Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1897)
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, ORE« ON, THURSDAY, JULY 1 which this part of the lesson was the beet of it. Make restitution for read, th a t the reader wished to the wrongs you have done the h u t show the m any infidels present th a t you can, and from this very m om ent he was justified in h atin g them let your future record he pure and with a ................. perfect ................. hatred, ........................................ but let this white. * as it m ay I am sure th at no true \ on have th e power w ithin your Secularist hates him or his God. self t<l do tli'Q fin/l i for VOX** V*«» r-xy.c.^ ovxy „OF UUO auu We nefjt a g We]J as the benefit of the do not believe the o th er exists. wjloje worj(j To us it would be more absurd to Belief in Jesus is a fraud an d a believe in «uch a being as this poor- brothers’ holy book describes; great detrim ent to all, for it not only furnishes a scape-goat for thau it would to believe th a t an wrong doers and helps them to con orang-outang lives on the sum it of tinue in their wrong doing, think M t Hood. ing th a t bye and bye they will sad The three thoughts th a t the dle it all off on some one else, but preacher wished to im press upon the principle of the innocent suffer the m inds of his hearers were these: ing for the gu ilty and th at there is There is no escape from God. There virtue in mere belief has filled the is no escape from conscience. world with hypocrites, d istru st and There is no escape from our record. unhappiness. If there is such a being as a god we should judge th a t the first is true, but a god’s existence should W hen? first be proven before our friend has the rig h t to make the state W hen have Infidels founded I n ment. Millions of men who have quisitions to to rtu re men into be had as good opportunities for study lief? as the average preacher have declar \\ hen has Infidelity afllictcd ed th a t they can find no proof whatever of such a being, but if m ankind with twelve centuries of there is such a being we secularists woe, most fitly described as “ The do not wish to escape him (heror it) Dark Ages?” W hen has Infidelity carried on and are perfectly w illing to take our chances with our C hristian religious wars like the “C rusades?” brothers who think them selves so W hen has Infidelity slaughter! d much more fortunate th an those fifty m illion people as M other who do not believe. Church has? In regard to conscience, the \\ hen has Infidels m urdered the em phatic statem ents th a t we never teachers of our race, as C hristianity can escape it, were, we believe, a l did H y p atia, Bruno, V anini, together unfounded. How does he Servetus, and m any others? know? If other a n im a l’s m inds \\ hen have Infidels vented th eir perish why should not m an ’s, spit** upon the dead by digging up but if conscience does continue it is and burning th eir bodies? certain ly wiser for us to keep it \\ hen have Infidels begun, on free, th an to tru st to the clensing power of an y o n e’s blood to m ake it St. B artholom ew ’s Day, and m as sacred seventy thousand of their white after it has become dirty. fellow-men in one week? Some of the things that were said \\ hen have Infidels persecuted in regard to the escape from our the Jews? record were grand and true, and were purely secular. In fact when W hen have Infid-ls sold “ In . our friend left the old bats and owls dulgences?” of a n tiq u ly and talked modern When have infidels set up the common sense we could see the worship of bones, hairs, rustv nails audience brighten up and we “ w ood f -r I h e t« u e c r o s s .” a n d thought how grand it would be if o t h e r re lie s? all public teachers would leave the i* » , hen have Infidels decried the old lies and preach living, iip-to- „ t 4. . , date tru th s H use of a n e sth e tic s in obstetrical ‘ cases as “an im pious attem p t to I here is no escape from our re- escape the curse” denounced cord says th e preacher. W hen it • . ,, . , ................. against all women in Genesis ill. in m ade it is made. You c a n ’t 16— ? change in In other words it can When have infidels burned holes not be washed away; but listen to the absurd paradox. “ T hank God in Q uakers’ tongues, and dragged the blood of Jesus washes aw ay all old> bedridden women from their sinsand makes us as white assn o w .” couches and hung them , as witches, Dear reader, it seems to us th a t ° n the evide«.ceof little children? Z« here is the test of the whole con- troversy between orthodoxy and in- fidelity. Is what the preacher says true and is it rig h t? W ould it not be tru er and better lor public teachers to say, “ Y our record m y dear people up to this moment is m ade. It can never be changed. You now realize this fact. \\ hat is past is past. Make ___ For Sale, i .i . ’. 7 „ T ill.m o’ k7 “ " V . tim ,7 r . E l HER HARDESTY, , O ,’e " Hle , 'r ° m N e ,“ r t '‘ 16x24. 1897. S m a ll clearin g . water. Good bargain. W M . 1 • this office. H oU Se> ' W ill practice in „11 courts E x c e lle n t ,1... Special a tte n tio n given to rullveiini.s an d n o tary work. In q u ire at ’ ’ ' 1 « « > \ rv . J SILVERTON, OREGON. Unexcelled Our Stock Of H e J u i. ■Priced Shoe ¿5 Mail Orders Given P rom pt A ttention. Y curs to P lease A. WOLE & SON S ilverton , Oregon. C u s ite r & D a v e n p o rt -I) A LEWS IN- ....G E N E R A L /VS ERCHANDISE Corner Hain and W ater C cets S IL V E R T O N ,'' E. JO H N HICKS SAMUEL AMES Hicks & Ames DEALERS IN Hardw are, T inw are, Stoves, A G R IC U L T U R A L IM P L E M E N T S hen have Infidels opposed com- Guns,. Fishing Tackle, Cutlery, Sporting G oods, Etc., Etc. forts and refinem ents, such as the introduction of stoves, carpets, SILVERTON, OREGON. chandeliers, violins, and organs in churches? W hen has any F reethinker ever characterized fire, m arine, and life insurance, and the setting up of S u its th at w ill fit, and prices th at w ill S uit lightning rods, as “challenges to Go I A lm ighty?”— Anon. a W ater STREET, OPPOSITE LIBERAL HALL, SlLVERTON, OREGON. G. C. H a u s e r M E R C H A N T T A IL O R