Torch of reason., September 02, 1897, Image 1

«
OF
VOL. 1
SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, SEPTEM BER 2, Í897.
No. 44.
——
I
Superstition
im partially by the light of m odern spirit or ghost, angel or devil, hum an nature, and so satisfying
Hence Superstition! Toobfivion, hence! knowledge, unbiaaed l.y any violent ! heaven or h e ll, tv lle ln raft or eor- his conscience as to enable him to
Thy chain of adam ant can bind
prepossession in its favor from a-
the doctrines concerning which
meet death fearlessly, with compos­
T h at little w orld, th e hum an m ind,
*
* ' « f p f ie tin n K n f
And sink its noblest powers to impotence, d itio n o r a u th o rity .
&
A credulous belief in such m vths ure and resignation; that the con­
Harct’aTer !,th proclaims thy tr’umphs ,evelatlon can contain falsehoods, G
resu,(e(, in t ,ie pelpetration of sequence of good actions are good,
H e r heavenly form with glowing h a n d ( a
n i a ” .' o i th e s ta te m e n ts in I he th e grossest c ru e ltie s by C h ris tia n s and of had actions, bad; and th at
Benignly points to piety and peace
bible are dem onstrably uni rue, gen- and others; such as burning of liv if he sow evil, he will reap pain,
She sm iles! and w here is now th e cloud
erally as regards the facts of the ing women on the flimsiest pretexts,
T h at blackened o ’er th y baleful reign?
and if lie sow good, he will reap
G rim d a rk n ess furls his leaden shroud, universe, and specially as regards as witches and possessed of devils,
S h rin k in g from h e r glance in v ain .
pleasure. M orality and purity are
as tau g h t in ihe H ehro-C hristian
H er touch unlocks the day sp rin g from the origin of m an.
above,
bible.
To personify m an’s evil essential to confidence and h ap p i­
M IRA CLES.
A nd lo! it visits m an w ith beam s of
ness, and therefore to social in te r­
light and love.
M iracles, so called, are im possi­ im pulse and call it the devil is an
S. R ogers .
ble, being violations of the laws of u n w arran tab le and m isleading as­ course. ‘The mind itself is the tem ­
ple where conscience will be con­
nature, which latter are established sum ption.
A g n o sticism .
W hen hum an life ceases to exist, tin u ally propitiated by the fulfilment
by a firm and unalterable experi­
R E V E L A T IO N .
ence. Belief in these is generally the b«»dy, by a process of decompos­ of d u ty .’ — Agnostic Prim er.
God has never appeared in any either the result of ignorance,*or of ition and disintegration, breaks up
into atom s and molecules, and re
form to m an, nor has m an ever re-
c<,n!u81“ n of belief with know-
M ystery and Miracle.
turns
again
to
the
earth
and
the
i
.
. ledge; and th eir acceptance, with-
ceived any im m ediate or personal
. 1 .
’
In every point of view in which
.
out proper verification, is r< sponsi- etherial m edium from whence it
revelation from it, ’ concerning 6 itself, ’ bit loi thecountleas errors, delusions
j ,
originated. All m atter is anim ate, tlm.-e things called m iracles can he
its essence, nature, substance or sex. and superstitions which have gained in d e stru c tib le and et< rnal. W hat placed ami considered, the reality
man calls death is simply a change
All evidence yet produced in favor possession of the hum an mind,
of them is im probable, an d th eir
of form—dissolution.
of red ial ion has been extrem ely
man ’ s fu tu r e .
existence unnecessary. They would
MARRIAGE.
Man knows nothing of a future
weak’and wholly insufficient, rest-
M arriage is a m utual life-long not, as before observed, answer any
ing solely on the assum ed inspira- lif**’ for "° knowledge of anything
contract, between m an and woman, useful purpose, even if they were
..
r
... .
, .
bejond this life can he verified by
tion of the bible.
I he subjects
J to live together, upheld and regu­ true; for it is more difficult to ob­
any recognized laws. All doctrines,
which positive creeds profess to .le- therefore, which pretend to any lated by state laws. It was in stitu ­ tain belief for a m iracle, than to a
• 7
fine are for the most ¿»art unknow- knowledge or belief of the sort are ted for the m aintenance of m oralitv,
,,
•
i
. ,
, • ,
*x*
w»
i
ai
and for the propagation of the principle evidently m oral, w ithout
able, i. e., beyond the scope of sim ply vanities. Man knows th a t
.
, .
1 ?
‘species; and is useful as an aid to any m iracle. Moral principle sp e a k s
hum an reason or conepiilion
R vn- by living his ow n life on this earth
. . .
.
i •
,, . ,. . . ...
I
’
Q • ~ __
.....
. i.
the proper bringing up of th e re - universally for itself. M iraclecould
lu .io n , by known or kimwable nat- ,n « y - P - tl.y with bis fellow orea-
'
be but a thing of the m om ent, and
11
« 1 ,
,
Hires, and doing his duty to him-
ural Jaws, affords the true explana-
.
