THE TORCH O F REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1891 A Defense. Editor t orch of Reason: Your paper of May 6th contained an at tide entitled some corrections by Mr. M Johnson of Vale Ore. Mr. Johnson says that in my article en titled T he Exodus of the Jews th e re are som e m istak e s w hich he, claims to have correct These mistakes Mr. Johnson M r.J o h n s o n , ed. sav * s are th ree in num b er. F irs t, not to the writer of this article— for proof see the Bible. Adam was created 4004 B. C.; Adam to Noah, 1056 years: flood threatened 1756 B. C., and if Noah was 600 years old when the flood commenced, then 1656 B. C. must be the date thereof. It must, however, he borne in mind that the fabulous ages of men as given in the Bihle are merely tricks to catch the gullible or ignorant and are not worthy of serious consideration and are in tended to cover the period of time or age of the old testament for it can he proven by the evidence con tained in the books themselves that they were not written until very near the time of Christ or at least in answering thereto. In conclu sion I respectfully refer Mr. J. to article on flood, Torch of Reason, March 18, 1897, taken from Geu. 6th and 7th chapters. U. D. BURROWS. UNIVERSITY NOTES. Professor Geer went to Portland this week on business for the Uni versity. Mrs. Dr. Brewer and M’ss Hines visited our school this week and complimented our work. Reference is made to Gen. 15:13 where God makes certain promises to Abram 1913. B. C. 257 years be School closes May 28th and the fore the flood l>egan. Mr. Johnson students and teachers will then do says the above is a mistake, lor everything they can to help along Abram did not live before the Hood the work on the new building. see Gen. 7:7 and that the Hood con tinued 2349 B. C. making the above referred to conversation b e Blank No. i. tween God and Abram to have ><><><XK>0<XXXXXX><)<»-CH>0<XX><K><X><X>0<><><XX><><H><XX>0<X><H><>0<X><X><>-Q taken place 436 years after the • • • L ib e lla i (J n iV e r ^ s itg F u n d • • • Hood instead of 257 years before. Mr. Johnson’s atten tio n is called ****** to the following, the date 1913 B. C. is given as it stands in the Bible, ...................................................................................... E . M. 297. » ami is unreliable historically, for M r . J o hn H ic k s , T r e a s u r e r F in a n c e B u ild in g C o m m it te e , S ilv e r to n , O re . : according to the Bible Abram was born 1264 B. C. Again Adam S i r — I n c l o s e d p l e a s e f in d $ ............................................................................................f o r was born 4(X)4 B. C., and Noah, L il> e ra l U n i v e r s i t y F u n d , s a i d f u n d to h e u s e d s o le ly f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n , 2948 B. C. The number of years m a in te n a n c e a n d f u r n is h in g of th e L ib e ra l U n iv e rs ity of S ilv e rto n , O re . from Adam to Noah was 1056; and if Noah was 600 years E , L . S m it h , S ilv e r to n , old when the Hood began 1656 R obert S cott , W o o d b u rn , ............................................................................................ J o h n H ic k s , T r e a s u r e r , S ilv e r to n , years B. C. and not 2349 B. C. and C o m m itte e on F in a n c e . if God made many promises to > (X X X X X K >O <X X X X >O O<XK><<><XX;-CKX>O<K><KK><XXXX>V O<X><K><Kj Abram as Gen. 15:13 (1913 B. C.) says, then these promises were Blank No. 2. made 257 years before the Hood and not 436 years after as Mr. ^ c x x x k x )( x x h x h >< x x x k x >< x >< k k k >< x x x x x x x x )< x x x x ><> Johnson claims, from this there can • L i b e r a l ¿ J n iV c iis ity ; F u n d be no possible escape. Again Mr. ****** Johnson says Abram did not live before the Hood, but the Bible says ...................................................................................... E . M. 297. he di'l, ami places the Bihle and God on the witness stand in support I p r o m i s e t o p a y to t h e o r d e r o f J o h n H i c k s , S i l v e r t o n , O r e ., of its ease, and the following is the ............................... ................................... D o l l a r s , o n o r b e f o r e ....................................................... testimony of God himself; Joshua s a id f u n d t o b e u s e d s o le ly f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n , m a i n t e n a n c e a n d f u r n i s h 24:2-3 “Ami Joshua said unto all the people. Thus saith the Lord in g o f t h e L i b e r a l U n i v e r s i t y o f S i l v e r t o n , O r e . God of Israel your father dwelt on E . L . S m ith , S ilv e rto n , the other side of the Hood in old R o b e r t S c o tt, W