TH E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, T H U R SD A Y , AUGUST 12, 1897.
was tried and found w anting.
A nother was one of th»* most penu
rious, close-fisted men you ever
The O nly Paper of Its Kind.
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saw and in this way became q u ite
,
,
,
.
Published Weekly by the L iteral In i- wealthy and was feared if not loved
versity Com pany, in the In terests of
by all. Other m em bers of this
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
church had been very had citizens
J. E. H osm er,
.............. E ditor during their lives hut had joined
P. W. Geer,
. . . M anager
cb u rc h an d p ray ed a n d sniffled
Torch of Reason
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.
Be N o t
D e c e iv e d .
The argum ents in favor of the
most absurd and ridiculous doc-
,
.
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trines may deceive good a n d w ell-
meaning people, if these argum ents
are given by experts under right
condition*. To endeavor to save
gome who m ight fall into what
io u
ne
of m
the e w
worst
o is i
to
us s nrreiijs
seems o one
an d ta lk ed ab o u t th e ir e x p e rie n c e s 1
,
,,
E m e n d a t th e postoffice a t S ilv e rto n ,
. . . . . . .
, \
,
evils th a t co u ld p ossibly befall o u r
not asham ed of their belief. Their
num bers are growing, but the C hris
tian papers seem to ignore the sub
ject alm ost entirely, and whenever
any reference is made to it, all Infi
dels are classed in with this “ had
lot.”
Most of the Freethought
papers seem to be afraid to con
dem n it, and some, perhaps, lean
th a t way them selves; hut we are in
this work for the good we can do,
and we wish th at every F reethought
jo u rn al ami lecturer would be frank
an<l open and let their readers and
hearers know ju s t where they stand.
I'hen we can classify ourselves and
thus become homogeneous enough
to organize and sustain societies
th a t will rapidly convert the world
from its crime and superstition to
justice and tru th .
wi«h the d e' tl in a wav th a t makes
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race and one th a t is doing the
even some C hristians “ fired.”
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4 work of Secularism much dam age,
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
In Hie sam e city the church just .
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,
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do we write this short editorial, not
One year, in ad v an ce........................ $1 00 across the way was presided
over
’
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6G .
Six m o n th s in a d v a n c e .........
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i i i
(as an argum ent, but as a suggestion
T h re e m o u th s .-in a d v a n c e ...............
26 by a m in iste r who lo an ed m o n ey on
and a w arning.
In clubs of five or m ore, one year
--
the
bonus
plan
and
was
known
to
in a d v an c e ..........................................
, . . ! There
i i i v i c a are
i e parties
UHHICB who
w iiu C
claim
laim to
IO
.
T .
Money should lie sent by registered tell a man who was in a very “ tight !
,,
7 , . ! he the only tru e Liberals who are
letter or money order.
p inch th a t he could m a k e h im
.
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.
z,,
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^ ... ,
advocating and sending out w hat
(the preacher) a little present if he I
N otice!
.
,.
tl
....
, , to m any on account of their un-
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,
,
chose after the poor fellow had .
...
.
A pencil m ark here denotes th a t your
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h a p p y c o n d itio n , seem s t u b e n la u -
subecription will expire w ith th e n ex t paid the highest legal rate of inter-
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slide argum ents in favor of ideas
num her. Yon are earnestly requested est as well as a big bonus. A nother
to renew so th a t you may receive th e pa-
. .
th a t, if adopted, would ruin our
M u c h W o rk to be D o n e .
|ier w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de- m in is te r , who cam e a l t e r t h i s o n e ,
homes,
our
love
and
respect
and
cided th a t it is best lor all concerned J, .ft town in m e night for fear of a
W hat to us is ancient wras m od
th a t we do not send papers longer th an
ottr civilization itself. These w rit
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered, tn o h a s he had been too tre e w ith t he
ern at one time, and people thought
T ins will p revent any loss and we will y o u n g ladies of his “ c h a rg e .”
In ings come headed and clothed with
know ju st w here we stan d .
language calculated to deceive the the same of their then m odern ways
We request you to .end .1» th e ..awe« th e sa m e city we w ere told th a t a
young and those who wish fo justify as m any do of ours, and anyone
of S e c u la ris ts w h o m ig h t Irecom e s u b - C a th o lic p riest was in v ited to leave
their own m istakes.
U nder the who tried to reform w hat seemed
scrihers and we will m ail sam ple copies. ,
. g
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tow n foe s im ila r reaso n s an d he
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1 1 1 .
, head e f “ social freedom ,” “ variety radically wooiig were called by hard
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;
TH UR SD AY , AUGUST I2.E .M . 297 went. If we were asked todav to ! . .
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in love ” tree love, etc., they ad- nam es, even as the crank is in our
search lor a mean, hypocritical, I
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A ,
vocate doctrines that would sim ply time; hut looking back upon the
grasping, self-righteous p retender , .
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B its o f E x p e rie n c e
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bring us hack to the level of the crude ways of an tiq u ity , w’e wonder
we would not neglect to go to the .
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brute.
