THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, JU N E 2, 1 >'98.
2
An E x p lan atio n .
norant people; that Christ, if he
hers, and reconsidered the matter.
existed at all, was only a man. and
Not to be outdone, however, the
Ix
the
last
issue
of
the
Torch,
we
W h a i’fi niv Adam ’n* Ebe?
that personal immortality is, to say
next Sunday the radicals turned
Make o l’ nigga’ b ’let>e
referred
to
the
trouble
the
Liberals
the most, a guess—do we confer a
W arn ’t none? P reacher m an eav,
out their full strength to attend the
“ Story all done a w ay .”
favor upon him? Let us take the of Philadelphia have had with the business meeting and undo what
0 my la m b !
The had been done. They came well
case of three men—Tom, Dick and anarchists and • freelovers.
W b ar’s my apple bo red,
Harry. Thev are ordinary human following letter from the secretary prepared, with their suppers, or re­
T urned jx»’ Missy Kbe‘s head .
beings, not particularly good nor of the organization to the Truth- freshments, as they might call it,
d e o l ’ Rurpent? “ All lie s :”
So say de preacher m an wise.
p;;rticubirly bad. They a r e farm­ seeker will more fully explain with a view to worrying the meet­
6 my la m b !
ers and thev work very hard in or- matters:
ing, so that a number left the hall
W h ar’s my Jo n a h , dat groan
der to procure the means o f sub­ “ I notice in this week’s issue that in disgust, as well they might, for
In de w hale’s belly ail ’lone?
sistence. But on certain days they you have put in a notice stating every ruling of the chair seemed to
“ C ouldn’t done dat w ay,”
So de new p reacher m an say.
attire themselves in their best gar­ that the Friendship Liberal League favor the anarchists, who kept the
0 my la m b !
ments and go to their meeting has moved to Industrial Hall, meeting in session from 4:30 p. m.
Dev take my apple, take my E be,
place. They leave their every-day Broad and Wood streets. Now, it to 7 p. m., and of course they had
Take my Adam n ’ snake d at deceibe,
manners behind them and try to be becomes my duty to make an ex­ everything their own sweet way.
Take rny Jo n a h , take my w hale,
B u st my ’ligion. Po’ nigga’ wail.
gentle and polite to each other. planation in this matter. In the The ruling of the chair was dis­
O my la m b !
Their faces are full of smiles; they first place, I desire to sav th at the graceful and unparliamentary, hut
. 1
exchange friendly greetings; they I Liberal
League still holds forth ev- perfectly consistent with anarchy.
Creed less L ib eralism .
grasp each other’s hands and feel , every Sunday in the old quarters, They decided that Mrs. Parsons
that they are brothers. And why? 1710 North Broad street, both af­ should come the following Sunday,
BY CYRUS W. COOLKIDGE.
Because they have a common bond; ternoon and evening. But there is but to their surprise, when the day
Some advanced Liberals are of they are Christians, and they be­ a rupture in our ranks which has came for her Io appear, the hall
the opinion that Freethought as a lieve it is their duty to call people been threatening this past four was locked up, consequently there
to Christ, and to save sinners from months, and which has resulted in was no meeting in the afternoon.
negative doctrine belongs to the
hell. They may be mistaken; their the anarchist and freelove element But the League held forth at night
past, and that the present age needs work may not he of the slightest
starting another branch, using the under police protection, our first
Freethought in its constructive ; use to the world, but they are doing name of Friendship Liberal League. vice-president taking the chair and
form. Now, to say that the nega­ their best according to their light. They have our president with them, keeping the meeting going as usual,
tive side of Freethought is entirely Now, what do you think these men one vice-piesident and one trustee. as though nothing had happened.
“My letter is getting long.hut be­
useless is a mistake. The church is will be doing if they become con­ The remaining four trustees, three
verted to the “glorious gospel” of vice-presidents, the treasurer and fore I close it I would like to give,
by no means dead, and Christian
negative Freethought? Why, they secretary, are with the conservative as one of the evidences showing
superstition is still alive. So long will not be doing anything. Sun­
element, and are still holding forth that the anarchists have been try­
as our country is filled with ortho­ day will be the same to them as as before mentioned.
