Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1897)
T H E TORCH OF REASON, SILV E R T O N , OREGON, T H U R SD A Y , JU N E 3, 1897 allv » avoided or slurred over bv fh«- clergy. S o from doubting the “ tall The Future of Orthodox of m an ” in the garden of Eden, it Theology. is but a step to doubt the in carnate atonem ent, tor if there outcome of scientific knowledge. were no fall of man then there is no Says the Tribune: “ The startling need of an incarnate atonem ent. discoveries science during the For these and various other last fifty years have filtrated down gradually from the investigators reasons millions of trades union into the colleges and high school.», wage-earners in this country and where they are taught to or read Europe are not taking a lively in They by the rising gem-ration of young terest in church m atters. men, and by them spread and dis leave the church to their wives. sem inated among m ultitudes of This is peculiarly true in large young men, while the same dis cities, but in the rural com m unities coveries have reached the great the old orthodox doctrine is be mass of organized wageworkers lieved, except here ami there, wh»*ie through the discussions in their some young, educated m an of in lodges and in tlje colum ns of the fluence has prom ulgated the Darwin papers and m agazines which they evolution doctrine and the re m a rk patronize. They are informed able discoveries of science and ap th at the Jewish belief as to the age plied the m ethods of tic- n ig h ercrit- of the earth is whollv incorrect, icism to explaining the sacred and th a t instead of being about scriptures. 5,800 years old, it has been untold In view of these facts, what are thousands of years, if not eons, as men like the Rev. Dixon to do? It the testim ony of the rocks shows, is impossible to stifle these new and th a t m an has lived on the ideas of science. The church can earth m any thousands of years be not and the State will not prevent fore Adam . They have been affect their prom ulgation in books and ed by the D arw inian ideas of evo m agazines. It is no longer pos lution and developm ent. They sible to re a ra generation in religious have come to believe th a t m an was ignorance of the teachings of not created “ a little lower th an th e ' science. The revelations of as angels,’’ and has been g radually tronom y, chem istry, geology, biol degenerating, but th at he began at ogy, medicine, surgery, and other the bottom of the scale and has sciences have opened up avenues of g rad u ally risen to his present thought which cannot be closed m ental development. They have or ignored. The churches m ust found that, some races have risen adapt their creeds to the tru th s more rapidly than others; that disclosed by science, which will give some, like the Chinese, and Afri them an opportunity to preach cans, and Indian tribes, have ad more about C hrist’s beautiful in DEALER IN vanced to a certain point and re culcations of honesty, right, m oral m ained statio n ary , while others, ity, and charity, and our du ty to Chem icals, Drugs, M edicine, Toilet A rticles, like the Europeans, have made our fellow-men, and to urge men to and Soaps, S tationary, P aten t Medicines, enorm ous advancem ent. do unto others as they wish to have I CONTINUED FROM FIFTH PAGE ) J . K. H a m m o n d D R U G G IS T Perfum ery P aints and Oils, Combs and Brushes, Etc. Because of the widespread pro m ulgation of those scientific views the organized wageworkers have also lost the faith they once had in the so-called Mosaic account of the origin of man and his fall on ac count of Adam and Eve’s eating of the tree of good and evil. The! higher criticism has told them th a t Moses did not write this account, but th a t it is an an cien t C haldean belief, accepted by the Israelites when they came in contact with the Chaldeans. “ Being therefore in doubt about th e origin of the hum an race, they have come to disbelieve in the ex istence of a hel 1 prepared for the punishm ent and to rtu re of the h u m an race because of Adam and Eve, whose existence is in dispute, com m itting a sin 5,800 years ago, when there were savage races on the earth perhaps 100,000 years ago. They are all the more d isin clined to believe in this alleged place of eternal to rtu re for faults th at they are not responsible for because they don’t hear it but rare ly preached in the city pulpits any more. They find th at this old hades doctrine is now rjuite g<*ner- done to themselves, w ithout fear of eternal hellfire. Science has left plenty of room for the churches to do a m ighty work for h um anity and leading reformed lives.” B. SILVERTON, OREGON. C u s ite r & D a v e n p o r t From Good A u th o rity. - dealers in - I’he following from the exchange editor of one of the most im p o rtan t national newspapers, speaks for itself: The T orch of R eason is a good thing. It is am ong the first I read of the 1200 exchanges th a t come to my desk every week.” This with the rem ainder of a very nice letter shows th at our work is not entirely unappreciated. The universe is full of music, only our ears are often out of tune. A p ercha Corner Hain and W ater Streets SILVERTON, ORE. JO H N H IC K S If I m ight control the literatu re of the household, I would g u a ra n tee the well-being of church and slate.— F rancis Bacon. “ I he man who always agrees with you may he a pleasant com panion, but if you want sound ad- < ; U|) S, vice, you must go to some one else.” SAMUEL AMES Hicks & Ames. DEALERS IN H nware, Stoves, A G R IC U L T U R A L IM P L E M E N T S Fishing Tackle, Cutlery, Sporting Goods, Etc., Etc. SILVERTON, OREGON.