T orch of
VOL. 3.
R eason .
SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1899.
FAREW ELL,
He has laid dow’n his work, but
that which he has done will, in
never-ending, but ever-widening
circles, help mankind and finally
theology to accept that truth of the
universe, the doctrine of develop­
ment.
“Truth alone is cosmopolitan,and
in science alone does truth reside.”
All lovers of this cosmopolitan
truth, which purifies, organizes and
unites, will mourn the death of
Robert G. Ingersoll, the brave, the
honest-minded, the true, loving and
just.
his family caused me to change my
mind. I was soon acquainted with
F thB g r a v s B n d s all) if a ll t h a t
Mrs. Ingersoll and her mother and
w a s o u r friB n d is d E a d , thB
Eva Ingersoll-Brown, whom I had
w o r l d is tiB ttB r f o r t h a lifB hB l iv e d .
not met before. We were all seat­
B B y c in d thB to m b w s c a n n o t s b b .
ed in the large room, visiting, talk­
W b lis tB n , h u t f r o m t h s lip s of
m y s tE ry th E rs c o m e s no w o rd ,
ing and joking. Everything was
d a r k n B s s a n d silB n cB b r o o d i n g o v s r
love and harmony in the Ingersoll
a ll. A n d y B tb E c a u s B w b 11 v b w b
home. I nevei saw so many fami-
hopB .
F arB W B llT a n d y E t a g a i n
ilies living under one roof and the
fBrBW BllT— Robert C, Ingersoll.
members loving each other so de­
votedly. I believe there was more
F o r th e T orch of R eason.
unadulterated love in that family
Tribute to Ingersoll.
than in any other in the world. At
the supper table everyone was jol­
BY MRS. M. M. TURNER.
ly. Miss Farrell seemed to take
the lead in joking, but no one could
hen in the fulness of time F o r th e T orch of Reason.
excel the Colonel in appropriate
some advanced soul is
Ingersoll in His Home.
witty remarks. After the meal we
borne upou the stream
retired to the billiard roorp, where
of life to a point of vantage whence BY PEARL W. GEER.
a delightful two hours were spent
a larger grasp of the meaning of
olonel R obert G. I ngersoll before retiring for the night. I was
things can be had, leading to the
is dead! We all knew that inclined to criticise the Colonel’s
overthrow of old theories and the
he would die, but we were good playing by calling it luck,
unfolding of new truths, the unen­
he informed me that I
not prepared to hav*1 him go whereupon
so
lightened have resisted, accused and
tortured. So it was with Galileo, soon. Just two weeks ago I spent was rather plain spoken and de­
Bruno, Bacon and other noble men. a day and a night at the Ingersoll clared that the “higher critics”
Each victim left a demonstrated home, Dobbs’ Ferry-on-Hudson. would pronounce my opinions “un­
truth of nature, wh’ch gradually The Colonel was not in the best of inspired”.
Sunday morning the family ap-
worked its way into the minds of health at that time, but little did I
the people, shedding a light which think that in less than two weeks appeared at the breakfast table and
made life easier for the next to whom his noble life would come to an ab­ Colonel Ingersoll seemed livelier
than the evening before. During
Nature, in answer to loving inquiry, rupt end.
It was 4 o’clock Saturday after­ the morning the time was spent
revealed more of her secrets, so that
persecution and the physical tor­ noon when I arrived at the station reading the papers, discussing cur­
ture of advanced thinkers has been and was told that I would find the rent topics and playing billiards. I
done away with. But the position Ingersoll family at the summer hall never forget my hour’s visit
of standing by and proclaiming a home of the son-in-law’, Walston H. nth Colonel and Mrs. Ingersoll
new truth is yet beset with thorns, Brown, whither 1 was directed by lone that Sunday morning, two
Little did I
some of the residents of the village. yeeks ago today.
as in the case of R. G. Ingersoll.
