R easo
-------- --------------- ---------------- -------- M--------- ----------- ---------------
SILV ER TO N , OREGON, TH U R SD A Y , AUGUST 4, 1898.
VOL. 2.
Freedom.
do wrong in the firm belief th at
they were fulfilling their highest
To .!<> as conscience dictates, without
duty.
fear,
T , -ive a kindly word, to help and cheer
Now, the faculty of V eneration,
vome one for whom the world has but a
like the appetite for food, cannot of
sneer—
TO - > the freedom I ever hold as dear. itself suggest an object which shall
Freedom to walk my quiet way in peace, deserve its homage. If it can he
To crow in love as the swift years in­ superior to reason, why have the
crease,
Fr«>m selfishness to find a quick release, religious nations of the world a l­
To know some good in bitter dregs of
ways worshipped deities which cor­
lees.
responded exactly in character to
Freedom of words, if wisdom bids them
the peculiar intellectual status of
go;
Freedom of thought, wherein perchance th eir votaries?
T hat Veneration
may grow
j
A word of warning, whispered soft and m ust be directed through the in tel­
low,
lect to its objects, is too self-evident
To reach some heart that we may never
to require any extended illu stra­
know.
tion.
upon which it feeds. In d ependent­
ly <.f intellectual cognition, it is no
more able to solve the whence and
the ¡whither, or to teach us the du­
ties of life, th an the avarice of a
mis¿r or the egotism of a ty ra n t.
?.s regards the rem aining one of
th< ; so-called “ spiritual faculties” ,
Hope, it is thought by m any to be
the basis of the alm ost universal
belief in the im m o rtality •r of the
soul, and therefore an indirect
pr< )f th a t there is a future life.
There are, however, no facts to su p ­
port the assum ption th a t Hope, u n ­
aided by external evidences pre­
sented to the intellect, would in ­
Freedom to do the duties of today
Regardless of the dread “ w hat others
The faculty of Wonder, miscalled stinctively suggest a belief in a
say !”
“ S p iritu a lity ,” has been regarded spirit world. The tru e office of this
Freedom to use my life as best I may,
Strengthened and helped by friends by m any as properly the faculty of faculty, regarded by itself, is sim ­
along the way.
faith in the supernatural, and p a r­ ply to produce a feeling of confi­
ticu larly in the C hristian bible. dence in the future attain m en t of
Abuse of the Mental Faculties.
But if it has the power to select its whatever the other faculties may
object, why is it stim ulated by cog­ desire, w ithout anv reference to
BY ED G A R C. BE ALT,.
nitions and beliefs which vary as possibility, probability or reasona­
In surveying the m ental costitu- interm inably as the intellectual bleness. Hence, to assert that these
tion we are struck by the fact th at training and biases of its possess­ three faculties possess w ithin them ­
the different frculties are not all of ors? As, for instance, am ong Mo­ selves an intelligence which can de­
the same rank or im portance, and ham m edans we find it excited and term ine the reality of certain ob­
that some of them are adapted to gratified by the K oran, although jects, the existence of which is de-
be leaders an d directors of the unaffected by the trad itio n s of d; • d hy tlx? intellect to he im pos­
others.
B uddhism . Among the Jews we sible or incredible, because in direct
A bundant experience shows that find it m arveling at the fables of conflict with the first principles of
mankind are happiest when acting the Pentateuch, although indiffer­ scientific and philosophical investi­
under the suprem e control of the en t to the alleged m iracles of gation, is as irrational as to say
moral sentim ents and enlightened C hrist; while among Roman C ath ­ that the paintings of R em brandt or
intellect. T h at is, allowing to each olics and Protestant C hristians its Titian can delight the blind, or
of the lower propensities a sphere phases of m anifestation present still th at the sym phonies of Beethoven
of activity which shall he pronounc­ different peculiarities, which in can th rill the deaf.
T h at these faculties have for
ed by the intellect to be legitim ate, some respects are diam etrically
and which can give no offense to the 1 opposed to each other and to those m any ages been exercised to a great
moral sentim ents. The propensi­ of all other creeds. The cold intel­ extent in connection with a belief
ties are entirely blind, sim ply de­ lectual act of belief, combined with in the su p ern a tu ral, may be easily
siring gratification, w ithout the the influence of this faculty, consti­ explained. The function of W on­
least power to determ ine their tutes “ faith ” ; but alone, W onder der, as before stated, is to inspire in
proper objects. Thus, for exam ple, produces sim ply pleasurable em o­ the mind a sym pathy for an y th in g
Alimentiveness sim ply desires fo o d ;, tion when any rem arkable circum ­ j new, rem arkable, or a p p a re n tly in ­
but the assistance of the intellect is stance is com m unicated to the explicable, under circum stances
necessary to decide as to w hat is m ind. As its gratification depends where dem onstration is for tin* time
wholesome. Acquisitiveness, if in ­ solely upon the novel or ex tra v a­ being im practicable or difficult.
