Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1885 — AN INFIDEL ANSWERED. [ARTICLE]

AN INFIDEL ANSWERED.

Rev. T. De W itt Talmage, Before an Immense Audience, Tears the Theories Advanced by Imzersoll Into a Thousand Strips—The Bible’s Great Triumph. [Coui’cr Journal, Dec. 18th.] Leiderkranz Hall never held such an assemblage as gathered therein last evening to hear Brooklyn’s great preacher, Dr. Talmage. The ministers of the city were out in full force; leading laymen, bankers, judges, professors and business men of all classes, and a great many ladies, were present The gallery was well filled, twenty cr more medical students being the earliest arrivals. The train conveying the speaker only arrived at 7:40 p. m., and the audience were impatient at the delay of the lecture’s opening Dr. Witherspoon, at the request of Prof. Hawes, mounted the stage and announced the arrival of the train, and that Dr. Talmage was expected every moment. At 8:80 the great preacher came in and was greatly applauded. Dr T. D. Witherspoon introduced him, saying: It gives me great pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, to present to you the speaker of the evening, a speaker who needs no introduction to this or any other audience in this great country. From his pulpit he fearlessly defends the truth. Without any detaining words, I present my personal friend and distinguished fellow-min-ister, Dr. Talmage [Applause.] Standing with one hand in his bosom.

DR. TALMAGE SPOKE AS FOLLOWS: It- is pleasant to be greeted by kipdly words of Dr. Witherspoon and the cordial reception of this great audience on t’ is severe night. If we leave it to the evolutionist to tell where we come from and the theologian to tell where we are going to, we still have left the fact that we are here to-night. [Laughter.J— And i.t is best to be here. Of all the great centuries this is the best; of all its grand decades this is the best decade; of all of its mighty years this is the best, year; of all of the months of the year this is the best month, and of all its nights this is the best night.— It took all the ages to make this moment. [Applause.]

During the past few years it has pleased a distinguished gentleman to go about the country speaking on what he called a Talmagean Theology. I sometimes reply to him. To show that • have nothing personal, 1 invite Mr. Ingersoll, when he is converted topreach his first sermon in my pulpit. [Applause.] Voltaire, after writing 240 volumes against Christianity, when he came to die, sent for a minister to have the sacrament of the Lord Jesus Christ administered. God’s favorite figure is a circle; even a curve is an unborn circle. — Men come around in this circle, and the time is coming when he whom the minister held in his hand when he said, “I baptize thee, Robert, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,” will come back to the faith of his father.

"Ah," he says, “thh Bible is a blunder; the Mosaic law is Stuff; there was never a miracle. Then according to this, the wise minds of John Adams and Daniel Webster were infantile in commending the book. William E. Gladstone debases himself when he bows humbly in church and in the absence of the rector reads the prayer*. Ah, Carlyle was mistaken when he said it was

"the grandest poem ever writT*N.-’ Andlyour fatherJwho takes the Bible as his staff of life, is leaning on naught. That which your mother let lay m her lap is a pack of lies!— ‘Th at book,” he says, "should

not be allowed to delude men. Gather ail the Bibles, and make a bonfire to warm our cold criticism, and then let the plow-share turn under the ashes.’’

“But stop,” says some silly man or woman. “Give the Bible a.trial.” All right; it shall be had to-night. I impanel this entire audience as a jury. Twelve men are enough ordinarily, but this is an important case. Silently swear now that you will truly try this issue. Infidelity vs. Christianity. Next call the witnesses. Robert G. Ingersoll! Here!— [Applause.] Swear the witness! [Laughter.! I only know of two ways to swear——on the Bible and with uplifted hand. He believes in neither, and I will swear him by the spots on the sun, the caverns in the moon, the rings of Saturn, the milky way, the aurora borealis. [Laughter.] Now, one principle of testimony is laid down in every court. A witness false in one part is false in all. Now if I can’t convict Mr. Ingersoll of falsehood I will abandon Christianity He declares th« i t the Bible favors polygamy.— How man j wives did God make for Adam? One. God says the man shall cling to the one wife (not wives.) How many wives did God save for Noah? One. God first launched the human race with one wife! The Bible and God permit polygamy as much as the United States permits murder. All the mighty men favored of God had each one wife, Adam, Samuel and David. Do you say Solomon had.wives? Yes, so did David, and they were punished.

Mr. Ingersoll says he prefers the English authoress, whose life was an insult to the Queen. I prefer her who, when nineteen, being told that the crown of England was hers, asked t.. c Ar< h bi;- hop to pra y for God to aid her. I prefer her who, when Prince Albert died in the faith, sang “Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to hy bosom fly.’’ She could carry comfort to the po t homes of England and to the bereaved Empress at Chiselhurst.

