Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1897)
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1897. and the Christianity of the United States is one of them, notwith standing assertions to the contrary T h e O nly S euulak P a p e r P u b l is h e d on by agnostics.” t h e P a c ific C o a st . When people honestly believe Published W eekly by the Oregon State that George Washington, the father Secuiar Union. of this country, was right when he - E d ito r said, “In no sense whatsoever is J. E. HOSMER, M anager this government founded upon the P. W . GEER, ■ Christian religion,” they ought to E ntered at the postoffice at Silverton, rush into print and in every way Oregon, as second class mail m atter. defend the great principles of lib SUBSCRIPTION RATES. ..fi no erty that are continually being One Year, in advance..., ... fto menaced by religious fanatics. Six M onths, in advance T hree Mon'tia. in advance .... in Club»» of a o r m ore one year, in i advance. . 7ft .Justice Brewer may •z have been a Money xhould be sent by reg istered le tte r or money order. Please ► end us the name« and addresses of Sec Christian, and in its zeal the su u larists w h o are not n-gulur subscribers. preme court, like other courts, may have made a slight mistake; hut TH U R S D A Y , A P R IL 29, E. M. 297 this does not really make this a Christian nation any more than it A C h ris tia n N ation? would have made it a heathen na The following, from a Washing tion if they had so declared it. If ton letter, was evidently written by Romanists should get control and declare through the supreme court a Christian: “Have • von ever noticed that that this is a Roman Catholic na z every time a prominent minister of tion, we wonder if the writer from the gospel publicly asserts that the Washington would “meekly wait United States is a Christian nation and murmur not.” We presume that somebody rushes into print he would ‘‘rush into print ” The Constitution of this “land of with a denial that it is? I have also noticed that the somebody the free” should be consulted in usually calls himself an agnostic. finding out whether this really is a A case in paint is the appearance Christian nation or not, and that of several communications in Wash immortal document in an amend ington newspapers questioning ment provides that “congress shall Bishop Newman’s recent assertion make no law respecting an estab that the United States supreme lishment of religion or prohibiting court unanimously decided in the the free exercise thereof.” Now if our Christian friend will case of the Church of the Holy Trinity vs. the United States, that read Article III, Section 2, of the this is a Christian nation. That Constitution, he will discover that opinion, which was prepared by the supreme court of our country .Justice Brewer and handed d<»wn has no authority to declare in favor February 29, 1892, may be easily of any religion, and the case men found and read by those who have tioned no more makes this a Chris doubts on the subject, in the Su tian nation than a similar decision preme Court Reports, but it is not of the justice of the peace would needed to prove that this is a Chris make this a Christian city. As to the long line of Christian tian nation. That is proven by the long line of Christian presidents presidents, we must say that the and acts of congress. What I wish line is somewhat broken when we to especially call attention to is the count Unitarian presidents, which agnostic who claims to know differ are considered unbelievers by most ently. Professor Huxley claimed Christians, the Freethinker,Thomas to have invented the word agnostic, Jefferson, and that Abraham Lin hut it is also credited to a writer of coln never made any profession and the third century. The dictiona is said to have written a book in ries define the word agnostic as favor of infidelitv; hut even if thev ‘one who disclaims all knowledge were all Christians it would no of God or of the ultimate nature of more make this a Christian nation things.’ I once heard an old man than would the fact that President define an agnostic as ‘an infidel McKinley is a Methodist make who was afraid to say so,’ and I this a Methodist nation. Who dares dispute that men think the agnostic of the present day is one who claims to know should have the privilege “of wor everything except the existence of shiping God according to the dic God and the immortality of the tates of their own consciences,” and soul, neither of which he wants to if this is a government of tins kind know; one who when cornered in it is as much a Mohammedan na an argument resorts to the coward tion as Christian for Mohammedans ly ‘I don’t know,’ and thus proves worship God. Who are Christians? A good himself an unfit advisor for the public, and yet persists at every Methodist brother a short time opportunity in foisting himself since told me that Catholics are not upon the public as an advisor and Christians, and a Csimpbellite as an authority higher than minis preacher told me that Methodists ters of the gospel upon such sub are not Christians but creedists, jects as to whether this is a Chris while Catholics claim that Protest tian nation. There are some things