Ingersollia / Gems of Thought from the Lectures, Speeches, and Conversations of Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, Representative of His Opinions and Beliefs

Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll occupies a unique position. He is to a large extent the product of his own generation. A man of the times, for the times. He has had no predecessor, he will have no successor.
Such a man was impossible a hundred years ago; the probabilities are that a century hence no such man will be needed. His work needs only to be done once. One such voice crying in the wilderness is enough to stir the sluggish streams of thought, and set the reeds of the river trembling. It was said of Edward Irving, when he went to preach in that great wilderness of London, that he was not a reed to be shaken by the wind, but a wind to shake the reeds. It would not be flattery in any sense if similar words were spoken concerning the man who has uttered the words of this book.
Daring to stand alone, and speak all the thought that is in him, without the miserable affectation of singularity, Colonel Ingersoll has reached a point from which he wields an influence both deep and wide over thoughtful minds. For the last few years he has been sowing strange seeds, with unsparing hand, in many fields; and probably no one is more surprised than he is himself to find how thoroughly the ground was prepared for such a seed-sowing.
Time is much too precious to discuss the mere methods of the sowing. No doubt many who have listened to this later Gamaliel, have been startled and shocked by his bold, and sometimes terrific utterances; but after the shock—when the nerves have regained their equilibrium—has come serious, calm-questioning thought. And whoever sets men to asking earnest questions, whoever provokes men to sincere enquiry, whoever helps men to think freely, does the Man and the State and the Age good service. This good service Colonel Ingersoll has rendered. He has sent the Preachers back to a more careful and diligent study of the Bible; he has spoken after such a fashion that Students in many departments of learning have been compelled to reconsider the foundations on which their theories rest. Above all, he has awakened thousands of thoughtless people to the luxury of thinking, and he has inspired many a timid thinker to break all bonds and think freely and fearlessly for himself.

Robert Green Ingersoll
Содержание

INGERSOLLIA


Edited By Elmo


INGERSOLLIA


INTRODUCTION


THE ROMANCE OF FARM LIFE


1. Ingersoll as a Farmer


2. The Happy Life of the Farm


3. The Ambitious Farmer's Boy


4. Never Be Afraid of Work!


5. Happiness the Object of Life


6. The Sunset of the Farmer's Life


7. Farmers, Protect Yourselves!


8. Roast the Beef, Not the Cook.


9. Cultivated Farmers.


10. The Wages of Slovenly Farming.


11. The Farmer's Happy Winter


12. The Almighty Dollar


13. The Farmer in Debt


14. Own Your Own Home


15. What to do with the Idlers


16. Farm-Life Lonely


17. The Best Farming States


18. The Laborers, the Kings and Queens


HOME AND CHILDREN


19. The Family the Only Heaven in this World


20. The Far-Seeing Eyes of Children.


21. Love and Freedom in a Cabin


22. The Turnpike Road of Happiness


23. Love Paying Ten Per Cent


24. A Word to the Cross-Grained


25. Oh! Daughters and Wives be Beautiful


26. A Wholesome Word to the Stingy


27. The Boss of the Family


28. Be Honor Bright!


29. The Opera at the Table


30. A Child's laugh sweeter than Apollo's lyre


31. Don't Wake the Children


32. How to Deal with Children


33. Give a Child a Chance


34. The Greatest Liars in Michigan


35. Forgive the Children!


36. A Solemn Satire on Whipping Children


37. The Whips and Gods are Gone!


INDIVIDUALITY


38. Absolute Independence of the Individual


39. Saved by Disobedience


40. Intellectual Tyranny


41. Say What You Think


42. I Want to Put Out the Fires of Hell


43. The Puritans


44. A Star in the Sky of Despair


45. Do not Shock the Heathen!


46. I will Settle with God Myself


47. I Claim my Right to Guess


48. The Brain a Castle


49. I am Something


50. Every Man a Bight to Think


51. Too Early to Write a Creed


52. Every Mind True to Itself


PROGRESS


53. The Torch of Progress.


54. Gold makes a Barren Landscape


55. A Grand Achievement


56. The Divorce of Church and State


57. Professors


58. Developement


59. Poet's Dream


60. The Temple of the Future


61. The final Goal


62. The Eighteenth Century


POLITICAL QUESTIONS


63. Liberty—Fraternity—Equality!


64. Liberty!


65. Ingersoll Not a Politician


66. Civilization


67. Cornell University


68. Church and School Divorced


69. Laws That Want Repealing


70. Government Secular


71. 1876! (1776?)


