THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1S9S.
papers provide suitable m aterials. my second tra c t? ”
Four shook on the chaff provided by evil
But T he L ittle C andle provides their heads sorrow fully,saying they m ates and the churches; so we must
T o F reeth o u g h t E ditors , W riters suitable lessons for the Scientific I “ would ra th e r n o t”. 1 answered, [ push “ L ittle Caudle” and Scientific
and L ibera l S o c ieties :—
Sunday School, so I shall continue sm iling, “ I d o n ’t urge anybody to, S unday Schools, or we shall he re-
W hy do C hristians so condemn th at, and urge others to s ta rt such, j if they don’t w ant to ”, and went sponsible for the evil results from
Infidels; why do Infidels increase First distribute “ L ittle C andle” e v < a jo n g . or if they w anted to argue a
neglected opportunities.
so slowly; and why do Freethought eryw here, to show w hat we mean little, I did th a t pleasantly. In one
____________
....
Rem em ber the tracts
are to lead
papers have so fe w subscribers?
by Sunday Scientific Lessons. Then case th e woman w as blue about her people to lose faith in religions and
Because the F reethought papers
if you cannot rind any one th a t is , em ploym ent, and I cheered her up, church teaching, because thi is
waste too much time and space in capable and willing to sta rt and
leaving her sm iling. Some took necessary before parent» will allow
fighting C hristianity, and devote carry on such a school, get some of
the tract as if most afraid to read their children or the masses to he
too little to building up som ething th e women to subscribe for “ L ittle
it, hut others took it with a right taught scientific wisdom on Sun
better. H alf of every Freethought C andle” , or do so yourself, then in
good will, and a few praised the days, the only day they can have
paper should be devoted to teach vite in a few’ friends with their
first. The C ongregational m inis liberty for such instruction.
ing such practical lessons as the ¡children, and thus start a Sunday
T he tracts already published are,
ter preached a sermon against the
people need; to the solving of the school for just a few at first, in your
first, then wrote and distributed an No. 1, “ Can Sins be Forgiven?”
causes of political, financial and own homes. We have tried it, arid
able tract against it, hut intro d u c No. 2, “ Does C h ristian ity or Science
social evils and diseases, and pro like it. There were eight of us last
ed some ungentlem anly term s, re Prom ote C ivilization?” No. 3, “ Is
viding m ethods for abolishing them ; S u n d ay — four ad u lts and four little
sem bling those used by politicians. Religion or Science More Reliable .” ’
also how we can secure the children. After we had read the
We heard th a t two men threatened No. 4, “ Evolution and Comparison
greatest am ount of happiness in C andle through, with discussion,we
to have me arrested if I dared offer of R eligions.”
this life; why this is a vice, and added some lessons ap p ro p riate for
T heir price, ten cents for fifty
another at th eir door, b u t we could
why th a t is a virtue; w hat harm the little ones; then had some brief
not find out who they were.
I copies, makes them the cheapest
results from one, and w hat benefits readings and discussions on F re e -
distributed the th ird ju st as I did m eans for reaching m any; and
from the other; how to prom ote thought subjects.
Mr. and Mrs. the second, hut passed by those their small size win -th e ir being
beneficial industries, and abolish Pike are an intelligent young cou
those detrim ental to the general ple, and were Baptists; hut the th a t refused the second. Several read hy thousands who could not
refused the th ird , but the others ac be induced to read a larger Free-
welfare.
W hatever injures a n y
tracts and the Scientific Sunday cepted it with more interest on ac thought tract or paper.
I have
one, indirectly injures all, in clu d
School have converted them , so count of the m inister’s opposition, changed the titles so they are
ing ourselves; and
we are all
they read F reethought papers, a r and all were polite. 1 found enough quite unlike those m entioned in the
responsible f< r preventable evils.
gue for it, and have distributed more W’ho wanted a copy so I d is original plan or selected for the
The people need teaching, to see some of the tracts.
trib u ted as m any as before, and guide; hut I am following the top
th a t science and doing, not bible
Why are so few d istrib u tin g the came hom e joyful* for the tracts are ics in the la tte r m ainly. A new one
and faith, stop evils.
tracts? All beliefs in su p ern atu ral <joing the work ju st as I hoped they will be introduced,how ever, between
When every F reethought paper
powers are clogs to hum an devel- would, and I ha.i several nice chats
makes its fight on these lines, vie- opm ent, for reliance on a god pre-1 with nice people. I am going to 4 and 5, and num bers 11 and 12
will be united. So when you order
ing with every other to bring about
vents self-reliance. I w ant to bury d istribute the L ittle Candle on my tracts do not follow the num bers in
the most happiness, justice and
all religions, oceans deep, to give next trip.
the guide. In all new u n d erta k
wise living, then Infidelity will be
place to this w orld’s affairs, and all
My husband sounds folks a little ings we have to try different plans
come popular, C hristianity will die
the happifving influences a tta in a first, to find out w hether they are till we find one we can use success
of its own worthlessness, and the
ble. But I have got to light relig open to conviction, before giving fully. T he masses give up a t the
F reethought papers will have rapid
ion till the twelve tracts are w rit his tracts, hut I am m aking ten first failure; the few a tta in success
increase of subscribers.
ten and th eir distrib u tio n well times the stir he is by distributing by persevering, learning wisdom by
The L ittle Candle h a s s e tth e e x -
started , to do my share in m aking to everybody who will read them . experience.
