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Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, July 31, 1910.

Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, July 31, 1910. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.). 400dpi TIFF G4 page images Blade Publishing Co., Lexington, Kentucky 1910 blu1910073101 These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, July 31, 1910. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.). Blade Publishing Co., Lexington, Kentucky 1910 $IMLS This electronic text file was created by Optical Character Recognitio n (OCR). No corrections have been made to the OCR-ed text and no editing has be en done to the content of the original document. Encoding has been done through an automated process using the recommendations for Level 1 of the TEI in Librar ies Guidelines. Digital page images are linked to the text file. BLUE GRASS BLADE JLJ 1910Number32 VOLUME LEXINGTON KENTUCKY SUNDAY JULY 31st XVIUA JftlJIPLa Rhi nR t I N NON N N N H M N N NON HeN N NN N N NONeHO Q y tntflrt oj 11t+ illugtr n y + 2 A Memorial Address by Channing iSeverance+ eHeNOHONONONONONOONONONeNeH N NOJONONeNONONONO t Mr CliairmaUj Ladies and Gen tlemen When Robert G Ingersoll paid the debt of nature and disap pared from the haunts of men to bo seen and heard no more to the end of time the world lost its greatest orator and one off tho most remarkable men that ever trod the surface of this old earth With his death and disappearance one of the greatest minds one of the gentlest and kindest natures that ever existed ill human formi bid an eternal farewell to these material scenes und environments As ho passed fronu the mystery of life into that of death tune curtain fell upon a career with which history will insure an influence and a memory as long as history is read or fu Lure generations take an interest i in the deeds and doings of their predecessors As the history of vice world is the history of great mOil there is no more doubt about his retention of a permanent place on its pages than there is for the supposition tliat a time will some day come when oratory will lose its charms and the hon est efforts of heart and brain U increase the joys of life and lift higher the human race in the scale of being will puss without appreciation and approval long as human heart throbs with kindness and sympathy long as mental freedom is prize as a blessing and the right to think and speak every sincere and honest thought is held in du- eats and works pt rdstthetname Robert G ll wm uum sway and influence those who come after us Great thoughts are endowed with immortality and in the realms of intellect the minds of the future will as they do today see and recognize the acme of lifes possibilities There never lived a oomibina tion of great heart and great brain that was without power to reach beyond the grave and play part in the affairs a prominent of men we can no more cut loose from the influences of the the endsunderpast than we can less chain of cause and effect that all through Nature Every runs genius who lies played his part imper in human affairs lass will for ishable influences that stimulate men to action and ever otters to try and excell accomplishments The poets the statesmen philosophers the orators the musicians the warriors have nIl left these influences and the youth in ev land has found his ideal from ery of them and begun life some and the desire of with the hope the stimulating influ the hu of historical deedsence man race is spurred onward and scale of ex it rises higher in the follows century istence as of the in the endless procession years Men of genius are not every Nnture and aofda products centuryof seldom produces can count on the- digits more than one of liis hand In all antiquity the world has produced but Shakespeare whoseone was likened by our later genius whose waves touched Oceanto an all the shores of thought A high compliment indeed and one such as no man ever paid him because it required an Ingcrsoll to produce the expression and I now the assertion mad challenge denial with the proof that Ingersolls ora tions and his literary efforts con of thought tutu tain more gems can he found in those of any other writer known to the world He stands preeminent among all the great minds present and the past as an expressive writer and an orator TlHs like and his equal have never been seen and if we form our jude ment from the past never will be There is a charm of diction and a rhytluiiic flow of words in nil he wrote or said that can be f found uowherij else and in ad dition to tliesJ we find ever and at all times fhe highest grade of philosophy and a strict adherence to rationalism and common sense The orations of Cicero and De mosthenes heretofore considered the foremost productions of the human mind are far from equaling those of Ingersolls and by them are cast into the shad They occupy high place in our classics and ever will but the pinnacle of famine is now held by the oratorical productions of the greatest champion of Free thought the world hna ever seen Robert G Ingersoll As an advocate of Freothought Ingcrsoll assumed a position in till realms of oratory never be fore occupied by the really great historical orators for their line of thought tvua some specialty and their object its attainment Politics state inanship and re ligion science and philosophy have all hand their great orator cal exponents but in Ingersoll we see a new departure for his plea and his purpose was to emancipate the human mind from every kind and system of mental slavery His aim was to insure absolute free thought on every subject that interests or concerns mankind maid in a work of this kind he necessarily found religion and religious advocates his worst enemies und opponents Freethought and religion ore naturally antagonistic for relig- Ion is surrounded by barriers be thtrl ib t v ot are for n go svTmei reehougi ps aside all limitations and says there is nothing too sacred for dicussion and investigation nothing knowable thut man should not know and become familiar with- Ingersolls keynote was Lib crt and at all times and in nil sineredesirelected as the title for one of his great lectures Liberty for liau Woman and Child He know that freedom of thought was the basis of freedom to act and that humanity with minds enslaved by creeds and religious restrictions could not be free lie pleaded for light and knowledge for the substitution of scientific facts for systems of belief and that felicitous expression found in one of his first lectures The Gods outlined his position ex actly Said he Give me the storm and tent pest of thought and action rather than the dead calm of ignorance and faith banish me from the larder of Eden when you will but first let me eat of the tree of knowledge He saw how the world had been cursed with blind credulity in all ages he saw how religion and religious creeds had rested like an incubus on the minds of untold millions he saw how the world had been enshrouded in darkness and gloom by the false and the useless dogmas of theology he saw how tho priesthood played upon the hopes and the fears of their ignorant followers and from the records of history he became familiar with the damnable part that religion has always enacted in human affairs He read of the countless victims to religious fanaticism who suffered torture imprisonment mid death for dar ing to think and have views ofI their own and from reliable sources he found as he asserted that this world has been a fit place for a gentleman to live in hut a comparatively short time For a thousand years tint part of the world so unfortunate as to be dominated by the Christian religion stood still intellectually and that period of time is appro priately called the Dark Ages It was not until the 15th century that the light of reason begun to shine again through the darkness induced by Christian theology and the tyranny of Popery andI from the time of Bruno the pion I eer martyr of Freethought up to the advent of Robert G Ingersoll as its champion and defender the conflict between science and religion was continuous There never has been a time when tho Christian religion looked kindly on the cold facts of approsthe l there never will he for a conflict invariably results when reason andreligion meet The church fought the plurality of worlds sphericformmovement as proclaimed by Galileo put every possible obstruct ion in the way of science and as late as the last quarter of the 19th cent condemned denounced and protested against the doc propoundedbyWhys Because these men and their facts were not in accord with the Book of Genesis While thchurch had power to suppress scientific men and their discoveries it did so with relentless se verity and when through the general increase of intelligence that power began to wane it still fought them in every conceivable way and with the oldtime mani festation of hatred The church doesnt want thinkers it wants believers for belief and not knowledge is the basis of all reo ligions For this reason how the church hates Voltaire and yet the world lies produced but two men who deserve to rank with him as public benefactors and sterling friends of humanity These two it is almost needless to sny in this audience are Thorium Paine and Robert G Ingersoll This trinity of names ranks the highest in human history and will ever so stand among the Freethinkers of this and all other nationsWithout freedom to think and to express thoughts there can be no intellectual growth and development and a stationary world must be the result But such a i t ejdgnJ IP Q iarehglous systems for pro gress is neither wanted nor considered desirable where inspired writings direct from God exist to guide influence and control the inhabitants of the earth It is assumed by the priesthood and theologians that if God had wanted mankind to know more than the Bible reveals that book would have contained it