o o d b u rn , ..................................................................................... time, even Terah, the father of J o h n H ic k s , T r e a s u r e r, S ilv e fto n , Abraham, and the father of Nachar, C o m m itte e o n F in a n c e . etc. And 1 took your father . O G O O O O O O O < X X > O-O-O-O-O-OO-O-O-O-O-OO-O-O-O-OOO-O-OO-O-OOOOO-O-O-O-OOO-O-O-O-O-O-O Abraham from the other side of the ( nt th is nut nr copy it, fill in w ith the am ount you wish to subscribe, and re tu rn to flood and led him throughout Jo h n »licks, treasu rer finance co m m ittee, S ilv erto n , O re. • all the land of Canaan—and gave him Isaac.” The second mistake Every one should do something Mr. Johnson claims bears reference after the captivity of Babylon. to Gen. 47:27 wherein Mi-. B. is giv It may interest many persons to to help build our new building this ing the number as 70 of Jacob’s know that Noah was a girl and summer. W hat can you do? household that entered Egypt, stat married during the time of Moses, Elvin Ames presented the school ing that this happened 706 B. C. her father’s brother’s son—see with a fine aquarium and Johnnie If Mr. Johnson had considered one Num. 26:33 and 36:11—and as Thurman stocked it with soft-finned moment he would have seen that M oses and Aaron were living dur teleosts. the above date was a typographical ing the reign of King David—see Miss DePeatt speaks in the Lib error, and should read 1706 B. C. I Chron. 23:13 -1015 B. C., the which date was just 50 years before story of t he flood and Noah, Abram, eral Hall next Sunday evening on the flood was threatened, and not Isaac and Jacob, including Moses, the subject, “A Glance Behind the 543 years after the flood began as Aaron and Joshua—for Joshua was Curtain.” Two more students entered the Mr. Johnson claims. The third one of those who returned from mistake Mr. Johnson says con Babylon, see Ezra and Nehemiah— preparatory department this week, sists in Mr. B.’s reference to Noah are nothing but m jth or fable in- Lila and Lela Dolan. This makes and the greatest zoological collec ■ vented by some smart person or thirty-nine on the roll, and the a t tion on record in the year 1656 B. C persons for the double purpose of tendance is excellent. which Mr. Johnson says should power and revenue. One of our students, Charles I thank Mr. Johnson for his Page, made a flying trip to his have read 2349 B. C. the mistake if any belongs to I lie Bible, and friendly criticism and take pleasure home at Zena last Saturday. While there Charles picked up two more valuable specimens for our collec tion. The president and one of the stu dent, Morris Van Vaikenburg, went fishingSaturday,but although there were plenty <»f fish, they seemed to be Adventists, and wouldn’t bite on the old-time Sabbath. Captain Arnie Forward’s gallant soldiers, after a desperate struggle and fighting at a great disadvant age, their captain having been wounded in a skirmish with the enemy, swept the field and cap tured 111 prisoners at the Y. P. S. S. C. Friday evening. L ittle Points. A god who will permit eternal suffering is worse than a devil. The spirit of kindness that is in the world is the only holy spirit worth having. An infidel who has given up all enthusiasm for right living is worse than a Christian. A Christian who will not inves tigate and examine both sides is worse than a heathen. One honest, progressive thought is worth more than all the lies that have been handed down by the prophets and priests. Has your past life been un satisfactory on account of bad mistakes? The present is yours; use it that the future may be bright! A freethinker who has bad thoughts may do more harm than a slave to orthodoxy, and an infidel may he as superstitious. W hat the world needs is that class of infidelic freethinkers called Secularists. If all the energy that is now spent in the imbibing of alcoholic and holy spirits was used to edu cate the young in science and mor ality, we would soon turn seas of misery and crime into oceans of hap piness and love. The teachers and lecturers of the O. S. S. U. do not use tobacco and we advise the members to refrain from its use, as it robs men of their ability to think. It only becomes a pleasure by satisfying an acquired appetite, and the victim is soon punished. Save the tobacco money and spread the gospel of science and morality. One extreme is the pious super stitious ideas of holy, sanctified saints advocated by the orthodox clergy. The other extreme is the foolith indulgence of the appetites and passions, thinking that this produces happiness. The golden mean is the ideas advocated by the Oregon State Secular Union. What the world needs is no superstitiou, no immorality, but honest, pure, truthseeking lives.