract was received by me in the month of ,december4 ,i never read a word about the ,identity of ,lost ,israel with the ,british ,nation4 ,it is a question in which ,i never had1 and never expect to have1 the slightest possible interest4 ,nothing can be more preposterous than that the ,englishman in whose veins can be found the blood of the ,saxon1 the ,dane1 the ,norman1 the ,piet1 the ,scot and the ,celt1 is the descendant of ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob4 ,the ,english language does not bear the remotest resemblance to the ,hebrew1 and yet it is claimed by the ,reverend ,hod-son ,rugg that not only myself1 but five thousand other ,atheists1 were converted by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,hine1 because of his theory that ,englishmen and ,americans are simply ,jews in disguise4 ,this letter1 in my judgment1 was published to be used by missionaries in ,china1 ,japan1 ,india and ,africa4 ,if stories like this can be circulated about a living man1 what may we not expect concerning the dead who have opposed the church8 ,countless falsehoods have been circulated about all the opponents of superstition4 ,whoever attacks the popular falsehoods of his time will find that a lie defends itself by telling other lies4 ,nothing is so prolific1 nothing can so multiply itself1 nothing can lay and hatch as many eggs1 as a good1 healthy1 religious lie4 ,and nothing is more wonderful than the credulity of the believers in the supernatural4 ,they feel under a kind of obligation to believe everything in favor of their religion1 or against any form of what they are pleased to call ,infidelity4 ,the old falsehoods about ,voltaire1 ,paine1 ,hume1 ,julian1 ,diderot and hundreds of others1 grow green every spring4 ,they are answered2 they are demonstrated to be without the slightest foundation2 but they rarely die4 ,and when one does die there seems to be a kind of ,caesarian operation1 so that in each instance although the mother dies the child lives to undergo1 if necessary1 a like operation1 leaving another child1 and sometimes two4 ,there are thousands and thousands of tongues ready to repeat what the owners know to be false1 and these lies are a part of the stock in trade1 the valuable assets1 of superstition4 ,no church can afford to throw its property away4 ,to admit that these stories are false now1 is to admit that the church has been busy lying for hundreds of years1 and it is also to admit that the word of the church is not and cannot be taken as evidence of any fact4 ,a few years ago1 ,i had a little controversy with the editor of the ,new ,york ,observer1 the ,rev4 ,irenaeus ,prime1 7who is now supposed to be in heaven enjoying the bliss of seeing ,infidels in hell71 as to whether ,thomas ,paine recanted his religious opinions4 ,i offered to deposit a thousand dollars for the benefit of a charity1 if the reverend doctor would substantiate the charge that ,paine recanted4 ,i forced the ,new ,york ,observer to admit that ,paine did not recant1 and compelled that paper to say that ,thomas ,paine died a blaspheming ,infidel4 ,a few months afterward an ,english paper was sent to me--a religious paper--and in that paper was a statement to the effect that the editor of the ,new ,york ,observer had claimed that ,paine recanted2 that ,i had offered to give a thousand dollars to any charity that ,mr4 ,prime might select1 if he would establish the fact that ,paine did recant2 and that so overwhelming was the testimony brought forward by ,mr4 ,prime1 that ,i admitted that ,paine did recant1 and paid the thousand dollars4 ,this is another instance of what might be called the truth of history4 ,i wrote to the editor of that paper1 telling the exact facts1 and offering him advertising rates to publish the denial1 and in addition1 stated that if he would send me a copy of his paper with the denial1 ,i would send him twenty-five dollars for his trouble4 ,i received no reply1 and the lie is in all probability still on its travels1 going from ,sunday school to ,sunday school1 from pulpit to pulpit1 from hypocrite to savage1--that is to say1 from missionary to ,hottentot--without the slightest evidence of fatigue--fresh and strong1 and in its cheeks the roses and lilies of perfect health4 ,some person1 expecting to add another gem to his crown of glory1 put in circulation the story that one of my daughters had joined the ,presbyterian ,church1--a story without the slightest foundation--and although denied a hundred times1 it is still being printed and circulated for the edification of the faithful4 ,every few days ,i receive some letter of inquiry as to this charge1 and ,i have industriously denied it for years1 but up to the present time1 it shows no signs of death--not even of weakness4 ,another religious gentleman put in print the charge that my son1 having been raised in the atmosphere of ,infidelity1 had become insane and died in an asylum4 ,notwithstanding the fact that ,i never had a son1 the story still goes right on1 and is repeated day after day without the semblance of a blush4 ,now1 if all this is done while ,i am alive and well1 and while ,i have all the facilities of our century for spreading the denials1 what will be done after my lips are closed8 ,the mendacity of superstition is almost enough to make a man believe in the supernatural4 ,and so ,i might go on for a hundred columns4 ,billions of falsehoods have been told and there are trillions yet to come4 ,the doctrines of ,malthus have nothing to do with this particular kind of reproduction4 ,and there are also many other falsehoods which the church has told1 the which if they should be written every one1 ,i suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written4--,the ,truth ,seeker1 ,new ,york1 ,february1 #ai1ahhg4 ,,how ,,to ,,edit ,a ,,liberal ,,paper4 ,a ,,liberal paper should be edited by a ,liberal man4 ,and by the word ,liberal ,i mean1 not only free1 not only one who thinks for himself1 not only one who has escaped from the prisons of customs and creed1 but one who is candid1 intelligent and kind4 ,this ,liberal editor should not forever play upon one string1 no matter how wonderful the music4 ,he should not have his attention forever fixed upon one question--that is to say1 he should not look through a reversed telescope and narrow his horizon to that degree that he sees only one thing4 ,to know that the ,bible is the literature of a barbarous people1 to know that it is uninspired1 to be certain that the supernatural does not and cannot exist--all this is but the beginning of wisdom4 ,this only lays the foundation for unprejudiced observation4 ,to kill weeds1 to fell forests1 to drive away or exterminate wild beasts--this is preparatory to doing something of greater value4 ,of course the weeds must be killed1 the forests must be felled1 and the beasts must be destroyed before the building of homes and the cultivation of fields4 ,a ,liberal paper should not discuss theological questions alone4 ,intelligent people everywhere have given up most of the old superstitions4 ,they have pretty well made up their minds what is false1 and they want to know some others4 ,that is to say1 liberal toward everything that is true4 ,for this reason1 a ,liberal paper should keep abreast of the discoveries of the human mind4 ,no science should be neglected2 no fact should be overlooked4 ,inventions should be described and understood4 ,and not only this1 but the beautiful in thought1 in form and color1 should be preserved4 ,the paper should be filled with things calculated to interest thoughtful1 intelligent and serious people4 ,there should be a column for children as well as for men4 ,above all1 it should be perfectly kind and candid4 ,in discussion there is no place for hatred1 no opportunity for slander4 ,a personality is always out of place4 ,an angry man can neither reason himself1 nor perceive the reason of what another says4 ,the orthodox world has always dealt in personalities4 ,every minister can answer the argument of an opponent by attacking the character of the opponent4 ,this example should never be followed by a ,liberal man4 ,nobody can be bad enough to prove that the ,bible is uninspired1 and nobody can be good enough to prove that it is the word of ,god4 ,these facts have no relation4 ,they neither stand nor fall together4 ,nothing should be asserted that is not known4 ,nothing should be denied1 the falsity of which has not been1 or cannot be1 demonstrated4 ,opinions are simply given for what they are worth4 ,they are guesses1 and one guesser should give to another guesser all the right of guessing that he claims for himself4 ,upon the great questions of origin1 of destiny1 of immortality1 of punishment and reward in other worlds1 every honest man must say1 ,i do not know4 ,upon these questions1 this is the creed of intelligence4 ,nothing is harder to bear than the egotism of ignorance and the arrogance of superstition4 ,the man who has some knowledge of the difficulties surrounding these subjects1 who knows something of the limitations of the human mind1 must1 of necessity1 be mentally modest4 ,and this condition of mental modesty is the only one consistent with individual progress4 ,above all1 and over all1 a ,liberal paper should teach the absolute freedom of the mind1 the utter independence of the individual1 the perfect liberty of speech4 ,we should remember that the world is as it must be2 that the present is the necessary offspring of the past2 that the future must be what the present makes it1 and that the real work of the reformer1 of the philanthropist1 is to change the conditions of the present1 to the end that the future may be better4 ,secular ,thought1 ,toronto1 ,january #h1ahhg4 ,,secularism4 ,,several people have asked me the meaning of this term4 ,secularism is the religion of humanity2 it embraces the affairs of this world2 it is interested in everything that touches the welfare of a sentient being2 it advocates attention to the particular planet in which we happen to live2 it means that each individual counts for something2 it is a declaration of intellectual independence2 it means that the pew is superior to the pulpit1 that those who bear the burdens shall have the profits and that they who fill the purse shall hold the strings4 ,it is a protest against theological oppression1 against ecclesiastical tyranny1 against being the serf1 subject or slave of any phantom1 or of the priest of any phantom4 ,it is a protest against wasting this life for the sake of one that we know not of4 ,it proposes to let the gods take care of themselves4 ,it is another name for common sense2 that is to say1 the adaptation of means to such ends as are desired and understood4 ,secularism believes in building a home here1 in this world4 ,it trusts to individual effort1 to energy1 to intelligence1 to observation and experience rather than to the unknown and the supernatural4 ,it desires to be happy on this side of the grave4 ,secularism means food and fireside1 roof and raiment1 reasonable work and reasonable leisure1 the cultivation of the tastes1 the acquisition of knowledge1 the enjoyment of the arts1 and it promises for the human race comfort1 independence1 intelligence1 and above all1 liberty4 ,it means the abolition of sectarian feuds1 of theological hatreds4 ,it means the cultivation of friendship and intellectual hospitality4 ,it means the living for ourselves and each other2 for the present instead of the past1 for this world rather than for another4 ,it means the right to express your thought in spite of popes1 priests1 and gods4 ,it means that impudent idleness shall no longer live upon the labor of honest men4 ,it means the destruction of the business of those who trade in fear4 ,it proposes to give serenity and content to the human soul4 ,it will put out the fires of eternal pain4 ,it is striving to do away with violence and vice1 with ignorance1 poverty and disease4 ,it lives for the ever present to-day1 and the ever coming to-morrow4 ,it does not believe in praying and receiving1 but in earning and deserving4 ,it regards work as worship1 labor as prayer1 and wisdom as the savior of mankind4 ,it says to every human being1 ,take care of yourself so that you may be able to help others2 adorn your life with the gems called good deeds2 illumine your path with the sunlight called friendship and love4 ,secularism is a religion1 a religion that is understood4 ,it has no mysteries1 no mummeries1 no priests1 no ceremonies1 no falsehoods1 no miracles1 and no persecutions4 ,it considers the lilies of the field1 and takes thought for the morrow4 ,it says to the whole world1 ,work that you may eat1 drink1 and be clothed2 work that you may enjoy2 work that you may not want2 work that you may give and never need4--,the ,independent ,pulpit1 ,waco1 ,texas1 #ahhg4 ,,criticism ,,of ,,robert ,,elsmere1 ,,john ,,ward1 ,,preacher1 ,,and ,,an ,,african ,,farm4 ,,if one wishes to know what orthodox religion really is--,i mean that religion unsoftened by ,infidelity1 by doubt--let him read ,john ,ward1 ,preacher4 ,this book shows exactly what the love of ,god will do in the heart of man4 ,this shows what the effect of the creed of ,christendom is1 when absolutely believed4 ,in this case it is the woman who is free and the man who is enslaved4 ,in ,robert ,els-mere the man is breaking chains1 while the woman prefers the old prison with its ivy-covered walls4 ,why should a man allow human love to stand between his soul and the will of ,god--between his soul and eternal joy8 ,why should not the true believer tear every blossom of pity1 of charity1 from his heart1 rather than put in peril his immortal soul8 ,an orthodox minister has a wife with a heart4 ,having a heart she cannot believe in the orthodox creed4 ,she thinks ,god better than he is4 ,she flatters the ,infinite4 ,this endangers the salvation of her soul4 ,if she is upheld in this the souls of others may be lost4 ,her husband feels not only accountable for her soul1 but for the souls of others that may be injured by what she says1 and by what she does4 ,he is compelled to choose between his wife and his duty1 between the woman and ,god4 ,he is not great enough to go with his heart4 ,he is selfish enough to side with the administration1 with power4 ,he lives a miserable life and dies a miserable death4 ,the trouble with ,christianity is that it has no element of compromise--it allows no room for charity so far as belief is concerned4 ,honesty of opinion is not even a mitigating circumstance4 ,you are not asked to understand--you are commanded to believe4 ,there is no common ground4 ,the church carries no flag of truce4 ,it does not say1 ,believe you must1 but1 ,you must believe4 ,no exception can be made in favor of wife or mother1 husband or child4 ,all human relations1 all human love must1 if necessary1 be sacrificed with perfect cheerfulness4 ,let the dead bury their dead--follow thou me4 ,desert wife and child4 ,human love is nothing--nothing but a snare4 ,you must love ,god better than wife1 better than child4 ,john ,ward endeavored to live in accordance with this heartless creed4 ,nothing can be more repulsive than an orthodox life--than one who lives in exact accordance with the creed4 ,it is hard to conceive of a more terrible character than ,john ,calvin4 ,it is somewhat difficult to understand the ,puritans1 who made themselves unhappy by way of recreation1 and who seemed to enjoy themselves when admitting their utter worthlessness and in telling ,god how richly they deserved to be eternally damned4 ,they loved to pluck from the tree of life every bud1 every blossom1 every leaf4 ,the bare branches1 naked to the wrath of ,god1 excited their admiration4 ,they wondered how birds could sing1 and the existence of the rainbow led them to suspect the seriousness of the ,deity4 ,how can there be any joy if man believes that he acts and lives under an infinite responsibility1 when the only business of this life is to avoid the horrors of the next8 ,why should the lips of men feel the ripple of laughter if there is a bare possibility that the creed of ,christendom is true8 ,i take it for granted that all people believe as they must--that all thoughts and dreams have been naturally produced--that what we call the unnatural is simply the uncommon4 ,all religions1 poems1 statues1 vices and virtues1 have been wrought by nature with the instrumentalities called men4 ,no one can read ,john ,ward1 ,preacher1 without hating with all his heart the creed of ,john ,ward2 and no one can read the creed of ,john ,ward1 preacher1 without pitying with all his heart ,john ,ward2 and no one can read this book without feeling how much better the wife was than the husband--how much better the natural sympathies are than the religions of our day1 and how much superior common sense is to what is called theology4 ,when we lay down the book we feel like saying3 ,no matter whether ,god exists or not2 if he does1 he can take care of himself2 if he does1 he does not take care of us2 and whether he lives or not we must take care of ourselves4 ,human love is better than any religion4 ,it is better to love your wife than to love ,god4 ,it is better to make a happy home here than to sunder hearts with creeds4 ,this book meets the issues far more frankly1 with far greater candor4 ,this book carries out to its logical sequence the ,christian creed4 ,it shows how uncomfortable a true believer must be1 and how uncomfortable he necessarily makes those with whom he comes in contact4 ,it shows how narrow1 how hard1 how unsympathetic1 how selfish1 how unreasonable1 how unpoetic1 the creed of the orthodox church is4 ,in ,robert ,elsmere there is plenty of evidence of reading and cultivation1 of thought and talent4 ,so in ,john ,ward1 ,preacher1 there is strength1 purpose1 logic1 power of statement1 directness and courage4 ,but ,the ,story of an ,african ,farm has but little in common with the other two4 ,it is a work apart--belonging to no school1 and not to be judged by the ordinary rules and canons of criticism4 ,there are some puerilities and much philosophy1 trivialities and some of the profoundest reflections4 ,in addition to this1 there is a vast and wonderful sympathy4 ,the following upon love is beautiful and profound3 ,there is a love that begins in the head and goes down to the heart1 and grows slowly1 but it lasts till death and asks less than it gives4 ,there is another love that blots out wisdom1 that is sweet with the sweetness of life and bitter with the bitterness of death1 lasting for an hour2 but it is worth having lived a whole life for that hour4 ,it is a blood-red flower1 with the color of sin1 but there is always the scent of a god about it4 ,there is no character in ,robert ,elsmere or in ,john ,ward1 ,preacher1 comparable for a moment to ,lyndall in the ,african ,farm4 ,in her there is a splendid courage4 ,she does not blame others for her own faults2 she accepts4 ,there is that splendid candor that you find in ,juliet in ,measure for ,measure4 ,she is asked3 ,love you the man that wronged you8 ,and she replies3 ,yes2 as ,i love the woman that wronged him4 ,the death of this wonderful girl is extremely pathetic4 ,none but an artist could have written it3 ,then slowly1 without a sound1 the beautiful eyes closed4 ,the dead face that the glass reflected was a thing of marvellous beauty and tranquillity4 ,the gray dawn crept in over it and saw it lying there4 ,so the story of the hunter is wonderfully told4 ,this hunter climbs above his fellows--day by day getting away from human sympathy1 away from ignorance4 ,he lost at last his fellow-men1 and truth was just as far away as ever4 ,here he found the bones of another hunter1 and as he looked upon the poor remains the wild faces said3 ,so he lay down here1 for he was very tired4 ,he went to sleep forever4 ,he put himself to sleep4 ,sleep is very tranquil4 ,you are not lonely when you are asleep1 neither do your hands ache nor your heart4 ,so the death of ,waldo is most wonderfully told4 ,the book is filled with thought1 and with thoughts of the writer--nothing is borrowed4 ,it is original1 true and exceedingly sad4 ,it has the pathos of real life4 ,there is in it the hunger of the heart1 the vast difference between the actual and the ideal3 ,i like to feel that strange life beating up against me4 ,i like to realize forms of life utterly unlike my own4 ,when my own life feels small and ,i am oppressed with it1 ,i like to crush together and see it in a picture1 in an instant1 a multitude of disconnected1 unlike phases of human life--a mediaeval monk with his string of beads pacing the quiet orchard1 and looking up from the grass at his feet to the heavy fruit trees2 little ,malay boys playing naked on a shining sea-beach2 a ,hindoo philosopher alone under his banyan tree1 thinking1 thinking1 thinking1 so that in the thought of ,god he may lose himself2 a troop of ,bacchanalians dressed in white1 with crowns of vine-leaves1 dancing along the ,roman streets2 a martyr on the night of his death looking through the narrow window to the sky and feeling that already he has the wings that shall bear him up2 an epicurean discoursing at a ,roman bath to a knot of his disciples on the nature of happiness2 a ,kafir witch-doctor seeking for herbs by moonlight1 while from the huts on the hillside come the sound of dogs barking and the voices of women and children2 a mother giving bread and milk to her children in little wooden basins and singing the evening song4 ,i like to see it all2 ,i feel it run through me--that life belongs to me2 it makes my little life larger1 it breaks down the narrow walls that shut me in4 ,the author1 ,olive ,schreiner1 has a tropic zone in her heart4 ,she sometimes prattles like a child1 then suddenly1 and without warning1 she speaks like a philosopher--like one who had guessed the riddle of the ,sphinx4 ,she1 too1 is overwhelmed with the injustice of the world--with the negligence of nature--and she finds that it is impossible to find repose for heart or brain in any ,christian creed4 ,these books show what the people are thinking--the tendency of modern thought4 ,singularly enough the three are written by women4 ,mrs4 ,ward1 the author of ,robert ,elsmere1 to say the least is not satisfied with the ,episcopal ,church4 ,she feels sure that its creed is not true4 ,at the same time1 she wants it denied in a respectful tone of voice1 and she really pities people who are compelled to give up the consolation of eternal punishment1 although she has thrown it away herself and the tendency of her book is to make other people do so4 ,it is what the orthodox call a dangerous book4 ,it is a flank movement calculated to suggest a doubt to the unsuspecting reader1 to some sheep who has strayed beyond the shepherd's voice4 ,it is hard for any one to read ,john ,ward1 ,preacher1 without hating ,puritanism with all his heart and without feeling certain that nothing is more heartless than the scheme of salvation2 and whoever finishes ,the ,story of an ,african ,farm will feel that he has been brought in contact with a very great1 passionate and tender soul4 ,is it possible that women1 who have been the ,caryatides of the church1 who have borne its insults and its burdens1 are to be its destroyers8 ,man is a being capable of pleasure and pain4 ,the fact that he can enjoy himself--that he can obtain good--gives him courage--courage to defend what he has1 courage to try to get more4 ,the fact that he can suffer pain sows in his mind the seeds of fear4 ,man is also filled with curiosity4 ,he examines4 ,he is astonished by the uncommon4 ,he is forced to take an interest in things because things affect him4 ,he is liable at every moment to be injured4 ,countless things attack him4 ,he must defend himself4 ,as a consequence his mind is at work2 his experience in some degree tells him what may happen2 he prepares2 he defends himself from heat and cold4 ,all the springs of action lie in the fact that he can suffer and enjoy4 ,the savage has great confidence in his senses4 ,he has absolute confidence in his eyes and ears4 ,it requires many years of education and experience before he becomes satisfied that things are not always what they appear4 ,it would be hard to convince the average barbarian that the sun does not actually rise and set--hard to convince him that the earth turns4 ,he would rely upon appearances and would record you as insane4 ,as man becomes civilized1 educated1 he finally has more confidence in his reason than in his eyes4 ,he no longer believes that a being called ,echo exists4 ,he has found out the theory of sound1 and he then knows that the wave of air has been returned to his ear1 and the idea of a being who repeats his words fades from his mind2 he begins then to rely1 not upon appearances1 but upon demonstration1 upon the result of investigation4 ,at last he finds that he has been deceived in a thousand ways1 and he also finds that he can invent certain instruments that are far more accurate than his senses--instruments that add power to his sight1 to his hearing and to the sensitiveness of his touch4 ,day by day he gains confidence in himself4 ,there is in the life of the individual1 as in the life of the race1 a period of credulity1 when not only appearances are accepted without question1 but the declarations of others4 ,the child in the cradle or in the lap of its mother1 has implicit confidence in fairy stories--believes in giants and dwarfs1 in beings who can answer wishes1 who create castles and temples and gardens with a thought4 ,so the race1 in its infancy1 believed in such beings and in such creations4 ,as the child grows1 facts take the place of the old beliefs1 and the same is true of the race4 ,as a rule1 the attention of man is drawn first1 not to his own mistakes1 not to his own faults1 but to the mistakes and faults of his neighbors4 ,the same is true of a nation--it notices first the eccentricities and peculiarities of other nations4 ,this is especially true of religious systems4 ,christians take it for granted that their religion is true1 that there can be about that no doubt1 no mistake4 ,they begin to examine the religions of other nations4 ,they take it for granted that all these other religions are false4 ,they are in a frame of mind to notice contradictions1 to discover mistakes and to apprehend absurdities4 ,in examining other religions they use their common sense4 ,they carry in the hand the lamp of probability4 ,the miracles of other ,christs1 or of the founders of other religions1 appear unreasonable--they find that they are not supported by evidence4 ,most of the stories excite their laughter4 ,many of the laws seem cruel1 many of the ceremonies absurd4 ,these ,christians satisfy themselves that they are right in their first conjecture--that is1 that other religions are all made by men4 ,afterward the same arguments they have used against other religions were found to be equally forcible against their own4 ,they find that the miracles of ,buddha rest upon the same kind of evidence as the miracles in the ,old ,testament1 as the miracles in the ,new--that the evidence in the one case is just as weak and unreliable as in the other4 ,they also find that it is just as easy to account for the existence of ,christianity as for the existence of any other religion1 and they find that the human mind in all countries has traveled substantially the same road and has arrived at substantially the same conclusions4 ,it may be truthfully said that ,christianity by the examination of other religions laid the foundation for its own destruction4 ,the moment it examined another religion it became a doubter1 a sceptic1 an investigator4 ,it began to call for proof4 ,this course being pursued in the examination of ,christianity itself1 reached the result that had been reached as to other religions4 ,in other words1 it was impossible for ,christians successfully to attack other religions without showing that their own religion could be destroyed4 ,the fact that only a few years ago we were all provincial should be taken into consideration4 ,a few years ago nations were unacquainted with each other--no nation had any conception of the real habits1 customs1 religions and ideas of any other4 ,each nation imagined itself to be the favored of heaven--the only one to whom ,god had condescended to make known his will--the only one in direct communication with angels and deities4 ,since the circumnavigation of the globe1 since the invention of the steam engine1 the discovery of electricity1 the nations of the world have become acquainted with each other1 and we now know that the old ideas were born of egotism1 and that egotism is the child of ignorance and savagery4 ,think of the egotism of the ancient ,jews1 who imagined that they were the chosen people--the only ones in whom ,god took the slightest interest6 ,imagine the egotism of the ,catholic ,church1 claiming that it is the only church--that it is continually under the guidance of the ,holy ,ghost1 and that the pope is infallible and occupies the place of ,god4 ,think of the egotism of the ,presbyterian1 who imagines that he is one of the elect1 and that billions of ages before the world was created1 ,god1 in the eternal counsel of his own good pleasure1 picked out this particular ,presbyterian1 and at the same time determined to send billions and billions to the pit of eternal pain4 ,think of the egotism of the man who believes in special providence4 ,the old philosophy1 the old religion1 was made in about equal parts of ignorance and egotism4 ,this earth was the universe4 ,the sun rose and set simply for the benefit of ,god's chosen people4 ,the moon and stars were made to beautify the night1 and all the countless hosts of heaven were for no other purpose than to decorate what might be called the ceiling of the earth4 ,it was also believed that this firmament was solid--that up there the gods lived1 and that they could be influenced by the prayers and desires of men4 ,we have now found that the earth is only a grain of sand1 a speck1 an atom in an infinite universe4 ,we now know that the sun is a million times larger than the earth1 and that other planets are millions of times larger than the sun2 and when we think of these things1 the old stories of the ,garden of ,eden and ,sinai and ,calvary seem infinitely out of proportion4 ,at last we have reached a point where we have the candor and the intelligence to examine the claims of our own religion precisely as we examine those of other countries4 ,we have produced men and women great enough to free themselves from the prejudices born of provincialism--from the prejudices1 we might almost say1 of patriotism4 ,a few people are great enough not to be controlled by the ideas of the dead--great enough to know that they are not bound by the mistakes of their ancestors--and that a man may actually love his mother without accepting her belief4 ,we have even gone further than this1 and we are now satisfied that the only way to really honor parents is to tell our best and highest thoughts4 ,these thoughts ought to be in the mind when reading the books referred to4 ,there are certain tendencies1 certain trends of thought1 and these tendencies--these trends--bear fruit2 that is to say1 they produce the books about which ,i have spoken as well as many others4 ,,the ,,libel ,,laws ,question4 ,have you any suggestions to make in regard to remodeling the libel laws8 ,answer4 ,i believe that every article appearing in a paper should be signed by the writer4 ,if it is libelous1 then the writer and the publisher should both be held responsible in damages4 ,the law on this subject1 if changed1 should throw greater safeguards around the reputation of the citizen4 ,it does not seem to me that the papers have any right to complain4 ,probably a good many suits are brought that should not be instituted1 but just think of the suits that are not brought4 ,personally ,i have no complaint to make1 as it would be very hard to find anything in any paper against me1 but it has never occurred to me that the press needed any greater liberty than it now enjoys4 ,it might be a good thing for a paper to publish each week1 a list of mistakes1 if this could be done without making that edition too large4 ,but certainly when a false and scandalous charge has been made by mistake or as the result of imposition1 great pains should be taken to give the retraction at once and in a way to attract attention4 ,i suppose the papers are liable to be imposed upon--liable to print thousands of articles to which the attention of the editor or proprietor was not called4 ,still1 that is not the fault of the man whose character is attacked4 ,on the whole ,i think the papers have the advantage of the average citizen as the law now is4 ,if all articles had to be signed by the writer1 ,i am satisfied the writer would be more careful and less liable to write anything of a libelous nature4 ,i am willing to admit that ,i have given but little attention to the subject1 probably for the reason that ,i have never been a sufferer4 ,it would hardly do to hold only the writer responsible4 ,suppose a man writes a libelous article1 leaves the country1 and then the article is published2 is there no remedy8 ,a suit for libel is not much of a remedy1 ,i admit1 but it is some4 ,it is like the bayonet in war4 ,very few are injured by bayonets1 but a good many are afraid that they may be4 --,the ,herald1 ,new ,york1 ,october #bf1ahhh4 ,,rev4 ,,dr4 ,,newton',s ,,sermon ,,on ,a ,,new ,,religion4 ,i ,,have read the report of the ,rev4 ,r4 ,heber ,newton's sermon and ,i am satisfied1 first1 that ,mr4 ,newton simply said what he thoroughly believes to be true1 and second1 that some of the conclusions at which he arrives are certainly correct4 ,i do not regard ,mr4 ,newton as a heretic or sceptic4 ,every man who reads the ,bible must1 to a greater or less extent1 think for himself4 ,he need not tell his thoughts2 he has the right to keep them to himself4 ,but if he undertakes to tell them1 then he should be absolutely honest4 ,the ,episcopal creed is a few ages behind the thought of the world4 ,for many1 years the foremost members and clergymen in that church have been giving some new meanings to the old words and phrases4 ,words are no more exempt from change than other things in nature4 ,a word at one time rough1 jagged1 harsh and cruel1 is finally worn smooth4 ,a word known as slang1 picked out of the gutter1 is cleaned1 educated1 becomes respectable and finally is found in the mouths of the best and purest4 ,we must remember that in the world of art the picture depends not alone on the painter1 but on the one who sees it4 ,so words must find some part of their meaning in the man who hears or the man who reads4 ,in the old times the word hell gave to the hearer or reader the picture of a vast pit filled with an ocean of molten brimstone1 in which innumerable souls were suffering the torments of fire1 and where millions of devils were engaged in the cheerful occupation of increasing the torments of the damned4 ,this was the real old orthodox view4 ,as man became civilized1 however1 the picture grew less and less vivid4 ,finally1 some expressed their doubts about the brimstone1 and others began to think that if the ,devil was1 and is1 really an enemy of ,god he would not spend his time punishing sinners to please ,god4 ,why should the ,devil be in partnership with his enemy1 and why should he