Torch of reason., April 07, 1898, Image 1

T orch of
VOL. 2.
SILV ER TO N , OREGON. TH U R SD A Y , A P R IL 7, ¡S9S.
O ur A n sw er.
NO. 21
understand the condition of affairs
today. Even a passing glance at
religious history will explain all
this. It is thus we see the tru th :—
made a fortune by qu estio n ab le not possible for m an to prosper
means, he had only to give liberal­ honestly w ithout dilligent effort;
l'bou sav’st it will never be,
This unity and love;
ly and his peace was m ade with
hut when this is once put into prac­
This peace, th is joy w ith o u t alloy,
God, who loves a cheerful giver!
Till one comes from above.
Th<»u sav’t alack ! and th e n , alas!
Again, many F reethinkers hold tice religion is unnecessary for his
Church organization today is a
You weep and groan and pray ;
their work to he m erely negative. happiness and m orality. W hat is
But we begin to sow th e grass,
power for good in m any cases, be­
. And later comes th e hay.
'fo seek not to found a system or
ffh'Ct °f Secularism on its fol-
cause the people are only in name
an organization, hut by working lowers? It teaches us not to look
Thou say’st, ah ! we rem em ber, lord,
and
form
orthodox.
The
work
is,
Thv mercy and th y love;
upon the prep-ent organization, to o th e rs to provide the necessaries
We worship thee and tr u s t to see
aside from this form, entirely e th ­
cause it to change as they would "1 l*fe; that all men are equal so
Thv regent from above.
ical
and
social.
It
is
seen
how
O lord his com ing h a ste n —speed—
have it. Signs at least show such f;,r HS m orality is concerned; th a t
< > haste his ad v en t. P ray !
much the teaching, nursing and
results are fast being accom plished.
should he ethical, not for w hat
But we will work till d a rk n e ss lead
train
in
g
to
better
ways
of
living
To daw ning of th e day.
Infidels want only to tear down rew»rd they m ay receive after
enters inti) the work of the m ission­
orthodoxy, not the organizations, death, but because it is essential to
Thou say’st, “ Poor sin n e r fear not thee,
ary. No Infidel com plains about
Thv faith will bear th ee th ro u g h ;
nor the walls of the church b u i l d - w e l l - b e i n g of the race.
Thv m urders, th e fts forgiven be,
the church seeking to show the
A crown, a th ro n e for y o u .”
u,
,
„
togs. They want to drive out only
In our daily routine the one who
Thou say’st th a t we m ay join th em tliere
h e a th e n b e tte r w a y s of c o o k in g ,
th e s u p e rs titio n in re lig io n , keep- thinks deeply generally succeeds;
For God is good and ju s t;
sewing, nursing the sick, etc. No
But we will stay, co n te n te d , where
in g a ll that is good. If the science hut knowledge and reason go to-
Infidel denies the fact th at these
Those are we love an d tru s t.
, .
, of Darwin, the sarcasm of Voltaire, • gel her before results can be denend-
m any organizations are doing good, L v
,
f ,,
’ ,
. .
,
,
1 ’
Thou say’st our work is work in v ain ,
_ the calm reasoning of R enan, the ed upon to be good, and we cannot
<>ur hope, our tru s t in m an ,
but claim it is in no way a result of
eloquence and wit of Ingersoll, all imagine a m an to be a th in k er
That sin and strife, and grief and pain
orthodox belief. Of course a desire!
Are borne till h e a v e n ’s ban
, help toward this end, then we arej w ithout a reasoner. But the great
1- lifted, and his m ajesty
to gain the approval of the Al­
content..
point is this: W ill one specific set
May move th e upas ro o t;
m ighty and to add stars to the
But we will w atch ami trim th e tree
But the time has come when the : of doctrines allow all men to be-
Until th e tim e for fru it.
i heavenly diadem is the childish
world needs an object lesson. We lieve them ? Such an idea is ab-
Thou say’st, “ Poor sin n er, see the fold , motive of m any m issionaries, hut sliould organize more closely to
surd, because we cannot believe as
And en te r it in peace;
any good coming from the work,
m ake our work positive, and not we like. Belief is governed by the
And wear a crow n of gems and gold,
comes
in
spite
of
all
nonsense
of
su­
E ternity th y lease.
negative merely.
We should have am ount of evidence brought under
And those who tru s t in God m ay play
pernatural faith. C hristians have
h e re and there a F reethought school our notice in connection with any
On harps w ith golden s trin g ” —
built
up
their
powerful
organiza­
But we have love and jov today,
of science ami philosophy. The subject.
Secularism involves all
We w ant no crow n no wings.
tions and have employed the same
Liberal U niversity, at Silverton, shades of thought; it is not limited
We’ll work and w atch, and onw ard go, natural powers that any Infidel
i
, fn.-gon, is a s ta rt in the right di- to special dogmas, and is nractica-
No fear, no dread can stay
would,
a-nd
m
any
times
the
terrors
.
...
*i , i '» i . r< •
.
