The Great Agnostic (23 page)

existential questions,
157
–58

extinctions,
94

faith, verifiable science vs.,
77

Farrell, C. P. (Clint),
22
,
66
,
172
,
173

Farrell, Sue N.,
117
,
172
,
173
–74

Federalist Party,
137

feminist movement,
29
–30,
107
,
119
; themes of second wave (1970s) of,
117
–18,
121
,
124
–25

Fields, W. C.,
10

Fifteenth Amendment,
113
–14

Finger Lakes region (NY),
29
,
30
–33

First Amendment,
64
,
113
,
134
,
137
,
153
.
See also specific freedoms

First Vatican Council,
184

First World War,
168
–69,
183
–84

Forrest, Nathan Bedford,
51

Fort Sumter attack (1861),
50

fossils,
80
–81

founders: Enlightenment ideals of,
24
–25,
69
,
195
,
197
; historical revisionism about,
129
,
136
–37; religion of,
20
,
24
–25; secular government intent of,
2
–5,
129
,
137
,
138
,
139
–40,
141
,
150
,
195
,
197
,
200
–201

Fourteenth Amendment,
109
–10; states' exemption from,
134

Foxe's Book of Martyrs
,
37
,
98
–99

France,
129
–30,
147
–48; Paine's imprisonment in,
20
,
40
,
143
–44.
See also
French Revolution

Franklin, Benjamin,
195

freedom of conscience,
107
,
142
,
192
,
202

freedom of religion,
3
,
113
,
133
–34; establishment clause and,
64
–65,
136
; public schools and,
153
,
154

freedom of speech,
11
,
133
–35

free market,
103
–4,
106
,
107

freethinkers: Beckwith Memorial Theater (MI) and,
72
–76,
190
; blasphemy law challenge by,
131
–36; Burns poetry and,
45
–48,
62
; Enlightenment ideals and,
69
,
195
; eroded advances of,
187
–88; golden age 1875–1914) of,
2
,
4
,
5
,
6
,
72
–75,
146
; increased numbers of,
94
; Ingersoll's causes and,
34
,
39
; Ingersoll's commitment to,
7
,
10
–11,
28
–29,
41
,
57
–58,
68
,
71
–76,
126
,
127
,
159
,
189
,
196
; Jewish immigrant culture and,
28
,
70
; lack of public knowledge about,
29
; liberal religion bridges with,
16
; Lincoln Republicans and,
61
–63; obscenity (Comstock) laws vs.,
99
–100,
152
; origin of term,
7
; Paine revival and,
146
–47; political diversity among,
68
; political office aspirations and,
54
,
150
; press recognition of,
180
–81; prominent exemplars of,
10
,
73
–74; racial injustices and,
110
,
112
–13; radical groups linked with,
69
–70; religious enemies' characterization of,
156
–57,
184
; Scopes trial and,
23
; social Darwinism and,
24
,
113
–14; tent lecture circuit and,
131
–32; verifiable science and,
77
–78; Whitman's poetry and,
45
–46.
See also
agnostics/atheists; humanism; secularism

French Revolution,
20
,
40
,
69
,
136
,
143
–44

Fugitive Slave Act (1850),
49
,
50

fundamentalism,
17
,
17
–18n,
69
–70,
101
,
194
; antievolution campaign and,
81
n,
96
,
182
–83,
186
–87; antiobscenity laws and,
100
; economic policy and,
149
–50; emergence of current sense of term,
101
n; Gilded Age and,
148
,
149
–50; harsh biblical philosophy of,
39
; premature perceived decline of,
25
–26,
26
n,
186
–87; Protestant mainstream vs.,
90
; revisionist constitutional view of,
129
,
136
–37; Scopes trial and,
22
–23.
See also
biblical literalism

Galesburg (IL),
50
,
52
,
53
–54

Galileo,
192

Gardener, Helen H.,
121
;
Men
,
Women and Gods
,
119

Garden of Eden,
87
–88,
193

Garland, Hamlin,
88
–90

Garrison, William Lloyd,
29
n,
52

Gear, Thomas J. (Geary law, 1892),
115

Genesis,
80
,
81
–82,
86
,
87
–88,
104
,
149

geology,
81
–82,
148

George, Henry,
Progress and Poverty
,
103

Gibbon, Edward,
184

Gilded Age,
45
,
69
,
97
,
103
; anti-vivisection movement and,
189
n,
199
; freethought movement and,
72
–75; religious landscape of,
148
,
149
–50; social Darwinism and,
106
–7,
199
; wealth gap and,
24
,
162
–63

