The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Complete Contents...

Introduction by Frederick Douglass("Abou Ben Adhem")—Decision of the United States Supreme Court pronouncing the Civil Rights Act Unconstitutional—Limitations of Judges—Illusion Destroyed by the Decision in the Dred Scott Case—Mistake of Our Fathers in adopting the Common Law of England—The 13th Amendment to the Constitution Quoted—The Clause of the Constitution upholding Slavery—Effect of this Clause—Definitions of a State by Justice Wilson and Chief Justice Chase—Effect of the Thirteenth Amendment—Justice Field on Involuntary Servitude—Civil Rights Act Quoted—Definition of the Word Servitude by the Supreme Court—Obvious Purpose of the Amendment—Justice Miller on the 14th Amendment—Citizens Created by this Amendment—Opinion of Justice Field—Rights and Immunities guaranteed by the Constitution—Opinion delivered by Chief-Justice Waite—Further Opinions of Courts on the question of Citizenship—Effect of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments—"Corrective" Legislation by Congress—Denial of equal "Social" Privileges—Is a State responsible for the Action of its Agent when acting contrary to Law?—The Word "State" must include the People of the State as well as the Officers of the State—The Louisiana Civil Rights Law, and a Case tried under it—Uniformity of Duties essential to the Carrier—Congress left Powerless to protect Rights conferred by the Constitution—Definition of "Appropriate Legislation"—Propositions laid down regarding the Sovereignty of the State, the powers of the General Government, etc.—A Tribute to Justice Harlan—A Denial that Property exists by Virtue of Law—Civil

Rights not a Question of Social Equality—Considerations upon which Social Equality depends—Liberty not a Question of Social Equality—The Superior Man—Inconsistencies of the Past—No Reason why we should Hate the Colored People—The Issues that are upon Us.

ADDRESS TO THE JURY. Report of the Case from the New York Times (note)—The Right to express Opinions—Attempts to Rule the Minds of Men by Force—Liberty the Greatest Good—Intellectual Hospitality Defined—When the Catholic Church had Power—Advent of the Protestants—The Puritans, Quakers. Unitarians, Universalists—What is Blasphemy?—Why this Trial should not have Taken Place—Argument cannot be put in Jail—The Constitution of New Jersey—A higher Law than Men can Make—The Blasphemy Statute Quoted and Discussed—Is the Statute Constitutional?—The Harm done by Blasphemy Laws—The Meaning of this Persecution—Religions are Ephemeral—Let us judge each other by our Actions—Men who have braved Public Opinion should be Honored—The Blasphemy Law if enforced would rob the World of the Results of Scientific Research—It declares the Great Men of to-day to be Criminals—The Indictment Read and Commented upon—Laws that go to Sleep—Obsolete Dogmas the Denial of which was once punished by Death—Blasphemy Characterized—On the Argument that Blasphemy Endangers the Public Peace—A Definition of real Blasphemy—Trials for Blasphemy in England—The case of Abner Kneeland—True Worship, Prayer, and Religion—What is Holy and Sacred—What is Claimed in this Case—For the Honor of the State—The word Liberty—Result of the Trial (note).

The Feudal System—Office and Purpose of our Constitution—Which God shall we Select?—The Existence of any God a Matter of Opinion—What is entailed by a Recognition of a God in the Constitution—Can the Infinite be Flattered with a Constitutional Amendment?—This government is Secular—The Government of God a Failure—The Difference between the Theological and the Secular Spirit—A Nation neither Christian nor Infidel—The Priest no longer a Necessity—Progress of Science and the Development of the Mind.

On God in the Constitution—Why the Constitutional Convention ignored the Question of Religion—The Fathers Misrepresented—Reasons why the Attributes of God should not form an Organic Part of the Law of the Land—The Effect of a Clause Recognizing God.

