Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1897)
T H E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , O R E G O N , T H U R SD A Y , MARCH IS, 1897. it comes to a stan d still or even ret- one young man expresses it, “ You differ from each other, so we find rogrades if the forces which are on can ’t turn «lad or I any more th a n in the world of thought th a t no two —, .... i - --------- —— the lower hill *ide are strong enough you can turn a red hot griddle.’’ m ind are exactly alike and vet We ad m ire people who have m any are in a perfectly h ealth y THE ONLY SECULAR PAPER PUBLISHED ON to overcome the brave individuals and organizations th at are bravely idea« of their own and who can pro- condition. Blit as the body of an THE PACIFIC COAST. PUBLISHED W EEKLY. BY THE OREGON pulling us up, up, up the w««n- «luce argum ents to substantiate anim al m ay become disordered by STATE SECULAR UNION. derful hill of progress. them , hilt we d > not adm ire the the introduction of a foreign sub- So far, I think all will agree with weakness of th a t class of penple stance th a t hinders digestion and E d ito r. us, hut when we begin to place in- who get hold of a rope and J. E. HOSMER, pull assimulation, so m ay the m ind be M anager. P. W . GEER, di vid mil s or societies on th e up|»er just because their dads do. injured by the introduction of hill side, or on the lower ill side. Step out from your associates for poisonous ideas—ideas th at instead E ntered at th e postoffice at Silverton, th e opposition begins; but the only a m om ent and look at the work of building up, contract and nar- Oregon, as second class m ad m atter. way we can find which rope is b e s t and workers and see if w hat you row the m ind in such a way as to SUBSCRIPTION RATES. for us to pull <»n, is by using our are doing is according to what you m ake’ it unfit to digest the solid, «1 m One Voar, in a d ra n t’O ........ One of 50 reason, and to this end let us think, by your own honest ideas decide is nutritious food of tru th . Six Month*, in advance ....................... T hree Mon'iw. in a d v a n c e ..... .............. 25 It m ay appear to some th a t we (he right work for you to do. the m ost destructive m ind poisons In Clobn of 5 o r m ore one year, in edvance. . 75 Money *hoald he went by registered le tte r or are at a standstill at present, hut it You (nay m ake m istakes, but is the one com m only known as money order. P I h hh p -end uh the name« and ad Irenne« of S«c- is not so, for the forces an* working hone-tv is the m ain thing, and if a sti| erstition, and this, like m any of uiariwtH w.io a e not regular -ubecribeio actively on both shies, and although m istake is discovered, hasten to cor- the poisonous drugs, is both a stim - TH U R S D A Y, MA kC H 18, E. M. 297 our civilization sways hack and n *ct it, no m atter w hat croakers ulant and a narcotic, for it stim u- f«»rth with the strain of th e great say. lates and intoxicates the victim ’s forces a r work, yet we believe it is “ Honor and shame from no conditions mind in very m uch the sam e wav W h ic h Rope? rise surelv a al steadily moving up th a t spirits of alcohol does the Act well your p a r,, th ere all the honor body. When in n atu re’s great work, or, higher and higher. lie s.” Th«* fir.-t class we will m ention W hen in a state of intoxication a when in the social, political or re person goes through all m anner of ligious actions of m ankind, there is who are on the lower hill side are B le n d in g . wild, frantic m otions, ami the m ind, a tendency or movement toward the people who are doing nothing, Although the m inisters of the when out of order from an over- any growth <»f new forms or disso and as they hang a dead weight lution of old forms, no m atter how- upon society, they are being pulled Christian churches keep up the fire d«>se of holy spirits goes through sm all this tendency is, if continu d, along by those who are taking against us poor godless infidels, vet some of the most absurd processes it will finally accomplish a perfec p a rt in the w orld’s great work there is a co n stan t blending be- possible; and th e analogy is still tion of growth of the new on the with their money, time an d talents, tween th? more intelligent chris- plainer, when we realize th a t the one hand, or the com plete destruc If those w’ho are doing nothing tians a id the active, up-to-date victims in both cases are not aware in the w orld’s on ward m arch would Secularists. th at they are m aking such fools of tion of the old on the other. The former u n derstand the sin themselves. If just th e right W hat are the tendencies of today, wake up and take hold of the rope or in other words: W hat are the which reason tells them is the right cerity of the latter, and th at after am ount of this m ind poison is one, the conditions would immedi- all, th e w r k for h um anity is the taken, it acts as a narcotic and lulls signs of the times? When people of th e lower classes ately b»*eome so much better that best p art of C hristianity; and the i to sleep every good and perfect were compelled by law to wear less our present attain m en ts would look Secularists know very well th a t thought of its victim and the sleep Costly clothing than the upper like the barbarous ways of the peo- from th e ranks of liberal Christians ! er, who is said to he drunk in the classes, when poor people’s children pie of old who were driven about hv