therefore it is sufficient for our needs as it is This has been and always will be the fatal drawback to religion for it anchors thought to so called sacred writings and says beyond the word of God we must not go For centuries the church and Christianity had their own way and science the product of mans intelectual achievements was not permitted to bloom or blossom Repression was the universal rule and none but priests possessed the right to think and speak and woe to him who dared to make use of their selfassumed prerog atives The church was so strongly opposed to science that it punished the scientist and philosopher as murderers are punished today by deathand it did its best to prevent by imprisonment and tor ture the growth and spread of new ideas and yet it poses now as the cause of the civilization we now enjoy- But we KNOW that until science got a renewed foothold and mankind were enlightened and benefitted by its work this world was the abode of crude superstition and dense ignorance of cruel and barbaric notions of merciless intolerance and WIre lenting persecutions Science has broadened the human mind and philosophy has insured toleration in opinions hut at what a fearful cost has all this been gained To realize it we must read history and become familiar with indisputable facts und when we do the heart is sickened with horror by tho crimes and cmcltiies of ancient Christians If we gono further back than the time of Voltaire we find the wheeland the rack in active use and the fiendish custom of burning heretics alive was a common occur renee in the century that gave him birth Though brought up in the bosom of the church and educated by the Jesuits his great mind rose above the superstitious c in which he lived and his humane feelings revolted at the L1I cruelties perpetrated by both the Catholic and Protestant churches So strongly was he moved by the horrors of Christian civilization that he resolved to devote his time and talents to the amelior ation of his fellow men and though extreme danger attended sucTi efforts and his work up to the day of his death was never free from i4 he begun and carried on a warfare on priestcraft and superstition the influence of tvhh has been tremendous Ins genius lighted up all Europe and beyond doubt or question did more to elevate the standard civilization than any writer that precededtint front the dawn of the Christian era He has well been called the master mind of Europe and humanity owes to hiiij a debt of gratitude has been denied and whichI cause of prejudice insured by the clergy of all sects Christianityhus and calunniy as a reward for his services to mankind but that is the manner in which the church has always treated the benefact orsof the human race Show me the name in history of a man who advocated science and philosophy and I will show you one that still receives the condemnation of the the great Voltaire comes Thomas Paine as a well hated much maligned enemy of Christian superstition and the work which he did is all sufficient to account for the lies and enmity which the churches bestow upon hint lie did more in his Age of Reason to knock the props from under Christian theology than any man that preceded him and the work of lre thought re ceiled an impetus from him that never equaled until the ad vent of Ingersoll Thomas Paine usedno weapon in his attack on superstition but reason and from reason he drew all of his conchs siojis and yet how the clergy a him As they hate him so Jli kntttraHJ lo w tha they reason jtts as much for it was reason that gave him his power to demolish their the ological schemes and fables No religion can stand the test of reason and nil religious systems nest and do fall before its magic power Religious faith is nothing but a mental effort to swallow what reason rejects so the less reason one has or the less he ex ercises that supreme faculty of the mind the nacre chance for faith in religion or superstition which by the way are inter changeable terms for as IIbbs tin English Freethinker once said Religion is superstition in fashion and superstition is relig ion out of fashion1 There is no superstition known to the world that was not once in fashion fur mortal man has worshiped nearly everything from a ser pent to the sun and believed in every absurdity his undeveloped mind couldconjure up and he would be doing the same tiling now without exception were it not for this faculty reason which the clergy so hate and oppose Without reason to protect hint from impostors and their tales of terror ulna wouldstill be as big a fool and as great a slave to superstition as he ever was So it is Reasonand not Religion that has made the world what it is today for in time Dark Ages there were no Vol tires no Paines no Ingersolls and superstition flourished without opponents In view of this fact we must accept the undeni abU conclusion that the more religion the world has the greater is human ignorance and misery and the less it has the more in telligence and happiness do we find Therefore every man who combats religion and fights priest craft is a public benefactor for by so doing he insures progress liberty and enjoyment for man kind in general Thomas Paine did effective work along these lines and tellectual growth was rapid and vigorous from the seeds of thought sown by him but no great und worthy successor des tined to yield a wonldwide in fluence made his appearance un til back in the seventies when Robert G Ingersoll came to the front and demonstrated the possession of brains und genius un excelled by any man in America or the whole world A few discourses given in the Athens of America sometimes called Boston resulted in his being heralded as the rising sun across the lecture field of time j and well did he merit the compliment and- well did he preserve his reputation as the foremost orator of the world until his eloquent lips were made voiceless by the touch of deaths cold hand As an orator he was the phenomenon of the ages and I repeat his equal never lived as far as we know from the records of hwnan speech that have been preserved In all ins numerous lectures and volu minous writings there is not a dullor prosy hna The fire of genius burns in them all and his great mind seemed to hold on inexhaustible supply of fresh and attractive thoughts He saw timings at a glance which requir ed study and reflection in others and his keen perception was fully equalled by his unrivaled powers of expression and when Ameri cas greatest pulpit orator Hjen ry Ward Beecher presented him to a New York audience in these words he said what many thou sands of his admirers and good- judges of oratory still believe trueNow fellow citizens let me introduce to you a man who 1 say not flatteringly but with sincere conviction is the most bril liant speaker of the English tongue in any hind on the Ingersolls personality was also something remarkable for the very sight of tic man carried an influence that proclaimed su periority and genius and in his presence no one failed to feel that he had met one of Natures no blemenI saw and heard him in 1876 and never shall I forget the manner in which he touched and swayed tint vast audience in sic Hall Boston as he poured forth a volume of oratory such as that historic city with its long list of great men and public speakers had never known be fore It was on this occasion that Ee paTr luScompliuitiijCls to the- Re Joseph Cook one of the most doughty and determined en emies of Freethought that ortho dox Christianity leas given us in the last generation A man like St Paul who did not hesitate to lie for the glory of Gods and who did knowingly willfully and maliciously lie about Col Ingersol- lIt was about that time that Freethinkers were being hounded and persecuted by Anthony Gunstock and a coterie of bigoted Christians in this country under a na tional law defined as a statute for the suppression of vice and obscenity but really aiijiod at the suppression of Freethought Joseph Cook had repeatedly stated in public that Col Inger soll was in favor of the circulation of obscene literature so when Ingersoll came before a Boston audience and to the city where Cook lived he met that gentlemans charges in a fitting manner What a scoring he re ceived And how that vast audience applauded as Ingersol stepped to the front of the stage and dramatically drawing his linger across his forehead said When Joseph Cook asserted that IIUIlJ in favor of the circu lion of obscene literature he wrote LIAR on the forehead of his reputation Never shall I forget the scene that followed for memory preserves with great distinctness the tumultuous manifestation of ap proval that then occurred and when the daily press published in full his remarks the next morning the Rev Josephwho now sleeps with his fathers and hasI quit lying must have felt as did the man when kicked by a mule that something haul hit liimAnd now while this subject is being touched I wish to make clear the attitude of Col Inger soll on the subject of such liter ature the socalled Comstock laws for Christian lies are still in circulation and destined to follow him for years as they have Voltaire Paine and other opponents of Christian superstition To do this his reply to the following statement published in tho Boston Journal seems suffic ient Said the Journal Col Robert G Ingersoll and others feel aggrieved because Congress in 1873 enacted a law for the suppression of obscene literature and believing it an in lAJ fringement of the rights of cer tain citizens and an effort to muzzle the press and conscience petition for its repeal When mans conscience permits hint to spread broadcast obscene litera ture it is time that conscience was muzzled The law is a ter ror only to evil doers Col Ingersoll replied to the editor in these words No one wishes for the repeal of any law for the suppression of obscene literature For my part I wish all such laws rigidly enforced The only