. .
,
help in the trials and struggles of seen bin by a few; after this it re­
*
self and societv, he is ennobling ...
T,
. . . .
tion of all (h at we .lo or can know th a t body with which Ida life is ’i'®: D ™ " * a,<! " Ot JUflt,,,e<1
*
M
S 1 « • A b< 1>
1
i 1 ! - ~ . 1 * 1. quires a transfer of faith from God
T hy triu m p h s cease: th ro u g h every land,
0
.
.
* .
No in sp ire d
A m .
respecting the inscrutable
cause bound up, and is thus perfecting
m
»
_
m
I 111 ‘° lieli'’' c 11 mir-ck
and its a ttrib u te s and relation to his hum an nature.
.
H
J
♦
nourishing,
clothing g and
b report. Instead, therefore,
ing, ciotnm
ana educating.
eaucating
m an, and such mysleries as b irih ,
worship .
M an jg
highegt
f
of ad m ittin g the recital of m iracles
life an d im m ortality. M orals and
Mao is n atu ra lly filled with won- fec„ deve|l)|M.d objret of evolu,ion. as evidence of any system of reli-
religion are pm ducis of evolution, der, adm iration and reverence when I, would appear lo be the n atural gion being true, they ou ght to he
Man is not justified in accepting ; he behold» the m agnificence of Ihe d w tin v ,,f n ia| P Btld female to lead considered as sym ptom s of ils be-
»impie
when ne
he c contem
o n te r '" plates
1“ *' " ‘l-“
" lives, and so have sym- ing fabulous.
- • -
any y assertion on tin*
Hu* sim
ple word universe; wner.
the conjoint
It is necessary to
of another, without either evidence m arvelous beauty and harm ony of pathy with, and enjoy the com pan- Hie full and upright character of
or positive knowledge forthcom ing; n atu re, of his own existence, and ionship of, each other. The num- tru th th a t it rejects the crutch; and
to do so would im ply faith; for the th a t of ail other life by which he is , >er of wives a man m ay have varies it is consistent with the character
assertion m ay be true or untrue, »«»Hounded. This adm iration and according to the part of the earth <>f fable to seek the aid th a t tru th
an d if subsequent events prove the reverence, with »devotion t» science,
find- him self placed in. In this rejects. T hus much for m ystery
latter, they also prove credulity, m editation, and aspiration, c n s l i -
ol,e wife only is perm itied and miracle.
But som etim es assertions are sup- tu te tru e worship
to each man by the cu-tom and
As m ystery and miracle took
p o rt’ d on some evidence, when
pra y er
law of the country. Every m an charge of the past and the present,
tru s t in the judgm ent or opinion of
Man has no evidence w hatever of who intends m a r k in g ought to prophesy took charge of the future,
an o th er mas be ju s tifie d , th is is he- any value, th at he will be granted make his selection from families and rounded the tenses of faith. It
lief.
If, however, a decision is any favors by prayer.
He has whose m em bers are of a high type, was not sufficient to know what had
formed by the consciousness of been endowed with the means of physically, m entally, and m orally; been done, but w hat would lie done,
actual fact or phenom enon, then it providing for his w an tsan d require- avoiding those whose members m an- The supposed prophet was the sup-
is knowledge.
m ents, and he has no reason
for ¡fest a strum ous (consum ptive, posed historian of times to come;
There are certain scientific tru th s expecting th a t the laws of nature rick ety )
or cancerous tendency. and if he happened, in shooting
w hich m an has acquired a know- will, or can he, upset in his favor
m o ra lity .
w ith a long bow of a thousand years,
ledge of by the study ot phenom ena, to the probable detrim ent and
in- By a process of evolution and to strike w ithin a thousand m iles
by the experience of ages, aud by convenience of living beings
in m ental developm ent, and by social of a m ark, the ingenuity of posterity
experim ent, which have been ac- other parts of the world. Prayer relations, m an came to m knowledge could m ake it point-blank; and if
cepted as true. To discredit these therefore is, and has by experience of good and evil. By the aid of he happened to be directly wrong,
truth**, is to he guilty of wilful ig proved to be, useless.
knowledge, reason and moral judg- it was only to suppose, as in the
norance.
THE in v isib l e world .
m ent, m an knows th at what is help- ease of Jo n a h ami N inevah, th a t
IN S PIR A T IO N OE T H E B IB L E .
Man knows nothing of an invisi- ful to the com m unity at large, is God had repented him self and
T his is a theory which breaks hie or sp iritu al world, which, like right, and th at what is a hindrance changed his m ind. W hat a f«>ol
down when tested l»v the ordinary the deity itself, is unknowable, is wrong; th a t by doing good and do fabulous system s make of m an!
rules of criticism , and exam ined Nor has man any knowledge of avoiding evil, he is ennobling his
T he Age of Reason.