THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1S!F
is soon to take place between the
hosts of superstition and the child­
ren of liberty. Do what you can
The Only Secular Paper Published on the friends, hut we do not want the
pennies of the needy, for the mas­
Pacific Coast.
ter we serve is humanity and we do
Published Weekly by the Oregon State not wish to rob our master.
w;.. ,;i.f h- ve in “devouring,
widow’s houses and for a show
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making long prayers ’ hut we do
P. W. G E E R - - - B u sin e ss M a n a g e r. want all w’ho are able, and can see
the great necessity of constructive
E n tered a t th e jx,8toffice at Silverton,
Freethought work, to place a- large
O regon, as second class m ail m atter.
a stone as they can easily carry in
KJ Pl ION RATES.
a great living monument of liberty,
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Torch of Reason
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How W e M ay C onquer.
For years Freethinkers have been
tearing down the orthodox ideas of
THURSDAY.... FEBRUARY 11, E. M. 297. the churches and have demon­
strated beyond a doubt in the
minds of reasoning people that
Hold T he F o rt.
there are no reasons for believing
If we had more money out work
in the mythical stories of the bible;
would move much faster, but we
hut this kind of work, necessary as
must keep good-natured and be
it has been, must now give place to
willing to work a long time if nec­
something better if we wish to en­
essary without any other reward
tirely put to Hight the powers of
than the satisfaction that we are
ignorance and superstition.
“ holding the fort,” for our friends
We must do constructive work.
will surely rally some time and
We must teach temperance. We
then we will see our beloved work
must insist on our members being
move as it deserves to move.
pure, clean, uptight, honorable
We need more teachers; we need
men and women. If we do this
scientific apparatus; we need help
on the new building. It takes! the battle is won. It may he quite
a struggle for some of (is to let go of
money to get these things hut we
some old fogy notions we have
must keep up g >od cheer, do the
gained from the old methods ot
best we can with what we have and
warfare, hut victory is within our
when enough of ns get thoroughly
reach; shall we refuse to accept it
converted to secularism the work
because the plans of battle are
will become easy, for “many hands
somewhat of a surprise to us? Ah,
make light work.” That we are
no. We will, we must show the
doing well is a fact, and when the
best people of the orthodox churches world that Secularism is its savior
its savior from drunkene«s, from
thoroughly understand that our
work stands for everything that is the tobacco habit, from the opium
good and that at the same time we habit, from libertinage, from ignor­
are free from that old serpent, the ance, from poverty, from supersti­
tion, from crime. People must see
devil of superstition, they will he
that we will soon empty the peni-
with us and that to bless.
We who understand just the con­ tentaries, the insane asylum, and
the reform schools; that we will
ditions, should live lives spotless
close the doors of the dives, the
and thus by our example as well as
gambling hell» and the schools of
by our tongues and pens help to
infamy.
hasten in the glorious day of hu­
0, friends it has been demon­
strated that Jesus aud his love can
not do this, and if we once show
T he D ifference.
In our constructive work we that we can, the world will be at
must have help in order to succeed, our feet.
The greatest weapon that the
and we, without a blush, ask every
Secularist to help us all he or she children of superstition use against
can without doing themselves or us is that we are not a moral peo­
family an injury. But if we call ple and although this is not true,
for help in what respect are we yet it is our opinion that as far as
better than orthodox churches? organized work against the great
evils of our time is concerned we
We are quite different in several
are not much better than the
important respects. The money
churches.
ft
we ask for is not to be sent across Catholic or Protestant
We can do better than they
the sea. It is not to pay a princely
have and we will do better. We
salary. It is not to he used to
are young as far as organization is
teach children as truth that which
concerned and it may take some
is not known to he true.