objection I have to the law of 1873 is that it huts been construed to include books and pamphlets written against the religion of the day althoughcontaining nothing thatrcan be called obscene or impure Certain religious fanatics taking advantage of the word immoral in the law have claimed that all writings against what they are pleased to call orthodox religion are immoral and such books have beet seized and their autthors arrested To this and this only I object Your article gives me great injustice and I ask tint you will have the kindness to publish this note From the bottom of my heart I despise the publishers of obscene literature Below them there is no depth of filth And I also despise those Who under the pretense of sup pressing obscene literature deavor to prevent honest and pure men front writing mid pub lishing honest and pure thoughtsIt to understand these i wordsnndnO truthful or hon est inan who sees them will ever Jlcsothers but all men are not truthful and honest and whileIChristians hate their contrary to the teachings of their i Jesus they will continue to lie end ways 11avetWithout determined opposition to the Comstock law which con tains that inrefinito and eraword unarm every Frec thought paper in the United States would have been suppressed years ago for that was the main object in view when those I laws were hurried through Con f mess in the last hours of its session in 1873 It was fully expected that the Trathseeker the Boston Investigator and other leading journals would be driven out of existence and Comstock that persistent enemy of Freethought visited the printers of the Truth seeker and threatened them with arrest if they continued to publish it He declared it his intention to institute a criminal charge against Editor Benner because of an open letter he wrote to Jesus Christ but the intention was not carried out when he learned that Col Ingersoll had said he would defend him if he did Comstock denounced the Truthseekor as a villainous and blasphemous sheet hut even if it had been those two words have no more connection with obscenity than religion has with common sense We have no laws on the statute books of the United States against blas phemy for this government lies no God connected with its mach inery and none is recognized in the Constitution therefore such laws do not and cannot exist Still D Mi Bennett the editor of the Truthseeker was destined to endure thirteen months imprisonment through the machinations of these foes of Freethought and his offense was the mailing of a dry dissertation on the sexes by E IT Heywood which biased and prejudiced courts on several occasions declared obscene The book or pamphlet advocated moro liberty in marriage and dealt with sex questions but did not contain a single word that could rightly bo called obscene as does the Holy Bible in many instances and Charles Devins then AttorneyGeneral of the United States dclared after its perusal that it was not an ob scene book But to the penitential Bennett had to go because his Freethought paper had offended the Christians After his imprisonment a monster petition of 50000 names was taken to President Hayes by Col huger soll anti that gentleman after admitting the injustice of Ben netts imprisonment promised to pardon him but the Methodist Church got the ear of Mrs Hayes Continued on page four BLUE GRASS BLADE FOUIi ED Br CHARLES it IILTON MOORE 1d edited by Ulm until his death Febriary JAMES E HUGHES Proprietor 126128 Uorth Limestone Street Lexington Kentucky- P Box SUBSCRIPTION RATES By mall postpaid JlOO pr yr In advance Five new yearly subscribers at ono re mittance cents each Foreign subscriptions postpaid J160 per year ADVERTISING RATES One Inch single column Insertion cents one month or four Insertions 100 six months 500 one year 800 Quarter column Insertion 209 one month 400 six months 2000 one year 3000 Half columc whole column or larger advertisements at special rates v on ap plication ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS to the Blade will be discontinued at the expiration of the term for which the subscription has been paid up In advance The address sap on Lie paper will show subscribers the date of expiration of subscription Back numbers or numbeis omitted will be sent If asked for upon renewal In case of discontinuance SHOULD ANY SUBSCRIBER change his or her address adviso this office giving Doth old and new Address as desired THE OFFICE of publication of the Blade Is at 126128 North Limestone Street Lexington Kentucky to which all Free thinkers will be given a hearty wel come TILE BLADE Is entered at the Fostofflre at Lexington Kentucky as second clas mailing matter IADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS JAMES E HUGHES Box Lazing r on Kentucky WHAT ABOUT THE BLADE Ifhe Blade is in receipt of a of communications of which the following from A A Snow is a fair sample Some ques tions are asked in these letters that are difficult to answer frankly It costs us very close to 40 per week to print and mail the Blade Fo two or more years it cost us in addition to this the salary of an editor of 24 per week one who knows anything mus kn9w there are some weekl office expenses to pay At n time in ten years past have th expendituresSince ceipts have not been sufficient trt pay tho postage on the paper fs t easy to be seen that the Blade Is a long way from being a moneymaking institution Read Mr Snows letter Bro Hughes I notice that you make mention of your fin ancial condition and that you yoheiru r way out and plans regarding the salvation of the Blade But what would it take to save the Blade how many Sub scribershow many I will be blamed if this isn a hard subject for me to write on I know of no text book or encyclopaedia to refer to for material A schoolmaam once wanted me to write an essay on Adair county Mo and I I knew no more about Adair Mo than the man in the moon didI was from Iowa But an essay she had to have or my grade would go down Oh wheow So I wrote a lot of fic tion and sent it in but the remedy proved worse than the disease for my grade went down ten degrees below wheow But she was an old maid had she a ubby she wouUdnt have been so cross and would have been more patient But what about the Blade Tell those fellows they must r pay up or quit reading any thing I write Now I dont jknow whether this is fiction or p not but suspect it is straight goods There is but one or both of two things we fellows can do who always keep paid up and they are Hunt you up some more dead beats in the way of subscribers or reach down into your jeans and make donations Wo could male promises regarding the latter the former would depend on somebody else Say Jim how long would the subscribers be sure of getting the Blade should they pay cash on sub scription As to donations I should think most subscribers would want to know more about the matter so as to have some idea as to what they ought to give and what it would ac complish I should think it well for some one who knows all about your financial affairs to give your subscribers a full account of the matter Some letters have been sent out rep resenting that you ask for aid when there are no grounds for it This if it had no other ef fect would be inclined to make some of your subscribers hesi tate I will wait to hear from you and others In the mean time I might be lucky enough to get a subscriber or sonot this week but next week when I will attend the Chautauqua at Leon Very truhA A is a significant sentence in the above Sonic letters have been sent out representing that you ask for aid when there are no grounds for it This same authority announced in the daily newspapers that the Blade ceased publication on the 12th of last December This same authority sent out letters that he had acquired possession of the Blade and would merge it into a paper to be called The Rational ist January 1 1910 This same authority it is believed in this office purloined a copy of the Blade mailing list and sent notices to delinquent subscribers to send no more money to Mr Hughes but to send it to The Rational ist This same authority made affidavits to the State Inspector at Frankfort that Mr Hughes had sold copies of a book he was printing for the State and sub sequently denied that he had made such affidavits This same authority is a constant reminder of the fable of our schoolboydays about time boy who put a snake into his pocket to get it warm The publisher of the Blade has never and will never ask for a cent of money for himself If time Freethinkers of this country want the Blade he is willing to provide it and meet them more than half way It costs over 2000 a year to publish the pa per He is willing to scratch around and put up half of this He does not think he can afford berasked to continue the paper at a total dead loss Mr Snow suggests that delin usedtinduceyso wakeninge There has just been issued from the press of the Blue Grass Blad- a little pamphlet by H S of Cleveland Ohio entitled Christianitys Birthplace This little book of fiftysix pages is one of the strongest con tributions to the Freethought literature of the year yet published It gives every evidence of patient and painstaking research and presents a strong collation of authorities as to the origin of the New Testament Gospel upon which is founded the Christian Religion The author makes no claim to originality but merely pretend- t to have compiled accurate state meats Among the many notable authors quoted fromi are St Aug ustine Bishop of Hippo Reguis Catelerius Taylors Syntaguia Origen third century Eusebius Pamphilus fourth century Bishop Melito of Sardis Lydia Justin Miartyr Mosheim the ec elesiastical historian DI Nathan iel Lardner the eminent English ecclesiastic and a liumjber of others To this collection is add ed biographical personalities and incidents in the lives of St Paul Origen Eusebius and Constant ine the Great the Immortal Four without whom according