THE TORCH OF REASON. SILVERTON, OREGON. THURSDAY, DECEMBER i n ,
Torch of Reason
The Only S ecular Paper Published ou the
Pacific Coast.
1896.
W orks,nicolV hound in ten volumes, o n s u s e d i l l th e g r e a t b a t t l e
life we m a y p u l to H ig h t s o m e
Let another brother speak.
o f m u st be plain to all th a t every p a re n t
w hether he l>e M oham m edan, Jew .
oi
C h ristia n or F re e th in k e r, should have
t h e e n e m ie s oi o u r r a c e .
th e o p p o rtu n ity to send his ch ild to a
IS L IF E W O R T H L IV IN G ?
A g o o d soldier w ill n o t g iv e u p
School where nothing is tau g h t th a t is
a r h o rs e
T h e r e a r e lim e s w h e n e v e n t h e I h e fig h t a m i a llo w th e , w
. •
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w hat he considers sin fu l. Now th e
m o a t s a n g u in e |»eople a s k th e m - o f I h e e n e m y to I r a n i pie him under
com
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P ublished W eekly by the Oregon SUU « lv .« Ihe qU. Mi.mK
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fighi to ask vain ain! foolish ques-
th is reaso n ; our public schools should
limn» in r e g a r d to h is e n li s t m e n t ,
all
th
e
disappointm
ents,
pain,
grief
i . E. H O S M E R ........................Editor.
be p u rely secular and as th is is not
and anguish th at 1 am obliged lo h u t w ith a n e n e r g y h o r n o f self- th e case a t the presen t we have a great
P .W .G E E R - - - B u sin ess M anager.
undergo? W ould it not have l»een p r e s e r v a tio n a n d lo v e fo r h is fe llo w work to do.
s o ld ie r s , h e w ill g ir d o n h is a r m o r
belter bad I never existed?’’
The first th in g to d » in th is work of
81? BSC RI P l IO N KATES.
The C hristian would answer: a n d tig h t t il l he conqimrs o r d i« s, freeing our schools of all sectarian ism is
.••I'*1
.
r
One V ear, in advai c e ..........
A, *‘G o il c r e a te d y o u to r a p u r p o s e . a n d , d y in g , u rg e s h is c o m r a d e s o n
_
. ««armi -
‘Why wan I
1
I !„
■ tatfä&T*..... »UUUË m —
SESP1
*>( '
get from life recompense me for
.
.
Hix M onths, in advance............................
T h ree M onths, in advance .. .
............
/.)
In Clubs of •» o r morn one year, in »-(Iva. ce
Money should lie sent by registered le tte r or
m oney order.
Please .-er d us the nam es and ad Iresses of Sec
u larists w o a fc not reg u lar subscribers.
THURSDAY___ DECEMBER 10,21)6. E. M.
.
m
ft t
to ex am in e the school books ami m ake
T h a t is w h y y o u w ere b o rn . H e l m s to v ic to ry .
th em w hat tin y should l»e. Many peo-
W e a v e in th e m i d s t o f tin* b a ttle !
a s p e c ia l w o rk fo r y o u to p e rf o r m ,
,
i* i
» i : i , pie do not believe th a t a good, and
1
which no otner can do. Of course The enem , ies of ii m a n k i • n d a r e t h i ic ,i k th
erefo re an in tellig en t god, m ade all
your pleasures here on earth will a lo u t us! S hall we g iv e u p a n d a l- th in g s hut th e ir ch ild ren m u st he
not reward you for all your tears, low th e m to t r a m p l e u s in to t h e tau g h t the following if th ey go to
ire o f a n a im le s s lite? S h a ll we
trials and tribulations. You would m
..
,
....
• a
, public school in th is sta te ,
be foolish to expect such a thing. f o r s a k e o u r fello w m e n in t h is d e s- 1
“ All th in g s wise am i
w onderful,
p e r a te w a r fo r fre e d o m ? N o ,a t h o u
Do not strive for the pleasures of
The good God m ade them a ll.”
earth.
