”if 1t . :Ii 1M; ,5. _ .1 ER ..m , ~ Woman“ , , ' " SOUTH NORWALK, CONN m being mu} unreliable and unworthy of Mensa. in his trastmem of this quas- tiooot salvation. Hisstntsnrsnrsareiunny of them false three and through—they do not correspond mineralipblminsplrit andnuth.” (Johuiv.,38); and Paul reiterates the idea. "Whatsoevsr things are honest, whalnoe‘vm- thingsars true " ' think on these things. ”Philippians v.‘,8.l‘lnally "The honest man, the good womaadnvs nothing to fear. either ill/thin world. orthsworld tome. Upon that rock Istand.” AndthatrOok isnsstrougns God himself. For: “What doth thew requireof then, but todo justly and to love mercy.aud to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah vi., 8. "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew vil.,21. “If ye keep my commandments. ye shall abide in my love.” John av., 10. Some one of you“ is saying, I fancy: "Well, then, if that is true, what’s the differsnce'ns to the rest? That’s the im- portnnt thing, isn't it?" Yes,"that’s the important thing. ”That's the‘hrart of salvation, isn’t it?" Yes, that's the heart of salvation. Good character through and through—good men and good women—that's what we're try- log to realize. There is no higher good than that. “Well, then, Ingernoll gives us enough, doesn’t be?” ‘No. “Why not?" There is one thing lacking. “What is it?" The power torealize the good. He names the result. What the world needs, what the world wants. is the power to reach the result. But I return to this later. I have now to point you to some facts» facts which no fair-minded person, seek: ing the truth, can aflord to disregard, and yet facts which, amid sailiesof wit and strains of captivating rhetoric, he- come easily overlooked and forgotten. For this evening, wit and rhetoric must give way to the logic of fact and reason. And, first, I charge Mr. Ingersoll witha coarse irreverence for sacred things which should removeyhirn forever from our regard when seeking truth about life, its hopes, duties and destiny. No man with fine feeling, no man who is true to his noblest instincts, no man whose heart is really full of love for humanity will beanything but reverent in the presence of religious thoughts, beliefs, hopes and principles dearer than life its. self to thousands of his fellowmen. You have never yet found and you never will find a great soul lacking reverence. Christian or not. believer or not. every true teacher will respect and treat re- spectfully the religious convictions of others. What they may he, does not matter. Most of us here this evening do not believe the Roman .Catbolic doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ's body and blood in the sacramental bread and wine. Imyself do not. Imsy say I do not. I may show its unreasonableness. I may urge men to abandon it. But to try to refute it, as fops refuted Berkele, with a grin; tomake out of it a puerile. blas- phemous, disgusting joke is cruel, cowardly, contemptible. It may win the laugh and the applause;but respect never. I like ajoke as well as any- one; 1 relish humor; I love happiness But when I ask the question “What must I do to be saved?" I do not want to ask it with a smile or with a sneer. And the prophet who under— takes to answer the question, whatever else he is or is not, must not be in arises and 4 decorum rsssasotts' “weir ' car we no ro an errant" Kinsman Delivered at the loath hawk mas-st march. use «use: was is Walton of In" of the as. " Mia's Alto-Biblical Dental-as. ‘ 36"“..le $oroodso'loved the world mass-m his only begotten son. that who. mm on him should not perish. "than eternal life. For God sent not the and into the world to Judge the world: but that “sworn shonldba saved through him. He that‘hslievstb on him is not judged: he that 7 . Will not hath been Judged already. be- , shipehsnsth not‘belisvled on the arm, of the ‘rmmnwnofaodhlnd thislsths inclement. that the light is come into the ‘ world. and men loved the darkness rather - than the light: for their works were evil. I have always believed that every one chiming to be a teacher of unit: should be given at fair and candid hearing, Truth itself has never seemed to me so frail a treasure as to bein danger through discussion, or likely to receive from any onslaught permanent and fatal injury in any mind