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INGERSOLL DAY
August 11th
Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)
"We
have already compared the benefits of theology and science. When the
theologian governed the world, it was covered with huts and hovels
for the many, palaces and cathedrals for the few. To nearly all the
children of men, reading and writing were unknown arts. The poor were
clad in rags and skins -- they devoured crusts, and gnawed bones.
The day of Science dawned, and the luxuries of a century ago are the
necessities of to-day. Men in the middle ranks of life have more of
the conveniences and elegancies than the princes and kings of the
theological times. But above and over all this, is the development
of mind. There is more of value in the brain of an average man of
to-day -- of a master-mechanic, of a chemist, of a naturalist, of
an inventor, than there was in the brain of the world four hundred
years ago. These blessings did not fall from the skies. These benefits
did not drop from the outstretched hands of priests. They were not
found in cathedrals or behind altars -- neither were they searched
for with holy candles. They were not discovered by the closed eyes
of prayer, nor did they come in answer to superstitious supplication.
They are the children of freedom, the gifts of reason, observation
and experience -- and for them all, man is indebted to man."
-- Robert Green Ingersoll,
"God In The Constitution"
Ingersoll Day is an annual celebration, taking place on August
11th - the birth date of Robert Green Ingersoll - American Infidel.
The Robert Green Ingersoll Memorial Committee, a subcommittee
of the Council for Secular
Humanism, is dedicated to preserving the memory of Robert Green
Ingersoll and to educating the public concerning the works of this 19th
Century orator.
Who
Was Ingersoll?
How To Celebrate Ingersoll Day:
Visit Dresden, NY:
The
Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum showcases Ingersoll's
originality, his wit, his power as a persuader, and his role in history
- in the Finger Lakes home where he was born. Historical artifacts,
displays, and a specially-produced video presentation bring Ingersoll
and his times to life. On display are Ingersoll's walking stick; his
Masonic sword; a complete manuscript of his most famous speech, "Ghosts";
and a great variety of period artifacts. Explanatory signage tells
the whole story of Ingersoll's life, lavishly illustrated with photos,
drawings, and period mementos. The upstairs room where Ingersoll was
born has been restored with authentic period furniture. A "Local History
Room", curated by Dresden village historian Ray Welker, displays artifacts
from Dresden's past. Mr. Welker maintains his office and archives
upstairs in a private area of the house.
Distribute Brochures:
Contact the Robert Green Ingersoll Memorial
Committee to purchase bulk quantities of the following brochures
and distribute them widely within your community. A set of
five brochures is available by mail for $3.50. Ordering information
is available
here.
Read & Present the Works of
Ingersoll:
"We
have heard talk enough. We have listened to all the drowsy, idealess,
vapid sermons that we wish to hear. We have read your Bible and the
works of your best minds. We have heard your prayers, your solemn
groans and your reverential amens. All these amount to less than nothing.
We want one fact. We beg at the doors of your churches for just one
little fact. We pass our hats along your pews and under your pulpits
and implore you for just one fact. We know all about your mouldy wonders
and your stale miracles. We want a this year's fact. We ask only one.
Give us one fact for charity. Your miracles are too ancient. The witnesses
have been dead for nearly two thousand years."
-- Robert Green Ingersoll,
"The Gods" (1872)
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ideas!
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