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 -
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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...........,____, ______
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1
f .
..
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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.