AH, SHE IS THE ONE, whose name, wherever mentioned, brings and deserves the shout: “God Save the Queen.’’ Mr. Ingersoll says the Bible is an impure book. He reads a passage, affects to blush and says: can’t read more in the presence of this refined audience,” and puts the book away. There is much in medical books that can’t be read in public—then put those books away. When the Bible deals with the putrefaction of sin we are to see its harm and not love it. The Bible way of showing sin makes you hate it; the Byronic way makes you love it. Mr. Ingersoll says the Bible is a cruel book, is it?— A cruel book produces cruelty. Where the Scriptures are not practiced the people beat each other. These are 250,000,(F0 Bibles in circulation; show me 1,000 show me 600, or 500, or 400, or 200; show 100, or 60, or 40, or 20, or 5; yes, show 2, show 1. I offer &1,000 reward for one v ’ ctim. [Applause.]

Mr. Ingersoll says the Bible is woman’s tyrant. Is it? - Come into the world’s picture gallery. Look at Eye. a perfect woman; see Deborah, mighty for good; see Abigail in her beauty and power stop the armed host—a hurricane stopped at the sight of a waterlily, a dewdrop dashing back Niagara. [Applause.] Here is Vashti defying a King’s erew; here is Esther saving her nation; here is the woman, the perfume of whose ointment has come over «mnn** hew is Dorcas, the light ot blissful fame, gilding her needle; here is Lydia, loved of all. Oh, ; here is a good old woman leaning on a staff, Grandmother • Lois! . Who has more worshipers than any save Christ? A

woman, Mary. [Applause.]— For whom did Christ perform his first miracle? Woman For whom did Christ raise the dead? For the sisters of Bethany. For whom was Christ most anxious in His dying hour? A wrinkled old woman, His mother. Ah! the world of meaning—Behold thy mother. How the Bible hates women! Ah! no Bible in a land and woman is a beast of burden, a veiled slave. Why does woman go to that Bible in time of trouble? Ah! she knows it says “weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” All things work together, for good to them that love God. That book says, ‘Husband, love your wife 1 Why does she go to that cruel book? Look at another picture—the woman with base character brought into the presence of Christ He, with

A S.VURD OF SARCASM, splits her enemies from scalp to heel, saying: “Let him that is without sin cast the first stone.” (Applause.) Ah,how the Bible hates woman! Qh, woman, hold up your hands: let me see your handcuffs. I see those gold bracelets flashing—they were piit there by fatherly, brotherly, loverly hands. (Applause.) Where is your yoke? .Loosen those warm wrappings. I see your golden, carnelian and pearl chains —Christianity puts them'there. (Applause.) And yet when, Ingersoll tiawMiifcg foolish things against ble 500 idiots clap their hands and say, “that’s so.” (J.aughter.) Ah, he i s false in this, and false hi one, false in all. Unsays the story that woman was formed from a rib of a man is ridiculous. H; gnaws that rib, and has.been doing so for years. If I had an old hound who day after day gnawed on thy same old dry rib as if he depended on it for happiness, I would drive him away- Mr. Ingersoll doesn’t know that the word rib translated means man’s side. He doesn’t know-a word of Hebrew, and yet would translate Genesis lie doesn’t know Greek, Latin. German or English, and yet would translate Homer, Virgil, Schiller and Shakspere. [ don’t adopt the idea of Matthew Henry, who says that woman was taken from a man’s side because that was near his heart, and I repudiate the doctrine that she was taken from his side so she oould reach all his pockets. Laughter.

Ah, she was token from his right side that his good right arm might protect her. That’s why a man gets so mad when you talk against his wife. Get out of striking distance when youspeak against aman’s wife. (Applause.) From his side, at his side —that is her position. Do you remember the bridal couple killed on the train from Bennington, Vt.? There was a collision ; the train was burned and bride and groom perished. The conductor said the bride could have escaped; the doctors said the bride need not have perished. The husband’s body was pinioned under timbers, but only her dress was caught, vet she died—from his side she would not go. Mr. ngersoll makes mirth of the Bible. Don’t think lam opposed to fun. God never made a man who loved fun more than Ido.

BUT DOB*l|aiGyui AT 808. Ah, there is a blasphemous side to fun. On that wreaked train there was a man who Bald, ‘Watch me have fun. I will pull the string of this t*m brake, and when the p e ople see the train stop they 'Don’t do this,’ said his companion, but he pulled the string, stopped the train at a dangerous curve and along thundered the St Louis express. Crash came the collis-

