_First_, that the ass _first_ saw the angel of the Lord; _second_, that the prophet Balaam was cruel, unreasonable, and brutal; _third_, that the prophet so lost his temper that he wanted to kill the innocent ass, and the ass, not losing her temper, reasoned with the prophet and demonstrated not only her intellectual but her moral superiority. In addition to all this the angel of the Lord had to open the eyes of the prophet--in other words, had to work a miracle--in order to make the prophet equal to the ass, and not only so, but rebuked him for his cruelty. And this same angel admitted that without any miracle whatever the ass saw him--the angel--showing that the spiritual discernment of the ass in those days was far superior to that of the prophet. I regret that the Rev. Mr. King loses his temper and that the Rev. Mr. Dixon is not quite polite. All of us should remember that passion clouds the judgment, and that he who seeks for victory loses sight of the cause. And there is another thing: He who has absolute confidence in the justice of his position can afford to be good-natured. Strength is the foundation of kindness; weakness is often malignant, and when argument fails passion comes to the rescue. Let us be good-natured. Let us have respect for the rights of each other. The course pursued by the _Telegram_ is worthy of all praise. It has not only been just to both sides, but it has been--as is its custom--true to the public. Robert G. Ingersoll. INGERSOLL AGAIN ANSWERS HIS CRITICS. IV. _To the Editor of the Evening Telegram _: SOME of the gentlemen who have given their ideas through the columns of the _Telegram_ have wandered from the questions under discussion. It may be well enough to state what is really in dispute. I was called to account for having stated that Christianity did not bring "tidings of great joy," but a message of eternal grief--that it filled the future with fear and flame--made God the keeper of an eternal penitentiary, in which most of the children of men were to be imprisoned forever, and that, not satisfied with that, it had deprived God of the pardoning power. These statements were called "mountainous lies" by the Rev. Dr. Buckley, and because the _Telegram_ had published the "Christmas Sermon" containing these statements, he insisted that such a paper should not be allowed in the families of Christians or of Jews--in other words, that the _Telegram_ should be punished, and that good people should refuse to allow that sheet to come into their homes. It will probably be admitted by all fair-minded people that if the orthodox creeds be true, then Christianity was and is the bearer of a message of eternal grief, and a large majority of the human race are to become eternal convicts, and God has deprived himself of the pardoning power. According to those creeds, no word of mercy to any of the lost can ever fall from the lips of the Infinite.