T H E TORCH OF REASON, SILV ER TO N , OREGON, T H U R SD A Y , F E B R U A R Y 3, 1898.
believed in is vastly more irratio n ­ o f scientific clearness I object to ]Hriguage of science, contains iii.th-
saying that I have a soul, when I -ng. I ” the language of theology
al!) is a n atu ral im possibility.
Agnosticism is the neutral ground
Science furtherm ore—even in its mean all the while th at m y organ-
(*°ntains God.
God must be
occupied by scientists and others 5choo, (MM,|[g_ aflil.IIlg , | la,
¡„ ism haw certain m ental functions,
f°r he is everywhere. That
concerning Theism and M aterial- a n a n i „,a |. H e is bred and born which, like the rest, are dependent sP«‘‘e does not contain a part of
ism. A la Webster: “Opposed alike an animal and where such anim al on its m olecular com position, and <,o<b for he is invisible and devoid
to dogm atic skepticism and to dog- ¡p not> thpre m an ¡„
w ben come to an end when I die.” (Is
Pa,’ts. God is unchangeable
m atic theism .
C tn such an atti- such anim al dies and is d isin teg rat­ this M a te ria lism or Agnosticism?)
«like. Hence, God is sheer einp-
e d 6 be honestly and reasonably pd, sucb individual man can exist * * ‘ It is ‘rue th at if philosopher.-
« " ‘I theology is th at sci< ,,Cc
m a in ta in e d /
no more. As the existence of man have suffered, their cause has been ^n ich explains our relations and
Theism and its associate dogmas jg not k „ own to
W o re ,,|e am ply revenged.
E xtinguished “ hligations to a vacuum ,
are either reasonable or n n re aso n a-!ej[jHtenc8
|h e al)im a, g() ¡, kn„„,8 theologians lie about the cradle of
Ih P riestley .
ble. I f the former, these beliefs „ othing of , he exjgtenw of lllan every science, as the st angled
should be accepted by every honest when tbe an im a, exi8t„ „„ ,n„ re snakes beside th a t of H ercules.”
P a s t, P re se n t, a n d F u tu re
m an and woman.
I f the latter, An(j , b p a „ in ia, ¡„ , he pgn_ m ind or (W ho but a radical A theist would
they should be perem ptorily reject- consciousness of m an, and the ego thus speak about the only men who
ed. We have no moral right to an-1 ¡8 tbis a n im al(though science may teach G od?) • • “ But ’ supposing , rh e
H '« “ 1»«- of nature j,
tagonize theists if the fundam ental nQt yet bp ab]e to exp)ajo ^ y , . , , ^ ; , the phenom ena o f spiritualism lo! C ,fie “ nd P " * " * 8- Nothing
1 < A genuine—they
fTfl I 1 It I »A /"fc ♦ 1 » « » do
X 1 Z’X not
r . X a interest
— X
x stands still. All is onward. The
tenets of th eir faith are rational. If p h en o m en a). because in the absence 1 he
irra tio n al, it is our duty to re- of such anim al structure, m ind is
me. If anybody would end o w me art, science, philosophy, and culture
nounce them and to fearlessly pro- never m anifp8t All these are well with the faculty of listening to the of ancient Greece have given wav
claim our belief in N aturalism , or know„ (actg. a |, e|sp ¡g conjtM, „ lrp>
ch atter of old women and curates in to the progress of the Nineteenth
Materialism, and its incidental delusion, affirmation without evi- the nearest cathedral town, I should century. We need only look-
Atheism. Because rejecting theism deuce hence al, thig mng,
rpject. decline the privilege, having better through the powerful lens of the
settles the problem and absolutely ed.
things to do, and if they talk in the telescope of history to convince us
establishes the invulnerableness of
To insist then th at M aterialism spirit world no more sensibly and th a t evolution rules the world in
M aterialism .
There is room for is as irrational as 1 heism, or more
wisely than th eir friends report sp ite of the barricades placed by
doubt of the agnostic attitu d e only so, as H uxley has done, is unreason­
them to do, I put them in the same the bloody hands of the trin ity —
if the degree of reasonableness o f able or dishonest, prostituting our
category. The only good that I can ignorance, superstition, and fear.
the two beliefs is alike or ap p ro x i­
intellects. It is debasing the great­ see in «a dem onstration of th e tru th It is not only our privilege but our
m ately so.
est of all positive sciences to the of Spiritualism is to furnish an a d ­ duty to discard all th at proves det-
But w hat are the facts?
M ater­
level of an hypothesis, and exalting ditional argum ent against suicide. rim edtal to progress, unreliable and
ialism em braces am i implies all
the absurd m yths of the ape-men Better live a crossing-sweeper than unw orthy of our confidence, and to
facts, all existence, every science,
to the dignity of reasonable proba­ die and be made to talk tw addle by accept in its place the true, the
every object of knowledge, every­ bilities. It is placing on the same
a ‘m edium ’ at a guinea a seance.” noble, and the just. T h at which
thing terrestrial, all tru th , every plane of rationalism , absolute truth
adm its of no advance, no progress,
— [W’ettstein, in Free Opinion.
cause, every effect, everything con­ and m ildest conjecture.
is a parasite sucking the life blood
ceivable and inferable, in short, th e
of tru th . The law of evolution ap­
V lien T yndall said: “ The order
riu
cli
/Ado
A
bout
N
o
th
in
g
.
great aggregate of all existence. and energy of the universe I hold
plies to religion as well as all else.
