THE
TORCH O F REASON, SIL V E R T O N , OREGON, TH U R SD A Y , MAY 13, 1897.
fur I never before saw the two when they m ake statem ents, and of his tim e, and if we had our
effects upon society; I now see that in looking over the aforesaid choice we had rath er live in a
where th e Christian builds up the pam phlet we find th at it has had world with such men as the infidel
T h e O nly S ecular P a p e r I ’ c b lih h k i » ox infidel is pulling down.
I th an k an enorm ous sale which m ust have Thom as Jefferson, Robert Q. In ­
h i e P a c if ic C o ast .
gersoll and the good infidels of Sil­
P ublished W eekly by the Oregon State y o u ; I shall think of w hat has netted the author quite a little for-
passed th is afternoon.”
tune. We do not consider this verton th an any C hristians th a t we
Secular C nion.
The sequel was th a t he was fully wrong, provided the au th o r m eans ever knew. Some C hristians are so
J. E. HOSMER .....................Editor persuaded in his own m ind to give what be says, but only state it as a bad th a t no one would wish to live
P. W. G EER........................Manager
up all his infidel com panions and fact in trying to discover motives with them , or if it is claim ed th at
these are not real C hristians, we
E n tered at the poatottice at Silverton, follow the Lord Jesus C hrist. But for w riting such trash and deceiv
can also claim th a t the bad infidels
( , region, hr Mti-ond-clasH m ail m atter.
the change did not stop here, ing the poor shoem akers.
W hen first the reader called, he
If we had been in the poor shoe- are not good specimens, but those
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
spoiled by C h ristian ity , i. e., they
$1 00 had to sit on an old, d irty chair, m aker’s place, we would not have
One year, in a d v an c e ....................
50 with a num ber of half-starved been confounded by such a wily are not Secularists.
•
Six m onths in a d v a n c e ....................
25
T hree m onths, in a d v a n c e ................
The m an of the last wras a t last
children sittin g in th eir rags on the fellow as this Bible-reader seemed
In clubs of five or m ore, one year,
75 fl'ior around him , neglected and to he, and of course we would have overcome and “ gathered in ” and
in a d v a n c e ..........................................
Money should Ire sen t by registered
uncared for; now they have moved alw ays rem ained in our poverty- repeats the old gag: “ I now see th at
le tte r or m oney order.
to a better home in a cleaner street, stricken state, for the good C hrist- where the C hristian builds up, the
N otice!
W ithin, all is cheerful and happy, ians in th a t com m unity would not infidel is pulling down.”
A pencil m ark here denotes th a t your The father, no lo n g e r faithless, have helped a poor fellow unless he
The fact is th a t the C hristians
su b scrip tio n will ex p ire w ith th e next 1
n u m b er. You are earnestly requester! delights in the com pany of his wife was w eak-m inded enough to be are pulling down everything th at
to renew so th a t you may receive th e pa­ and children, all of whom are overcome by such slim argum ents science builds up ju st as fast as
per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de­
dressed; and his chief or had enough to become a hypo- they can, but infidels are getting
cided th a t it is best for all concerned neatly
th a t we do not send papers longer th a n
the upper lia n d of these deluded
tiie tim e paid for unless so ordered. happiness is to read and speak to erite.
The first question was: “ Suppose fanatics, and the world is ad v an c­
T his will prev en t any loss on th e part of them of the things which belong to
th e Union ami we will know ju st w here their everlasting peace.
all men were C hristians, according ing in spite of the C hristian block­
we sta n d . We req u est you to send us
th e nam es of S ecularists who m ight be­
“ W here the Christian builds, the to the account given to us in the ade. W hile infidels are building
com e su b scrib ers and we will m ail Mani­
infidel pulls dow n.” W hy is this? gospels concerning C hrist, what up science, C hristians are building
ple copies.
up superstition.
T he fact can not he denied. Infidel would be the state of society?”
W hen infidels claim ed the world
THURSDAY, MAY 13, E. M. 297 j? ran
r ce wrote, “ Death is an eternal
1 he shoem aker was overcome be-
sleep” above her cemeteries, and cause he was not posted or because to be round, C hristians killed the
The Skeptical Shoem aker.
W hen infidels claim ed
then tore down civilization, and he was influenced by the earnest- heretics.
th a t the stars were o th er worlds,
“ I have read,” said th e shoe­ quenched the light of h u m an ity in ness of the speaker, or som ething
C hristians said it disputed their
m aker, “ a good deal about the seas of blood. And French com- else was wrong, for whoever will
holy hook and the life of the phil­
heathen gods, and I believe the m unista in 1871, while arresting read about the angels, and dem ons
osopher was the sacrifice offered up.
account <»f Christ is taken from ecclesiastics, describing them as and devils, and dream s and mira-
Every fact worth knowing has been
some of the heathen w ritings or “ servants of a person called God,” oles, and the m any foolish things
dug down the foundations of law, th a t are tau g h t by the gospel- branded as infidelic, an d today the
other.”
great tru th s of geology are fettered
“ Will you abide by your own order, peace, and tru th , and with w riters and which m ust he believed
and the m ouths of those who would
decision on two questions th a t I fire and sword destroyed their in order for one to he a C hristian,
declare the grand laws of life are
will put to von?” said the Bible- fellow' men by the thousands and will see a t once th a t if all were
stopped because these laws do not
reader. “ If so, I will freely do the m ade the the streets of Baris red really C hristians we would be s u ­
perstitious dream ers and so gull- harm onize w ith C hristian stupidity.
sam e. I will abide by your own with blood.
