4
T H E TORCH OF REASON, SILV E R T O N , O REG O N , T H U R SD A Y , A P R IL 7, 1898.
oT
I^ C fl.S 0 ri
harm ony m akts people un­
happy. T his doctrine was taught
The O n ly Paper of Its K in d .
and practiced by ancient heathen
peoples m any thousands of years
P ublished W eekly by th e Liberal I’ni-
before the bible was w ritten. But
versity C om pany, in the In te re sts of
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
some way or other it is not practic-
J. E. Hosmer,
P. W . (jeer,
. . . E d ito r
M anager as it should he.
Doctors, lawyers,
editors, m erchants and teachers can
E ntered at the pofjtottice at Silverton, he found by the hundreds who lie
Oregon, as second-class mail m atter.
continually. We cannot pick up a
newspaper without finding the most
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
One year, in a d v a n c e .............. ........ $1 00 absurd lies told in its advertising
the beautiful and the true, he
would, ore this, have been destroy-
ed by priests and their hellish lies,
hut light is coming, and the chil-
dren shall be free; and the noble
men and women of future genera-
Gone will hold in high esteem the
few who dared to m ake way for
their freedom, who dared, for their
sakes, sacrifice for a happier civil-
ization, free from everything th at
«1
„ a and 1 m aketh
1 .1 a lie’ .
“ loveth
Six m onths in a d v a n c e .... ........
50
251
T hree m onths, in advance. . . ..........
is the m atter?
Why don’t people
In clubs of five or m ore, one year,
in a d v a n c e ............................ ..........
75 --.............. ........
Mr
Is it because the
M oney should Ini sent by registered „ i .
. r
.
i t .
1 .
‘
class of men who have assum ed to Paso,
le m.r
tte r ,.r
or m oney order.
--------
A C a ll to F id e lity
istence is to do right,
.<To | M.ho|,i , he pan(lram a of ,,
tress and suffering iu the world
would, as it were, make a heart of
8tone vibrate with sym pathy, and
it would feel no peace before p .
sym pathy was m ade manifest ¡fl
deede. Evpry step yop ,Hk
—
word you speak, and every cent voij
g,VH in the interest of tru th j. ,
nitinifestation of your sym pathy for
*!,u^ degraded creation,
W no can help respecting him self ‘ 1 if 1
fie feels the peace of k n o w in g th at
he is faithful to the cause of truth?
A m an’s unfaithfulness to what he
regards as the sacred tru th causes
^ ie 1°88 °f h ’8 self-respect. .
lf. ,"'e had lefs Infidels identified
with o u rc a u s e a n d more Freethink­
ers, am i if all the Freethinkers we
have were also H u m an itarian s, we
could reasonably expect to see the
advancem ent which ought to he
made. To swear, to deny the “Jo-
nah and the whale sto ry ” , and to
penuriously abstain from paying
pew-rent, does not m ake a man a
Freethinker. It is in self-sacrifice
for the progress of the race in
which the heroism of Freethought
consists; and a m an m ust be both a
thinker anti a free th in k er in or­
der to be a Freethinker.
He must
feel free to think both outside and
inside of creeds and bibles, and ac­
cept the true, the good and the
beautiful everyw here.”
August \V. Dellquest, of El
Texas, lias m ade him self
he our teachers have set us the ex­ known to us, and we find that he is
am ple an d -th u s taught the people right in line with our ideas of m or­
Notice!
al, progressive Secularism .
He
A pencil m ark here denotes th a t your of this generation to lie?
su b scrip tio n will ex p ire w ith th e n e x t
We have before us as we write, a writes to us as follows:
num ber. You are earn estly requested I D
,
.
. . .
to renew so th a t you m ay receive th e pa- * re s b y te ria n catech ism foi chil­
“ I herewith semi you tw enty
per w ith o u t in te rru p tio n . We have de­ dren.