Gillis, Rev. James M.,
183
–84

God: absence from U.S. Constitution of,
2
–4,
98
–99,
131
,
136
,
137
–41; comforting beliefs about,
156
–58,
201
; evolution theory and,
94
,
96
; existence/nonexistence of,
17
,
18
n,
173
,
194
; human creation in image of,
80
,
82
,
84
,
86
,
96
; Ingersoll on various concepts of,
139
–41; liberal Protestant view of,
158
; as political power source,
63
–64,
95
,
98
,
137
,
143
–45,
144
n,
150
,
195
; social inequality and,
108
,
199
–200; suffering and,
95
,
157
,
201
–2; superstitions and,
167

“Gods, The” (Ingersoll lecture),
58
,
77
,
86
–89

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von,
73

gold standard,
10
,
103

government.
See
politics and government

Gramercy Park (NYC),
91
–92,
160

Grant, Ulysses S.,
64
,
99
,
101
,
178

Great Depression (1930s),
26

Greeley, Horace,
92
n

Greeley, Rev. Roger E.,
191

happiness,
97
,
125
–26,
162
,
189

Harlan, John Marshall,
111

Harper's
(magazine),
25

Harris, Sam,
90
,
159

Harvard College,
154

Hayes, Rutherford B.,
59
,
99
,
100
,
178

Haymarket Square violence (1886),
73
,
162
–63

heaven.
See
afterlife

heliocentric universe,
82

hell, belief in,
158
n

Hemingway, Ernest,
173

Henry VIII, king of England,
13

heretics,
58
,
77

higher education, universal,
4
,
155

Hitchens, Christopher,
195

Hofstadter, Richard:
Anti-Intellectualism in American Life
,
26
n;
Social Darwinism in American Thought
,
26
n

Holy Trinity, belief in,
137

“Holy Willie's Prayer” (Burns),
46
–48

Howe, Edgar W.,
27

Hugo, Victor,
73
,
74

human exceptionalism,
84
–85,
87
,
96

humanism,
7
,
24
,
97
–128,
191
; Ingersoll's causes and,
115
–26,
158
–63

human rights,
39
,
92
,
110
–13,
127
,
128
; secular source of,
3
.
See also
equal rights; women's rights

Humboldt, Alexander von,
58
,
192
,
196

Hume, David,
194

Huxley, Thomas Henry,
23
–24,
81
,
82
,
198

Illinois,
5
,
42
,
48
–50,
53
–55,
57
,
149
,
163
.
See also
Chicago

Illinois College,
148

immigrants,
2
,
6
,
125
,
177
; Catholic influence and,
65
–66,
139
,
141
,
153
–54,
185
; Democratic Party and,
101
; discrimination against,
114
–16; inferiority belief about,
24
,
107
,
113
.
See also
Jewish immigrants

“Individuality” (Ingersoll lecture),
28

inferiority beliefs,
24
,
107
,
108
,
113
–14,
116
,
117

Ingersoll, Ebon Clark (brother),
35
–36,
49
–50,
52
,
175
; eulogy for,
175
–76

Ingersoll, Eva (daughter),
117
,
153
,
172
,
173

Ingersoll, Eva Parker (wife),
20
–21,
41
,
51
,
117
,
123
,
160
; husband's death and,
172
,
173
–74,
175
,
176

Ingersoll, Rev. John (father),
30
,
32
–42,
48
; religious severity of,
38
–39,
40
,
41