to Til lemont Christianity would nev or have comic down to us Appended are a number of choice extracts from ecclesiastic al writings The voluinie is ded icated to such as would know the truth and yet have not the time to search it out The price of the book is fifteen cents and copies may be had by addressing EiglltySeventh The Blade heartily comtmcmls the work to the favorable consideration of its readers and speaks for it a large circulation WANTS THE BLADE JUST AS IT IS Here is a letter we commend to our friends who insist on receiving and reading the Blade with out paying for it- Birmninglmnu4 Ala Aug 210Tames R Hughes Editor Blade Another copy of the esteemed begtumtoanother copy Although I have only been acquainted with it a short time I have already learned pleasuretoI do think it is a shame for Free thinkers to let suchI valuable sheet to go down and with it a tatinwho reads the Blade can truthfully say that it does not contain their moneys wOrthaud they cannot afford to spoil their ppr sonal reputation just for the sake of the price of the paper and be sides it will give occasion for superstitionswill say that God did it That shows what becomes of Liberal ism ete etc It will be a sweet morsel to be rolled under the agesITIll contribute five dollars to ward the cause although Im a poor man and earn the living for my wife and children by the toil of my own individual hands As for making the paper a montliiy I would much rather it remain just as it is A month is too long to wait for it Just cone along dear readers and let us make the Blade still a thingisguilty conscience and personal reputation and dont forget that honesty is the best policy ways and that Every little bit helpsWhy I couldnt sleep at night after hearing the editor of knowingthattion A friend in need is a friend indeed In attending to this matter at once you not only befriend the editor but yourself and children and all the world If we do not honor the cause of freedom in this matter others will take our places and wear the golden laurels and our names will pass away into oblivion Dont forget that These are the times that try mens souls Every one of us ought to strive to leave a marl behind when our life ends that cannot be erased for the immortal truth for which the Blade stands Let us hear from others J MARSHALL SMITH DEATH OF MRS REBECCA SMITH 11 19101rs Rebecca eSmith of Harrison County 0 in her 70th year and after an ill ness of several months lapsed in to the eternal calm of death She died as she had liveda Free thinkerOn morning of July 12th Roblby phone and requested that I deliver the funeral address The time and place of funeral was set for morning of July 13th at the family residence located in that picturesque part of Harrison Valsicy After spending several tour on the train and driving for two hours over the hummocks of Ohio those beautiful little sand hills formed many years ago the glacial periodthe residenc- tuns reached A large crowd had previousProvidence making harvesting impossible and the fields too wet to work thus enabling every one to attend the funeral And the large crowd that gathered was an eloquent testimonial of the high esteem which the deceased was held no only by her Freethinker but her Christian friends On reaching the residence all was in readiness and after a little song service I gave time ad dress It was a 45 minutes talk mid dealt with the God idea the belief in immortality the eternal punishment superstition and the subjects of life and death as view ed frond the standpoint of Ration alism No compromise was made and no insult was given to any one All listened attentively sine so rar as uouiu uo iearncu uut very lew uiimuuii rcumnts were niuuu about Ute suustanee ol the UUK 111010 were many present who no uouot nau never ueiore ai icnucu a lunerai uuuur ivree uiougut auspices and iiueiy some eau never tHoUgHt or tue matter 01 religion front any other pout 01 view than that ol the circuit rider out Aunt ueck as vie deceased was lamiliarly Known Matt long smell outgrown cue doctrines 01 the circuit rider and stood bur the religion 01 rca son sloe performed the duties ol cue puce ol life nobly and was Known throughout the neighbor flood as a genial soul a good niouter a splendid wito and an adnuraule neighbor ever ready to lend a helping timid she went uooui wearing tao smile oi cheer iiilness and hearing torch ol reason Througn her loss the iamily loses a good smother a uusuand loses a laitlilul wife and humanity loses a true friend she is survived by her husband Stilton smith who though for eight years lies been confined to his bed remains first m his Jbree thought convictions Two sons two daughters and three grand children also survive her tier death is also mourned by a brother jur Johnson of Bow castors Ov one of the grandest old gentlemen whom it luis ever been my pleasure to know lie is an ardent Freethinker and though far along in years he faces the iiitiire without a quiver Freethought may well be proud of such persons as these as their exemplary lives stand out as the strongest refutations that can be made of the olt repeated slurs that we hear Christians making What better evidence is needed to prove that people do not have to be regenerated nor cleansed oy the blood J ATWOOD CULBERTSON WAS JESUS A MAN or WAS HE A MYTH The above is a question wo should love to see answered by every intelligent truthloving person It is one of vast import ance one that has caused a great amount of discord and one which has not as yetbecn satisfactorily answered For t par we don think Li a are competent to render a decisive answer But we can give our honest opinion We be lieve that this man Jesus was both titan mind myth In other words a myth of a man Remember there is not a word in the New Testament with the name Jesus signed to it as the author In that case all we can ppsibly know about such a man is what some one else lids said It is not Jesus doing talking it is Mir Others Well who is Others They are a lot of ignorant fishermen tax gatherers etc Jesus is said to have told them to follow him and lIe would make them fishers of men This is the best authority we can find in support of either a Jesus or His sayings Now in case these witnesses for Jesus had been agreed or unanimous in what they said about him thin would have help ed matter considerably but no two of them will agree on scarce ly anything said about him And Jesus is made to contradict himself in almost every statement he makes For instance he will say and my Father are one Then right away he will say Mty father is greater than IWe could fill pages with just such contradictory statements as the above But we reason thus In case one statement of Jesus is not true the others are sure to repeatingscase been the only mythical people had set up to even that would have worshipII caseego thousands of years before the time of Jesus and we find that each nation tribe or division of people had its own peculiar gods to worship and when it comes time turn of Jesus nIl ho had to do was to pattern after theme maid fall in line There has never been any scarcity of frilltof orial and is full of them today People must have something to worship even if it is nothing iivore than a golden calf as a god We could worship the gold all right but as for the god we ask to bo excused Tile mysterious appearance claimed for Jesus is what fooled the people while at the same time there is no more mystery connected with his birth than any other man This claim tp divinity is vrftmt did work no was an expert necromancer wizard WIll sorcerer mat wits want tool the people eye lacy stud io man can uo tHese mugs unless Uod be with hUll lUlU wo tint thousands today ntH just Drains enough and no more tnanto uelieve that a per son could oo uorii into thus world one hull human time otHer halt divine lUlU to cup tile climax uotu uod and num iow against such ignorance and superstition it would be hard for even the gods to fight lot alone humanity Take for instance the majority of the Bi Dlo believers of today show them something tinged a little with the miraculous mysterios or mythical and they will grab for it ten to one uefore they would a sound sensible scientific truth Hut why is this it is be cause they have been taught from infancy to believe in the fool visions dreams and teachings of a mythical Jesus it is hard to light the ignorance llud superstitions of early training You take a well informed educated person and you CUll reason with hun but take a person whose bruins carry him no higher than the inspired Bible teachings and all he knows- is what the Bible says Jesus is made to say if any man hoar my word and believe not i judge lent not for I come not to judge the world but to save the world Now in our estimation in both statements Jesus has overestim ated his mission to this world most fearfully in the first place the world did not need saving- it was already saved it was much safer before he ever saw it than at tiny time since because he sail lie brought a sword with him and the people of tlie world have been fighting and murdering each other ever since he came Neither did the world need to be judged It was all right for auto Uod finished it he took a look at it and pronounced it very good Did Jesus suppose that he was capable of slaking any im provement on Gods Work He made great disagreements and set the people to killing each outer But Christians today are losing faith in their leader very fast A few more generations and the people will be educated clear e tjj iL ctrVhF4n out eig11 0 Savior will have learned to save themselves and no need of any blood being spilled either And now in conclusion we wish to say It is our opinion that the advent into the world of this man who says that he cones not to send peace but a sword who camp to set the son at variance with the father and tIle daughter against the mother destroying the peace told comfort of one of the grandest