It has one hundred and for­ cents in stam ps, for which send im
cided th a t it is best for all concerned
th a t we do not send papers longer th an ty-five questions and answers and as m any copies of the T orch of
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. it contains about th at m any abso- R eason dated March 10th as \ ou
•r
T his will p revent any loss and we will
lute
lies.
Is
it
any
wonder
th
a t the can. I wish to d istribute th a t num ­
know ju st w here we stan d .
ber. From the enclosed “ Call to
We request you to semi us th e nam es people have wandered from fidelity
F id elity ” you can see.that there is
of Secularists who m ight become su b ­
when
it
has
been
the
business
of
no paper that suits me better than
scribers ami we will m ail sam ple copies.
the
T orch of R eason .
their teachers to m ake th eir daily
TH U R S D A Y , A P R IL 7, E. M . 298 bread by the science and a rt of ly­
This letter shows th a t Mr. D ell­
ing?
quest backs his principles with his
T h e F o u rte e n th P s a lm .
Q. Who made you?
actions, but the letter is not the
A. God,
To th « F reeth in k ers called Si’c u la rists.
whole story. His enclosed “Call to
“ F reethought not only h s its
The
man
or
church
who
says
The fools have said in their de­
F id elity ” ,a little pam phlet of eight god, but it also has its devil, anti
ceit there is a god.
They a re cor­ that a god made us does not know pages, is one of the very best a rti­ its devil is selfishness. This devil
rupt, they have done abom inable it to he a fact, and when one tells cles we ever read on the subject of has a following chiefly among those
works, there are but few th a t doeth th at which is not known to he true, Secularism . We hope to he able to Liberals who are ‘liberal in noth­
w hether it be true or not, the de­ publish it in the T o r . h , hut m ust ing but illib erality ’. Some of these
good.
Liberals often seek to excuse them ­
2. The progressive, right th in k ­ ceiver has all the sym ptom s of a content ourselves this week bv eiv- selves in their selfishness by assert­
in g people looked upon the c h il­ liar, to sav the least. Read the fol­ ing a few quotations.
ing the falsehood th a t evervhodv
lowing,
taken
from
a
page
of
the
acts from a selfish im pulse.
If a
dren of men tosee i f tin re were anv
“
Fidelity
to
tru
th
is
the
ethical
person
should
a
t
the
risk
of
his
life
th a t did understand and seek tru th above-m entioned catechism , and
then ask yourself, honestly, if it is aspect of F reethought and the H u­ save the lives of some of his fellow-
an d goodness.
m an itarian plan of redem ption. men, according to these philoso­
3. All have m ade m istakes; they any wonder th at the world is still Not he who merelv confesses with phers^?), only selfishness could he
J
...................................... ...
*
J
•
v u u i u
IT U
have, through false teachings, be­ in the darkness of ignorance and the m outh his lovt for liberty, hut the cause. To them there is no dif-
lie who makes th e best of his liber­ ference between selfishness and
come filthy: there are m any th a t falsehood:
ty
by doing som ething for the a d ­ self-satisfaction, nor even between
doeth evil, yes, very many.
Q. In how m any persons does the one
vancem ent of tru th , is the true selfishness and self-sacrifice. The
4. H ave all the workers of h y ­ God e x ist?
A. In th ree persons.
friend of liberty. I'ruth—‘the cog­ only self-sacrifice they know of is
pocrisy and deceit no knowledge?
Q. W hat are they ?
nition of the reality of th in g s’— is selfishness. Aside from their self­
A. 'fh e F a th e r, the Son a.id th e H oly the only light, and in darkness
Do they not understand th a t th a t
ishness their excuse rests on a mere
G host.
there
can
be
no
liberty.
Liberty
is
which is good for all is good for the
em pty play of words, for to say
Q. W hat is God?
nothing
except
so
far
as
it
is
an
op­
A.