inflict torments on poor souls who were his own friends1 and who shared with him the feeling of hatred toward the ,almighty8 ,as men became more and more civilized1 the idea began to dawn in their minds that an infinitely good and wise being would not have created persons1 knowing that they would be eternal failures1 or that they were to suffer eternal punishment1 because there could be no possible object in eternal punishment--no reformation1 no good to be accomplished--and certainly the sight of all this torment would not add to the joy of heaven1 neither would it tend to the happiness of ,god4 ,so the more civilized adopted the idea that punishment is a consequence and not an infliction4 ,then they took another step and concluded that every soul1 in every world1 in every age1 should have at least the chance of doing right4 ,and yet persons so believing still used the word hell1 but the old meaning had dropped out4 ,so with regard to the atonement4 ,at one time it was regarded as a kind of bargain in which so much blood was shed for so many souls4 ,this was a barbaric view4 ,afterward1 the mind developing a little1 the idea got in the brain that the life of ,christ was worth its moral effect4 ,and yet these people use the word atonement1 but the bargain idea has been lost4 ,take for instance the word justice4 ,the meaning that is given to that word depends upon the man who uses it--depends for the most part on the age in which he lives1 the country in which he was born4 ,the same is true of the word freedom4 ,millions and millions of people boasted that they were the friends of freedom1 while at the same time they enslaved their fellow-men4 ,so1 in the name of justice every possible crime has been perpetrated and in the name of mercy every instrument of torture has been used4 ,mr4 ,newton realizes the fact that everything in the world changes2 that creeds are influenced by civilization1 by the acquisition of knowledge1 by the progress of the sciences and arts--in other words1 that there is a tendency in man to harmonize his knowledge and to bring about a reconciliation between what he knows and what he believes4 ,this will be fatal to superstition1 provided the man knows anything4 ,mr4 ,newton1 moreover1 clearly sees that people are losing confidence in the morality of the gospel2 that its foundation lacks common sense2 that the doctrine of forgiveness is unscientific1 and that it is impossible to feel that the innocent can rightfully suffer for the guilty1 or that the suffering of innocence can in any way justify the crimes of the wicked4 ,i think he is mistaken1 however1 when he says that the early church softened or weakened the barbaric passions4 ,i think the early church was as barbarous as any institution that ever gained a footing in this world4 ,i do not believe that the creed of the early church1 as understood1 could soften anything4 ,a church that preaches the eternity of punishment has within it the seed of all barbarism and the soil to make it grow4 ,so ,mr4 ,newton is undoubtedly right when he says that the organized ,christianity of to-day is not the leader in social progress4 ,no one now goes to a synod to find a fact in science or on any subject4 ,a man in doubt does not ask the average minister2 he regards him as behind the times4 ,he goes to the scientist1 to the library4 ,he depends upon the untrammelled thought of fearless men4 ,the church1 for the most part1 is in the control of the rich1 of the respectable1 of the well-to-do1 of the unsympathetic1 of the men who1 having succeeded themselves1 think that everybody ought to succeed4 ,the spirit of caste is as well developed in the church as it is in the average club4 ,there is the same exclusive feeling1 and this feeling in the next world is to be heightened and deepened to such an extent that a large majority of our fellow-men are to be eternally excluded4 ,the peasants of ,europe--the workingmen--do not go to the church for sympathy4 ,if they do they come home empty1 or rather empty hearted4 ,so1 in our own country the laboring classes1 the mechanics1 are not depending on the churches to right their wrongs4 ,they do not expect the pulpits to increase their wages4 ,the preachers get their money from the well-to-do--from the employeer class--and their sympathies are with those from whom they receive their wages4 ,the ministers attack the pleasures of the world4 ,they are not so much scandalized by murder and forgery as by dancing and eating meat on ,friday4 ,they regard unbelief as the greatest of all sins4 ,they are not touching the real1 vital issues of the day1 and their hearts do not throb in unison with the hearts of the struggling1 the aspiring1 the enthusiastic and the real believers in the progress of the human race4 ,it is all well enough to say that we should depend on ,providence1 but experience has taught us that while it may do no harm to say it1 it will do no good to do it4 ,we have found that man must be the ,providence of man1 and that one plow will do more1 properly pulled and properly held1 toward feeding the world1 than all the prayers that ever agitated the air4 ,so1 ,mr4 ,newton is correct in saying1 as ,i understand him to say1 that the hope of immortality has nothing to do with orthodox religion4 ,neither1 in my judgment1 has the belief in the existence of a ,god anything in fact to do with real religion4 ,the old doctrine that ,god wanted man to do something for him1 and that he kept a watchful eye upon all the children of men2 that he rewarded the virtuous and punished the wicked1 is gradually fading from the mind4 ,we know that some of the worst men have what the world calls success4 ,we know that some of the best men lie upon the straw of failure4 ,we know that honesty goes hungry1 while larceny sits at the banquet4 ,we know that the vicious have every physical comfort1 while the virtuous are often clad in rags4 ,man is beginning to find that he must take care of himself2 that special providence is a mistake4 ,this being so1 the old religions must go down1 and in their place man must depend upon intelligence1 industry1 honesty2 upon the facts that he can ascertain1 upon his own experience1 upon his own efforts4 ,then religion becomes a thing of this world--a religion to put a roof above our heads1 a religion that gives to every man a home1 a religion that rewards virtue here4 ,if ,mr4 ,newton's sermon is in accordance with the ,episcopal creed1 ,i congratulate the creed4 ,in any event1 ,i think ,mr4 ,newton deserves great credit for speaking his thought4 ,do not understand that ,i imagine that he agrees with me4 ,the most ,i will say is that in some things ,i agree with him1 and probably there is a little too much truth and a little too much humanity in his remarks to please the bishop4 ,there is this wonderful fact1 no man has ever yet been persecuted for thinking ,god bad4 ,when any one has said that he believed ,god to be so good that he would1 in his own time and way1 redeem the entire human race1 and that the time would come when every soul would be brought home and sit on an equality with the others around the great fireside of the universe1 that man has been denounced as a poor1 miserable1 wicked wretch4--,new ,york ,herald1 ,december #ac1ahhh4 ,,an ,,essay ,,on ,,christmas4 ,,my family and ,i regard ,christmas as a holiday--that is to say1 a day of rest and pleasure--a day to get acquainted with each other1 a day to recall old memories1 and for the cultivation of social amenities4 ,the festival now called ,christmas is far older than ,christianity4 ,it was known and celebrated for thousands of years before the establishment of what is known as our religion4 ,it is a relic of sun-worship4 ,it is the day on which the sun triumphs over the hosts of darkness1 and thousands of years before the ,new ,testament was written1 thousands of years before the republic of ,rome existed1 before one stone of ,athens was laid1 before the ,pharaohs ruled in ,egypt1 before the religion of ,brahma1 before ,sanscrit was spoken1 men and women crawled out of their caves1 pushed the matted hair from their eyes1 and greeted the triumph of the sun over the powers of the night4 ,there are many relics of this worship--among which is the shaving of the priest's head1 leaving the spot shaven surrounded by hair1 in imitation of the rays of the sun4 ,there is still another relic--the ministers of our day close their eyes in prayer4 ,when men worshiped the sun--when they looked at that luminary and implored its assistance--they shut their eyes as a matter of necessity4 ,afterward the priests looking at their idols glittering with gems1 shut their eyes in flattery1 pretending that they could not bear the effulgence of the presence2 and to-day1 thousands of years after the old ideas have passed away1 the modern parson1 without knowing the origin of the custom1 closes his eyes when he prays4 ,there are many other relics and souvenirs of the dead worship of the sun1 and this festival was adopted by ,egyptians1 ,greeks1 ,romans1 and by ,christians4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,christianity furnished new steam for an old engine1 infused a new spirit into an old religion1 and1 as a matter of course1 the old festival remained4 ,for all of our festivals you will find corresponding pagan festivals4 ,for instance1 take the eucharist1 the communion1 where persons partake of the body and blood of the ,deity4 ,this is an exceedingly old custom4 ,among the ancients they ate cakes made of corn1 in honor of ,ceres and they called these cakes the flesh of the goddess1 and they drank wine in honor of ,bacchus1 and called this the blood of their god4 ,and so ,i could go on giving the pagan origin of every ,christian ceremony and custom4 ,the probability is that the worship of the sun was once substantially universal1 and consequently the festival of ,christ was equally wide spread4 ,as other religions have been produced1 the old customs have been adopted and continued1 so that the result is1 this festival of ,christmas is almost world-wide4 ,it is popular because it is a holiday4 ,overworked people are glad of days that bring rest and recreation and allow them to meet their families and their friends4 ,they are glad of days when they give and receive gifts--evidences of friendship1 of remembrance and love4 ,it is popular because it is really human1 and because it is interwoven with our customs1 habits1 literature1 and thought4 ,for my part ,i am willing to have two or three a year--the more holidays the better4 ,many people have an idea that ,i am opposed to ,sunday4 ,i am perfectly willing to have two a week4 ,all ,i insist on is that these days shall be for the benefit of the people1 and that they shall be kept not in a way to make folks miserable or sad or hungry1 but in a way to make people happy1 and to add a little to the joy of life4 ,of course1 ,i am in favor of everybody keeping holidays to suit himself1 provided he does not interfere with others1 and ,i am perfectly willing that everybody should go to church on that day1 provided he is willing that ,i should go somewhere else4--,the ,tribune1 ,new ,york1 ,december1 #ahhi4 ,,has ,,freethought ,a ,,constructive ,,side8 ,,the object of the ,freethinker is to ascertain the truth--the conditions of well-being--to the end that this life will be made of value4 ,this is the affirmative1 positive1 and constructive side4 ,without liberty there is no such thing as real happiness4 ,there may be the contentment of the slave--of one who is glad that he has passed the day without a beating--one who is happy because he has had enough to eat--but the highest possible idea of happiness is freedom4 ,all religious systems enslave the mind4 ,certain things are demanded--certain things must be believed--certain things must be done--and the man who becomes the subject or servant of this superstition must give up all idea of individuality or hope of intellectual growth and progress4 ,the religionist informs us that there is somewhere in the universe an orthodox ,god1 who is endeavoring to govern the world1 and who for this purpose resorts to famine and flood1 to earthquake and pestilence--and who1 as a last resort1 gets up a revival of religion4 ,that is called affirmative and positive4 ,the man of sense knows that no such ,god exists1 and thereupon he affirms that the orthodox doctrine is infinitely absurd4 ,this is called a negation4 ,but to my mind it is an affirmation1 and is a part of the positive side of ,freethought4 ,a man who compels this ,deity to abdicate his throne renders a vast and splendid service to the human race4 ,as long as men believe in tyranny in heaven they will practice tyranny on earth4 ,most people are exceedingly imitative1 and nothing is so gratifying to the average orthodox man as to be like his ,god4 ,these same ,christians tell us that nearly everybody is to be punished forever1 while a few fortunate ,christians who were elected and selected billions of ages before the world was created1 are to be happy4 ,this they call the tidings of great joy4 ,the ,freethinker denounces this doctrine as infamous beyond the power of words to express4 ,he says1 and says clearly1 that a ,god who would create a human being1 knowing that that being was to be eternally miserable1 must of necessity be an infinite fiend4 ,the free man1 into whose brain the serpent of superstition has not crept1 knows that the dogma of eternal pain is an infinite falsehood4 ,he also knows--if the dogma be true--that every decent human being should hate1 with every drop of his blood1 the creator of the universe4 ,he also knows--if he knows anything--that no decent human being could be happy in heaven with a majority of the human race in hell4 ,he knows that a mother could not enjoy the society of ,christ with her children in perdition2 and if she could1 he knows that such a mother is simply a wild beast4 ,the free man knows that the angelic hosts1 under such circumstances1 could not enjoy themselves unless they had the hearts of boa-constrictors4 ,it will thus be seen that there is an affirmative1 a positive1 a constructive side to ,freethought4 ,what is the positive side8 ,first3 ,a denial of all orthodox falsehoods--an exposure of all superstitions4 ,this is simply clearing the ground1 to the end that seeds of value may be planted4 ,it is necessary1 first1 to fell the trees1 to destroy the poisonous vines1 to drive out the wild beasts4 ,then comes another phase--another kind of work4 ,the ,freethinker knows that the universe is natural--that there is no room1 even in infinite space1 for the miraculous1 for the impossible4 ,the ,freethinker knows1 or feels that he knows1 that there is no sovereign of the universe1 who1 like some petty king or tyrant1 delights in showing his authority4 ,he feels that all in the universe are conditioned beings1 and that only those are happy who live in accordance with the conditions of happiness1 and this fact or truth or philosophy embraces all men and all gods--if there be gods4 ,the positive side is this3 ,that every good action has good consequences--that it bears good fruit forever--and that every bad action has evil consequences1 and bears bad fruit4 ,the ,freethinker also asserts that every man must bear the consequences of his actions--that he must reap what he sows1 and that he cannot be justified by the goodness of another1 or damned for the wickedness of another4 ,there is still another side1 and that is this3 ,the ,freethinker knows that all the priests and cardinals and popes know nothing of the supernatural--they know nothing about gods or angels or heavens or hells--nothing about inspired books or ,holy ,ghosts1 or incarnations or atonements4 ,he knows that all this is superstition pure and simple4 ,he knows also that these people--from pope to priest1 from bishop to parson1 do not the slightest good in this world--that they live upon the labor of others--that they earn nothing themselves--that they contribute nothing toward the happiness1 or well-being1 or the wealth of mankind4 ,he knows that they trade and traffic in ignorance and fear1 that they make merchandise of hope and grief--and he also knows that in every religion the priest insists on five things--,first3 ,there is a ,god4 ,second3 ,he has made known his will4 ,third3 ,he has selected me to explain this message4 ,fourth3 ,we will now take up a collection2 and ,fifth3 ,those who fail to subscribe will certainly be damned4 ,the positive side of ,freethought is to find out the truth--the facts of nature--to the end that we may take advantage of those truths1 of those facts--for the purpose of feeding and clothing and educating mankind4 ,in the first place1 we wish to find that which will lengthen human life--that which will prevent or kill disease--that which will do away with pain--that which will preserve or give us health4 ,we also want to go in partnership with these forces of nature1 to the end that we may be well fed and clothed--that we may have good houses that protect us from heat and cold4 ,and beyond this--beyond these simple necessities--there are still wants and aspirations1 and free-thought will give us the highest possible in art--the most wonderful and thrilling in music--the greatest paintings1 the most marvelous sculpture--in other words1 free-thought will develop the brain to its utmost capacity4 ,freethought is the mother of art and science1 of morality and happiness4 ,it is charged by the worshipers of the ,jewish myth1 that we destroy1 that we do not build4 ,what have we destroyed8 ,we have destroyed the idea that a monster created and governs this world--the declaration that a ,god of infinite mercy and compassion upheld slavery and polygamy and commanded the destruction of men1 women1 and babes4 ,we have destroyed the idea that this monster created a few of his children for eternal joy1 and the vast majority for everlasting pain4 ,we have destroyed the infinite absurdity that salvation depends upon belief1 that investigation is dangerous1 and that the torch of reason lights only the way to hell4 ,we have taken a grinning devil from every grave1 and the curse from death--and in the place of these dogmas1 of these infamies1 we have put that which is natural and that which commends itself to the heart and brain4 ,instead of loving ,god1 we love each other4 ,instead of the religion of the sky--the religion of this world--the religion of the family--the love of husband for wife1 of wife for husband--the love of all for children4 ,so that now the real religion is3 ,let us live for each other2 let us live for this world1 without regard for the past and without fear for the future4 ,let us use our faculties and our powers for the benefit of ourselves and others1 knowing that if there be another world1 the same philosophy that gives us joy here will make us happy there4 ,nothing can be more absurd than the idea that we can do something to please or displease an infinite ,being4 ,if our thoughts and actions can lessen or increase the happiness of ,god1 then to that extent ,god is the slave and victim of man4 ,the energies of the world have been wasted in the service of a phantom--millions of priests have lived on the industry of others and no effort has been spared to prevent the intellectual freedom of mankind4 ,we know1 if we know anything1 that supernatural religion has no foundation except falsehood and mistake4 ,to expose these falsehoods--to correct these mistakes--to build the fabric of civilization on the foundation of demonstrated truth--is the task of the ,freethinker4 ,to destroy guide-boards that point in the wrong direction--to correct charts that lure to reef and wreck--to drive the fiend of fear from the mind--to protect the cradle from the serpent of superstition and dispel the darkness of ignorance with the sun of science--is the task of the ,freethinker4 ,what constructive work has been done by the church8 ,christianity gave us a flat world a few thousand years ago--a heaven above it where ,jehovah dwells and a hell below it where most people will dwell4 ,christianity took the ground that a certain belief was necessary to salvation and that this belief was far better and of more importance than the practice of all the virtues4 ,it became the enemy of investigation--the bitter and relentless foe of reason and the liberty of thought4 ,it committed every crime and practiced every cruelty in the propagation of its creed4 ,it drew the sword against the freedom of the world4 ,it established schools and universities for the preservation of ignorance4 ,it claimed to have within its keeping the source and standard of all truth4 ,if the church had succeeded the sciences could not have existed4 ,freethought has given us all we have of value4 ,it has been the great constructive force4 ,it is the only discoverer1 and every science is its child4--,the ,truth ,seeker1 ,new ,york #ahij4 ,,the ,,improved ,,man4 ,,the ,improved ,man will be in favor of universal liberty1 that is to say1 he will be opposed to all kings and nobles1 to all privileged classes4 ,he will give to all others the rights he claims for himself4 ,he will neither bow nor cringe1 nor accept bowing and cringing from others4 ,he will be neither master nor slave1 neither prince nor peasant--simply man4 ,he will be the enemy of all caste1 no matter whether its foundation be wealth1 title or power1 and of him it will be said3 ,blessed is that man who is afraid of no man and of whom no man is afraid4 ,the ,improved ,man will be in favor of universal education4 ,he will believe it the duty of every person to shed all the light he can1 to the end that no child may be reared in darkness4 ,by education he will mean the gaining of useful knowledge1 the development of the mind along the natural paths that lead to human happiness4 ,he will not waste his time in ascertaining the foolish theories of extinct peoples or in studying the dead languages for the sake of understanding the theologies of ignorance and fear1 but he will turn his attention to the affairs of life1 and will do his utmost to see to it that every child has an opportunity to learn the demonstrated facts of science1 the true history of the world1 the great principles of right and wrong applicable to human conduct--the things necessary to the preservation of the individual and of the state1 and such arts and industries as are essential to the preservation of all4 ,he will also endeavor to develop the mind in the direction of the beautiful--of the highest art--so that the palace in which the mind dwells may be enriched and rendered beautiful1 to the end that these stones1 called facts1 may be changed into statues4 ,the ,improved ,man will believe only in the religion of this world4 ,he will have nothing to do with the miraculous and supernatural4 ,he will find that there is no room in the universe for these things4 ,he will know that happiness is the only good1 and that everything that tends to the happiness of sentient beings is good1 and that to do the things--and no other--that add to the happiness of man is to practice the highest possible religion4 ,his motto will be3 ,sufficient unto each world is the evil thereof4 ,he will know that each man should be his own priest1 and that the brain is the real cathedral4 ,he will know that in the realm of mind there is no authority--that majorities in this mental world can settle nothing--that each soul is the sovereign of its own world1 and that it cannot abdicate without degrading itself4 ,he will not bow to numbers or force2 to antiquity or custom4 ,he1 standing under the flag of nature1 under the blue and stars1 will decide for himself4 ,he will not endeavor by prayers and supplication1 by fastings and genuflections1 to change the mind of the ,infinite or alter the course of nature1 neither will he employ others to do those things in his place4 ,he will have no confidence in the religion of idleness1 and will give no part of what he earns to support parson or priest1 archbishop or pope4 ,he will know that honest labor is the highest form of prayer4 ,he will spend no time in ringing bells or swinging censers1 or in chanting the litanies of barbarism1 but he will appreciate all that is artistic--that is beautiful--that tends to refine and ennoble the human race4 ,he will not live a life of fear4 ,he will stand in awe neither of man nor ghosts4 ,he will enjoy not only the sunshine of life1 but will bear with fortitude the darkest days4 ,he will have no fear of death4 ,about the grave1 there will be no terrors1 and his life will end as serenely as the sun rises4 ,the ,improved ,man will be satisfied that the supernatural does not exist--that behind every fact1 every thought and dream is an efficient cause4 ,he will know that every human action is a necessary product1 and he will also know that men cannot be reformed by punishment1 by degradation or by revenge4 ,he will regard those who violate the laws of nature and the laws of ,states as victims of conditions1 of circumstances1 and he will do what he can for the wellbeing of his fellow-men4 ,the ,improved ,man will not give his life to the accumulation of wealth4 ,he will find no happiness in exciting the envy of his neighbors4 ,he will not care to live in a palace while others who are good1 industrious and kind are compelled to huddle in huts and dens4 ,he will know that great wealth is a great burden1 and that to accumulate beyond the actual needs of a reasonable human being is to increase not wealth1 but responsibility and trouble4 ,the ,improved ,man will find his greatest joy in the happiness of others and he will know that the home is the real temple4 ,he will believe in the democracy of the fireside1 and will reap his greatest reward in being loved by those whose lives he has enriched4 ,the ,improved ,man will be self-poised1 independent1 candid and free4 ,he will be a scientist4 ,he will observe1 investigate1 experiment and demonstrate4 ,he will use his sense and his senses4 ,he will keep his mind open as the day to the hints and suggestions of nature4 ,he will always be a student1 a learner and a listener--a believer in intellectual hospitality4 ,in the world of his brain there will be continuous summer1 perpetual seed-time and harvest4 ,facts will be the foundation of his faith4 ,in one hand he will carry the torch of truth1 and with the other raise the fallen4--,the ,world1 ,new ,york1 ,february #bh1ahij4 ,,eight ,,hours ,,must ,,come4 ,i ,,hardly know enough on the subject to give an opinion as to the time when eight hours are to become a day's work1 but ,i am perfectly satisfied that eight hours will become a labor day4 ,the working people should be protected by law2 if they are not1 the capitalists will require just as many hours as human nature can bear4 ,we have seen here in ,america street-car drivers working sixteen and seventeen hours a day4 ,it was necessary to have a strike in order to get to fourteen1 another strike to get to twelve1 and nobody could blame them for keeping on striking till they get to eight hours4 ,for a man to get up before daylight and work till after dark1 life is of no particular importance4 ,he simply earns enough one day to prepare himself to work another4 ,his whole life is spent in want and toil1 and such a life is without value4 ,of course1 ,i cannot say that the present effort is going to succeed--all ,i can say is that ,i hope it will4 ,i cannot see how any man who does nothing--who lives in idleness--can insist that others should work ten or twelve hours a day4 ,neither can ,i see how a man who lives on the luxuries of life can find it in his heart1 or in his stomach1 to say that the poor ought to be satisfied with the crusts and crumbs they get4 ,i believe there is to be a revolution in the relations between labor and capital4 ,the laboring people a few generations ago were not very intellectual4 ,there were no schoolhouses1 no teachers except the church1 and the church taught obedience and faith--told the poor people that although they had a hard time here1 working for nothing1 they would be paid in ,paradise with a large interest4 ,now the working people are more intelligent--they are better educated--they read and write4 ,in order to carry on the works of the present1 many of them are machinists of the highest order4 ,they must be reasoners4 ,every kind of mechanism insists upon logic4 ,the working people are reasoners--their hands and heads are in partnership4 ,they know a great deal more than the capitalists4 ,it takes a thousand times the brain to make a locomotive that it does to run a store or a bank4 ,think of the intelligence in a steamship and in all the thousand machines and devices that are now working for the world4 ,these working people read4 ,they meet together--they discuss4 ,they are becoming more and more independent in thought4 ,they do not believe all they hear4 ,they may take their hats off their heads to the priests1 but they keep their brains in their heads for themselves4 ,the free school in this country has tended to put men on an equality1 and the mechanic understands his side of the case1 and is able to express his views4 ,under these circumstances there must be a revolution4 ,that is to say1 the relations between capital and labor must be changed1 and the time must come when they who do the work--they who make the money--will insist on having some of the profits4 ,i do not expect this remedy to come entirely from the ,government1 or from ,government interference4 ,i think the ,government can aid in passing good and wholesome laws--laws fixing the length of a labor day2 laws preventing the employment of children2 laws for the safety and security of workingmen in mines and other dangerous places4 ,but the laboring people must rely upon themselves2 on their intelligence1 and especially on their political power4 ,they are in the majority in this country4 ,they can if they wish--if they will stand together--elect ,congresses and ,senates1 ,presidents and ,judges4 ,they have it in their power to administer the ,government of the ,united ,states4 ,the laboring man1 however1 ought to remember that all who labor are their brothers1 and that all women who labor are their sisters1 and whenever one class of workingmen or working women is oppressed all other laborers ought to stand by the oppressed class4 ,probably the worst paid people in the world are the working-women4 ,think of the sewing women in this city--and yet we call ourselves civilized6 ,i would like to see all working people unite for the purpose of demanding justice1 not only for men1 but for women4 ,all my sympathies are on the side of those who toil--of those who produce the real wealth of the world--of those who carry the burdens of mankind4 ,any man who wishes to force his brother to work--to toil--more than eight hours a day is not a civilized man4 ,my hope for the workingman has its foundation in the fact that he is growing more and more intelligent4 ,i have also the same hope for the capitalist4 ,the time must come when the capitalist will clearly and plainly see that his interests are identical with those of the laboring man4 ,he will finally become intelligent enough to know that his prosperity depends on the prosperity of those who labor4 ,when both become intelligent the matter will be settled4 ,neither labor nor capital should resort to force4--,the ,morning ,journal1 ,april #bg1 #ahij4 ,,the ,,jews4 ,,when ,i was a child1 ,i was taught that the ,jews were an exceedingly hard-hearted and cruel people1 and that they were so destitute of the finer feelings that they had a little while before that time crucified the only perfect man who had appeared upon the earth2 that this perfect man was also perfect ,god1 and that the ,jews had really stained their hands with the blood of the ,infinite4 ,when ,i got somewhat older1 ,i found that nearly all people had been guilty of substantially the same crime--that is1 that they had destroyed the progressive and the thoughtful2 that religionists had in all ages been cruel2 that the chief priests of all people had incited the mob1 to the end that heretics--that is to say1 philosophers--that is to say1 men who knew that the chief priests were hypocrites--might be destroyed4 ,i also found that ,christians had committed more of these crimes than all other religionists put together4 ,i also became acquainted with a large number of ,jewish people1 and ,i found them like other people1 except that1 as a rule1 they were more industrious1 more temperate1 had fewer vagrants among them1 no beggars1 very few criminals2 and in addition to all this1 ,i found that they were intelligent1 kind to their wives and children1 and that1 as a rule1 they kept their contracts and paid their debts4 ,the prejudice was created almost entirely by religious1 or rather irreligious1 instruction4 ,all children in ,christian countries are taught that all the ,jews are to be eternally damned who die in the faith of ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob2 that it is not enough to believe in the inspiration of the ,old ,testament--not enough to obey the ,ten ,commandments--not enough to believe the miracles performed in the days of the prophets1 but that every ,jew must accept the ,new ,testament and must be a believer in ,christianity--that is to say1 he must be regenerated--or he will simply be eternal kindling wood4 ,the church has taught1 and still teaches1 that every ,jew is an outcast2 that he is to-day busily fulfilling prophecy2 that he is a wandering witness in favor of the glad tidings of great joy2 that ,jehovah is seeing to it that the ,jews shall not exist as a nation--that they shall have no abiding place1 but that they shall remain scattered1 to the end that the inspiration of the ,bible may be substantiated4 ,dr4 ,john ,hall of this city1 a few years ago1 when the ,jewish people were being persecuted in ,russia1 took the ground that it was all fulfillment of prophecy1 and that whenever a ,jewish maiden was stabbed to death1 ,god put a tongue in every wound for the purpose of declaring the truth of the ,old ,testament4 ,just as long as ,christians take these positions1 of course they will do what they can to assist in the fulfillment of what they call prophecy1 and they will do their utmost to keep the ,jewish people in a state of exile1 and then point to that fact as one of the corner-stones of ,christianity4 ,my opinion is that in the early days of ,christianity all sensible ,jews were witnesses against the faith1 and in this way excited the hostility of the orthodox4 ,every sensible ,jew knew that no miracles had been performed in ,jerusalem4 ,they all knew that the sun had not been darkened1 that the graves had not given up their dead1 that the veil of the temple had not been rent in twain--and they told what they knew4 ,they were then denounced as the most infamous of human beings1 and this hatred has pursued them from that day to this4 ,there is no other chapter in history so infamous1 so bloody1 so cruel1 so relentless1 as the chapter in which is told the manner in which ,christians--those who love their enemies--have treated the ,jewish people4 ,this story is enough to bring the blush of shame to the cheek1 and the words of indignation to the lips of every honest man4 ,nothing can be more unjust than to generalize about nationalities1 and to speak of a race as worthless or vicious1 simply because you have met an individual who treated you unjustly4 ,there are good people and bad