VOL. 2.
S IL V E R T O N , OREGON . T H U R SD A Y , D EC EM B ER 30, 1897.
NO. 9
1 •
I
The Devil is Dead.
lie \e , a greater nun her of others pie, and have prepared them for feels onlv as an individual being
Sigh, priests, cry aloud, bang your pul- n,ake ’hemselves believe, not com- J opinions which they represented as
and carries on his struggle for ex­
JUIO
"Mil
u*wviw«
¡.its with b lack :
prehendfng w hat it is to believe. In essential to the glory of divinity istence upon bis own account alone
i Let ♦ sorrow IkAiv
«
.
e
!
1
I
i
bow dow n n ovorv
every hou/1
b e a d : •
a
word,
whoever
will
consult
H)tn-
and
to
the
happiness of em pires. and guided by mere personal or
The good friend who bore all your eins
on bis back—
mon sense upon religious opinions,' e have seen, a thousand tim es, in egotistic
_ .......... .................
.......
1/V1C»-
motives.
Man , is , „ a O
socia-
Your l>est friend, th e Devil, is dead.
and will carry into this exam ina- all p arts of our globe, infuriated fa- ' ble or social being and can evident-
Y <ir church is a corpse; you are guard- tion the atten tio n given to objects oatics slaughtering
each other, ly attain his destiny and conse-
The soul of your system has fled.
ot o rdinary interest, will easily per- lighting the funeral piles, com m it- . quently also happiness, only in
Ibat do o iir"011 iS t,ll!ng your teiril,|e ^‘‘ive th at these opinions have no ting without scruple, as a m atter of conjuction wit h his like, or in other
doom ;
solid foundation; th a t all religion d u ty , the greatest crim es. W hy? words, in the m idst of hum an soci-
I t (ells us the Devil is dead.
’Twas knowledge gave S atan a te rrib le is hut a castle in the air; th a t all To m aintain or to propagate the ety- The individual is all that he
blow ;
theology is hut ignorance of n a tu r- im pertinent conjectures of enthusi- can be only in and with h u m an ity
Poor fellow ! he took to his bed.
Alas! idle p riests, th a t such th in g s al causes reduced to a system ; th a t i «sts, or to sanction the knaveries at large, or by its m eans, and his
should be so—
it is but a long tissue of chim eras of im postors on account of a being endeavors after personal happiness
Your m aster, th e Devil, is dead.
and contradictions; th a t it presents who exists only in th eir irnagina- are therefore most in tim ate ly Con-
You’re hid to th e fu n eral, m in isters all : to all the different nations o f the tion and who is known only by the
nected with lh e striv in g < »f m ankind
\\ e ’ve dug th e old g e n tle m a n ’s bed :
earth
only
rom
ances
devoid
of
prob-
ravages,
the
disputes
and
tli
the
follies
Your black coats will m ake a m ost e x ­
in general after prosperity and pro­
cellent pall
ability, of which the hero him self is which he has
1ms caused upon e < a rth .— gress.
To cover your friend who is dead.
m ade up of qualities im possible to [Preface to Common Sense.
Ay! lower him m ournfully in to th e reconcile, his nam e having the
In such a stale of things the col­
S tru ggle for Existence.
Let show ers of tear-d ro p s he sh e d ;
power to excite m all hearts respect
lective body cannot well feel as
Your business is g one; there are no and fear, is found to be a vague
such; it must perceive th a t it is
souls to save—
,
, . ,
.
,,
BY L. BUCHNER.
Their tempter, the devil, is dead.
word, which men continually utter,
better th a t all should strive with
...
,
being
able
to
attach
to
it
only
such
\\ oe comes upon woe; you can ne er get |
united forces and m utual support
All arrangem ents in the state, in
vour dues—
ideas or qualit ies as are belied by
tow ards the sam e goal, tow ards lib­
Hellflb"'’en_tl>e ,U"ined 6OU,B have the facts, or which evidently con- society, in the church, in education,
eration from the tram m els of the
Thev took to their heels when thev heard : trad ict each other.
The notion of in work, etc., in consequence of a
forces of n atu re, th an th a t t h e best
T h e h j a ^ S v i i , is dead.'
' h i“
being, or rath er the most prom inent law of in ertia,
powers should destroy each other
ained far behind w hat
word by which we designate him , • 1,5,8 rem
----------
by m utual contests. C om petition,
needed no m o re;
would be of no const quence did it j 18 requir«d by the general hum an which in itself is so beneficial, may
Revivals are knocked on th e h e a d ;
j not cause ravages w ithout num ber I eonsc^onene8s, elevated as it is by
and will continue, but it m ust be
The orthotlox vessel lies stran d ed on
.,
,
P eru into the hC‘e n tific knowledge, reflection and
shore•
upon the earth
transform ed from the old and rude
I f the forces
Her c ap tain , th e Devil, is dead.