Ingersoll, Mary (sister),
35
,
36

Ingersoll, Mary Livingston (mother),
30
,
33
–34,
35

Ingersoll, Maud (daughter),
117
,
153
,
173

Ingersoll, Robert Green: ashes of,
176
; on atheist/agnostic labels,
17
–18,
194
; background of,
7
,
25
,
30
–33,
40
; Beckwith Theater bust of,
73
,
190
–91; biographers' misunderstandings of,
97
,
98
,
117
,
126
; birthplace of,
28
,
30
,
32
; boyhood and youth of,
34
–49; Bryan letter to,
148
–49; as capital punishment opponent,
40
,
144
–45; Catholics' attacks on,
183
–86; charm of,
61
,
94
,
180
; Civil War military service of,
51
–52; as classical liberal,
189
; “Colonel” title of,
51
;
communication of complex subjects by,
88
–90,
187
,
195
,
198
–99; as corporal punishment opponent,
39
–40; critical causes of,
39
,
109
; cultural interests of,
160
–61; current obscurity of,
9
,
19
–20,
22
,
26
–27,
193
–202; current relevance of,
201
–2; Darrow's view of,
102
–3; death concept of,
157
–58; death of,
7
,
20
–21,
22
,
173
–80; Debs eulogy for,
179
–80; diverse audience for,
11
–12,
182
,
187
; domestic happiness of,
21
–22,
117
,
123
,
173
–74; economic views of,
10
,
103
–7; Edison sound recording of,
97
; eulogy for Beecher of,
92
–93; eulogy for brother of,
175
–76; eulogy for Whitman of,
75
,
206
–11; fame of,
1
,
42
,
68
; finances of,
20
,
174
,
180
; funeral and grave of,
175
–76; generosity of,
174
; “gospel of humanity” of,
159
–63; as Great Agnostic,
1
,
9
,
12
,
37
,
68
,
153
,
156
,
179
,
193
; “happiness creed” of,
97
,
162
,
175
,
189
; Haymarket defendants and,
162
–63; illness/last weeks of,
171
,
172
–73; influence of,
7
,
10
,
92
,
95
,
159
,
182
; last two public appearances of,
171
–72; lecture audiences for,
2
–3,
7
,
8
,
11
–15,
21
,
25
,
57
–58,
68
–73,
94
,
131
–32,
187
; legacies of,
1
,
9
–10,
193
–202; legal career of,
7
,
11
,
21
,
48
,
49
,
53
,
58
,
68
,
69
,
101
–2,
131
–36,
142
–43,
171
–72; literary favorites of,
42
–48,
94
,
123
,
153
,
156
,
161
,
174
–75; on meaning of life,
157
; as national figure,
59
–60; “new atheists” and,
17
,
193
–202; optimism of,
84
–85,
127
,
167
–69; oratorical gifts of,
8
–9,
12
–15,
19
,
23
,
42
,
45
,
53
,
59
–61,
68
,
75
–86,
88
–90,
95
–96; Paine's influence on,
1
,
18
,
143
–48,
189
,
193
; physical size of,
8
; political office bids of,
50
,
54
–55,
57
; political ties of,
10
,
11
,
27
,
50
–55,
57
–61,
63
–71,
97
–98,
100
,
101
–3,
163
,
178
–79,
200
–201; political views of,
97
–98; popular lectures of,
40
–41,
71
; posthumous reactions to,
181
–86,
189
–91,
196
; press obituaries/editorials on,
22
,
27
,
173
–75,
178
–81; publicizing methods of,
45
; religious critics' characterization of,
156
–57; romantic chivalry of,
123
; scientific/technological progress belief of,
78
,
79
–80,
95
–96; secular government cause of,
1
–5,
11
,
20
–21,
139
–42,
150
–51; secularism definition of,
125
–27; secularist creed of,
161
–62; as self-made American archetype,
7
–8,
36
,
38
,
42
–43;
social circle of,
10
–11,
21
,
92
–93,
160
; social Darwinism and,
24
,
104
–6,
109
,
115
–16,
127
–28,
158
; social issues and,
97
–98,
109
,
117
–26; vivisection opposition of,
169
–70,
203
–5; wit and humor of,
12
–15,
68
,
89
,
90
; as women's rights champion,
34
,
68
,
109
,
117
–25,
171
–72; works of: “Address to the Colored People,”
52
–53; complete twelve-volume collection,
22
,
78
,
117
,
172
; “The Death Test,”
171
; “Eight Hours Must Come,”
103
–4; eulogy for Whitman,
206
–11; “The Gods,”
58
,
77
,
86
–89; “Individuality,”
28
; “The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child,”
40
–41,
71
,
123
; “Plumed Knight,”
59
–60,
60
n,
89
,
101
,
177
; “Some Mistakes of Moses,”
14
,
28
,
70
,
89
–90,
114
; “With His Name Left Out, The History of Liberty Cannot Be Written,”
18