T H E TORCH O F REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, T H U R SD A Y , F E B R U A R Y 24, 1898.
4
Torch of Reason
The O n ly Paper of Its K in d .
T h e M o d e rn In f id e l.
Waco, T ex as, seems to be the
home of several species of the genus
P ublished W eekly by th e Lilæral I ni- homo som etimes called in-fiddles.
versity C om pany, in the In tere sts of
There the editor of the In depend­
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
ent P ulpit, Mr. Shaw, resides.
J. E. H osm er,...................... E ditor Then, there is the Iconoclast, edit-
P. W . ( j e e r , .................. .. . M a n a g e r ed hy W r Bran> (h ,. idol, and ideal,
......... .
*
: .............. ......... . iff... • ........ ............... . • ' ■
-
Entered a I the poetolfice at Silverton, .
■ • , •
Oregon, as second-class m ail m atter.
Autonom ist is edited in th a t won­
derful citv of cranks, and it is to an
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
article headed, “ The Modern Infi-
One year in advance........................ *100 d el,” found in th e last m entioned
Six m o n th s in a d v a n c e ...................
oo
25 m o n th ly , to w hich we wish to ( II
T hree m onths, in advance...............
In d u b s of five or m ore, one year,
75 the attention of our readers. Ilerr
Money should Is* sent by registered it is:
letter or m oney order.
“ I find the modern Infidel for
in advance.......................................
Notice!
A fxuicil m ark here denotes th a t your
subscription will ex p ire w ith the next
nu m b er. You are e arn estly requester!
to renew so th a t you m ay receive th e pa­
per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have d e­
cided th a t it is best for all concerned
th a t we do not send papers longer th an
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered.
T his will p rev en t any loss ami we will
know ju st w here we stan d .
We request you to semi us the nam es
of S ecularists who m ight become suh-
s e r i h e r s and wr* will m ail sam ple copies.
the most part, as inconsisent, as ab­
surd and as bigoted as the old or-
thodox. And right here I wish to
give M acdonald, of the New York
drun, "'" k' F’ “
SiZ" '1 C<>nUn"
' ’" l a m now w riting with a R .n.-
and it proves again th at the O re­
gon S tate Secular Union in adopt-
a basis did a very wise thing. Sec­
ularists, real, true Secularists, can
work together in an organization,
but not all infidels can, and the
different factions of Infidelity are
as far ap art as the most orthodox
orth<»<1,>x ar»* T’":!: the nioeL.l’nfldel
i nfidels.
But let us exam ine Mr. A rm ­
strong’s article. The title, “ The
Modern Infidel,’' shows a great lack
of .judgm ent, for there are m any
kinds of m odern Infidels, and the
reader would ha led to think only
of the one kind m entioned and for­
g et the class to which Mr. Arm-
strong belongs and the other class-
os. Mr. M acdonald, of the T ru th -
seeker, is chosen as the type. W hy?
18 *l beca" He he ,,est 8erv<‘8 as a
8caPeK',a < for th « 8'» 8 ” f Mr. Arm-
hood is for the benefit of hum anity
and our statem ent th a t sanitv is
therefore, not possible excepting on
some more reasonable basis than
th a t of im m ortality , is worth at
least as much as Mr. A rm strong’s
opposite statem ent.
To sav, as he
does, th at the scientific must he un-
’
■ .
........... . ’
sheaves of a shock of absurdities
and the other is found when we
read his statem ent th a t “ if life
ends in death, and death is noth­
ingness, then life is a cause with­
out an effect” .
If a river should
dry up would it have been a cause
w ithout an effect? Life is fhe effect
of m any causes and the cause of
m any effects, even if death does
end the individual life, and no one
knows this better or realizes its im­
portance more th a n the M aterial­
ist. Yes, let us hear from Brother
M acdonald.
ingtun. Suppose that as I w rite a Wrong’s “ in s a n e ’ b rethren?