worthy of its dwelling. And. of thb I am quite sure: That should-the heralded truth turn out, on investigation, to he, in whole or in part, error. the way to combat it is not by any pretentious of piety tohe superior to argument, nor by ‘ calling names; but by an honorable and love-directed use of the very weapons ' that error has pretended to use—the weapons, namely, of fact and reason and common sense. ‘ For these reasonsl went, last Friday evening. to hear Mr. lugersoll, and for these reasons I answer him tonight on his own chosen ground. With Mr. In- gersoll as an individual person 1 have nothing to do, except as his personality enters into and is responsible for his pub- lic teaching. He comes before men with a socelled new doctrine which he claims will “bring life, cover the world with happy homes, ’ * rid the world of ignor- ance and superstition—give us health and wealth and happiness." I come. in the name of Jesus Christ, bearing witness to the old and yet ever new gospel of love, received by faith and bearing fruit in good works—~the gospel which saves from sin, and gites to men eternal life and eternal joy in the eternal God. I meet Mr. Ingersoll where he meets me. Let us freely admire the lecturer’s rhet' uric and oratory. His prose, if somewhat florid, often blossoms into beautiful poetry. Let us heartily endorse the method that he sets before himself, even if he does not himself follow it con- sistently-the method of free investiga- tion, fearless reasoning and intellectual hospitality. ' More than this. Truth itself is equally valuable from whatever source it comes. In my judgment Dir. Ingersoll says many true things, and has denied much that is false—much which, if not now widely believed, has yet not been openly enough renounced. Scriptural passages like that in the last chapter of Mark. which, if not exactly “inlerpolatious,”are of altogether doubtful genuiness and authority, I put no faith in. The liible loses nothing by the loss of them. Their acceptance or rejection is wholly a matter of science, and not of prejudice- for or against. Stor- most painfully ignorant of facts, or most I choose, out of charity, to believe him ignorant. In either case, considering the man, considering the subject, con- sidering the audience, it was shameful. If you will have patience! will prove what I say. 1 First, what he said of New Testament interpretation and criticism, was false tofact. (I take two or three examples out of many.) Here in one: "Matthew, Mark and Luke say nothing about .1- vstion by faith—not one word—they do do not even hint at the doctrine of the atonement." Not one word of salvation by faith? “Jesus came preach- ing the gospel and say- ing: Repent ye and believe in (or have faith in) the gospel." Mark i., 15. "Jesus seeing their faith said, Sen, be of good cheer. Thy sins are forgiven." Matthew ix., 2. ' “The devil taketh away the word from their heart that they may not believe and be saved." Luke viii., 12: and so on. Then, not one hint of the atonement? "The Son of Man came * ‘* to give his life a ransom for many." Matthew xx., 28: so in Mark. “This is my blood of the covenant winch is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew xxvi., 28. Here is another: "The epistles are addressed to nobody; they are signed by the same per- son." Let us see. Romans i., 1. 7: "Paul, aservant of Jesus Christ * * mail that are at Rome, " ' called to beseints,"etc. Corinthians is next: i., 1: "Paul, called to to be an apostle * ' unto the church of God which is at Cor- inth." So with Galations; so with Ephe- sians. and so on. These words are in the Greeek manuscript we pom. There is not one note of evidenm, not one, that they were not there when Paul wrote them. Mr. lcgersoll goes further: He even says "Every word that says by whom they were written or to whom is a for- gery." Has be overlooked these opening addresses, and in be speaking of the titles which were added later by other bands? I will suppose he made a slip and meant the titles. And is this the enact language one might expect from an able lawyer? “Forgery, Ilr. Ingersoll, is a falsification, or imitation of something also intended to deceive." You will hunt through all Greek literature before you find one testimony to the presence of for- gery, even in the titles! As well say