Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 1897)
THE TORCH of REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1>!»7 such) shall be abrogated; and all the above article, are members of the laws shall be conformed to th e re - A. S. U , th at the Nine Demands In a quirements of natural morality, of liberalism is our platform. But E d ito r T orch of R eason : it may; a little discussion with one> off our Metlun equal' “„ H l X w ^ h ' a t these de- C orrespondence. oath in the courts and m all l i t e r departments of the government shall lx* abolished, and that simple affirmation, under the pains and penalties of perjury, shall beestab- dist neighbors a few days ago, _______, denied tbe theory of man having an nature,and .................... ^ a n d s are not all we want fora basis. lished in its stead. _ the fUCL, 9s lhat We demand that all laws di- immortal soul, or any prtemint ’,{ morals can reach. Our our labor deserves until we have rectly or indirectly enforcing the above a beast am to p ro v e lecturera have for vcars been edu- something more than these. We observance of Sundry as the Sab- W re°nTbeedead know n o t anything j eating our people along -his line, can not secure these demands until bath shall be repealed. device, breaking up or plowing as they call we have something more for our 8. We demand that all laws For there is no work, nor in the It, getting the minds of our people plaiform. Why e a n t we. Be- looking to the en forcement of “Chris nor knowledge, nor wisdom erave whither thou goest—For th at ready for a more thorough organ- cause we can never have a harmon- tian” morality (as such) shall be S , be UeU, the sons of men be- ized field of labor. There has been ions, e eet.ve o ^ n u a tm n nt, abrogated, and that all laws shall th eo n ed ieth a great deal to do in the way of our platform is such as to attract be conformed to the requirements falleth the beasts, as ¡earing down the old ideas of and bold together the best class of of natural morality, equal rights so d ie th th e other; yea they have tearing down the man . superstition. Yes, a g re a t deal has men and women and this the Nine and impartial liberty. all one breath; so that a . , ke.B,. been done Lecturers have been Demands can not do. 1 bey are 9. We demand that not only in U " " .m m T h e 'r e pi°ale Eeel’ all over our United States, a, a good, but they belong to the tear- the Constitution of the United U - l'n 3-19 SOI great expense, exposure and bard- ¡ng down process and if the reader States and of the several states, but Now M r'E ditor, I thought I had ships; many have even given up will kindly consider each one sep- also in the practical administration ‘ U- ‘ '„»I „„1” man in a cor- their lives in the defense of true arately he or she will discover that of the same, no privilege or advan : r -GT w S ^ : “ ¡ X i 1: tage shall be conceded to Christian ity or any other special religion; g u sm d 'T T e n when my saintly the existing influence of s u p e ^ l- that our entire political system friend gave a look at me with a I tion, for the liberal element of soci- not all we,want lor a basis, shall he founded and administered sickly smile on his face and said, ety, to even dare to speak a word IB It not true that a person wh on a purely secular basis; and that sickly srnde on that I again»» the bible. It seemed that is a vile wretch, a p-rson who . whatever changes shall prove nec Oh, you don’t un time and money were being thrown morally depraved can e la n d on essary to this end shall he consist scripture. That only hath refer away on our lecturers, but thanks the Nine Demands as a plat- ently, unflinchingly and promptly ence to man and beast dieing and . to dust . . from f i *i x.,. tn n r n u i i i v r s wp are now begin- form and still remain a slave made. returning whence they to n our m anyrs, we a i t now w g m came That scripture bath nothing mug to reap the harvest of their to lolly and crime? been lar ,sm to do with the soul of man what- labors. Now if all » ho profess to be means far more to us h n The invention of geometry is at ever Well I saw there was no Secularists would only put their Nine Demands of Ltheta urn. I tributed, by some, to the Assyrians use for me to waste any more time shoulder to the wheel, deny them- not only means fighting the e u l s or Chaldean philosophers, by others 7 t h my Inspired neighbor, so I re- selves of some of the luxuries of that superstition has brought upon to the Egyptians. Geometry was bred and , b, sawing wood. life in order to help our cause of us hut it means fighting every evil, brought into Greece by 1 hales, in After regaining my senses 11 humanity, we would drive away and we are sure that any real true 900 B. C. The study was greatly cam e to this conclusion: There is the clouds of superstition much Secularist will not o .ject to , improved by Pythagoras and b u t little use to waste our time try- faster than ever before. Educating ethical basis when be under-tan s brought to perfection by Euclid, ing to convince these godly-inspired our children In the laws of nature,j that it does not reject th e Nine De- 300 years B. C. The researches of safnts that they do not understand w ill soon tell for good. In union mands of Liberalism it