people in all races1 and the individual is not responsible for the crimes of the nation1 or the nation responsible for the actions of the few4 ,good men and honest men are found in every faith1 and they are not honest or dishonest because they are ,jews or ,gentiles1 but for entirely different reasons4 ,some of the best people ,i have ever known are ,jews1 and some of the worst people ,i have known are ,christians4 ,the ,christians were not bad simply because they were ,christians1 neither were the ,jews good because they were ,jews4 ,a man is far above these badges of faith and race4 ,good ,jews are precisely the same as good ,christians1 and bad ,christians are wonderfully like bad ,jews4 ,personally1 ,i have either no prejudices about religion1 or ,i have equal prejudice against all religions4 ,the consequence is that ,i judge of people not by their creeds1 not by their rites1 not by their mummeries1 but by their actions4 ,in the first place1 at the bottom of this prejudice lies the coiled serpent of superstition4 ,in other words1 it is a religious question4 ,it seems impossible for the people of one religion to like the people believing in another religion4 ,they have different gods1 different heavens1 and a great variety of hells4 ,for the followers of one god to treat the followers of another god decently is a kind of treason4 ,in order to be really true to his god1 each follower must not only hate all other gods1 but the followers of all other gods4 ,the ,jewish people should outgrow their own superstitions4 ,it is time for them to throw away the idea of inspiration4 ,the intelligent jew of to-day knows that the ,old ,testament was written by barbarians41 and he knows that the rites and ceremonies are simply absurd4 ,he knows that no intelligent man should care anything about ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob1 three dead barbarians4 ,in other words1 the ,jewish people should leave their superstition and rely on science and philosophy4 ,the ,christian should do the same4 ,he1 by this time1 should know that his religion is a mistake1 that his creed has no foundation in the eternal verities4 ,the ,christian certainly should give up the hopeless task of converting the ,jewish people1 and the ,jews should give up the useless task of converting the ,christians4 ,there is no propriety in swapping superstitions--neither party can afford to give any boot4 ,when the ,christian throws away his cruel and heartless superstitions1 and when the ,jew throws away his1 then they can meet as man to man4 ,in the meantime1 the world will go on in its blundering way1 and ,i shall know and feel that everybody does as he must1 and that the ,christian1 to the extent that he is prejudiced1 is prejudiced by reason of his ignorance1 and that consequently the great lever with which to raise all mankind into the sunshine of philosophy1 is intelligence4 ,,crumbling ,,creeds4 ,,there is a desire in each brain to harmonize the knowledge that it has4 ,if a man knows1 or thinks he knows1 a few facts1 he will naturally use those facts for the purpose of determining the accuracy of his opinions on other subjects4 ,this is simply an effort to establish or prove the unknown by the known--a process that is constantly going on in the minds of all intelligent people4 ,it is natural for a man not governed by fear1 to use what he knows in one department of human inquiry1 in every other department that he investigates4 ,the average of intelligence has in the last few years greatly increased4 ,man may have as much credulity as he ever had1 on some subjects1 but certainly on the old subjects he has less4 ,there is not as great difference to-day between the members of the learned professions and the common people4 ,man is governed less and less by authority4 ,he cares but little for the conclusions of the universities4 ,he does not feel bound by the actions of synods or ecumenical councils--neither does he bow to the decisions of the highest tribunals1 unless the reasons given for the decision satisfy his intellect4 ,one reason for this is1 that the so-called learned do not agree among themselves--that the universities dispute each other--that the synod attacks the ecumenical council--that the parson snaps his fingers at the priest1 and even the ,protestant bishop holds the pope in contempt4 ,if the learned cau thus disagree1 there is no reason why the common people should hold to one opinion4 ,they are at least called upon to decide as between the universities or synods2 and in order to decide1 they must examine both sides1 and having examined both sides1 they generally have an opinion of their own4 ,there was a time when the average man knew nothing of medicine--he simply opened his mouth and took the dose4 ,if he died1 it was simply a dispensation of ,providence--if he got well1 it was a triumph of science4 ,now this average man not only asks the doctor what is the matter with him--not only asks what medicine will be good for him1--but insists on knowing the philosophy of the cure--asks the doctor why he gives it--what result he expects--and1 as a rule1 has a judgment of his own4 ,so in law4 ,the average business man has an exceedingly good idea of the law affecting his business4 ,there is nothing now mysterious about what goes on in courts or in the decisions of judges--they are published in every direction1 and all intelligent people who happen to read these opinions have their ideas as to whether the opinions are right or wrong4 ,they are no longer the victims of doctors1 or of lawyers1 or of courts4 ,the same is true in the world of art and literature4 ,the average man has an opinion of his own4 ,he is no longer a parrot repeating what somebody else says4 ,he not only has opinions1 but he has the courage to express them4 ,in literature the old models fail to satisfy him4 ,he has the courage to say that ,milton is tiresome--that ,dante is prolix--that they deal with subjects having no human interest4 ,he laughs at ,young's ,night ,thoughts and ,pollok's ,course of ,time--knowing that both are filled with hypocrisies and absurdities4 ,he no longer falls upon his knees before the mechanical poetry of ,mr4 ,pope4 ,he chooses--and stands by his own opinion4 ,i do not mean that he is entirely independent1 but that he is going in that direction4 ,the same is true of pictures4 ,he prefers the modern to the old masters4 ,he prefers ,corot to ,raphael4 ,he gets more real pleasure from ,millet and ,troyon than from all the pictures of all the saints and donkeys of the ,middle ,ages4 ,in other words1 the days of authority are passing away4 ,the same is true in music4 ,the old no longer satisfies1 and there is a breadth1 color1 wealth1 in the new that makes the old poor and barren in comparison4 ,to a far greater extent this advance1 this individual independence1 is seen in the religious world4 ,the religion of our day--that is to say1 the creeds--at the time they were made1 were in perfect harmony with the knowledge1 or rather with the ignorance1 of man in all other departments of human inquiry4 ,all orthodox creeds agreed with the sciences of their day--with the astronomy and geology and biology and political conceptions of the ,middle ,ages4 ,these creeds were declared to be the absolute and eternal truth4 ,they could not be changed without abandoning the claim that made them authority4 ,the priests1 through a kind of unconscious self-defence1 clung to every word4 ,they denied the truth of all discovery4 ,they measured every assertion in every other department by their creeds4 ,at last the facts against them became so numerous--their congregations became so intelligent--that it was necessary to give new meanings to the old words4 ,the cruel was softened--the absurd was partially explained1 and they kept these old words1 although the original meanings had fallen out4 ,they became empty purses1 but they retained them still4 ,slowly but surely came the time when this course could not longer be pursued4 ,the words must be thrown away--the creeds must be changed--they were no longer believed--only occasionally were they preached4 ,the ministers became a little ashamed--they began to apologize4 ,apology is the prelude to retreat4 ,of all the creeds1 the ,presbyterian1 the old ,congregational1 were the most explicit1 and for that reason the most absurd4 ,when these creeds were written1 those who wrote them had perfect confidence in their truth4 ,they did not shrink because of their cruelty4 ,they cared nothing for what others called absurdity4 ,they failed not to declare what they believed to be the whole counsel of ,god4 ,at that time1 cruel punishments were inflicted by all governments4 ,people were torn asunder1 mutilated1 burned4 ,every atrocity was perpetrated in the name of justice1 and the limit of pain was the limit of endurance4 ,these people imagined that ,god would do as they would do4 ,if they had had it in their power to keep the victim alive for years in the flames1 they would most cheerfully have supplied the fagots4 ,they believed that ,god could keep the victim alive forever1 and that therefore his punishment would be eternal4 ,as man becomes civilized he becomes merciful1 and the time came when civilized ,presbyterians and ,congregationalists read their own creeds with horror4 ,i am not saying that the ,presbyterian creed is any worse than the ,catholic4 ,it is only a little more specific4 ,neither am ,i saying that it is more horrible than the ,episcopal4 ,it is not4 ,all orthodox creeds are alike infamous4 ,all of them have good things1 and all of them have bad things4 ,you will find in every creed the blossom of mercy and the oak of justice1 but under the one and around the other are coiled the serpents of infinite cruelty4 ,the time came when orthodox ,christians began dimly to perceive that ,god ought at least to be as good as they were4 ,they felt that they were incapable of inflicting eternal pain1 and they began to doubt the propriety of saying that ,god would do that which a civilized ,christian would be incapable of4 ,we have improved in all directions for the same reasons4 ,we have better laws now because we have a better sense of justice4 ,we are believing more and more in the government of the people4 ,consequently we are believing more and more in the education of the people1 and from that naturally results greater individuality and a greater desire to hear the honest opinions of all4 ,the moment the expression of opinion is allowed in any department1 progress begins4 ,we are using our knowledge in every direction4 ,the tendency is to test all opinions by the facts we know4 ,all claims are put in the crucible of investigation--the object being to separate the true from the false4 ,he who objects to having his opinions thus tested is regarded as a bigot4 ,if the professors of all the sciences had claimed that the knowledge they had was given by inspiration--that it was absolutely true1 and that there was no necessity of examining further1 not only1 but that it was a kind of blasphemy to doubt--all the sciences would have remained as stationary as religion has4 ,just to the extent that the ,bible was appealed to in matters of science1 science was retarded2 and just to the extent that science has been appealed to in matters of religion1 religion has advanced--so that now the object of intelligent religionists is to adopt a creed that will bear the test and criticism of science4 ,another thing may be alluded to in this connection4 ,all the countries of the world are now1 and have been for years1 open to us4 ,the ideas of other people--their theories1 their religions--are now known2 and we have ascertained that the religions of all people have exactly the same foundation as our own--that they all arose in the same way1 were substantiated in the same way1 were maintained by the same means1 having precisely the same objects in view4 ,for many years1 the learned of the religious world were examining the religions of other countries1 and in that work they established certain rules of criticism--pursued certain lines of argument--by which they overturned the claims of those religions to supernatural origin4 ,after this had been successfully done1 others1 using the same methods on our religion1 pursuing the same line of argument1 succeeded in overturning ours4 ,we have found that all miracles rest on the same basis--that all wonders were born of substantially the same ignorance and the same fear4 ,the intelligence of the world is far better distributed than ever before4 ,the historical outlines of all countries are well known4 ,the arguments for and against all systems of religion are generally understood4 ,the average of intelligence is far higher than ever before4 ,all discoveries become almost immediately the property of the whole civilized world1 and all thoughts are distributed by the telegraph and press with such rapidity1 that provincialism is almost unknown4 ,the egotism of ignorance and seclusion is passing away4 ,the prejudice of race and religion is growing feebler1 and everywhere1 to a greater extent than ever before1 the light is welcome4 ,these are a few of the reasons why creeds are crumbling1 and why such a change has taken place in the religious world4 ,only a few years ago the pulpit was an intellectual power4 ,the pews listened with wonder1 and accepted without question4 ,there was something sacred about the preacher4 ,he was different from other mortals4 ,he had bread to eat which they knew not of4 ,he was oracular1 solemn1 dignified1 stupid4 ,the pulpit has lost its position4 ,it speaks no longer with authority4 ,the pews determine what shall be preached4 ,they pay only for that which they wish to buy--for that which they wish to hear4 ,of course in every church there is an advance guard and a conservative party1 and nearly every minister is obliged to preach a little for both4 ,he now and then says a radical thing for one part of his congregation1 and takes it mostly back on the next ,sabbath1 for the sake of the others4 ,most of them ride two horses1 and their time is taken up in urging one forward and in holding the other back4 ,the great reason why the orthodox creeds have become unpopular is1 that all teach the dogma of eternal pain4 ,in old times1 when men were nearly wild beasts1 it was natural enough for them to suppose that ,god would do as they would do in his place1 and so they attributed to this ,god infinite cruelty1 infinite revenge4 ,this revenge1 this cruelty1 wore the mask of justice4 ,they took the ground that ,god1 having made man1 had the right to do with him as he pleased4 ,at that time they were not civilized to the extent of seeing that a ,god would not have the right to make a failure1 and that a being of infinite wisdom and power would be under obligation to do the right1 and that he would have no right to create any being whose life would not be a blessing4 ,the very fact that he made man1 would put him under obligation to see to it that life should not be a curse4 ,the doctrine of eternal punishment is in perfect harmony with the savagery of the men who made the orthodox creeds4 ,it is in harmony with torture1 with flaying alive and with burnings4 ,the men who burned their fellow-men for a moment1 believed that ,god would burn his enemies forever4 ,no civilized men ever believed in this dogma4 ,the belief in eternal punishment has driven millions from the church4 ,it was easy enough for people to imagine that the children of others had gone to hell2 that foreigners had been doomed to eternal pain2 but when it was brought home--when fathers and mothers bent above their dead who had died in their sins--when wives shed their tears on the faces of husbands who had been born but once--love suggested doubts and love fought the dogma of eternal revenge4 ,this doctrine is as cruel as the hunger of hyenas1 and is infamous beyond the power of any language to express--yet a creed with this doctrine has been called the glad tidings of great joy--a consolation to the weeping world4 ,it is a source of great pleasure to me to know that all intelligent people are ashamed to admit that they believe it--that no intelligent clergyman now preaches it1 except with a preface to the effect that it is probably untrue4 ,i have been blamed for taking this consolation from the world--for putting out1 or trying to put out1 the fires of hell2 and many orthodox people have wondered how ,i could be so wicked as to deprive the world of this hope4 ,the church clung to the doctrine because it seemed a necessary excuse for the existence of the church4 ,the ministers said3 ,no hell1 no atonement2 no atonement1 no fall of man2 no fall of man1 no inspired book2 no inspired book1 no preachers2 no preachers1 no salary2 no hell1 no missionaries2 no sulphur1 no salvation4 ,at last1 the people are becoming enlightened enough to ask for a better philosophy4 ,the doctrine of hell is now only for the poor1 the ragged1 the ignorant4 ,well-dressed people won't have it4 ,nobody goes to hell in a carriage--they foot it4 ,hell is for strangers and tramps4 ,no soul leaves a brown-stone front for hell--they start from the tenements1 from jails and reformatories4 ,in other words1 hell is for the poor4 ,it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a poor man to get into heaven1 or for a rich man to get into hell4 ,the ministers stand by their supporters4 ,their salaries are paid by the well-to-do1 and they can hardly afford to send the subscribers to hell4 ,every creed in which is the dogma of eternal pain is doomed4 ,every church teaching the infinite lie must fall1 and the sooner the better4--,the ,twentieth ,century1 ,n1 ,y41 ,april #ba1ahij4 ,,our ,,schools4 ,i ,,believe that education is the only lever capable of raising mankind4 ,if we wish to make the future of the ,republic glorious we must educate the children of the present4 ,the greatest blessing conferred by our ,government is the free school4 ,in importance it rises above everything else that the ,government does4 ,in its influence it is far greater4 ,the schoolhouse is infinitely more important than the church1 and if all the money wasted in the building of churches could be devoted to education we should become a civilized people4 ,of course1 to the extent that churches disseminate thought they are good1 and to the extent that they provoke discussion they are of value1 but the real object should be to become acquainted with nature--with the conditions of happiness--to the end that man may take advantage of the forces of nature4 ,i believe in the schools for manual training1 and that every child should be taught not only to think1 but to do1 and that the hand should be educated with the brain4 ,the money expended on schools is the best investment made by the ,government4 ,the schoolhouses in ,new ,york are not sufficient4 ,many of them are small1 dark1 unventilated1 and unhealthy4 ,they should be the finest public buildings in the city4 ,it would be far better for the ,episcopalians to build a university than a cathedral4 ,attached to all these schoolhouses there should be grounds for the children--places for air and sunlight4 ,they should be given the best4 ,they are the hope of the ,republic and1 in my judgment1 of the world4 ,we need far more schoolhouses than we have1 and while money is being wasted in a thousand directions1 thousands of children are left to be educated in the gutter4 ,it is far cheaper to build schoolhouses than prisons1 and it is much better to have scholars than convicts4 ,the ,kindergarten system should be adopted1 especially for the young2 attending school is then a pleasure--the children do not run away from school1 but to school4 ,we should educate the children not simply in mind1 but educate their eyes and hands1 and they should be taught something that will be of use1 that will help them to make a living1 that will give them independence1 confidence--that is to say1 character4 ,the cost of the schools is very little1 and the cost of land--giving the children1 as ,i said before1 air and light--would amount to nothing4 ,there is another thing3 ,teachers are poorly paid4 ,only the best should be employeed1 and they should be well paid4 ,men and women of the highest character should have charge of the children1 because there is a vast deal of education in association1 and it is of the utmost importance that the children should associate with real gentlemen--that is to say1 with real men2 with real ladies--that is to say1 with real women4 ,every schoolhouse should be inviting1 clean1 well ventilated1 attractive4 ,the surroundings should be delightful4 ,children forced to school1 learn but little4 ,the schoolhouse should not be a prison or the teachers turnkeys4 ,i believe that the common school is the bread of life1 and all should be commanded to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge4 ,it would have been far better to have expelled those who refused to eat4 ,the greatest danger to the ,republic is ignorance4 ,intelligence is the foundation of free government4--,the ,world1 ,new ,york1 ,september #g1 #ahjj4 ,,vivisection4 99,a letter written to ,philip ,g4 ,peabody4 ,may #bg1 #ahjj4 ,,vivisection is the ,inquisition--the ,hell--of ,science4 ,all the cruelty which the human--or rather the inhuman--heart is capable of inflicting1 is in this one word4 ,below this there is no depth4 ,this word lies like a coiled serpent at the bottom of the abyss4 ,we can excuse1 in part1 the crimes of passion4 ,we take into consideration the fact that man is liable to be caught by the whirlwind1 and that from a brain on fire the soul rushes to a crime4 ,but what excuse can ingenuity form for a man who deliberately--with an unaccelerated pulse--with the calmness of ,john ,calvin at the murder of ,servetus--seeks1 with curious and cunning knives1 in the living1 quivering flesh of a dog1 for all the throbbing nerves of pain8 ,the wretches who commit these infamous crimes pretend that they are working for the good of man2 that they are actuated by philanthropy2 and that their pity for the sufferings of the human race drives out all pity for the animals they slowly torture to death4 ,but those who are incapable of pitying animals are1 as a matter of fact1 incapable of pitying men4 ,a physician who would cut a living rabbit in pieces--laying bare the nerves1 denuding them with knives1 pulling them out with forceps--would not hesitate to try experiments with men and women for the gratification of his curiosity4 ,to settle some theory1 he would trifle with the life of any patient in his power4 ,by the same reasoning he will justify the vivisection of animals and patients4 ,he will say that it is better that a few animals should suffer than that one human being should die2 and that it is far better that one patient should die1 if through the sacrifice of that one1 several may be saved4 ,brain without heart is far more dangerous than heart without brain4 ,have these scientific assassins discovered anything of value8 ,they may have settled some disputes as to the action of some organ1 but have they added to the useful knowledge of the race8 ,it is not necessary for a man to be a specialist in order to have and express his opinion as to the right or wrong of vivisection4 ,it is not necessary to be a scientist or a naturalist to detest cruelty and to love mercy4 ,above all the discoveries of the thinkers1 above all the inventions of the ingenious1 above all the victories won on fields of intellectual conflict1 rise human sympathy and a sense of justice4 ,i know that good for the human race can never be accomplished by torture4 ,i also know that all that has been ascertained by vivisection could have been done by the dissection of the dead4 ,i know that all the torture has been useless4 ,all the agony inflicted has simply hardened the hearts of the criminals1 without enlightening their minds4 ,it may be that the human race might be physically improved if all the sickly and deformed babes were killed1 and if all the paupers1 liars1 drunkards1 thieves1 villains1 and vivisectionists were murdered4 ,all this might1 in a few ages1 result in the production of a generation of physically perfect men and women2 but what would such beings be worth1--men and women healthy and heartless1 muscular and cruel--that is to say1 intelligent wild beasts8 ,never can ,i be the friend of one who vivisects his fellow-creatures4 ,i do not wish to touch his hand4 ,when the angel of pity is driven from the heart2 when the fountain of tears is dry1--the soul becomes a serpent crawling in the dust of a desert4 ,,the ,,census ,,enumerator',s ,,official ,,catechism4 ,i ,,suppose the ,government has a right to ask all of these questions1 and any more it pleases1 but undoubtedly the citizen would have the right to refuse to answer them4 ,originally the census was taken simply for the purpose of ascertaining the number of people--first1 as a basis of representation2 second1 as a basis of capitation tax2 third1 as a basis to arrive at the number of troops that might be called from each ,state2 and it may be for some other purposes1 but ,i imagine that all are embraced in the foregoing4 ,the ,government has no right to invade the privacy of the citizen2 no right to inquire into his financial condition1 as thereby his credit might be injured2 no right to pry into his affairs1 into his diseases1 or his deformities2 and1 while the ,government may have the right to ask these questions1 ,i think it was foolish to instruct the enumerators to ask them1 and that the citizens have a perfect right to refuse to answer them4 ,personally1 ,i have no objection to answering any of these questions1 for the reason that nothing is the matter with me that money will not cure4 ,i know that it is thought advisable by many to find out the amount of mortgages in the ,united ,states1 the rate of interest that is being paid1 the general indebtedness of individuals1 counties1 cities and ,states1 and ,i see no impropriety in finding this out in any reasonable way4 ,but ,i think it improper to insist on the debtor exposing his financial condition4 ,my opinion is that ,mr4 ,porter only wants what is perfectly reasonable1 and if left to himself1 would ask only those questions that all people would willingly answer4 ,i presume we can depend on medical statistics--on the reports of hospitals1 etc41 in regard to diseases and deformities1 without interfering with the patients4 ,as to the financial standing of people1 there are already enough of spies in this country attending to that business4 ,i don't think there is any danger of the courts compelling a man to answer these questions4 ,suppose a man refuses to tell whether he has a chronic disease or not1 and he is brought up before a ,united ,states ,court for contempt4 ,in my opinion the judge would decide that the man could not be compelled to answer4 ,it is bad enough to have a chronic disease without publishing it to the world4 ,all intelligent people1 of course1 will be desirous of giving all useful information of a character that cannot be used to their injury1 but can be used for the benefit of society at large4 ,if1 however1 the courts shall decide that the enumerators have the right to ask these questions1 and that everybody must answer them1 ,i doubt if the census will be finished for many years4 ,there are hundreds and thousands of people who delight in telling all about their diseases1 when they were attacked1 what they have taken1 how many doctors have given them up to die1 etc41 and if the enumerators will stop to listen1 the census of #ahij will not be published until the next century4--,the ,world1 ,new ,york1 ,june #h1 #ahij4 ,,the ,,agnostic ,,christmas ,,again we celebrate the victory of ,light over ,darkness1 of the ,god of day over the hosts of night4 ,again ,samson is victorious over ,delilah1 and ,hercules triumphs once more over ,omphale4 ,in the embrace of ,isis1 ,osiris rises from the dead1 and the scowling ,typhon is defeated once more4 ,again ,apollo1 with unerring aim1 with his arrow from the quiver of light1 destroys the serpent of shadow4 ,this is the festival of ,thor1 of ,baldur and of ,prometheus4 ,again ,buddha by a miracle escapes from the tyrant of ,madura1 ,zoroaster foils the ,king1 ,bacchus laughs at the rage of ,cadmus1 and ,chrishna eludes the tyrant4 ,this is the festival of the sun-god1 and as such let its observance be universal4 ,this is the great day of the first religion1 the mother of all religions--the worship of the sun4 ,sun worship is not only the first1 but the most natural and most reasonable of all4 ,and not only the most natural and the most reasonable1 but by far the most poetic1 the most beautiful4 ,the sun is the god of benefits1 of growth1 of life1 of warmth1 of happiness1 of joy4 ,the sun is the all-seeing1 the all-pitying1 the all-loving4 ,this bright ,god knew no hatred1 no malice1 never sought for revenge4 ,all evil qualities were in the breast of the ,god of darkness1 of shadow1 of night4 ,and so ,i say again1 this is the festival of ,light4 ,this is the anniversary of the triumph of the ,sun over the hosts of ,darkness4 ,let us all hope for the triumph of ,light--of ,right and ,reason--for the victory of ,fact over ,falsehood1 of ,science over ,superstition4 ,and so hoping1 let us celebrate the venerable festival of the ,sun4--,the ,journal1 ,new ,york1 ,december #be1ahib4 ,,spirituality4 ,,if there is an abused word in our language1 it is spirituality4 ,it has been repeated over and over for several hundred years by pious pretenders and snivelers as though it belonged exclusively to them4 ,in the early days of ,christianity1 the spiritual renounced the world with all its duties and obligations4 ,they deserted their wives and children4 ,they became hermits and dwelt in caves4 ,they spent their useless years in praying for their shriveled and worthless souls4 ,they were too spiritual to love women1 to build homes and to labor for children4 ,they were too spiritual to earn their bread1 so they became beggars and stood by the highways of ,life and held out their hands and asked alms of ,industry and ,courage4 ,they were too spiritual to be merciful4 ,they preached the dogma of eternal pain and gloried in the wrath to come4 ,they were too spiritual to be civilized1 so they persecuted their fellow-men for expressing their honest thoughts4 ,they were so spiritual that they invented instruments of torture1 founded the ,inquisition1 appealed to the whip1 the rack1 the sword and the fagot4 ,they tore the flesh of their fellow-men with hooks of iron1 buried their neighbors alive1 cut off their eyelids1 dashed out the brains of babes and cut off the breasts of mothers4 ,these spiritual wretches spent day and night on their knees1 praying for their own salvation and asking ,god to curse the best and noblest of the world4 ,john ,calvin was intensely spiritual when he warmed his fleshless hands at the flames that consumed ,servetus4 ,john ,knox was constrained by his spirituality to utter low and loathsome calumnies against all women4 ,all the witch-burners and ,quaker-maimers and mutilators were so spiritual that they constantly looked heavenward and longed for the skies4 ,these lovers of ,god--these haters of men--looked upon the ,greek marbles as unclean1 and denounced the glories of ,art as the snares and pitfalls of perdition4 ,these spiritual mendicants hated laughter and smiles and dimples1 and exhausted their diseased and polluted imaginations in the effort to make love loathsome4 ,from almost every pulpit was heard the denunciation of all that adds to the wealth1 the joy and glory of life4 ,it became the fashion for the spiritual to malign every hope and passion that tends to humanize and refine the heart4 ,man was denounced as totally depraved4 ,woman was declared to be a perpetual temptation--her beauty a snare and her touch pollution4 ,even in our own time and country some of the ministers1 no matter how radical they claim to be1 retain the aroma1 the odor1 or the smell of the spiritual4 ,they denounce some of the best and greatest--some of the benefactors of the race--for having lived on the low plane of usefulness--and for having had the pitiful ambition to make their fellows happy in this world4 ,thomas ,paine was a groveling wretch because he devoted his life to the preservation of the rights of man1 and ,voltaire lacked the spiritual because he abolished torture in ,france and attacked1 with the enthusiasm of a divine madness1 the monster that was endeavoring to drive the hope of liberty from the heart of man4 ,humboldt was not spiritual enough to repeat with closed eyes the absurdities of superstition1 but was so lost to all the skyey influences that he was satisfied to add to the intellectual wealth of the world4 ,darwin lacked spirituality1 and in its place had nothing but sincerity1 patience1 intelligence1 the spirit of investigation and the courage to give his honest conclusions to the world4 ,he contented himself with giving to his fellow-men the greatest and the sublimest truths that man has spoken since lips have uttered speech4 ,but we are now told that these soldiers of science1 these heroes of liberty1 these sculptors and painters1 these singers of songs1 these composers of music1 lack spirituality and after all were only common clay4 ,this word spirituality is the fortress1 the breastwork1 the rifle-pit of the ,pharisee4 ,it sustains the same relation to sincerity that ,dutch metal does to pure gold4 ,there seems to be something about a pulpit that poisons the occupant--that changes his nature--that causes him to denounce what he really loves and to laud with the fervor of insanity a joy that he never felt--a rapture that never thrilled his soul4 ,hypnotized by his surroundings1 he unconsciously brings to market that which he supposes the purchasers desire4 ,in every church1 whether orthodox or radical1 there are two parties--one conservative1 looking backward1 one radical1 looking forward1 and generally a minister spiritual enough to look both ways4 ,a minister who seems to be a philosopher on the street1 or in the home of a sensible man1 cannot withstand the atmosphere of the pulpit4 ,the moment he stands behind the ,bible cushion1 like ,bottom1 he is translated and the ,titania of superstition kisses his large1 fair ears4 ,nothing is more amusing than to hear a clergyman denounce worldliness--ask his hearers what it will profit them to build railways and palaces and lose their own souls--inquire of the common folks before him why they waste their precious years in following trades and professions1 in gathering treasures that moths corrupt and rust devours1 giving their days to the vulgar business of making money1--and then see him take up a collection1 knowing perfectly well that only the worldly1 the very people he has denounced1 can by any possibility give a dollar4 ,spirituality for the most part is a mask worn by idleness1 arrogance and greed4 ,some people imagine that they are spiritual when they are sickly4 ,it may be well enough to ask3 ,what is it to be really spiritual8 ,the spiritual man lives to his ideal4 ,he endeavors to make others happy4 ,he does not despise the passions that have filled the world with art and glory4 ,he loves his wife and children--home and fireside4 ,he cultivates the amenities and refinements of life4 ,he is the friend and champion of the oppressed4 ,his sympathies are with the poor and the suffering4 ,he attacks what he believes