THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVER ION, OREGON, THURSDAY, JU N E 16, 1898.
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1 O r C ll
OI
Iv v c to O Il
The O n ly Paper of Its K in d .
P ublished W eekly by th e Liberal U ni­
versity Com pany, in the In te re sts of
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
J. E. H o s m e r,.......................E d ito r
P. W . ( ie e r ,...................... M anager
E ntered at the postoffice at Silverton,
Oregon, as second-class m ail m atter.
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T H U R S D A Y , J U N E i6, E . M . 298
T h e G la d N e w S o n g of
R e d e m p tio n .
If the C hristian Churches would
cling to th a t which is good, and
rial services in the forenoon, which are some connections th at some young should be protected. How
were attended by P rotestants, their preachers are afraid to meet in quickly would we
we all
an cry out
churches being closed for the pur- public. T here are scores of ahso- against a grocerym an who would
pose, and in the afternoon the ser- lute contradiction» in the book call- sell the children poisoned cracker-
vices held in one of the P ro testan t ed the word of God th at rem ain or tainted m eat which m ade the
churches were largely attended by so after all the connections and ex- fam ily sick; hut the young of this
Catholics. ’ T hus the old hate and planations are made, and the fact great, wise people are day after uav
prejudices are giving way to com- in the case is th at the preacher? allowed to chew and suck and
mon sense, and we- hni I the happy and priests <« re g u ilty of leaving out gnaw and blow th eir own brains
day when all will be united, for the connections them selves, while out, lessen th eir usefulness and rob
then they will have shown the fals- those whom they accuse are hon- them selves of the power of produc-
ity of m any of each o th e r’s super- est F reethinkers and tru th seekers, ing h ealth y offspring and future
stitions and will only believe those W ho is it th a t takes a text and talks generations of the happiness that
which they then hold in common, hours about it w ithout giving the comes from h ealth y brains in
These superstitions will he, by th a t connection?
Who is it th a t picks healthy bodies, while not manv
time, pretty well thinned out, both o u t a little p art here and another seem to know’ the remedy nor care
in num ber and intensity of belief, there and fixes it up to suit the for the result. Let those who claim
The belief in a god, the m iraculous poor, hoodwinked
w orshippers? to he interested, cease teaching
nature of Jesus and the inspiration Ah, nothing would suit Secularists such lessons as are tau g h t in ortho­
of parts of the bible, will probably more than for all the preachers to dox Sunday schools— lessons about
he the last moss-grown rocks on 1 become honest and to he careful of m ythical beings who once did m ir­
which the foundation of the united their connections.
aculous things, and tu rn their
churches will rest. Then the num -
whole atten tio n to teaching the un­
her
of devotees will grow less
ad u lterated tru th s of science, and
G u m an d T o b a c c o .
and less. E m pty churches will
no m iracle wili be needed to save
It
is
claim
ed
by
good
medical
he put to other ami better purposes,
the world from evil.
and finally the dark nightm are of au th o rity th a t the constant action
superstition will have passed and of the muscles used hv habitual gum-
A n o th e r C h a lle n g e .
all civilized people will sing a glad chewers often causes softening of
T here are professing Liberals
new song of redem ption.
the brain, and in every case lessens
who are not willing th a t those who
Glory be to our brothers, and to their ..
__ c 1 „
sons, arid to all eaAhly host».
| th e v lc t,m 6 Pow er of d e e P ’ «»nsec-
dither from them , on any im p o rt­
As it was in the beginning,’tis not now, u t jve th o u g h t.
T h e sa m e re su lt,
and never shall be, world w ith |
a n t question, should have the right
an end. A u M e n !
of course, is noticed in habitual to ­ to advocate th eir ideas; at least
bacco-ehewers. The tobacco, how­ these infidel Infidels will turn all
L e a v in g O u t th e C o n n e c tio n .
ever, not only injures its victim by their guns loose upon one who dares
leave the poor old stranded wrecks
One of the old argum ents against the constant use of the muscles em­ to cross the path of th eir hobbies
Now this is
of religious phantom s, all good men our work of tearing down the old ployed in chewing, but it adds the from an y direction.
not real Liberalism , as we conceive
and women could join, and what a
superstition.-, is the priestly dodge in ju ry done by the nicotine. This it, and we can’t see why men can
m ighty good could he accom plish­
ed. B u t they cannot leave their of declaring th at we just take part poison, m ixing with the saliva, is not honestly dither and vet be
su p ern atu ralism , for it is the of a verse or chapter of the bible swallowed in eating and in d rin k ­ friends. If we were ru n ning a meat
foundation on which all C hristian and “ leave out the connection” , ing, and the system soon becomes m arket, and some conscientious
organizations are built.
