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VOL. 2.
—w»*.* '•'•«r-M « - - nu •: -n » » .-,•»> . «w * u -J ; - a - wu
For the Torch of Benson.
«*/».. K
* j.
S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, TH U R SD A Y , M ARCH 3, 1898.
Í .
-- ««MM«aÿi'1»'•!
I- .«» ■
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•<« 4 < ■ «r >•
NO. 18.
would call it, “ A Tale of the Woe dependent is created and proves the
Nature Governed by Law.
of Assumed Prem ises’’, for of all existence of a creato r.”
BY’ JO H N W . D R A P E R .
This is a sam ple of C hristian log
the tw isting and turning, stru g
BY WILLARD MATTHEW PHARES.
gling with words to m ake them ic. Upon sim ilar premises we can
Has the great shadeless desert
The golden m oon’s incessant rays of light
prove the existence of the m an in
Kell soft across my pathw ay, and her mean som ething when they will
the moon, or a n y th in g else. A de nothing to do with the habits of
x
l>eams
not, and resorting to fallacious
tribes who pitch
Of Aeetrous light were rhym es w ithin
pendent existence proves a great th e nóm ade
m
ethods
of
thought,
the
theologians
my soul.
creator. This creator is not depend th eir ten ts upon i t — the fertile
Sit as I will, today, th e harm ony
give us the most stupendous efforts.
Of night still burns w ith in m y h e a rt;
ent, therefore self-existent. The plain no connection with flocks
I
hey
say,
“
All
existence
is
neces
the skies
self-existent creator is so independ and pastoral life— the m ountain
Were streaked w ith tin ts of som bre hue, sary or contingent.”
and now
ent th a t he does not need to be ac fastnesses w ith the courage th a t has
Perhaps
this
m
eans
th
a
t
some
ex
The earth is gem m ed w ith pearls of
counted for, or rath e r he is so nec so often defended th e m — the sea
beam ing light.
istence m ust exist in order th a t
Oh, th at we could as heaven sw eet, con
essary th a t he is self-evident in w ith habits of adventure? Indeed,
some
more
existence
m
ay
exist,
and
tent
•»
do not all our expectations of the
Ourselves by giving rays of light — th an if so it is hard to u n d erstan d where logic, and it is not legitim ate to ask
dark
why only one self-existent en tity stab ility of social in stitu tio n s rest
logic
would
give
us
a
startin
g
point
And grey, until in N a tu re ’s fold secure.
upon our belief in the stab ility of
Should vestures of decay come stealing at which some existence was so nec when it was not existent took into
ciuse,
its thought a desire to become ex su rrounding physical conditions?
essary
th
a
t
it
was
self-existent.
We can but fear, yet why should we dis
istent. A slush of fallacy!
A From the time of Bodin, who near
m ay?
But the m an says, “ Necessary ex
Could we but know th e secrets of th e air.
dam nable nonsense which has be ly three hundred years ago pub
istence
is
absolute,
and
contingent
As we do solve th e w orkings of th e m ind,
fogged the m inds of men and kept lished his work, “ De R epública,’
We then would tin«! th a t love is “ all in existence is dependent.”
them in the m ists of u ncertainty,
principles have been well rec
a ll”
Now’
this
is
certain
ly
very
clear
Of heaven’s peace and fullest rest s u b
sorrow and insanity. A woe to the ognized: th a t the laws of nat tire
lime.
and the m eaning very plain!
It
As air is im m aterial to our eye,
world which can n o t be measured. cannot lie subordinated to the will
means th a t it is necessary for some
We do not see it, b u t we feel her soft
A sorrow to the race greater th an of m an, and that governm ent m ust
Reflections as we go, and are aw are
existence to he so dependent th a t it
Of living breath upon our cheeks, th a t
m ind can know or reason m easure. be adapted to clim ate. It was these
is absolute or independent in order
gives
1 iiis recalls to my m ind sim ilar things which led him to the con
The ruddv youth his stre n g th and grace th a t some other existence mav be
its pride.
logic used by Prof. F. G. W right, clusion th a t force is best resorted to
Yet vilely som e will foul her b rea th so contingent or dependent. Now this
who is no doubt an honest stu d en t for northern nations, reason for the
pure
is a conclusion which cannot be es
With oaths, whose bases are unch aste,
of science, hut who cannot afihrd to m iddle, and superstition for the
caped!
corrupt.
he free and hold his ch air in a southern.