when you mark an nnonymoul book whose author you know-as, in fact,l did the other day. with the name of that author, that that is a forgery! Surely such words for such a teacher are shame- ful! I cannot stop to enlarge. Here is a brazen statement: The gospel of John was written more than 200 years after the death of Christ. There is not a scholar of reputation in New 'I‘mtament learning-~1Jbristian or not Christian-in ies like that of Jonah and the , . Germany, England or America, who whale which when intcr- flippant 0' Irreverent, must not would certifytothat statement. Baur, probed. as 1an1 history he beinenpanlc of standing with awe and years 33.), denied that John m” we earnestness in the presence of the spirik ual and the unseen. It is this willful quality in Mr. Ingsmll’s work. that I count worse, more really harmful, more worthy of rebuke and condemnation than all his double. diebeliefs and de- nials. author of the book. He was the most extreme of all. lie placed the date at l70-that is, about 140 years after the death of Christ. And since then the whole Tuebingen schoolA‘iBaur’s follow- ers» have retreated from his position: Keller, A. D. ISO; Ililgsufleld, A. I). no; come grotesque and thereforethe butt of indiscriminating ridicule, bear, 1 am sure, all the religious t'ruth (icd mount them to hear, when recognized as Idea- lized history, legend or even myth. Truth is larger than fact, and it course to us in poetry as well no prose. Doctrines, too—very especially the doctrine Ichargc Ilr. Ingersoll with awholly Renan. 125: Schenkel lib: Ksim. 110- of eternal punishment. as unwarranted confusion of religion with And today the consensus of critical it has been handed down superstition. To him faith and fable, opinion holds that the authorship of the touscolored by the ghostly and 00"” belief and credulity, religion and no. gospel is John’s~the disciple of Jesus—- materialism 0‘ the Middle 11800-30 one reason are. inseparable. He seems no somewhere near lilo A. I), or .40; even Mr. 1039,30" himself—can terly lucspable of discrimination. l.s- 70 years after the death disbelisve more earnestly than i. The ”“015” fruit 0‘ obtueeuesstoall splrit- 0‘ Chm" “"8 is more reckless- ualreallty.’ All the hatredaud cruel re- venge and persecution of superstition in the past, he charges off-hand to religion. The objects of faith and credulity are alike to this sense-bound man. All priests and ministers, to he would have us believe, have turned their backs on reason, and churches have become the dungeons of thosoni. I point you to history. The world was taught a lesson once; and it will not soon forget it. Not in word only, but in dead. man once tried tosxterrniunte religion when they swept away superstition. The French Revolution is a monumental warning of that dismal failure. You remember nets: "As a matter of fact Matthew never wrote a word of the gospel of flat- thew~never saw it. never heard of it." Mr. lngersoll could not prove thatto- morrow for a thousand dol- lars. Not this: ”Christ ex- pected the and of the world in a few days " Nor this: “‘lhs disciples of Christ, so far as we know, know only Hebrew." So far as we know, they talked Aramaic and read and wrote Greek. But second, Mr. Ingersoll's philosophy in farce. Rsndthis: " The reason that you cannot injure God is that the infinite is conditioulsm. You cannot increase or diminhh the happiness of any being without changing that belug’s condition. if God lsconditiouless. you can neither lnj whole balance of both reason and scrip ture teaches us, rather, that as long as men sin they roller. and that persistence in sin will surely bring, somewhere. sometime, at last. eternal loss, eternal death. In what he sfllrms, else. even more than in what he denies, every generogs soul—yes, every Christian conscience will find much to approve. Who of as does not believe in good health, good isl. lowsbip, cheerfulnsas, intelligence, edu- cation and justice? Who of us would not pay 'Amsn!