T H E TORCH OF REASON, SIL V E R T O N , OREGON , TH U R SD A Y , JU N E 24 1897.
M o rality
vs. Dogmas
w hat we know nothing about. T his
ro r bale.
n
.
. .
, .
C L H E R HARDESTY,
earth is so constructed th at we can
One hundred and sixty acres of
do right. Let us do it.
tim ber land in Tillam ook county.
Cordially,
One mile from N etarts Bay. House,
—
Will practice in all courts of the state
W. E J o h n s o n .
1(5x24. Sm all clearing. Excellent
Special attention given to collections
New York, N. Y.
and n o tarv w.ntk_ .__
water. Good bargain. In q u ire at
R oom
W olf B l o c k .
Chicago
this office.
OREGON.
A few S undays ago a church was
dedicated in this city which cost
$125000. If th a t was taxed like
other property it would pay $1200
a year. F or $3000 one can buy a
lot and build a com fortable home
here; forty such houses would not
equal in value this church and yet
a proposition to exem pt forty
houses from tax atio n in acom m un-
ity would no doubt arouse the most
violent opposition.
M ayor H arrison rode at the head
of 5000 bicyclists in a Sunday
parade th e o th e r day. I don’t know’
w hether he stopped to consider th a t
he was likely keeping a great m any
nickles aw ay from the churches
but I guess the m inisters did.
Two negro m urderers were hang-
ed in th is city M ay 29th. Two
p ro testan t m inisters were present
to see them off. T he report says:
“ The Rev. Mr. Ford stepping out
on the little balcony before the
second tier of cells* went on to
Dear friends:— For some tim e I
heve been w atching the Oregon
State Secular Union, and while
vour program is not exactly what I
should have mapped out, yet I be
lieve th at you are on the rig h t track
and have m ade a m agnificent begin
ning. Your are working in direct
line with my convictions and my
anxiety is deep for your ab u n d en t
success. I he teaching of common
m orality an d horse sense is w orthy
->f m an ’s highest endeavor. I can-
not see w hat relation m orality has
to frogs in E gypt or D aniel w alking
into a furnace and not s ta rtin g the
sweat. I cannot see th a t a m an is
a better citizen for believing th a t
the whale swallowed Jo n a h or th a t
Jonah swallowed the whale. I am
convinced th a t a m an can be a good
citizen and not believe th a t a tender
hearted God ordered the indiscrim -
inate slau g h ter of all the men,
women and children in C annan;
who urged th a t all the pretty girls
be turned over to b rutal soldiers to
be ensiaved and ravished. I t is
not in accord with my conscience to
tell my boys th a t w hatever such a
God tells them to do is right.
D o not m ake the m istake, however
of th in k in g th'<t th e whole d u ty of
the Oregon S tate Secular Union the end of the tw en ty -th ird psalm ,
consists in dem olishing th e bass while the deputies pulled the white
wood gods of the orient or the ghost shrouds around the negros and
god of Palestine. I am glad to see when the ropes were over their heads
th at you do not. I am glad th a t one of them shrank from the touch of
you have taken an advanced stand the hemp, but the stately m easures
on h u m an ity ’s present ills, p a rtic u of the psalm seemed to bring back
larly in regard to the liquor busi- his courage. “ I will dwell in the
ness. \Ye liberals cannot raise our house of the Lord forever!’ and the
m oral stan d ard too high. If we white caps hid the ashen faces of
cannot get it any higher than the negroes.” The report doesn’t
th e bible, som ething is wrong with state where th e o th e r one will spend
us. If we cannot take an u n the rem ainder of eternity.
wavering stan d against the evils
Seven m em bers of the Salvation
and vices which beset th e pathw ay Arm y were arrested in E vanston
-DEALERS IN-
of m ankind, we have no business because they refused to obev the
talking about “ m oral sta n d a rd s.” orders of the m unicipal authorities,
W hatever adds to the misery of the confining th eir out door services to
hum an race is wrong, no m a tte r certain parts of the town. The
how m any gods say it is right. police say the arm y leaders forced
W hatever adds to h u m a n ity ’s hap- the a rrest so they could appear in
Corner H ain and W a te r Streets
piness is rig h t seven days in the the m a rty r roll som ething after the
week. “ Do unto others as you style of their com rades in New
S IL V E R T O N , O R E.
would have others do unto y o u ,” is York. They seemed quite willing
good gospel, even if C hrist and Con- to be arrested and m arched down
fucius said it. “ Take a little wine the street singing “ All for Jesu s.”
JO H N H IC K S
SA M U EL AMES
for your stom ach’s sak e,” is a fraud At the station they alm ost begged
and a delusion, no m atter who said to be locked up. The chief finallv
W
told them to go, for as he said after-
If it should tu rn out th a t we run wards, lie thought they were seek-
up against a god when we die, he iug to brand them selves as m artyrs.
DEALERS IN
surely will not punish us for some- . V l,en . released they m arched
. l :_
. at
. . we . have not done,
.
thing th
and . hack to the sam e corner and resurn
ed their singing and
a ,,,, shouting.
» iio u u n g . The
i ne
" h a t square m an w ants to shirk re- officers went after them again and
sponsibility for w hat he has done, this tim e they were hooked under
A G R IC U L T U R A L IM P L E M E N T S
It he is a gentlem an, he will ask f he o,,din an ce which forbids the -,
. .
What good things we have done- PIa-v inë of m usical instrum ents in
Pishing 1 ackle, Cutlery, Sporting Goods, Etc., Etc
what .nan we have hel,K-d to a bet- .‘Î ü h e r ^ f n r nav“ ".8 T u " h°,Ur’ I
♦ 1r
,
eith er lor pay or with the inten
SILVERTON, OREGON.
ter life; what sorrow ing one we have tion of tak in g pay” f . r t h e same.
c>mforted; he will not ask us what The prisoners were then released
p articu lar religious dogm a we ad- 0,1 ’heir own recognizance, if they
O/lll
LI have
fr-k ■ * induced
Z
-__ 1 the
A I officers to
hered to
could
lock them up it would have been
Let us l>end our efiorts to m aking much better for th eir business.
this world better and happier, '’ j** < h arge being true, however,
Suits th a t w ill fit, and prices th a t w ill S u it
11 » did not benefit them m uch.
rather th an speculate concerning,
j 3 B eattie .
' W ater street , opposite L iberal hall ,
S ilverton , O regon .
C u s ite r & B a v e n p o rt
/ V jERCH
Hicks & Ames
H ardw are, Tinw are, Stoves,
G . C, H a u s e r
M E R C H A N T T A IL O R