Come sit w ith m ein N a tu re ’s realm , and
The w riter continues: “ Absolute
In the m onth of March the sun
th in k
C hristian college. Prof. W rig h t’s
existence is self-existence, infinite
Of your existence h e re ; of your divine
hook,“ Logic of C hristian Evidence,” crosses the equator, dispensing his
Purport and end ; reflect, and pass with and om nipotent.”
me
is used in m any schools as a te x t rays more a b u n d a n tly over our
Now this is axiom atic, and while
From life’s great stage, a m an com plete
Following
book. In it is used the old watch no rth ern hem isphere.
w ithin
it plays an im portant part in the
The bounds of m ental care and N a tu re ’s
argum ent of Pa ley to prove design. his train , a wave of verdure ex
syllogism,
it
needs
no
proof,
for
it
is
laws.
The lu x
It runs: A m an finds a watch. He pands toward the pole.
self-evident. It is as ¡»lain to the
has never seen the like before. It uriance is in proportion to the local
For the Torch of Reason.
su p ern atu ralist as, the sum of the
is surely no chance production. It brilliancy. T he anim al world is
p arts are equal to th e whole.
The Old Doctor’s Notes.
Pressed forward, or
must come from the hand of an in also affected.
Now the next stop is easy, for he
telligent designer. He looks aliout solicited onward by the w arm th,
says: “ The necessary or absolute
BY C. ELTON B L A N C H A R D
and finds the m aker of the watch. the birds of passage com m ence th eir
being is Jehovah, who created all
He discovers th a t man is also more annual m igration, keeping pace
n
Since the last report of the conti 11gent ex i ste n ce.
wonderful th an the watch. He too with the developing vegetation b e
You see, in order to m ake the
Bohemian Evening devoted to
m ust have a m aker, a ml In* traces n eath. As sum m er declines, th is
whole puzzle fit together this is an
Mysticism, the young men have
this origin to God. Here they stop. orderly advance of ! ght and life is
im portant discovery. 'Phis is the
I>et us go a little farth er. The followed by an orderly retreat, and
'pent several very profitable hours
sam e Jehovah who form erly loved
in its turn the southern hem isphere
with the Old Doctor, and I shall only the Jews, but w’ho created all investigator looks the m atter over
and finds th a t God is more w onder presents the same glorious phenom
now send you from week to week other races th at be m ight enjoy
ful th an m an, and his wonderful enon. Once every year the life of
''»me of the thoughts brought out their tortures in the fires of hell. I
ways are past finding out, so the the earth pulsates; now there is an
hv Dr. Brown in his conversations do not know how the preachers ex bible says. In fact he is so won abounding vitality, now a desola
plain the former had character of
But w hat is the cause of all
with the Bohemian boys. I cannot
derful th a t he needs no creator. tion.
Jeh o v ah , nor do I understand their
He is self-existent!
Js it not this? It is only m echanical. The
bone to give * vou a com plete
report,
.1
•
r
.
i
i
*
*
1 ’ theories of the late im provem ent ir
e a r th ’s axis o f rotation is inclined
since I write from m em ory or from his character, hut one thing I do strange th at people can be so wise to th e plane of her orbit of revolu
and yet so foolish?
meager notes such as I was able to know ; If Jehovah had lieen half
,, .
. .
“ My young friends,” the old doc- tion round the sun.
lake during the various evenings as cunning as some of Ins m inistry, to r Bald, “ let me caution
to l)e
Let th a t wonderful phenom enon
•pent in the Old Doctor’s cosy study, he would have destroyed Ins good sure th a t ¡n y(>ur rrag(>„ in
an d its explanation be a lesson to
hook, which casts so much light
us:
ipress ns
your premises are tru th s.’’
I he editor of the Q u arterly Chris-
upon his past disreputable history,
wit
■af
physical
Ban published at N ashville, T en u .,
and I would make it stronger, for I
N ote .— Questions for the Old ag<
cica i
s. They
h; •‘M n g rea d a report of the former consider the picture which the bi- Doctor can be sent to C. E lton int
nd death
Bohemian Evenings, published re- ble gives us of this “ necessary or B lanchard, editor C urrent Thought, of
au( socially,
Ex
cer.tly an answer to “ Atheism and absolute” being as one of the most 802 Ansel Ave., C leveland, Ohio.
i ter woven
Other Infidelity.”
T his article «•ontcmptiblc, im m oral, l o w - l i v e d -------------------
in
periodici-
and despicable of individuals, who,
I conclude th a t all religions had tiei
us. Day
whs read to the Old Doctor by Mr. 7**7 7
.. ,
had he not left the earth entirely in the sam e origin, and th a t in fact am
^»•d in our
p’«k. The following is his re- |j ie
(,f
devilt could not there has never been hut one relig w a
liner and
1 y as best I can produce it:
keep out of states prison in any ion in the world. The twigs and wii
»it cycles
H I were t»
ny well regulated com m unity today,
leaves may differ, hut the trunk is in •
Develop-
reply made
I'
But the final conclusion is: “The the sam e.— [R. O. Ingersoll.
me
In Nature’s Realm.