VOL 1. In T he S u n sh in e. 8IL V E B T 0N , OlîEGON, THUKSDAY, JULY 8, 1897. For the Torch of Reason. NO. 36. These precep.s are reason’s precepts, with an unsparing hand, but none and each indiv id u al m an, however of them impress so strongly upon Ah ! we never m iss th e su n sh in e Till th e storm clouds roll apace, dull of comprehension, realizes the m ind the idea of heautv as 1 he more enlightened and in tel And we nev er m iss th e d e ar love th eir full force and potency. It tru th . Till we see th e cold dead face; ligent so-called C hristian tells us -And our h e a rts are seldom m elted l a k e no in,aginary, an g ry god, Io The flowers n.av be more beauii- he only believes certain portions of Til! th e voice is hushed and still, Of the'loved one we have w alked with the Bible to he inspired by (iod, enable him to distinguish right fill to the eye, and m ay show an U p th e p ath w ay of life's h i l l ! from wrong. He knows it w ithout exquisite color, the wide spreading and refuses to believe the rem ainder assistance, and th at I he violation meadow may display its beauty Let us linger in life’s su n sh in e is of such origin. By w hat line of Till th e last glad rav d ep arts, of right, brings pain, distress and and fields and groves and w inding reasoning he is able to satisfacto Let th e tw ilig h ts and th e daw nings a i' ^ lsh- stream s may varigate the scene; Link th e closer tru stin g h e a rts; rily satisfy him self that he h a Then each m orrow will l>e b rig h te r Ihesfc fractional believers in the | yet all th a t is herein presented th e right of selection, we are unable For th e su n sh in e th a t h a th been, Christian hilde are not honest with fades before this grand lever of the And life’s burden be th e lighter to un d erstan d . The bible is all them selves, nor to t h e faith which u n iv e r s e , t r u t h . For th e sy m p ath ies betw een. given to us as God’s divine word. th e y p ro fe ss. Their intelligence The more we com pare tru th with It is, therefore, either all absolute Oh to speak som e words of kindess and reason teach the absurdities of In th e e ar of h u m an woe other forms of lovliness th e more will revealed tru th , by D ivinity, or it is Is like eyes to stony blindness the claim s of the bible. T heir we be inclined to aw ard the palm not. There can be no m iddle Of th e groping ones below ; reason rebels, and yet they seek to to the former. I his ever reigning So the touch of te n d e r fingers ground. There is no a u th o rity in On th e th ro b b in g brow of pain com prom ise between tru th and tic king of the world to which all hearts it for m aking selection. We have Is th e sweet of life th a t lingers tion; honesty of th o u g h t o n the should pay a glad trib u te , can by Ere we tu rn to e arth again no au th o rity , contained in it, a u th o one side, and a record of adm itted the diligent study of n atu re he —J ohn In Bar. rizing us to select th at which is to our m ythical nonsense on the other. more pow erfully felt and under liking, and reject th a t which is n o t S to ry of M ichael Angelo. Let us he honest, and seek and act s to o d , than by any o th er available in accord with our reason, or sense the tru th . This record, called the It is related of this great sculptor, ol m orality or decency. The person Christian bible, is cith er all sacred m eans w ithin our knowledge. Its potent charm s are ever invit- th ato n ce w alking with some friei ds who makes these professions of tru th , or it IB not. If it ii the i ing us to keep in its glorious pur- through an obscure street in F lo r partial belief, and takes upon h im tru th , like »11 Other tru th , it is; suit, however rough the roe,I over ence, he discovered a tine block of self the right of selection, has no capable of dem onstration. Then- which we m ay have to travel bid- m arble lying neglected in a y ard , a u th o rity so to do. He is denying i . no h alf way about it. If it is i ding us have courage in its search, and h alf buried in d irt and rubbish. G od’s word, as revealed to Idm, n o t t r u t i , ; iet it he repudiated. Let auguring us, th a t n atu re h as directed Regardless of his holiday attire, and when he does so, he ceases to each m a n ’s free, independent be fell to work upon it,cleared aw ay he a Christian, as he cannot he one reason »newer honestly, and act us to the inscription w ritten in type so bold th a t he who runs may read. its filth, and lifted it from the slim e as 8<»on as he questions the tru th o f upon the answ er irrespective of I believe that nil the stum bling and m ire in which it lay. H is com ‘“Divine revelation,” as revealed in threaiened torm ents. If the an- blocks will disappear from our path panions ask him in astonishm ent the bible. He pretends to he a swer he against the tru th of hihli-j like frost from the window pane be- what he wanted with th a t w orth C hristian, hut is