W hen F rance wrote, “ Death is
The fruits of C hristianity are as ahle th a t we would soon lapse hack
answ ers; by doing so we shall save
much tim e, and arrive quicker at precious as those of infidelity are into a barbarism worse th an the an eternal sleep,” th e butcheries
vile. W here the precepts of C hrist world has ever seen. The question brought about by the ignorance of
a t the tru th .”
“ W ell,” said he “ out with it, and has sway, w ar is unknow n; robbery, properly p u t would he: “ Suppose m oral law caused by the rule of
let us see if I can answer; there are dishonesty, intem perance, violence, all men were good, and kind, and kings and priests does not prove the
hut few things hut what I can say and lust are forbidden; and under true, advocating and practicing the falsity of the statem ent, an d when
their benign influence, property is principles tau g h t by the great and we consider th a t more blood has
som ething about.”
“ Well, my friend,” replied the secure; life is sacred; poverty is good of all ages, w hether it be Con- been spilt in the nam e of Jesus
reader, “ my first question is, S up­ provided for; sickness is pitied; in- fucius, B uddah, Jesus or Robert C hrist than any other religious
leader, and th a t C h ristianity is one
pose all men were C hristians, fancy is n u rtu re d ;o ld age is revered; G. Ingersoll?”
We do deny the goodness of the of the sm allest sects, it does look as
according to the account given to wom anhood is cherished; an d m an-
us in the Gospels concerning C hrist, hood is ennobled. Such are the system of C hristianity in practice though the au th o r was try in g to
w hat would he the state of society? ’ fruits of true C h ristia n ity ;—and and claim th at C hristians do not deceive us and make us believe
He rem ained silent f<»r some infidel virtues m ostly spring from try to live up to it, and th a t they th a t infidels are awful people.
C h ristian ity is responsible for
tim e in deep thought, and then C hristian roots. Skepticism can- would be very foolish if they did
•continued to say, “ Well, if all men not blot out a la th e r’s godly try to. M any who th in k theni- more blood-shed th a n any other
were really C hristians, in practice counsels or a m other’s fervent selves C hristians are paying no at- religion, and is largely responsible
as well as theory, of course we prayers. And as a result there are tention to the su p ern atu ral part of for the French R evolution. If the
should he a happy brotherhood in ­ often traces of C hristian principle the religion hut are just working people of F rance had been S ecular­
where there is no C hristian proles- for the good of this world, and so ists (S ecularists are all infidels but
deed.”
“ I promised you,” said
the sion; as there are plenty of people they are Secularists but don’t all infidels are not Secularists), thoy
never would have brought upon
reader, “ th at I would abide by your who practice infidelity while they know it.
profess C hristianity. Do not he de-
The second question was: “ Sup- th a t country the conditions neces­
answ er; will you do the sam e?”
“Oh, yes,” he readily replied; ceived by nam es or professions, pose all men were infidels, w hat sary for such slaughter, but C h rist­
no man can deny the goodness of Set genuine infidelity beaide genu- then would be the state of London ians believe in atoning for their
sins by spilling innocent blood.
the system in practice; hut now for ine C h ristia n ity ; watch th eir fruits, and of the w orld?”
The story-w riter m akes the shoe- H istory shows this to be true and
the other question; perhaps I shall then choose lx*tween the two.
H. L. HASTINGS.
m aker appear very weak for the priests of today celebrate this
get on better with th a t; you have
he couldn’t see the fallacy in this horrible doctrine and also give
got a chalk th is tim e against m e.”
The above is taken from a little statem ent put in the form of a sanction to the deadly cup when
“ Well, my next question is this,
Suppose all men were infidels, pam phlet entitled “ Fourteen N uts question. If the questioner had they lie to th eir hoodwinked shoe-
w hat then would be the state of for Skeptics to C rack,” which was said: “ Suppose all men were had m akers and tell them th a t the nasty
London and of the world?’’ He w ritten, we should judge, more to men or hail infidels,” etc., then it slop used in the comm uhiou is the
blood of Jesus.
seemed still more perplexed, and keep C h ristian s in line than to fur- would have been a fair question,
The fruits of Secularism are as
Jesus himself, if the Bible ac- precious as those of C hristianity
rem ained a long time silent. At nish food for skeptics.
We who are skeptical are very counts be true, was an infidel, for are vile.
length he said,
Where the minds of men are
‘‘You certainly have beaten me, ap t to look into the motives of men he did not believe in the orthodoxy
Torch of Reason