The Three Pests of a Community—

I. Forms of Punishment and Torture—More Crimes Committed than Prevented by Governments—

II. Are not Vices transmitted by Nature?—111. Is it Possible for all People to be Honest?—Children of Vice as the natural Product of Society—Statistics: the Relation between Insanity, Pauperism, and Crime—

IV. The Martyrs of Vice—Franklin's Interest in the Treatment of Prisoners—

V. Kindness as a Remedy—Condition of the Discharged Prisoner—

VI. Compensation for Convicts—

VII. Professional Criminals—Shall the Nation take Life?—Influence of Public Executions on the Spectators—Lynchers for the Most Part Criminals at Heart—

VIII. The Poverty of the Many a perpetual Menace—Limitations of Land-holding.—

IX. Defective Education by our Schools—Hands should be educated as well as Head—Conduct improved by a clearer Perception of Consequences—

X. The Discipline of the average Prison Hardening and Degrading—While Society cringes before Great Thieves there will be Little Ones to fill the Jails—

XI. Our Ignorance Should make us Hesitate.

On Christian and Chinese worship—Report of the Select Committee on Chinese Immigration—The only true God as contrasted with Joss—Sacrifices to the "Living God"—Messrs. Wright, Dickey, O'Connor and Murch on the "Religious System" of the American Union—How to prove that Christians are better than Heathens—Injustice in the Name of God—An honest Merchant the best Missionary—A Few Extracts from Confucius—The Report proves that the Wise Men of China who predicted that Christians could not be Trusted were not only Philosophers but Prophets.

A New Party and its Purpose—The Classes that Exist in every Country—Effect of Education on the Common People—Wants Increased by Intelligence—The Dream of 1776—The Monopolist and the Competitor—The War between the Gould and Mackay Cables—Competition between Monopolies—All Advance in Legislation made by Repealing Laws—Wages and Values not to be fixed by Law—Men and Machines—The Specific of the Capitalist: Economy—The poor Man and Woman devoured by their Fellow-men—Socialism one of the Worst Possible forms of Slavery—Liberty not to be exchanged for Comfort—Will the Workers always give their Earnings for the Useless?—Priests, Successful Frauds, and Robed Impostors.

The Origin of Man's Thoughts—The imaginative Man—"Medicinal View" of Poetry—Rhyme and Religion—The theological Poets and their Purpose in Writing—Moral Poets and their "Unwelcome Truths"—The really Passionate are the Virtuous—Difference between the Nude and the Naked—Morality the Melody of Conduct—The inculcation of Moral Lessons not contemplated by Artists or great Novelists—Mistaken Reformers—Art not a Sermon—Language a Multitude of Pictures—Great Pictures and Great Statues painted and chiseled with Words—Mediocrity moral from a Necessity which it calls Virtue—Why Art Civilizes—The Nude—The Venus de Milo—This is Art.

The Way in which Theological Seminaries were Endowed—Religious Guide-boards—Vast Interests interwoven with Creeds—Pretensions of Christianity—Kepler's Discovery of his Three Great Laws—Equivocations and Evasions of the Church—Nature's Testimony against the Bible—The Age of Man on the Earth—"Inspired" Morality of the Bible—Miracles—Christian Dogmas—What the church has been Compelled to Abandon—The Appeal to Epithets, Hatred and Punishment—"Spirituality" the last Resource of the Orthodox—What is it to be Spiritual?—Two Questions for the Defenders of Orthodox Creeds.

Part I. Inharmony of Nature and the Lot of Man with the Goodness and Wisdom of a supposed Deity—Why a Creator is Imagined—Difficulty of the Act of Creation—Belief in Supernatural Beings—Belief and Worship among Savages—Questions of Origin and Destiny—Progress impossible without Change of Belief—Circumstances Determining Belief—How may the True Religion be Ascertained?—Prosperity of Nations nor Virtue of Individuals Dependent on Religions or Gods—Uninspired Books Superior—Part II. The Christian Religion—Credulity—Miracles cannot be Established—Effect of Testimony—Miraculous Qualities of all Religions—Theists and Naturalists—The Miracle of Inspiration—How can the alleged Fact of Inspiration be Established?—God's work and Man's—Rewards for Falsehood offered by the Church.

