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About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1897)
THE TORCH OF REASON SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 1897. Torch of Reason one ,hat b w ould malte “ for ro th e r „.-lli-hly h u g to h im - prove them selves but w itheverv the Christian churches who com pete with each other in securing self vast m illions while a n o th e r is are turned loose, and our horrible U N I V E R S A L M E N T A L L IB lying a t Ins feet, sick and dying for cap ital punishm ent is the out- the children when they are old ERTY, en o u g h to becom e m em b ers of a the w ant of a crust. grow th of C hristianity. church. □ N E W O R L D A T A T IM E . I he great task of saving the world I t is a m ild idea o f hell. Those This control of our public schools ^ " P ® “ «>• intelligent, thinking ........ wi advocate eternal ponish- by the one religious sect called The Only Secular Paper Published on the people of the m iddle classes. B ut luent bevon(l lhhi life can* easilv Christians has not been accom ___ • PaChiC • .......................... ........ ¡ d is h e d b e c a u s e the Christians h a v e d so k s ur bi k tk a ■ , i n 1 1 j i ng to convert peo* mistakes -mistakes, too, which are a m ajority, hut because of th eir Published Weekly by the Oregon State pie of the slum s to some p a rtic u la r caused hv the low state of stratagem and activity an d the ______ Secular Union. _______ religjous belief or by relieving their society in which men find them- n a tu ra l inactivity of liberals who im m ediate sufferings by ch arity . \\ e selves are too often w illing to allow others J. E. H O S M E K .................... E d ito r , believe in releaving ---------. suffering as ao fast aoni \Ve are not upholding crime. to do, as w'ell as to thin k , as they P . W . G E E R - - - B u s in e s s M a n a g e r, as possible, but the cause m ust be re- u i * » e believe in doing away with please. moved before a perm anent relief , . , , . ' . , , «• . , z, . crim e, but cruel an d unjUbSt nunish- But the tim e has come for liber E n te re d a t th e postoffice a t S ilverton, c a n he effected. C onditions m ust . , ... , . . . ~ i l l sa kzx el such l x, „ will , he I1)ent W,N not do away with it als to act, and as a rule they are Oregon, as second class m ail m a tte r. be m ade th a t x all while the cause is not removed. not slow to act when they are fully com fortable and h ap p y ,—so there We were talking with a m inister convinced th a t action is necessary S U B S C R IP T IO N K A TES. will be no very rich, and no very some time ago an d advocating the in order to preserve their own One Year, in advance.......... . . . . . . « l oo poor. But can such a condition 8 ix Month«, in advance............................ 50 idea th a t all crim inals were unfor liberty. T hree M onths, in a d v a n c e ..... .............. 25 be brought about? Yes it tunates and th a t we should pity in Clnbs of 5 o r more one year, in a d v a n c e ... 75 * »,,1 , 3..» The thing for us to do then is , i. 11 i. be sent . by i registered . . , le . tte r or And as soon as the m different .Money should n v in ii them an d try to help them become to arouse our slum bering hosts in money order. tlO llS i l l t h e r e l i g i o u s W O I'ld d r o p P lease eend ns the nam es an d addresses of Sec- a , n :« .• . , better men and women, th a t a per- tim e to prevent the old rusty chains Ur,.t» »ho «rx not regular .u b « rib er» . th e,r m ysterious nonesentialn and n la rists who are not reg u lar su b scrib ers. Ui”" inyhieiB»US noiieSeiltialS and HO11 who does Wrong should not be of religious slavery from being = = ______________ _______________ get down to business.— unite anti . • . , , , • in ju re d a n y m o re tn a n o n e who has fastened around our necks. THURSDAY.... JANUARI 7, E. H. 297. »getner work o m ake this world 8ome c()Hta (li , h a t thu If the Jew s should force their _______________________________ _ better,—we will o e g m to d o s o m e - • , • .1 £ • i(lea Hl a bell fo r w ro n g d o e r s w a s religious doctrines, which teach c 4.u« a.r thing w orthy of an intelligent Deo- , i . , S o m e th in g New. g , as bad as to have a hell for those unbelief in the divinity of Jesus, pie. And this is the hope of the . k a it . i. r n x Qx. i i x, wno were unfortunate enough to upon our public schools, there W hen great reform s are first S ecular church th a t by our oreani- . ,, • , i .. . , , have the sm all pox or rheum atism , would be a howl go up from the in au g u rated there are alw ays m any zation w ithout an y creedal test .. , , very ones who are now forcing the th in g s to com bat, an d oftentim es we will he the m eans of finally . . . „ a x £ i . 1 . , such doctrines of love and pitv for Christian religion upon our defense the greatest reform s have seemed uniting in one grand body all the . <• , b J i 4 -i , , . 4 . x * i- . ... the unfortunates and scouted a t our less children in every way possible. to be en tirely crushed, but again contending religious factions, thus • . v an d again the great tru th has forming the universal religion of ClS, w 11C 1 18 1 ,e eathen And when their creed is not openly b u rst out upon the world in an o th er h u m an ity . Then will a higher 1 ‘ io im of c ii m - taught in violation of the law other c j x i a - a • • i 4- , , , , 6 m als, or the dungeon, the hang- ways are employed. Some of the form and a t last it is recognized as civilization he begun and the com- . h r . 