72. Candidates Made Hypocrites


73. The Church and the Throne


74. The Old Idea


75. Liberty for Politicians


76. Tax all Church Property


77. The Source of Power


78. The Best Blood of the Old Word come to the New


79. No State Church


80. The Enthusiasts of 1776


81. The Church Must Have no Sword


82. We are All of Us Kings! I want the power where some one can use


83. Honesty Tells!


84. Working for Others.


85. State Sovereignty


86. The King of America


87. Years Without Seeing a Dollar!


88. The Wail of Dead Nations


89. What the Republican Party Did


90. Doings of Democrats


91. Photograph of a Democrat.


92. I am a Republican, I Tell You!


93. Recollect!


94. Give Every Man a Chance


95. Who Shall Rule the Country?


96. The Declaration of Independence


97. The World Grows Brighter.


98. The Column of July


99. A Nation of Rascals


100. We are a Great People


101. Mule Equality


102. Room for Every Wing.


103. The Republican Platform.


104. Our Government the best on Earth


105. Will the Second Century of America be as good as the First?


SCIENCE


106. The Glory of Science.


107. The Tables Turned


108. Science Better than a Creed


109. The Religion of Science


110. Science not Sectarian


111. The Epitaph of all Religions


112. The Real Priest


113. Science is Power


114. Science Supreme


115. Science Opening the Gates of Thought


116. Stars and Grains of Sand


117. The Trinity of Science


118. The Old and the New Old ideas perished in the retort of the


119. The Triumphs of Science


120. What Science Found!


121. Science the only Lever


SLAVERY


122. The Colonel Short of Words!!!


123. Slavery in the Name of Religion


124. The Patrons of Slavery


125. A Colored Man in Congress


126. The Zig-zag Strip


127. Black People have Suffered Enough


128. The History of Civilization


129. Does God Uphold Slavery?


130. Solemn Defiance


THE WAR


131. The Soldiers of the Republic


132. Honor to the Brave!


133. What Were We Fighting For?


134. The Revolution Consummated


135. Fighting Done!—Work Begun!


136. Manhood worth more than Gold


137. Grander than Greek or Roman.


138. Let us Drink to the Living and the Dead


139. Will the Wounds of the War be Healed?


140. Saviours of the Nation


141. General Grant


MONEY THAT IS MONEY


142. Paper is not Money


143. The Debt will be paid


144. 1873 to 1879!