will come m any of our m ost a c tiv e ! ease of the alcohol, is called a hvp- were obliged to grow up in ignor those pretending t » have di vine att- workers of the future. A lthough ocrite when th a t “ little spark of ance, when women were obliged to thority, (p ro p h ets,p riestsan d kings) the Christian church seems so far celestial fire called conscience” is obey th eir husbands w ithout re like so m any cattle. aw ay from an y th in g ratio n al, yet put to sleep by the deadly and se- Now if there ¡ire any who have the better elem ents of society are ductive influence of the spirits and dress, when a m aster could take the life of his slave and go unpunished, not yet taken an active part beginning to understand th a t they spooks distilled and dealt out by from our point of view the banner in the world’s struggle, we beg m ust come together and work in the great arm y of religious fanatics, of liberty was trailed in the dust. "—------------------- of you to think first and then unison if hum anity is to be saved N ot 5 u m m e r S oldier’s. But even these faults of our civil- take hold of the rope which you front religious slavery, in tem p tr- ization seem but mild when com- th in k is the right one and pull with ance, licentiousness, and ¡ill those W hen W ashington’s arm y was pared with those of still earlier all your might. If you never have great m istakes th at m ake our peo- times, and the conservative people pulled on the ropes th a t are mov- pie unfit to live here or an where a ^inost discouraged on account of We claim th a t the o n h ’ basis the P o t a t i o n s th«* soldiers had to then considered their condition, if ing our grand old world up to a els« not perfect,at least as perfect as was higher and better state, you have on which all w orkers of righteous- u n d<rg°, and w In n the stales of war possible t«» obtain. Reformers of missed one, if not the greatest pleas- ness can stand m ust be purely 8e< ,n< d to !>«• ju>t on a balan« e, th a t all ages, however, never rest, and ure which is possible for a hum an secular; th at the work m ust l»e for e ra n d P,lt!i t of the W orld, Ih o m as assistance finally create a tendency toward the being to enjoy. S »me m ay contend this world alone, for, while all good l ' ' ’n« , g a \e ju s t the a boli tion of th e greater evils and j th a t business keeps them from tak- people believe in m aking our con needed and as a result we have en- tile adoption of new and beneficial ing an active part, but the best sue- ditions better ami happier here, tne liberty oi t,le l},nd «>1 the custom s, laws ami creeds. cess th a t is possible in business is very m any do not believe in a life free and the home of the brave.” Today we are in the m idst of a These better conditions are al- very short lived. If you gain after death. We claim th a t this is ways accepted by the next genera- wealth it is easily spent or destroyed a self-evident tru th and one th at caH,Pa ’gn against the enemies of tion as a m atter of course, and the and if you succeed in hoarding up m ust he recognized before the pur civil and m ental liberty who, _______ ____ _u l...... 4l...........,____, ______ . 1 f . .. ; . in as arro g an t a m anner as King conservatives, although they laugh money, when you «lie those who get reform ation of the world takes G eorge was ever capable of, a re com at the follies of the former geuera- it may squander it and use it foi place. pelling us to pay taxes to support tion, do not com prehend th at our bad purposes. But the work vou Let us all then renew’ our ener- institutions th a t we believe are no bettered conditions were fought for do in assisting the world to ¡1 better gies and help to bring about this benefit to us an«l are even now’ by men and women in the front future can never die as long as great union of all the forces of m ustering their forces to compel us . . , . . t o subm it to the governm ent of a ranks of reform and adopted in hum an beings tread upon the sur- righteousness and th e great evils fore;g„ prince ,,y 6 ulliting church spite of ju st such blind people as face of the globe, that are now devouring our people and state, th u s m aking this a chris- they themselves are today. There are m any people who pull will fade away, and, like the extinct tian nation. The result of all actions. of m an- on the rope which happens to be evils of the inquisition and witch- W e m ay not lie able to do as kind m ay be represented bv all the nearest to them when the desire to craft, W’ill he looked upon onlv as ™ueh a« Thom as I a i n e «lid in the I orch Of ReHSOH people pulling on ropes attached to the center of attrac tio n —our civili- zation. This civilization becomes cleaner, 1 Hirer and better in every way if it moves up the slope of progress pull happens to enter their minds, relies of ignorance and supersti- If their associates happen to believe tion in certain modes of action they sim- H in d Poison. ply grab hold and pull without ask- ing them selves, “ Is this way best?” As in the animal kingdom differ Thus children follow in the wake of ent animals even of the same som ething besides “ S u m n e r Sol d iers;” let us strengthen our works at every point and we may be sure th a t the work of our brave revolu tionary fore-fathers and those who have so nobly defended w hat they won will not have been done in toward the peak of perfection, but their parent«, good or bad, and a8 8p, cies, although perfectly sound, ’vain.