THE
TORCH OE REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, T H U R SD A Y , MAY 13, 1891
dice of men and sets it so far above by centuries of experience willoom e hope you will in the kindness of
your heart take tim e to read this
Is th e Golden Rule a Safe Guide? personal opinion th at one has no very near to w hat men should do
alternative but to consult the to fellow men. If experience shows short letter.
A great many thousand years
I am a poor m an, have a wife
greatest and highest au th o rity as the error of any application of the
ago, when m ankind had begun to
to w hat is duty, then apply it to law, then public opinion will soon and six little ch ild ren — all of whom
have a vague conception th a t we
I d early love. During the past
the case in question. Men are not adjust the flaw.
owe a duty to others in the struggle
Such ethics would nourish indi­ few’ years it has been a h ard battle
often governed hv opinions or
for life and existence, and when we
knowledge, they are usually govern­ vidual merit. If one h a u a talent, for me to provide food, clothing,
had departed a very little from the
ed by selfish interests or personal society will m ake such an oppor­ and books, and send the children
plane of lower anim als— the time
prejudice. Herein lies the secret tu n ity to develop and use th at ta l­ to school. Now’ my fam ily is in
when m ight was right, when the
ent for the good, not only for the sad w’an t of the necessaries of life,
weak gave way and perished to- of our alarm ingly slow progress in
unable to procure
possessor but the whole people. and I am
sustain and nourish the strong, u n ­ moral evolution. Men have reason
Even the weakest of the race or the them . My wife and children are
der the great law of the Survival of ed to th eir own ends. The m aster
most ignorant, have the one suprem e in great distress. There are several
the F ittest—some m ind conceived says, “ If I did not know any more
right of life and sustenance. No persons who owe me for labor and
an d proposed the idea th a t we th an th a t slave, I would as soon he
one has the right to declare, “ If I they w’ill not pay me, though some
should do u n to o th ers as we would a slave, therefore I will keep him
was as ignorant as th a t m an I of these have often been able to do
have them do to us. Ages passed in slavery, and thus I do unto
would ju st as soon be poor. He so. Now according to years of ex­
and when thought pould be w ritten, others as I would he done by.”
The rich man says to the beggar, is not w orthy of a better condition.” perience with people who p ra y for
and language, th a t a ttrib u te which
'Phis is the applied golden rule. this thing, and th a t thing, I have
allows m an to th ink ab stractly and “ W hen I was poor, I did ask help
The new’ rule would say: True, the never known the Lord to ever have
from concepts form precepts, and from no one. I worked hard. I
\\ hy m an is base and ignorant. He can answered their supplications or
which explains the difference fought my own battles.
do som ething however. He can paid the least attention to worldly
between m an and other anim als, should 1 help you? I would not
N otw ithstanding
this
serve some good. W e will provide m atters.
the great m issing link, as it were, ask you to help me if our places
for him a place to m erit his fact, my poor consum ptive wife
was perfected more fully, the p rin ­ were reversed.”
So indefinitely we could illustrate sustinence and we will see to it th a t and I prayed every night during
ciple found its way into the
he does not starve, unless he refuse the past m onth, beseeching the
lite ratu re of all the nations about the dam nable influence of the so-
to take advantage of the opportunity Lord th a t he would kindly let some
in the order of th eir evolutionary called golden rule. The horrors of
for life and food which from n atu re of our debtors pay us w hat they
progress. China credits it to Con­ th a t phrase, “ as you would have
ju stly owe us so th a t our children
every m an receives, as a heritage.
fucius; In d ia to the great Buddha, them do to you,” cannot he painted.
Throw’ aw ay the w’ould and let m ight not die of starv atio n . But
G autum a, and the Hebrews to W hile selfish aim s have built
churches, and superstition
has us have should. Let men do unto our p ray ers wrere never answ ered,
C hrist.
W hile good people of all ages prom pted ch arity , com petition in others as others should do unto us and had it not been for a kind
have been insisting th at we should social in stitu tio n s, has founded and the dam nable selfishness of infidel neighbor who learned of my
do unto others as we would have schools and colleges, the sam e spirit men will largely disappear. The sad condition, I feel sure th a t I
them do to us, the m ajority of men I th a t the lion m anifests when he old rule stim ulates selfishness. w’ould not now’ be w riting to you.
•Z wife and I now do not believe
have been doing unto others as springs upon the helpless deer, is The new one destroys it. The old Mv
they had ability and power to do, ever present, and we can easily rule breeds hypocrasy and dishon­ th a t th e Lord ever has or ever will
if indeed they have not in the m ain, h ear in our m inds, th e lion’s p h il­ esty to one’s own self. The new answ er prayer.
Now’, sir, to the m ain object of
followed the more popular rule, Do osophy: “ Deer were created for one th ro ttles the hypocrite.
