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
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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
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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 .
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E Van V ran k in
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G. Schroeder and wf. A shland Gr. 3 (X»
T o t a l .................................................. 4580 00