145. A Voter because a Man


146. Keep the Flag in Heaven!


147. Prosperity and Resumption hand in hand


148. Every Poor Man should Stand by the Government


149. We Will Settle Pair!


150. A Government with a Long Arm


151. No Repudiation


152. The Great Crash!


153. Promises Don't Pay


154. Solid and Bright!


155. The South and the Tariff


156. I am for Protection


157. The Old Woman of Tewksbury


158. American Muscle, Coined into Gold


159. Inflation


160. Resources of Illinois.


161. Money!


162. Money by Work


163. Meat Twice a Year


164. America a Glorious Land


165. How to Spend a Dollar


166. Honesty is Best always and Everywhere


167. A Fountain of Greenbacks


168. What the Greenback says!


169. Honest Methods


170. Silver demonetized by Fraud!


RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS


171. The Crime of Crimes!


172. Faith—A Mixture of Insanity and Ignorance


173. What the Saints Could Cure!


174. The Sleep of Persecutors


175. Crime Rampant and God Silent!


176. How Criminals Die Serenely!


177. The first Corpse and the first Cathedral


178. The Sixteenth Century


179. An Orthodox Gentleman


180. A Bold Assertion


181. History a Bloody Farce!


182. Weak ones Suffering—Heaven deaf


183. Heaven has no Ear, no Hand


184. Religion is Tyrannical


185. Religion and Facts


186. Religion not the End of Life


187. Creeds


188. The Worst Religion in the World


189. Religion Demanding Miracles


190. We Want One Fact


191. The Design Argument


192. Down, Forever Down


193. The Back


194. An Awful Admission


CHURCHES AND PRIESTS


195. The Church Forbids Investigation


196. The Church Charges Falsely


197. The Church in the "Dark Ages"


198. The Few Say, "Think!"


199. The Church and the Tree of Knowledge


200. The Church Cries, "Believe!"


201. The Heretics Cried, "Halt!"


202. The World not so Awful Flat


203. From Whence Come Wars?


204. Another Day of Divine Work


205. The Donkey and the Lion


206. The Orthodox Christian


207. Alms-Dish and Sword


208. The Church the Great Robber


209. The Church Impotent


210. Toleration


211. Shakespeare's Plays v. Sermons


212. Why Should the Church be Merciful?


213. The Church and the Infidel.


214. Back to Chaos


215. Infinite Impudence of the Church


216. Wanted!—A New Method


217. The Kirk of Scotland


218. The Church Looks Back


219. Diogenes


220. The Church and War


221. The Call to Preach


222. Burning Servetus


223. Freedom for the Clergy


224. The Pulpit Weakening


225. Origin of the Priesthood


226. The Clergy on Heaven


227. The Parson, the Crane and the Fish


228. Banish Me from Eden—But!


229. The Pulpit's Cry of Fear


230. Restive Clergymen


231. The Parson Factory at Andover


232. A Charge to Presbyteries


THE BIBLE


233. Nature the True Bible


234. Inspiration


335. The 109th Psalm!


236. I Don't Believe the Bible


237. The Bible the Real Persecutor


238. Immoralities of the Bible


239. The Bible Stands in the Way


240. The Bible False


241. The Man I Love


242. Whale, Jonah and All


243. Damned for Laughing at Samson


244. The Man, Not the Book, Inspired


245. The Bible a Chain


246. Absurd and Foolish Fables


247. The Bible the Work of Man


248. Something to Admire, not Laugh at


249. An Intellectual Deformity


250. The Bible a Poor Product


251. The Bible the Battle Ground of Sects


252. The Bible Childish


253. Where Moses got the Pentateuch


254. God's Letter to His Children


255. Examination a Crime


256. Read the Bible—and Then!


257. An Infallible Book Makes Slaves


258. Can a Sane Man Believe in Inspiration?


259. An Inspiration Test


260. The Real Bible


261. The Bad Passages in the Bible not Inspired


262. Too much Pictorial


263. One Plow worth a Million Sermons


INFIDELS


264. The Infidels of 1776


265. The Legitimate Influence of Religion


266. Infidels the Flowers of the World


267. The Noblest Sons of, Earth


268. How Ingersoll became an Infidel


269. Why Should Infidels Die in Fear?


270. Infidelity is Liberty


271. The World in Debt to Infidels


272. Infidels the Pioneers of Progress


273. Infidels the Great Discoverers


274. The Altar of Reason


GODS AND DEVILS


275. Every Nation has Created a God


276. Gods with Back-Hair


277. Creation the Decomposition of the Infinite


278. The Gods Are as the People Are


279. Gods Shouldn't Make Mistakes


280. Miracles


281. Plenty of Gods on Hand


282. The Devil Difficulty


283. Was the Devil an Idiot?


284. Industrious Deities


285. God in Idleness


286. Fancy a Devil Drowning a World


287. Some Gods Very Particular About Little Things


288 The Gods of To-day the Scorn of To-morrow


289. No Evidence of a God in Nature


290. Great Variety in Gods


291. God Grows Smaller


292. Give the Devil His Due


293. Casting out Devils


294. On the Horns of a Dilemma


295. The Devil and the Swine


296. How can I assist God?


297. Can God be Improved?


298. That Dreadful Apple!


299. The Devils better than the Gods


300. Is it Possible?


301. It is Impossible!


HEAVEN AND HELL


302. Hope of a Future Life


303. I am Immortal


304. What if Death Does End All?


305. The Old World Ignorant of Destiny


306. Where the Doctrine of Hell was born


307. The Grand Companionships of Hell


308. Horror of Horrors!


309. The Drama of Damnation


310. Annihilation rather than be a God


311. "All that have Red Hair shall be Damned."