Don’t u n d errate youi
ainple in a sm all way. Will you
wav for science. I have distributed I wish each one who has d istrib u t abilities. I earnestly urge every
prom ote such scientific wisdom in
three (about 45 of each) in Brook ed any of the tracts would aend me one who reads this to help all lie
your paper?
lyn; m ade some converts; the m in a letter, or write a short article for can. Don’t th in k th a t I will not
To realize our wisest dream s
isters are alarm ed, and the fun has the 'T orch , telling how they do it appreciate the little you m ight do.
And bring ‘‘the good tim e com ing” ,
begun. T hus it is proved th at the and giving encouraging incidents. The ocean is made up of drops.
O ur lights m ust shine along the line
And keep the hind ones learning.
tracts are long enough and strong It will help others to do th eir share. Begin now, by giving a tract or a
If we teach happiness in this life, enough, and will turn the churches
Most of the church m em bers are L ittle Candle to somebody who has
atid how secured by our own doing, upside down if thoroughly d istrib women, and I think our women can never seen one.
and C hristians teach happiness in a uted.
do this work of opening th eir eyes
E liza M owry B l iv e n .
future life, and rely on a god, not
If I describe the how, briefly, per to the follies of religion and s ta r t
Brooklyn, Conn.
them selves, to bring about good, haps it m ay he some guide to o th ing the far more beneficial Sunday
will not the people choose the real, ers who would really like to have a scientific teaching fully as well or
F r e e th o u g h t in Y o u th
and discard the im provable? Let us good, strong, progressive, Free- better th an the men.
When the
try it.
thought, scientific society establish women go the n u n will follow. Sev E ditor T orch of R eason :
A few little tracts like m ine, if ed right in th eir own m idst, “ real eral of my best helpers are women,
The B. C. S. N. has not met
carefully written and thoroughly izing your wisest dream s of the and I w ant more of them .
If you for the last two weeks on account
distributed, is all that is necessary good tim e com ing.”
prefer to begin with a few tracts, of the death of Raym ond W icklund,
to destroy C hristianity, if the Free-
W hen distributing the first tract, send me five cents, with your ad- hut we are going to commence our
thought papers furnish the practic I sim ply stopped at each door, re- dress, and I will send you a variety
m eetings again right away. I was
al, scientific lessons which the peo gardless of creeds, only offering a package of tw enty tracts. No m at-
dow’n to Y ale a few days ago and
ple need to he taught.
tract with sm iling face and the ter w hat your opponents say, keep heard a woman preach.
Mrs.
sim ple statem ent, “ I w ant e v e ry -, good-natured and self-reliant, and Phelps and daughters have been
To the P romoters and F riends :— body to read this, to set them to don’t say too much. If you get puz- holding revival meetings for about
I attem pted Scientific Sunday thinking.
W ill you read it?” zled and w ant my opinion, write to two weeks; they were preaching
Meetings in my home, hut found Som etim es I added som ething about me briefly, for my tim e is too crowd- about the difference between the
th a t h u n tin g up suitable lessons thcre being two sides to the ques- ed for long letters. You do not need death beds of Paine and Voltaire
and some of the C hristians. She
and m aking the m eetings interest tlon, and of course we c a n ’t all to t >lk much if any. All you w ant said the C hristians died easy know
ing and instructive for even a lew th in k alike; or answered whatever is to get the tracts read. They will ing th a t they would soon be with
atten d an ts, used up too much of my was said. Most invited me in, hut be answ er enough to all necessary God, hut V oltaire and Paine died
wishing they were going to God.
time an d strength, so th a t either I “ h a d n ’t tim e”.
questions by the tim e the twelve She has a little girl about ten years
î he meetings or my tract work, or
W e heard th a t a few burned the are completed, For more answers, of age and it seemed like it was
both, would become a failure there tract alter reading it, but it won’t tell them to read the F reethought such a pity to see a little girl like
by. Hence, I have given up the he so easy to forget what they read. papers and scientific hooks.
th at taught religion, for she seem» d
Sunday Scientific M eetings, and
R enu m b e r if we do n o t keep th e ‘7 'æ a s," a r t I i ,t ‘e « irL ?. w il‘
W hen I carried the second tract,
. . . boej b rain s em r ploy- close
o p iin
in g ^ y o to u re see
shail not ask Prom oters to under I Sin,|.!v o i l e d it g o^l-hun,„redly, young people’«
p rin t, now
I re h in
^ th is in
for Free-
take such until the F reethought Wit.I the question, ‘\\ ill you re a l ed in l ight directions, they will feed, thought.
V iola J J ohnson .
S cientific W isdom .