*
OF
VOL. 2.
R eason
SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, MAY 5, iStlS.
For the T o rch of R eason.
NO. 23.
i and Crishna, revealed to the world.” her m oralists, her libraries, her men caped by an act of divine forgive­
Some of the M oham m edans claim of literature, and her good m orals, ness. But seience,eit her directly or by
th at im m ortal life can only be oh- long before Moses was found in the the enlightening of the m ind, teach ­
BY ISAAC A. POOL.
I taioed by reading the K o ra n , and bulrushes. Jacolliot says, “ India es ami convinces the wrong-doer
I would not laugh w hen o th ers weep
th a t the reading of it is essential to gave civilization to the w orld.” th a t there is no escape from the
In sorow and d istress,
the progress and practice of good Egypt borrowed of India, the effects of a wrong or wicked act,
List neverm ore to me shall come
A happiness to bless.
m orals, and the advancem ent of Greeks of the E gyptians, and the and th a t sin is not a sweet morsel,
I would not weep w hen o th ers sing
civilization; and th at it will ulti- Jews and C hristians are indebted t o , hut ultim ately a h itter pill. And
The joy th a t fills th e ir souls,
Leet I should bear their gladness down m ately reform and civilize the the Greeks for both th eir m orals th u s it arrests the dem oralizing ef-
To deeps th a t grief controls.
world. Both they and the Hindoos, and their civilization.
Dubois, a fects of this pernicious doctrine of
I would not play w hile o th ers work
like the (_ h ristian world, have nu-1 C hristian m issionary, in his “ Men?- the C hristian bibie.
In daily strife and m oil,
Lest bread refused to com e to me
merous com m entaries, explaining oirs of In d ia ,” testifies th a t “ kind-
According to Noah Webster, the
From out th e fertile soil.
the obscure texts of their bibles and ness, justice, hu m an ity , good faith, cultivation o f the arts and sciences
I would not work w hile idle knaves
Consume th e to ile rs’ bread,
aim ing to reconcile their teachings | com passion, disinterestedness, and is essential to the progress of civ il-
Lest they should scorn th e fertile e a rth , with reason and science.
Anil tin* in faci. nearly all the m oral virtues, ization and good m orals. But bible
W hence all th e w orld is fed.
disciples of all bibles had a inode of were fam iliar to the ancient Brah- religion knows nothing about the
I would not wear a “ golden cro w n ’’
doing away with the im m oral mins and Hindoos, and they taught a rts and sciences.
And tu n e a sounding “ h a r p ”
It d o n ’t even
While o th er m en are bowing down
teachings, and concealing the worst them both by precept and exam- use the words. P aul uses the word
In pain and to rm e n ts sh a rp .
features of their sacred hooks by pie.” ( an as m uch he said of any science only once, and then to con-
I would not sh are th e p ain s of hell
To please some carping sa in t,
bestowing on them a sp iritual Chris istian nation? C ertainly not. .lenin it. But Jesus om its any al-
any
While he expects to m o u n t to heaven
m
eaning,
as
C
hristians
do
theirs,
Rev.
I).
().
Allen
says
they
were
By traito ro u s co m plaint.
lusion to science, poilosophy, or
thus dressing up error in the guise distinguished for all the arts and
n atu ral law. So thoroughly con­
I notice all th is “ sain tly crew ”
of
tru
th
.
The
H
indoo
bible,
the
refinement of civilized life — thus vinced were the early disciples of
Are very fond of p e lf;
Each generous soul gives hell to you,
M oham m edan bible, and other placing them on the highest plane
the C hristian faith th a t the teach­
Nor w ants a scorch him self.
holy
books,
consign
those
who
dis­
of civilization and moral elevation. ings of their bible were inim ical to
’Tis tim e to bring an a n cien t “ saw ”
Still plainer into view ,—
believe in their teachings to eternal And other nations m ight he refer­
the arts and sciences, th a t they de­
“ Do unto others as you would
dam
nation,
denouncing
them
as
in­
red to.
Egypt had her vast tem- stroyed works of a rt wherever thev
T hat they should do to y o u .”
fidels. In this respect, also, they pies of science. C haldea had h er, could find them , an d opposed with
If (iod th ere be, he o u g h t to know
are like the C h ristia n ’s bible.
Eacti single c re a tu re ’s sin
astronom ical observatories,
and a deadly aim every new discovery
W ithout th e earthy “ p rie st’s police”
<< But
1
then, after all (as some (iretce her distinguished academies ¡pj the sciences
To “ run poor devils in ” .
I t’s had enough to be in fault,
good pious C hristian will prol ablv of learning, her profound philoso
As bibles represent only the m or­
W here hypocrites are cram m ed,
phers,
and
her
high-toned
moral
exclaim ), the bible and C h ristian ­
W ithout th e ir challenging a ssa u lt,—
als and state of society in the age
“ Yon surely will he d a m n e d .”
ity are essential to the progress of w riters and m oral teachers, while in which they are w ritten, and are
good m orals, and the advancem ent the Jews, “ God’s holy pecple,” were not allowed to he altered or tra n s ­
H um anity is bad enough,
By some q u eer hook on crook,
of civilization, and the civilized in a state of sem i-harhai ism. So cended, they th u s hold their disci­
W ithout the “ fire and b rim sto n e ” stuff;
world would sink into a state of affirms the Rev. Albert Barnes.
ples back in all com ing time, and
Why d o n ’t it burn “ th e book” ?