Science asserted that the sun is A lovelier home I never visited. hink that it would he the last time
the center of his family of planets, The large stone house is situated in would visit with the great Inger-
We discussed the Free-
which move around him in rythmic the center of a 30-acre park, in the oll.
harmony. Theology said that the midst of beautiful oak and maple bought cause in general and the
glorious orb circled around the trees, and surrounded by magnifi­ jiberal University in particular,
earth, for which alone it was creat­ cent scenery on every side. When I lolonel Ingersoll expressed great
ed. Theology, strong with a hack­ arrived at the house Colonel Inger­ elight in the progress being made
ing of ignorance, persecuted science. soll was asleep, so I waited and had n Oregon, and told me of his inten-
Unrepentant, theology now accepts the pleasure of a nice visit with Mr. ion to belp the University in a
the scientific truth o f the sun-cen- Brown and Mr. and Mrs. Farrell. inancial way when the lecture
The time passed quickly while we eason opens next fall. He talked
tered system.
Science says that the human were seated on the veranda, looking f visiting Oregon again, and said
family has developed by various out upon the beautiful Hudson and ie would surely come to Silverton
sublimations from lower organisms. watching the little yachts testing nd give a lecture for the benefit of
What a delightful he Liberal University.
Theology claims that the people of their speed.
Thus passed the twenty-four
the earth have descended from one place for a home!’
While Mr. Farrell and I were lours in the delightful Ingersoll
man and woman, who by their one
act brought all generations for all chatting a footstep was heard upon lome. It was nearly 4 o’clock in
time under the curse and wrath of the veranda, and, turning, I saw he afternoon when I climbed into
God and made them liable to “the Colonel Ingersoll approaching with he phaeton and was driven to the
an outstretched hand of welcome, tation. I hade them all goodbye,
pains of hell forever”.
Ingersoll accepted the teachings which I quickly arose to grasp for ,nd when I grasped the Colonel’s
land he gave me a cordial invita-
of science on the question and tried a hearty shake.
“Well,” said the Colonel, “I ’m ion to call again, and suggested
to show its beauty to the world,
and, of course, brought upon him­ glad to see you; and now that you hat I “stay another day and we
self the condemnation of theology, are here, prepare to stay over rill have some fun”.
What a hospitable man! And
to W
’hich his honest convictions, the night.”
I had arranged for a bicycle ride iow he is dead. I can hardly real-
vitality of the truth he loved and
proclaimed, and his own happy, next day with the Macdonalds, but ee it. The morning papers reveal
honest heart, made him indiffer­ a heavv * shower of rain and the hos- he fact, and today the country
pitality of Colonel Ingersoll and aourns the loss of one of its great-
ent.
W
C
NO. 30.
est men. The papers speak kindly
of him in their editorials, and even
the preachers seem to have lost
their desire to abuse him. They
say that “he had a conception of a
religion of the past, which is but a
travesty on the true religion of the
present day, and that is what he
taught against”. They are mistak­
en. Ingersoll taught against the
old “true religion”, and under his
influence it has changed so that
the religion of the present day is so
Ingersollian that there is but slight
resemblance to the old. If the relig­
ion of today is the true religion,
Ingersoll has made it so.
A good and noble life has been
lived, and, living it, Colonel Inger­
soll has taught many lessons to the
world which the world will never
forget. His work will last as long
as human reason, and the name
of Robert G. Ingersoll will echo
throughout all the ages to come.
We who survive him have lived to
see the peaceful ending of a noble
life. He has quit an active life for
an endless rest, and his immortal­
ity consists in the good work he
has done. That will never die nor
rest.
Cincinnati, O.
Lived at Home the Gospel He
Preached Abroad.
J. A. CLEMEN80N.
is dead. Perhaps some
will say they are glad he is
dead. Perhaps no one in the
public will weep over his death,
for he asked no one to grieve for
him. But his death gives us the
right to consider seriously what his
life meant, and the question arises
in my mind, did the Creator put
that man of eloquence and beauty,
of sympathy and patriotism, of
charity and good will, into this
world to destroy his work. The
man lived his life believing in the
doctrine he preached, and he died
still believing. He lived believing
in charity, and he died taking no
man’s good’s with him. He died
leaving no man’s goods willed to
anyone else. He lived the gospel
at home which he preached abroad.
He died leaving his good will to all,
his belief in freedom and honest
purpose.
He lived and died without hope,
other than a belief in everlasting
peace and rest; but he passed away
leaving a doctrine that forces no
one to believe in anything but do­
ing right, and he asked no one to
believe in anything until education
ngersoll
I
C oncluded on 3rd page.