sim ply a hypocrite, cal statem ents, rem em hering th a t fore the m orning sun. less piece of rock. ‘‘O h” said he, or, to draw it more m ildly, is deceiv tru th ean harm no one, and th a t Draw the sword an d throw away “ there’s an angel in the stone and ing himself. By accepting p a rt,a n d adherence to false teachings and the scabbard. Do not leave open rejecting part, he is perform ing the I m ust get it o u t.” doctrines is hypocrisy, and retards any road for retreat when once the He removed it to his studio and feat of rilling two horses going in op the o n w a r d progress of m an, and onw ard inarch has begun, hum th e there, with p atien t toil, with m allet posite directions, and m ust of neces is inflicting an in ju ry not only bridges behind us that we m ay not sity drop into the bottoinh ss pit; for and chisel, he let the angel out. upon himself, hut on those to fol-j go back. W hat to oth ers was hut a rude his present happiness, it is well th a t low. C has . K. T en n ey . This golden gem, tru th , every unsightly mass of stone, to his ed u he did not live in the days of the M adison, Wis. where abounds hut we can not grasp cated eye was the buried glory of inquisition. He says he believes in ’ it at a single stroke. Let ns n o t be F o r The Torch of Reason. art. A m ason would have put it the moral teaching of the Christian I fearful because we m ay have ene- T ru th . bible, and rejects its absurdities in a stone w a ll; a cartm an would ----------- mies; they furnish us the spice of and superstitions, and despises its have used it for filling in, or to W hat is more powerful than life and are necessary to success, record of evil doings. In this In* is W hat though we m ay stum ble grade streets; but, Angelo tra n s no better th an the so-called infidel, tru th ? It has more weight than all formed it info a gem of art, and who also believes in its m oral teach else, and yet it rises and floats like and fall in pursuit of this beautiful ; i • ii i .• , a beautiful banner, where it asserts : crown our zeal should soon set us gave it value for ages to come. mgs, and in all m oral teaching» th a t Hoxxir • » had , i no on our feet . u • , . . itself on all ,, occasions. It again, and strengthen prom ulgated, from w h a t-' izv ; • , K ’ »vrengmen W hat possibilities of virtue and were ever ........................ I beginning, and will have no ending, our m inds for the perform ance of usefulness m ay we not see in a ever source they come. There never was a tim e it not greater efforts. “ There is one road I he infidel believes in them , not exist. Age has not m arred its lovli- to peace, and th a t is tru th ,” and child? Do we know how to get the because they are contained in the angel out? Are children, men and Bible of any sect or creed, or mode ness; its beautiful gilt edges have it will most powerfully prevail. been often touched, hut never ta r “ New occasions teach new d u ties, women, to he only used for ‘“filling of worship, nor because he believes Tim e m akes a n c ie n t good u n c o u th ; nished. It is daily winging its They m ust upw ard stilt a n d onw ard in,” to lie am id d irt and gravel, or they are inspirations by what to way from pole to pole. It has no W ho would keep a b re ast of tru th . ’ him is »n impossible god, hut be ♦ o stand out in the g lo r y and evil associates; it stan d s alone 'i n — M rs . R. A. B ell . cause they are right, and because beauty of true m anhood and real th is wide world a grand m onum ent they are the teachings of the com to all th at is noble and pure. We womanhood? To the end th a t . . _, Compared with Shakespeare’s bined wisdom and experience of hum an beings m ay become real men of thought and knowledge, some times im agine we lose sight of “ hook and volume of the b ra in ,” its beneficent influence, and lose the “sacred” bible sh rin k s and men and real women, is the know who have prom ulgated them as the faith in w hat it is able to do, and seems as feebly im potent and vain ledge and practice of m orals—th a t best rules for th e hum an race to grope in darkness and despondency as would a pipe of Pan when some H onesty, and truthful- they m ay learn to use the m easures follow. . for a time, hut if we will seek it in g»eat organ, voiced with everv tone, th at conduce to the highest h a p p i ness atn c aritv , and fair deal- the tru e jjght, we win find to QUr fro|n the hoarse th u n d er of the sea tu g s between ourselves, is the only e n tir,. satisfaction th a t it is not as to the winged w arble of a m ated ness and suprem e welfare of the ,O «appiness, a id j fat. removed from our understand- bird, tills and floods cath ed ral greatest num ber, this is m orality. strict adherence to these m oral pre- jng on(J# im agincd aisles with a l, thp WPalth of 8OUnd R ight L iving . cepts brings their own reward. N ature has scattered her beauties I ngersoll . F ra c tio n a l C h ris tia n s .