Take thus m isrepresenting G od’s holv full of it. As nicotine is a nerve man should advocate a vegetable
away the foundation of a structure, word.
poison, the brain, which is the cen­ diet, thus lowering our sales of
and it falls. M any of the older
This m ay have been done, both
m eat, should we try to injure him ?
ter of the nervous system , is so
foundation stones have been remov­ innocently and fraudulently, hut it
We should honor those who are
affected,
and
especially
in
the
ed, and the whole C hristian faith is not neccessary at all in order to
honestly try in g to do good, even if
now rests only on the great corner­ show the absurdities, m isrepresent­ young, as to cause absolute in ab il­ we dither from them . O ur only
stones of superstition and a few ations and lies of the priests who ity to think other than the most fight should he ag ain st th e ideas
central props.
wrote the bible. P ut in all the con- concrete thoughts.
In sm oking, which we th in k erroneous, and our
W e had some idea, at one time, nections you choose. Mr. P reach er,| th(1 evi| caU!ild ,)y , he ai.(i(in ()f (h(, weapons should be reason, arg u ­
th a t Secular salvation would come and the storv of creation is unscien-
. ,
m ent and persusion. The fact that
i i * i
v
.i
i muscles is lessened, hut others are
through the n atu ral liberalization tine and absurd.
rix up the con­
m any are led by th eir prejudices,
of the C hristian churches, hut it nection to suit yourself, ami the ’added. ^he pipe stem acts as a instead of by reason, creates the
never will, for a C hristian church com m ands of your god to rob inno- collector of the poison, which is oft- tendency for all workers to lapse in­
can never be entirely free from cent men, women ami children and en unconsciously sucked into the to a h eathenish , comatose state,
C hristian dogmas. To he sure, the foully m urder them , only a few m outh in quite large quantities. A avoiding everything th at might
liberalization of the C hristians and slaves being kept for the pleasure drop of the poison thus collected make some one mad.
kill a cat alm ost in stan tly ,
th eir churches is hastening the time of his holy priests,d«> not commend
D on’t let us do this. Let us be
when we will be free, but when th a t themselves to people who dare to 1 The paper used in cigarettes causes definite in our work, and every one,
tim e comes there will be no C hris­ think. Does it need much of a an irritatio n , and other poiaors good-naturedly, “ get in” and fight
tian ity an d no C hristian churches. connection to realize the absurdi- " ’hich are often used in m aking pa- for peace with ail his m ight. The
Of saloon system is a subject near to
Churches there m ay be, hut they ties of the M oham m edan or Budd- Per are taken into the system.
will he new, ami better, more in ­ hist m iracles? \\ hat gram m atical 1 course the nerves of the stom ach niany a C h ristia n ’s h eart(?) and
1 his causes indiges- one which affects m any heads, both
structive and happier places, with connection is then necessary to are injured.
the old nam e of church changed, or m ake clear the story of the devils tion and its m any evil results,
Infidel and C h ristian ; hut with the
m ade to mean som ething th a t rep­ going out of a m an and getting
The evil does not stop with the exception of a few bold outbursts,
resent th a t which is good an d true, m ixed up with four-legged swine first victim. The children of weak- we hear but little said about what
instead of th a t which is evil, and and causing them to take to sea- ened parents are always less vigor- m any of us consider one of the gi-
which requires experts, trained for batb in g ? W hat connection is need- ous in m ind and body than they a n t evils of o u r time.
the purpose, constantly working, to ed to make clear the (w rong) story m ight have been, and are very oft-
O ur frieuds at a distancé m ay
m ake the people believe, even after of the loaves and fishes, the holy en affected so m uch as to be a bur not even know th a t we have such a
a lifetime of trying.
The different ghost-story, the idiotic tale of J o ­ den to them selves and their par- thing as a saloon in th e city of Sil-
religious sects th in k each other seph’s dream of a holy thing, or en ts— poor derelicts on the ocean of verton, but although we are sorry
wrong in m any, to them , essential the account of the graves opening life.
to say th a t we have, we are proud
points; but it is the boast of m any and the dead people com ing out
W hatever may be said of those to say th a t there is only one.
We
th a t C hristians are coining closer and running about? It is certain- who have rt ached the age of m atur- are acquainted w ith a professedly
together.
In one of the cities of ly wrong to leave out the connec- ity ami have this “ old m an of C hristian citv of about the same
Otegou, the Catholics iield memo-, lions, but we m istrust th a t there the sea” riding them down, the ¡size which has eight saloons and