Xu-
page I tear it up; and coiuinue to lice the com parison between living,
write pages every day and tear and w riting on the Rem ington. An
then, up? After awhile there wnul,I Infidtd Q|. (he m()s( s
jti(,„s
G iv e Y o u r T h o u g h ts to th e
11 M
n u acdonah
id n ito h l’u
a n 1K
s « R :i a KlKnifinn
su sp icio n 1 in
W o r ld .
mind th at I was insane—that I hud C hristian who labors without “ a
a rnanom ania
for typew riting. 1
purpose” m ight be consid-
There are m any men who have
Because I labored without cred insane, hut the Infidel, known
THURSDAY, FEB. 24, E. M. 298 W hy?
a sensible purpose.
as Mr. A rm strong, should know great thoughts, hut who, on account
of some false m odesty or lack of
Now let us suppose th a t a life is tha( not
Ild1d(,ls „ )us Ia|)(ir
T h e T e n t h P s a lm .
m ade up of seventy years.
Let us
self-esteem, keep their “ light under
call
each
year
a
page,
wliicn
we
lav
e
n°i
know
who
has
inform
-
To tlio F reethinker» ca le<t Secularist».
a bushel”. Don’t do it, Secularists.
.v . , - , ,
,
*.* /
aside until we have accum ulated cd him th a t the editor of the Your best thoughts are valuable.
o th e rs ;
*
| seventy pages. According to Mac- T ruthseeker is laboring w ithout a
Jo t them down as best you can and
,
Ur Indent thvself, as th e old h eath en donahi uixin the com pletion ot the !
send them to the T orch of R eason .
g< wl?
last {»age D eath w ill set fire to th e m
.
’
The wicked in pride doetli persecute all, »lid th a t will lie the last uf ea81y convinced th at sanity is not we need them. They will encour­
b r o th e r s ;
possible except on the basis of im- age others and perhaps do much
T hen help us to break th e old ¡ton them .
“ N<»w, I want him to show me m ortality can easily he convinced
r< ><1.
good throughout a long future.
svllogistically ami without any th at science and common sense are
T he p riest and the king of th e ir powers
lo ng-w inded p e ro ra tio n , ,»f w hich •
•*
..
,
,,
still h o a si;
..
'
,
•
I*
,
-
,
h
1
insanity.
Mr.
M
acdonald
may not
J
indulgences sold for dishonor and the m a te ria lis t is lull, how it is .
In th e B ig C ity .
sham e,
th a t th e m an w ho lives o u t th e si v- h av e a sen sib le purpose in living,
Not the g-»! th a f.' ¡» >»»». ,lul ,he.v ) ellty years is n<)t j ust as (,razv
h u t Infidels can have one which is
w o ish ip a ghost
And think
not
o
/g
o
o
d
,
hut
only
of
th
e
,n
an
who
haa
a
“
a
i’ia
fo
r
ty
p
e
-
Last I h u rsd ay , after bidding our
far more sensible than the selfish,
ink
, writing.
gain
,
.
.
.unscientific, absurd, im provable students and teachers goodbye and
The honest of th o u g h t are v\ ou tided and ;
? u i i t t m „ t m t t i t r e i s n o t h in g (j o tq r j , , e o f im m ortality.
W hat prom ising them some candy on our
H<,re
1,1 religion a n d so m e th in g in sci-
•
From the unequal battle’gainst priest- <‘l,oe, there is still more in the noth- 111 ore sensible purpose for living return, we started for the great me­
eraft and greed;
bigness of religion than in the can he thought of th an to so live tropolis of this great state. A rriv­
n< th<
uoi^ld close gomethingness of science. Science and work th a t
there may he, ing in P ortland, the business m an­
And laugh as hum anity suffering P’°cla iuis the ultim ate death of throughout long future generations, ager started at once for Vancouver,
u n iv e r s e
ns it is.
iu
Pi.lifri..,. „
plead.
"
" 't i t h h e e universe,
as
Religion
, where old and new friends en ter­
Their m outh, are all full of craft ami tie- P r" c ,a ill‘8 lh t' 8<" ' 1'8 n.im ortality.
hef
(>eit
Common sense proclaim s pleasure (
n e a iin u r, nappier ana het- tained him royally, and where he
Mischievous vanity from theologies’ Hs th e object of all existence. It t(*r in m any ways on account of our secured some new subscribers and
Tr. o
school.
niay be th a t I find pleasure in having lived and labored? This an o th er student for the U niversity.