ants are not Christians. What is that arc not in the doubtful class, a Christian nation? Torch of Reason a- a Spiritualist is, but the Advent ists do not complain of our giving them a slap. One of our mottoes is, “One world at a time,” hui if Spiritualists are allowed to speak for 11s they cannot refrain from teaching about another state of existence which is as silly to the majority of our members as is the future life story •z and other humhuggeries taught by the Chris tians. Can’t our dear brother see that su°h lecturers would keep out the very people we want to join? A Spiritualist may he an infidel, hut he cannot he a Secularist for Secular means pertaining to things of this life, and Spiritualism teaches about things pertaining to another life. Our friends should all take no tice that the amendment which has in an argument, and crawling out given offense refers only to lecturers of it in that wav » is more cowardlv • and was not meant for a slap as he by far than an honest “I don’t expresses it, and far from doing us harm at this time, it will do us know.” The “I know” Christian preach much good, for not many Spiritu ers who have foisted themselves alists who understand the situation upon our people for so many years will be offended, and many who will undoubtedly make a hard fight were holding aloof on account of and try in every way to down our our indefinite, undefined modus hoble band of workers who are operandi will now step forward,and brave enough to he honest, hut the all will know what we are and what old “dark days” are numbered and to depend on. We have many warm this will NEVER become a Chris friends among the Spiritualists as well as among other sects and those tian nation! who love our work for humanity S tu d e n ts. will help us just as much as before. As far as the arguments of our The attention of the public is friend in favor of Spiritualism is called to the fact that our Liberal concerned, of course we think they University furnishes an excellent are very slim indeed and far plaee in which to educate the young from taking a stand with us in all people and no matter what their reforms as far as we go, the Spirit religious or non-religious opinions, ualists are neglecting the greatest thev •z will be well treated. The reform of all and that is the eradi students, whether of Orthodox, of cation of superstition from the Spiritualist or of Freethought par 1 minds of the people, for w hat can ents, will have the most careful be a greater superstition than the attention and he free from any doctrine of life after death? dogmatic or theoretic teachings We claim that it would have whatever. This is not a private done us much harm to have left institution hut one in which many out the words “a future life” and are very much interested and it will that we could doit better now than have many advantages over other we could after our school was built, schools in the way of scientific ap for then the Spiritualists could paratus, books, ami Natural History justly complain. specimens, etc. Remember that Yes, we who believe in working our school is not local in its nature for this world alone believe that it but of national importance, and tends to lower the refined intellec that our work will grow more and tual sensibilities of man to teach more effective as the many workers about spirits and spooks and a fu fall into line. ture life, and that the priests of Spiritualism are doing the same R eg arding S p iritu a lis ts . kind of harm as those of orthodoxy. In an article on another page of We cannot affiliate and will this issue, written by our Spiritualist never prosper as long as w’e try. friend, C. S. Hamish, he shows that Let Spiritualists organize and work he is not posted in regard to the with all their might and if they effect of allowing Spiritualists to wish to help us in our work for lecture for our organization. humanity all is well, but we should Spiritualism is as obnoxious to not injure ourselves by trying to many of our best members as Ca teach about a future life and “one tholicism is, and the work in the world at a time” on the same plat past has demonstrated beyond a form. doubt that it is better to keep our I bis juvenile attempt to narrow organizatiou.3 separate. We have Secularism down to a certain groove no more ideas in common than of pet ideas is not as juvenile many other sects. A Seventh-Day perhaps as some might suppose. Adventist is as much a Secularist Catholics, Adventists, Methodists The writer of the above letter seems to have as vague an idea of an agnostic as all Christians have of their God. The agnostics with whom we are acquainted are not afraid to say what they think, and we feel sure that agnostics as a rule make no greater claim to knowl edge than Christians do. We claim that an agnostic knows as touch about the existence of a God and the immortality of a soul as the Christian, hut that the Christian is deceived and thinks he knows what he does not or is a deceiver, while the agnostic is honest. Is it cow ardly to say “I don’t know,” or is it cowardly to sav I do know as the Christians do, when they •z do not? By the letter one would suppose that the writer would advocate the idea of lying when he was cornered