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About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 1897)
TH E TORCH OF REASON, SIL V E R T O N , OREGON, TH U R SD A Y , S E P T E M B E R 9, 1897. for it is the dryest and boniest of “ I am afraid you are aesthetic, only through melody. T hat which subjects. It is neither m eat nor To seek sim ply th e beautiful is not words have vainly tried to exhibit [ a ROMANCE BY SAMUEL P. PUTNAM.] is brought to us in the inexpressible d rin k .” m anly nor womanly, is it? ” If, as von , . k sav, tone-colors of music. The won- “ W hv not? differ from the church creed, hut “ I « » «¡"¡»(S t0 Bive U UP for a , .i t i ,h»n h c re e d good steak,” said Charlie. beauly and tru th are united, then, drous blending of sounds, the in tri the church is more th an a creea. e , . It has been a life, a part of the moral “ Ves, we will cheerfully go to the ,f we earnestly s e e k the le-autifnl cate harm onies, the tossing to and orogress of the race; and I sav to steak.” said Jim m y. -W e are will- we m ust hnd th e true: and we find fro and m ingling together of deli myself because I hate th e creed, ing m artyrs there every tim e.” It in the best and most practical cate strains and massive movements, — these m anifest, as no splendor of ‘‘Would th a t all discussion on way.” m ust I ’ tear myself from the ^,„1 soul J I f love? W ill not the creed perish, theology had ended as com fortably “ I g ra n t th a t, to a certain extent, thought can m anifest, the lim itless while the soul endures? I t is with as tb isl” said W ill. “ W hy is it I suppose we m ust m ake beauty so u l of the universe. Music is for the innerm ost spirit of the church, th a t theology m akea men hate earl, the suprem e end; fo-, as Goethe ever the prophet of m an ’s undying as breathed by a thousand noble other so?” says, beantv is the tru th and some- glory. She closed with a little of V ag men ami women in the centuries “ Because they talk about what th in g more. Yet we know not th a t are gone, th a t I agree; and, In ‘hey don’t know, and there Is plenty always w hat is beautiful, unless we ri1 r, whose strain s like a sea of fire spite of the dogm as. I would abide ” f room for vanity and prejudice, first know what is true; an.l the seem to wi irl in tum ultuous wreck, with th at. So I cannot follow t h e , " 'h a t is theology hut an Infinite most beautiful things come when yet anon ending like a benediction. This was music by which one could cool dictates of my head. I cannot lum ber-room of prejudice, pri.le, we sim ply seek the tru e.” pack up my tru n k and leave the conceit, and all the idols that m an “ The soul of a r t is, in d eed ,tru th ; scorn the ty ra n ts and fools th at old home with a form al good-by, is Pr" ne to worship? X<> wonder but art m anifests tru th , and so be- rule by custom and not by sense. “ ‘The shades of eve are falling for I cannot take all my inherit- th a t It m akes people crazy.” comes onr teacher. And. through auce w ith me. A thousand things I* ’»’* talk it in my presence art, it seems to me. the highest ever fast.’ I m ust tak e m y banner and I must leave behind. Of my own th en ,” said Millv. “ I wonder th a t comes. The poet tells us more th an go forth and cry, ‘Excelsior.’ I suppose by m orning I shall helv in g will, I cannot go. The church Itse lf! I “ « >»•'" wi" bother about it. the m athem atician.” must take the responsihlity, and Women never think of such things. “ Yet the poet m ust be a tru th - at the foot of the icy Alps of O rtho th ru st me forth. I do not desire T hey are too sensible.” seeker. He m ust be a m athem atl- doxy, all my youthful enthusiasm “ T h a i’s a privilege of their b irth ,” ci><n. or he cannot properly expres- quenched. Come on! As L uther m a r t y r d o m n o r n o to r ie ty . My pur says, ‘Though a thousand devils p o se is to let t h e c h u r c h m a k e th e said Jim m y. ‘‘They are not ex- his art. He m ust sing hv m easure.” fiat of my departure. I h av e a right pasted to settle the pr-hlem of the “ W hat he seeks finally is melody, were in the way, I won’t turn to do this, in order th a t ever after universe, and so they can he happy. not measure. In studying music, hack.’ ” CHAPTER XXXI. I may be certain of my course, and I do pity th e horn theologian. He I m ust study the scale; hut i t ’s Demorest was obliged to meet the never cast one longing look behind, makes him self ami everybody else music th a t I’m after, and not mere I ask the church to let me work in uncom fortable.” technique. I think knowledge is issue a t last, ¡n spite of his reserve. The conflict was irrepressible. sincerity, just as I am , am id its | “ This dinner is a g<»od prepara- useless, unless it can inspire.” dear associations. If it refuses,, tion for your m arty rd -tn . You are “ T h at m ay he so, yet our highest There is t >o much deadly an tag o n then from henceforth I am free and Letter off th an the old-tim e here- ideals spring from what we know .” ism of thought. The old will not P erhaps not always. Sometimes allow itself to be calm ly supplanted the whole universe shall he my tics.” Is precede our knowledge, by the new. It clings tenaciously “ T hat shows th e progr home.” to it. T h e p o e t h e a r s the to life. Things may go smoothly •‘Ilow does your wife take this world. A hundred yean I should he io a dünget • ire he