I" »ecret time ,unr,^r eeery honest con- riti,,g a
, ,„ar ¡, |lp>
|)y
|{>
W e spent a very pleasant even­
And
make
of
their
victim
a
hick
ev
and
that
is
tool
1
s
h.
lie
n
ce
i
f
t
h
e
s
o
u
l
,
f
»
1
*ii
r
n ii« « M h to n in ir\iu iiiia ia u e y a n tf
one of the sensible purposes of sens- ing at the home of Mr. C. Beal,who
tool.
is not im m ortal, men who live for
r 1
Iik(. .
....................
. . . .. . the pltastire of w riting the seventy ible Pe,,Ple- U is the ideal pur- is now in C entral America, and we
prey.
'
pages of their lives are foolish. San- P,)se
an ideal god.
It is an mi- were entertained as only a good
Or as well woven nets, become “ fish- *ty ’s> therefore, not possible except m ortality th at is reasonable, scien- grandm a S ecularist and her polite
They p re,em ."i,"i:;."ni„,eO,„ . but only ’ ” ?..i “ u. UsT ’’ su rv iv e "',h e “ '-w m -k of “ «5 W’» 1 P ™ '" 01^
"< b a P P " ' ^ - and
intellectual
grandchildren
And at «
“l i e far worse than nine
a " ‘l
«»
W*
nOt, " Wa>' H f0° ll8h
" 7 / know how to en tertain their friends.
out of ten.
are the m onom aniacs of time. The a I,H&e an< then tear it lip. as Mr. , W e hope in the near future to have
They think a , they've fooled 11, hl dark “ k " 1' 81. therefore, to be consistent, A rm strong says. If by w riting a ' these workers with us in Silverton.
ages past
be scientific, m ust adm it the ini- page we learn to write the next Mr. E rn est B ailey’s hom e was an ­
T hatforever we’ll hi,w to their follies m ortality of the soul; and yet, the O11H better, how “ sensible” a thing : other bright spot in the desert of
But h i, UP your heads, ye humble, a, t ilie, l«cause it cannot he proven.
" 18 '° W''" e
eVen ,f “
UP- orthodoxy and greed, and the hours
“ If life ends in death, and death lin<1 fo it is with our years of life, flitted hy with plans, suggestions
For th e g rea t sun of tru th will surely
arise.
is nothingness, then life is a cause H we so live this year th at we m ay ami reviews of our work for hu­
Then let us cast off everv presumptions w ,lh n u t a n
which is again do more good next year, our years m anity.
bother,
unscientific. It is impossible to es- are llot wasted, and death does not
After seeing m any oldtim e Lib­
And require of our fellows the pledges
th e id ealism of Berk lev, or the
1
e
,
,
...
, /rig h t;
" : pessimism ol Sehopenhau’e k
Tl,
a il , for our good works w.ll eral friends, getting a num ber of
Let us t>e meach other “ « kind, loving m aintain a rep u tatio n for san ity I live and llve 0,1 and on, even new subscribers for our T orch ,
And hunt to the death the angels of , Prefer th e E nglishm an to the Ger- though we are gone.
O ur life is some fine hooks for the library, re­
night.
man. Let me hear Irom Macdon- like a hook. Let us write the best ceiving promises of $100.00 for the
a
id .”
one we can and others will read U niversity from our friends, Mr.
When the people are kings forever anil
The heath™ no longer will worshin
T l'e " l’8Ur,lit-v of the »hove arti- and receive a “ sensible purpose n H a rry F ricker and Mr. D. Bolton,
their lords,
c *e "how s us p la in ly what we have for living when the au th o r is and laying in a sm all stock of
But the good must la* strong and all join been a d v o c a tin g all along, th a t asleep.
p rin tin g m aterial, we started home,
To lofjse from her limbs fair Liberty’s
" ,e a,e Infidels and Infidels, i. e.,
No one is more insane than he refreshed and ready again to take
eor<l8’
th a t the word infidel is very broad, who thinks th a t to believe a false« up the pen and the pedagogical