blessings known to mankind was one of the most disgraceful and saddest fatalities that ever befell the human family And this myth they cull Jesus is the one who has done it allthis slime fellow who says that if I dont love him and hate my fa ther and mother and brother and sister wife and children that I can never be one of his disciples May a kind Providence a kind God forbfjl that I ever should be fool enough to become a disciple or follower of such a maniac jis that He calls the scribes and Pharisees fools and hypocrites because they not fools enough 1o believe in him And he is fool enough to tell us that if we dont believe in him that wo will surely he damned Yours for fools JOEL M BERRY MY TRIP TO ROME- by J WILSON The International Congress of Free thinkers was held In the City of tome Italy Septemer The author attended that Congress as the American delegate It la an account of travel and personal experiences that hat receivedI an universal encomium froII people In It religious dogmas and tales of priestly fiction are ruthlessly exposed while the general ityle Is without com parison In American literature of travel Cloth bound panes Illustrated Address orders to BLUE GRASS lalungton Ky TWO GREAT SOIENT1FIOI The Universe Has No God And Man Has No Soul A worldwide movement toI make them known and perpetuat ed For particulars send a self addressed envelope to the President of the Church of Humanity W H KERR Great Bend Kas IlL Ill J WHAT THEY DID NOT OBEY The African king was showing me his troop of amazonstall broad shouldered robust looking women who carried their weapons with the grim familiarity of warriors thin know how to use them with determined and dead ly effect Aro they brave asked his maj esty Theyre the bravest of the brave ho answered proudly And do they obey orders I In that Is all but one order he said wllh some hesitation And what order Is that pressed him Silence In ranks he replied In a tone that Indicated his realization of the fact that disobedience of this or der was Inevitable The Common Type- suppose said the fair summer girl to the itinerant photographer who was plying his trade at sea side resort you are a good judge of human naturewWell he replied cautiously I have many opportunities of observing ifWould you mind telling me sho continued what you consider the tThounhesitatingly Four for a quarter Kind Consideration DodgeIf you would save what youipay for cigars and cigarettes you would have a snug sum at the end of a year howiHodgeVery true But think my children would suffer for want of gilt bands and coupons Not Up to Expectations f And why may I ask did you conIskier my lecture such a flat I have been suffering for than a month from Insomnia moreJthought perhaps if I was to go to you might go to sleep but I remained as wide awake as ever DIDNT UNDERSTAND BtngsI hear youve broken off with Miss Koln Werent your relations pleasant Bangs Mine were It was her rela tions who were doing the kicking Looking for IL The barefoot dancer came to woe She got a splinter In her toe It did not stop the giddy show For she could bare much dont you know The Safest t Young man going In for fox hunt Ing wants to know how to take the fence without injuring himself said the assistantTell take It with a camera growled the busy man without looking up Combination- Mr Rlchmug This antitrust busi ness Is throwing quite a scare into our Blllyuns Yes The boys wont even make combination shots in the club poolroom for fear of being In vestigated Puck Value of Music Dlggsl understand that you en courage your son to practise on the cornetGrlggsYes lies been playing only two months but today bought the house next door to me for onehalf its value Smart Set Magazine- Some atsJThe fur trade of up one million cat skins annually wish trio fur trade would come around some night and gather its next years supply from my backIfence In Danger Those two pugilists are liable to be arrested before they get much fur For fighting No For being loud and boister ous RagTime Worms Mr Dollop Browns an Ingenious Wollop Whats he doing now Mr Dollop Teaching silkworms to sing cocoon songs Not a Good Sign Im suspicious of that man dont believe Id trust him Why not lie brags too much about how good ht Is to his wife J JESUS IN OUR SCHOOLS Linuvillo Iowa July 21 10 State Supt Public Instruction Topeka Kuusiis Dear Sir I see thero is a movement started in your stone headed by J 1 Jar roll of ILoltou Kas to introduce the history of Jesus Christ into the public schools and in the opinion of the St Louis Republic this movement if acted upon is destined to become nation wide Then of course I would have a common interest in it though a citizen of another state 1 believe it would be a mistake to introduce the history of Jesus into out school books and I ami here giving you my reasons for such opinion in order that you may use your influence in the matter as all the facts before you seven to require I will also send a copy of this letter to Jarrcll and to the editor of the Republic wih the request that they publish the same in thcr papers 1 am aware that some religious people ore sensitive as to what pipers say regarding their relig ion and these papers do not mean to offend them any more than 1 do and for that reason 1 shall write nothing except what fix Jarrell and his followers can refute if he is in the right and 1 urn in the wrong 1 have been denominated by certain Kansans as one from benighted Iowa but I have never askeJ but for light and never been opposed but by such as desire to drop the cur tain If we ever go back to the condition of the Dark Ages it will be for the want of free criticism The Dark Ages were born stud lasted the ages they did be cause criticism was rewarded by the martyrs stake I believe Air Jarrell s movement is a step backward toward thea long ways Dark Ages It would be virtually converting our secular school into a religious institution Supernatural religion is out of place in our schools The people are taxed to support the schools but taxation to support religion is wrong it is tyrannical Italy and Spain are now mak ing a hard struggle to free theme selves from the parochial schools Experience has taught them that they need education regarding the world they live in informa tion7reg8rdingd11 tspiP d7 too speculative for practical or secular purposes iJesus was a Godone of the members of the Trinity To teach the history of a god in our schools is to teach religion On the other hand to ignore the fact of his being a god would be in a great measure to ignore his history It would be like giving the his tory ofa horse and yet ignoring the fact of his being a horseu Christians are divided on that point Now in such history could we straddle as touching the question whether Jesus was a god If he was a god all his greatness grew out of that fact alone What Give a history of Jesus because of the great results that followed and then ignore the real cause of those results This very ignoring would be an ac knowledgment that tho greatness of the results would not be sufficient ground to introduce the history into the schools If we throw out all the supernatural the miraculous from all the sources obtainable for such history of Jesus as as done in all other histories we find not enough material left for a complete his tory IJenan and other Higher Critics attempted this but found they had to appeal to their imag ination for material to make a connective narrative and this method gave great offense to the orthodox Many who eliminated tIll supernatural features of what we have of the history of Jesus have grave doubts as to whether such a person ever really existed What little remained left the question in doubt We notice that lr Jarrell makes a break from the very start that will offend the Jew that is taxed to support tho schools and forced to send his children there when he denominates Jesus the Christ II This is blasphemy and rank idolatry as seen by the Jewa There are hundreds of thou sands of educated men and wom en not the Freethinkers alone but Christians followers of the Higher Critics who deny the miraculous and affirm that imtmvs laws are inviolable as are the laws of mathematics which it is claimed is a part of natures laws How would Bro Jarrell like to be taxed to support a school and be compelled to send his children where it Is taught for instance that time multiplies Hun table is nominally correct yet nt any tines Ha laws might be so suspended by the gods us to nullify iff Would ho not feel that ho is forced to pay for being taught ignorance hold as did U S Grant when ho saidU Leave the matter of religion to the family altar the church and the private school supported entirely by private contributions Keep the church und state forever separate Washington Franklin Madison Jefferson and other great statesmen spoke in like manner A A SNOW FEW COMMENTS ON THE PAINE BANQUET Columbus Ohio June 12 1910 James E Hughes Dear Sir While attending the 8th Thomas Paine Memorial banquet at Dennison Ohio June 5th 1910 I again met George 0 Roberts and others I know to be Thinkers for themselves com monly called Freethinkers I have requested by some of them es pecially Geo O Roberts to write some of my remarks for your pa per When ignorance is bliss tis folly to be wise or a fools para dise For years past we and our forefathers have sat and listened to the preachers for our weekly rations of heaven and hell also taught to hate and dispise all oth ers not believing as they do In my travels I met a preacher who heard of me and while in conver sation challenged me to his church on a Sunday morning I went on ono condition that I be granted ten minutes to answer him and choose his subject I choosb Knowledge and Belief On going to his church a sad accident oc curred on the street car line a short distance from his church ad as I entered the church I Wilts seated near the pulpit but arose and greeted the preacher saying in a loud