realizes its form .” for awhile, and the new ideas play change?” ' a hit transcendental, nicely into the vacancies of the a n “ She is thorough orthodox, I be of eating this delicious nrove it.” cient doctrine; but, sooner or later, lieve. She was horn and bred to it suppose F ath er Skinflint “Old yon men always ask for some vital point is touched, and an d never questioned it. I have to see me roasted. But he w as pioof. W e women take things on tin* glare of battle awakes, and dis not had an h o u r’s talk with her on horn to late.” “ And you were h-.rn too early, trust. You like this plum pudding, ruption takes the place of softly the subject. When I told her the gliding evolution. issue was to he met, she was with A hundred years hence, your radi- I know; hut you can ’t prove it.” “ Except by eating, and I will The ecclesiastical council was me a t once. I was indeed asto n cal thought will he food for the con- agree* to furnish th e most ample convened to try him. The church ished. She has been, 1 think, mo.-t servative.” “ Not necessarily. The purpose p ro o f” was crowded to its utm ost capacity. of her life, in a sort of a chrysalis “ Well, the wav we prove most There were about a hundred m inis state, her artistic nature brooding of radicalism will itself he served, am id a stiff wrapping of outw ard when freedom of t h o u g h t h a s he- things is hv eating or using them .” ters present; a queer looking com “T h a t’s a good test. A uything pany. As Ingersoll says, they orthodoxy. When the m om ent come universal. When this is done, came for her real life to be m ani- free thought can go no farth er in th a t we can ’t eat or use is u n tru e.” represented the “ salvage” of the ‘‘Now. vou agree w ith me, an d intellectual life of U’c age. fested, then she flew forth, free from th is direction; tor it will have ac- Of dogina, ready to enjoy all the glory complished th at by which all other furnish a w om an’s reason A thing course, clergym en have a certain of the new-found sky. She repre- things m ay be accomplished. Rad- is good because it is good.” sort of inform ation and ab ility ; hut Rents the slow ami subtle progress icalism am, cons* rvatism will then “ Then let me, like a wom an, have they always give one and over of i he artistic or purely poetic na- be succeeded by new term s, for we the last word. Beauty is use, and whelm ing sense oi flabbiness Once ture. 1 he intellectual nature goes shall not need them . Liberty will beauty; and beauty and use in a while there is one who seems forth first; while art rem ains at *»e the universal state in which all m ake for us the tru th . O ur practi- desirous of throw ing off his clerical homc, and dwells in the order al- m inds can peacefully work; and (>a| ]jfe ¡s t ,,e pest revelation that garb and being a man am ong men. ready attained. It dreads to go liberty will employ new met hods f we have. As the proof of the pud- These, however, have an air of fort h into the raw, rough world. It science and thought, ami new te rn s ding is in the eating, so the proof apology, as if they recognized the wants the com fortable fireside. But by which to enforce them . Wiili of every theory lies in what can be intellectual inferiority of th eir pos when the sturdy intellect, in spite of such impulse and aid* as thes»* will accom plished hv it. The universe ition; th a t they did not occupy the all obstacles, has built up a new give to future arts and inventions, is a blank until it becomes expressed van of hum an thought, and were world, more beautiful because more w hat m ay we not expect? Under in '»nr personal work.” not true teachers, hut mere re tru th fu l, than the old, then art this horoscope, I confess th a t, for “ I will answer in m usic,” said peaters. The m ental degradation hastens to dwell therein. Do we my own sake, I was born too early .” Millv. “ And then you won’t com- of this class of men is indeed piti not see how all literature, painting, “ Oh, ye>! It is all wonderful,” plain of my tongue. A little Chopin able, com pelled to think they must sculpture, music, are treeing them said Millv. “ I begin to wish I will prepare you for your evening’s think in chains, and tam ely creep selves from the tram m els of the h ad n ’t been horn yet awhile. So e n ter'ain m en t, the ecclesiastical in titne-worn paths. There an* no past, and draw ing their noblest in m any discoveries are being made council, where dogs delight to hark m ountain heights for them , only spirations from fresh hum an needs th a t we wonder what will happen and bite.” the jungles of ancient sufierstitions; and themes9” next, and how we would find things She placed the sweet, fantastic and, compelled to dwell in these “ I think you had better come to a few hundred years hence. At strains of Chopin, which so wonder- jungles, they become a sort of wild dinner now,’ said th e artist, hurst- any rate, we should find a few fullv express the pathetic and mvs- beast, despite their white neck-tie ing like a sunluam into the study, things the same. The beautiful tic side of hum an life. Music is and sleek appearance. They will “ I know you have been discussing endures, and I for one will seek the veritable voice of the infinite. hark and bite and tear in pieces. thtologv. It must make v»»u h u n g ry ,, th a t.” , which in its essence can l»e sounded i No class of jieople are capable of GOLDEN THORNE