God
ij
a
sp
irit
and
has
not
a
body
th a t self-sacrifice is only ‘a more re­
individual?
like m en.
po rtu n ity for progress. Progress is fined form of selfishness’ is to un­
5. B elief in gods put men in
Q. W here is God?
born
of the power of love, and not necessarily use the term selfish with
A. God is everyw here.
great fear, and the generations th a t
of the weakness of indifference. a double m eaning. Not selfishness,
Q. Can von see God?
are the most religious are the most
A. No; I can n o t see G od, h u t he a l­ T ru th and love, liberty and pro­ but sym pathy, is the basis of
ways
sees me.
cowardly and brutal.
gress constitute the q u arte tte th a t ethics.’
Q. Poes God know all th in g s?
sing the praise of hum an existence.
6. Ye have not listened to the
A. Yes; nothing can lie hid from God.
“ I he world today needs a strong
T ru th has been bought by the blood
Q. Can God do ali th in g s?
cry of the poor and innocent, and
A. \ e s ; God can do all his holy will of m artyrs, pain is the price of s y m ­ Freethought movement more than
have given them a stone when they
p ath y , the price of liberty is obedi­ it ever did. To strengthen our
cried for bread.— 1 hou bast given
P retending to be great schools of ence, and a constant strife and m ovem ent we need to love progress
more than pelf; we need to em p h a­
them lies and taken the fruits of tru th , churches th at teach such struggle is the price of progress.
“ Then, what is the purpose of size the positive side of Freethought
th eir labor.
abom inable lies are nothing but
Is it not to make more; we need to induce the half­
7. Ob, that the salvation of Sec­ cesspools of falsehoods and s u p e rs ti-1 your existence?
your life conform to the inexorable hearted Liberals to subscribe for
ularism m ight come to the world! tions.
1 a 1 k about the saloons be­ laws of that which is most worthy the magazines and the journals; we
W hen the people listen to the voice ing bad!
They are bail schools; of your adoration and obedience? need to circulate reading m atter
of reason, they shall rejoice and there is no doubt of it, but they The purpose of vour existence is to am ong the orthodox through post-
th eir children shall he made glad. m ake no pretensions of righteous­ so obey the eternal laws which reg­ office, missions and libraries; we
need to educate the young in our
ness and rob the young of their ulate hum an progress, th a t you principles; we need to become clos­
never cease your efforts to draw
happiness w ithout pretending to be nearer to your highest ideals re­ er united.”
A L ie .
agents of their loving father, while gardless of your own happiness.
- 7-
**I)o not by inactivity m ake true
“ I hou sh a lt not lie,” is a com ­ the church, like the sneaking rob­ 1 ,,, he a tta in m e - n t of your own r r happi-
the orthodox assertion th a t ‘Chris-
m and which all C hristians profess ber th a t it is, works on the noblest Hess m erely, though it may be a ; tian ity works while Infidelity only
to obey and teach, because they tra its in the youths’ character in consequence, should not be regard- ta lk s’. Weep not over the m artyrs
th in k th eir god th u s com m ands order to break down their reason ed as the m ain aim and purpose oi of the past, hut honor them hv co-
Life is an oppor- operating with the self-sacrificing
them . Secularists know th a t it is and make them cringing, praying your existence.
lu iu ty to be a factor in the progress sp irits of today. T heir work is your
wrong to lie because it is an injury slaves, or by inducem ents of social of h u m an ity , and every m an fulfills work, their glory i« your vlorv
to the individual and to society — and financial advantage m ake them the purpose of m s life to th e extent th eir trium ph is your trium ph Thé
because we could have no tru st, cunning hypocrites.
If m an had lie practically identifies himself spirit of inquisition in the church is
no confidence in each other, and not n a tu ra lly been progressive_ with the progress of th a t of which not dead, and ecclesiastical power
The world can
th e loss of tru st, confidence, sym pa-J had not n atu ra lly sought the good, he is a p a r t—h u m an ity and nature, does not slumlier.
In other words, the purpose o le x -|a n d must he m ade b e lte r ”