voice so all could hear me Nby friend excuse my late arrival as I was delayed by an ac cident and the mangled remains ofa small colored boy lies all along the Front street tracks By the way my friend you may be lieve me but you do not know it as a fact Now put on your hat and go put and see for yourself whereupon ayaifcTare past belief ltlivtiyourwhere is your actual knowledge of a life heaven and hell after death Whereupon he said that the Holy Ghost came into all con verts and furnished actual knowl edge In my ten minutes reply I said if that is so how about those back sliders A child burns its finger on the kitchen stove Does it back slide Also why are so many of your church members names en rolled on the blotter of State pris onsHe answered evasively and turning to the audience said he thanked God that there was only a handful of those Freethinkers I asked him how many did he think there was He answered saying about a thousand all told and at last he raised the figures to five thousand Now my friend said I you place all of these on one side of a highway and your church members and their children who have been weekly and oftener stuffed with religion in and out of churches heaven and hell pict ured in grand panoromia view with the smell of sulphur knash ig of teeth and bitter wail aris ing from the bottomless pita constant reminder to your church members and their children who you owe place on the other side of this great highway How many policemen constables sheriffs soldiers Judges lawyers etc as a vast vigilence committee are there It is needless to say about 5000 to 1 Freethinker It is evi dent they are watching church members and their children Go to the State prisons and look at the records Belief and faith is a farce of the Holy Ghost Back sliders have patches on their knees but larger patches on their seat ends blacksliding There must be some pure butter and Oleomargeiene Holy Ghost Bet ter have the pure food or other inspection officer attend to that mutter Yours for Freethought LEWIS W DIEMER ROBER G INGERSOLL Continued from page 4 whole world owes him a debt of gratitude for his work for his influences are worldwide in ex tent There is not a land be heath the sun where his name and works have not gone and wher ever they have gone they have dune good have insured progress and an increase of human happi ness have lessened the power of priestcraft and carried hope und courage to those groping in men tal darkness His works a beacon light to those cursed with superstition in any form and so they ever will be while this earth is encumbered with a single priest to enslave the minds of men Said Ingersoll There is nothing nobler than to destroy the phantoms of the souland that for the last 25 years of his life was his special business His work was done well and thoroughly and the man who has his complete writings on religious and philosophical questions has an arsenal of facts with which he can defy the entire powers of darkness he has the richest and the ripest of human thoughts and tho greatest contribution to free thought literature that anyone man has yet produced For this reason I say All hail to the memory of this great man whose grand and lofty character invites our respect whose genius and versatility invokes our re gard whose courage anJ candor appeals to our pride and whose generosity and beneficence touches deeply our emotions He saw 66 years of life and passed away much too soon but 66 centuries will not measure the extent of his influence for in the worlds history he is destined to bear the deathless characters and untold millions yet to come upon these scenes of action will study and admire this remarkable product of the human race who will ever standas an inspiration to honest manhood and those who love and seek the truth In the niche of fame no name will stand higher in the coming centuries than that of Col Robert G Ingersoll for time will sweep away the clouds of religious bigotry that now hover over him and reveal him as he really was one of Natures grandest noblemen Time newspapers have as usual carefully concealed time fact that Dr F J Furnivall Shakes at the great age of eightyfive pearean scholar who has just died was an Agnostic He was a devot ed admirer of Shelley and laugh ed at those who tried to minim ize or explain away Shelleys AMimnnii Some months aero the had but a shortym vr accepted the news quite cheer fully and made all preparations for the end including a notifica lion to his friends WORLDS BEST WATCHES Mens New Thin Model 16 Size Waltham Riverside Maxi mus 23 jewels 55 Crescent Street 21 jewels 23 River aide 19 jewels 21 P T Bartlett 17 jewels 1250 625 17 jewels 10 15 jewels 8 7 jewels 6 Elgin No 156 or 162 21 jewels 55 Veritas 23 jew els 30 B W Raymond 19 jew els 21 242f 17 jewels 18 241 17 jewels 12 15 jewels 7 jewels 6 340 or 339 17 jewels 10 Oases All the above in the new Thin Model Silveriue Screw Cases In Pays Crown or Deu oer filled gold case guaranteed by the manufacturers for 20 ears artistic hand chased or plain 3 or hunting case 5 more In 25 year case 2 more than in 20 year case In cases guaranteed for all time screw 8 or hunting 10 more than in Sil verine case Prices of solid gold cases on application Every watch guaranteed fresh and new from factory no shop keepers an accurate timekeep er and if well used good for fifty years or longer Will be opt in order for one year I pay freightend for price list of Watches not listed above Diamonds Jewelry Silver and Plated Ware Optical Goods Ring Guage and my tract The Ax uid the Root II free Highest price paid for old gold OTTO WETTSTEIN LaGrange Cook Co Ill 110 N Kensington Ave THE Charles Chilton Moore When a young man the author had started out to walk through the Holy Lands on toot Reaching Paris he give up the Journey and returned home He made the trip by rail and boat about three years before his death This book gives an account of what he saw and explodes numerous Christian myths It especially suitable for n present Cloth Bound Pages Postpaid lUS Address orders to BLUE GRASS BLADE Lexington KyJaa L THE TRIUMPH OF DISCORD bliss Katydid slain In do tree Chance to hear a mockln bird As sweet as It could be Miss Kataydld discover Dot her voice were big an strong So she decide dat shell brenk In An give em a song Pore of mockln bird Ho listened as he flew De other Katydid Jlne In An make a great to An now an den deyd chuckle Jn de middle of the fuss An say I bet dat mockln bird Wlsht he could sing like list GREAT DANGER Life Insurance Doctor Do you con template any enterprise involving great personal risk or danger- AppUcantYes Im going to dis charge our cook tonight The Joy of Freedom Haw sweet to walk by the county jail With stout and fearless nlr How sweet to walk by the county Jail And know were not In there Having Her Way So you are going to housekeeping as soon as youre married thought you had made up your mind to board Yes but George Is equally deter mined to have a house of our own And so you are going to keep house In order to please George No Im going to keep house so that George will be glad to boardIdeas A New Kind Magistrate Officer what Is this man charged with ConstableHes a camera fiend of the worst kind yer worship Magistrate But this man shouldnt have been arrested simply because he has a mania for taking pictures ConstableIt Isnt that yer worship he takes the cameras An Advance Tip Heres a communication from a lady who signs herself Nervous said the answerstocorrespondents itor She wants to know how to get rid of organ grinders theybThen theyll leave at the end orthtf fiat untune V 11 Frequent Passes Town council met down in the hall last night announced the old store keeper at Bacon Ridge That so rejoined the starch drummer tDid they pass any measures t Yes a quart measure of cIder was passing pretty lively all through the meeting Vain Regrets estlmateing beverages on a hot day It amounts to 500000 Fyle doing a little figurlngGeel ought to have spent twice as much as did yesterday didnt get my share AS THEY SHOULD BE Ebenezer say parson Ise think In dat afore yo gits froo wid yo con gregation yoll have ter have ah piano maker wid yo Parson JonesWhat yo mean by datEbenezerCause he could make deco square an upright The Rub An airship to Venus Sounds good but alack Its all right to go there But how to get back For Awhile He vows ho is tired of living WellI restrain him from doing anything rash Why restrain him f Let him go to boarding If he wants to The Final Prize Gunner see where an English cig arette company is offering a tombstone for the return of 10000 coupons Gunner HmJ guess any smoker that got away with 1000 packs would need a tombstone L 1 PERPLEXITY All round about us so they say Are friendly germs that keep uwtq The hostile anlmulculae Tftat cause us to curl up and die The hostile germs are everywhere The friendly germs are here and there Thats why It makes my conscience squirm Whenever I must swat a germ I feel that should cry Who goes One of my friends or of my foes And If a friendly germ It ought to welcome him you see The hostile germs I truly hate And they deserve a cruel fate But I would feel regret If Should swat a friendly hip and thigh HE WAS NEXT Willie aged slxSay papa what is a king Mr HenpeckA king my son is a person whose authority Is practically unlimited whose word Is law and whom everybody must obey WillieThen papa guess mamma Is a king A Nightmare rose a man and what he cried We heard with startled ears I dreamed took a taxi ride That lasted twenty years Practise Campaigns- dont know whether ought to take you seriously or not says the fair young thing to the gallant officer who has Just proposed Ive heard that you were engaged to ten girls summerMy those werent real engagements They were justersham skirmishesJudgeTime I dont know where my next meal is coming from whined the dusty wayfarer at the kitchen window Well can enlighten you on one point snapped the