Now, it ing to capture the League for a
dox churches, in which the bible is Moday; there will be no occasion seems very strange, and in fact a propaganda of their views, an ex­
accepted as the infallible word of for their meetings and nothing to contradiction, that anarchists end tract from Emma Goldman's re­
God, Freethought as a destructive keep them together.
freelovers (persons who do not be­ port, in the March number of Soli­
What, then, must we do to be lieve in government) should be so darity, of her visit to Philadelphia.
force still has a great mission. But
on the other hand, to say that Free- saved? If we destroy Christianity, desirous of seeking admission into Here it is:
thought in its negative form is all- with its god, devil, savior, heaven membership of a society created by
“ ‘The Friendship Liberal League
sufficient, as many so-called Free­ and hell, we must infuse into the the state and a creature of law, for of Philadelphia, for instance, has
thinkers claim, is a greater mistake people an enthusiasm for human­ such is the Friendship Liberal heretofore been controlled by its
than many of the “mistakes of ity. But how can we do such a League. More than once in my older members, who for twentv-five
thing, when we ourselves lack en­ capacity as secretary ofathe League years have been killing God one
Moses”.
night and reviving him the next,
Let us imagine that we have suc­ thusiasm? What are we Freethink­ I have refused to cast the ballot who have ceased to believe in a
ceeded in killing and burying the ers doing? We talk, write and making such persons members, and heavenly Lord, and yet have stood
Christian religion; let us imagine complain of the evils of the church. • have been considered by some mem­ b y while earthly lords were robbing
that the priest’s and the parson’s Is this enough? A creedlesR Liber­ bers an alarmist and not out of the the people. Even these pillars of
society have been taught the les­
occupation is gone, and that all alism will never be of much value; ' orthodoxy of the state. And I may son
that the old order changes and
the churches are vacant. Do you it will never attract the masses. If say here and now that while at one gives way to the new. The com­
really think that the country would humanity is to be saved here and time in my life I had a tendency to rades of Philadelphia, who arrang­
be benefitted by it? It is true that; now, let us save it. Let us prove favor philosophic anarchy, my ex­ ed five meetings for me in the City
in many instances the churches are i by our lives and works that we are perience of late with some of the of Brotherly Love, had a hard bat­
only social clubs; but even as such real lovers of mankind, and that acts of that class makes me more tle with these gentlemen, who had
decided that no anarchist should
they are useful in a certain way. our object is to make men happy. firmly convinced than ever of the speak from the platform of the
Take the rural districts, where the Let us in our private lives be supe­ necessity for government, for some League. The younger members,
church is the only place that draws rior to those whom we want to con­ of them will stop at nothing to gain however, with our energetic com­
people together. What would our vert to our way of thinking; let us their ends. While their own or­ rades, won the victory, in spite of
rural friends do without the church? instruct and enlighten; let us work gans, such as Solidarity, Lucifer the strenuous opposition of the re­
spectable element, etc. The com­
They have no lecture lit Ils or plac­ fi r better economic conditions, for and Free Society, cry down govern­ rades have sent reports to Free
es of innocent amusement, and if a higher standard of morals, for ment and majority rule (which is Society and other Liberal papers,
you take away their church they free womanhood, for the rights of consistent with their principles), so I will refrain from sending you
will become unsocial beings and children to be born well, for tem­ our Philadelphia ones have tried the details.’
will care very little for each other. perance, peace and justice. Let us their best to capture our society by
“It need hardly be said that
In order to cultivate a kind, frater­ remember that unless we can be a the very methods they condemn in there is scarcely a word of truth in
nal feeling, people must have a constructive force for the better­ government, thereby proving them- the above. The League has never
common object in view. The church ment of mandkind, Liberalism has telves recreant to their cause. The decided that anarchists should not
furnishes the object and thereby no excuse for existence, and the only paid lecturers that the League lecture; had it done so, Emma
saves society from disintegration. sooner it dies the better for all con­ has engaged this season have been Goldman and other anarchist mem­
True, the ohjeet of the church is cerned.— [Freethought Magazine.
anarchist lecturers,and the rupture bers would not have lectured of
based on a delusion, but if you de­
came to a focus now because the late as they have done.* On the
stroy the church the people will lie
anarchist element of the League, by contrary, our law’s allow’ freedom
worse instead of better, unless you
I am convinced that the only faith turning out in force, voted at a bus­ of discussion, but the League is de­
can give them something else that that can save us is the belief in the iness meeting to have Mrs. Lucy cidedly opposed to paying out of its
would take the place of the church. efficacy of the accomplished effort. Parsons lecture for the League. treasury money for anarchistic lec­
Why do we want others to adopt It is very beautiful to dream of They carried their point that Sun­ tures, and to run the society in one
our views? When we tell the eternity, but it is enough for the day, but the conservative element, particular channel.
Yours for
Christian that Jehovah is a myth, honest man to pass away, having' learning this, turned out on the truth and justice,
born in the imagination of an ig-4 done his task.—M. Zola.
following Sunday in greater num-,
“G eorge L ongford , Sec.”
All Gone.