We only ask those who are able, time to g e t our plans completed,
those who will not suffer bv con- hut that the work may not he de­
tributing, to help build a school layed we call upon every human
that will l>e theirs when it is com­ being who loves humanity to step
and do what he or she can
pleted—a school that will educate forward
to perfect this glorious plan of sal-
workers for the great struggle that i vation.
the whole of humanity, hut just
The altove is a heading which 1 thinks of helping this sick brother
may he found in the Christian or that unfortunate sister. The
Herald of January 27, and the fol­ broad-gage worker understands
lowing words <<n the subject show! that the way to do the most good is
about the way leading Christians | to remove the causes of suffering,
look upon other people. The Her- and then so many brothers will not
....... •• .
p r w p t he sick and so many sisters will
month, many letters have been re­ not be unfortunate. A person who
ceived approving of the suggestion is working on this broad gage plan
of Evangelist D. L. Moody, that may help his neighbors fully as
the C h r is tia n churches of America much as his narrow-gage friend
generally should devote Sunday and is apt to help him more but he
evenings to the presentation of the sees that what little he does in
plain gospel lor the purpose of this wav isof hut little consequence
reaching the common people.” compared with the broad-gage
Then follow short letters which ex­ work.
One who is a narrow-gage worker
plain the conditions of churches in
th e different country towns of t h e should not he condemned for not
different states and of course like being able to see farther, in fact he
good common people ought to do, should be encouraged in his work,
they all agree with the uncommon for as long as a man is a worker at
Evangelist. With what contempt all there is great hopes of his de­
a man who has formed an appetite veloping into a broad-gage worker
for something better than the mis­ and one real worker of this kind
erable slu'ii that is dished up by may do wonderful things in a
these dealers in ignorance, looks short life.
There are manv noble men and
upon such words as, “plain gospel
for the purpose of reaching the women who have the broad gage
idea but whose environment makes
common people.”
How long will people allow these it impossible for them to carry out
men who know no more than “com­ their plans, but these grand would-
mon people” do in regard to divin­ be-workers often do the world
ity and immortality, lead them great service by inculcating their
grand ideas into the minds of their
around by the nose?
“Common people” indeed! The associates and thus many times
wily priests may he able to hood­ their ideas are carried out even
wink the people a while longer but after they are dead. Life is very
some of the “common herd” are short at best and every human be­
having their eyes opened and if ing should see to it that he or she
our public schools could be kept does something in this great work
secular it would not he very long of making happy conditions.
Along every line of every real re­
before this damnable business of
making stock of the “common peo­ form then let Secularists be found.
ple’s” ignorance would give place Let us help each other to develop
iuto broad-gage workers that can
t<> something better.
How many thousand times bet­ comprehend that the sufferings of
ter it would be if every preacher our brothers and sisters all over
would talk no more about gods, the world may he lessened by our
saviors, harps and crowns and righting the great wrongs that are
teach the “common people” the destroying and holding hack free­
many, many things they are dying dom of thought, ami keeping up
to know and help them to be some­ the pious robbery that is now prac­
thing besides “common.” My dear ticed in the name of a mythical
Christian reader, how long will you redeemer.
he “common,” and feed on the
Moody.
trash your self-imposed masters,
Mr. Moody said: “As for a
deal out to you? How long will
minister who does not believe in all
you call your best friends harsh of the bible, I don’t think he is
names and shun them as you
worth thesnap of my fingers. I tell
would something unclean?
you, my friends, when you cut out
Let us study the sciences in­
the tale of Jonah you have got to
stead of trying to understand theol­ cut out God.”
ogy. Let us work to make each
According to Mr. Moody’s creeds
other happy instead of trying to and childish ideas, God is a personal
please the
imaginary angels anthropomorphic being, probably
etc., that these uncommon preach­ not bigger than the fish that swal­
ers pretend to know about.
lowed Jonah. Fantastic stories like
Come, now is the time to work thishavea fascination forboys, and
for better conditions, for “the night to the mind of Mr. Moody, though
is coming when man’s work is physically he is fully developed, is
done.”
a boy’s mind in its inability to raise
_ _ _ _ _ ------
thought and in its
Two W a y s of W o rk in g . » abstract
proneness toMwell upon incredible
stories
like that of Jonah and the
There are two ways of working
for humanity. One wav may he whale. But Mr. Moody is only one
called the narrow gage and the of many who have attained to the
physical stature of manhood, but in
other, the broad gage. The nar­ thought are still in a state of in­
row-gage worker can only see a tellectual childhood, being victims
short distance and never thinks of of arrested development.
R eaching P lain People.