woman In the red sunbonnetAh Is that mum Why its not coming from here oezlllit k t ifliJilL t t Too Much Comp ipy Haye you ever ldv d before fasked the coy maidT I Yes yawned the 4rldly young man buternever be ore a chaperon two small brothefi and a pet lAndthen trip down the old road to see the stars HIComet Thank de Lawd ld Brother Dickey itll be seventyfive years fo de comet comes back How old will you be atthat timer some one asked X Well suh he replied et I makes no mistake In my calk rlaUons Ill be a hundred an ton j The HighWater Mark Mrs vRoblnson And were you up the Rhine Mrs De Jones just returned from a continental trlpI should think so right to the very tap What a splendid view there is from the sum mit TitBits HARD OF HEARING Visitor In penitentiary Do you never hear the dill small voice of con scIenceConvIctNo Im so hard of hearing conscience couldnt get a word with me with a tenfoot magapbone Summary tudOrAnd for each garment she leaves oft She seeks a coat of tantBow or a Row CaseyNext time 01 pass wId a lady Mulligan yell take aff yer hat refuseCaseyThen aff yer coat The Only Way Her BrotherWhat Is the jt wy to lHIs1 fL 1n j L THEN HE STOOD DOWN The witness looked youthful and appeared to be rather uncomfortable too Consequently counsel assumed his most Imposing manner You describe yourself as a writer he kind of a writer A sign sir Not an author Partly sir What do you mean by partly Im in fathers office sir Hes a moneylender and Im the author of all the sharp letters to backward bor rowers If you remember I sent you one last week sir The Spirit of Aggression Railfence The Turkey Trot Tribune usoter be such a mild conserva tive sort of paper but I notice lately that the editor takes the ground that the United States can lick Germany Japan and England combined and Jest dares em ter sail In BacklotsYes Turkey Trots been dry fer years but Jest voted wet a ouple of months ago I tell ye the press is a purty reliable mirror of public opinion Puck Another Fake Did you see the lightning calcu lator In the side show asked the old farmer In the wide straw hat By heck yes drawled the other rurallte and he was the biggest fakeLin the show How was thatfWhy thar was a thunderstorm goting on while I was in the tent when asked him if he could calcu late where the lightning was going to strike he Just gave me the laugh t Speaking From Experience There was a family reunion down at the Smith house and little Tommy t Smith had been kissed by no less than seven aunts Gee whizz he pouted as he took refuge in the cellar ders no doubt about It No doubt about what asked his Iness Mrs Chooslt After considering It Ive decided to change my mind and take Salesman absentlyThe exchange department is three aisles over A Simile How like the sad sea waves Is our little vacation stroke We roll In with a mighty bluff And go out broke The Bargain Instinct r- TomI hear Miss Rockervllt is en gaged to the duke Do you think It was a case of love on her part JackNo its another case of tht feminine bargain instinct The dukes first figures were 200000 but he dropped to 198000 More Appropriate What name asked the police mat Istrate as the rich motorist was brought up for speeding John Doe laughed the offender dnd am a millionaire You are eh Then Ill put it down ohn Dough Conditions TapescaI suppose youll spend the season In Europe among the big bugs TIckerly Unless the market changes Ill be more likely to spend It out in Yaphank among the potato bugsPuck Uncle Ebens Philosophy I knows a man says Uncle Eben dat says he loves nature But he never goes out in de woods wlfout a shotgun Dats de way some folks loves delr neighbors Trying a Bluff See hero John While unpacking your last summers suit found a blond hair on the coat Well werent you a blonde last summer Theory vs Practise Singleton Do you believe In the old adage about marrying in haste and repenting at leisure Wedderly No I dont After a man marries he has no leisure Keeping His Word Mr Dustin Stax said he was go- Ing to retire with a fortune He has kept his word Whenever ht goes to sleep he puts his wallet ud his checkbook under his pillow TIdL ROBERT G ItfCUJKSOLL Continued from page 1 und this weak reversed lam self fwd broke Ills word This was as clear u ease of religious persecution us that of the Malian piulosopher Yannii in the ltli century who laid ins tongue cut on and was then strangled to deatJi oy the uiinstaaus of that period out the world had come more civilized when these lyth century Christians got after ijeuuett so the worst they could do was to take away his liberty And tins leads me to remark that Christianity never did nor never will cease to persecute their op ponents when in power But did you ever hear or a freethinker who wanted to kill or imprison a person JJiat did not think as he did 1 never did and in this fact you see the difference be tween the influence of Christian ity and ireethought on mens minds Intolerance slumbers in profe8Ia coiled serpent it lies ready to spring upon the unbeliever when conditions are favorable There is no love mercy or forgiveness in religious fanaticism It exacts belief obedience and submission und woe to him who rebels when it has power to punish And thisfIknows the will and wishes of God and it is his duty to so reg ulate the belief and conduct of his fellow men that they will ac cord with Gods desires In an effort to please his phantom or imaginary God lies the secret persecutionstorture and destruction of life that has attended ho march of Christianity through 19 centuries goesintotries to run the world as he thinks libertytosuppressionisWhile religious freedom is greater today than the world ever saw it before that fact is changeIIand subdivisions of its forces and its decrease in numbers and influence As religion loses pow er through the increase of sects mental forces find more freedom opportunitieserrors of the past As intelli delinvariable but universal You have only to find a community with a low order of intelligence to find a stronghold of religion for people who do not think and reason study and reflect fall ready victims to superstition in some form and even in localities 1where general intelligence does prevailwe find many who are in bondage to religious authority and who receive their opinions ready made instead of producing their own I have met says a brilliant writer and keen observer hun dreds of shrewd business men who are still the slaves of the church They have not time for reflection I have struck miners adventurousj and will be enslaved by those they blindly follow And this fact leads up to the question What is thought for if not to use And why should any man relegate to another his natural right to think and form his own opinions Why should any man accept a creed that compels him to travel in a circle all his days Why bind himself to the errors of the past and ignore the living I truths of the present f Why shut his eyes and close his ears to any fact that comes hisway f He does so because of prejudice en gendered by false teachings and religion has always been engag ed in that business To religion and religion alone is due the failure of millions to think andrea on clearly on all subjects Men come into the world under its influence in some form and are brought up to be r lieve they cannot doubt or ques tion certain things without en danjrering their future happiness and right here is seen the basis of that stupidity which charact erizes the deeply religious They fear to think and go through this world enslaved by erroneous ideas Their phantom God is ever before them with his exactions and demands and a mistaken sense of duty impels them to pray t t and to indulge in senseless ceremonials Fear sits on the dome of thought and directs mental action and for this reason if there were no other all religions nr f curse and a damage to the human race No man can he mentally free who has any kind or form of religion for its very first effect is to limit the scope of thought through apprehension of incurring Gods wrath It makes monta cowards to start with and such arc no mors fit to deal with science and philosophy and the relations which we as human beings sustain to Nature than are thos born deficient in sense andreason Any intellect tlat is perverted or handicapped by religious fluences is deserving of pity for it is a great misfortune to say the least However tlu anin an race as a whole is fast rising above the fogs of fear anl superstition and into the clear sunlight of reason but workers are still needed to advance the movement and quicken the development iC ti n priesthoodever to hold tle world back ami vittinisinBut when wo consider tho great changes In the last thirty years there is mud room jov hope regarlut the future man ever lived who saw renter changes in his life time than Robert G Ingersoll saw along the lines of religious belief and no man ever did more to make possible the tremendous upheaval of religious thoughts and theories in the years just mcntiontxl than did this great advocate of light and knowledge The importance of Ingersolls work in the realms of Free thought is beyond estimate md that work is still in progress though he is no longer with us for tile art of printing mikes possible its continuation anal per petuity lien will read Iugers las long as Shakespeare and more will read his thoughts and senti ments for the good and suniciunt reason that his style is clearer andmore easily understood lu gersoll like Paine had the happy faculty of beiitr nb1 to reach the conunon people ant both ihcse men did so in a manner never reached or excel l y any other irtily grei t muu While dealing with thin greatest questions thu jonc rn iniiiiud Ingersoll was never lodcnm rr stilted his style was easy natural and attractive ntdfwords could be made to reveal idras with perfect cleanups he never failed to make them There is no trace of ambiguity hi anything he wrote or said Ho left that style