W hat possibilities lie in the word this letter. In looking over my
u n to o th e rs as they do to you, th a t lions. T heir soft flesh was provided
is, stand up for your rights. If a by an all-wise Creator. If I was a should, th e m andate of duty. “ Do books, I find th a t my debtors owe
m an injures you, pay him back. deer I would expect to fulfill mv unto others as they should do unto me a large sum . I f you can influ­
ence th e Lord, who m ay in tu rn in­
F ath ers have punished their ch ild ­ purpose, and I would rejoice in be­ you.”
fluence these debtors of m ine to
C. ELTON BLANCHARD.
ren for not fighting back their play­ ing honored by m aking of my flesh
I settle th eir accounts w’ith me, I will
mates. N ations have drenched the a dinner for any respectable lion.”
T he Licensed P reach er.
give half of the am ount to you. I
earth with blood of m any wars, in If the lion could quote scriptures
will say th a t the m ajority of these
BY “ OLD M ORTALITY.”
spite of th is good rule. Churches ju st a t th is point he would doubt­
debtors of m ine are so-called C h rist­
instigated massacres, priests played less add: “ The poor ye have with My L ittle Ones—
tyrants, and kings have been ye alw ays.”
This is a m ost beautiful d ay ; all ians; they firm ly believe in God,
It is not my purpose to discuss n atu re appears in its happiest and heaven, hell and the devil, an d yet
demons, yet all the time the golden
rule has been taught. In the nam e any question of sociology. I wish fairest mood. The little birds have they w ill not pay th eir honest debts
of the H um ble M aster men have to announce my belief th a t the chosen th eir m ates and their sweet even when they are able to do so.
waged the m ost cruel and savage “ Golden Rule” is unsafe as a guide notes of satisfaction and gladness And, sir, I respectfully ask you, if
warfare, and com m itted th e most for conduct. I propose th at we in­ fill the fragrant air w ith sweet h a r­ you a n d v o u r brother preachers are
not responsible for the present u n ­
barbarous crim es. In the history sist on a higher stan d ard of d u ty mony.
of men no m oral principle has th an personal opinion. There m ay I But my heart is sad and heavy. happy condition of my fam ily?
caused so much sorrow, built as be some little excuse for one specie Mrs. Roxy J a n e M ortality has You teach your poor, ignorant and
m any dungeons, lifted as m any preying upon another when it be­ gone into the country to see her superstitious followers th a t God
scaffolds, set up as m any stakes for comes a question of food or life, a u n t, and my good and faithful forgives all sin ju st for th e asking;
b u rn in g the weak and innocent.
but am ong men, there is a duty R upert has died (a bette»- dog th an in consequence they believe what
Let us take th is w onderful rule th a t the whole race owes to the in ­ he never wagged a tail or bayed you say to them , and act accord­
ingly: and good, honest, confiding
of ethics and exam ine it carefully. dividual and no organized system the m oon).
It looks as innocent and beautiful has any right to destroy the right
The papers inform me th a t infi­ men and women suffer by your false
as a rose sp ark lin g with dew, in th a t came with life itself— the right delity and skepticism are on the and cruel teachings.
W hy, sir, it appears to me th at
th e m orning sun, but lurking in it of sustenance. There is a common increase in neighborhoods of all
is the poison sap th a t has brought level on which all men, of every schoolhouses and colleges of learn ­ if the Lord co n tin u ally forgives the
half the w orld’s m isery and con­ rank meet: It is th a t as anim als ing. So sad is this news to me th a t sins of evil-doers th a t he certainlv•r
tinues it today.
they m ust have air to breathe, food in lieu of my custom ary sermon I winks a t such sins, and is in a
The one thing th a t m akes the and w ater to nourish th e flesh, and shall only read a letter from a dear m anner responsible for th eir con­
golden rule so disastrous a guide a certain am o u n t of clothing and brother who has lost faith in tinuance, and should be held re­
sponsible for all the sins of m an­
for moral conduct can be seen when shelter. T he norm al tem perature prayer.
kind.
I propose a new and better rule of th e blood of a king is exactly the
TH E LETTER.
You are wist* enough to see this,
and which I ask every reader to sam e as th at of a serf.
Rev. Old M ortality—
su b stitu te in place of the time
Destroy the golden rule and put
Dear Sir— I am sure your time and why do you and your brother
honored old one. The new rule is the one proposed in its place, and and interest is greatly taken up by preachers encourage the com m ittal
this: “ Do unto others as they•r the social problem s are all solved. your own congregation, and per­ of crim e by inculcating such an in ­
should do to you.”
Men will be good because they have haps you can ill afford to look after sane and unreasonable doctrine as
This rule lifts th e stan d ard of no m otive to be bad. The unbiased the interests of any one not of you do?
According to this heathenish doc-
m oral • judgm ent above the preju­ general intelligence of the race aided your peculiar sect. Yet I earnestly
F or th e T orch o f Reason.