Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (June 17, 1897)
THE TORCH OE REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, TH URSDAY, .11 NE 17, 1897. result of foolishly try in g to mix Board of the Oregon State S ecu lar speaking appealed to him ami now elem ents th a t c a n n o t possibly a f I nion do hereby sell to Pearl W. is a stanch C hristian. This, he filiate. (leer, the paper known as the said, was a m iracle of m odern d ay s.” • T h e O nly S e < i i . ak P a p e r P i bi . h h e h on T orch of R eason together with all t h e P a c ific C oast . Now Secularists it is time we have At w hat point did the “ M iracle” Published W eekly by the Liberal t ’ni- learned the lesson. We should the m achinery, type, stock and come in? W hen the m an d ran k versity Com pany. profit by the past and if every one m aterial belonging thereto; also ihe the whiskey under the influence of Editor who understands the situation will Liberal U niversity together with which he reels into the church, or J. E. HOSMER Manager take right hold of tin- work of all properly, books subscriptions, when he heard the music which P. W .iiE E R ........ firmly establishing Sunday schools donations ami accounts belonging helped to sober him , o r w hen he E ntered at the jxistotfiee at Silverton, and churches on our by-laws as thereto; in and for the consideration had com pletely recovered from the Oregon, as second-clans mail m atter. they now stand we will sojii have th at Pearl W. Geer assumes all the condition produced by liquor, when SCBSCKIPTION KATES. the most prosperous ami progres indebtedness of the said Oregon “ the speaking appealed to h im ,” or One year, in a d v an c e ..........................$1 (MJ sive organizations in the w orld. State Secular Union com ra iled since afterw ards when there had been Six m o n th s, in a d v an c e .................... 6C October 15 189? am ounting to time for him to consider more fully T hree m onths, in a d v an c e ................ 25 In C ubs of live or m ore, one year, Three H undred an d T w enty O ne the folly of his cause? in a d v an c e .......................................... 75 Rally! Dollars ($321.) M oney should be sent by registered Mr. Henson is very indefinite le tte r or m oney order. im m ediately alter the adoption W hat reason is there for believing ( htr friends should remember that of this resolution a com pany was N otice! our work here is an entirely new formed to he known as the Lil>e»‘al th at the change in the conduct or A pencil m ark here denotes th a t your associations of the man from the subHcription will e x p ire with the next enterprise and th a t our success I niversity Company. This com time he became a “ stanch C h ristia n ” num lier. You are earnestly requested depends largely upon the num ber pany will have full control of the had an y other to renew so th a t you m ay receive the pa than n atu ral per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de of subscribers we get for our paper, T orch of R eason and U niversity. antecedents? cided th a t it is best for all concerned lor, wherever our paper goes there It consists of P. W. Geer, Pres, of th a t we do no t send papers longer th an It looks as though Mr. Henson, th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. will he a chance of getting someone (). 8. 8. I , M. P. H osm er, 8 c<»nd T his will ¡»revent any loss on th e ¡»art of interested in constructive Secular in order to get rid of objections to \ ice Pres., ami J. E. Hosm er Pres, th e Union and we will know ju st where m iracles which he cannot answ er we sta n d . We request you to semi us ism. Everyone then should rally of the U niversity. th e nam es of Secularists who m ight be at once ami help us get a big list would have people regard a m iracle W efeel that a great victory has been com e subscribers and we will m ail sam- of subscribers. Make a grand won for purity, justice and tru th ami as a n a tu ra l event hut one of ex- j»le copies. charge all along the line! Do all th at there is positively no danger of aptional character or unusual oc THURSDAY, JUNE 17, E. M. 297 you can and keep it up and we will currence. But the alleged m iracles our work ever going in to the hands of the bible, to which theologians do the same. of the enemies of Secula ism. Let Factions. have appealed as evidence of the us work w uh a will and get our divine ch aracter of th eir religion Alive! building ready as soon as possible. We hope th a t everyone who were events, like the m iraculous does not believe in spooks nor birth and resurrection of Jesus, Last week we were som ewhat Our Best Thoughts. superstitions of any kind and who pessim istic hut this week we feel which involved, if they occurred, believes in m orality will do every very optim istic and there are good su p ern a tu ral interposition in the In order to give to the world o u r thing in his power to firmly establish reasons for it. Last week our n atu ral order. The birth of a best thoughts we m ust he free. the (). 8. 