Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 1897)
I HE T«>'tCH <>F REASON, SILV ER TO N , OREGON, TH U R SD A Y , NOVEM BER 25, 1897. T ) r h ()f F ^ C H S O P l an<* 8 good things highest being of which we have p ern atu ral in other religions, go to that will come when old Orthodoxy knowledge, an Infidelic, Free- prove th a t n a tu re ’s laws have not is dead? We think there is a way, thought, Liberal, Secularist. changed the th o u san d th p art of a The Only P aper of Its Kind. and we are working at it. The 0 , great and wise being, thou midget in six thousand years. Then Published W eekly by the Liberal I ni plan is this: All people who be- who understandeth the great evils those m iracles are ju st as possible versity C om pany, in the In terests of lieve that the true religion is *‘t«» in the world, thou who knowest today as they ever were, and no C onstructive, Moral Secularism . do good’’ and by good we mean th at Science is the true savior sound, sensible person should try J E H osm er E d ito r everything that increases our hap- and th a t Ignorance, S uperstition, to believe th a t such wonderful, un- P. W. Geer, M anager piness and developcs us physically, and fear form the triu n e Devil reasonable events ever transpired. m entally, and m orally, should at th at is destroying o u r happiness, Science finds no proof th a t any Entere»! at th e postolfiee at <ilverton, on(»e unite and educa!«- each oth»*r we pray you to help us in our great child could be born of a virgin with Orearon, ha Beeond-clasfi uiail m atter. !. . _ .. , . , .. ,, Come right now and a su p ern atu ral being for its father, in th e work <>¡ “ Secular b alv atio n ”, un d ertak in g then we will he able to strike a bless us as thou »cent we need, and as we are told Jesus was; or th a t a SUBSCRIPTION R A T E S . O ne year, in a d v a n c e ..........................¡i 00 blow th at will tell. Now, if we all H um anity will have all the praise, person, dead long enough for de- Six m onths in a d v an c e .................... 2*. go at this work at once , in a very and the glory, and the honor for- com position, could be raised to life, T hree m o n th s, in a d v an c e ................ short time, we who are in good ever. A m en. like L azarus; or th a t two days were In clubs of five <»r m ore, one year, « a health will probably see the great in a d v an c e .......................................... ever turned into one to give one of Money should Ire sent by registered change right in our day; and, Jeh o v a h ’s war generals, Joshua, a A N u c le u s . le tte r or m oney order. f,i«'inls of tru th , don't you know chance to do a little more m urder If we do not let our friends know that you will he far happi« r, yes, ing. Notice! •what we w ant, how can we expect and far healthier if sou take a real Every system of religion has its A pencil m ark her«1 denotes th a t your them to help us? We have m an m iracles and its wonderful men, subscription will expire w ith the next interest in this great work of rais aged at last to pay for tin* printing nu m b er. You are earn estly requested ing hum anity out o ftlie slimy mire but as people investigate more into to renew so th a t you may receive th e pa outfit, hut our expenses for printing the real and n atu ra l, faith in the per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de of ignorance a n d fear. the 1 wo papers, etc., are quite heavy, cided th a t it is Irest for all concerned The one great hindrance to our supernatural declines. H um an good th a t we do not send papers longer th an and we are still in debt a little. will yet be the object of all, and th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. work is the little prejudices that N'»w this worries us some, ami we Tnis will p revent any loss ami we will many Freethinkers have. There is scientific wisdom the only m eans ku -w just w here we stan d . could do better work if we were of grace. There were plenty of We («‘quest you to send us the nam es no individual or organization th a t free. Then we want to raise mon of Secularists who m ight beeome sub- cati ju st suit everybody, and see disturbances and wars before scrib» rs ami we will mail sam ple copies. ey to fin is h the new building next her»*. F reethinker. d<> you realize C hrist lived. Some of his teachings spring. Of course there is some in THURSDAY, NOV. 25, E. M. 297 I th a t the won we have undertaken were good and far ahead of his side work th a t could he done this is the verv best there is in the I time; but others were so bad th a t w inter, hut perhaps it is as well to world? It is the only school of the soon after the introduction of C hris W e P ra y . wait until we commence work on kind in existence of which we have tian ity •/ disturbances and wars in- • he main building. This will be It has been predict» d by high knowledge, ami all that is re«juired creased tenfold. See M att, x, 34: just as soon as the good w eather C hristian auth o rity, Rev. Thom as to make its establishm ent the graini “ I come not to send peace, but a c o n ie s. Dixon J r . , th a t in less than 200 est thing of the nineteenth century, sword.” M orality is in ju red by Now h"W had we better go at the years there will not he a single is the hearty su p p -ri of the friends prescribing to it duties th a t are im b u s i . < f raising the m oney? We church in existance. of tru th and right, before the cen possible to perform , like “ Love your think tu a t it would be a good “ He contended