‘ to this summing up of the recent lecture: "I have made up my mind that if there in God. be will be merelful’to the merciful. Upon that rock I stand." The words fell from the lips of Jesus eighteen centuries ago: "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew v., 7. lion- drsds of years before that, «so, the Psalmist had said the same thing: “With the merciful thou wilt show thyself mar. “fill.” Psalm avill., ii. "That hewlll . Interiors the forgiving. Upon that rush I used." Thelma. is a We swirl-hunt”. “lfys forgive use their when. your heavenly Wales will MN you. Iatthnw vi., id. Ir. Inger- ho-ov-uo loose Wham-oboe tnrsrhsqeornmlttadtheabsuvdltymhsn wasnolongsr mastiprhohswsrsilllsd ohehssvsnwlhlnsthslimltvotnsnsssisy, mos mm )‘f .. ' not new meson-mid; than. than m in nonghhmmahliaam. no, moon-i- thefmd no wimnopvaissmohianra Andystlis- thinkingyonngmsn can affordtotruat tsuil'fanieoavlaesdinotoulyhavsths them orbs influenced bythem. I era rlghttofltlllki’hfll‘fi In] duty ‘0 01' sorry to be obliged to say so. but the peers cumin, "Tm. impos- simpis truth is Ir. Iugsrsoll showed siblel ,Thsmnstdosslotknow even the hile luthelecturelast Friday robe ABOofethlos. ' rmpmmmywoem outrsgsously dishonest in presentingthsm such examples. ‘ 3m 1 My. “id enough, alongthiallae.lthink.toshowmone wholsrenllyopeatocoavistisnthatlfr. Ingenollisnosafsgnide for an honest andsarneetsesksraftsr truth. who is unreliable in his statements about facts, which he could knowand should knowifhsdincnssthsru at all, is nottobstrustadin‘histssching. Amen ltura nowlto thsnaia amino. and so far as the doubts and difficulties raised by the apostle of Infidelity are eonoerned,ean dispose of it the more brieflybsoauseit Montwokmmil- conceptions. They are: Ma funds» mental mistake as to tbsprimary object of salvation. Ir. Ingersoli says: "What must we do to he saved from the eternal wrath of the God who made us?“ Christ asks, and I, hninhly repeating this question ofquestions, say: «we» must we data be saved from sin?" I know that sin brings coloring: that is, brings the wrath of God—which is, at the same time, never forget it, the re- formative love of God—mu the sinner. But to miss the fact that the salvation of God is llrst of nll,and most of all,from sin itself, late fall wholly tosppreciate that salvation, or to understand its re. lotion to the enduring. When the flames from the, open grate fasten on the clothes of the baby child and threaten its death: what is needed isnot first toput oint- ment on the scars, but to extinguish the flames. When disease lays your loved one iow,the main thing is not totake takeaway theraab from the face and the aching from the limbs,but to cure the disease. And what you and! and this world need is not to escape punish. meat—that may be the greatest of all blessings—~but to escape the evil, to es- cape estrsugemeut from God and boil- ness and happiness—to escape sin. Sailor-d, a fundamental mistake as to the way of salvation, proclaimed by Christ—as to salsadou by faith. Sal- vatronisbyfaldl.has bssabyfaith thyougb all ‘agss nines the first sinner turned away from God in diso- bedience, and salvation will be by faith foreverand forever. Butte lfr. log-non faith is an in- tellectual belief about something. an ac- ceptance of a factor heavy or doctrine as true. And knivation through faith therefore is salvation through some he- lief, through some creed. Idc not won- der he can fly ltrong' things against such an absurdity. No man was ever sand, or could be, simply by Mating this or disbsileving that. What say the swimmer? "(lod so loved the world. ‘ * that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life." So es- sentially always. And between believ. ng a fact or doctrine, and believing on or in a person, there is a whole world of difference. Why you all can see it if you think! There is my friend A. ll. When I first came to South Norwnlk I learned certain things about him. his name. his business and so on. They helped me indeed to know him, but they of themselves did not change my rela- tionstn him —did not alter my life by- so much as a fraction. Afterwards 1 camera know him personally. lie be- came my fricnd,ofl’ered to help me and did. i respected him. I put faith in. I believed in, the man. I began to love him. Don't you see it is no verbal distinction merely. this between believing a fact, and believing in a person; be- tween a doctrinal creed (good and need fui as that is for other purposes) and a living faith? Faith moves the world. Faith is receptive love. Faith is the bond that binds souls together in moral love, good will. Faith is the source-and