. i • l,
lth o u g h
Our loving h e a rts am i hands, l a although
„ . .. .
‘ . . .
rection. All von young men should ole. It is not preached w ithout be-
¡of hell have been held out to make
We m ay not win today.
..
, . , .
„
, support this work.
We shall com- ing practiced, am i as a result its
The morn is nigh ; we see afar
The d aybreak glim m er b rig h t;
Ah, see! behold! th a t m orning sta r
Foretells th e com ing lig h t.
—[E d g ar T. B enton.
th e sh ek els d ro p
1
fa ste r
in to t h e !
.
. ..
.
,
, ,
, j i
.
.
,
. .
pel C h ris tia n s to ack n o w led g e o u r . a d h e re n ts a re not a fra id of c ritic is m
heaven-blessed contribution box.
work in all ways wherein good re- knowing full well th at this brings
Oh, how ‘‘the Lord loveth a cheer-
s tills of the sam e n atu re as theirs. out t rut h and exam ple.
I ful giver” !
By friendly co-operation, yet firm
Man is in full power of this
Notes by “ th e Old D octor.’
I can explain the lack of organ­ in our stand against priests, we will earth, hut he does not think much
ization am ong Infidels for various rapidly tear down the already tot- for himself. This is to be regretted,
BY C. ELTON B L A N C H A R D
reasons. In the past the stake and tering walls of supernatitralism and because life would he m ade easier
Editor C u n e n t T hought, C leveland, O. • .„ i.
I
«am ei
rack were effective instrum ents put the race once more in the pos- and more recreative by it Such
At one of the recent m eetings a " ainst organization.
D uring all session of reason. Gur d u ty now an im portant m atter as the belief
with Dr. Brown, one of the hoys tl,P pa8t W® have had eim i,ar forces dem ands th a t we help drive away in religion dem ands his full atten -
of less severity to oppose. Again, the fo^ of faith. Every young per- tion, and he is the only one who
asked:
when a man gets far enough ad- son has great power.
Let us not can solve it. lie should read its
“ W hat can Liberals say to the vanced in intelligence to reject the he indifferent to our own ability past history and action and then
statement often m ade by C hristians supernatural belief, he is alsc b ro a d and responsibility.
note carefully its present-day tac-
that Infidels never do any good; ; minded enough to see “on which
-------
_
tics—such as bigotry, fraud an un-
never help the poor; never build Kble his bread is buttered” . He
qu |. |3e jje f
tru th .
W e know nothing of a be-
hospitals, colleges, etc.; never send Becomes independent in his I b o u g h t
-------------
iug outside of this world; therefore,
missionaries to enlighten the world; Hn<l enjoys his freedom and peace
V ho is to decide w hether we he- why include th a t in e v e ry d a y m at­
in fact, are seeking no end hut to of mind while “ laughing in his lieve in religion or skepticism ? The ters? The only reasonable conclus-
t* ar down what good we already sleeve’ at the antics of his seeming- efficacy and tru th of a doctrine lies ion arises, th at if such a being
have in the w orld?”
I ly sem i-insane brothers. He gets in its practicability, its results and wanted us to com prehend him he
The old doctor stroked his beard °"
thP " orl' ' ’ f“ l,,w" his b" si'
Ulilit-T- Exa,ni'“- 'eligion •»> would have so moulded oor natures
ness, and meddles with noone. His these m ethods, and what is the th a t to doubt his existence would
and replied:
quiet influence, however, is at work effect?—th at we have no cause for he an im possibility. So, after this
Io people who merely see the ap- and gradually the creeds have been m aintaining it. Today is not the it m ust h e evident th at m an is his
pearance of things, who do not revised to suit the changing views church sim ply an institufion *w hich own m aster, and therefore will have
11'k deeper th an the surface, who of the people in their drift freedom- claim s everything good, takes all it to decide his own belief. In doing
Have scarcely enough gray m atter ward. Again, it usually happens can get, and in return gives us con- so he will show his thanks to his
in their heads to see life in any that in a short life which is allotted fusion and trouble? Does its teach- fellow creatures by p u ttin g on one
’’her th an the b read -an d-butter to m an, few men can make fortunes ing ennoble and uplift as? To side all prejudices and m a.erial in-
aspect, this seems a tru th fu l and or great financial m eans and yet he these questions there is but one an- terests and select th a t which is
stunning blow a t w hat is called In- sufficiently scholarly to study sci- sw er—No.
Those who claim to reasonable, which only
affirms
fidelity. But when we rem em ber ence and philosophy. Therefore, have risen through the influence of knowledge and past experience for
that all belief or religious notions few Freethinkers have been men of the church have not th a t to thank, our guidance, and gives n atu ra l
18 a philosophy which is m ade w ith- great wealth.
The church, on the hut hum anity. Can they tru ly say m ethods of procedure for su p ern at-
in the individual, each m aking his other hand, has offered great chanc- th a t w ithout worldly advantages u ral or superstitious theories __
’" n little system , we can better es for wealth-acquiring. If a man they would have succeeded? Jt is [H enry R. W right, in F reethinker