have a backbone?’ (Laughter.) Ah, they would put out all the light-houses, i prefer Old Mortality, who went about the graveyards chopping afresh the names and dates upon the stones. Did you ever read a book ‘’ he Triumphant Death Beds of Distinguished Infidels? [Laughter.] I never did. There is no arch book. All died in stolid indifference or in bar or; thore has never been an exception. They are not Jike my friend Alfred Cookman, whose last glad words were: “I am sweep in& through the gates into the blessed lu nd” [Applause.] Infidels never go that way. What dues infidelity do? In the late war only Christian meti and women nursed the wound rd; not an infidel, North or South, did so? There is not an institution of learning n earth founded or supported by infidels, save Heidslbe r g. wlit re murder is taught as a fine art Chris’ianity has all the others. Inti delitydoes nothing but fight Chris’ tiani.y. I throw you a ream of paper to write the good done by Infidelity- the .>aper is too much. Coun' it on your fingers: count on one flnger—taat is too mucn, [Laughter.] Oh! infidelity, you miserable mis chief, crawl into the hole or nothingness [Applause.] Gat er all the good infidelity has ever done and it is not worth one bead on the body of the Sister of Charity who went into that dark alley to-night. p ured the medicine from the broken bottle, knelt on the bare floor and commended the departing spirit to a svmpat etic God. Infidelity scraoes no lint for the wounded, has uo bread for the hungry no grave for the dead. I’h e Christ stands and says: “I was hungry and ye gave me btead; I was sick and ye nursed me; I was in prison and ye visited me; I was north and ye called me home. Inasmuch as ye did this unto the least of mine, ye did it unto me.” The speaker began at 8:30 and closed at 10 o’clock A thirteen-year-old boy recently walked 197 miles in seven days. There was probably a clrcun at the other end Th? cheapest Teis in town at H M. Purcupile’s Prices as follows: 25c. 30c. 40c. 50e. 60c. per lb.

The largest Hqe of Cigars and To- I baoco to select from of any house in ‘ own. H. M P. ’ Special Notice—All unsettled accounts upon By books on and after the Ist of January, 1885, will be placod in the hands of an attorney* therefore please call and settle, by cash or note, and thus save costs.

RALPH FENDIG.

Son and twenty lives were lost. The num had his jofce. Mr Ingersoll stops the Bible train, the Church train, and he thinks ita great joke, yet sweeping along come death, judgment and eternity. He says the Bible and churches are declining. Why, one church, of which lam not a member, builds a church ry day of the year- . 10 the increase of Christianity: century there were half a>million; in the second there were two millions; in the third,ifive: in the fourth, ten; in the fifth. fifteen;inthe sixth, .twenty; in the seventh, tw entyfour; in the eigth, thirty ;in the ninth, forty; in the tenth, fifty; in the eleventh, seventy :in the twelfth, eighty, in the thirteenth, seventy-five; in the fourteenth, eighty; iirthe fifteenth, one hundred; in the sixteenth, one hundred and twenty-five; in the seventeenth, one hundred and fiftyfive; in the eighteenth, two hundred; and in 1884 there are four :hundred millions of Christians. (Applause.]

How is the Bible becoming 'obsolete? ;Four years ago in six weeks 2,500,000 Testaments were sold—sold, not distribut ed. The Bible is the most popular book in the world. Ten .times as many are sold as the combined sales of any ten popular writers. [Applause.] What institution is nearest the hearts of the people? The uostoffice? The court house? Mo! the church! (Applause.) Did you ever-see a church burned? , I have. 1 1 saw one burn; it was my own, 1 was interested. • t was a cold sigb t to me; below zero on every face. I saw frozen tears. Many .who had never been in the ■church wept because the church was near their hearts. Let diphtheria sweep along and take a loved one. does the skeptic send for the Attorney General or a .Justice of the Peace? No, he wants a minister. -He wants a large room for the obsequies, but doesnot want a hotel or a theater- he wan ts a church. And he doesn’t want the “Marseilles” or the fStar Spangled Banner’ sung; he wants some of the words of Watts or Wesley or a Sunday School song, The most popular book is the Bible, the most popular institution is the churcd, the most popular being is Jesus. (Applause,) Thousands would die for him. I was on a stage coach near Dieppe, Switzerland. The mountain route was dangerous, and we had six horses. — At a time when/ thought the driver should take the reins in both hands he put them in his left, bared his head and held out his right hsnd. I looked .at the objet to which lie pointed. It was a . cross — the emlitem of our religion.— (Applause.)

WHAT DC THESE INJTDELB OFFER as a substitute for religion?— Suppose all the medicines were thrown into the river; a man in the hospital asked for anodyne for his ache, and is offered an essay on the .mistake of J. Y. Simpson’s discourse on chloroform. (Applause.) For the man who is having a leg cut .off, give him fun—fun about doctors and their shops. T ickle the Skeleton of death, ;apply the strengthening plaster of sarcasm, shake up the bottle of ribaldry and give after each meal. (Laughter.) And this is all the cure for the Agony of the world. Oh! if there is anything meaner on earth than the attempt to take away the Bible, what can it be? Go down 1,000 feet m the pit of meanness, then 3,000 miles down Us ladder, whose steps are 8,000 miles long. At its foot is a ©recipice 14,000 miles high. Jiump to the bottom and you wn touch that mean*

ness. (Applause.) They snatch iway the tight of the worlc md have only a religion of lltn’ t Know/ Thev believe in nothing. 1 prefer the apostle’s ;reed. An infidel told an old minister he believed only in what he could explain. Explain,’ said the minister, ‘why ~ome cows have horns and ome have none/ (Laughter.) Oh/ said the man, ‘ don’t •nean that I believe only in what l have seen.’ ‘That is lore remarkable/ said the minister. ‘Do you believe you