K£CEi V ed
u
Z£O,CAL OW-
VOL. 1
Build Today.
SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, JU N E 17, 1897.
NO. 33.
proposition for any innovation tage to make the pulpit and the by the clergy as well as by others,
which promises to add to the at church more conspicuous and more they ought not to he diverted from
All are architects of fate,
tractiveness of their churches or to indispensable in the observances of
W orking in th ese walls of tim e ;
their purpose and made occasions
Some with m assive deed and great,
bring
them
personally
close
to
the
the
day.
A
Congregational
preach
Some with o rn am e n ts of rhym e.
for preaching theology.
I would
people
ami
toexiend
their
functions
er
said
recently:
“If
we
are
to
Nothing useless is or low,
not listen, without protest, to such
beyond those merely of the have road races let us set apart a
Kach thing in its place is b est;
preaching, if I had anything to do
And what seem s hut idle show
theological
teacher.
Formerly
the
special
holiday,
a
wheelman’s
day
MrengtlTens and su p p o rts th e rest.
with the arrangements, or any
minister
was
supposed
to
confine
if you please, but I protest against legal right to object.
For the stru c tu re th a t we raise
himself to “preaching the gospel the appropriation of decoration day
Time is with m aterials filled;
I he readiness now of the clergy
Our to-days and yesterdays
of
Jesus
Christ,’’
and
by
th a t was by the bicyclists.
The tendency to preach patriotic sermonson Sun
Are the blocks w ith w hich we build
meant
that
he
was
not
to
discuss
in
even now is for the rising genera day, to give prominence in the
Build to-day, th en , strong and sure,
his sermons, nor to allude in hi tion to fot get the lessons of the past.
W ith a firm and am ple base;
pulpit on that day7 to national
And ascending and secure
prayers,
to
secular
matters
of
cur
\\
hat
will
it
be
twenty
years
hence
Shall to-m orrow find its place.
events, t<> make their meetings
rent int» rest, such as slay» ry, the if this sort of thing continues?
— L o n g fello w .
commemorative of soldiers fallen
fugitive slave law, temperance re Let us reverence the memory of in battle, indicates the extent to
form, etc. Sunday was too sacrec the Jead soldiers, not by a wild which the pulpit has become secu
The Clergy and Memorial Day.
a day and th e pulpit was too sacrei scramble across country7 to see who
larized, and yet commemoration
a
place
for
t
he
consid
ration of any can be first at the tape, hut by ap
The clergy are very alert io op
in churches, on Sunday, under the
thing
except
Satan,
the
fall
o f man, propriate exercises that shall tend
pose whatever tends to restrict their
direction of orthodox preachers
the
atonement,
heaven
and
hell,
to inculcale a love of patriotism in would he loo theological in thought
inlluenceand to favor any movement
ami
cognate
subjects.
the hearts of the young, with a and manner to be quite acceptable
or suggestion which is in their in
Times have changed.
On Sun reverence for great and noble deeds to Freethinkers.
terests. In this respect they arc
In the more
only like the members of all other day, May 29, some of the churches accomplished.”
liberal churches the exercises, un
gave
np
their
usual
eveningservices
professions. Class interests come
Another preacher (Methodist) der the direction of men like Chad
next to individual and family in that appropriate words might he said: “So far as the decoration of wick, Savage and Jones, would he
terests. Clerical zeal for the spoken in memory of the soldiers the resting-places of our soldiers is unexceptionable, but generally the
religious observance of Sunday is who fell in the War of the Rebell concerned, it can be done Sunday. orthodox clergy would he in con
due mainly to the importance of ion. National hymns were sung, In tael, the celebration of memorial trol.
If the suggestions of the minis
“the Sabbath”and its associations and some who attended spoke of day on the Sabbath is perfectly in
ters above quoted shall ever he
to the position and pretensions of the services as, on the whole, most place. I preached a sermon in ac acted
upon, Freethinkers may find
the clergy. It is useless to argue appropriate. Several of the regular cord with the thought of the day it desirable in many places to ar
with an ordinary Christian preacher sermons were mainly in accord Sv,, day evening, giving up the range a program of memorial exer
in regard to Sunday, to try to show with the occasion.
evening service to it. My subject cises of their own, entirely free
him that Sunday observance is not
Some of the clergy have ex was ‘The Messages of Decoration from any theological teachings or
and thoroughly com
authorized by any passage in the pressed themselves in favor of hav Day.’ There is no better place implications,
memorative and patriotic in its
scriptures, that nature does not ing the Sunday nearest May 31 se han the church in which to honor character. Many, probably the ma
rest and never did, and that sacred lected as the time to pay tribute to the memory of the men who died jority of the surviving veterans of
ness is not a quality of time. A our dead soldiers.