th at church or tury goes the way of all the earth. enem ies”. If such were possible it plan for some one who expects to ganism was a failure, and th a t it We are now in a position to know- would be productive of evil, offer help, to deposit, say $100, more or m ust change with the developm ent ju st what vve can do, and it is a ing a prem ium for crime. of man. Churches m ust re-organ- fact th a t if we had the money to less, in Coo'idze& McClaitie’s bank, W»* know th a t C hristian ity has suhj ct to <.ur order when a certain ize or perish, and those th at w ereltin i-h our buildings and get the filled the world with bloody wars not re-organiz ng were perishing necessary ap p aratu s we could soon am ount, say $3000, is there depos and persecutions. It has opposed ited for the building. This would rapidly. Creed was but a question have the largest and most prosper learning, science and liberty, of inherited ideas, and there was ous school in the whole world and furni.-h a nucleus and we could add thw arted justice and destroyed 110 virtue in the stones and m ortar oh, you lovers of m ental liberty, can to it as fast as possible, and by equality. of church edifices. you estim ate the grand and rapid spring we would probably have the The bible seems to indicate th a t money raised. ‘The evolution of a hum an con results? God w anted to teach some science, Do ; ou think it a good plan? science,’ lie said, ‘the object of Come, help u>; we are doing all as well as law, to the Jew’s; but its Who will «‘art the ball rolling? which shall he the destiny of m an, w«* can. We realize th a t there are science is th a t in use when the bi is what we are aim ing at. The others who might do the work b e t ble was w ritten. W hen the great evolution of C hristian civilization ter than we, hut they will not and S c ie n tific W is d o m . scientists, G alileo and B runo op has the ear m arks of a social o r it mu.-t he done. If you are liberal posed those bible theories, they and Helps Tow ard T ra c t No. 2: “ Has C h ris tia n ity ganism th a t shall he a redeemed j r«‘Ve your lile rality bv sacrificing or Science /“lo st Promoted C iv iliz a tio n ? “ a great m any others had to sueffr com m unity.’ ” a t least one-tenth as much as the at the hands of bible-believers. B Y J )E L M . B E R R Y . We heiieve th a t our C hristian C hristians are com m anded to give The bible tau g h t th a t the earth was brother is right in thinking th a t io th e Lord. O ne-tenth of one- Scientific wisdom, or the bible — fiat and had four corners, with the churches will soon begone, and tenth is one-hundredth. Some which shall it he? The disciples great pillars upon which the found th at in th eir place will he found hav»* given their all to the work, of C hrist received grace from him ation rested. It don’t tell upon w hat such organizations a s th e Oregon but they are f«*w and need more and w rought m iracles, cast out the pillars rested. I f God or his State Secular Union and its a u x i tli in til« \ pi» ss to m ake the work devils, had visions, prophesied of prophets w anted to prolong a day, liaries. lor the ... . teaching of science, what it should be. \\ e need work I future events, healed the sick, and all they had to do was to com m and l.b en y , u u .„o ral.ty; but we need ¡in y .m r locality; we need a kind raised (he dead. But how is th is — the sun to stand still. The scient not wait -Oil year« H every Liberal word; we need money and we need 8 re there no true disciples of C hrist ists stuck to it th a t the earth was io " < r. .1 'ze I le nnportaoee of our «luden's. I he C hristian people today, or has C hrist lost bis power, rouud, and they had to suffer per- r , leFt lt * ’G • 1 to n , umi h» in- are n«»t»*d f"i begging and praying, th a t none of these wonderful things secutioiis, till finally a m an sailed «m«( to tak« hold of it in dead and with the exception of the are done now? Not even one poor west and by going straig h t ahead -earnest. At tl‘ "'G io u t object t<> which they pray and the prophet in all the world! No dev- came back home from the east. seeing this gr--.it t« * fo i m a tio n ’ ? ohj. ct for w hich th e y beg, we ils to cast out! Physicians do not Then the C hristians claim ed th a t We f« el .sure that the grand- think they are all right. Instead depend on the gift of C hrist as a the bible in scientific m atters only c h i b i> n, th< ir children, <>t,at least, of begging for money to pay a remedy! Nobody would bury a spoke the language of appearances, m eir grand-children will not he preacher’s salary to preach m yths frie n d \f it were possible to raise th e and adapted itself to th e under- tauuht th e absurd superstitions or to build a costly god-house, we dead. W hat I w ant to get into the standing of th e people. But if an and <-vil principles that are still beg of you to help us build th is m inds of bible-believers is this: all-wise god — 1 undertook to teach dished up to us by “ God’s anointed” school, but perhaps we would do The laws of nature are either anything about science he would and th»* C hristian literature of ollr better to pray, and we will, but, changeable or they are not. All have tau g h t them the tru th so they d < n ,b u t is n tth « N ««»m« wa\ that instead of praying to a deaf and Science and all history, except the could understand it. B u tm e n h a v e we » an ma •« thir.gs m o\t fa ster,¡d u m b Nothing, we pray to the bible and sim ilar records of the s u -< found out th is an d all o th er scien- z