T H E TORCH O F REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, T H U R SD A Y , MARCH 18, 1897. For the Torch of Reason. R eligious Experience. B y M. J. O lds CHICAGO N EW S. G erm an societies of this eify ,rep resenting a total m endtership of 10,000, have adopted resolutions calling lo r reforms in the public schools. The following is o n e o f the resolutions: Resolved, “T hat theseschool hooks (m eaning ail t'*xt-books used) which are to he given to a ll pupils for free use, refrain I'nun any allusions to religion and the bible and to th e m axim s of any denom ination.” T hat resolution asks for nothing hut what is ju s t and right and I as a patron of the schools hoj e to see it hear fruit. 1 see the gifted and energetic w riter o f “ News and Nott s” has had the privilege of hearing H r. D riv e r. I suppose he is the sam e Driver who had a four-day’s “ ta lk ” with (diaries W atts, in this city, several years ago, on the subject of religion. He would not call it a debate, saying lie did not believe in debates, as they stirred up strife; and I don’t believe he con hl he accused of de b a ti n g on th a t occasion, anyhow. I rem em ber he said a man who did not believe in a God could not have a conscience, and he d id n ’t even a t tem pt to show th a t a m an who did necessarily had one. Colonel Ingersoll delivered his new lecture “ T ru th ” in the C olum bia theater, this city, Sunday, March 7»h. This was the first de livery of this lecture and the great playhouse was packed with people who seemed to th in k they were get ting their m oney's worth, judging by the frequent applause. The lec ture, like all of Mr. Ingersoll’s works, abounds w ith w itty express ions, and no one can deliver them as he does. H ” said: “ It is not sim ply right, hut th e du ty of every hum an being to th in k . The n ally honest a re not swayed by num bers. N othing can exceed the impudence of a m an who denies others the right to th in k , yet claim s that right for himself. T housands of m inis ters are as honest as they are use less. Theology is entirely w 'thout reason; th a t is the reason it w ith stan d s reason. The church can not give what it «Iocs not produce. T he ology is the only dishonest science.” The above gives an idea of how the audience was entertained during the ninety m inutes Mr. Ingersoll was speaking. I). L. Moody and God will soon make another attem p t to free (his city of sin. Two meetings a day will beheld at the A uditorium , amt churches throughout the city will he requested to hold meetings every evening. Om nipotence will thus l»p given another opportunity to correct that awful m istake of M other Eve. J. B. B. UNIVERSITY NOTES. G ab riel’s Horn. Our C alisthenics are lively since our music teacher, Miss Wolf, came. Miss M yrtle K night one of M arion C ounty’s popular teachers assisted us two days last week. Remember the Liberal U niversity affords a splendid opportunity for the study of music and elocution. The late W. A. C oachm an, of C lark county, K entucky, was the perpetrator of an ex trao rd in ary practical joke, says the Chicago Tribune. R eturning from a h u n t ing triponeevening, he was attracted to a country church where a revival was in progress. After w atching the services for a while, he clim bed up on the roof to get a better view* through the hole where the stove pipe was m eant to go. In the excitem ent of the evening one of the congregation shouted out, “ G abriel, blow your horn! I ’m ready to go!” The tem ptation was too great for C onchm an, and, p u ttin g his horn to his lips, he blew a blast through the flue-hole, and stam peded the congregation to a m an. The grand jury discussed the propriety of indicting the sac- religious hunter, hut no proceed ings were taken against him. I have tried to show that heredi tary tendencies are transm itted to the young, and how my father in herited the disposition of ids m other, causing him to become a m inister of the gospel, also causing him to he very strict in religious m atters. In raising his fam ily heal ways had In the late m onthly exam ina fam ily worship, which consisted in tions tlo* following students re reading a chapter fr«»m the bible, ceived 100 per cent in the branches singing a hym n, and prayer m orn m entioned: George Riches,— Book keeping.— Robert Downs, C. A rith ing and evening. H e felt so in ter m etic,— Reber Allen, U. S. H istory ested in the future welfare of his W alter Dolan, E. A rithm etic— dear children th a t he could not Leona Allen, Geography A. Spell hear the idea of one of them going down to eternal perdition. He ing A. w anted his family to be unbroken The Chem istry class generated in heaven above where all is love, some laughing gas this week hut and to praise God for ever and ever, none of the other students seem to singing praises to him and the need any. •7 lam b th ro u g h o u t eternity. He The Y. P. S. S. C. elected cap tain s often rem inded us ol the rich man and have chosen sides for the a n d L azarus which the bible tells literary work. Miss Leona Allen about. The rich man thought and Arnie Forw ard were elected cap- more of his riches than he did of tains. God; had his luxuries of this world, The following stu d en ts were while L azarus was very poor and neither absent nor tard y last m onth: afflicted with sores and begged the Reber Allen, E lvin Ames, E lm a crum bs th a t fell from the rich m an ’s Sm ith. Arnie Forw ard, Leona Allen, table; but Lazarus loved G«»d, and M. Van V aulkenburg and W innie believed his word; and when death W hitlock. came Lazarus was taken to heaven, while the rich man had to go down Our kindergarten work is giving into etern al torm ent, with no hope sp lendid satisfaction and as the of ever getting out of it. Progres charges are