dulged w ithout any reference to the gant character of certain objects This love for the unusual, the ex­
decisions of the intellect, would be contem plated by the intellect, it trav ag an t and the rom antic, re­
as much gratified by the accum u­ m ay be said to stim ulate or pro­ lieves the m ind of th at staid, m a t­
lation of stolen property as by the duce belief in those objects, from ter-of-fact tendency, which m ay of­
proceeds of a legitim ate business. the fact th a t it repels every act of ten he observed am ong individuals
Benevolence is quite as blind us the intellect which would divest of all ranks, and m anifestly serves
Alimentiveness. It sim ply prom pts them of their m arvelous qualities. a very useful purpose in offsetting
to deeds of kindness, and, unless Thus, when an individual has been what would otherw ise he a too
controlled by intellect and C onsci-' taught to believe the reputed C hris­ skeptical and disagreeably incredu­
W ith ­
entiousness, would be delighted to tian miracles, a large developm ent lous action of the intellect.
steal from the rich in order to help of Wonder, by filling the mind with out a certain degree of this ele­
the poor. In fact, this m anifesta­ agreeable sensations awakened in ment, the m ind is alm ost as prone
tion is by no m eans infrequent. consequence of th at belief, in its to sneer a t new and ex trao rd in ary
Conscientiousness, although itself tu rn , biases the judgm ent in favor scientific tru th s as to reject the su ­
such a power for good, and so nec­ of the reality and legitimacy of the p ern atu ral. The faculty of V ener­
essary for the control of the other miracles. It is thus clearly impos­ ation n a tu ra lly reveres the ancient,
faculties, is also entirely dependent sible th a t this sentim ent can pos­ the powerful and the good, thus
upon the intellect for guidance. In ­ sess any superiority over the in tel­ producing the disposition to recog­
w illingly to
deed, nothing can be more obvious lect as a guide to tru th , when from nize and subm it
Its influence, when
than th at in every age and clime its very nature it must antagonize au th o rity .
people have been educated to attem pts to destroy the phantom s predom inant, is well illustrated in
NO. 30.
the sycophantic ch aracter of the
negro; while the A m erican In d ia n ,
who has a great deal of C om bative­
ness, D estructiveness and Self-
esteem , bows to no one but the
“great sp irit” . Hope, in its n o r­
m al action, looks to the future an d
directs the m ind to a contem pla­
tion of the possible enjoym ents be­
yond the present.
By com paring these facts of n o r­
mal m ental function with the his­
tory of religious creeds, it is very
evident th a t the whole stru ctu re of
su p ern atu ralism , with all its beau­
ties and terrors, has been developed
from an abuse of the m ental facili­
ties, rath er th an by an obedience to
the true bible of n ature. — [The
Brain and the Bible.
Are W e Civilized?
Well m ay thoughtful persons
doubt if this nineteenth century,
about which we blow’ so m uch, is,
after all, really so enlightened and
progressive. I can im agine a body
of New’ G uinea savages capering
about a stuffed snake and m aking
night hideous with their senseless
howls. I know they are ignoran t,
uneducated savages, and they do
not know better. I can smile at
th eir capers even while I pity th eir
ignorance. But they have my re­
spect, for they do not blow about
th eir enlightenm ent, their pro ­
gressiveness, their wealth, th eir
charity, and costly churches or bar-
racks. They a rra y th e ir bodies in
queer habilim ents when perform ing
th e ir “ religious” devotions, and in
th a t they resemble the S alvatio n
Arm y soldiers,who seem to im agine
that, the striking character of th eir
dress is an outw ard and visible
symbol of in tern al righteousness.
But where the real difference oc­
curs is here—the men and women
who are accused of howling and y e l­
ling in the m iddle of th eir weird
songs or hym ns or w hatever they
call the sem i-Pagan and wholly
blasphem ous parodies on m usic-hall
ditties, with which they garnish
their services, are supposed to be
educated an d intelligent people.
—Sel.
It is better to stan d alone on the
tru th th an with a crowd upon mere
opinions.— A m erican Sentinel.
If any m an is able to convince
me th a t I do not think or act rig h t,
I will gladly change; for I seek
the tru th , hy which no m an was
ever injured. But he is injured who
abides in his error and his ignor­
ance.— M. Antonins.