to be wrong1 though defended by the many1 and he is willing to stand for the right against the world4 ,he enjoys the beautiful4 ,in the presence of the highest creations of ,art his eyes are suffused with tears4 ,when he listens to the great melodies1 the divine harmonies1 he feels the sorrows and the raptures of death and love4 ,he is intensely human4 ,he carries in his heart the burdens of the world4 ,he searches for the deeper meanings4 ,he appreciates the harmonies of conduct1 the melody of a perfect life4 ,he loves his wife and children better than any god4 ,he cares more for the world he lives in than for any other4 ,he tries to discharge the duties of this life1 to help those that he can reach4 ,he believes in being useful--in making money to feed and clothe and educate the ones he loves--to assist the deserving and to support himself4 ,he does not wish to be a burden on others4 ,he is just1 generous and sincere4 ,spirituality is all of this world4 ,it is a child of this earth1 born and cradled here4 ,it comes from no heaven1 but it makes a heaven where it is4 ,there is no possible connection between superstition and the spiritual1 or between theology and the spiritual4 ,the spiritually-minded man is a poet4 ,if he does not write poetry1 he lives it4 ,he is an artist4 ,if he does not paint pictures or chisel statues1 he feels them1 and their beauty softens his heart4 ,he fills the temple of his soul with all that is beautiful1 and he worships at the shrine of the ,ideal4 ,in all the relations of life he is faithful and true4 ,he asks for nothing that he does not earn4 ,he does not wish to be happy in heaven if he must receive happiness as alms ,he does not rely on the goodness of another4 ,he is not ambitious to become a winged pauper4 ,spirituality is the perfect health of the soul4 ,it is noble1 manly1 generous1 brave1 free-spoken1 natural1 superb4 ,nothing is more sickening than the spiritual whine--the pretence that crawls at first and talks about humility and then suddenly becomes arrogant and says3 ,i am 'spiritual4' ,i hold in contempt the vulgar joys of this life4 ,you work and toil and build homes and sing songs and weave your delicate robes4 ,you love women and children and adorn yourselves4 ,you subdue the earth and dig for gold4 ,you have your theatres1 your operas and all the luxuries of life2 but ,i1 beggar that ,i am1 ,pharisee that ,i am1 am your superior because ,i am 'spiritual4' ,above all things1 let us be sincere4--,the ,conservator1 ,philadelphia1 #ahia4 ,,sumter',s ,,gun4 #ahfa--;,april #abth--#ahia ,,for about three-quarters of a century the statesmen1 that is to say1 the politicians1 of the ,north and ,south'1 had been busy making compromises1 adopting constitutions and enacting laws2 busy making speeches1 framing platforms and political pretences1 to the end that liberty and slavery might dwell in peace and friendship under the same flag4 ,arrogance on one side1 hypocrisy on the other4 ,right apologized to ,wrong for the sake of the ,union4 ,the sources of justice were poisoned1 and patriotism became the defender of piracy4 ,in the name of humanity mothers were robbed of their babes4 ,thirty years ago to-day a shot was fired1 and in a moment all the promises1 all the laws1 all the constitutional amendments1 and all the idiotic and heartless decisions of courts1 and all the speeches of orators inspired by the hope of place and power1 were blown into rags and ravelings1 pieces and patches4 ,the ,north and ,south had been masquerading as friends1 and in a moment1 while the sound of that shot was ringing in their ears1 they faced each other as enemies4 ,the roar of that cannon announced the birth of a new epoch4 ,the echoes of that shot went out1 not only over the bay of ,charleston1 but over the hills1 the prairies and forests of the continent4 ,these echoes said marvelous things and uttered prophecies that none were wise enough to understand4 ,who at that time had the slightest conception of the immediate future8 ,who then was great enough to see the end8 ,who then was wise enough to know that the echoes would be kept alive and repeated for years by thousands and thousands of cannon1 by millions of muskets1 on the fields of ruthless war8 ,at that time ,abraham ,lincoln1 an ,illinois lawyer1 was barely a month in the ,president's chair1 and that shot made him the most commanding and majestic figure of the nineteenth century--a figure that stands alone4 ,who could have guessed the names of the heroes to be repeated by countless lips before the echoes of that shot should have died away8 ,there was at that time a young man at ,galena1 silent1 unobtrusive1 unknown2 and yet1 the moment that shot was fired he was destined to lead the greatest host ever marshaled on a field of war1 destined to receive the final sword of the ,rebellion4 ,there was another1 in the ,southwest1 who heard one of the echoes of that shot1 and who afterward marched from ,atlanta to the sea2 and another1 far away by the ,pacific1 who also heard one of the echoes1 and who became one of the immortal three4 ,but1 above all1 the echoes were heard by millions of men and women in the fields of unpaid toil1 and they knew not the meaning1 but felt that they had heard a prophecy of freedom4 ,and the echoes told of death and glory for many thousands--of the agonies of women--the sobs of orphans--the sighs of the imprisoned1 and the glad shouts of the delivered1 the enfranchised1 the redeemed4 ,they who fired that gun did not dream that they were giving liberty to millions of people1 including themselves1 white as well as black1 ,north as well as ,south1 and that before the echoes should die away1 all the shackles would be broken1 all the constitutions and statutes of slavery repealed1 and all the compromises merged and lost in a great compact made to preserve the liberties of all4 ,,what ,,infidels ,,have ,,done4 ,,one ,,hundred years after ,christ had died suppose some one had asked a ,christian1 ,what hospitals have you built8 ,what asylums have you founded8 ,they would have said ,none4 ,suppose three hundred years after the death of ,christ the same questions had been asked the ,christian1 he would have said ,none1 not one4 ,two hundred years more and the answer would have been the same4 ,and at that time the ,christian could have told the questioner that the ,mohammedans had built asylums before the ,christians4 ,he could also have told him that there had been orphan asylums in ,china for hundreds and hundreds of years1 hospitals in ,india1 and hospitals for the sick at ,athens4 ,here it may be well enough to say that all hospitals and asylums are not built for charity4 ,they are built because people do not want to be annoyed by the sick and the insane4 ,if a sick man should come down the street and sit upon your doorstep1 what would you do with him8 ,you would have to take him into your house or leave him to suffer4 ,private families do not wish to take the burden of the sick4 ,consequently1 in self-defence1 hospitals are built so that any wanderer coming to a house1 dying1 or suffering from any disease1 may immediately be packed off to a hospital and not become a burden upon private charity4 ,the fact that many diseases are contagious rendered hospitals necessary for the preservation of the lives of the citizens4 ,the same thing is true of the asylums4 ,people do not1 as a rule1 want to take into their families1 all the children who happen to have no fathers and mothers4 ,so they endow and build an asylum where those children can be sent--and where they can be whipped according to law4 ,nobody wants an insane stranger in his house4 ,the consequence is1 that the community1 to get rid of these people1 to get rid of the trouble1 build public institutions and send them there4 ,now1 then1 to come to the point1 to answer the interrogatory often flung at us from the pulpit1 ,what institutions have ,infidels built8 ,in the first place1 there have not been many ,infidels for many years and1 as a rule1 a known ,infidel cannot get very rich1 for the reason that the ,christians are so forgiving and loving they boycott him4 ,if the average ,infidel1 freely stating his opinion1 could get through the world himself1 for the last several hundred years1 he has been in good luck4 ,but as a matter of fact there have been some ,infidels who have done some good1 even from a ,christian standpoint4 ,the greatest charity ever established in the ,united ,states by a man--not by a community to get rid of a nuisance1 but by a man who wished to do good and wished that good to last after his death--is the ,girard ,college in the city of ,philadelphia4 ,girard was an ,infidel4 ,he gained his first publicity by going like a common person into the hospitals and taking care of those suffering from contagious diseases--from cholera and smallpox4 ,so there is a man by the name of ,james ,lick1 an ,infidel1 who has given the finest observatory ever given to the world4 ,and it is a good thing for an ,infidel to increase the sight of men4 ,the reason people are theologians is because they cannot see4 ,mr4 ,lick has increased human vision1 and ,i can say right here that nothing has been seen through the telescope1 calculated to prove the astronomy of ,joshua4 ,neither can you see with that telescope a star that bears a ,christian name4 ,the reason is that ,christianity was opposed to astronomy4 ,so astronomers took their revenge1 and now there is not one star that glitters in all the vast firmament of the boundless heavens that has a ,christian name4 ,mr4 ,carnegie has been what they call a public-spirited man4 ,he has given millions of dollars for libraries and other institutions1 and he certainly is not an orthodox ,christian4 ,infidels1 however1 have done much better even than that4 ,they have increased the sum of human knowledge4 ,john ,w4 ,draper1 in his work on ,the ,intellectual ,development of ,europe1 has done more good to the ,american people and to the civilized world than all the priests in it4 ,he was an ,infidel4 ,buckle is another who has added to the sum of human knowledge4 ,thomas ,paine1 an ,infidel1 did more for this country than any other man who ever lived in it4 ,most of the colleges in this country have1 ,i admit1 been founded by ,christians1 and the money for their support has been donated by ,christians1 but most of the colleges of this country have simply classified ignorance1 and ,i think the ,united ,states would be more learned than it is to-day if there never had been a ,christian college in it4 ,but whether ,christians gave or ,infidels gave has nothing to do with the probability of the ,jonah story or with the probability that the mark on the dial went back ten degrees to prove that a little ,jewish king was not going to die of a boil4 ,and if the ,infidels are all stingy and the ,christians are all generous it does not even tend to prove that three men were in a fiery furnace heated seven times hotter than was its wont without even scorching their clothes4 ,the best college in this country--or1 at least1 for a long time the best--was the institution founded by ,ezra ,cornell4 ,that is a school where people try to teach what they know instead of what they guess4 ,yet ,cornell ,university was attacked by every orthodox college in the ,united ,states at the time it was founded1 because they said it was without religion4 ,everybody knows that ,christianity does not tend to generosity4 ,christianity says3 ,save your own soul1 whether anybody else saves his or not4 ,christianity says3 ,let the great ship go down4 ,you get into the little life-boat of the gospel and paddle ashore1 no matter what becomes of the rest4 ,christianity says you must love ,god1 or something in the sky1 better than you love your wife and children4 ,and the ,christian1 even when giving1 expects to get a very large compound interest in another world4 ,the ,infidel who gives1 asks no return except the joy that comes from relieving the wants of another4 ,again the ,christians1 although they have built colleges1 have built them for the purpose of spreading their superstitions1 and have poisoned the minds of the world1 while the ,infidel teachers have filled the world with light4 ,darwin did more for mankind than if he had built a thousand hospitals4 ,voltaire did more than if he had built a thousand asylums for the insane4 ,he will prevent thousands from going insane that otherwise might be driven into insanity by the glad tidings of great joy4 ,haeckel is filling the world with light4 ,i am perfectly willing that the results of the labors of ,christians and the labors of ,infidels should be compared4 ,then let it be understood that ,infidels have been in this world but a very short time4 ,a few years ago there were hardly any4 ,i can remember when ,i was the only ,infidel in the town where ,i lived4 ,give us time and we will build colleges in which something will be taught that is of use4 ,we hope to build temples that will be dedicated to reason and common sense1 and where every effort will be made to reform mankind and make them better and better in this world4 ,i am saying nothing against the charity of ,christians2 nothing against any kindness or goodness4 ,but ,i say the ,christians1 in my judgment1 have done more harm than they have done good4 ,they may talk of the asylums they have built1 but they have not built asylums enough to hold the people who have been driven insane by their teachings4 ,orthodox religion has opposed liberty4 ,it has opposed investigation and free thought4 ,if all the churches in ,europe had been observatories1 if the cathedrals had been universities where facts were taught and where nature was studied1 if all the priests had been real teachers1 this world would have been far1 far beyond what it is to-day4 ,there is an idea that ,christianity is positive1 and ,infidelity is negative4 ,if this be so1 then falsehood is positive and truth is negative4 ,what ,i contend is that ,infidelity is a positive religion2 that ,christianity is a negative religion4 ,christianity denies and ,infidelity admits4 ,infidelity stands by facts2 it demonstrates by the conclusions of the reason4 ,infidelity does all it can to develop the brain and the heart of man4 ,that is positive4 ,religion asks man to give up this world for one he knows nothing about4 ,that is negative4 ,i stand by the religion of reason4 ,i stand by the dogmas of demonstration4 ,,cruelty ,,in ,,the ,,elmira ,,reformatory4 ,,in my judgment1 no human being was ever made better1 nobler1 by being whipped or clubbed4 ,mr4 ,brockway1 according to his own testimony1 is simply a savage4 ,he belongs to the ,dark ,ages--to the ,inquisition1 to the torture-chamber1 and he needs reforming more than any prisoner under his control4 ,to put any man within his power is in itself a crime4 ,mr4 ,brockway is a believer in cruelty--an apostle of brutality4 ,he beats and bruises flesh to satisfy his conscience--his sense of duty4 ,he wields the club himself because he enjoys the agony he inflicts4 ,when a poor wretch1 having reached the limit of endurance1 submits or becomes unconscious1 he is regarded as reformed4 ,during the remainder of his term he trembles and obeys4 ,but he is not reformed4 ,in his heart is the flame of hatred1 the desire for revenge2 and he returns to society far worse than when he entered the prison4 ,mr4 ,brockway should either be removed or locked up1 and the ,elmira ,reformatory should be superintended by some civilized man--some man with brain enough to know1 and heart enough to feel4 ,i do not believe that one brute1 by whipping1 beating and lacerating the flesh of another1 can reform him4 ,the lash will neither develop the brain nor cultivate the heart4 ,there should be no bruising1 no scarring of the body in families1 in schools1 in reformatories1 or prisons4 ,a civilized man does not believe in the methods of savagery4 ,brutality has been tried for thousands of years and through all these years it has been a failure4 ,criminals have been flogged1 mutilated and maimed1 tortured in a thousand ways1 and the only effect was to demoralize1 harden and degrade society and increase the number of crimes4 ,in the army and navy1 soldiers and sailors were flogged to death1 and everywhere by church and state the torture of the helpless was practiced and upheld4 ,only a few years ago there were two hundred and twenty-three offences punished with death in ,england4 ,those who wished to reform this savage code were denounced as the enemies of morality and law4 ,they were regarded as weak and sentimental4 ,at last the ,english code was reformed through the efforts of men who had brain and heart4 ,but it is a significant fact that no bishop of the ,episcopal ,church1 sitting in the ,house of ,lords1 ever voted for the repeal of one of those savage laws4 ,possibly this fact throws light on the recent poetic and ,christian declaration by ,bishop ,potter to the effect that there are certain criminals who can only be made to realize through their hides the fact that the ,state has laws to which the individual must be obedient4 ,this orthodox remark has the true apostolic ring1 and is in perfect accord with the history of the church4 ,but it does not accord with the intelligence and philanthropy of our time4 ,let us develop the brain by education1 the heart by kindness4 ,let us remember that criminals are produced by conditions1 and let us do what we can to change the conditions and to reform the criminals4 ,,law',s ,,delay4 ,,the object of a trial is not to convict--neither is it to acquit4 ,the object is to ascertain the truth by legal testimony and in accordance with law4 ,in this country we give the accused the benefit of all reasonable doubts4 ,we insist that his guilt shall be really established by competent testimony4 ,we also allow the accused to take exceptions to the rulings of the judge before whom he is tried1 and to the verdict of the jury1 and to have these exceptions passed upon by a higher court4 ,we also insist that he shall be tried by an impartial jury1 and that before he can be found guilty all the jurors must unite in the verdict4 ,some people1 not on trial for any crime1 object to our methods4 ,they say that time is wasted in getting an impartial jury2 that more time is wasted because appeals are allowed1 and that by reason of insisting on a strict compliance with law in all respects1 trials sometimes linger for years1 and that in many instances the guilty escape4 ,no one1 so far as ,i know1 asks that men shall be tried by partial and prejudiced jurors1 or that judges shall be allowed to disregard the law for the sake of securing convictions1 or that verdicts shall be allowed to stand unsupported by sufficient legal evidence4 ,yet they talk as if they asked for these very things4 ,we must remember that revenge is always in haste1 and that justice can always afford to wait until the evidence is actually heard4 ,there should be no delay except that which is caused by taking the time to find the truth4 ,without such delay courts become mobs1 before which1 trials in a legal sense are impossible4 ,it might be better1 in a city like ,new ,york1 to have the grand jury in almost perpetual session1 so that a man charged with crime could be immediately indicted and immediately tried4 ,so1 the highest court to which appeals are taken should be in almost constant session1 in order that all appeals might be quickly decided4 ,but we do not wish to take away the right of appeal4 ,that right tends to civilize the trial judge1 reduces to a minimum his arbitrary power1 puts his hatreds and passions in the keeping and control of his intelligence4 ,that right of appeal has an excellent effect on the jury1 because they know that their verdict may not be the last word4 ,the appeal1 where the accused is guilty1 does not take the sword from the ,state1 but it is a shield for the innocent4 ,in ,england there is no appeal4 ,the trials are shorter1 the judges more arbitrary1 the juries subservient1 and the verdict often depends on the prejudice of the judge4 ,the judge knows that he has the last guess--that he cannot be reviewed--and in the passion often engendered by the conflict of trial he acts much like a wild beast4 ,the case of ,mrs4 ,maybrick is exactly in point1 and shows how dangerous it is to clothe the trial judge with supreme power4 ,without doubt there is in this country too much delay1 and this1 it seems to me1 can be avoided without putting the life or liberty of innocent persons in peril4 ,take only such time as may be necessary to give the accused a fair trial1 before an impartial jury1 under and in accordance with the established forms of law1 and to allow an appeal to the highest court4 ,the ,state in which a criminal cannot have an impartial trial is not civilized4 ,people who demand the conviction of the accused without regard to the forms of law are savages4 ,but there is another side to this question4 ,many people are losing confidence in the idea that punishment reforms the convict1 or that capital punishment materially decreases capital crimes4 ,my own opinion is that ordinary criminals should1 if possible1 be reformed1 and that murderers and desperate wretches should be imprisoned for life4 ,i am inclined to believe that our prisons make more criminals than they reform2 that places like the ,reformatory at ,elmira plant and cultivate the seeds of crime4 ,the ,state should never seek revenge2 neither should it put in peril the life or liberty of the accused for the sake of a hasty trial1 or by the denial of appeal4 ,in my judgment1 defective as our criminal courts and methods are1 they are far better than the ,english4 ,our judges are kinder1 more humane2 our juries nearer independent1 and our methods better calculated to ascertain the truth4 ,,the ,,bigotry ,,of ,,colleges4 99 ,a newspaper dispatch from ,lawrence1 ,kansas1 published yesterday1 stated that ,col4 ,robert ,o4 ,ingersoll had been invited by the law students of the ,kansas ,state ,university to address them at the commencement exercises1 and that the faculty council had objected and had invited ,chauncey ,m4 ,depew instead4 ,the dispatch also stared that the council had notified representatives of the law school that if they insisted on the great ,agnostic speaking before the school1 the faculty would take heroic measures to thwart their design4 ,it was also stated that the law students had made it clearly understood that the lecture ,ingersoll had been invited to deliver was to be on the subject of law1 and that his views on religion1 the ,bible and the ,deity were not to be alluded to1 and they considered that the faculty council had subjected them to an insult1 and had gone out of its way1 also1 to affront ,colonel ,ingersoll without cause4 ,colonel ,ingersoll1 when seen yesterday and questioned about the matter1 took it1 as he does all things of that nature1 philosophically and in a true manly spirit4 ,chauncey ,m4 ,depew was seen at his residence1 ,no4 #dc ,west ,fifty-fourth ,street1 last night and asked if he had been invited to address the students of the ,kansas ,university in the place of ,colonel ,ingersoll4 ,he said he had not4 ,would you go if you were invited8 he was asked4 ,no2 ,i would not1 he answered4 ,you see1 ,i am so busy here2 besides1 my social and semi-political engagements are such that ,i would not have time to go to such a distant point1 anyhow4 ,no1 ,i do not care to express any opinion regarding the action of the faculty council of the ,kansas ,university1 but ,i consider ,colonel ,ingersoll one of the greatest intellects of the century1 from whose teaching all can profit4--,the ,journal1 ,new ,york1 ,january #bd1 im4 ,,universities are naturally conservative4 ,they know that if suspected of being really scientific1 orthodox ,christians will keep their sons away1 so they pander to the superstitions of the times4 ,most of the universities are exceedingly poor1 and poverty is the enemy of independence4 ,universities1 like people1 have the instinct of self-preservation4 ,the ,university of ,kansas is like the rest4 ,the faculty of ,cornell1 upon precisely the same question1 took exactly the same action1 and the faculty of the ,university of ,missouri did the same4 ,these institutions must be the friends and defenders of superstition4 ,the ,vanderbilt ,college1 or ,university of ,tennessee1 discharged ,professor ,winchell because he differed with the author of ,genesis on geology4 ,these colleges act as they must1 and we should blame nobody4 ,if ,humboldt and ,darwin were now alive they would not be allowed to teach in these institutions of learning4 ,we need not find fault with the president and professors4 ,they want to keep their places4 ,the probability is that they would like to do better--that they desire to be free1 and1 if free1 would1 with all their hearts1 welcome the truth4 ,still1 these universities seem to do good4 ,the minds of their students are developed to that degree1 that they naturally turn to me as the defender of their thoughts4 ,this gives me great hope for the future4 ,the young1 the growing1 the enthusiastic1 are on my side4 ,all the students who have selected me are my friends1 and ,i thank them with all my heart4 ,a ,,young ,,man',s ,,chances ,,to-,,day4 99 ,col4 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll represents what is intellectually highest among the whole world's opponents of religion4 ,he counts theology as the science of a superstition4 ,he decries religion as it exists1 and holds that the broadest thing a man1 or all human nature1 can do is to acknowledge ignorance when it cannot know4 ,he accepts nothing on faith4 ,he is the ,american who is forever asking1 ,why8--who demands a reason and material proof before believing4 ,as ,christianity's corner-stone is faith1 he rejects ,christianity1 and argues that all men who are broad enough to know when to narrow their ideas down to fact or demonstrable theory must reject it4 ,believe as he does or not1 all ,americans must be interested in him4 ,his mind is marvelous1 his tongue is silvern1 his logic is invincible-- as logic4 ,col4 ,ingersoll is a shining example of the oft-quoted fact that1 given mental ability1 health and industry1 a young man may make for himself whatever place in life he desires and is fitted to fill4 ,his early advantages were limited1 for his father1 a ,congregational minister whose field of labor often changed1 was a man of far too small an income to send his sons to college4 ,whatever of mental training the young man had he was obliged to get by reason of his own exertion1 and his splendid triumphs as an orator1 and his solid achievements as a lawyer are all the result of his own efforts4 ,the only help he had was that which is the common heritage of all ,american young men--the chance to fight even handed for success4 ,it is not surprising1 therefore1 that ,col4 ,ingersoll feels a deep interest in every bright young man of his acquaintance who is struggling manfully for the glittering prize so brilliantly won by the great ,agnostic himself4 ,he does not believe1 however1 that the young man who goes out mto the world nowadays to seek his fortune has so easy a battle to fight as had the young men of thirty years ago4 ,in conversation with the writer ,col4 ,ingersoll spoke earnestly upon this subject4 ,col4 ,ingersoll's views regarding the ,bible and ,christianity were not generally understood by the public for some time after he had become famous as an orator1 although he began to diverge from orthodoxy when quite young1 and was as pronounced an ,agnostic when he went into the army1 as he is now4 ,col4 ,ingersoll is an inch less than six feet tall1 and weighs ten more than two hundred pounds4 ,he will be sixty- one next ,august1 and his hair is snowy4 ,his shoulders are broad and as straight as they were eighteen years ago when he electrified a people and place6 his own name upon the list of a nation's greatest orators with his matchless ,plumed ,knight speech in nominating ,james ,g4 ,blaine for the presidency4 ,his blue eyes look straight into yours when he speaks to you1 and his sentences are punctuated by engaging little tricks of facial expression--now the brow is criss-crossed with the lines of a frown1 sometimes quizzical and sometimes indignant--next1 the smooth-shaven lips break into a curving smile1 which may grow into a broad grin if the point just made were a humorous one1 and this is quite likely to be followed by a look of sueh intense earnestness that you wonder if he will ever smile again4 ,and all the time his eyes flash1 illuminating1 sometimes anticipatory1 glances that add immensely to the clearness with which the thought he is expressing is set before you4 ,he delights to tell a story1 and he never tells any but good ones1 but--and in this he is like ,lincoln--he is apt to use his stories to drive some proposition home4 ,this is almost invariably true1 even when he sets out to spin a yarn for the story's simple sake4 ,his mentality seems to be duplex1 quadruplex1 multiplex1 if you please--and while his lips and tongue are effectively delivering the story1 his wonderful brain is1 seemingly1 unconsciously applying the point of the story to the proving of a pet theory1 and when the tale has been told the verbal application follows4 ,his birthplace was ,dresden1 ,n4 ,y4 ,his early boyhood was passed in ,new ,york ,state and his youth and young manhood in ,illinois1 ,ohio and ,wisconsin4 ,his handgrasp is hearty and his manner and words are the very essence of straightforward directness4 ,i called at his office once when the ,colonel was closeted with a person who wished to retain him in a law case involving a good deal of money4 ,after a bit ,i was told that ,i could see him1 and as ,i entered he was saying3 ,the case can't be won1 for you are in the wrong4 ,i don't want it4 ,but1 pleaded the would-be client1 ,it seems to me that a good deal can be done in such a case by the way it is handled before the jury1 and ,i thought if you were to be the man ,i might get a verdict4 ,no1 sir1 was the reply1 and the words fell like the lead of a plumb line2 ,i won't take it4 ,good morning1 sir4 ,it has been sometimes said1 indulgently1 of ,col4 ,ingersoll that he is indolent1 but no one can hold that view who is at all familiar with him or his work4 ,as a matter of fact1 his industry is phenomenal1 though1 indeed1 it is not carried on after the fashion of less brainy men4 ,when he has an important case ahead of him his devotion to the mastery of its details absorbs him at once and completely4 ,it sometimes becomes necessary for him to take up a line of chemical inquiry entirely new to him2 again1 to elaborate genealogical researches are necessary2 still again1 it may be essential for him to thoroughly inform himself concerning hitherto uninvestigated local historical records4 ,but whatever is needful to be studied he studies1 and so thoroughly that his mind becomes saturated with the knowledge required4 ,and once acquired no sort of information ever leaves him1 for he has a memory quite as marvelous as any other of his altogether marvelous characteristics4 ,it is the same when he has an address to prepare4 ,every authority that can be consulted upon the subject to be treated in the address1 is consulted1 and often the material that suggests some of the most telling points is one which no one but ,ingersoll himself would think of referring to4 ,here again his wonderful memory stands him in good stead for he has packed away within the convolutions of his brain a lot of facts that bear upon almost every conceivable branch of human thought or investigation4 ,his memory is quite as retentive of the features of a man he has seen as of other matters2 it retains voices also1 as a war time friend of his discovered last summer4 ,it was a busy day with the ,colonel1 who had given instructions to his office boy that under no circumstances was he to be disturbed2 so when his old friend called he was told that ,col4 ,ingersoll could not see him ,but1 said the visitor3 ,i must see him4 ,i haven't seen him for twenty years2 ,i am going out of town this afternoon1 and ,i wouldn't miss talking with him for a few minutes for a good deal of money4 ,well1 said the boy1 he wasn't to be disturbed by anybody4 ,at this moment the door of the ,colonel's private office opened1 and the ,colonel's portly form appeared upon the scene4 ,why1 ,maj4 ,blank1 he said1 come in4 ,i did tell the boy ,i wouldn't see anybody1 but you are more important than the biggest law case in the world4 ,the ,colonel's memory had retained the sound of the major's voice1 and because of that1 the latter was not obliged to leave ,new ,york without seeing and renewing his old acquaintance4 ,col4 ,ingersoll's retorts are as quick as a flash-light and as searching4 ,one of them was so startling and so effective as to give a certain famous long drawn out railroad suit the nickname4 ,the ,ananias and ,sapphira ease4 ,ingersoll was speaking and had made certain statements highly damaging to the other side1 in such a way as to thoroughly anger a member of the opposing counsel1 who suddenly interrupted the speaker with the abrupt and sarcastic remark3 ,i suppose the ,colonel1 in the nature of things1 never heard of the story of ,ananias ana ,sapphira4 ,there were those present who expected to witness an angry outburst on the part of ,ingersoll in response to this plain implication that his statement had not the quality of veracity1 but they were disappointed4 ,ingersoll didn't even get angry4 ,he turned slightly1 fixed his limpid blue eyes upon the speaker1 and looked cherubically4 ,then he gently drawled out4 ,oh1 yes1 ,i have1 yes1 ,i have4 ,and ,i've watched the gentleman who has just spoken all through this case with a curious ,interest4 ,i've been expecting every once in a while to see him drop dead1 but he seems to be all right down to the present moment4 ,ingersoll never gets angry when he is interrupted1 even if it is in the middle of an address or a lecture4 ,a man interrupted him in ,cincinnati once1 cutting right into one of the lecturer's most resonant periods with a yell3 ,that's a lie4 ,bob lngersoll1 and you know it4 ,the audience was in an uproar in an instant1 and cries of ,put him out6 ,throw him down stairs6 and the like were heard from all parts of the house4 ,ingersoll stopped talking for a moment1 and held up his hands1 smiling4 ,don't hurt the man1 he said4 ,he thinks he is right4 ,but let me explain this thing for his especial benefit4 ,then he reasoned the matter out in language so simple and plain that no one of any intelligence whatever could fail to comprehend4 ,the man was not ejected1 but sat through the entire address1 and at the close asked the privilege of begging the lecturer's pardon4 ,like most men of genius1 ,colonel lngersoll is a passionate lover of music1 and the harmonies of ,wagner seem to him to be the very acme of musical expression4444 ,notwithstanding his thoroughly heretical beliefs or lack of beliefs1 or1 as he would say1 because of them1 ,colonel lngersoll is a very tender-hearted man4 ,no one has ever made so strong an argument against vivisection in the alleged interests of science as lngersoll did in a speech a few years ago4 ,to the presentation of his views against the refinements of scientific cruelty he brought his most vivid imagination1 his most careful thought and his most impassioned oratory4 ,colonel ,ingersoll's popularity with those who know him is