4- • i , , • . • i m an s rope and hell after d eath ? honorable (?) ways are shown in a living, active principle by which ing m an and woman will enter the t , . , . x e 4. , , . If you had a brother and he was the following from W hite’s Ped- men are governed. stage of action hand 111 hand and , ‘ ... , , m j 41 x x a a xi r a i i 1 1 xl • horn w ith or had contracted bv Today the great tru th of m ental play well th eir parts in the great . . , J evil V1 a 8°gy: uAt least three avenues are open for the introduction of lioerty is again brought to the dram a of life. We m ust learn to t , • , notice of the m en tal slaves and unite. In united effort there is sal- V* * 1,°, <Hlgt L conim itted a religious idea and sanctions into would-be freemen of our great vation. W hen this great lesson has ,nulULI v' ou ' >on hke to see him all our schools. These are sacred hung? W’ould you be m ade a songs, the literatu re of C h risten co u n try , by the opening of th e first been learned, and not until then. crim inal if he was not to rtu red or dom, and, best of all, faithful and in stitu tio n of learning ever con- will we advance rapidly, his life taken away? No, while fearless Christian teachers, th e liv trolled by a p u rely secular organi- Some m ay say th a t we need never you would w ant him restrained ing epistles of the tru th . A gainst zation. expect catholics, protestants and and kept from in ju rin g others you these there is no law .” Is the Liberal U niversity of Sil- liberals to unite, hut if you will would w ant him fed and clothed verton, Oregon, to he the great cli- stop to th in k you will see th a t we fortably a and have a11 all t the m ax of events th a t is to in au g u rate are u n itin g every dav. People are com ‘ ' ’I,lloIlani> n a nave v„ L kj Here And Now. a h ig h er an d better civilization? W hy not? If the principles of Secularism will m ake the world better, and these principles of love, liberty an d tru th are firm ly p lan ted in the m inds of a few stu- dents by th eir being educated in science, m orality an d all the knowl- edge th a t is so beneficial to us here, •4.1 v : it • • 1 w ithout h aving th e ir young m inds xi £ j v £ al r • dwarfed by any of the confusing doctrines x.r of theology, why will they draw ing nearer and nearer together and all we w ant is to get everyone to investigate and he honest and in tim e we will all find the tru th . Let us m ake our lives pure and free from deceit and fraud: let us be true to our higher an d better im pulses; let us by our exam ple and by the use of our reason help to , . , . * bring about a condition th a t will , , prove a real heaven to poor, suffer- L -x ing h 1. um anity not exert a very great influence when they go out into the world? A nd then if this U niversity is a success, others m ay be in stitu ted and soou the light of m ental free- j •,, . • £ d o w w .ll sh.ne from every quar- ter and every com m unity and every home will be filled w ith peace and love and joy. Our work should begin here at home an d after we have m ade this earth what it ought to he, a happy dw elling place for every hum an being who enters it, then it will be tune to »....Id «m ansions in the sky.” T " " —T — V in d ictiv e P u n is h m e n t. United Effort. I he heathenish way in which our crim inals are made crim inal an(j then th eir horrible punish- m ent is a reproach to an y people, hut this punishm ent of casting rnen. who have been wronged more th a n they have wronged, into prison w ithout a chance to im- How can we effect a union of the people so th a t we m ay work to- gether to bring about better condi- tions for all, b etter schools, bet- ter physical and m ental develop- m ent, and a stan d ard of m orality a, a •, • • „ , . wor d a n y t . H ng ! ‘‘n 18 the d o ctn n e of 1 eH\g T** m ent J ! ? / 7 7 m erit o t le lamb. It 1 our as>’ um s an d ° u r 1 ’'7 ’" 7 H lotlc as>’lums i’’” *’ V’1? ’ C° Uu aOV heathen people do worse th<iu to advocate , 4 , e doctrines th a t produce crim inals , ,, • n- a 1 J, . and then inflict unreasonable and unjust punishm ents? R eligion In o u r P ublic Schools. As long as there is suffering in the world, as long as there are m is erable unhappy people,just so long is there need for Secularism . Sec ularists know’ th a t for every effect there is an efficient cause an d there has never been a cause of more dissension th an the false religious ideas of m ankind. Now’ Secularism will overcome all this for it is based upon the idea of the brotherhood of m an, and while each is allow ed perfect liberty of thought, yet all w ill have learned to respect the ideas of others and to love one an other none the less for an honest differ ence of opinion; while everyone will join hands in the great work of destroying our enemies of ignor ance and error. Come and help to overcome the m onster evils th a t are dam ning our race here aud now. In order for people to be relig- ious th e y m ust have religious teaching when young, and no one 6 * oue knows this better than the lead ers of the Christian churches; therefore it has come to pass th a t our public schools are controlled largely by tho.se who see to it th a t the fundam ental principles of C h ristia n ity i. e., the ideas of God. only begotten son, the resurection ith a little help from each a heaven and eternal punishm ent great work m ay be accomplished. etc., are tau g h t to th e ch ild ren and Let 11s sta rt in the new vear bv do- the result is very advantageous to all we can.