\\ hatever is comes legitim ately u n ­ to be in h eren t and not imposed I
If a m an th in k him self som ething Evolution m akes no distinction of
der the head of M aterialism , and
when he is n o th in g , he deceiveth h im ­ class nor creed. The noisy babble
from without, the expression of self.—[P
a u l.
whatever is known to science can
of the brook, the steady How of the
fixed law and not of arb itrary will
be classified by this greatest and
This text affirms, in the first river, the sullen roar of the ocean,
exercised by w hat Carlyle would
universal science of all sciences.
place, th a t a man may th in k when all speak the life-giving word, on ­
call an ‘A lm ighty C lockm aker;” ’
W hat <loes theism im ply? N oth­ and when H uxley, the originator of he is nothing.- W’e infer, then, th a t ward .
ing! —- fa b le s, tra d itio n s , m y th s , Agnosticism, and Spencer endorsed nothing can think. N othing, also,
M any years ago the crocodile was
is
of
the
m
ale
sex.
Nothing
(s
very
superstitions.
worshipped as a god. Now, all
this sentim ent, it proved beyond
W hat is M aterialism ? Positiv­ doubt and cavil th a t all three of liable to he egotistical and conceit­ wonder how any in telligent being
ism. naturalism , the science of the these great thinkers are dogm atic ed. Nothing may he a m an, may could be so blind. We have evolv­
universe and all its innum erable A theists, all they said to the con­ think himself som ething and get ed still further. Secularists, in
fooled.
W hat a physiognom ical their tu rn , look with the same
phenom ena, incidentally, or rather trary notw ithstanding.
study it would he to observe the am azem ent upon the C hristian, who
as a m atter of course, “ dogm atical­
Io further prove the inconsist­
ly sk eptical” — concerning what? ency of Huxley and the fact th at features of that m an, who is n o th ­ kneels to bis im aginary god. But
A solitary fact?
A single truth? he posit vely was a M aterial­ ing, perplexed over the m istake lie in our pride we m ust not forget
No! Sim ply skeptical concerning ist am i, incidentally, an Atheist, in had made in th in k in g himself th a t Secularism , too, is evolving
and has evolved. W e can look
absurd trad itions of the dark ages spite of bis cow ardly attem pt to som ething.
N othing may he a m arried m an, hack to the tim e wheu Liber.ilism
and the unverified asseverations of shield bimseK from the.-tigm a still
and his wife ;s com m anded by the meant sim ply to doubt the creeds
theists of all ages ami countries.
associat'd with this God-denying
M aterialism dogm atically affirms nai. e, and so unpopular am ong bi- inspired apostle, “ If sh e will know and dogmas of the C hristian and
th a t when it knows th a t twice two friends and associates, I will sub­ anything, let her ask her husband to cry out for liberty. All this is
! past. The true S ecularists realizes
is four, th a t twice two cannot possi­ mit the following from bis own al home.
Nothing has a never-dying soul th a t som ething m ust be done; that
bly equal five or any other num ber writings.
to save, and is liable to he roasted the world is well fitted for a para­
but four.
1 be one established
“ We are not here to e n q u ire w h at
forever it. hell. Nothing, when he dise and now is the time. He
fact makes the other impossible.
we w ould prefer but w hat is tr u e .” is a man, is m ade in the im age of
So it likewise affirms that abstract
looks with pity upon the crim e and
* * “Science is teaching the world God, and woman is m ade in the
existence today being a self-evident
misery which exist today, and re­
th a t the ultim ate court of appeal image of nothing.
fact, such <*x is, cnee (in its elem ent­
alizes th a t conditions m ust be
is observation and »xperim ent, and
God is everywhere. Let us make changed. H e realizes th a t nioral-
ary form) m ust be e te rn a l—hence
not au thority.” (W hat has he “ ob­ an experim ent and see if we can ity is the most pressing dem and of
never was c re a t'd and, hence the
served” —nature or a God?)— “ Does find him.
the age—an absolute necessity, and
fallacies of I heism. And nature,
man originate in a different way
The weight of the atm osphere should be the basis, the foundation
pre-occupying infinite expanse, nec­
from a dog, bird, frog or fish? The will sustain a colum n of m ercury of life. M orality is not a creed, it
essarily excludes a G od—in what-
t
i ,
reply is not d o u b tfu l for a m om ent- about tw enty-nine inches high. Let is science. The old tim e liberal de-
ever form conceived—from occupy- . ¡ a ' ♦
•
,
’
.
,1
,
w ithout question, the mode of or- us take a tube forty inches long stroyed; the S ecularist builds. His
mg the same space also.
. . .
.’
.
v ° or
a .
.
,
’8ln 111 the early stages of the de- and fill it with m ercury.
We will foundation com pleted, he steadily
Sctence proclamm that whatever vein,-went of „.an are identical
,» peraoaal cannot he infinite and with those of the anim al immedi- insert the open end into a vessel of advances, brick by brick, stone by
w hatever ,a .„fan,te cannot be per- ately below him in the scale; with- mercury. The m ercury will settle stone, until the stru ctu re is corn-
sou« , hence a personal G o d - “ a out a doubt in these respecU he is down to tw enty-nine inches, leav- pleted — a lighthouse sending its
then
cal cram p,” Em erson calls far nearer to apes th an the apes are ing an em pty space, or vacuum in rays to safely guide the wander-r
it (1 hough I he im personal God he | to the dog.” * * “ In the interest the u p p er end of the tube, eleven over tbe shoals of life, at last lead-
inch, s long.
T h at space, in the ing the way to a couch cushioned
/A gnosticism Not T enable.