They would to save this nation and for us to the war would prefer a non-sectarian
sufficient reason forall the absurdity have a memorial service in the earn the lessons taught by their “service” of this kind, as would mul
titudes outside the ranks of the old
about theSabbath which he defends, churches generally. The music of ives o
soldiers who value their services
is that Sunday is the day set apart the brass hands. the grand parades,
As one ot the surviving soldiers and those of their dead comrades.
for religious service to which he is the bicycle racing, «tc., might come of the war of the Rebellion, as well
B. F. U nderwood .
necessary, and which is necessary into a program for some day pre as an American citizen, I am glad
Anecdote of Thom as Paine.
to him as a preacher. You might ceding the Sunday observance of to see anything like an appreciation
as well directly oppose his method memorial day. One of these min and appiopriate commemoration
One day I homas Jefferson in
of earning a living as to op isters, a Baptist, wants the Fourth of those who died in the struggle vited a number of choice friend« to
pose Sunday observance. Jesus ot .July, when it occur- on Sunday, to maintain the union of tins«* dinner. A lmost at t he last moment
denounced many acts but Sabbath to he celebrated on that day. He States. It is true that every he was distressed to find that he
breaking was not among them. In would have Saturday the day of generation has its own affairs to inadvertently overlooked Thomas
Paine. He at once dispatched a
the time of Jesus and of the N> w secular celebration. “ After having tend to, its own duties and re favorite
servant in all haste to
I e-tament writers, the practice of fired off ail our enthusiasm in this sponsibilities, and we cannot expect Paine’s lodgings, with an emphatic
preaching on Sunday and for line, we could,” be says, “ observe the mass of the people of today to apology for his neglect to send an
a salary, was unknown among the memorable day again Sunday. realize fully the sacrifices and invitation at the proper time, and
Christiane.
Then the church would 1 m ? pro achievements of a third ofa century an urgent entreaty that he would
overlook the fault, and come at
W ith the decay of theological nouncing the benediction on the ago, and every successive year, we once
to meet a party of congenial
belief there is decline of interest occasion and we could listen to ser may expect, the exercises of friends, adding that it would be a
in preaching and decline of clerical mons at the close which would he Memorial day will become more grief to himself and to them if the
influence. The clergy, as best they better than any fire works in re and more formal until finally they hero of two hemisphere« was not
can adjust themselves to changing minding us of ihe deeds of our an may be discontinued, from lack of present at the dinner. Paine at
once began to make preparation to
Condition.-. They modify their cestors and our present responsi <»f interest by general consent. attend.
preaching, often unconsciously un bilities.” This preacher would Still it is well to encourage the
“ Will your honor allow me to
have
a
sermon
take
the
place
of
the
der the influence of the time-spirit;,
observance of this day so long at assist you in getting ready?” the
they interest themselves in Secular) Fourth of July oration which once least uh comrades of those who fell servant naked.
■ drs and in Secular movements; was a prominent feature of the are still alive, in courtesy to them . “Il is not necessary,” responded
Paine; “ I shall he ready in a
they more anti more confine their Fourth of July attractions.
perhaps, and to the relations of the moment?’
I ’«aching to the pulpit or to
1 he growing custom of having dead, a- well as in commemoration
“I thought that perhaps I might
places ami occasions where, as a games and festivities on memorial of the services of those whose graves brush your honor’s coat,” persisted
the servant.
perfunctory performance, it is still «lav seems to be producing a feeling
are
decorated.
“Oh,” said Paine,“if it is only
’'g ird ed a« “the proper thing.”
of
reaction,
and
it
is
this
feeling
of
my
clothes you want, I can put
ith all their conservatism the
W bile these commemorations are
' »ergy are now readv to listen to a which the clergy are taking advan- fit occasions for patriotic addresses, them in a bundle for you. and 1 can
stay at home.—Freethinker.