Statement by the Principal of King's College—On the Irrelevancy of a Lack of Scientific Knowledge—Difference between the Agnostic and the Christian not in Knowledge but in Credulity—The real name of an Agnostic said to be "Infidel"—What an Infidel is—"Unpleasant" significance of the Word—Belief in Christ—"Our Lord and his Apostles" possibly Honest Men—Their Character not Invoked—Possession by evil spirits—Professor Huxley's Candor and Clearness—The splendid Dream of Auguste Comte—Statement of the Positive Philosophy—Huxley and Harrison.

His Rearing and his Anticipated Biography—The complex Character of the Christ of the Gospels—Regarded as a Man by Renan—The Sin against the Holy Ghost—Renan on the Gospels—No Evidence that they were written by the Men whose Names they Bear—Written long after the Events they Describe—Metaphysics of the Church found in the Gospel of John—Not Apparent why Four Gospels should have been Written—Regarded as legendary Biographies—In "flagrant contradiction one with another"—The Divine Origin of Christ an After-growth—Improbable that he intended to form a Church—Renan's Limitations—Hebrew Scholarship—His "People of Israel"—His Banter and Blasphemy. TOLSTOY AND "THE KREUTZER SONATA." Tolstoy's Belief and Philosophy—His Asceticism—His View of Human Love—Purpose of "The Kreutzer Sonata"—Profound Difference between the Love of Men and that of Women—Tolstoy cannot now found a Religion, but may create the Necessity for another Asylum—The Emotions—The Curious Opinion Dried Apples have of Fruit upon the Tree—Impracticability of selling All and giving to the Poor—Love and Obedience—Unhappiness in the Marriage Relation not the fault of Marriage.

Life by Moncure D. Conway—Early Advocacy of Reforms against Dueling and Cruelty to Animals—The First to write "The United States of America"—Washington's Sentiment against Separation from Great Britain—Paine's Thoughts in the Declaration of Independence—Author of the first Proclamation of Emancipation in America—Establishment of a Fund for the Relief of the Army—H's "Farewell Address"—The "Rights of Man"—Elected to the French Convention—Efforts to save the Life of the King—His Thoughts on Religion—Arrested—The "Age of Reason" and the Weapons it has furnished "Advanced Theologians"—Neglect by Gouverneur Morris and Washington—James Monroe's letter to Paine and to the Committee of General Safety—The vaunted Religious Liberty of Colonial Maryland—Orthodox Christianity at the Beginning of the 19th Century—New Definitions of God—The Funeral of Paine.

I. Mr. A., the Professional Philanthropist, who established a Colony for the Enslavement of the Poor who could not take care of themselves, amassed a large Fortune thereby, built several churches, and earned the Epitaph, "He was the Providence of the Poor"—II. Mr. B., the Manufacturer, who enriched himself by taking advantage of the Necessities of the Poor, paid the lowest Rate of Wages, considered himself one of God's Stewards, endowed the "B Asylum" and the "B College," never lost a Dollar, and of whom it was recorded, "He Lived for Others." III. Mr. C., who divided his Profits with the People who had earned it, established no Public Institutions, suppressed Nobody; and those who have worked for him said, "He allowed Others to live for Themselves."

SHOULD THE CHINESE BE EXCLUDED? Trampling on the Rights of Inferiors—Rise of the Irish and Germans to Power—The Burlingame Treaty—Character of Chinese Laborers—Their Enemies in the Pacific States—Violation of Treaties—The Geary Law—The Chinese Hated for their Virtues—More Piety than Principle among the People's Representatives—Shall we go back to Barbarism?

