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THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1897.
Torch Of
I^CciSOn
°f ^ ‘e ^aw or °* a gw<*’ ^ ° u r“kbedmeof the power to make thusiastic worker would not have
poor coward, I cannot help pitying my meaning clear to you? If they been in the work if it had not beeu
yon for your weakness.
“ But this idea of not being to
Published W eekly by th e L iteral U ni­ blame for our bad actions, ami not
versity Com pany, in the In terests ot
particularly to he praised for our
C onstructive, Moral .Secularism.
good conduct, will not do to teach
J. E. H o sm e r,....................... Editor’ to children,” is me cry of some who
P. W . ( je e r ,....................... M an ager have not yet learned to look into
their m inds and see there the
E ntered at the jiostoifice at Silverton,
product of conditions. We hold,
Oregon, as second-class mail m atter.
and n<»t without experience, th a t it
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
is a benefit to young people to
One year, in ad v an ce..........................f l 00 know th a t you feel sorry for all
Six m onths in ad v an ce....................
5C
T hree m onths, in ad v an ce................
25 their weaknesses. If a child is
In clubs of five or more, one year,
saucy or disobedient, kind treat ­
in a<l v a n c e ..............................................
75
ment for his troubles
is more
M oney should he sent by registered
beneficial than punishment for his
letter or money order.
crimes ; and again, it. is certain that
N otice!
as soon as a ch ild ’s mind is capable
of knowing the tru th it is capable
A pencil m ark here denotes that, your
subscription will expire with the next of using th a t tru th to its ow n ad
have, we b» g of you to endeavor to for the Liberal U niversity. Then
think of this great subject un til we have others with excellent
you solve it to your com plete satis- ability, who will soon be ready to
faction. It is the great dividing lecture if our friends are friendly
line between
C hristianity and enough. A num ber of stu d e n ts
Secularism.
C h ristian ity has »I
were added to our school this w’eek
god to whom we a re resp o n sib le.
He has given us “ free wills” to do and others will he here next
M any very valuable
as we please and we are responsible Monday.
to him . He will bless us if we do books, not less than tw enty, were
right and dam n us if we do wrong; added to the lib rary , and every­
hut Secularism has no gods. We thing seems in a growing, prosper­
are creatures of evolution and as ous condition.
B ut perhaps the best feature of
such m an is not accountable at all
for what he is.
It is not the the whole work is the way the
natural desire of m an to do wrong. stu d en ts are working, We wish
It is n atu ral for us to want to do our friends everyw here could see
those things whieh are beneficial to them digging away for the great
us. and if we are not deceived by gems of tru th th a t go to make up
evil teachings we would all do a good education, and see th eir
num ber. Yon are earnestly requested
e an d if the tr u th is n<»t un- .
to renew so th a t you may receive the pa­ v i an . tag
i f we have the ic*at note honks with the results of
i . i
o .
i
; right naturally
per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de­ derstood there will be no b a rm
.
.- al
_
. «lestre to do right, we can no more earnest, faithful endeavor. As we
cided th a t it is best for all concerned
, , . , .
,
,
. . ,
th a t we do not semi papers longer than done. Of course, if , the m atter is I ; h e lp
th is d e s ire th a n th e c rim in a l are writing one student comes into
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. presented so as to leave a wrong
.
.
.
whose strongest impulse leads him the room and exclaim s, “ 0 , it’s
T his will {»revent any loss ami we will
impression, or if through an in-1
°
r
know ju st w here we stan d .
to commit a c ”im«*. Can you help not twelve yet; I will study aw h ile
We request you to send us the nam es h erite d w eakness or e a rly m is tra in -
your thought at this moment? If before d in n er.’’ The forenoon ses­
of Secularists who m ight become su b ­
ing,
the
child
m
iscom
prehends
arid
sion closes at 11:30 a. m ., you see,
scribers and we w ill mail sam ple copies.
iiiisappli**« thn tru th then the rau,t j o u d" change it you cannot help
and she is now working, of h er
rHURSDAY, NOV. 18, E. M. 297 i» not in th e tru th but in the prc. but change it, and to change it
,. t .
.
again only proves th at the im pulse own free will, with a num ber of
vious conditions. We can conceive!
.
.
1
to again change was the stronger others, th a t she m ay lose no tim e.
Do N o t C o n d e m n .
of cases where it would he better to
There is not much danger of over
and prevailed. Every action of
In <>ur opinion there is no greater develope great tru th s g radually to ! our lives depends on the thought work, either, for all have two good
tru th n<»r one th at, when well certain unfortunates, the sam e as th at impelled th a t action, and periods each day in which th ey
learned, will be more beneficial to we would gradually bring the light therefore our actions are w hat they have system atic calisthenic ex er­
m ankind, than the fact that people to hear upon one who was are, not because we have planned cises, which is the very best thing
are not responsible for their receiving treatm ent for the eyes, it thus, we repeat, but because in the world to keep young and old
thoughts nor for their actions hut these cases are very rare in­ our strongest impulses, which are in good health.