1
hey
even
advocate
the use- how they could have thought their
H aving been both orthodox and orthodox churches. Io the sam e
lessness of wearing clothes, except ways were all right, and there is no
Secular wc have met both classes of city with those described above, the
doubt th a t in tw enty-five years peo
for * protection
from the
people and thus know from exper- very best men, those who m ake „0 " iug
' S 10'
Pro'^t><ui from
the weather,
weatl
ience which class is the better; at pretentions, but who are kind and U' '
a
10,1
ea,n to feel no ple will look a t some of our modern
least we have learned what class generous, and progressive are not ,! l!ne 1,1 g()ine> H> naked as the m ethods and systems as very crude
seems better to us and we think we orthodox. There are C hristians ' *' 7 ^ > ,V;' ge- A mHn or W(,nian indeed. Our business is to exam ine
understand the reasons.
who are good but they are those " ^ « « " . ' a b i l i t y to use should our present m ethods and as far as
1 ... about
, . th
.1 eir
• religion
. I be careful not to throw it awav, or lies w ithin our power, change them
The C hrietians think th a t they who say little
into
error by such trash. to better ways, and thus hasten the
are children <»/God and having an , and practice Secularism , and it is be * led
* Y
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infallible father are very set in their an honest fact th a t the best people
" <>r d needs our help to build evolution to a higher life. Some are
w illing to let things ju s t tak e their
way and become very bigoted, nar- th a t we have ever met are Secular- up a higher civilization and hap-
row and oftentim es ungenerous and ists. There is nothing sm all about
,ome8’ and to einanciPafe the n a tu ra l course, as they call it, and
uncom prom ising. In fact in our a real Secularist. T heir ideas are!* , 8 <>f P,le8tcraft 0,1 the one peg along in the old ways, but they
experience with C hristians in bus- broad. They are kind, honest free K,de and t,,e filaveK of hc€ntiousnes8 do not realize the physical and
iness, we have found them far more to learn, generous and look upon and erllne 0,1 the other; And think m ental suffering that is going on in
tricky and false to their trusts than trouble and the faults of ()ther< >'ou lhat we can do th ,s bV uphold- the world on account of the crude
most Infidels. Of course C hristians in a philosophical way. They do i ,n K or catering to such retrogressive m ethods and ideas of our m odern
civilization.
will claim that such are not Chris- nut try to scare people but their d ”c tri,,*'s as tbese?
Baldwin says: “ Our favorite sys
tians hut we are dealing now society gives one a sense of confi-'
Tbere
0 ,,e ‘^¡ng “ f which we
with C hristians as a class. A to n e dence, trust and happiness that is MFe Ve*7 S° iry il,deed» and th a t 18 tems, m ethods, and appliances will
M arvelous as has
time a very pious church member altogether lacking with the de. lhe decelt 1 h a t has been taught to seem crude.
parents whn
who advo been the progress,especially during
in good stan d in g exchanged prop- votees of Jehovah. It has not been the children “ of f narPnts
the last half century, still grander
erty with an old gentlem en. The long since we left the orthodox cate these docti in» s. Some of these
and vaster developm ents aw ait well-
bargain was all m ade; the old gentle- ranks and we feel weak even as the people have been drilled in deceit
directed effort. Today the masses
man was ready to m o v e; he had grub when it has first hurst the old until they conceive it to be a virtue,
of our race are barbarians. In the
sold other property and been to integum ents asu n d er a n d is trying and an unsuspecting person m ay
most enlightened of nations the
quite an expense but he found lie to assum e its new habilim ents, associate with them and not know’
m illions are but sem i-barbarous.
had put too much confidence in a The only excuse we have for having 1 hat tin y are of th a t belief, but be
C hristian, f h ^ k o r s t trick we’ve been C hristian is our environm ent subjected to a sm all dose a t a time, Our mission is the elevation of the
race. Stupendous work! E rro r is
e \e r had played on us, was by a and th a t we were young, foolish as tin* crafty fr< e-love priest or
fleeting, tru th endures. In so far
C hristian when we were Chris- grubs. We now feel th a t we have doctor may think his p atient able
tians ourselves. We were young much better surroundings and to assim ulate it. This deceit m ust as we reach tru th , we build for the
and foolish and he was old and much good may yet come to us. be wrong, and we who are trying to future. T ru th alone benefits m an.
He is the greatest benefactor who
cunning. Perhaps our experience O, for a world of real true Sccu- build tin Secular churches should
he careful to have lecturers and eradicates most error and estab
is an exception, hut, honest true, lariats! Let us work.
teachers define th eir position on lishes most tru th .”
the main active C hristians in the
_____
Many of our present system s re
this subject before taking too much
different localities in which we have
Every hum an being seems to
lited have turned out to he the w’orst have a had man and a good man stock in their work. We have no m ain only because of the w illing
frauds. We think now of Deacon within h im sd f, as the old In d ian
will toward those holding these ness of the people to blindly trust
It is
ideas; we lielieve in free speech and instead of investigating.
S— who was one of the leading sa- s.' a,,d d " e h*arn to allow
_ irits
• ’» / for y ears in
• an ac tiv
. e . . M F good
th a t is . our « higher
Iree press,
but we also ______
believe _____
th a t easier to put one’s self into the
sp
1 man,
.
ig n e i
.
,
u r pulses, to control us, we m av do »u-
.
church, «nd who
was detected In much good before giving up' our th
Pron,,sc" ° U8 doctrine is an ex- hands of a priest, a doctor or a pol
entering an o th er
m an’s cham ber banner of F reethought to o th er trem e th a t " ou,d ** far worse than itician than it is to study, and so
through a hack window late at night. band8- “ No more im p o rtan t duty tbe **vils th at it aim s to correct, we have allowed a priesthood to
His most excellent wife applied for a ca,‘
urK‘‘d u P°’i those who aie and would lead us hack into the grow up along the lines of religion,
divorce
and it
was granted
gr)<at, th e a te r of
dark , deg. n e ra te sta te of barbarism . medicine and law; and do you sup
A nother member of the sam fehurch X u vied mis --
" e think that most of these people pose th a t the priests are going to
in-, i v».11 vie.ion«.
are sincere and some of them are adm it th at they have been radically
e^'»n, -o» (second-cl.isH m ail m u tte r.