(»pinion th a t this phantom is for m aterial progress.
form of
and <i destruction
v/. Contest .1.11
i iiciiori in
p- —W in. Denton,
to progress had not so great .u
<
i r
•
.
them a very interesting reality, opposed
. ... ....„ .............
. tl_ f
the struggle for existence in to the
men, instead of wisely concluding a,,d powerful a reserve in the ind«»-
nobler and essentially hum an form
Theology is Ignorance.
from its incom prehensibility th at le,,ce H" <1 im m obility rf th e great o f c o m p e t i t i o n for the highest gen­
they are exempt from thinking of and ignorant masses, a very differ­ eral well-being.
In o th er words,
BY JEAN MESLIER.
ent
state
of
t
h
in
g
s
would
long
since
it, on the contrary, conclude th at
th e struggle for the m eans of exist­
When we wish to exam ine in a they cannot occupy them selves have taken th»' [»lace of th a t which ence will he replaced by the stru g ­
cool, calm way the opinions of men, enough about it, fct.at they must has h ith erto prevailed.
gle for existence, m an by hum anity
we are very much surprised t o find m» d ilate upon it w ithout ceasing,
In such a position of affairs as at large, m utual conflict by u n i­
that in those which we consider the reason w ithout end, and never lose this
___ there
______....
can he r,.................
no greater „ or .........~
more versal harm ony, personal m isfor­
most essential, n o th in g is more rare sight of it. The invincible ignor- elevating task for the philanthrop- tune by general happiness, an d gen­
than to find them using common ance in which they are kept in this int th an the investigation of those eral hatred
by universal love!
sense; th a t is to say, the portion of respect, far from discouraging them , I points in which this disproportion W ith every step in this path man
judgment sufficient to know the does hut excite their curiosity; in- makes itself most strongly felt and w ill depart more and m ore widely
most simple tru th s, to reject the stead of puttin g them on guard in which the struggle f<»r existence from his past anim al condition,
most striking absurdities, and to against tlm ir im agination, this ig- may be rendered easier and more ir»»m his subjugation to th e forces
lie shocked by palpable contradie- noranee makes them positive, dog- advantageous both to the individ- of nature and th eir inexorable laws
Hons \\ e have an exam ple of this niatic, im perious, and causes them ual man and for m ankind in gener- and approach more and more to the
in theology, a science revered in all to quarrel with all those who op- al. These are at th e sam e tim e the id« a! of hum an developm ent. On
tunes, in all countries and by the pose doubts to the reveries which very points at which man is best u this
lIP „ course
, UrBc ne
win nnu
th a a t t
lie will
find again
again th
greatest
num ber of m ortals; an o h - their brains have brought forth, able to show his dom inion over the Paradise, the ideal
of which floated
•
..........
.............................
"•
.......-
................
.
'
-
..........
......................ru
d
,\
"
a
lu
ra
l
cor.litionH,
a
n
d
thus
before
Ihe
fancy
of
.he
moat
ancient
ject considered the most im p o rtan t, W hat perplexity when we under
H e most useful and the most indis- take to solve an iinsolvohle prob- to raise him self fu rth est above his nations, and w hich, according to
pensahle to the happiness of socio- lend
A nxious m editations upon lowly past. I he farth er lie departs trad itio n , was lost by the sin of the
ty. If they would hut take the an object im possible to grasp, and from the point of his anim al origin first m an. f he only difference will
trouble to sound the principles up- which, however, is supposed to he and relationship and replaces the be th a t this P aradise of the future
°n which th is pretended science very im portant to him , can hut put forces of n atu re, which form erly e x - will he not im aginary but real
rests itself, they would be com- a m an in a bad hum or and produce erted an unlim ited influence over th a t it will come not a t the begin-
peJed tc adm it th a t the principles in his brain dangerous transports, him, by his own free and rational ning, l»ut a t the close of our devel-
" bich were considered incontesta- W hen interest, vanity and am bition spontaneity, the more does he he- opm ent, and th at it will not he the
’•le are hut hazardous suppositions, are joined to such a morose dispo- come m an in the true sense of the gift of a deity, hut the result of the
conceived in ignorance, propagated sition, society necessarily becomes word, and th e more does he ap- labors and m erits of m an and of
H.v enthusiasm or had intention, troubled. This is why so m any na- proach th a t goal which we m ust the h u m an in te lle c t—[M an Past
adopted by tim id credulity, pre- tions have often become the thea- regard as th e future of m an and of Present and F u tu re
served by habit, which never reas- tres of extravagances caused by the h u m an race. B ut for th is pur-
°r:s. and revered solely because not nonsensical visionists,who, publish- pose it is above all things necessary
,
comprehended. Some, says Mon- ing th eir shallow speculations for for him to recognize th a t his natur- .i
/
m.U t^ trouble
taigne, make the world lielieve th a t the eternal tru th , have kindled the al destiny can never lie attained by w ouhfit*be wise for^T b»Sunth^na'ke
"bich they do not them selves be- enthusiasm of princes and of pe »- him so long as he, like the anim als, to enforce the laws of God?— [¿el.