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 .