All other things are grow ing clear,
heathen darkness, dem oralization
No advancem ent has often been compel them to teach and practice
As science m akes adv an ce;
and savagism w ithout them ; for made in morals or civilization in the m orals of th a t sem i-barbarous
Now brush these d u sty cobwebs off,
Ami give h u m a n ity a chance!
every enlightened nation owes its any country by the introduction of age as found tau g h t in th e ir bibles.
present moral and
intellectual the C hristian bible or the C hristian And thus bibles prevent the m oral
greatness to the C hristia n bible and religion. It is the arts and sciences growth of the people as effectually
H eathen D octrines of
the C hristian religion, and would which accompai y or follow the bi- as the Chinese wooden shoes pre-
th e C h ristia n Bible.
relapse into barbarism w ithout hie which do the work. A proof o f vent the growth of th e feet.— [T h e
BY KERSEY (¡RAVES.
them .” This is a m istake, a most this statem ent is found in the fact! W orld’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors,
egregious mistake, my good brother that no im provem ent takes place in
_____________
There are to be found in the old C hristian, as the following facts of
the m orals of the people by the io- p eo p ,e B e lie v e a s th e y a re T a u g h t
pagan bibles the sam e grand and historv will show:—
tinduction of the bible till th e arts
beautiful tru th s m ixed up with the
m
« *•
•
i
>
There are heathen nations now and sciences are also introduced
Men believe in God only upon
same m ind-enslaving errors an d ,
ongst them . On the contrary, ,
, - .
deleterious superstitions as t|iOse | ex’s^ nK who never saw a bible, and am
,t
.
,
,
.
.
,
the
word
of those who have no more
the m orals of m any deteriorate by
contained in the C hristian bible. others whieb «o.irisl.ed in the past,
leading the bible alone, because it ¡^ea Ot him th an they them selves,
And the same exalted claim is set be,ore our l,ible waB w ril,e"> who
sanctions as well as condem ns ev-
nurses are our first theologians;
up by the disciples of each for their nevertheless attained to a higher
ery species of crime then known lo
talk to children of God as they
respective holy books — th a t of be- B,ate of moralB- and to a hl8,l<!r
society. T h at In d ia has become talk to lhem of were-wolfs; th ey
ing a direct revelation from God, Bta,e ,,f « v ilizatio n in some re­
corrupted and sunk in m orals since teach the,n from th e m ost tender
am! inspired a t the fountain of in- BPtc l8 ’ tb an »»Y.C hristian nation
the introduction of the C hristian a £e to Join the hands m echanically,
finite wisdom. And all were exalt- k,,own to b ' B,or>- A wl“ 'lu vol,,mp
bible, is adm itted by the Rev. I). G ave the nurses clearer notions of
ed, adored and idolized bv th eir "f facts might be adduced, if we had
O. Allen, for tw enty-five years a <io^ li,an the children, whom they
respective adm irers, as co n taining s<’ace f,,r
d raw " ,rom ,be
m issionary in th a t country. But con,pel to pray to him ?
ablest and most reliable aulhori-
a perfect em
bodim
ent
of
tru
th
,
— ------------ __ . . ......to nrove th a t In d ia E m r * ’v ir,,' r > science,
ro p eem n especially
y m o ral moral
science. science,
All religion is a prejudice which
without any ad m ix tu re of error. t,P8’ to ^ rove ,h d l ln<1,a’
The ancient Persians carried their Greece> and other countries hs
,
/ reached a high state of civilization
' ” e ,,a ," r'’
anu .
......
■
r - r - ...... ...
hem
,
bosoms, an d read
c |, t e a c h e s
and dem onstrate« th a t a b “ ve a god ,f care had not been tak -
tbern and prayed over them d a d ,.
u
W(re
J
of honesty and v irtu e can alone e" to «•’ * “ *»> one. Each one re-
rhe Hidoos often read their bible
annearance in the Pm d oce tru e and real happiness, cetves from his parents and his in-
through on th eir bended knees, and
11
while the bible augm ents the ternn- sLructorH the god which they them -
B rrv ..
.a. ,
.. .
world. In d ia was distinguished for
m e wm e dugm euw m e u m p -
. , „
.
sometimes com m itted it all to mem-
,
.
,
,
? ,
,
• i
, .
selves have received from theirs-
nrv Tk n n
♦ u ♦ » r II,« her learning, her law?, her legisla- tation to com m it sin by teaching
.
ineira,
ory. I he B aghavat has the follow-
6
. .
. ... .
,
.
only, according to his own temDer-
ino tovrf UT,
, •
nf tion, h er civil courts, her judicial th a t “ it is a sweet morsel to be roll-
' ,
,
...
mg text: “ The most im portant ot
am ent, each one arranges, modifies
all duties is to stu d y the holy scrip- tribunals, her astronom ers, her po- ed under the tongue”, and th a t its and p ain ts him agreeably to his
tures, which is the word of B rahm a ets, her philosophers, her writers, punitive effects can be entirely es- taste.—[Sel.
F a ir P lay .