proverbial4 ,the clerks in his offices not only admire him for his ability and his achievements1 but they esteem him for his kindliness of heart and his invariable courtesy in his intercourse with them4 ,his offices are located in one of the buildings devoted to corporations and professional men on the lower part of ,nassau street and consist of three rooms4 ,the one used by the head of the firm is farthest from the entrance4 ,all are furnished in solid black walnut4 ,in the ,colonel's room there is a picture of his loved brother ,ebon1 and hanging below the frame thereof is the tin sign that the two brothers hung out for a shingle when they went into the law business in ,peoria4 ,there are also pictures of a judge or two4 ,the desks in all the rooms are littered with papers4 ,books are piled to the ceiling4 ,everywhere there is an air of personal freedom4 ,there is no servility either to clients or the head of the business1 but there is everywhere an informal courtesy somewhat akin to that which is born of a fueling of great comradeship4 ,of the ,colonel's ideal home life the world has often been told4 ,he lives during the winter at his town house in ,fifth ,avenue2 in the summer at ,dobbs ,ferry1 a charming place a few miles up the ,hudson from ,new ,york4--,boston ,herald1 ,july1 #ahid4 ,a ,,few years ago there were many thousand miles of railroads to be built1 a great many towns and cities to be located1 constructed and filled2 vast areas of uncultivated land were waiting for the plow1 vast forests the axe1 and thousands of mines were longing to be opened4 ,in those days every young man of energy and industry had a future4 ,the professions were not overcrowded2 there were more patients than doctors1 more litigants than lawyers1 more buyers of goods than merchants4 ,the young man of that time who was raised on a farm got a little education1 taught school1 read law or medicine--some of the weaker ones read theology--and there seemed to be plenty of room1 plenty of avenues to success and distinction4 ,so1 too1 a few years ago a political life was considered honorable1 and so in politics there were many great careers4 ,so1 hundreds of towns wanted newspapers1 and in each of those towns there was an opening for some energetic young man4 ,at that time the plant cost but little2 a few dollars purchased the press--the young publisher could get the paper stock on credit4 ,now the railroads have all been built2 the canals are finished2 the cities have been located2 the outside property has been cut into lots1 and sold and mortgaged many times over4 ,now it requires great capital to go into business4 ,the individual is counting for less and less2 the corporation1 the trust1 for more and more4 ,now a great merchant employs hundreds of clerks2 a few years ago most of those now clerks would have been merchants4 ,and so it seems to be in nearly every department of life4 ,of course1 ,i do not know what inventions may leap from the brains of the future2 there may be millions and millions of fortunes yet to be made in that direction1 but of that ,i am not speaking4 ,so1 ,i think that a few years ago the chances were far more numerous and favorable to young men who wished to make a name for themselves1 and to succeed in some department of human energy than now4 ,in savage life a living is very easy to get4 ,most any savage can hunt or fish2 consequently there are few failures4 ,but in civilized life competition becomes stronger and sharper2 consequently1 the percentage of failures increases1 and this seems to be the law4 ,the individual is constantly counting for less4 ,it may be that1 on the average1 people live better than they did formerly1 that they have more to eat1 drink and wear2 but the individual horizon has lessened2 it is not so wide and cloudless as formerly4 ,so ,i say that the chances for great fortunes1 for great success1 are growing less and less4 ,i think a young man should do that which is easiest for him to do1 provided there is an opportunity2 if there is none1 then he should take the next4 ,the first object of every young man should be to be self-supporting1 no matter in what direction--be independent4 ,he should avoid being a clerk and he should avoid giving his future into the hands of any one person4 ,he should endeavor to get a business in which the community will be his patron1 and whether he is to be a lawyer1 a doctor or a day-laborer depends on how much he has mixed mind with muscle4 ,if a young man imagines that he has an aptitude for public speaking--that is1 if he has a great desire to make his ideas known to the world--the probability is that the desire will choose the way1 time and place for him to make the effort4 ,if he really has something to say1 there will be plenty to listen4 ,if he is so carried away with his subject1 is so in earnest that he becomes an instrumentality of his thought--so that he is forgotten by himself2 so that he cares neither for applause nor censure--simply caring to present his thoughts in the highest and best and most comprehensive way1 the probability is that he will be an orator4 ,i think oratory is something that cannot be taught4 ,undoubtedly a man can learn to be a fair talker4 ,he can by practice learn to present his ideas consecutively1 clearly and in what you may call form1 but there is as much difference between this and an oration as there is between a skeleton and a living human being clad in sensitive1 throbbing flesh4 ,there are millions of skeleton makers1 millions of people who can express what may be called the bones of a discourse1 but not one in a million who can clothe these bones4 ,you can no more teach a man to be an orator than you can teach him to be an artist or a poet of the first class4 ,when you teach him1 there is the same difference between the man who is taught1 and the man who is what he is by virtue of a natural aptitude1 that there is between a pump and a spring--between a canal and a river--between ,april rain and water-works4 ,it is a question of capacity and feeling--not of education4 ,there are some things that you can tell an orator not to do4 ,for instance1 he should never drink water while talking1 because the interest is broken1 and for the moment he loses control of his audience4 ,he should never look at his watch for the same reason4 ,he should never talk about himself4 ,he should never deal in personalities4 ,he should never tell long stories1 and if he tells any story he should never say that it is a true story1 and that he knew the parties4 ,this makes it a question of veracity instead of a question of art4 ,he should never clog his discourse with details4 ,he should never dwell upon particulars--he should touch universals1 because the great truths are for all time4 ,if he wants to know something1 if he wishes to feel something1 let him read ,shakespeare4 ,let him listen to the music of ,wagner1 of ,beethoven1 or ,schubert4 ,if he wishes to express himself in the highest and most perfect form1 let him become familiar with the great paintings of the world--with the great statues--all these will lend grace1 will give movement and passion and rhythm to his words4 ,a great orator puts into his speech the perfume1 the feelings1 the intensity of all the great and beautiful and marvelous things that he has seen and heard and felt4 ,an orator must be a poet1 a metaphysician1 a logician--and above all1 must have sympathy with all4 ,,science ,,and ,,sentiment4 ,,it was thought at one time by many that science would do away with poetry--that it was the enemy of the imagination4 ,we know now that is not true4 ,we know that science goes hand in hand with imagination4 ,we know that it is in the highest degree poetic and that the old ideas once considered so beautiful are flat and stale4 ,compare ,kepler's laws with the old ,greek idea that the planets were boosted or pushed by angels4 ,the more we know1 the more beauty1 the more poetry we find4 ,ignorance is not the mother of the poetic or artistic4 ,so1 some people imagine that science will do away with sentiment4 ,in my judgment1 science will not only increase sentiment but sense4 ,a person will be attracted to another for a thousand reasons1 and why a person is attracted to another1 may1 and in some degree will1 depend upon the intellectual1 artistic and ethical development of each4 ,the handsomest girl in ,zululand might not be attractive to ,herbert ,spencer1 and the fairest girl in ,england might not be able to hasten the pulse of a ,choctaw brave4 ,this does not prove that there is any lack of sentiment4 ,men are influenced according to their capacity1 their temperament1 their knowledge4 ,some men fall in love with a small waist1 an arched instep or curly hair1 without the slightest regard to mind or muscle4 ,this we call sentiment4 ,now1 educate such men1 develop their brains1 enlarge their intellectual horizon1 teach them something of the laws of health1 and then they may fall in love with women because they are developed grandly in body and mind4 ,the sentiment is still there--still controls--but back of the sentiment is science4 ,sentiment can never be destroyed1 and love will forever rule the human race4 ,thousands1 millions of people fear that science will destroy not only poetry1 not only sentiment1 but religion4 ,this fear is idiotic4 ,science will destroy superstition1 but it will not injure true religion4 ,science is the foundation of real religion4 ,science teaches us the consequences of actions1 the rights and duties of all4 ,without science there can be no real religion4 ,only those who live on the labor of the ignorant are the enemies of science4 ,real love and real religion are in no danger from science4 ,the more we know the safer all good things are4 ,do ,i think that the marriage of the sickly and diseased ought to be prevented by law8 ,i have not much confidence in law--in law that ,i know cannot be carried out4 ,the poor1 the sickly1 the diseased1 as long as they are ignorant1 will marry and help fill the world with wretchedness and want4 ,we must rely on education instead of legislation4 ,we must teach the consequences of actions4 ,we must show the sickly and diseased what their children will be4 ,we must preach the gospel of the body4 ,i believe the time will come when the public thought will be so great and grand that it will be looked upon as infamous to perpetuate disease--to leave a legacy of agony4 ,i believe the time will come when men will refuse to fill the future with consumption and insanity4 ,yes1 we shall study ourselves4 ,we shall understand the conditions of health and then we shall say3 ,we are under obligation to put the flags of health in the cheeks of our children4 ,even if ,i should get to heaven and have a harp1 ,i know that ,i could not bear to see my descendants still on the earth1 diseased1 deformed1 crazed--all suffering the penalties of my ignorance4 ,let us have more science and more sentiment--more knowledge and more conscience--more liberty and more love4 ,,sowing ,,and ,,reaping4 ,i ,,have read the sermon on ,sowing and ,reaping1 and ,i now understand ,mr4 ,moody better than ,i did before4 ,the other day1 in ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,moody said that he implicitly believed the story of ,jonah and really thought that he was in the fish for three days4 ,when ,i read it ,i was surprised that a man living in the century of ,humboldt1 ,darwin1 ,huxley1 ,spencer and ,haeckel1 should believe such an absurd and idiotic story4 ,now ,i understand the whole thing4 ,i can account for the amazing credulity of this man4 ,mr4 ,moody never read one of my lectures4 ,that accounts for it all1 and no wonder that he is a hundred years behind the times4 ,he never read one of my lectures2 that is a perfect explanation4 ,poor man6 ,he has no idea of what he has lost4 ,he has been living on miracles and mistakes1 on falsehood and foolishness1 stuffing his mind with absurdities when he could have had truth1 facts and good1 sound sense4 ,poor man6 ,probably ,mr4 ,moody has never read one word of ,darwin and so he still believes in the ,garden of ,eden and the talking snake and really thinks that ,jehovah took some mud1 moulded the form of a man1 breathed in its nostrils1 stood it up and called it ,adam1 and that he then took one of ,adam's ribs and some more mud and manufactured ,eve4 ,probably he has never read a word written by any great geologist and consequently still believes in the story of the flood4 ,knowing nothing of astronomy1 he still thinks that ,joshua stopped the sun4 ,poor man6 ,he has neglected ,spencer and has no idea of evolution4 ,he thinks that man has1 through all the ages1 degenerated1 the first pair having been perfect4 ,he does not believe that man came from lower forms and has gradually journeyed upward4 ,he really thinks that the ,devil outwitted ,god and vaccinated the human race with the virus of total depravity4 ,poor man6 ,he knows nothing of the great scientists--of the great thinkers1 of the emancipators of the human race2 knows nothing of ,spinoza1 of ,voltaire1 of ,draper1 ,buckle1 of ,paine or ,renan4 ,mr4 ,moody ought to read something besides the ,bible--ought to find out what the really intelligent have thought4 ,he ought to get some new ideas--a few facts--and ,i think that1 after he did so1 he would be astonished to find how ignorant and foolish he had been4 ,he is a good man4 ,his heart is fairly good1 but his head is almost useless4 ,the trouble with this sermon1 ,sowing and ,reaping1 is that he contradicts it4 ,i believe that a man must reap what he sows1 that every human being must bear the natural consequences of his acts4 ,actions are good or bad according to their consequences4 ,that is my doctrine4 ,there is no forgiveness in nature4 ,but ,mr4 ,moody tells us that a man may sow thistles and gather figs1 that having acted like a fiend tor seventy years1 he can1 between his last dose of medicine and his last breath1 repent2 that he can be washed clean by the blood of the lamb1 and that myriads of angels will carry his soul to heaven--in other words1 that this man will not reap what he sowed1 but what ,christ sowed1 that this man's thistles will be changed to figs4 ,this doctrine1 to my mind1 is not only absurd1 but dishonest and corrupting4 ,this is one of the absurdities in ,mr4 ,moody's theology4 ,the other is that a man can justly be damned for the sin of another4 ,nothing can exceed the foolishness of these two ideas--first3 ,man can be justly punished forever for the sin of ,adam4 ,second3 ,man can be justly rewarded with eternal joy for the goodness of ,christ4 ,yet the man who believes this1 preaches a sermon in which he says that a man must reap what he sows4 ,orthodox ,christians teach exactly the opposite4 ,they teach that no matter what a man sows1 no matter how wicked his life has been1 that he can by repentance change the crop4 ,that all his sins shall be forgotten and that only the goodness of ,christ will be remembered4 ,let us see how this works3 ,mr4 ,a4 has lived a good and useful life1 kept his contracts1 paid his debts1 educated his children1 loved his wife and made his home a heaven1 but he did not believe in the inspiration of ,mr4 ,moody's ,bible4 ,he died and his soul was sent to hell4 ,mr4 ,moody says that as a man sows so shall he reap4 ,mr4 ,b4 lived a useless and wicked life4 ,by his cruelty he drove his wife to insanity1 his children became vagrants and beggars1 his home was a perfect hell1 he committed many crimes1 he was a thief1 a burglar1 a murderer4 ,a few minutes before he was hanged he got religion and his soul went from the scaffold to heaven4 ,and yet ,mr4 ,moody says that as a man sows so shall he reap4 ,mr4 ,moody ought to have a little philosophy--a little good sense4 ,so ,mr4 ,moody says that only in this life can a man secure the reward of repentance4 ,just before a man dies1 ,god loves him--loves him as a mother loves her babe--but a moment after he dies1 he sends his soul to hell4 ,in the other world nothing can be done to reform him4 ,the society of ,god and the angels can have no good effect4 ,nobody can be made better in heaven4 ,this world is the only place where reform is possible4 ,here1 surrounded by the wicked in the midst of temptations1 in the darkness of ignorance1 a human being may reform if he is fortunate enough to hear the words of some revival preacher1 but when he goes before his maker--before the ,trinity--he has no chance4 ,god can do nothing for his soul except to send it to hell4 ,this shows that the power for good is confined to people in this world and that in the next world ,god can do nothing to reform his children4 ,this is theology4 ,this is what they call ,tidings of great joy4 ,every orthodox creed is savage1 ignorant and idiotic4 ,in the orthodox heaven there is no mercy1 no pity4 ,in the orthodox hell there is no hope1 no reform4 ,god is an eternal jailer1 an everlasting turnkey4 ,and yet ,christians now say that while there may be no fire in hell--no actual flames--yet the lost souls will feel forever the tortures of conscience4 ,what will conscience trouble the people in hell about8 ,they tell us that they will remember their sins4 ,well1 what about the souls in heaven8 ,they committed awful sins1 they made their fellow-men unhappy4 ,they took the lives of others--sent many to eternal torment4 ,will they have no conscience8 ,is hell the only place where souls regret the evil they have done8 ,have the angels no regret1 no remorse1 no conscience8 ,if this be so1 heaven must be somewhat worse than hell4 ,in old times1 if people wanted to know anything they asked the preacher4 ,now they do if they don't4 ,the ,bible has1 with intelligent men1 lost its authority4 ,the miracles are now regarded by sensible people as the spawn of ignorance and credulity4 ,on every hand people are looking for facts--for truth--and all religions are taking their places in the museum of myths4 ,yes1 the people are becoming civilized1 and so they are putting out the fires of hell4 ,they are ceasing to believe in a ,god who seeks eternal revenge4 ,the people are becoming sensible4 ,they are asking for evidence4 ,they care but little for the winged phantoms of the air--for the ghosts and devils and supposed gods4 ,the people are anxious to be happy here and they want a little heaven in this life4 ,theology is a curse4 ,science is a blessing4 ,we do not need preachers1 but teachers2 not priests1 but thinkers2 not churches1 but schools2 not steeples1 but observatories4 ,we want knowledge4 ,let us hope that ,mr4 ,moody will read some really useful books4 ,,should ,,infidels ,,send ,,their ,,children ,,to ,,sunday ,,school8 ,,should parents1 who are ,infidels1 unbelievers or ,atheists1 send their children to ,sunday schools and churches to give them the benefit of ,christian education8 ,parents who do not believe the ,bible to be an inspired book should not teach their children that it is4 ,they should be absolutely honest4 ,hypocrisy is not a virtue1 and1 as a rule1 lies are less valuable than facts4 ,an unbeliever should not allow the mind of his child to be deformed1 stunted and shriveled by superstition4 ,he should not allow the child's imagination to be polluted4 ,nothing is more outrageous than to take advantage of the helplessness of childhood to sow in the brain the seeds of falsehoods1 to imprison the soul in the dungeon of ,fear1 to teach dimpled infancy the infamous dogma of eternal pain--filling life with the glow and glare of hell4 ,no unbeliever should allow his child to be tortured in the orthodox inquisitions4 ,he should defend the mind from attack as he would the body4 ,he should recognize the rights of the soul4 ,in the orthodox ,sunday schools1 children are taught that it is a duty to believe--that evidence is not essential--that faith is independent of facts and that religion is superior to reason4 ,they are taught not to use their natural sense--not to tell what they really think--not to entertain a doubt--not to ask wicked questions1 but to accept and believe what their teachers say4 ,in this way the minds of the children are invaded1 corrupted and conquered4 ,would an educated man send his child to a school in which ,newton's statement in regard to the attraction of gravitation was denied--in which the law of falling bodies1 as given by ,galileo1 was ridiculed--,kepler's three laws declared to be idiotic1 and the rotary motion of the earth held to be utterly absurd8 ,why then should an intelligent man allow his child to be taught the geology and astronomy of the ,bible8 ,children should be taught to seek for the truth--to be honest1 kind1 generous1 merciful and just4 ,they should be taught to love liberty and to live to the ideal4 ,why then should an unbeliever1 an ,infidel1 send his child to an orthodox ,sunday school where he is taught that he has no right to seek for the truth--no right to be mentally honest1 and that he will be damned for an honest doubt--where he is taught that ,god was ferocious1 revengeful1 heartless as a wild beast--that he drowned millions of his children--that he ordered wars of extermination and told his soldiers to kill gray-haired and trembling age1 mothers and children1 and to assassinate with the sword of war the babes unborn8 ,why should an unbeliever in the ,bible send his child to an orthodox ,sunday school where he is taught that ,god was in favor of slavery and told the ,jews to buy of the heathen and that they should be their bondmen and bondwomen forever2 where he is taught that ,god upheld polygamy and the degradation of women8 ,why should an unbeliever1 who believes in the uniformity of ,nature1 in the unbroken and unbreakable chain of cause and effect1 allow his child to be taught that miracles have been performed2 that men have gone bodily to heaven2 that millions have been miraculously fed with manna and quails2 that fire has refused to burn clothes and flesh of men2 that iron has been made to float2 that the earth and moon have been stopped and that the earth has not only been stopped1 but made to turn the other way2 that devils inhabit the bodies of men and women2 that diseases have been cured with words1 and that the dead1 with a touch1 have been made to live again8 ,the thoughtful man knows that there is not the slightest evidence that these miracles ever were performed4 ,why should he allow his children to be stuffed with these foolish and impossible falsehoods8 ,why should he give his lambs to the care and keeping of the wolves and hyenas of superstition8 ,children should be taught only what somebody knows4 ,guesses should not be palmed off on them as demonstrated facts4 ,if a ,christian lived in ,constantinople he would not send his children to the mosque to be taught that ,mohammed was a prophet of ,god and that the ,koran is an inspired book4 ,why8 ,because he does not believe in ,mohammed or the ,koran4 ,that is reason enough4 ,so1 an ,agnostic1 living in ,new ,york1 should not allow his children to be taught that the ,bible is an inspired book4 ,i use the word ,agnostic because ,i prefer it to the word ,atheist4 ,as a matter of fact1 no one knows that ,god exists and no one knows that ,god does not exist4 ,to my mind there is no evidence that ,god exists--that this world is governed by a being of infinite goodness1 wisdom and power1 but ,i do not pretend to know4 ,what ,i insist upon is that children should not be poisoned--should not be taken advantage of--that they should be treated fairly1 honestly--that they should be allowed to develop from the inside instead of being crammed from the outside--that they should be taught to reason1 not to believe--to think1 to investigate and to use their senses1 their minds4 ,would a ,catholic send his children to a school to be taught that ,catholicism is superstition and that ,science is the only savior of mankind8 ,why then should a free and sensible believer in ,science1 in the naturalness of the universe1 send his child to a ,catholic school8 ,nothing could be more irrational1 foolish and absurd4 ,my advice to all ,agnostics is to keep their children from the orthodox ,sunday schools1 from the orthodox churches1 from the poison of the pulpits4 ,teach your children the facts you know4 ,if you do not know1 say so4 ,be as honest as you are ignorant4 ,do all you can to develop their minds1 to the end that they may live useful and happy lives4 ,strangle the serpent of superstition that crawls and hisses about the cradle4 ,keep your children from the augurs1 the soothsayers1 the medicine-men1 the priests of the supernatural4 ,tell them that all religions have been made by folks and that all the sacred books were written by ignorant men4 ,teach them that the world is natural4 ,teach them to be absolutely honest4 ,do not send them where they will contract diseases of the mind--the leprosy of the soul4 ,let us do all we can to make them intelligent4 ,,what ,,would ,,you ,,substitute ,,for ,,the ,,bible ,,as ,a ,,moral ,,guide8 99 ,written for ,the ,boston ,investigator4 ,,you ask me what ,i would substitute for the ,bible as a moral guide44 ,i know that many people regard the ,bible as the only moral guide and believe that in that book only can be found the true and perfect standard of morality4 ,there are many good precepts1 many wise sayings and many good regulations and laws in the ,bible1 and these are mingled with bad precepts1 with foolish sayings1 with absurd rules and cruel laws4 ,but we must remember that the ,bible is a collection of many books written centuries apart1 and that it in part represents the growth and tells in part the history of a people4 ,we must also remember that the writers treat of many subjects4 ,many of these writers have nothing to say about right or wrong1 about vice or virtue4 ,the book of ,genesis has nothing about morality4 ,there is not a line in it calculated to shed light on the path of conduct4 ,no one can call that book a moral guide4 ,it is made up of myth and miracle1 of tradition and legend4 ,in ,exodus we have an account of the manner in which ,jehovah delivered the ,jews from ,egyptian bondage4 ,we now know that the ,jews were never enslaved by the ,egyptians2 that the entire story is a fiction4 ,we know this1 because there is not found in ,hebrew a word of ,egyptian origin1 and there is not found in the language of the ,egyptians a word of ,hebrew origin4 ,this being so1 we know that the ,hebrews and ,egyptians could not have lived together for hundreds of years4 ,certainly ,exodus was not written to teach morality4 ,in that book you cannot find one word against human slavery4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,jehovah was a believer in that institution4 ,the killing of cattle with disease and hail1 the murder of the first-born1 so that in every house was death1 because the king refused to let the ,hebrews go1 certainly was not moral2 it was fiendish4 ,the writer of that book regarded all the people of ,egypt1 their children1 their flocks and herds1 as the property of ,pharaoh1 and these people and these cattle were killed1 not because they had done anything wrong1 but simply for the purpose of punishing the king4 ,is it possible to get any morality out of this history8 ,all the laws found in ,exodus1 including the ,ten ,commandments1 so far as they are really good and sensible1 were at that time in force among all the peoples of the world4 ,murder is1 and always was1 a crime1 and always will be1 as long as a majority of people object to being murdered4 ,industry always has been and always will be the enemy of larceny4 ,the nature of man is such that he admires the teller of truth and despises the liar4 ,among all tribes1 among all people1 truth-telling has been considered a virtue and false swearing or false speaking a vice4 ,the love of parents for children is natural1 and this love is found among all the animals that live4 ,so the love of children for parents is natural1 and was not and cannot be created by law4 ,love does not spring from a sense of duty1 nor does it bow in obedience to commands4 ,so men and women are not virtuous because of anything in books or creeds4 ,all the ,ten ,commandments that are good were old1 were the result of experience4 ,the commandments that were original with ,jehovah were foolish4 ,the worship of any other ,god could not have been worse than the worship of ,jehovah1 and nothing could have been more absurd than the sacredness of the ,sabbath4 ,if commandments had been given against slavery and polygamy1 against wars of invasion and extermination1 against religious persecution in all its forms1 so that the world could be free1 so that the brain might be developed and the heart civilized1 then we might1 with propriety1 call such commandments a moral guide4 ,before we can truthfully say that the ,ten ,commandments constitute a moral guide1 we must add and subtract4 ,we must throw away some1 and write others in their places4 ,the commandments that have a known application here1 in this world1 and treat of human obligations are good1 the others have no basis in fact1 or experience4 ,many of the regulations found in ,exodus1 ,leviticus1 ,numbers and ,deuteronomy1 are good4 ,many are absurd and cruel4 ,the entire ceremonial of worship is insane4 ,most of the punishment for violations of laws are un-philosophic and brutal4444 ,the fact is that the ,pentateuch upholds nearly all crimes1 and to call it a moral guide is as absurd as to say that it is merciful or true4 ,nothing of a moral nature can be found in ,joshua or ,judges4 ,these books are filled with crimes1 with massacres and murders4 ,they are about the same as the real history of the ,apache ,indians4 ,the story of ,ruth is not particularly moral4 ,in first and second ,samuel there is not one word calculated to develop the brain or conscience4 ,jehovah murdered seventy thousand ,jews because ,david took a census of the people4 ,david1 according to the account1 was the guilty one1 but only the innocent were killed4 ,in first and second ,kings can be found nothing of ethical value4 ,all the kings who refused to obey the priests were denounced1 and all the crowned wretches who assisted the priests1 were declared to be the favorites of ,jehovah4 ,in these books there cannot be found one word in favor of liberty4 ,there are some good ,psalms1 and there are some that are infamous4 ,most of these ,psalms are selfish4 ,many of them1 are passionate appeals for revenge4 ,the story of ,job shocks the heart of every good man4 ,in this book there is some poetry1 some pathos1 and some philosophy1 but the story of this drama called ,job1 is heartless to the last degree4 ,the children of ,job are murdered to settle a little wager between ,god and the ,devil4 ,afterward1 ,job having remained firm1 other children are given in the place of the murdered ones4 ,nothing1 however1 is done for the children who were murdered4 ,the book of ,esther is utterly absurd1 and the only redeeming feature in the book is that the name of ,jehovah is not mentioned4 ,i like the ,song of ,solomon because it tells of human love1 and that is something ,i can understand4 ,that book in my judgment1 is worth all the ones that go before it1 and is a far better moral guide4 ,there are some wise and merciful ,proverbs4 ,some are selfish and some are flat and commonplace4 ,i like the book of ,ecclesiastes because there you find some sense1 some poetry1 and some philosophy4 ,take away the interpolations and it is a good book4 ,of course there is nothing in ,nehemiah or ,ezra to make men better1 nothing in ,jeremiah or ,lamentations calculated to lessen vice1 and only a few passages in ,isaiah that can be used in a good cause4 ,in ,ezekiel and ,daniel we find only ravings of the insane4 ,in some of the minor prophets there is now and then a good verse1 now and then an elevated thought4 ,you can1 by selecting passages from different books1 make a very good creed1 and by selecting passages from different books1 you can make a very bad creed4 ,the trouble is that the spirit of the ,old ,testament1 its disposition1 its temperament1 is bad1 selfish and cruel4 ,the most fiendish things are commanded1 commended and applauded4 ,the stories that are told of ,joseph1 of ,elisha1 of ,daniel and ,gideon1 and of many others1 are hideous2 hellish4 ,on the whole1 the ,old ,testament cannot be considered a moral guide4 ,jehovah was not a moral ,god4 ,he had all the vices1 and he lacked all the virtues4 ,he generally carried out his threats1 but he never faithfully kept a promise4 ,at the same time1 we must remember that the ,old ,testament is a natural production1 that it was written by savages who were slowly crawling toward the light4 ,we must give them credit for the noble things they said1 and we must be charitable enough to excuse their faults and even their crimes4 ,i know that many ,christians regard the ,old ,testament as the foundation and the ,new as the superstructure1 and while many admit that there are faults and mistakes in the ,old ,testament1 they insist that the ,new is the flower and perfect fruit4 ,i admit that there are many good things in the ,new ,testament1 and if we take from that book the dogmas of eternal pain1 of infinite revenge1 of the atonement1 of human sacrifice1 of the necessity of shedding blood2 if we throw away the doctrine of non-resistance1 of loving enemies1 the idea that prosperity is the result of wickedness1 that poverty is a preparation for ,paradise1 if we throw all these away and take the good1 sensible passages1 applicable to conduct1 then we can make a fairly good moral guide1--narrow1 but moral4 ,of course1 many important things would be left out4 ,you would have nothing about human rights1 nothing in favor of the family1 nothing for education1 nothing for investigation1 for thought and reason1 but still you would have a fairly good moral guide4 ,on the other hand1 if you would take the foolish passages1 the extreme ones1 you could make a creed that would satisfy an insane asylum4 ,if you take the cruel passages1 the verses that inculcate eternal hatred1 verses that writhe and hiss like serpents1 you can make a creed that would shock the heart of a hyena4 ,it may be that no book contains better passages than the ,new ,testament1 but certainly no book contains worse4 ,below the blossom of love you find the thorn of hatred2 on the lips that kiss1 you find the poison of the cobra4 ,the ,bible is not a moral guide4 ,any man who follows faithfully all its teachings is an enemy of society and will probably end his days in a prison or an asylum4 ,what is morality8 ,in this world we need certain things4 ,we have many wants4 ,we are exposed to many dangers4 ,we need food1 fuel1 raiment and shelter1 and besides these wants1 there is1 what may be called1 the hunger of the mind4 ,we are conditioned beings1 and our happiness depends upon conditions4 ,there are certain things that diminish1 certain things that increase1 well-being4 ,there are certain things that destroy and there are others that preserve4 ,happiness1 including its highest forms1 is after all the only good1 and everything1 the result of which is to produce or secure happiness1 is good1 that is to say1 moral4 ,everything that destroys or diminishes well-being is bad1 that is to say1 immoral4 ,in other words1 all that is good is moral1 and all that is bad is immoral4 ,what then is1 or can be called1 a moral guide8 ,the shortest possible answer is one word3 ,intelligence4 ,we want the experience of mankind1 the true history of