spring and power of life. And faith in God, in Christ, is the way by which we enter into life eternal. Oh, when once one stands in the pvss~ ones of such a blessed living faith as this, how poorand shallow and needless these miserable substitutesand these lasers at such substitutes become! Mr. Inger soilusver tires of repeating: "Not one word is said in thumps! of Iatthew aboutbellsviug the Old Testament to have besnlnspirsd, (in ordumbsssved),not onswordaboutbaingbsptlssdorjoiaing sol-arch: not outward sbontbsllevlng inanymlrnulsgnnthllgofflitnnvt.” No, selling of the sort: for these thingn, horrsvsr valuable, were never msdeby cart-t oandllsns of mlvatien from sin to rightsomnnu and love. Whatever cam have at can cannery whorimadruhmklatm plan ” i‘ H anyJokuroh today pseaohaslt hkfikshrflistfiurtb ml- “handed-flaw W »ns.tv,,mr15, not. or this ”deeply than that most use M”, ‘Wp W, ““4”!“ book.ths gospel/of John. 'flr. lngsssoll we, "The whole trouble bsginswhen wsmmstoiohn,”- To John! Think of a: Thom-rational, theme-talent. no most inspiring ofall psrtsoftlrshie-sd M. Thatof itself is ertoughtoeouv damn hill. But he told you n half-truth; and it becomes. as half trothshftsn do. n dacsptlonnnd falsehood. Ks told you he found in John that Jesussnid. "He that believsth on mehntbstsrnsllifs,” and a dozen passages like it. Good! Why didhenotgoontorsnd this: "Andthis is the Judgment that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil." And this: “If ye were Abraham's children ye would do the works of Mr rnham." , And this: "If ye love me ye will keep my new madmants." And this: “larval not ’ '3 They that have done good shall (come forth) unto the resurrectionof life asdtheythathavo dons ill. unto the resurrection of judgment." Faith work- ing through love in a life of good deeds, that is the gospel of Christ in a mltshell. Andthatbringsme back to what I said I should return to. And now Ithink you see it. Mr Ingersoll's doctrine lacks onenll essential element—the war to realize the life of goodness he describes. We’rsbinful and weak as well as ignorant. And what we need is not simply to be told about beautiful virtues but to have the poww to make liaise virtues our own. We need note flflflll’lmifl? but a Saviour; not agnostic Wilt)”, but faith hope and love; not a theory of rhcwrit: but life. And that is what Christ brings —-life. As we receive him by faith, as we come to love him and serve him, how we learn it! He came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. I trust I have no word no wish of ill. will or malice or judgment or revenge for anyone. But I tell you it stirs up all ”Y the indignation in my blood-for i feel the awfulnrss of it ell-«when a man comes, perveriing facts and defying logic. and in the sacred names of reason and love, while toying with mob-sh, liftsso much as one little finger to try to bear any the bulwarks of l's'lm‘lbv- one thing that makes» life Worth living. the one light in this world of sin, stiller- ing and narrow. And this lay in cloa lug: Dear as life is. 8W! as l longto live and laborsnd love, i would gladly die tonight rather than exchange for llr. ingsmll’s lonely doubt in the Dir vine presence and love,and his fitful, queationinghope of immortality-l would rather die tonight than exchange for that the sublime monsoon! Paul: "i know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that bein able toguanl that which i have committed to him spinal sud-r5- . - - . ”oath of John I. Ilwwlnlvl. John H. Rowland died at -l o'clmk yew terda y. afternoon, at the home of hisdsuv ghter. Mrs. Arthur if. Tilvile. '37 i'eirfleld avenue, aged seventy years. Dir. How land was a well-known ritirnn of the town, residing. until a few months ago, in East Nomalk. lie.