The Sunday school work is not
We are what we are; we do as we deed, and as a rule the sunlight of direct offsprings of our evolved in ­
tru
th
is
what
we
w
ant
and
no
fear
to be overlooked.
Who can esti­
do; we think our thought, not be­
heritances, compel us to thus act.
m ate the F reethought work th a t
cause we have planned it so but be­ of evil results need he anticipated.
Ah, how kind and gentle and
W
hen
people
u
n
d
erstan
d
what
cause conditions compel us to think
forgiving we will become when we will be done when the S unday
and act a » we do. To he sure, we Robert G. Ingersoll and other great have fully learned this great les­ School and U niversity students
may l ave a desire to do good and thinkers have been trying to im ­ son. You, dear friend, are the reach m anhood and wom anhood?
also a counter dt sire to he bad, but press upon our minds, th a t we are
sam e as we are. W’e have weak­ Think of it! We never before have
as
we
must
he,
then
there
will
he
the stronger impulse will decide
had trained workers! W hat will
nesses
th
at
we
may
or
we
m
ay
not
our course, and this impulse comes no capital punishm ent in our
be the outcom e? T he C hristian
families,
in
»
u
rach
.-b
,
nor
in
our
|
Oursubseque.it
lives
not because we have a “free m oral
would say, “ O, it will not am o u n t
government. Will we never learn W1“ tel1 the
an,i wbe‘her we
to an y th in g ,’’ hut when he says it
agency,’’ but because our brains
that
the
old
hickory
ruler
and
the
|
are
a
help
and
a
blessing
to
our-
are as they have been made by
selves and to our fellow men de- he is shaking in his boots for fear
old
birch
rod
of
our
forefathers
is
th a t it will, and h a lf wishing th a t
conditions over which we have had
pends altogether on w hat we are
not
productive
of
good?
Can
we
no control.
he could he free from su p erstitio n
now
and
w
hat
our
surroundings
But can we not, and do we not, never com prehend th a t to hang are to be. And when we are himself.
choose what course we pursue, and one’s brother, or his son, or his through, although our work will
Eliza Mowry Bliven’s wmrk needs
do not some choose the good and neighbor, does not m ake a better live on either for good or for evil, to be remembered. Do you know
some th'* bad? Yes, we choose our m an—a better citizen ? Fear is the we will rest, but the great struggle her plan means a great victory
course but we cannot help our weapon of ty ra n ts and ty ra n ts do upw ard tow ard the light, will be for freethought? She needs work­
choice. T h at is beyond our control. not m ake a happy people. Go in­ carried on by beings a little better, ers to make it a perfect success,
We cannot help a single thought. to a school room where the rod is and a little stronger, and a little but she will get them, for we dis­
You may choose or think vou will most used and you will find one wiser, than we. The n a tu ra l desire cover that she has the staying
appear to its ad-
think of other things, now th a t vou where it , would
,
.
, * ,
of man is to do right, and when qualities that are necessary in any
vocates
to
be
most
needed:
but
go
,
, ,, ,
have read this, hut this is one of
. . .
.
, artificial props and blocks are great enterprise of this kind.
the m any things that you have into the same school when the rod once removed. Mother Nature with Don’t underestimate this work.
come in contact with, and it makes has been throw n aw ay and love loving hands will lead us to the Just think what it means if it is
and reason substituted, and a
you think as you do.
successful! Let’s all join hands
fountain of eternal youth.
motion
of
the
hand,
a
glance
of
the
“ \\ by, if this is true and we are
and make it a great success.
eve
is
sufficient.
The
same
is
true
altogether creatures of circum-
Next summer will see the new
G ood R e s u lt s .
of
a
nation.
Kind
treatm
ent
of
stanc* s, w’e will have ju st all the
University building completed if
the
unfortunates,
who
through
in-
We do not wish to boast of we all do our best, and we may be
fun we can ,’ says some believer in
God and the free moral agency herited diseas«* or deformity of the many good results of our work, able to buy the other four acres of
idea. “ We will steal and lie and the brain, or who have been warp- but in order that our friends may land before our option expires,
Newspapers all over the country
drink and do an y th in g we choose.” ed by c«»n<litions they found on know what is being accomplished it
Ah, this is your idea of having a their coming to this “vale of tears,” is well to place on exhibition some begin to notice our existence, many
The O nly Paper of Its Kind.
g< < d, time is it? Well, conditions
make a happy, progressive
have not been right or perhaps vou PHOI’lp> a,,d eliminate the evils pro-
would enjoy doing right , and dueed by the heathenish punish-
would not be serving your master
olden times.
Fear and only refraining from ex-
Kind reader, can you grasp my
cesso a kinds, because you are, thought, or have had conditions
of the many things that the Sec- of them speaking of us in terms
ularists of Oregon are doing.
of commendation. Add to all this
East Sunday we listened to one what we have learned in our year’s
of the best lectures ever delivered work and we rejoice with our
in Silverton. It was delivered by friends at the bright prospects for
Miss Kate De Peatt, and this en-1 our school and our glorious cause.