312. The Conscience of a Hyena


313. I Leave the Dead


314. Calvin in Hell!


GOVERNING GREAT MEN


315. Jesus Christ


316. The Emperor Constantine.


317. Did Franklin and Jefferson Die in Fear?


318. Angels at Constantino's Dying Bed!


319. Diderot


320. Benedict Spinoza


321. Thomas Paine


322. The Greatest of all Political Writers


323. The Writings of Paine


324. The Last Words of Paine.


325. Paine Believed in God


326. The Intellectual Hera


327. Paine, Franklin, Jefferson


328. David Hume


329. Voltaire


330. John Calvin


331. Calvin's Five Fetters


332. Humboldt


333. Humbolt's Travels


334. Humboldt's Illustrious Companions


335. Humboldt the Apostle of Science


336. Ingersoll Muses by Napoleon's Tomb


337. Eulogy on J. G. Blaine


338. A Model Leader


339. Abraham Lincoln


340. Swedenborg


341. Jeremy Bentham


342. Charles Fourier


343. Auguste Comte


344. Herbert Spencer


345. Robert Collyer


346. John Milton


347. Ernst Haeckel


348. Professor Swing, a Dove amongst Vultures


349. Queen Victoria and George Eliot


350. Bough on Rabbi Bien


351. General Garfield


352. "Wealthy in Integrity; In Brain a Millionaire."


