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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.