What the Educated Man Knows—Necessity of finding out the Facts of Nature—"Scholars" not always Educated Men; from necessaries to luxuries; who may be called educated; mental misers; the first duty of man; university education not necessary to usefulness, no advantage in learning useless facts.

Would have the Kings and Emperors resign, the Nobility drop their Titles, the Professors agree to teach only What they Know, the Politicians changed to Statesmen, the Editors print only the Truth—Would like to see Drunkenness and Prohibition abolished, Corporal Punishment done away with, and the whole World free.

The Fool Friend believes every Story against you, never denies a Lie unless it is in your Favor, regards your Reputation as Common Prey, forgets his Principles to gratify your Enemies, and is so friendly that you cannot Kick him.

Nature tells a different Story to all Eyes and Ears—Horace Greeley and the Big Trees—The Man who "always did like rolling land"—What the Snow looked like to the German—Shakespeare's different Story for each Reader—As with Nature so with the Bible.

People who live by Lying—A Case in point—H. Hodson Rugg's Account of the Conversion of Ingersoll and 5,000 of his Followers—The "Identity of Lost Israel with the British Nation"—Old Falsehoods about Infidels—The New York Observer and Thomas Paine—A Rascally English Editor—The Charge that Ingersoll's Son had been Converted—The Fecundity of Falsehood.

The Editor should not narrow his Horizon so that he can see only One Thing—To know the Defects of the Bible is but the Beginning of Wisdom—The Liberal Paper should not discuss Theological Questions Alone—A Column for Children—Candor and Kindness—Nothing should be Asserted that is not Known—Above All, teach the Absolute Freedom of the Mind.

The religion of Humanity; what it Embraces and what it Advocates—A Protest against Ecclesiastical Tyranny—Believes in Building a Home here—Means Food and Fireside—The Right to express your Thought—Its advice to every Human Being—A Religion without Mysteries, Miracles, or Persecutions.

Religion unsoftened by Infidelity—The Orthodox Minister whose Wife has a Heart—Honesty of Opinion not a Mitigating Circumstance—Repulsiveness of an Orthodox Life—John Ward an Object of Pity—Lyndall of the "African Farm"—The Story of the Hunter—Death of Waldo—Women the Caryatides of the Church—Attitude of Christianity toward other Religions—Egotism of the ancient Jews.

All Articles appearing in a newspaper should be Signed by the Writer—The Law if changed should throw greater Safeguards around the Reputation of the Citizen—Pains should be taken to give Prominence to Retractions—The Libel Laws like a Bayonet in War.

REV. DR. NEWTON'S SERMON ON A NEW RELIGION. Mr. Newton not Regarded as a Sceptic—New Meanings given to Old Words—The vanishing Picture of Hell—The Atonement—Confidence being Lost in the Morality of the Gospel—Exclusiveness of the Churches—The Hope of Immortality and Belief in God have Nothing to do with Real Religion—Special Providence a Mistake.

The Day regarded as a Holiday—A Festival far older than Christianity—Relics of Sun-worship in Christian Ceremonies—Christianity furnished new Steam for an old Engine—Pagan Festivals correspond to Ours—Why Holidays are Popular—They must be for the Benefit of the People.

The Object of Freethought—what the Religionist calls "Affirmative and Positive"—The Positive Side of Freethought—Constructive Work of Christianity.

He will be in Favor of universal Liberty, neither Master nor Slave; of Equality and Education; will develop in the Direction of the Beautiful; will believe only in the Religion of this World—His Motto—Will not endeavor to change the Mind of the "Infinite"—Will have no Bells or Censers—Will be satisfied that the Supernatural does not exist—Will be Self-poised, Independent, Candid and Free.

The Working People should be protected by Law—Life of no particular Importance to the Man who gets up before Daylight and works till after Dark—A Revolution probable in the Relations between Labor and Capital—Working People becoming Educated and more Independent—The Government can Aid by means of Good Laws—Women the worst Paid—There should be no Resort to Force by either Labor or Capital.