W ait and lay up your s a n d t im e s no! L e i u s b r e a k d o w n
p r o u d of t h e fa c t t h a t o u r p r e s i
— B arn es’ Second R eader.
treasures in heaven and then you th e h a r r i e r s t h a t k e e p u s fro m
d e n t, P . W . ( j e e r , w a s e le c te d vice-
Let u s
will be hap p y for ever and ever. u n i ti n g a g a i n s t t h e f i e .
N ever before had h erg ran d n .o her
p r e s i d e n t of ib e A m e r ic a n S e c u b ir
appeared so h e a u t u l
Is not th a t promise worth w aiting m a r c h th r o u g h th e red sea of re- (w h (i w a s
U n io n
at
t h e l a t e c o n g re s s in
Let us cross Ihe a n J
u l , and> tlk iu g th e
and w orking for? If you are un- ligious hate.
C h i c a g o . ______________
( w h o w a s a ,s o d e a d ) in h e r a r m s ,
unu su ally tried remember it is he- «lead s e a o f fo o lis h f a i t h a n d
S ecularists, let us put our I cads cause the Lord loveth you ‘for the prom ised land ot light, '»v» |h e y Hew ,ligh> 1)lgh up iul0 th e
h e a v e n s , w h e r e she lelt neither cold
together and m ake Silverton purely whom the Lord loveth he chasteu- a n d lib e rty ^ ________
Secular. Let us show the world eth .’ ” (H ebrew s 12:6.)
n o r h u n g e r , n o r f e a r , a n y m o r e fo r
SC H JO L BO OK S
th a t we can establish libraries,muse-1 The Secularist would answer:
th e y w e re w ith god!— B arnes’ T hird
It is safe to say th a t th ere is not a H e a d e r ,
unis and universities.
L et men, “ you were horn in obedience to Na-
women and children become inter- tu re’s Laws. Y our b irth was the class of people in th e w hole w orld who!
T h en inv d e ar w aves th a t live on th e
ested in building good streets, beau- effect resulting from the correspond- ap p reciates th e work of o u r public
shore,
tiful gardens and finally a public ing cause. No, your pleasure does schools m ore th a n do th e S ecularists.
Sing a low and com forting stra in .
park.
not pay you for your pain.
You They th in k feo m uch of these secu lar in
“ F ear not l i t t l e m aid, God is good, and
stitu tio n s th a t they are fearful lest some
We can, if we will all work to- arc never rewarded lor pain,
once more
gether, m ake this oneof the prettiest
“ P ain is a result of a violation enem y u n d er th e guise of a friend should
Tliy fath er shall come back a g a in .”
and happiest places in the world.
of n a tu re ’s laws and you need not e n te r an d destroy th em an d we believe
—B a rn es’ T hird R eader.
■' — ------- “
expect to he rewarded for y»»ur own th a t th e ir fears are well grounded for
How an y sane m an can believe or others disobedience, so th e best th ere is a large class of people who “ T he blue and th e gray are the
an d teach th a t he can induce God to thing to do is to prevent all the would in tro d u ce th e ir p a rtic u la r religion
colors of God,
m ake it rain by praying, is Ix-yond p ain a n d suffering you can.”
into these schools and th u s m ake them
They are seen in th e sky at even
our com prehension.
| a child in its healthful, active sectarian and practically parochial in- A nd m any a noble, gallant soul
H as found th em a p a ssjsn t to heaven,
D uring a d ry spell people suffer, play never thinks of being sorry stead oi free schools w here th e ch ild ren
B arnes lo u r th R eader.
and p rayer ought to he used to pre- th a t it exists, and so it is with the of all classes can enjoy equal privileges.
vent a d rau g h t as wadi as to stop it older children, under proper eon-
It is perfectly n a tu ra l th a t catholics
It was a try in g m om ent for the
after it has caused so much m ental unions; therefore to bring about and p ro testa n ts alike sh o u ld endeavor poor, little, lonely hoy; however,
and physical anguish.