- was respefled by every one of his large circle of acrlrraint- ances. lie had been it airliner from drapsy for some time. it was only about a month ago that his wife «lied. The dry waned was for twmty-fimr years a metric iwruf (lid Well LfldKP, l". and .l. 31., and the members will meet at. l o'clock to attend the funeral. which will be held from his late, home tomorrow afternmn otto‘clrwk. The interment will be in the Plant Norwnllt mummy. Knights of Columbus lilvet "More Liatholic Union Council. K.of (I ,elscb ed these attic-ere last night: You grand knight, Henry Item; grand knight, Inward Barrett; deputy grand knight, M. l". U'Rielly; financial secretary. B. l‘. l‘eeney; recording m'remry, John ’I'. Hayes: treasurer, l"). .l. Finnegan: kw . turer, Elev. T. if O'Brien; chaplain, Rev. .l. luggao: warden. W. ll. flylnnrl; chmllov. John lollies: cmnoil physi- cian,'Dr. W. J. Tram-y; advocate, Peter Walsh: inside guard, Edward fihnnnhslz wtside guard. (J. J. McCarthy; trustees. Peter I. Grim. Inns Vlnhrity, Pierre Hayes, ilernarcl Tully and Michael Gleason. Christina nails-var heist. The Young People’s Society of can» lan Endeavor of the bush Norwalk (zon- gngatlonai church, held a hostess-no ingann social. last night,“ lira home of the trim Mow. West avenue. There was a very large attendance of members and their Mesh, and them also was an sassedhrgty pleasant one. The varionsoflssrs read their was neat Wand after ”but vandal W,mmm indulg- ed in. and sand“ unwell am. W9 GEN lilillliilll ‘SESSM tier risers minim am rim or ran om consort. . r i - A Minot... 3”“ WI West awn Jam's-saws. special, Olly Munroe-the Taylor Avenue ” lower-Other lantern Discussed. it was ”unblock last night wheat» Board of Councilman was callrlltedidsr by lisyor lee. All the msmbasssnswsv- sdtctluirom with the eruption of Councilman Hoyt. _ It wss votedtogoshsnd withdrawn!- sningsnd gradingcf West meet. from Taylor avenue to the oily line, as laid tilt by thsBoard “Councilmen. lsstyshr. Thssommittee on streets recommend- ed thatsnswlsyoutof Barium be made, and the Council inuructsd him to call a pnblis bearing durum ed.ouflondayavsoing.liay28,tonmsss I beneiluenddamagss. . itwasvotedtocsllnspsoialeitynrsw ingfor liondsyeveniog. tszlstinthn Anonllnlmovoto on the matter of a ‘ sewer for Taylor avenue, according to tberrportofthestrsetdepsrtmsntmnde‘ last week. , Electric Light Conrail-loner Volk ap— peared infers the Board in relation to [nrmlssion given by the Council last week to the Norwalk Tramway company touring their feeders on theeity's wires. He said if this was done the heavy wires the company intended to string would pull the poles over. He thought the matter should be referred to the electric light commissioners. The Board was of the tame opinion. and the fo‘lowing resolution was pausad unanimously: Ifmdvrd, That the Norwalk Tramway company is hereby ordered to string its new food wires, feeders and cross arms sc'cczding to": Malena thi: (bunch re st ve to tro poles w as passed the Board of ilonncilruen oanne 5th, use, and that mid ccmrnny be and the same is guard wires above the trolley wire along its line through the city,aod thnttba city clerk be and Is hereby directed to serve a copy of this resolution on said company. Councilman Sebaub alien attention to the condition of the two flower mounds belongingwthaeitymnesttbejnneflon of High, West and Spring streets and fairlrid avenue. and the other at Wen street and Wot avenue, and a motion up and caring fa, the City Surveyor Briggs Washington stress nrlgkt’stand the sam- merout, butthnt very likely, if there wereseveralssversstornts. it would be down before that More. Hesaldtbers transplaesnow where the top cl the wall overhangs about a foot. Concil- mao Slater W that the Gonna! get bids from oontrntors to ascertain nbesthowmuehtherepsirsm the wait wouldcmt. The Board oer-iced to do this ircmnrilman iioyt. committee on fire armament, recommended the purchase of an indicator. at a cost of Oil!) or M, to beplscai in the t’utnana linen com- pany's hmrse to better facilitate the work of in» firerrran, (Jimncllrnan fichaub the service would never be complete tritium an indicator. Councilman sister drought this experiment was Il- maly radium the city sufficiently: that the l mfvil dronld go slot The matter was laid on the table. it was decided to leave the matter of a grade for ltnington avenue until the out meeting, for further investigation by the strut commissioner. ’ The [written of Butcher It. J. Wad— harns, "mental at the last meeting, was then lnnnghtnpand (Tonneilinnn Deni» icy, «annulment: health, casted a re» lotion that lit. Windham bagratrted par- hereby further ordered to string , prevailsdthstbldsbnreoelved form . minaofnhontfortyfsstoflhsw Terrncsrstaialng wallat thallulof Ipnlw 3.. new”! the report, saying that U
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