i. t e Archimedes were made in the third surest way of building up an organ the wonderful hook (Bible) any het- there is strength, 1 send you a copy century before Christ. ter than those who do not claim to 'o f »ur Nine Demands of Secularism, ization that will be able not only to have been born the second time, hoping you will give them a pronii- demand, hut to tore« these ecc s - K atie K ehm S m ith M o n u m en t and had their sins (that were com- nent place in your paper, iu order astical robbers of our tree, o mt F und. mitted in the Garden of Eden) that all who read it may know obeying the demands ol Liberty, Justice and Truth. forgiven by God. Just what 0,lr platform ' K- There is uodoubtln my inindthat the person who only claims to live, breathe and die the same as all other animals, can read and under- stand the bible just as well as those who 'claim to be Christians and also claim to be possessed with an im- mortal soul. No, Mr. Editor the biped animal that claims to have a “soul” and is moved about by a “ holy spirit” can never be so tightly cornered but he will make his escape. Yours for common earthly beings. H.C. P. Yours for Hie truth, A S ecularist . Nine D em ands of L iberalism . E Stew art.......................................... (5 00 Wm F a rre ... : ................................... 5 00 C W W agner....................................... 00 Geo W agner....................................... 5 00 Geo H ayden....................................... 5 00 Ferd H u n t.......................................... 500 Win C ollins........................................ & 00 W II Gates ....................................... 5 00 W C arsner.......................................... 5 00 Rol»t C arsner..................................... 2 50 Hugh P u r d in ................................... 2 50 A P S n v d er........................................2 50 ............... 2 50 Albert Officer......... .. ............. 3 00 B c Andrews and wife — 1. We demand that churches We are sure that the above ar- and other ecclesiastical property tide was written by one who wishes shall be no longer exempt from to do all in her power to help our taxation. grand cause,but, after thinking care- 2. We demand that theemploy- fully of the subject with all the ment of chaplains in Congrtss, in main facts in mind we feel conti State Legislatures, in the navy and dent that she will understand the militia, and in prisons, asylums. conditions as we understand them, and all other institutions supported Our space will only allow us at by public money, shall he discon- Co,|inR’ ' .......................... 2 2o this time to give a few of the con- J M F ranklin..................................... 100 vineing facts in the case, but, if we tinued. 3. We demand that all public RL Oliver.................................... 1 consider these well, we are sure to appropriations for educational and JF in le y ao n ....................................... | In see that something more than we E d ito r T orch of R eason charitable institutitions shall cease. i 00 arti- have had as a platform is absolutely your issue of February 4, is an 4. We demand that all religious A officer .................... 1 00 cle headed, “An Ethical Basis.” necessary for the success of our services now sustained by the gov- e Officer.................................................. 1 The writer seems to infer that Sec- work. eminent shall he abolished; and C E Glaze........................................... 100 ularists have no platform (or creed The Nine Demands of Liberalism „ tha( (be use ()f , he Biblf. w ,„ M Mlira Win ungar....................................... 1 W a t t ..................................... 100 , g the churches call It) and 1 think is not our platform They have 1 • hw , whether „ .. .... ............................................... 1 00 it a mistaken idea. 1 have been a not, to our knowledge, been adopted 1 > ' ^ 1 ............ •' " Burn, ostensibly as a textliook, or avow- Rohert -payio r.................................... 1 00 life member of our National Secu- by the O. S. 8. I . and as we can edlv as a book of religious worship, j a,.ob Thom pson................................ 1 00 lar Union for years, Also of our O. find no evidence that we are aux- hiWwd; w J Dean.......................................... 1 00 8. 8. U. and it has ever been my lliary to the A b . U. we la v demand that the ap- J A Leetier and wife........................ 50 understanding, that the Nine De- nothing to do with the Nine De- in(ment by tbe President the T otal............................. $76. <5 mands of Liberalism, was, and is, mands, other than that some of the United States, or by the governors Anyone desiring to contribute to our platfofm. The eighth demand ideas embraced in them are found of the various states, of all relig- of ..ur platform gives us moral in the by-laws of our union and ; f ¡vals alld ,ast8 shall whon y the monument fund will please code and reads thus: “ We demand th at there is a tacit understanding lou' write to Warren Carsner, \\ agner ■ hat all lawsluoking to the enforce- among most of the ‘ We demand ,hat the judicial Or’egon. m e .it of Christian morality ( a s , who like our lilend, the writei of.