353. Garfield a Certificate of the Splendor of the American Constitution


354. Dr. W. Hiram Thomas


MISCELLANEOUS


355. Heresy and Orthodoxy


356. The Aristocracy that will Survive.


357. Truth will Bear the Test


358. Paring Nails


359. There may be a God


360. The People are Beginning to Think


361. Unchained Thought


362. Man the Victor of the Future


363. The Sacred Sabbath


364. Make the Sabbath Merry


365. Away to the Hills and the Sea


366. Melancholy Sundays


367. Moses took Egyptian Law for his Model


368. A False Standard of Success


369. Toilers and Idlers


370. The Sad Wilderness History


371. Law Much Older than Sinai


372. Who is the Blasphemer?


373. Standing Tip for God


374. Matter and Force


375. Haeckel before Moses!


376. How was it Done?


377. General Joshua


378. Early Rising is Barbaric!


379. Sleep is Medicine!


380. Never Rise at Four O'Clock


381. The Hermit is Mad


382. Duke Orang-Outang


383. Self-Made Men


384. The One Window in the Ark


385. No Ante-Diluvian Camp-Meetings!


386. Hard Work in the Ark


387. What did Moses know about the Sun?


388. Something for Nothing


389. Polygamy


390. The Colonel in the Kitchen—How to Cook a Beefsteak


391. Fresh Air


392. Cooking a Fine Art


393. Scathing Impeachment of Intemperance


394. Liberty Defined


395. Free, Honest Thought


396. Ingersoll Prefers Shoemakers to Princes


397. Sham Dignity


398. A Good Time Coming!


399. Who is the True Nobleman?


400. Wanted!—More Manliness


401. Education of Nature


402. The Worker Wearing the Purple


403. Flowers


404. Be Happy—Here and Now!


405. The School House a Fort


406. We are Getting Free


407. The Solid Rock


INGERSOLL'S FIVE GOSPELS


408. The Gospel of Cheerfulness


409. The Gospel of Liberty


410. The Gospel of 'Good Living


411. The Gospel of Intelligence


412. The Gospel of Justice


GEMS FROM THE CONTROVERSIAL GASKET


413. The Origin of the Controversy


414. What is Christianity?


415. Summary of Evangelical Belief


416. A Profound Change in the World of Thought


417. The Believer in the Inspiration of the Bible has too Much to Believe


418. A Frank Admission


419. The Bible Should be Better than any other Book


420. A Serious Charge


421. If the Bible is Not Verbally Inspired, What Then?


422. A Hindu Example


423. A Test Fairly Applied


424. Suppose!


425. Proofs of Civilization


426. A Persian Gospel


427. Man the Author of all Books


428. God and Brahma


429. Matthew, Mark, and Luke


430. Christianity Takes no Step in Advance


431. Christianity a Mixture of Good and Evil


432. Jehovah, Epictetus and Cicero


433. The Atonement


434. Sin as a Debt


435. The Logic of the Coffin


436. Judas Iscariot


437. The Standard of Right


438. What is Conscience?


439. No Right to Think!


440. The Liberty of the Bible


441. Slavery in Heaven


442. Jehovah Breaking His Own Laws


443. Who Designed the Designer?


444. What we Know of the Infinite


445. The Universe Self-Existent


446. Jehovah's Promise Broken


447. Character Bather than Creed


448. Mohammed the Prophet of God


449. Wanted!—A Little More Legislation


450. Is all that Succeeds Inspired?


451. The Morality in Christianity


452. Miracle Mongers


453. The Honor Due to Christ


454. Christianity has no Monopoly in Morals


455. Old Age in Superstition's Lap


456. Ararat in Chicago


457. How Gods and Devils are Made


458. The Romance of Figures


459. God and Zeno


460. Why was Christ so Silent?


461. The Philosophy of Action


462. Infinite Punishment for Finite Crimes.


463. Whence Came the Gospels?


464. Mr. Black's Admission


465. The Stars Upon the Door of France


A KIND WORD FOR JOHN CHINAMAN


466. The Select Committee Afraid


467. The Gods of the Joss-House and Patmos


468. A Little Too Late


469. Christianity has a Fair Show in San Francisco


470. An Arrow from the Quiver of Satire


471. We Have no Religious System


472. Congress Nothing to Do with Religion


473. Concessions of the Illustrious Four!


474. Do not Trample on John Chinaman


475. Be Honest with the Chinese


476. An Honest Merchant the Best Missionary


477. Good Words from Confucius


478. The Ancient Chinese


479. The Chinese and Civil Service Reform


480. Invading China in the Name of Opium and Christ


481. Don't be Dishonest in the Name of God


CONCERNING CREEDS AND THE TYRANNY OF SECTS


482. Diversity of Opinion Abolished by Henry VIII


483. Spencer and Darwin Damned


484. The Dead do Not Persecute


485. The Atheist a Legal Outcast in Illinois


486. How the Owls Hoot


487. The Fate of Theological Students


488. Trials for Heresy


489. Presbyterianism Softening


490. The Methodist "Hoist with his own Petard."


491. The Precious Doctrine of Total Depravity


492. Guilty of Heresy


493. Dishonest Teachers.


494. Self-Reliance a Deadly Sin!


495. A Hundred and Fifty Years Ago


496. The Despotism of Faith


497. Believe, or Beware


498. Calvin's Petrified Heart


499. Logic Unconfined.


500. Politeness at Athens!


501. The Tail of a Lion


502. While the Preachers Talked the People Slept


503. Christianity no Friend to Progress


504. Where is the New Eden?


505. The Real Eden is Beyond


506. Party Names Belittle Men


A FEW PLAIN QUESTIONS


507. Where Did the Serpent Come From?


508. Must We Believe Fables to be Good and True? Must we, in order to be


509. Why Did Not God Kill the Serpent?


510. Questions About the Ark


511. Was Language Confounded at Babel.


512. Would God Kill a Man for Making Ointment?


513. How Did Water run up Hill?


514. Would a Real God Uphold Slavery?


515. Will There Be an Eternal Auto da Fe?


516. Why Hate an Atheist?


ORIENT PEARLS AS RANDOM STRUNG


INGERSOLL'S ORATION AT HIS BROTHER'S GRAVE


INGERSOLL'S DREAM OF THE WAR


EPIGRAMS.


DEFINITIONS.


BELIEFS.

О книге

Язык

Английский

Год издания

2011-11-22

Темы

Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899 -- Quotations

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