the race4 ,we want the history of intellectual development1 of the growth of the ethical1 of the idea of justice1 of conscience1 of charity1 of self-denial4 ,we want to know the paths and roads that have been traveled by the human mind4 ,these facts in general1 these histories in outline1 the results reached1 the conclusions formed1 the principles evolved1 taken together1 would form the best conceivable moral guide4 ,we cannot depend on what are called inspired books1 or the religions of the world4 ,these religions are based on the supernatural1 and according to them we are under obligation to worship and obey some supernatural being1 or beings4 ,all these religions are inconsistent with intellectual liberty4 ,they are the enemies of thought1 of investigation1 of mental honesty4 ,they destroy the manliness of man4 ,they promise eternal rewards for belief1 for credulity1 for what they call faith4 ,this is not only absurd1 but it is immoral4 ,these religions teach the slave virtues4 ,they make inanimate things holy1 and falsehoods sacred4 ,they create artificial crimes4 ,to eat meat on ,friday1 to enjoy yourself on ,sunday1 to eat on fast-days1 to be happy in ,lent1 to dispute a priest1 to ask for evidence1 to deny a creed1 to express your sincere thought1 all these acts are sins1 crimes against some god4 ,to give your honest opinion about ,jehovah1 ,mohammed or ,christ1 is far worse than to maliciously slander your neighbor4 ,to question or doubt miracles1 is far worse than to deny known facts4 ,only the obedient1 the credulous1 the cringers1 the kneelers1 the meek1 the unquestioning1 the true believers1 are regarded as moral1 as virtuous4 ,it is not enough to be honest1 generous and useful2 not enough to be governed by evidence1 by facts4 ,in addition to this1 you must believe4 ,these things are the foes of morality4 ,they subvert all natural conceptions of virtue4 ,all inspired books1 teaching that what the supernatural commands is right1 and right because commanded1 and that what the supernatural prohibits is wrong1 and wrong because prohibited1 are absurdly unphilosophic4 ,and all inspired books1 teaching that only those who obey the commands of the supernatural are1 or can be1 truly virtuous1 and that unquestioning faith will be rewarded with eternal joy1 are grossly immoral4 ,again ,i say3 ,intelligence is the only moral guide4 ,,governor ,,rollins' ,,fast-,,day ,,proclamation4 ,,the ,governor of ,new ,hampshire1 undoubtedly a good and sincere man1 issued a ,fast-,day ,proclamation to the people of his ,state1 in which ,i find the following paragraph3 ,the decline of the ,christian religion1 particularly in our rural communities1 is a marked feature of the times1 and steps should be taken to remedy it4 ,no matter what our belief may be in religious matters1 every good citizen knows that when the restraining influences of religion are withdrawn from a community1 its decay1 moral1 mental and financial1 is swift and sure4 ,to me this is one of the strongest evidences of the fundamental truth of ,christianity4 ,i suggest to-day1 as far as possible on ,fast-,day1 union meetings be held1 made up of all shades of belief1 including all who are interested in the welfare of our ,state1 and that in your prayers and other devotions and in your mutual councils you remember and consider the problem of the condition of religion in the rural communities4 ,there are towns where no church bell sends forth its solemn call from ,january to ,january4 ,there are villages where children grow to manhood unchristened4 ,there are communities where the dead are laid away without the benison of the name of the ,christ1 and where marriages are solemnized only by ,justices of the ,peace4 ,this is a matter worthy of your thoughtful consideration1 citizens of ,new ,hampshire4 ,it does not augur well for the future4 ,you can afford to devote one day in the year to your fellow-men1 to work and thought and prayer for your children and your children's children4 ,these words of the ,governor have caused surprise1 discussion and danger4 ,many ministers have denied that ,christianity is declining1 and have attacked the ,governor with the malice of meekness and the savagery of humility4 ,the question is3 ,is ,christianity declining8 ,in order to answer this question we must state what ,christianity is4 ,christians tell us that there are certain fundamental truths that must be believed4 ,we must believe in ,god1 the creator and governor of the universe2 in ,jesus ,christ1 his only begotten son2 in the ,holy ,ghost2 in the atonement made by ,christ2 in salvation by faith2 in the second birth2 in heaven for believers1 in hell for deniers and doubters1 and in the inspiration of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,they must also believe in a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering ,god1 in special providence1 and in addition to all this they must practice a few ceremonies4 ,this1 ,i believe1 is a fair skeleton of ,christianity4 ,of course ,i cannot give an exact definition4 ,christians do not and never have agreed among themselves4 ,they have been disputing and fighting for many centuries1 and to-day they are as far apart as ever4 ,a few years ago ,christians believed the fundamental truths ,they had no doubts4 ,they knew that ,god existed2 that he made the world4 ,they knew when he commenced to work at the earth and stars and knew when he finished4 ,they knew that he1 like a potter1 mixed and moulded clay into the shape of a man and breathed into its nostrils the breath of life4 ,they knew that he took from this man a rib and framed the first woman4 ,it must be admitted that sensible ,christians have outgrown this belief4 ,jehovah the gardener1 the potter1 the tailor1 has been dethroned4 ,the story of creation is believed only by the provincial1 the stupid1 the truly orthodox4 ,people who have read ,darwin and ,haeckel and had sense enough to understand these great men1 laugh at the legends of the ,jews4 ,a few years ago most ,christians believed that ,christ was the son of ,god1 and not only the son of ,god1 but ,god himself4 ,this belief is slowly fading from the minds of ,christians1 from the minds of those who have minds4 ,many ,christians now say that ,christ was simply a man--a perfect man4 ,others say that he was divine1 but not actually ,god--a union of ,god and man4 ,some say that while ,christ was not ,god1 he was as nearly like ,god as it is possible for man to be4 ,the old belief that he was actually ,god--that he sacrificed himself unto himself--that he deserted himself2 that he bore the burden of his own wrath2 that he made it possible to save a few of his children by shedding his own blood2 that he could not forgive the sins of men until they murdered him--this frightful belief is slowly dying day by day4 ,most ministers are ashamed to preach these cruel and idiotic absurdities4 ,the ,christ of our time is not the ,christ of the ,new ,testament--not the ,christ of the ,middle ,ages2 nor of ,luther1 ,wesley or the ,puritan fathers4 ,the ,christ who was ,god--who was his own son and his own father--who was born of a virgin1 cast out devils1 rose from the dead1 and ascended bodily to heaven--is not the ,christ of to-day4 ,the ,holy ,ghost has never been accurately defined or described4 ,he has always been a winged influence--a divine aroma2 a disembodied essence2 a spiritual climate2 an enthusiastic flame2 a something sensitive and unforgiving2 the real father of ,jesus ,christ4 ,a few years ago the clergy had a great deal to say about the ,holy ,ghost1 but now the average minister1 while he alludes to this shadowy deity to round out a prayer1 seems ta have but little confidence in him4 ,this deity is and always has been extremely vague4 ,he has been represented in the form of a dove2 but this form is not associated with much intelligence4 ,formerly it was believed that all men were by nature wicked1 and that it would be perfectly just for ,god to damn the entire human race4 ,in fact1 it was thought that ,god1 feeling that he had to damn all his children1 invented a scheme by which some could be saved and at the same time justice could be satisfied4 ,god knew that without the shedding of blood there could be no remission of sin4 ,for many centuries he was satisfied with the blood of oxen1 lambs and doves4 ,but the sins continued to increase4 ,a greater sacrifice was necessary4 ,so ,god concluded to make the greatest possible sacrifice--to shed his own blood1 that is to say1 to have it shed by his chosen people4 ,this was the atonement--the scheme of salvation--a scheme that satisfied justice and partially defeated the ,devil4 ,no intelligent ,christians believe in this atonement4 ,it is utterly unphilosophic4 ,the idea that man made salvation possible by murdering ,god is infinitely absurd4 ,this makes salvation the blossom of a crime--the blessed fruit of murder4 ,according to this the joys of heaven are born of the agonies of innocence4 ,if the ,jews had been civilized--if they had believed in freedom of conscience and had listened kindly and calmly to the teachings of ,christ1 the whole world1 including ,christ's mother1 would have gone to hell4 ,our fathers had two absurdities4 ,they balanced each other4 ,they said that ,god could justly damn his children for the sin of ,adam1 and that he could justly save his children on account of the sufferings and virtues of ,christ2 that is to say1 on account of his own sufferings and virtues4 ,this view of the atonement has mostly been abandoned4 ,it is now preached1 not that ,christ bought souls with his blood1 but that he has ennobled souls by his example4 ,the supernatural part of the atonement has1 by the more intelligent1 been thrown away4 ,so the idea of imputed sin--of vicarious vice--has been by many abandoned4 ,salvation by faith is growing weak4 ,people are beginning to see that character is more important than belief2 that virtue is above all creeds4 ,civilized people no longer believe in a ,god who will damn an honest1 generous man4 ,they see that it is not honest to offer a reward for belief4 ,the promise of reward is not evidence4 ,it is an attempt to bribe4 ,if ,god wishes his children to believe1 he should furnish evidence4 ,he should not endeavor to make promises and threats take the place of facts4 ,to offer a reward for credulity is dishonest and immoral--infamous4 ,to say that good people who never heard of ,christ ought to be damned for not believing on him is a mixture of idiocy and savagery4 ,people are beginning to perceive that happiness is a result1 not a reward2 that happiness must be earned2 that it is not alms4 ,it is also becoming apparent that sins cannot be forgiven2 that no power can step between actions and consequences2 that men must reap what they sow2 that a man who has lived a cruel life cannot1 by repenting between the last dose of medicine and the last breath1 be washed in the blood of the ,lamb1 and become an angel--an angel entitled to an eternity of joy4 ,all this is absurd1 but you may say that it is not cruel4 ,but to say that a man who has lived a useful life2 who has made a happy home2 who has lifted the fallen1 succored the oppressed and battled to uphold the right2 to say that such a man1 because he failed to believe without evidence1 will suffer eternal pain1 is to say that ,god is an infinite wild beast4 ,salvation for credulity means damnation for investigation4 ,at one time the second birth was regarded as a divine mystery--as a miracle--a something done by a supernatural power2 probably by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,now ministers are explaining this mystery4 ,a change of heart is a change of ideas4 ,about this there is nothing miraculous4 ,this happens to most men and women--happens many times in the life of one man4 ,if this happens without excitement--as the result of thought--it is called reformation4 ,if it occurs in a revival--if it is the result of fright--it is called the second birth4 ,a few years ago ,christians believed in the inspiration of the ,bible4 ,they had no doubts4 ,the ,bible was the standard4 ,if some geologist found a fact inconsistent with the ,scriptures he was silenced with a text4 ,if some doubter called attention to a contradiction in the ,bible he was denounced as an ungodly and blaspheming wretch4 ,christians then knew that the universe was only about six thousand years old1 and any man who denied this was an enemy of ,christ and a friend of the ,devil4 ,all this has changed4 ,the ,bible is no longer the standard4 ,science has dethroned the inspired volume4 ,even theologians are taking facts into consideration4 ,only ignorant bigots now believe in the plenary inspiration of the ,bible4 ,the intelligent ministers know that the ,holy ,scriptures are filled with mistakes1 contradictions and interpolations4 ,they no longer believe in the flood1 in ,babel1 in ,lot's wife or in the fire and brimstone storm4 ,they are not sure about the burning bush1 the plagues of ,egypt1 the division of the ,red ,sea or the miracles in the wilderness4 ,all these wonders are growing foolish4 ,they belong to the ,mother ,goose of the past1 and many clergymen are ashamed to say that they believe them4 ,so1 the lengthening of the day in order that ,general ,joshua might have more time to kill1 the journey of ,elijah to heaven1 the voyage of ,jonah in the fish1 and many other wonders of a like kind1 have become so transparently false that even a theologian refuses to believe4 ,the same is true of many of the miracles of the ,new ,testament4 ,no sensible man now believes that ,christ cast devils and unclean spirits out of the bodies of men and women4 ,a few years ago all ,christians believed all these devil miracles with all the mind they had4 ,a few years ago only ,infidels denied these miracles1 but now the theologians who are studying the ,higher ,criticism are reaching the conclusions of ,voltaire and ,paine4 ,they have just discovered that the objections made to the ,bible by the ,deists are supported by the facts4 ,at the same time these ,higher ,critics1 while they admit that the ,bible is not true1 still insist that it is inspired4 ,the other evening ,i attended ,forepaugh ,sell's ,circus at ,madison ,square ,garden and saw a magnificent panorama of performances4 ,while looking at a man riding a couple of horses ,i thought of the ,higher ,critics4 ,they accept ,darwin and cling to ,genesis4 ,they admit that ,genesis is false in fact1 and then assert that in a higher sense it is absolutely true4 ,a lie bursts into blossom and has the perfume of truth4 ,these critics declare that the ,bible is the inspired word of ,god1 and then establish the truth of the declaration by showing that it is filled with contradictions1 absurdities and false prophecies4 ,the horses they ride1 sometimes get so far apart that it seems to me that walking would be easier on the legs4 ,so1 ,i saw at the circus the ,snake ,man4 ,i saw him tie himself into all kinds of knots2 saw him make a necktie of his legs2 saw him throw back his head and force it between his knees2 saw him twist and turn as though his bones were made of rubber1 and as ,i watched him ,i thought of the mental doublings and contortions of the preachers who have answered me4 ,let ,christians say what they will1 the ,bible is no longer the actual word of ,god2 it is no longer perfect2 it is no longer quite true4 ,the most that is now claimed for the ,bible by the ,higher ,critics is1 that some passages are inspired2 that some passages are true1 and that ,god has left man free to pick these passages out4 ,the ministers are preaching ,infidelity4 ,what would ,lyman ,beecher have thought of a man like ,dr4 ,abbott8 he would have consigned him to hell4 ,what would ,john ,wesley have thought of a ,methodist like ,dr4 ,cadman8 ,he would have denounced him as a child of the ,devil4 ,what would ,calvin have thought of a ,presbyterian like ,professor ,briggs8 ,he would have burned him at the stake1 and through the smoke and flame would have shouted1 ,you are a dog of ,satan4 ,how would ,jeremy ,taylor have treated an ,episcopalian like ,heber ,newton8 ,the ,governor of ,new ,hampshire is right when he says that ,christianity has declined4 ,the flames of faith are flickering1 zeal is cooling and even bigotry is beginning to see the other side4 ,i admit that there are still millions of orthodox ,christians whose minds are incapable of growth1 and who care no more for facts than a monitor does for bullets4 ,such obstructions on the highway of progress are removed only by death4 ,the dogma of eternal pain is no longer believed by the reasonably intelligent4 ,people who have a sense of justice know that eternal revenge cannot be enjoyed by infinite goodness4 ,they know that hell would make heaven impossible4 ,if ,christians believed in hell as they once did1 the fagots would be lighted again1 heretics would be stretched on the rack1 and all the instruments of torture would again be stained with innocent blood4 ,christianity has declined because intelligence has increased4 ,men and women who know something of the history of man1 of the horrors of plague1 famine and flood1 of earthquake1 volcano and cyclone1 of religious persecution and slavery1 have but little confidence in special providence4 ,they do not believe that a prayer was ever answered4 ,thousands of people who accept ,christ as a moral guide have thrown1 away the supernatural4 ,christianity does not satisfy the brain and heart4 ,it contains too many absurdities4 ,it is unphilosophic1 unnatural1 impossible4 ,not to resist evil is moral suicide4 ,to love your enemies is impossible4 ,to desert wife and children for the sake of heaven is cowardly and selfish4 ,to promise rewards for belief is dishonest4 ,to threaten torture for honest unbelief is infamous4 ,christianity is declining because men and women are growing better4 ,the ,governor was not satisfied with saying that ,christianity had declined1 but he added this3 ,every good citizen knows that when the restraining influences of religion are withdrawn from a community1 its decay1 moral1 mental and financial is swift and sure4 ,the restraining influences of religion have never been withdrawn from ,spain or ,portugal1 from ,austria or ,italy4 ,the restraining influences are still active in ,russia4 ,emperor ,william relies on them in ,germany1 and the same influences are very busy taking care of ,ireland4 ,if these influences should be withdrawn from ,spain there would be mental1 moral and financial decay4 ,is not this statement perfectly absurd8 ,the fact is that religion has reduced ,spain to a guitar1 ,italy to a hand organ and ,ireland to exile4 ,what are the restraining influences of religion8 ,i admit that religion can prevent people from eating meat on ,friday1 from dancing in ,lent1 from going to the theatre on holy days and from swearing in public4 ,in other words1 religion can restrain people from committing artificial offences4 ,but the real question is3 ,can religion restrain people from committing natural crimes8 ,the church teaches that ,god can and will forgive sins4 ,christianity sells sin on a credit4 ,it says to men and women1 ,be good2 do right2 but no matter how many crimes you commit you can be forgiven4 ,how can such a religion be regarded as a restraining influence6 ,there was a time when religion had power2 when the church ruled ,christendom2 when popes crowned and uncrowned kings4 ,was there at that time moral1 mental and financial growth8 ,did the nations thus restrained by religion1 prosper8 ,when these restraining influences were weakened1 when popes were humbled1 when creeds were denied1 did morality1 intelligence and prosperity begin to decay8 ,what are the restraining influences of religion8 ,did anybody ever hear of a policeman being dismissed because a new church had been organized8 ,christianity teaches that the man who does right carries a cross4 ,the exact opposite of this is true4 ,the cross is carried by the man who does wrong4 ,i believe in the restraining influences of intelligence4 ,intelligence is the only lever capable of raising mankind4 ,if you wish to make men moral and prosperous develop the brain4 ,men must be taught to rely on themselves4 ,to supplicate the supernatural is a waste of time4 ,the only evils that have been caused by the decline of ,christianity1 as pointed out by the ,governor1 are that in some villages they hear no solemn bells1 that the dead are buried without ,christian ceremony1 that marriages are contracted before ,justices of the ,peace1 and that children go unchristened4 ,these evils are hardly serious enough to cause moral1 mental and financial decay4 ,the average church bell is not very musical--not calculated to develop the mind or quicken the conscience4 ,the absence of the ordinary funeral sermon does not add to the horror of death1 and the failure to hear a minister say1 as he stands by the grave1 ,one star differs in glory from another star4 ,there is a difference between the flesh of fowl and fish4 ,be not deceived4 ,evil communications corrupt good manners1 does not necessarily increase the grief of the mourners4 ,so far as children are concerned1 if they are vaccinated1 it does not make much difference whether they are christened or not4 ,marriage is a civil contract1 and ,god is not one of the contracting parties4 ,it is a contract with which the church has no business to interfere4 ,marriage with us is regulated by law4 ,the real marriage--the uniting of hearts1 the lighting of the sacred flame in each--is the work of ,nature1 and it is the best work that nature does4 ,the ceremony of marriage gives notice to the world that the real marriage has taken place4 ,ministers have no real interest in marriages outside of the fees4 ,certainly marriages by ,justices of the ,peace cannot cause the mental1 moral and financial decay of a ,state4 ,the things pointed out by the ,governor were undoubtedly produced by the decline of ,christianity1 but they are not evils1 and they cannot possibly injure the people morally1 mentally or financially4 ,the ,governor calls on the people to think1 work and pray4 ,with two-thirds of this ,i agree4 ,if the people of ,new ,hampshire will think and work without praying they will grow morally1 mentally and financially4 ,if they pray without working and thinking1 they will decay4 ,prayer is beggary--an effort to get something for nothing4 ,labor is the honest prayer4 ,i do not think that the good and true in ,christianity are declining4 ,the good and true are more clearly perceived and more precious than ever4 ,the supernatural1 the miraculous part of ,christianity is declining4 ,the ,new ,testament has been compelled to acknowledge the jurisdiction of reason4 ,if ,christianity continues to decline at the same rate and ratio that it has declined in this generation1 in a few years all that is supernatural in the ,christian religion will cease to exist4 ,there is a conflict--a battle between the natural and the supernatural4 ,the natural was baffled and beaten for thousands of years4 ,the flag of defeat was carried by the few1 by the brave and wise1 by the real heroes of our race4 ,they were conquered1 captured1 imprisoned1 tortured and burned4 ,others took their places4 ,the banner was kept in the air4 ,in spite of countless defeats the army of the natural increased4 ,it began to gain victories4 ,it did not torture and kill the conquered4 ,it enlightened and blessed4 ,it fought ignorance with science1 cruelty with kindness1 slavery with justice1 and all vices with virtues4 ,in this great conflict we have passed midnight4 ,when the morning comes its rays will gild but one flag--the flag of the natural4 ,all over ,christendom religions are declining4 ,only children and the intellectually undeveloped have faith--the old faith that defies facts4 ,only a few years ago to be excommunicated by the pope blanched the cheeks of the bravest4 ,now the result would be laughter4 ,only a few years ago1 for the sake of saving heathen souls1 priests would brave all dangers and endure all hardships4 ,i once read the diary of a priest--one who long ago went down the ,illinois ,river1 the first white man to be borne on its waters4 ,in this diary he wrote that he had just been paid for all that he had suffered4 ,he had added a gem to the crown of his glory--had saved a soul for ,christ4 ,he had baptized a papoose4 ,that kind of faith has departed from the world4 ,the zeal that flamed in the hearts of ,calvin1 ,luther and ,knox1 is cold and dead4 ,where are the ,wesleys and ,whitfields8 ,where are the old evangelists1 the revivalists who swayed the hearts of their hearers with words of flame8 ,the preachers of our day have lost the ,promethean fire4 ,they have lost the tone of certainty1 of authority4 ,thus saith the ,lord has dwindled to perhaps4 ,sermons1 messages from ,god1 promises radiant with eternal joy1 threats lurid with the flames of hell--have changed to colorless essays2 to apologies and literary phrases2 to inferences and peradventures4 ,the blood-dyed vestures of the ,redeemer are not waving in triumph over the ramparts of sin and rebellion1 but over the fortresses of faith float the white flags of truce4 ,the trumpets no longer sound for battle1 but for parley4 ,the fires of hell have been extinguished1 and heaven itself is only a dream4 ,the eternal verities have changed to doubts4 ,the torch of inspiration1 choked with ashes1 has lost its flame4 ,there is no longer in the church a sound from heaven as of a rushing1 mighty wind2 no cloven tongues like as of fire2 no wonders in the heaven above1 and no signs in the earth beneath4 ,the miracles have faded away and the sceptre is passing from superstition to science--science1 the only possible savior of mankind4 ,a ,,look ,,backward ,,and ,a ,,prophecy4 99 ,written for the ,twenty-fifth ,anniversary ,number of the ,new ,york ,truth ,seeker1 ,september #c1 #ahih4 ,i ,,congratulate ,the ,truth ,seeker on its twenty-fifth birthday4 ,it has fought a good fight4 ,it has always been at the front4 ,it has carried the flag1 and its flag is a torch that sheds light4 ,twenty-five years ago the people of this country1 for the most part1 were quite orthodox4 ,the great fundamental falsehoods of ,christianity were generally accepted4 ,those who were not ,christians1 as a rule1 admitted that they ought to be2 that they ought to repent and join the church1 and this they generally intended to do4 ,the ministers had few doubts4 ,the most of them had been educated not to think1 but to believe4 ,thought was regarded as dangerous1 and the clergy1 as a rule1 kept on the safe side4 ,investigation was discouraged4 ,it was declared that faith was the only road that led to eternal joy4 ,most of the schools and colleges were under sectarian control1 and the presidents and professors were defenders of their creeds4 ,the people were crammed with miracles and stuffed with absurdities4 ,they were taught that the ,bible was the inspired word of ,god1 that it was absolutely perfect1 that the contradictions were only apparent1 and that it contained no mistakes in philosophy1 none in science4 ,the great scheme of salvation was declared to be the result of infinite wisdom and mercy4 ,heaven and hell were waiting for the human race4 ,only those could be saved who had faith and who had been born twice4 ,most of the ministers taught the geology of ,moses1 the astronomy of ,joshua1 and the philosophy of ,christ4 ,they regarded scientists as enemies1 and their principal business was to defend miracles and deny facts4 ,they knew1 however1 that men were thinking1 investigating in every direction1 and they feared the result4 ,they became a little malicious--somewhat hateful4 ,with their congregations they relied on sophistry1 and they answered their enemies with epithets1 with misrepresentations and slanders2 and yet their minds were filled with a vague fear1 with a sickening dread4 ,some of the people were reading and some were thinking4 ,lyell had told them something about geology1 and in the light of facts they were reading ,genesis again4 ,the clergy called ,lyell an ,infidel1 a blasphemer1 but the facts seemed to care nothing for opprobrious names4 ,then the called1 the set apart1 the ,lord's anointed began changing the inspired word4 ,they erased the word day and inserted period1 and then triumphantly exclaimed3 ,the world was created in six periods4 ,this answer satisfied bigotry1 hypocrisy1 and honest ignorance1 but honest intelligence was not satisfied4 ,more and more was being found about the history of life1 of living things1 the order in which the various forms had appeared and the relations they had sustained to each other4 ,beneath the gaze of the biologist the fossils were again clothed with flesh1 submerged continents and islands reappeared1 the ancient forest grew once more1 the air was filled with unknown birds1 the seas with armored monsters1 and the land with beasts of many forms that sought with tooth and claw each other's flesh4 ,haeckel and ,huxley followed life through all its changing forms from monad up to man4 ,they found that men1 women1 and children had been on this poor world for hundreds of thousands of years4 ,the clergy could not dodge these facts1 this conclusion1 by calling days periods1 because the ,bible gives the age of ,adam when he died1 the lives and ages to the flood1 to ,abraham1 to ,david1 and from ,david to ,christ1 so that1 according to the ,bible1 man at the birth of ,christ had been on this earth four thousand and four years and no more4 ,there was no way in which the sacred record could be changed1 but of course the dear ministers could not admit the conclusion arrived at by ,haeckel and ,huxley4 ,if they did they would have to give up original sin1 the scheme of the atonement1 and the consolation of eternal fire4 ,they took the only course they could4 ,they promptly and solemnly1 with upraised hands1 denied the facts1 denounced the biologists as irreverent wretches1 and defended the ,book4 ,with tears in their voices they talked about ,mother's ,bible1 about the faith of the fathers1 about the prayers that the children had said1 and they also talked about the wickedness of doubt4 ,this satisfied bigotry1 hypocrisy1 and honest ignorance1 but honest intelligence was not satisfied4 ,the works of ,humboldt had been translated1 and were being read2 the intellectual horizon was enlarged1 and the fact that the endless chain of cause and effect had never been broken1 that ,nature had never been interfered with1 forced its way into many minds4 ,this conception of nature was beyond the clergy4 ,they did not believe it2 they could not comprehend it4 ,they did not answer ,humboldt1 but they attacked him with great virulence4 ,they measured his works by the ,bible1 because the ,bible was then the standard4 ,in examining a philosophy1 a system1 the ministers asked3 ,does it agree with the sacred book8 ,with the ,bible they separated the gold from the dross4 ,every science had to be tested by the ,scriptures4 ,humboldt did not agree with ,moses4 ,he differed from ,joshua4 ,he had his doubts about the flood4 ,that was enough4 ,yet1 after all1 the ministers felt that they were standing on thin ice1 that they were surrounded by masked batteries1 and that something unfortunate was liable at any moment to happen4 ,this increased their efforts to avoid1 to escape4 ,the truth was that they feared the truth4 ,they were afraid of facts4 ,they became exceedingly anxious for morality1 for the young1 for the inexperienced4 ,they were afraid to trust human nature4 ,they insisted that without the ,bible the world would rush to crime4 ,they warned the thoughtless of the danger of thinking4 ,they knew that it would be impossible for civilization to exist without the ,bible4 ,they knew this because their ,god had tried it4 ,he gave no ,bible to the antediluvians1 and they became so bad that he had to destroy them4 ,he gave the ,jews only the ,old ,testament1 and they were dispersed4 ,irreverent people might say that ,jehovah should have known this without a trial1 but after all that has nothing to do with theology4 ,attention had been called to the fact that two accounts of creation are in ,genesis1 and that they do not agree and cannot be harmonized1 and that1 in addition to that1 the divine historian had made a mistake as to the order of creation2 that according to one account ,adam was made before the animals1 and ,eve last of all1 from ,adam's rib2 and by the other account ,adam and ,eve were made after the animals1 and both at the same time4 ,a good many people were surprised to find that the ,creator had written contradictory accounts of the creation1 and had forgotten the order in which he created4 ,then there was another difficulty4 ,jehovah had declared that on ,tuesday1 or during the second period1 he had created the firmament to divide the waters which were below the firmament from the waters above the firmament4 ,it was found that there is no firmament2 that the moisture in the air is the result of evaporation1 and that there was nothing to divide the waters above1 from the waters below4 ,so that1 according to the facts1 ,jehovah did nothing on the second day or period1 because the moisture above the earth is not prevented from falling by the firmament1 but because the mist is lighter than air4 ,the preachers1 however1 began to dodge1 to evade1 to talk about oriental imagery4 ,they declared that ,genesis was a sublime poem1 a divine panorama of creation1 an inspired vision2 that it was not intended to be exact in its details1 but that it was true in a far higher sense1 in a poetical sense1 in a spiritual sense1 conveying a truth much higher1 much grander than simple1 fact4 ,the contradictions were covered with the mantle of oriental imagery4 ,this satisfied bigotry1 hypocrisy1 and honest ignorance1 but honest intelligence was not satisfied4 ,people were reading ,darwin4 ,his works interested not only the scientific1 but the intelligent in all the walks of life4 ,darwin was the keenest observer of all time1 the greatest naturalist in all the world4 ,he was patient1 modest1 logical1 candid1 courageous1 and absolutely truthful4 ,he told the actual facts4 ,he colored nothing4 ,he was anxious only to ascertain the truth4 ,he had no prejudices1 no theories1 no creed4 ,he was the apostle of the real4 ,the ministers greeted him with shouts of derision4 ,from nearly all the pulpits came the sounds of ignorant laughter1 one of the saddest of all sounds4 ,the clergy in a vague kind of way believed the ,bible account of creation2 they accepted the ,miltonic view2 they believed that all animals1 including man1 had been made of clay1 fashioned by ,jehovah's hands1 and that he had breathed into all forms1 not only the breath of life1 but instinct and reason4 ,they were not in the habit of descending to particulars2 they did not describe ,jehovah as kneading the clay or modeling his forms like a sculptor1 but what they did say included these things4 ,the theory of ,darwin contradicted all their ideas on the subject1 vague as they were4 ,he showed that man had not appeared at first as man1 that he had not fallen from perfection1 but had slowly risen through many ages from lower forms4 ,he took food1 climate1 and all conditions into consideration1 and accounted for difference of form1 function1 instinct1 and reason1 by natural causes4 ,he dispensed with the supernatural4 ,he did away with ,jehovah the potter4 ,of