Show POLITICS 9 SCIENCE AND RELIGION A couple of gentlemen yesterday doubtless anent the 0 he pol political tUcal campaign with its profuse oratory orator and silver lining were speaking of the capabilities of col robert G ingersoll as a spellbinder oneff one of them thought the only great rhetorical blunder the colonel ever made was when during the fierce contest of 1896 1996 he espoused epolis d the gold tilde side of the case and made the remarkable statement that money was the product of nature not of law why i said the speaker if a man had bad a bagful of klondike nuggets and were to offer a creditor the full amount of his claim with heavy interest in virgin gold cold it would not be a legal tender because gold Is not money until the forms of the law which provides for its ita conversion into money maney are complied with the creditor could bould refuse the gold and theoe thereupon upon obtain judgment against the debtor obtaining which he could levy upon the gold and sell sed it as so 90 much marcha merchandise adise to obtain the amount due him in lawful money that settles in gerwolls ger solle case conclusively As the colonel was not present to look after his afe aide of the matter he lost by br default whether properly or improperly the reader can decide for himself if col ingersoll as alleged made the mi mistake claimed I 1 it is not the first one by any in ft a recent letter regarding the taking of the he gave some bogen cogent t for far their retention by the united states among these was not the statement made that we should send teachers tea chera not over there that we must not throw oot spanish superstition and substitute our own superstition those who are am beat acquainted with his peculiar views view and methods of expression understand that by superstition he means meana without distinction all religious religions and all things that are religious were it otherwise many of us that do not now agree with him would be compelled to bonc ede his claims in that respect and religion may and ought to be vastly different things one is the offspring of I 1 ignorance gnoT ance the other the very crys acrya balli of the lilg highest hest thoughts and most soulful impulses of humanity ty guided by reason shielded by intelligence and upheld by foth hope ho pe and charity ool col ingersoll as a polemical entity has neither faith hope nor charity dh arity as has been abundantly shown he is simply an iconoclast an impotent reproduction of the powerful man who pulled out the ithe pillars which supported the temple he pronounces pronoun em religion the tree in whose shadow the human heart has withered and turned to ashes the falsity of which is before our eyes every day and adduces nothing else to substantiate his frothy metaphor than the widespread statement that all things in conflict with science are wrong this is true but the application is as false as the other statement science and truth are synonymous terms religion is the science of metaphysical and spiritual man end and is as true as any other department of cosmic philosophy otherwise it is not religion but pretension hypocrisy or to use the colonels favorite designation superstition but tine the scoffer against sacred things is not true to hIms himself elif even there like the one who resorts to deceit and must practice more deceit in order that the first may be concealed he occasionally fails to make his points cohere then if closely watched he 1 te found out as col ingersoll has baa been many times notably in his memorable controversy with father Ij Ija imbert ambert a catholic priest of new york one instance not presented in that debate or elbe elsewhere where that we have seen will suffice for present purposes the colonel once at a funeral if 1 memory serves aright used a figure of speech which h has perhaps taps been quoted more than any ry other he ever gave expression express lon to it was life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities 1 it will be kept in mind that science la is his religion that aji cihat has scientific demonstration or is susceptible of it la in right and adl that possesses neither to is perforce wrong very well it it dem dean and demonstrable that all things in existence always existed and always will exist in one form or another the corollary of which is that gometha ng cannot be created out ot of nothing nor reduced to na nothing thing how then would it be to create life chuman life at that out ota barren peak and after possessing it with progressive existence intelligence capacity and power all so something tangible surely pass it over the boother peak into nothingness again Is there any science in that Is it remotely to be compared to even the shadowy visions oine of the north american indian before being with caucasian superstition in which he saw the great spirit tn in clouds and heard his voice in the changing winds the answer to both questions must occur intuitively to the reader Not at t all in all this thore there is nol nothing thing designedly arraigning colonel ingersoll f for my peculiar expressions they ciak cannot alb be beliefs be he to is an T man on n the finan financial clea or the f question nor Is there the et est desire to give offense to any amy of r Vs hui ra admirers who seem to be somewhat 4 numerous throughout the land he a they have as much right to their un TOD belief real or assumed as als others have to their belief but when he be goes out outry 09 1 his hi way to assail ammil the whole plan ic A chrls and make light ot be S magnificent work accomplished 2 the wilds where such as he could mew have been induced to set tl a foot until the pilgrims had made it safe na i pleasant plea Bant for him to do d aso so and rail at them while dol doing mg it he goes alto gaSt too far and provokes a rejoinder teafil whenever he permits himself to in specific terms la Is usually very sil 3 for him as he is really a a veilner able sort of ant antigoni agoni st in that ll 11 alite ite long as he confines confine s himself seir to eral ties to ordin ordinary axy blasphemy blaa phemy and t reverence he is likely to ese escape MD e but bit S he should beware of rushing in where angels fear to tread only a certain class cl ass of people who shall for the ars ent be nameless nai axe are supposed to ia that s |