proper conditions in which to grow to in tro d u ce th e ir religion in to o u r th i8 t i m e he d id n ’t ask Tom w hat
In an account given lately by one and enjoy our existence is the m ain , ^ « l s for they believe th a t it m eans he ra;gh t or m ight not do, hut drop
of our reverend brothers, he repre- thing.
etern al salv atio n to those w ho are ta u g h t p ed (,l U n s k n e e s by his bedside, as
Ben ted a person, who believed in the
The belief th a t there is a reward to w orship as th ey w orship and so we he had done every day from his
faith cure for d ry w eather, as pray- in the future fo r th o s e who sutler find th e cath o lic a u th o ritie s condem ning childhood, to open his h eart to Him
mg day after day u n til he saw a |,Vre lias been the the cause of much o u r “ godless public schools” and lx>th w ho heareth the cry and heareth the
little cloud, and finally it rained, buffering, hut if we reject t h i s id le p ro te sta n ts and catholics doing all they t j,e HOrroWH of t |,e tender child and
Can it he possible th a t our friend tale of future b lis s, we are a t once ,.an to keep out secu lar teach ers, in tro - t j)e s t r .)Hg u ia n j n a g o n y * *
believes th a t it was in answer to filled with th e idea of working to i (iUt.jng
reading aim
a n d p p ray
ray e e r r an
'1'«.»,» ftrourn
ng bible
m n.e reading
ano d in
in | Befure eith er Tom
Brown o or A rth u r
the prayer. (), m y poor deluded avoid th e useless, unrew arded pain every way possible te a ch in g th e ir tie-
school-house there was no
brother, by clinging to those old a n q misery of life.
loved religion. M e know tn is is tru e r o o in ¡n w'h ic h It (prayer) had not be-
fancies you are doing yourself and
B ut some may say th a t proper by our own ex p erien ce and a lth o u g h c o m e t h e r e g u ia r custom. I tru st it
your hearers, especially the young, conditions do not exist and th e re -! we blam e no one, yet we wish to ia go s t i p a n d th a t the old heathen
a great injury.
fore it would have b e e n better if w e 8Ound
sound th th e e alarm
alarm th th a a t t o o u u r r free
free secular
secular | g ta te of things? has gone out forever.
“ Skepticism is the highest of duties, had never been born. Let us look a t i p „ |,n ,. schools m ay forever rem ain free — Ba rues’ F ifth Reader.
an d blind faith the one unpardon- this carefully. Yes; we believe from th e narrow dw arfing clutches of
few
able sin .” May your friends a n d , th a t it would have been better for superstition.
The above are only
a
your better judgment help you to them selves, for their friends and
r i were a Christian and w ished to of m any exam ples where the
for the world if some people had make o u r public schools C hristian Christian religion is tau g h t in our
become a wiser and better m an.
never been born; hut th a t is not all schools, th e first th in g I would endeavor school books, and for us to adopt
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY.
of th is question. Suppose th a t it to do w ould be to get control of th e books th a t teach our children th a t
Those w ishing to become mem bers would have been better if the school-books. Let me select or write it is heathenish to have schools
of the U niversity L ibrary A ssocia-i world had never existed, this
th e c h ild re n 's books an d I can prophesy w ithout prayer, and then pass laws
tion m av do so by contributing one would not alter the fact th a t it w hat class of people th e fu tu re citizens prohibiting all religious exercises,
orm o re books. T he m em bers of the does exist, and dear reader,you and of o u r great union w ill
be. seems ra th e r contradictory and ah-
association m ay read an y book in I do exist, and n o w th at we do, let Now th e C hristian people are not surd, doesn’t it ?
the lib rary provided they obey the us m ake the liest of of it. Condi- fools if th ey do have
som e
ideas
M e have certain ly m ade a mis
rules an d in structions of the lihrar- tious may not be good, hut let us th a t seem foolish
to
us,
a n d take. Let us remedy it if possible
ian. P.W.Geer starts the ball rolling try to make them better a n d per- go we find the school books are full of at the next session of our legisla-
hy p u ttin g in Cooper’s Complete haps before we lay down the weap- C hristianity. T his is not rig h t and it ture.
O re g o n
S e c u la r is ts
s h o u ld
be
i