Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1897)
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1897. If A Man Die Shall He Live Again? go a few years’ purgation in a n i C o n tin u e d F ro m 2 n d . P a g e. varv. Nor does it ever encum ber itself with what is wholly useless, for any Known p u r p o s e . If heaven and hell exist, it m ust he from suprem e necessity. M ankind has occupied the globe for a period so vast th at the science of m a th e m a t ics halts when it comes to com pu tation by years. To accom m odate the great*collection of souls accu m ulated in th at vast period, th e ology has invented two regions wholly outside of an y th in g know n; one is to hold the saints, the other the sinners, but as only a beggarly portion goes to heaven, hell gets the balance, and S a ta n ’s subjects far outnum ber the Lord’s. How can an y sane person believe th at nature, which does nothing nut com prehensible by reason, wastes energy by tak in g charge of such useless realm s, for no other purpose but to rew ard the saints anti to r m ent the sinners? But, it is said th a t doubt of a futu re life is a dreadful, cheerless doctrine. People want t » be lieve thev * are to live alw ays. But * is the doctrine reailv more cheer ful, th a t death is not endless rest, th a t the sorrows and woes of life are perchance to be repeated on an other field, and th a t we are to be tried for the frivolous acts and fau lts of this life at some future and u n certain period, so th a t no one can know his u ltim ate destiny u ntil the celestial court passes sen tence? Is not faith in such a cheerless prospect far more terrible th a n bidief th at death is the end of all th a t can h arass or vex us? All history proves th a t the more ig n o ran t the nation or person, the more ce rtain ty prevails th a t souls will live aft'T death. Ignorance is not troubled by the doubts th at afflict intelligence. The fetish of ignorance corresponds with its credulitv. The b a rb a ria n is far more certain of what he does not even pretend to know a n y th in g about, th an the enlight med m inds of in telligent investigators after a long research. Ghosts and the like are alw ays in stock for the ignor an t. T hat men can convi rs<> with sp irits is an article of prim e the ological faith.’ It is bla<ph any to inquire what proof exists th at a soul or spirit survies tie* cassation of hum an lif •. Som ething ha< t ni' rged from nothing, and the negation of a th in g is evident* • of its existence. It i- praved about, preached about, talk <1 about a- an assum ed fact, and v» t not an at in <»f evid'mc • is off red t > bolster up th<* a-sum ntion. I'h* th ’ologv of the I’u Idhi-t, a for n of b*li*f hebl by nearly o <e th i I of th* hum m race, >ea- h *’ 'b a ’ D ' h fin d end of souls is • xtincti *n, an I iln»t heaven is at a n nent ot tbisem id tern. T h at s m l' an* n > i n : >»■ al, l»i t U” ' tr- A mal forms to expiate errors com m itted during life. But like all theologies,the B uddhists assum e the existence of spirits as much eas ler th an to prove it. Of ail relig ious system s, this is th e most p h il osophical and in accordance with reaso n ✓ . It d e a ls hut little : Dealers» hi General -Merc h a ad: ; < : •■A. w ith the su p ern a tu ral, discards all m ir acles, and tu rn s them over to the juggler, the m ountebank and the C hristian m issionary. W hile B ud dhism em bodies m any errors fastened on its pure doctrines by priests, it must he pronounced th e most scientific system th a t has a p peared on the globe. It is a relig ion w ithout m ysteries, and accepts life and its condition as n atu re has made them , without the addition of annexes, like heaven or hell, or the personality of devils and a n gels, t * keep guard over these a l leged abodes of departed spirits. H . A . Tenney. In F reethought M ag azine. C erner W ater and Main Streets, Silverton, Oregon. John Hicks Samuel Ames. Hicks ftm es, D EA LER S IN H ard w are, Stoves, Tinw are, A g r i c u ltu r a l I m p le m e n ts , F is h in g T a c k le , C u tle ry , S p o rtin g G oads. G u n s, S i l v e r t o n , O re . Secular Societies. N ew ton, Iowa, Mrs. E .'B . Moffitt, See. R iverside, Iowa, Daisy Fesler, “ Cresent, Okla. B. C. Brewster. “ V ancouver, W ash., Mrs. H. D. Burrows. *’ S p o k an e, W a sh ., R. S h a rp le ss, ‘ W agner. Oregon, A STORE FOR K o b t. C a r s n e r , Vale, Greg m. E lvvin .Johnson, N orth Y am hill, O reg o n ,' Miss Roxie L aughlin, •* THE PEOPLE P o rtlan d , Oregon, Ada Dewey, “ McM innville, Oregon, W h e re All can buy to A dvantage. M abel H o p k in s , Silverton, Oregon, Mrs. J. I). Guiss., • I Some Store-keepers pride them selves on u First Secular Cbu»*ch of P ortland, the fact that thev eater to a special class Clara Bailey. Sec. First Secular Church of McMinn- » of trade. v ille , W in . L a m b e r t , S ec. F ir - t S e c u la r C h u r c h of i We d o n ’t. E veryone can huv here and he suited. One price to all? and S ilv e r to n th a t the very lowest. m e e t!» e v e ry ot h e r S u n d a y , 7 :3 J p .m . M r. J o h n H ic k s . Sec. Silverton Secular Sunday ebool meets every Sunday in Lib 'f l i c eral H all at 2 p. m. A. W o lf &. S on. You arc e a rn S ilv e rto n , Oregon estly invited to a tte n d ami help in our great work of advancing tin* the c»use of science and m orality. J . E. IICSMKR, M rs J. I). G riss, S up'. S< c ’v. Caveats, and Trade-Marks obtained and all Pat ent business conducted for M o d er a te F ees . O ur O rrtc E i s O r r osite U . 3 . P a ten t O ffice and w eeanse'-ure patent in less tune than tavse remote from W ashington. Send model, drawing or photo., with descrip tion. W e advise, if patentable or not, free of cnarge. O ur fee not due till patent is secured. A P am RM LET, “ How to Obtain Patents, with cost of same m* the U . S. and foreign countries sent free. Address, C .A .S N O W & C O . O f f . P a t e n t O f f ic e . W a s h in g t o n . O. C. UEA1 KR IV J. E. Ham m ond, DRUGGIST, ( ’hem ieals, Drugs, M edicine, Toilet Articles, Perfum ery and Soaps, S tationary, P aten t Medicines, Paints and Oils, ( ’om hs and Brushes. Silverton, Oregon. TORCH OF REASON, O nly$i per year. Subscribe Now! ft