8. U. on the ethical basis. enemies were doing all in their child who had no father, arid his If a teacher has enemies and is U ntil we do this there can he hut power to stop our work and they com ing to life after his d eath could afraid of being injured by their in very little constructive work done have succeeded in delaying and not have occurred, theologians have fluence, this fear will d etract from by us as an organization. M ethod hindering us to quite an extent said w ithout special exertion of ists are M ethodists and can build hut, whatever be our other faults, we her work, and the world will be divine power in ways different from Universities and so it is with are not at all “ weak in the knees” robbed of the good that m ight come the operations o f n a tu re . Catholics and other societies h u t at ami we will use the enem ies’ work from her being free to think and act This argum ent has led m any her very best. present the contending, opposite as stepping stones and cross the who believed th a t the events record Now, just as soon as it is known factions in the 0 . 8. 8. U. make it raging to rren t of opposition. We ed in the New T estam ent true, to th a t a teacher is not orthodox that im possible to do th e constructive are very sorry for the delay in the accept C hristianity as a su p e rn a tu r work th a t can he done as soon as building, but it will be only for a instant she has enemies who will al religion. But if theologians not rest until her position is filled our organization is really secular short time and when we do go on now’, when m iracles have been and the factions th at do not belong we will he in better shape than ever. with some good sister who is more chased out of the known world, to the Secular ranks have content Triends of purity and common ! credulous; so we see that there is a claim th a t a m iracle is an event as ed themselves with their own sense, we m ust not let this education premium placed upon superstition, n atu ra l as any other, only unusual, indifference and hypocrisy. W hat societies, or until we firmly settle ! such as a drunken m an going to al work he crowded out by our is the effect? upon our ethical basis. This is our I enemies, for it stands for the com church listening to the music and The schools are filled with C hris great future work and m ust he our plete overthrow of superstition and tian fanatics, indifferent people who to the preaching and becoming thought by day and our dream s its kindred evils. Come to our aid grow im lifierent to o th e r things and converted, with w hat consistency at night. in this giand work and the children only work for pay, and the hypo or force can they continue to ap In a com m unication from our co of com ing generations will “ rise up crites, who perhaps do more harm peal to alleged m iracles as evidences than either of the other classes. of the su p e rn a tu ra l origin and worker Mr. W. J . Dean of T alent and call us blessed.” 0 , how the poor children suffer on the following is quoted: ‘‘You see W e must rem em ber th a t th is is account of the m ental slavery of our ch aracter of th eir system ? years ago we m aterialists went in not a local affair, neither is it for a teachers! In the past the clergy has too with the sp iritu alists and built a few years only; hut the University We hope th a t our Liberal U n i often Uf-ed their influence to im hall. It was soon discovered that is to he a fort, erected by the united versity will he a great factor in free prison, to rtu re and destroy those the two isms d id n 't mix well and efforts of the freethinkers of the ing the world from this horrible oc w’ho have had the tem erity to topus of superstition. the result was th at our hall was world, and is to he a base of sup criticize their teachings. Now they “ to let” for several years. A few plies for freem ens’ sons and show readiness and facility in revis A H iracleof riodern Days. m onths ago we bought out the daughters as long as this war ing ami in terp retin g th eir doctrines spook elem ent and are now bend against ignorance, superstition and so as to harm onize them with the Rev. P. 8. Henson a prom inent tacts of science and to escape the ing all our efforts to get out of debt crim e is waged. Chicago preacher, spends consider force of the critics' objections. and improve the hall. We have able time in try in g to ¡»rove th a t A nything in this age of doubt and now a fine prosperous S unday The Work (Joes On. the bible agrees with science. Here disbelief, to get a new lease of school.” is a sam ple of his profound reason life for th eir theology and a In tha city of Portland the same At the m eeting last Tuesday ing: “ The speaker used the arc prolongation of th eir influence as teachers of the true faith and th in g i. e., the m ixing has been evening the Executive Board, in lig h t—a break in the n atu ra l order gu ard ian s of the peoples’ m orals. tried and the result has been very order to save our work from further of things— as a parallel for miracles. Meanwhile the decay of creeds goes unsatisfactory. The result in interruption and final capture by He cited the case of a man who on, and the sunlight of science and Forest Grove is well known and the enemy passed the following reeled into hi- church one day in freethought is dispelling the d a r k ness of superstition and en lig h ten the American Secular Union is resolution : toxicated, but, hearing the music, ing the priests as well as the people. another excellent exam ple of the, Resolved, th a t we, the Executive was sobered to the point where the B. F. U. Torch of Reason