reasonable, parents sion was out ol the question, for as should ta k e advantage of this the tree falleth so it m ust lie. He o p p o rtu n ity to have th e ir children looked up into heaven and saw properly trained. L azaru s in A braham ’s bosom en jo y in g him self and cried out to him SECULAR N E W S . to send him a drop of water to cool The Silverton Secular Sunday his ¡»arched tongue, for he was suf school children are practicing for ati fering so terrib ly in the Hanies of operetta “ Babes in the W oods”, to he fire. Lazarus was the lucky one, given at Liberal H all, S unday even ing April 4. for he had livid a Christian, had believed th at .Jesus C hrist was the Tin* money order business at the Silverton ¡»<»st office has more than son of God, the Holy (¿host being doubled since we began the publica his father, ami that God, Jesus tion of the T orch oe R eason . Let C hrist and the Holy G host were all us double it ag ain . one person— three in one. Now A convention of the Oregon S tate Lazarus believed all this, also be Secular Union will he held at lieved the story of Adam and Eve, Sil v» rton, beginning S atu rd ay , April how Hod made Adam of the dust of 3 at 7 p. m , and c o n tin u in g over the ground; then ¡mt him to sleep, Sunday, to conclude with a splendid ♦•ntertainment Sunday evening at and took out of h ’s side one of his Liberal H all. The meeting S a tu r ribs and m ade him a wife; and day evening will he devoted to ¡»repared a garden called Eden for business. them to live in. I suppose there W e a re s o rrv to h e a r th a t brother w asn’t m uch in it hut Iruit, as he J . I). Shaw of the Indej»endent put them in the garden, and com P u lp it has been visited by a n o t h e r m anded them not to e a t of the fruit tire. Regardless of this he is going th a t grew on a certain tree which right ahead with the publication of was in the midst of the garden. his paper and we wish him success. Now as God had foreknowledge, he P ro f. V in ter E. Cooper, the noted could look ahead and see just what blind phrenologist is in t h e city would happen. He knew they giving a c o u r s e of lectures at Liberal would take fru it off of the for Hall. He comes highly r e c o m bidden tree, and therefore disobey mended and we request our readers their good father. W hile God had to go and hear him . He is a all knowledge, he also had all thorough Secularist. ¡tower t«» bring about his ¡»Ians just P re ss F u n d . as he lead foreordained them . We are now prepared to do job request L ib erals to Previously A cknow ledged.....................$82 <X> w o rk a m i ( to be continued .) Jo h n D iam ond, C o b u rg .......................... 1 no patronize us. Rem em ber you are h n E Jo h n so n , Y a le ............................ 1 00 patronizing th e (). S. S. U. an d in W’e give the T orch oe R eason Jo M inerva Jo h n so n “ ...................... lo o an d T he F reethought Magazine J S G degard, C rescent C ity, C al . . 50 th a t way h»dp yourselves. for one year lor the small sum of P C M osier, H om er, III .................. 1 no Subscribe for the L ittle Caudle $1.50. Now is the tim e to sub M r ---------------, S ilverton Ore. . . . 6 00 for your children. It is a weekly scribe. T o ta l.............................................. ¡jül 50 and only 25 cents a year. A C all. The m an, from whom the 0 . S. S. U. purchased our printing outfit w rites th a t he is m uch in need of his money. He surely deserves it and should have had it three m onths ago. He is a good Liberal and has been very lenient with us. Now let us all do our best and show our appreciation by paying him the balance due. W e owe him $133.50 which can surely he raised at once. We did not expect to have to pay anything from the proceeds of the business, hut have paid $50. Yours for the ctiAiso; P earl W. G eer , Business M anager. S e c u la r Societies. M rs. E. B. Moffitt S ee........ Metz . Town. J . B. V a n c o u rt,.......... “ Newton “ Daisy K esler,..........“ . . . . R iverside “ B .C . B rew ster, . . ........C reseen tO k la. M rs. II.D . B orrow s, “ V ancouver W ash. R. S h a rp le s s ,.......... “ .............S p o k a n e “ R o b e rt C a o s n e r ,. . . . “ ......... W agner Ore. Edw in J o h n s o n ,. . . . “ .................. V ale “ R oxie L a u g h lin ,.. . . “ N orth Y am hill “ Ada Dewey, ............ “ ........... P o r tla n d “ Maggie D a n i e l s , M c M i n n v i l l e “ Miss L ora A m e s ,.. . . “ ..........Silverton “ Mrs. W . M cB ride. . . . “ . . . .M edford “ H H G o d d a rd .......... “ .......... T a l e n t “ F irst Secular C hurch of P o rtln n d , C lara Bailey, .................... See................................. F irst Secular C hurch oi M cM innville, W illiam L am b ert, Sec. F irst Secular C hurch r f Silverton, m eets every o th e r Sunday, 7 :30 p. in. M r. Jo h n H icks. Sec. T he S ilverton Secular Sunday School m eets every Sunday in Lii»eral H all, a t 2 p. m. You are earn estly invited to a t te n d and h e lp in o u r g reat work of a d vancing the cause of science and m oral ity. J . E. H osmer , Lora A m es. S u p t. S e c ’v. U n iv e rsity F un d . Previously A cknow ledged.......... $510 50 E M B aker, Ju n c tio n C ity ............ 2 00 E Van V ran k in “ ........ 2 50 F ran k W ilkins “ ............ 10 00 Jo h n E Jo h n so n , V a le .................... 10 00 G M M urch and wife, C o b u rg .. . . 2 00 W J Dean, T a le n t............................ 5 00 P C M osier, H om er, III.................... 10 00 J . Von Viesk.»» S ilv e rto n .............. 10 Oh Jo h n Dahl, S ilv e rto n ,.................... 5 00 J . R. A llen. C in cin n ati < > .......... 10 00 G. Schroeder and wf. A shland Gr. 3 (X» T o t a l .................................................. 4580 00