course the theologians denounced him as a blasphemer1 as a dethroner of ,god4 ,they even went so far as to smile at his ignorance4 ,they said3 ,if the theory of ,darwin is true the ,bible is false1 our ,god is a myth1 and our religion a fable4 ,in that they were right4 ,against ,darwin they rained texts of ,scripture like shot and shell4 ,they believed that they were victorious and their congregations were delighted4 ,poor little frightened professors in religious colleges sided with the clergy4 ,hundreds of backboneless scientists ranged themselves with the enemies of ,darwin4 ,it began to look as though the church was victorious4 ,slowly1 steadily1 the ideas of ,darwin gained ground4 ,he began to be understood4 ,men of sense were reading what he said4 ,men of genius were on his side4 ,in a little while the really great in all departments of human thought declared in his favor4 ,the tide began to turn4 ,the smile on the face of the theologian became a frozen grin4 ,the preachers began to hedge1 to dodge4 ,they admitted that the ,bible was not inspired for the purpose of teaching science--only inspired about religion1 about the spiritual1 about the divine4 ,the fortifications of faith were crumbling1 the old guns had been spiked1 and the armies of the living ,god were in retreat4 ,great questions were being discussed1 and freely discussed4 ,people were not afraid to give their opinions1 and they did give their honest thoughts4 ,draper had shown in his ,intellectual ,development of ,europe that ,catholicism had been the relentless enemy of progress1 the bitter foe of all that is really useful4 ,the ,protestants were delighted with this book4 ,buckle had shown in his ,history of ,civilization in ,england that ,protestantism had also enslaved the mind1 had also persecuted to the extent of its power1 and that ,protestantism in its last analysis was substantially the same as the creed of ,rome4 ,this book satisfied the thoughtful4 ,hegel in his first book had done a great work and it did great good in spite of the fact that his second book was almost a surrender4 ,lecky in his first volume of ,the ,history of ,rationalism shed a flood of light on the meanness1 the cruelty1 and the malevolence of revealed religion1 and this did good in spite of the fact that he almost apologizes in the second volume for what he had said in the first4 ,the ,universalists had done good4 ,they had civilized a great many ,christians4 ,they declared that eternal punishment was infinite revenge1 and that the ,god of hell was an infinite savage4 ,some of the ,unitarians1 following the example of ,theodore ,parker1 denounced ,jehovah as a brutal1 tribal ,god4 ,all these forces worked together for the development of the orthodox brain4 ,herbert ,spencer was being read and understood4 ,the theories of this great philosopher were being adopted4 ,he overwhelmed the theologians with facts1 and from a great height he surveyed the world4 ,of course he was attacked1 but not answered4 ,emerson had sowed the seeds of thought--of doubt--in many minds1 and from many directions the world was being flooded with intellectual light4 ,the clergy became apologetic2 they spoke with less certainty2 with less emphasis1 and lost a little confidence in the power of assertion4 ,they felt the necessity of doing something1 and they began to harmonize as best they could the old lies and the new truths4 ,they tried to get the wreck ashore1 and many of them were willing to surrender if they could keep their side-arms2 that is to say1 their salaries4 ,conditions had been reversed4 ,the ,bible had ceased to be the standard4 ,science was the supreme and final test4 ,there was no peace for the pulpit2 no peace for the shepherds4 ,students of the ,bible in ,england and ,germany had been examining the inspired ,scriptures4 ,they had been trying to find when and by whom the books of the ,bible were written4 ,they found that the ,pentateuch was not written by ,moses2 that the authors of ,joshua1 ,judges1 ,ruth1 ,samuel1 ,kings1 ,chronicles1 ,esther1 and ,job were not known2 that the ,psalms were not written by ,david2 that ,solomon had nothing to do with ,proverbs1 ,ecclesiastes1 or the ,song2 that ,isaiah was the work of at least three authors2 that the prophecies of ,daniel were written after the happening of the events prophesied4 ,they found many mistakes and contradictions1 and some of them went so far as to assert that the ,hebrews had never been slaves in ,egypt2 that the story of the plagues1 the exodus1 and the pursuit was only a myth4 ,the ,new ,testament fared no better than the ,old4 ,these critics found that nearly all of the books of the ,new ,testament had been written by unknown men2 that it was impossible to fix the time when they were written2 that many of the miracles were absurd and childish1 and that in addition to all of this1 the gospels were found filled with mistakes1 with interpolations' and contradictions2 that the writers of ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke did not understand the ,christian religion as it was understood by the author of the gospel according to ,john4 ,of course1 the critics were denounced from most of the pulpits1 and the religious papers1 edited generally by men who had failed as preachers1 were filled with bitter denials and vicious attacks4 ,the religious editors refused to be enlightened4 ,they fought under the old flag4 ,when dogmas became too absurd to be preached1 they were taught in the ,sunday schools2 when worn out there1 they were given to the missionaries2 but the dear old religious weeklies1 the ,banners1 the ,covenants1 the ,evangelists1 continued to feed their provincial subscribers with known mistakes and refuted lies4 ,there is another fact that should be taken into consideration4 ,all religions are provincial4 ,mingled with them all and at the foundation of all are the egotism of ignorance1 of isolation1 the pride of race1 and what is called patriotism4 ,every religion is a natural product--the result of conditions4 ,when one tribe became acquainted with another1 the ideas of both were somewhat modified4 ,so when nations and races come into contact a change in thought1 in opinion1 is a necessary result4 ,a few years ago nations were strangers1 and consequently hated each other's institutions and religions4 ,commerce has done a great work in destroying provincialism4 ,to trade commodities is to exchange ideas4 ,so the press1 the steamships1 the railways1 cables1 and telegraphs have brought the nations together and enabled them to compare their prejudices1 their religions1 laws and customs4 ,recently many scholars have been studying the religions of the world and have found them much the same4 ,they have also found that there is nothing original in ,christianity2 that the legends1 miracles1 ,christs1 and conditions of salvation1 the heavens1 hells1 angels1 devils1 and gods were the common property of the ancient world4 ,they found that ,christ was a new name for an old biography2 that he was not a life1 but a legend2 not a man1 but a myth4 ,people began to suspect that our religion had not been supernaturally revealed1 while others1 far older and substantially the same1 had been naturally produced4 ,they found it difficult to account for the fact that poor1 ignorant savages had in the darkness of nature written so well that ,jehovah thousands of years afterwards copied it and adopted it as his own4 ,they thought it curious that ,god should be a plagiarist4 ,these scholars found that all the old religions had recognized the existence of devils1 of evil spirits1 who sought in countless ways to injure the children of men4 ,in this respect they found that the sacred books of other nations were just the same as our ,bible1 as our ,new ,testament4 ,take the ,devil from our religion and the entire fabric falls4 ,no ,devil1 no fall of man4 ,no ,devil1 no atonement4 ,no ,devil1 no hell4 ,the ,devil is the keystone of the arch4 ,and yet for many years the belief in the existence of the ,devil--of evil spirits--has been fading from the minds of intelligent people4 ,this belief has now substantially vanished4 ,the minister who now seriously talks about a personal ,devil is regarded with a kind of pitying contempt4 ,the ,devil has faded from his throne and the evil spirits have vanished from the air4 ,the man who has really given up a belief in the existence of the ,devil cannot believe in the inspiration of the ,new ,testament--in the divinity of ,christ4 ,if ,christ taught anything1 if he believed in anything1 he taught a belief in the existence of the ,devil44,his principal business was casting out devils4 ,he himself was taken possession of by the ,devil and carried to the top of the temple4 ,thousands and thousands of people have ceased to believe the account in the ,new ,testament regarding devils1 and yet continue to believe in the dogma of inspiration and the divinity of ,christ4 ,in the brain of the average ,christian1 contradictions dwell in unity4 ,while a belief in the existence of the ,devil has almost faded away1 the belief in the existence of a personal ,god has been somewhat weakened4 ,the old belief that back of nature1 back of all substance and force1 was and is a personal ,god1 an infinite intelligence who created and governs the world1 began to be questioned4 ,the scientists had shown the indestructibility of matter and force4 ,buechner's great work had convinced most readers that matter and force could not have been created4 ,they also became satisfied that matter cannot exist apart from force and that force cannot exist apart from matter4 ,they found1 too1 that thought is a form of force1 and that consequently intelligence could not have existed before matter1 because without matter1 force in any form cannot and could not exist4 ,the creator of anything is utterly unthinkable4 ,a few years ago ,god was supposed to govern the world4 ,he rewarded the people with sunshine1 with prosperity and health1 or he punished with drought and flood1 with plague and storm4 ,he not only attended to the affairs of nations1 but he watched the actions of individuals4 ,he sank ships1 derailed trains1 caused conflagrations1 killed men and women with his lightnings1 destroyed some with earthquakes1 and tore the homes and bodies of thousands into fragments with his cyclones4 ,in spite of the church1 in spite of the ministers1 the people began to lose confidence in ,providence4 ,the right did not seem always to triumph4 ,virtue was not always rewarded and vice was not always punished4 ,the good failed2 the vicious succeeded2 the strong and cruel enslaved the weak2 toil was paid with the lash2 babes were sold from the breasts of mothers1 and ,providence seemed to be absolutely heartless4 ,in other words1 people began to think that the ,god of the ,christians and the ,god of nature were about the same1 and that neither appeared to take any care of the human race4 ,the ,deists of the last century scoffed at the ,bible ,god4 ,he was too cruel1 too savage4 ,at the same time they praised the ,god of nature4 ,they laughed at the idea of inspiration and denied the supernatural origin of the ,scriptures4 ,now1 if the ,bible is not inspired1 then it is a natural production1 and nature1 not ,god1 should be held responsible for the ,scriptures4 ,yet the ,deists denied that ,god was the author and at the same time asserted the perfection of nature4 ,this shows that even in the minds of ,deists contradictions dwell in unity4 ,against all these facts and forces1 these theories and tendencies1 the clergy fought and prayed4 ,it is not claimed that they were consciously dishonest1 but it is claimed that they were prejudiced--that they were incapable of examining the other side--that they were utterly destitute of the philosophic spirit4 ,they were not searchers for the facts1 but defenders of the creeds1 and undoubtedly they were the product of conditions and surroundings1 and acted as they must4 ,in spite of everything a few rays of light penetrated the orthodox mind4 ,many ministers accepted some of the new facts1 and began to mingle with ,christian mistakes a few scientific truths4 ,in many instances they excited the indignation of their congregations4 ,some were tried for heresy and driven from their pulpits1 and some organized new churches and gathered about them a few people willing to listen to the sincere thoughts of an honest man4 ,the great body of the church1 however1 held to the creed--not quite believing it1 but still insisting that it was true4 ,in private conversation they would apologize and admit that the old ideas were outgrown1 but in public they were as orthodox as ever4 ,in every church1 however1 there were many priests who accepted the new gospel2 that is to say1 welcomed the truth4 ,to-day it may truthfully be said that the ,bible in the old sense is no longer regarded as the inspired word of ,god4 ,jehovah is no longer accepted or believed in as the creator of the universe4 ,his place has been taken by the ,unknown1 the ,unseen1 the ,invisible1 the ,incomprehensible ,something1 the ,cosmic ,dust1 the ,first ,cause1 the ,inconceivable1 the ,original ,force1 the ,mystery4 ,the ,god of the ,bible1 the gentleman who walked in the cool of the evening1 who talked face to face with ,moses1 who revenged himself on unbelievers and who gave laws written with his finger on tables of stone1 has abdicated4 ,he has become a myth4 ,so1 too1 the ,new ,testament has lost its authority4 ,people reason about it now as they do about other books1 and even orthodox ministers pick out the miracles that ought to be believed1 and when anything is attributed to ,christ not in accordance with their views1 they take the liberty of explaining it away by saying interpolation4 ,in other words1 we have lived to see ,science the standard instead of the ,bible4 ,we have lived to see the ,bible tested by ,science1 and1 what is more1 we have lived to see reason the standard not only in religion1 but in all the domain of science4 ,now all civilized scientists appeal to reason4 ,they get their facts1 and then reason from the foundation4 ,now the theologian appeals to reason4 ,faith is no longer considered a foundation4 ,the theologian has found that he must build upon the truth and that he must establish this truth by satisfying human reason4 ,this is where we are now4 ,what is to be the result8 ,is progress to stop8 ,are we to retrace our steps8 ,are we going back to superstition8 ,are we going to take authority for truth8 ,let me prophesy4 ,in modern times we have slowly lost confidence in the supernatural and have slowly gained confidence in the natural4 ,we have slowly lost confidence in gods and have slowly gained confidence in man4 ,for the cure of disease1 for the stopping of plague1 we depend on the natural--on science4 ,we have lost confidence in holy water and religious processions4 ,we have found that prayers are never answered4 ,in my judgment1 all belief in the supernatural will be driven from the human mind4 ,all religions must pass away4 ,the augurs1 the soothsayers1 the seers1 the preachers1 the astrologers and alchemists will all lie in the same cemetery and one epitaph will do for them all4 ,in a little while all will have had their day4 ,they were naturally produced and they will be naturally destroyed4 ,man at last will depend entirely upon himself--on the development of the brain--to the end that he may take advantage of the forces of nature--to the end that he may supply the wants of his body and feed the hunger of his mind4 ,in my judgment1 teachers will take the place of preachers and the interpreters of nature will be the only priests4 ,,political ,,morality4 ,,the room of the ,house ,committee on ,elections was crowded this morning with committeemen and spectators to listen to an argument by ,col4 ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll in the contested election case of ,strobach against ,herbert1 of the ,i,id ,alabama district4 ,colonel ,ingersoll appeared for ,strobach1 the contestant4 ,while most of his argument was devoted to the dry details of the testimony1 he entered into some discussion of the general principles involved in contested election cases1 and spoke with great eloquence and force4 ,the mere personal controversy1 as between ,herbert and ,strobach1 is not worth talking about4 ,it is a question as to whether or not the republican system is a failure4 ,unless the will of the majority can be ascertained1 and surely ascertained1 through the medium of the ballot1 the foundation of this ,government rests upon nothing--the ,government ceases to be4 ,i would a thousand time rather a ,democrat should come to ,congress from this district1 or from any district1 than that a ,republican should come who was not honestly elected4 ,i would a thousand times rather that this country should honestly go to destruction than dishonestly and fraudulently go anywhere4 ,we want it settled whether this form of government is or is not a failure4 ,that is the real question1 and it is the question at issue in every one of these cases4 ,has ,congress power and has ,congress the sense to say to-day1 that no man shall sit as a maker of laws for the people who has not been honestly elected8 ,whenever you admit a man to ,congress and allow him to vote and make laws1 you poison the source of justice--you poison the source of power2 and the moment the people begin to think that many members of ,congress are there through fraud1 that moment they cease to have respect for the legislative department of this ,government--that moment they cease to have respect for the sovereignty of the people represented by fraud4 ,now1 as ,i have said1 ,i care nothing about the personal part of it1 and1 maybe you will not believe me1 but ,i care nothing about the political part4 ,the question is1 ,who has the right on his side8 ,who is honestly entitled to this seat8 ,that is infinitely more important than any personal or party question4 ,my doctrine is that a majority of the people must control--that we have in this country a king1 that we have in this country a sovereign1 just as truly as they can have in any other1 and1 as a matter of fact1 a republic is the only country that does in truth have a sovereign1 and that sovereign is the legally expressed will of the people4 ,so that any man that puts in a fraudulent vote is a traitor to that sovereign2 any man that knowingly counts an illegal vote is a traitor to that sovereign1 and is not fit to be a citizen of the great ,republic4 ,any man who fraudulently throws out a vote1 knowing it to be a legal vote1 tampers with the source of power1 and is1 in fact1 false to our institutions4 ,now1 these are the questions to be decided1 and ,i want them decided1 not because this case happens to come from the ,south any more than if it came from the ,north4 ,it is a matter that concerns the whole country4 ,we must decide it4 ,there must be a law on the subject4 ,we have got to lay down a stringent rule that shall apply to these cases4 ,there should be--there must be--such a thing as political morality so far as voting is concerned4--,new ,york ,tribune1 ,may #ac1 #ahhc4 ,a ,,few ,,reasons ,,for ,,doubting ,,the ,,inspiration ,,of ,,the ,,bible4 99 ,printed from manuscript notes found among ,colonel ,ingersoll's papers1 evidently written in the early '#hj's4 ,while much of the argument and criticism will be found embodied in his various lectures magazine articles and contributions to the press1 it was thought too valuable in its present form to be left out of a complete edition of his works1 on account of too much repetition4 ,undoubtedly it was the author's intention to go through the ,bible in this same manner and to publish in book form4 ,a few ,reasons for doubting the ,inspiration of the ,bible4 ,,the ,old ,testament must have been written nearly two thousand years before the invention of printing4 ,there were but few copies1 and these were in the keeping of those whose interest might have prompted interpolations1 and whose ignorance might have led to mistakes4 ,second4 ,the written ,hebrew was composed entirely of consonants1 without any points or marks standing for vowels1 so that anything like accuracy was impossible4 ,anyone can test this for himself by writing an ,english sentence1 leaving out the vowels4 ,it will take far more inspiration to read than to write a book with consonants alone4 ,third4 ,the books composing the ,old ,testament were not divided into chapters or verses1 and no system of punctuation was known4 ,think of this a moment and you will see how difficult it must be to read such a book4 ,fourth4 ,there was not among the ,jews any dictionary of their language1 and for this reason the accurate meaning of words could not be preserved4 ,now the different meanings of words are preserved so that by knowing the age in which a writer lived we can ascertain with reasonable certainty his meaning4 ,fifth4 ,the ,old ,testament was printed for the first time in #adhh4 ,until this date it existed only in manuscript1 and was constantly exposed to erasures and additions4 ,sixth4 ,it is now admitted by the most learned in the ,hebrew language that in our present ,english version of the ,old ,testament there are at least one hundred thousand errors4 ,of course the believers in inspiration assert that these errors are not sufficient in number to cast the least suspicion upon any passages upholding what are called the fundamentals4 ,seventh4 ,it is not certainly known who in fact wrote any of the books of the ,old ,testament4 ,for instance1 it is now generally conceded that ,moses was not the author of the ,pentateuch4 ,eighth4 ,other books1 not now in existence1 are referred to in the ,old ,testament as of equal authority1 such as the books of ,jasher1 ,nathan1 ,ahijah1 ,iddo1 ,jehu1 ,sayings of the ,seers4 ,ninth4 ,the ,christians are not agreed among themselves as to what books are inspired4 ,the ,catholics claim as inspired the books of ,maccabees1 ,tobit1 ,esdras1 etc4 ,others doubt the inspiration of ,esther1 ,ecclesiastes1 and the ,song of ,solomon4 ,tenth4 ,in the book of ,esther and the ,song of ,solomon the name of ,god is not mentioned1 and no reference is made to any supreme being1 nor to any religious duty4 ,these omissions would seem sufficient to cast a little doubt upon these books4 ,eleventh4 ,within the present century manuscript copies of the ,old ,testament have been found throwing new light and changing in many instances the present readings4 ,in consequence a new version is now being made by a theological syndicate composed of ,english and ,american divines1 and after this is published it may be that our present ,bible will fall into disrepute4 ,twelfth4 ,the fact that language is continually changing1 that words are constantly dying and others being born2 that the same word has a variety of meanings during its life1 shows hew hard it is to preserve the original ideas that might have been expressed in the ,scriptures1 for thousands of years1 without dictionaries1 without the art of printing1 and without the light of contemporaneous literature4 ,thirteenth4 ,whatever there was of the ,old ,testament seems to have been lost from the time of ,moses until the days of ,josiah1 and it is probable that nothing like the ,bible existed in any permanent form among the ,jews until a few hundred years before ,christ4 ,it is said that ,ezra gave the ,pentateuch to the ,jews1 but whether he found or originated it is unknown4 ,so it is claimed that ,nehemiah gathered up the manuscripts about the kings and prophets1 while the books of ,job1 ,psalms1 ,proverbs1 ,ruth1 ,ecclesiastes1 and some others were either collected or written long after4 ,the ,jews themselves did not agree as to what books were really inspired4 ,fourteenth4 ,in the ,old ,testament we find several contradictory laws about the same thing1 and contradictory accounts of the same occurrences4 ,in the twentieth chapter of ,exodus we find the first account of the giving of the ,ten ,commandments4 ,in the thirty-fourth chapter another account is given4 ,these two accounts could never have been written by the same person4 ,read these two accounts and you will be forced to admit that one of them cannot be true4 ,so there are two histories of the creation1 of the flood1 and of the manner in which ,saul became king4 ,fifteenth4 ,it is now generally admitted that ,genesis must have been written by two persons1 and the parts written by each can be separated1 and when separated they are found to contradict each other in many important particulars4 ,sixteenth4 ,it is also admitted that copyists made verbal changes not only1 but pieced out fragments2 that the speeches of ,elihu in the book of ,job were all interpolated1 and that most of the prophecies were made by persons whose names we have never known4 ,seventeenth4 ,the manuscripts of the ,old ,testament were not alike1 and the ,greek version differed from the ,hebrew1 and there was no absolutely received text of the ,old ,testament until after the commencement of the ,christian era4 ,marks and points to denote vowels were invented probably about the seventh century after ,christ4 ,whether these vowels were put in the proper places or not is still an open question4 ,eighteenth4 ,the ,alexandrian version1 or what is known as the ,septuagint1 translated by seventy learned ,jews1 assisted by miraculous power1 about two hundred years before ,christ1 could not have been1 it is said1 translated from the ,hebrew text that we now have4 ,the differences can only be accounted for by supposing that they had a different ,hebrew text4 ,the early ,christian ,churches adopted the ,septuagint1 and were satisfied for a time4 ,but so many errors were found1 and so many were scanning every word in search of something to sustain their peculiar views1 that several new versions appeared1 all different somewhat from the ,hebrew manuscripts1 from the ,septuagint1 and from each other4 ,all these versions were in ,greek4 ,the first ,latin ,bible originated in ,africa1 but no one has ever found out which ,latin manuscript was the original4 ,many were produced1 and all differed from each other4 ,these ,latin versions were compared with each other and with the ,hebrew1 and a new ,latin version was made in the fifth century1 but the old ,latin versions held their own for about four hundred years1 and no one yet knows which were right4 ,besides these there were ,egyptian1 ,ethiopie1 ,armenian1 and several others1 all differing from each other as well as from all others in the world4 ,it was not until the fourteenth century that the ,bible was translated into ,german1 and not until the fifteenth that ,bibles were printed in the principal languages of ,europe4 ,of these ,bibles there were several kinds--,luther's1 the ,dort1 ,king ,james's1 ,genevan1 ,french1 besides the ,danish and ,swedish4 ,most of these differed from each other1 and gave rise to infinite disputes and crimes without number4 ,the earliest fragment of the ,bible in the ,saxon language known to exist was written sometime in the seventh century4 ,the first ,bible was printed in ,england in #aech4 ,in #aefj the first ,english ,bible was printed that was divided into verses4 ,under ,henry ,,viii4 the ,bible was revised2 again under ,queen ,elizabeth1 and once again under ,king ,james4 ,this last was published in #afaa1 and is the one now in general use4 ,nineteenth4 ,no one in the world has learning enough1 nor has he time enough even if he had the learning1 and could live a thousand years1 to find out what books really belong to and constitute the ,old ,testament1 the authors of these books1 when they were written1 and what they really mean4 ,and until a man has the learning and the time to do all this he cannot certainly tell whether he believes the ,bible or not4 ,twentieth4 ,if a revelation from ,god was actually necessary to the happiness of man here and to his salvation hereafter1 it is not easy to see why such revelation was not given to all the nations of the earth4 ,why were the millions of ,asia1 ,egypt1 and ,america left to the insufficient light of nature4 ,why was not a written1 or what is still better1 a printed revelation given to ,adam and ,eve in the ,garden of ,eden8 ,and why were the ,jews themselves without a ,bible until the days of ,ezra the scribe8 ,why was nature not so made that it would give light enough8 ,why did ,god make men and leave them in darkness--a darkness that he1 knew would fill the world with want and crime1 and crowd with damned souls the dungeons of his hell8 ,were the ,jews the only people who needed a revelation8 ,it may be said that ,god had no time to waste with other nations1 and gave the ,bible to the ,jews that other nations through them might learn of his existence and his will4 ,if he wished other nations to be informed1 and revealed himself to but one1 why did he not choose a people that mingled with others8 ,why did he give the message to those who had no commerce1 who were obscure and unknown1 and who regarded other nations with the hatred born of bigotry and weakness8 ,what would we now think of a ,god who made his will known to the ,south ,sea ,islanders for the benefit of the civilized world8 ,if it was of such vast importance for man to know that there is a ,god1 why did not ,god make himself known8 ,this fact could have been revealed by an infinite being instantly to all1 and there certainly was no necessity of telling it alone to the ,jews1 and allowing millions for thousands of years to die in utter ignorance4 ,twenty-first4 ,the ,chinese1 ,japanese1 ,hindus1 ,tartars1 ,africans1 ,eskimo1 ,persians1 ,turks1 ,kurds1 ,arabs1 ,polynesians1 and many other peoples1 are substantially ignorant of the ,bible4 ,all the ,bible societies of the world have produced only about one hundred and twenty millions of ,bibles1 and there are about fourteen hundred million people4 ,there are hundreds of languages and tongues in which no ,bible has yet been printed4 ,why did ,god allow1 and why does he still allow1 a vast majority of his children to remain in ignorance of his will8 ,twenty-second4 ,if the ,bible is the foundation of all civilization1 of all just ideas of right and wrong1 of our duties to ,god and each other1 why did ,god not give to each nation at least one copy to start with8 ,he must have known that no nation could get along successfully without a ,bible1 and he also knew that man could not make one for himself4 ,why1 then1 were not the books furnished8 ,he must have known that the light of nature was not sufficient to reveal the scheme of the atonement1 the necessity of baptism1 the immaculate conception1 transubstantiation1 the arithmetic of the ,trinity1 or the resurrection of the dead4 ,twenty-third4 ,it is probably safe to say that not one-third of the inhabitants of this world ever heard of the ,bible1 and not one-tenth ever read it4 ,it is also safe to say that no two persons who ever read it agreed as to its meaning1 and it is not likely that even one person has ever understood it4 ,nothing is more needed at the present time than an inspired translator4 ,then we shall need an inspired commentator1 and the translation and the commentary should be written in an inspired universal language1 incapable of change1 and then the whole world should be inspired to understand this language precisely the same4 ,until these things are accomplished1 all written revelations from ,god will fill the world with contending sects1 contradictory creeds and opinions4 ,twenty-fourth4 ,all persons who know anything of constitutions and laws know how impossible it is to use words that will convey the same ideas to all4 ,the best statesmen1 the profoundest lawyers1 differ as widely about the real meaning of treaties and statutes as do theologians about the ,bible4 ,when the differences of lawyers are left to courts1 and the courts give written decisions1 the lawyers will again differ as to the real meaning of the opinions4 ,probably no two lawyers in the ,united ,states understand our ,constitution alike4 ,to allow a few men to tell what the ,constitution means1 and to hang for treason all who refuse to accept the opinions of these few men1 would accomplish in politics what most churches have asked for in religion4 ,twenty-fifth4 ,is it very wicked to deny that the universe was created of nothing by an infinite being who existed from all eternity8 ,the human mind is such that it cannot possibly conceive of creation1 neither can it conceive of an infinite being who dwelt in infinite space an infinite length of time4 ,twenty-sixth4 ,the idea that the universe was made in six days1 and is but about six thousand years old1 is too absurd for serious refutation4 ,neither will it do to say that the six days were six periods1 because this does away with the ,sabbath1 and is in direct violation of the text4 ,twenty-seventh4 ,neither is it reasonable that this ,god made man out of dust1 and woman out of one of the ribs of the man2 that this pair were put in a garden2 that they were deceived by a snake that had the power of speech2 that they were turned out of this garden to prevent them from eating of the tree of life and becoming immortal2 that ,god himself made them clothes2 that the sons of ,god intermarried with the daughters of men2 that to destroy all life upon the earth a flood was sent that covered the highest mountains2 that ,noah and his sons built an ark and saved some of all animals as well as themselves2 that the people tried to build a tower that would reach to heaven2 that ,god confounded their language1 and in this way frustrated their design4 ,twenty-eighth4 ,it is hard to believe that ,god talked to ,abraham as one man talks to another2 that he gave him land that he pointed out2 that he agreed to give him land that he never did2 that he ordered him to murder his own son2 that angels were in the habit of walking about the earth eating veal dressed with butter and milk1 and making bargains about the destruction of cities4 ,twenty-ninth4 ,certainly a man ought not to be eternally damned for entertaining an honest doubt about a woman having been turned into a pillar of salt1 about cities being destroyed by storms of fire and brimstone1 and about people once having lived for nearly a thousand years4 ,thirtieth4 ,neither is it probable that ,god really wrestled with ,jacob and put his thigh out of joint1 and that for that reason the ,jews refused to eat the sinew that shrank1 as recounted in the thirty-second chapter of ,genesis2 that ,god in the likeness of a flame inhabited a bush2 that he amused himself by changing the rod of ,moses into a serpent1 and making his hand leprous as snow4 ,thirty-first4 ,one can scarcely be blamed for hesitating to believe that ,god met ,moses at a hotel and tried to kill him that afterward he made this same ,moses a god to ,pharaoh1 and gave him his brother ,aaron for a prophet2#b that he turned all the ponds and pools and streams and all the rivers into blood1#c and all the water in vessels of wood and stone2 that the rivers thereupon brought forth frogs2#d that the frogs covered the whole land of ,egypt2 that he changed dust into lice1 so that all the men1 women1 children1 and animals were covered with them2#f that he sent swarms of flies upon the ,egyptians2#h that he destroyed the innocent cattle with painful diseases2 that he covered man and beast with blains and boils2#g that he so covered the magicians of ,egypt with boils that they could not stand before ,moses for the purpose of performing the same feats1 that he destroyed every beast and every man that was in the fields1 and every herb1 and broke every tree with storm of hail and fire2#i that he sent locusts that devoured every herb that escaped the hail1 and devoured every tree that grew2#aj that he caused thick darkness over the land and put lights in the houses of the ,jews2#aa that he destroyed all of the firstborn of ,egypt1 from the firstborn of ,pharaoh upon the throne to the firstborn of the maidservant that sat behind the mill1#ab together with the firstborn of all beasts1 so that there was not a house in which the dead were not4 #a ,ex4 iv1 #bd4 #e ,ex4 viii1 #af1 #ag4 #i ,ex4 ix1 #be4 #b ,ex4 vii4 #a4 #f ,ex4 viii1 #ba4 #aj ,ex4 x1 #ae4 #c ,ex4 viii1 #ai4 #g ,ex4 ix1 #i4 #aa ,ex4 x1 #bb1 #bc4 #d ,ex4 viii1 #c4 #h ,ex4 ix1 #aa4 #ab ,ex4 xi1 #e4 #ac ,ex4 xii1 #bi4 ,thirty-second4 ,it is very hard to believe that three millions of people left a country and marched twenty or thirty miles all in one day4 ,to notify so many people would require a long time1 and then the sick1 the halt1 and the old would be apt to impede the march4 ,it seems impossible that such a vast number--six hundred thousand men1 besides women and children--could have been cared for1 could have been fed and clothed1 and the sick nursed1 especially when we take into consideration that they were thrust out of ,egypt1 and could not tarry1 neither had they prepared for themselves any victual4 #a ,thirty-third4 ,it seems cruel to punish a man forever for denying that ,god went before the ,jews by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead' them the way1 and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night1 or for denying that ,pharaoh pursued the ,jews with six hundred chosen chariots1 and all the chariots of ,egypt1 and that the six hundred thousand men of war of the ,jews were sore afraid when they saw the pursuing hosts4 ,it does seems strange that after all the water in a country had been turned to blood--after it had been overrun with frogs and devoured with flies2 after all the cattle had died with the murrain1 and the rest had been killed by the fire and hail and the remainder had suffered with boils1 and the firstborn of all that were left had died2 that after locusts had devoured every herb and eaten up every tree of the field1 and the firstborn had died1 from the firstborn of the king on the throne to the firstborn of the captive in the dungeon2 that after three millions of people had left1 carrying with them the jewels of silver and gold and the raiment of their oppressors1 the ,egyptians still had enough soldiers and chariots and horses left to pursue and destroy an army of six hundred thousand men1 if ,god had not interfered4 #a ,ex4 xii1 #cg-ci ,thirty-fourth4 ,it certainly ought to satisfy ,god to torment a man for four or five thousand years for insisting that it is but a small thing for an infinite being to vanquish an ,egyptian army2 that it was rather a small business to trouble people with frogs1 flies1 and vermin2 that it looked almost malicious to cover people with boils and afflict cattle with disease2 that a real good ,god would not torture innocent beasts on account of something the owners had done2 that it was absurd to do miracles before a king to induce him to act in a certain way1 and then harden his heart so that he would refuse2 and that to kill all the firstborn of a nation was the act of a heartless fiend4 ,thirty-fifth4 ,certainly one ought to be permitted to doubt that twelve wells of water were sufficient for three millions of people1 together with their flocks and herds1#a and to inquire a little into the nature of manna that was cooked by baking and seething and yet would melt in the sun1#b and that would swell or shrink so as to make an exact omer1 no matter how much or how little there really was4#c ,certainly it is not a crime to say that water cannot be manufactured by striking a rock with a stick1 and that the fate of battle cannot be decided by lifting one hand up or letting it fall4#d ,must we admit that ,god really did come down upon ,mount ,sinai in the sight of all the people2 that he commanded that all who should go up into the ,mount or touch the border of it should be put to death1 and that even the beasts that came near it should be killed8#e ,is it wrong to laugh at this8 ,is it sinful to say that ,god never spoke from the top of a mountain covered with clouds these words to ,moses1 ,go down1 charge the people1 lest they break through unto the ,lord to gaze1 and many of them perish2 and let the priests also1 which come near to the ,lord1 sanctify themselves1 lest the ,lord break forth upon them8#f #a ,ex4 xv1 #bg4 #c ,ex4 xix4 #ab4 #e ,ex4 xix1 #ac1 #ac4 #b ,ex4 xvi1 #bc1 #ba #d ,ex4 xvii1 #aa1 #ac4 #f ,ex4 xix1 #ba1 #bb ,can it be that an infinite intelligence takes delight in scaring savages1 and that he is happy only when somebody trembles8 ,is it reasonable to suppose that ,god surrounded himself with thunderings and lightnings and thick darkness to tell the priests that they should not make altars of hewn stones1 nor with stairs8 ,and that this ,god at the same time he gave the ,ten ,commandments ordered the ,jews to break the most of them8 ,according to the ,bible these infamous words came from the mouth of ,god while he was wrapped and clothed in darkness and clouds upon the ,mount of ,sinai3 ,if thou buy an ,hebrew servant six years he shall serve3 and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing4 ,if he came in by himself he shall go out by himself2 if he were married1 then his wife shall go out with him4 ,if his master have given him a wife1 and she have borne him sons or daughters1 the wife and her children shall be her master's1 and he shall go out by himself4 ,and if the servant shall plainly say1 ,i love my master1 my wife1 and my children2 ,i will not go out free3 then his master shall bring him unto the judges2 he shall also bring him to the door or unto the doorpost2 and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl2 and he shall serve him forever4#b ,and if a man smite his servant1 or his maid1 with a rod1 and he die under his hand1 he shall be surely punished4 ,notwithstanding1 if he continue a day or two1 he shall not be punished2 for he is his money4#c ,do you really think that a man will be eternally damned for endeavoring to wipe from the record of ,god those barbaric words8 ,thirty-sixth4 ,is it because of total depravity that some people refuse to believe that ,god went into partnership with insects and granted letters of marque and reprisal to hornets2#d that he wasted forty days and nights furnishing ,moses with plans and specifications for a tabernacle1 an ark1 a mercy seat and two cherubs of gold1 a table1 four rings1 some dishes and spoons1 one candlestick1 three bowls1 seven lamps1 a pair of tongs1 some snuff dishes 7for all of which ,god had patterns71 ten curtains with fifty loops1 a roof for the tabernacle of rams' skins dyed red1 a lot of boards1 an altar with horns1 ash pans1 basins1 and flesh hooks1 and fillets of silver and pins of brass2 that he told ,moses to speak unto all the wise-hearted that he had filled with wisdom1 that they might make a suit of clothes for ,aaron1 and that ,god actually gave directions that an ephod shall have the two shoulder-pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof4 #a ,ex4 xix1 #be1 #bf4 #c ,ex4 xxi1 #bj1 #ba #b ,ex4 xxi1 #b-f1 #d ,ex1 xxiii1 #bh ,and gave all the orders concerning mitres1 girdles1 and onyx stones1 ouches1 emeralds1 breastplates1 chains1 rings1 ,urim and ,thummim1 and the hole in the top of the ephod like the hole of a habergeon8#a ,thirty-seventh4 ,is there a ,christian missionary who could help laughing if in any heathen country he had seen the following command of ,god carried out8 ,and thou shalt take the other ram2 and ,aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram4 ,then shalt thou kill the ram and take of his blood and put it upon the tip of the right ear of ,aaron1 and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons1 and upon the thumb of their right hand1 and upon the great toe of their right foot4#b ,does one have to be born again to appreciate the beauty and solemnity of such a performance8 ,is not the faith of the most zealous ,christian somewhat shaken while reading the recipes for cooking mutton1 veal1 beef1 birds1 and unleavened dough1 found in the cook book that ,god made for ,aaron and his sons8 ,thirty-eighth4 ,is it to be wondered at that some people have doubted the statement that ,god told ,moses how to make some ointment1 hair oil1 and perfume1 and then made it a crime punishable with death to make any like them8 ,think of a ,god killing a man for imitating his ointment6#c ,think of a ,god saying that he made heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh day and was refreshed6#d ,think of this ,god threatening to destroy the ,jews1 and being turned from his purpose because ,moses told him that the ,egyptians might mock him6#e #a ,ex4 xxvii and xxviii4 #c ,ex4 xxx1 #bc4 #e ,ex4 xxxii1 #aa1 #ab #b ,ex4 xxix1 #ai1 #bj #d ,ex4 xxxi1 #ag4 ,thirty-ninth4 ,what must we think of a man impudent enough to break in pieces tables of stone upon which ,god had written with his finger8 ,what must we think of the goodness of a man that would issue the following order3 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 ,put every man his sword by his side1 and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp1 and slay every man his brother1 and every man his companion1 and every man his neighbor4 ,consecrate yourselves to-day to the ,lord1 even every man upon his son1 and upon his brother2 that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day8#a ,is it true that the ,god of the ,bible demanded human sacrifice8 ,did it please him for man to kill his neighbor1 for brother to murder his brother1 and for the father to butcher his sou8 ,if there is a ,god let him cause it to be written in the book of his memory1 opposite my name1 that ,i refuted this slander and denied this lie4 ,fortieth4 ,can it be true that ,god was afraid to trust himself with the ,jews for fear he would consume them8 ,can it be that in order to keep from devouring them he kept away and sent one of his angels in his place8#b ,can it be that this same ,god talked to ,moses face to face1 as a man speaketh unto his friend1 when it is declared in the same chapter1 by ,god himself1 ,thou canst not see my face3 for there shall no man see me1 and live8#c ,forty-first4 ,why should a man1 because he has done a bad action1 go and kill a sheep8 ,how can man make friends with ,god by cutting the throats of bullocks and goats8 ,why should ,god delight in the shedding of blood8 ,why should he want his altar sprinkled with blood1 and the horns of his altar tipped with blood1 and his priests covered with blood8 ,why should burning flesh be a sweet savor in the nostrils of ,god8 ,why did he compel his priests to be butchers1 cutters and stabbers8 #a ,ex4 xxxii1 #bg-bi4 #b ,ex4 xxxiii1 #b1 #c4 #c ,ex4 xxxiii1 #aa1 #bj4 ,why should the same ,god kill a man for eating the fat of an ox1 a sheep1 or a goat8 ,forty-second4 ,could it be a consolation to a man when dying to think that he had always believed that ,god told ,aaron to take two goats and draw cuts to see which goat should be killed and which should be a scapegoat8#a ,and that upon the head of the scapegoat ,aaron should lay both his hands and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of ,israel1 and all their transgressions1 and put them all on the head of the goat1 and send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness2 and that the goat should bear upon him all the iniquities of the people into a land not inhabited8#b ,how could a goat carry away a load of iniquities and transgressions8 ,why should he carry them to a land uninhabited8 ,were these sins contagious8 ,about how many sins could an average goat carry8 ,could a man meet such a goat now without laughing8 ,forty-third4 ,why should ,god object to a man wearing a garment made of woolen and linen8 ,why should he care whether a man rounded the corners of his beard8#c ,why should ,god prevent a man from offering the sacred bread merely because he had a flat nose1 or was lame1 or had five fingers on one hand1 or had a broken foot1 or was a dwarf8 ,if he objected to such people1 why did he make them8#d ,forty-fourth4 ,why should we believe that ,god insisted upon the sacrifice of human beings8 ,is it a sin to deny this1 and to deny the inspiration of a book that teaches it8 ,read the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth verses of the last chapter of ,leviticus1 a book in which there is more folly and cruelty1 more stupidity and tyranny1 than in any other book in this world except some others in the same ,bible4 ,read the thirty-second chapter of ,exodus and you will see how by the most infamous of crimes man becomes reconciled to this ,god4 #a ,lev1 xvi1 #h4 #b ,lev4 xvi1 #ba1 #bb4 #c ,lev4 xix1 #ai1 #bg1 #d ,lev4 xxi1 #ah-bj4 ,you will see that he demands of fathers the blood of their sons4 ,read the twelfth and thirteenth verses of the third chapter of ,numbers1 ,and ,i1 behold1 ,i have taken the ,levites from among the children of ,israel1 etc4 ,how1 in the desert of ,sinai1 did the ,jews obtain curtains of fine linen8 ,how did these absconding slaves make cherubs of gold8 ,where did they get the skins of badgers1 and how did they dye them red8 ,how did they make wreathed chains and spoons1 basins and tongs8 ,where did they get the blue cloth and their purple8 ,where did they get the sockets of brass8 ,how did they coin the shekel of the sanctuary8 ,how did they overlay boards with gold8 ,where did they get the numberless instruments and tools necessary to accomplish all these things8 ,where did they get the fine flour and the oil8 ,were all these found in the desert of ,sinai8 ,is it a sin to ask these questions8 ,are all these doubts born of a malignant and depraved heart8 ,why should ,god in this desert prohibit priests from drinking wine1 and from eating moist grapes8 ,how could these priests get wine8 ,do not these passages show that these laws were made long after the ,jews had left the desert1 and that they were not given from ,sinai8 ,can you imagine a ,god silly enough to tell a horde of wandering savages upon a desert that they must not eat any fruit of the trees they planted until the fourth year8 ,forty-fifth4 ,ought a man to be despised and persecuted for denying that ,god ordered the priests to make women drink dirt and water to test their virtue8 #a ,or for denying that over the tabernacle there was a cloud during the day and fire by night1 and that the cloud lifted up when ,god wished the ,jews to travel1 and that until it was lifted they remained in their tents8#b #a ,num4 v1 #ab-ca4 #b ,num4 ix1 #af-ah4 ,can it be possible that the ark of the covenant traveled on its own account1 and that when the ark set forward the people followed1 as is related in the tenth chapter of the holy book of ,numbers8 ,forty-sixth4 ,was it reasonable for ,god to give the ,jews manna1 and nothing else1 year after year8 ,he had infinite power1 and could just as easily have given them something good1 in reasonable variety1 as to have fed them on manna until they loathed the sight of it1 and longingly remembered the fish1 cucumbers1 melons1 leeks1 onions1 and garlic of ,egypt4 ,and yet when the poor people complained of the diet and asked for a little meat1 this loving and merciful ,god became enraged1 sent them millions of quails in his wrath1 and while they were eating1 while the flesh was yet between their teeth1 before it was chewed1 this amiable ,god smote the people with a plague and killed all those that lusted after meat4 ,in a few days after1 he made up his mind to kill the rest1 but was dissuaded when ,moses told him that the ,canaanites would laugh at him4#a ,no wonder the poor ,jews wished they were back in ,egypt4 ,no wonder they had rather be the slaves of ,pharaoh than the chosen people of ,god4 ,no wonder they preferred the wrath of ,egypt to the love of heaven4 ,in my judgment1 the ,jews would have fared far better if ,jehovah had let them alone1 or had he even taken the side of the ,egyptians4 ,when the poor ,jews were told by their spies that the ,canaanites were giants1 they1 seized with fear1 said1 ,let us go back to ,egypt4 ,for this1 their ,god doomed all except ,joshua and ,caleb to a wandering death4 ,hear the words of this most merciful ,god3 ,but as for you1 your carcasses they shall fall in this wilderness1 and your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years and bear your sins until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness4#b ,and yet this same ,god promised to give unto all these people a land flowing with milk and honey4 #a ,num4 xiv1 #ae1 #af4 #b ,num4 xiv4 #cb-cc4 ,forty-seventh4 ,and while the children of ,israel were in the wilderness they found a man that gathered sticks upon the ,sabbath day4 ,and they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto ,moses and ,aaron1 and unto all the congregation4 ,and they put him in ward1 because it was not declared what should be done to him4 ,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,the man shall be surely put to death2 all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp4 ,and all the congregation brought him without the camp1 and stoned him with stones1 and he died4 #a ,when the last stone was thrown1 and he that was a man was but a mangled1 bruised1 and broken mass1 this ,god turned1 and1 touched with pity1 said3 ,speak unto the children of ,israel1 and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations1 and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a riband of blue4#b ,in the next chapter1 this ,jehovah1 whose loving kindness is over all his works1 because ,korah1 ,dathan1 and ,abiram objected to being starved to death in the wilderness1 made the earth open and swallow not only them1 but their wives and their little ones4 ,not yet satisfied1 he sent a plague and killed fourteen thousand seven hundred more4 ,there never was in the history of the world such a cruel1 revengeful1 bloody1 jealous1 fickle1 unreasonable1 and fiendish ruler1 emperor1 or king as ,jehovah4 ,no wonder the children of ,israel cried out1 ,behold we die1 we perish1 we all perish4 ,forty-eighth4 ,i cannot believe that a dry stick budded1 blossomed1 and bore almonds2 that the ashes of a red heifer are a purification for sin2#c that ,god gave the cities into the hands of the ,jews because they solemnly agreed to murder all the inhabitants2 that ,god became enraged and induced snakes to bite his chosen people2 that ,god told ,balaam to go with the ,princess of ,moab1 and then got angry because he did go2 that an animal ever saw an angel and conversed with a man4 #a ,num4 xv1 #cb-cf4 #b ,num4 xv1 #ch1 #c ,num4 xix1 #b-aj4 ,i cannot believe that thrusting a spear through the body of a woman ever stayed a plague2#a that any good man ever ordered his soldiers to slay the men and keep the maidens alive for themselves2 that ,god commanded men not to show mercy to each other2 that he induced men to obey his commandments by promising them that he would assist them in murdering the wives and children of their neighbors2 or that he ever commanded a man to kill his wife because she differed with him about religion2#b or that ,god was mistaken about hares chewing the cud2#c or that he objected to the people raising horses #d or that ,god wanted a camp kept clean because he walked through it at night2#e or that he commanded widows to spit in the faces of their brothers-in-law2#f or that he ever threatened to give anybody the itch2#g or that he ever secretly buried a man and allowed the corpse to write an account of the funeral4 ,forty-ninth4 ,does it necessarily follow that a man wishes to commit some crime if he refuses to admit that the river ,jordan cut itself in two and allowed the lower end to run away8 ,or that seven priests could blow seven ram's horns loud enough to throw down the walls of a city2#h or that ,god1 after ,achan had confessed that he had secreted a garment and a wedge of gold1 became good natured as soon as ,achan and his sons and daughters had been stoned to death and their bodies burned8#aj ,is it not a virtue to abhor such a ,god8 #a ,num4 ,,xxv1 #h4 #d ,deut4 xvii1 #af4 #g ,deut4 xxviii1 #bg4 #b ,deut4 xiii1 #f-aj4 #e ,deut4 xxiii1 #ac1 #ad4 #h ,josh1 iii1 #af4 #c ,deut4 xiv1 #g4 #f ,deut4 xxv1 #i41 #i ,josh4 vi1 #bj4 #aj ,josh1 vii1 #bd1 #be4 ,must we believe that ,god sanctioned and commanded all the cruelties and horrors described in the ,old ,testament2 that he waged the most relentless and heartless wars2 that he declared mercy a crime2 that to spare life was to excite his wrath2 that he smiled when maidens were violated1 laughed when mothers were ripped open with a sword1 and shouted with joy when babes were butchered in their mothers' arms8 ,read the infamous book of ,joshua1 and then worship the ,god who inspired it if you can4 ,fiftieth4 ,can any sane man believe that the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and hasted not to go down about a whole day1 and that the moon stayed8#a ,that these miracles were performed in the interest of massacre and bloodshed2 that the ,jews destroyed men1 women1 and children by the million1 and practiced every cruelty that the ingenuity of their ,god could suggest8 ,is it possible that these things really happened8 ,is it possible that ,god commanded them to be done8 ,again ,i ask you to read the book of ,joshua4 ,after reading all its horrors you will feel a grim satisfaction in the dying words of ,joshua to the children of ,israel3 ,know for a certainty that the ,lord your ,god will no more drive out any of these nations from before you2 but they shall be snares and traps unto you1 and scourges in your sides1 and thorns in your eyes1 until ye perish from off this good land4#b ,think of a ,god who boasted that he gave the ,jews a land for which they did not labor1 cities which they did not build1 and allowed them to eat of oliveyards and vineyards which they did not plant4#c ,think of a ,god who murders some of his children for the benefit of the rest1 and then kills the rest because they are not thankful enough4 ,think of a ,god who had the power to stop the sun and moon1 but could not defeat an army that had iron chariots4#d #a ,josh1 x1 #ac4 #b ,josh1 xiii1 #ac4 #c ,josh4 xxiv1 #ac4 #d ,judges i1 #ai4 ,fifty-first4 ,can we blame the ,hebrews for getting tired of their ,god8 ,never was a people so murdered1 starved1 stoned1 burned1 deceived1 humiliated1 robbed1 and outraged4 ,never was there so little liberty among men4 ,never did the meanest king so meddle1 eavesdrop1 spy out1 harass1 torment1 and persecute his people4 ,never was ruler so jealous1 unreasonable1 contemptible1 exacting1 and ignorant as this ,god of the ,jews4 ,never was such ceremony1 such mummery1 such stuff about bullocks1 goats1 doves1 red heifers1 lambs1 and unleavened dough--never was such directions about kidneys and blood1 ashes and fat1 about curtains1 tongs1 fringes1 ribands1 and brass pins--never such details for killing of animals and men and the sprinkling of blood and the cutting of clothes4 ,never were such unjust laws1 such punishments1 such damned ignorance and infamy6 ,fifty-second4 ,is it not wonderful that the creator of all worlds1 infinite in power and wisdom1 could not hold his own against the gods of wood and stone8 ,is it not strange that after he had appeared to his chosen people1 delivered them from slavery1 fed them by miracles1 opened the sea for a path1 led them by cloud and fire1 and overthrown their pursuers1 they still preferred a calf of their own making8 ,is it not beyond belief that this ,god1 by statutes and commandments1 by punishments and penalties1 by rewards and promises1 by wonders and plagues1 by earthquakes and pestilence1 could not in the least civilize the ,jews--could not get them beyond a point where they deserved killing8 ,what shall we think of a ,god who gave his entire time for forty years to the work of converting three millions of people1 and succeeded in getting only two men1 and not a single woman1 decent enough to enter the promised land8 ,was there ever in the history of man so detestible an administration of public affairs8 ,is it possible that ,god sold his children to the king of ,mesopotamia2 that he sold them to ,jabin1 king of ,canaan1 to the ,philistines1 and to the children of ,ammon8 ,is it possible that an angel of the ,lord devoured unleavened cakes and broth with fire that came out of the end of a stick as he sat under an oak-tree8#a ,can it be true that ,god made known his will by making dew fall on wool without wetting the ground around it8#b ,do you really believe that men who lap water like a dog make the best soldiers8#c ,do you think that a man could hold a lamp in his left hand1 a trumpet in his right hand1 blow his trumpet1 shout the sword of the ,lord and of ,gideon1 and break pitchers at the same time8 #d ,fifty-third4 ,read the story of ,jephthah and his daughter1 and then tell me what you think of a father who would sacrifice his daughter to ,god1 and what you think of a ,god who would receive such a sacrifice4 ,this one story should be enough to make every tender and loving father hold this book in utter abhorrence4 ,is it necessary1 in order to be saved1 that one must believe that an angel of ,god appeared unto ,manoah in the absence of her husband2 that this angel afterward went up in a flame of fire2 that as a result of this visit a child was born whose strength was in his hair8 a child that made beehives of lions1 incendiaries of foxes1 and had a wife that wept seven days to get the answer to his riddle8 ,will the wrath of ,god abide forever upon a man for doubting the story that ,samson killed a thousand men with a new jawbone8 ,is there enough in the ,bible to save a soul with this story left out8 ,is hell hungry for those who deny that water gushed from a hollow place in a dry bone8 ,is it evidence of a new heart to believe that one man turned over a house so large that over three thousand people were on the roof8 ,for my part1 ,i cannot believe these things1 and if my salvation depends upon my credulity ,i am as good as damned already4 ,i cannot believe that the ,philistines took back the ark with a present of five gold mice1 and that thereupon ,god relented4#e #a ,judges vi1 #ba4 #b ,judges vi1 #cg4 #c ,judges vii1 #e4 #d ,judges vii1 #bj4 #e ,i ,sam4 vi4 #d4 ,i can not believe that ,god killed fifty thousand men for looking into a box4#a ,it seems incredible1 after all the ,jews had done1 after all their wars and victories1 even when ,saul was king1 that there was not among them one smith who could make a sword or spear1 and that they were compelled to go to the ,philistines to sharpen every plowshare1 coulter1 and mattock4#b ,can you believe that ,god said to ,saul1 ,now go and smite ,amalek1 and utterly destroy all that they have1 and spare them not2 but slay both man and woman1 infant and suckling8 ,can you believe that because ,saul took the king alive after killing every other man1 woman1 and child1 the ogre called ,jehovah was displeased and made up his mind to hurl ,saul from the throne and give his place to another8#c ,i cannot believe that the ,philistines all ran away because one of their number was killed with a stone4 ,i cannot justify the conduct of ,abigail1 the wife of ,nabal1 who took presents to ,david4 ,david hardly did right when he said to this woman1 ,i have hearkened to thy voice1 and have accepted thy person4 ,it could hardly have been chance that made ,nabal so deathly sick next morning and killed him in ten days4 ,all this looks wrong1 especially as ,david married his widow before poor ,nabal was fairly cold4#d ,fifty-fourth4 ,notwithstanding all ,i have heard of ,katie ,king1 ,i cannot believe that a witch at ,endor materialized the ghost of ,samuel and caused it to appear with a cloak on4#e ,i cannot believe that ,god tempted ,david to take the census1 and then gave him his choice of three punishments3 ,first1 ,seven years of famine2 ,second1 ,flying three months before their enemies2 ,third1 ,a pestilence of three days2 that ,david chose the pestilence1 and that ,god destroyed seventy thousand men4#f #a ,i ,sam4 vi1 #ai4 #c ,i ,sam4 xv4 #e ,i ,sam4 xxviii4 #b ,i ,sam4 xiii1 #ai1 #bj4 #d ,i ,sam4 xxv4 #f #b ,sam4 xxiv4 ,why should ,god kill the people for what ,david did8 ,is it a sin to be counted8 ,can anything more brutally hellish be conceived8 ,why should man waste prayers upon such a ,god8 ,fifty-fifth4 ,must we admit that ,elijah was fed by ravens2 that they brought him bread and flesh every morning and evening8 ,must we believe that this same prophet could create meal and oil1 and induce a departed soul to come back and take up its residence once more in the body8 ,that he could get rain by praying for it2 that he could cause fire to burn up a sacrifice and altar1 together with twelve barrels of water8#a ,can we believe that an angel of the ,lord turned cook and prepared two suppers in one night for ,elijah1 and that the prophet ate enough to last him forty days and forty nights899 ,is it true that when a captain with fifty men went after ,elijah1 this prophet caused fire to come down from heaven and consume them all8 ,should ,god allow such wretches to manage his fire8 ,is it true that ,elijah consumed another captain with fifty men in the same way8#c ,is it a fact that a river divided because the water was struck with a cloak8 ,did a man actually go to heaven in a chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire1 or was he carried to ,paradise by a whirlwind8 ,must we believe1 in order to be good and tender fathers and mothers1 that because some little children mocked at an old man with a bald head1 ,god--the same ,god who said1 ,suffer little children to come unto me--sent two she-bears out of the wood and tare forty-two of these babes8 ,think of the mothers that watched and waited for their children4 ,think of the wailing when these mangled ones were found1 when they were brought back and pressed to the breasts of weeping women4 ,what an amiable gentleman ,mr4 ,elisha must have been4#d ,fifty-sixth4 ,it is hard to believe that a prophet by lying on a dead body could make it sneeze seven times4#e #a ,i ,kings xviii4 #c #b ,kings i4 #e #b ,kings iv4 #b ,i ,kings xix4 #d #b ,kings ii4 ,it is hard to believe that being dipped seven times in the ,jordan could cure the leprosy4#a ,would a merciful ,god curse children1 and children's children yet unborn1 with leprosy for a father's fault8#b ,is it possible to make iron float in water8#c ,is it reasonable to say that when a corpse touched another corpse it came to life8#d ,is it a sign that a man wants to commit a crime because he refuses to believe that a king had a boil and that ,god caused the sun to go backward in heaven so that the shadow on a sun-dial went back ten degrees as a sign that the aforesaid would get well8#e ,is it true that this globe turned backward1 that its motion was reversed as a sign to a ,jewish king8 ,if it did not1 this story is false1 and that part of the ,bible is not true even if it is inspired4 ,fifty-seventh4 ,how did the ,bible get lost8#e ,where was the precious ,pentateuch from ,moses to ,josiah8 ,how was it possible for the ,jews to get along without the directions as to fat and caul and kidney contained in ,leviticus8 ,without that sacred book in his possession a priest might take up ashes and carry them out without changing his pantaloons4 ,such mistakes kindled the wrath of ,god4 ,as soon as the ,pentateuch was found ,josiah began killing wizards and such as had familiar spirits4 ,fifty-eighth4 ,i cannot believe that ,god talked to ,solomon1 that he visited him in the night and asked him what he should give him2 ,i cannot believe that he told him1 ,i will give thee riches and wealth and honor1 such as none of the kings have had before thee1 neither shall there any after thee have the like4#g ,if ,jehovah said this he was mistaken4 ,it is not true that ,solomon had fourteen hundred chariots of war in a country without roads4 ,it is not true that he made gold and silver at ,jerusalem as plenteous as stones4 ,there were several kings in his day1 and thousands since1 that could have thrown away the value of ,palestine without missing the amount4 #a #b ,kings v4 #c #b ,kings1 vi4 #f4 #e #b ,kings xx1 #a-aa4 #b #b ,kings v4 #bg4 #d #b ,kings xiii1 #ba4 #f #b ,kings xxii1 #h4 #g #b ,chron4 i1 #g1 #ab4 ,the ,holy ,land was and is a wretched country4 ,there are no monuments1 no ruins attesting former wealth and greatness4 ,the ,jews had no commerce1 knew nothing of other nations1 had no luxuries1 never produced a painter1 a sculptor1 architect1 scientist1 or statesman until after the destruction of ,jerusalem4 ,as long as ,jehovah attended to their affairs they had nothing but civil war1 plague1 pestilence1 and famine4 ,after he abandoned1 and the ,christians ceased to persecute them1 they became the most prosperous of people4 ,since ,jehovah1 in anger and disgust1 cast them away they have produced painters1 sculptors1 scientists1 statesmen1 composers1 and philosophers4 ,fifty-ninth4 ,i cannot admit that ,hiram1 the ,king of ,tyre1 wrote a letter to ,solomon in which he admitted that the ,god of ,israel made heaven and earth4 #a ,this ,king was not a ,jew4 ,it seems incredible that ,solomon had eighty thousand men hewing timber for the temple1 with seventy thousand bearers of burdens1 and thirty-six hundred overseers4#b ,sixtieth4 ,i cannot believe that ,god shuts up heaven and prevents rain1 or that he sends locusts to devour a land1 or pestilence to destroy the people4#c ,i cannot believe that ,god told ,solomon that his eyes and heart should perpetually be in the house that ,solomon had built4#d ,sixty-first4 ,i cannot believe that ,solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches2 that all the kings of the earth sought his presence and brought presents of silver and gold1 raiment1 harness1 spices1 and mules--a rate year by year4#e ,is it possible that ,shishak1 a ,king of ,egypt1 invaded ,palestine with seventy thousand horsemen and twelve hundred chariots of war8#f #a #b ,chron4 ii1 #ab4 #c #b ,chron4 vii1 #ac4 #e #b ,chron4 ix1 #bb-bd4 #b #b ,chron4 ii1 #ah4 #d #b ,chron4 vii1 #af4 #f #b ,chron4 xii1 #b1 #c4 ,i cannot believe that in a battle between ,jeroboam and ,abijah1 the army of ,abijah actually slew in one day five hundred thousand chosen men4#a ,does anyone believe that ,zerah1 the ,ethiopian1 invaded ,palestine with a million men8#b ,i cannot believe that ,jehoshaphat had a standing army of nine hundred and sixty thousand men4#c ,i cannot believe that ,god advertised for a liar to act as his messenger4#d ,i cannot believe that ,king ,amaziah did right in the sight of the ,lord1 and that he broke in pieces ten thousand men by casting them from a precipice4#e ,i cannot think that ,god smote a king with leprosy because he tried to burn incense4#f ,i cannot think that ,pekah slew one hundred and twenty thousand men in one day4#g #a #b ,chron4 xiii1 #ag4 #c #b ,chron4 xvii1 #ad-ai4 #e #b ,chron4 xxv1 #ab4 #b #b ,chron4 xiv1 #i4 #d #b ,chron4 xviii1 #ai-bb4 #f #b ,chron4 xxvi1 #ai4 #g #b ,chron4 xxviii1 #f4