of expression to the priest hood and those who make a spec ialty of deceiving their fellow men He was honest and sincere at all times and what he said he really thought and meant There was a high and lofty purpose in all he said or did for to do good and make the world better than he found it was the object that inspired his efforts His genial nature drew men unto him as the magnet draws the steel and his great heart was the abode of love good will and sympathy for all mankind and because of such a nature we find the reason for his constant warfare on superstition and other evils that detract front human happiness and tend to fill the world with woe He could not remain silent while religious fakes and frauds poisoned the public mind and perverted the reasoning faculties with their hoaryheaded superstitions tho had he done so there is no doubt ho could have reached the highest political position in the land But for his unbelief in the Christian religion the Governorship of Illinois would beyond question have been his When his candid acy was considered no other ob jection was raised for his abili ties were not and could not be questioned But the moment an unbeliever is mentioned for po litical preferment that moment religious bigotry begins its cus tomary work of creating prejudice and on prejudice and its diffusion is built the main hope of defeat Anything that will detract front a mans character and standing is used to his disadvan tage whether true or false and no one can descend to a lower depth of meanness than a Christian working to defeat an unbe liever for a political office For some reason it is impossible for such people to be honest truthful or decent in their treatment of one who rejects their hellfire re ligion and while mere belief is considered virtu that surpasses principle and conduct such will ever be the case t + 04N N N N ++ ji 1909 1909ey Z Blue Grass Blade Bound VolumeeZi ji Containing FiftytAo Copies of The Blade and all handsomely 1bound in Blue Buckram with gold letters 3e isxj A STILL BETTER OFFERi i i For Five New Subscribers For Five New Subscribers + 1 We will send ONE COPY of the Bound Volume se FREE OF COST 4 To person sending us five new subscribers in one club at the regular rates before Dec 31j 1909 t iTHE CLUB IS PREFERABLE GET UP ONE SECURE A COPY FREE c L BLUE GRASS BLADE Lexington i4 tJ tt + HoNeN N N eON + + ++ + + + + + + v + + + Try as they would and as they did the Christian opponents of Col Ingersoll were never able to point out a serious moral defect in the man lias life was a model one both in his domestic and public relations and those who knew him best admit all this Said the Mayor of Peoria the former home of Ingersoll when rebuking a slanderer While differing from myself and many others in politics and having independent views on re ligion which he fearlessly expressed We Peorians hold his name and fame as something to be cherished and I consider his life a blessing and a sunshine on the highway of life No one whir really knew him could feel otherwise for the gen ial generous broadminded and sympathetic Bob Ingersoll caine the nearest to being an ideal man of any that friends or foes can Good nature is the cheapest commodity in the world and love is the only thing that will pay ten per cent to borrower and lender both IHappiness is the legal tender of the soul Joy is wealth and by these principles his whole life was shaped and in fluenced The place to be happy is herethe time is now was liis lifelong motto and in this view of existence he differed from the Christian who expects the most and the best in some other world though strange to say none of them have the least anxiety to leave this world and enter into what is known as the eternal joys of the next Their real attitude in this matter has been correctly put in rhyme and these words express it You can talk about the glories Of a home beyond the skies Ofa clime that is supernal Where the land of rapture lies You can talk about the beauties Of a grand eternal home But I want to murmur gently have no desire to roam lI In spite of belief that person is yet to be found who is in any hurry to exchange the real joys of this world for the imaginary ones of another So inconsistency must ever stand as a Christian trait If Christianity presented nothing but imaginary joys to the people we might tolerate it as a pleasing delusion but when it sends more people to its fabled hell than to its imaginary heaven the character of such a religion becomes uninviting and we want it notA was in circulation at one time that Cot Ingersolls ha tred of orthodox Christianity was due to the harshness of his fathers character for the clergy professed inability to see any other good cause for his enmity toward their sacred but hellish superstition and this story necessitated a letter from him which is here reproduced The story that the unkindness of my father drove me into Infi delity simply an orthodox lie The bigots unable to meet my arguments are endeavoring to dig open the grave and calumni ate the dead This they are will ing to do in defense of their in famous dogmas I was not driven by the unkindness of my father to hate a God who would order according to the Old Testament the sweet bodies of women to be ripped open by the sword My father was a kind and loving man He loved his children ten derly and intensely There was no sacrifice he would not and did not gladly make for them Ho had one misfortune and that was his religion He believed time Bi ble and in the shadow of that frightful book he passed his life He believed in the truth of its horrors and for years thinking of the fate of the human race his eyes were filled with tears See ing the effect upon him seeing that religion simply made men unhappy I learned to hate what is generally known as orthodox religion I abhor tho outrageous cruelties and horrors described in the Old Testament perpetrated as it alleges by the command of God I abhor the threatenings in the New Testament I utterly despise the doctrines of total depravity and eternal punishment I hate any book that teaches these doctrines I rate any God that writes such a book I hate these things because I have a brain and a heart I hate then because they are infamously and heartlessly and brainlessly false cow ardly and infamous My father was infinitely better than the God he worshipped infinitely better than the religiun he preached And these stories about his un kindness are maliciously untrue The bigots of today aiv wiliinsr to slander him in ordo to get even with me Can anything ix need the arrogance of humility and the malice of universal forgiveness From this letter wo sme whj the man who believed in happi ness and joy was an uncomprom ising opponent of the orthodox religion It was because happi ness and joy cannot be built upnii it nor experienced in the shed ow of that frightful bookthb- Bibleif one sincerely believes it This is the conclusion of ev ery rational man and all such feel to fight and oppose such bar riers to lifes enjoyment What a picture Ingersoll draws of his kind and loving father tutwith tears because he believed the Bible and Christian relig ion All his days he carried this burden and was tormented with what we now know were groundless fears and baseless troubles But to him they were real and his sympathetic nature was har rowed with the thought that eter nal punishment was to be the fate of millions of his fellow men Such is the power of belief hence every mans duty who knows it is to fight and destroy such doc trines I stood by the bedside of an old man recently who suffered more than words can express with hallucinations I sought to comfort him and lessen his suf ferings by telling him they were not real but imaginary that his brain was abnormal in its ac ton when he put to me this ques tion Which has power to pro duce the greatest misery Real ity or Imagination I had to confess that the power of each was about equal and as he de Glared he could mod escape the wereIso The elder Ingersoll wins afflict ed with Bible beliefs that were as badas this mans hallucinations and both cases while slightly dif ferent were much alike The imagination was reached in some manner not exactly clear in the case of this old gentleman and the brain acted without volition or the controlling influence of reason With IngersoUs father the imagination was reached and controlled by Bible falsehoods and both these men endured what might be termed an intel lectual nightmare Reason could not reach one and give relief but it could the other so when Robert G Inger soll began to disseminate reason and common sense as an antidote for Bible horrors and the finedish superstition of Christianity he began one of most important works to which a man ever devot time and attention Think agIonthat has followed in the wake of Christianity Who can estimate the tremendous volume that has rolled over and engulfed the hu man race in the last 1900 years Fear gloom misery and insanity are the natural products of the beautiful doctrine of total de pravity and endless punishment but thanks to Bob Ingersoll to Paine and to Voltaire the world has found great relief and the value of reason is becoming more nnd more apparent The world is changed in proportion as thought changes and the man who gives to the world better and brighter thoughts who by the power of mind raises the scale of intellectual development is a public benefactor Such a man was Robert G Incrersoll and the Contiued on page 3 BILLS fWENUcmakes you cheerful and thoughtful It Js a department In the WHEEL youIYou fiN fMBRIGfN AmDONNfVlsaerlal t1llnKn the WHEELS BILL OF li written by Mary Ires Todd tbeableitwrltflrof Liberal notion ilnce Grant Allen and U a beautiful presentation of the essentially modern problem of the Woman in Business THE WHBBL OF LIFEA monthly periodical It deals with ORIGINS the origin of Marriage of 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