’ORCH OF
VOL. 2.
SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, ¡898.
NO. 35.
A gain you could not m erit by your So th at the m ind of an unbeliever] pain; so does every being which
d e e d s;
Light.
A dread of p unishm ent all undeserved. is in a sound and calm state, not has life, anim als not excepted.
Back to vour fellows flv, and bid them harrowed up by the terrors of an W hat revelation, then, but this,
stay
BY ISAAC A. POOL.
The flood of ruin all such teachings bring. avenging God, and the thoughts of does man want to teach him th at
Bi<l them be m en! None b e tter will th ey endless dam nation.
which he owes to himself, anti like­
ever
know
.”
,»,) the far m argins of th e d ista n t h e a v e n ,1
These evils, and m any more, the wise those things he ought to prac­
There floats a vague and m isty sp irit T his bring I from the deeps. No need j
of m ore.
Infidel is not exposed
to; conse- tice to every being that has life and
form ,
•
pale and vast as h e av e n ’s exp an se it­
quently his m ind is at rest; his feeling?
self,
sense of degraadtion is not because
And the voice of God, or n atu re,
So dim , unform ed it seem s, th e weary
Christian and Infidel Duty.
eye
ha is taught to believe th a t he is a calls to every rational being in la n ­
t an scarce define th e lim its of its shape ;
poor lost sinner; he feels degraded guage which, but for false religion,
And lo, w hile gazing h ith e rw a rd it flies.
I. too, on wings advance, m ore swift
BY B E N JA M IN O F F E N .
only in proportion as he neglects all would understand.
Mortals!
th a n light,
the duties which he owes to his attend to what is done for your per­
Across th e deeps th a t float th e universe,
i o left an d rig h t th e w heeling orbs
The very nature and spirit of the fellowmen. The unbeliever, then, m anent happiness. Ignorance and
recede,
As from th e rushing tra in in deepest C hristian religion, is in to leran t. It being free from the terrors of d o u b t­ neglect are the causes of most of
n ig h t,
...
, .
-i
ing th a t which he feels it is im pos­ the evils which torm ent you. You
Backward th e w hirling sp ark s in m il­ says, “ Whosoever believes, shall be
sible for him to credit, commences are m ade to love happiness; you
lions fly 5
saved;
and
he
th
at
believeth
not,
(
I through th e m ighty space see b a c k ­
to walk in the p ath of m oral recti­ are also m ade to shrink from and
w ard tu rn ed
shall be dam ned.” This is the firm
tude, considering his own nature, hate pain. Every hum an being is
Behind me far, th e fading planets fall,
ground
on
which
the
C
hristian
While suns and system s spring afresh to
and the connection he. occupies in subject to the same laws; only a t­
view,
stands, and where he m ust continue relation to society, composed of be­ tend to the m oral this contains.
Only to fade anew in distance vast.
A thousand tim es a th o u sa n d years are to stand. If he quits this strong­ ings like himself.
He listens to I You have no excuse for inflicting
p ast,
And m illions m ore ere th a t m isty form
hold, he ceases to be a C hristian, the voice of reason, and clearly pain on any living creature,because
Assua.es a shape benign before my gaze '
understands th at which God or you know th at every being possess­
At last we m e e t:
1 from th e d is ta n t and, of necessity, becomes an In fi­
nature has done for him, and also ing life is governed by the sam e
E a rth ,
del.
It
follows,
then,
th
at
believers
He from som e fa rth e r orb unknow n, !
th at which rem ains for him to do feelings as yourself.
God. or n a ­
whose light,
in the divine au th o rity of the Bible for himself.
Leaving forever all ture has so arranged tilings as to
W ith lingering, lagging speed, falls far
behind
m ust continue to be, what they a l­ religious dogmas, calculated to be­ induce m ortals to practice virtue,
And w aits some m ighty fu tu re to am aze
ways have been, intolerant and wilder nis m ind, his moral path is and to be kind to every th in g th a t
The eves of generations yet un b o rn ,
in worlds whose radiance I have left so
persecuting.
How differently do as clear as light. No longer stan d ­ possesses life or feeling; because,
far
T hat they have failed to pierce th is w o n -! those feel who have given up all ing on the fearful precipice of faith, by acting agreeably .to the laws of
(Irons deep
trem bling at every step, or chain- your own organization, you become
And faded out of sight.
ideas of divine revelation! They
bound in a state of inaction, the happy in yourself, and have the
T hus in m id space
attach
no
consequence
to
faith,
I
I salu tation m ake in hum ble moot!.
Infidel cheerfully travels on in the additional pleasure of m aking
“ Oh, Form , ere th is by h u m an gaze u n ­
w hatever. They have no disposi- practice of justice and h u m an ity others happy also.
W hat excuse,
seen,
Strange b ro th e r in th is universe of light,
with a calm ness of m ind to which then, can man have for neglecting
1 challenge not youi com ing, n e ith e r tion even to blame, much less to
He the duties they »w«* to every thing
injure persons who believe in the the C hristian is a stranger.
w hence,
Nor w h ith er b o u n d ; but ere you pass I most absurd inconsistencies. They has no angry God to dread, nor th a t has life and feeling? Do they
crave
Knowledge of vast im port to all my on the contrary, feel the m ost live­ any tem pting Devil, against whom need a revelation to inform them
race.
ly interest in their happiness, know­ the C hristian m ust forever be on 1 th a t they ought to he just and h u ­
“ Speak o u t,” he -aid, “ th e dw ellers here
mane? Do they require inform ation
ing th a t no one can control the the watch.
well know
The soul of Cosm os; through th e c ir d e j honest convictions of the m ind.
All hum an beings on arriving at from heaven to inform them th at
vast
The Infidel, then, has the ad v a n ­ m atu rity , find them selves placed cruelty tom an or anim als is wicked ?
We read th e scintilating flash of th o u g h t
Evolved from hum an brains in all th e tage, in a moral point of view, over by an unknow n power in a w r ld , Let tlem hut consult their own feel­
w orlds,
A s,reading now ,I answ ered your request ' the C hristian, for the following in which they will have to enjoy ings; full inform ation is at hand
Before you form in words your b u rn in g reasons: — The Infidel has not to pleasure or happiness, and also to calling on them to practice kindness
w ish.
This is the destiny and compassion.
Know, th e n , oh, m o rtal, N ature is s u ­ defend the character nor the actions endure pain.
prem e ;
Do men and women need the
of any God or Gods, particularly of all, w ithout exception. The name
To her all forces yield as of herself.
of a God “ p artial, vengeful, and power which propells us into ex­ Bible to learn the duty incum bent
Of her all m a tte r is and ever w as;
All th in g s begin and all beginnings end, u n ju st.”
He imbibes no angry istence, has m ade it a law of our on them toward their offspring?
Only to end and begin anew’,
feelings, by believing in a God of nature to dread or shrink from Must we read the pretended word
In one unceasing round which ever is.
No final end to you shall ever come,
cruelty ami carnage.
The Infidel pain, and also to desire and love of God in order to discover th a t the
W hether in hu m an dust you people
And here we husband ought to be kind and in
has divested his mind of the non­ ease and pleasure.
w orlds,
Or sail as b u rn in g suns th ro u g h endless sense and inconsistency of consider­ can at once discover w hat God or every way faithful to his wife and
space:
ing unbelief as a crim e; and, also, nature has done for us, and like­ perform every duty connected with
U nresting ever, you shall ever lie
( >f all you see an u n d im in ish ed p art.
Man
of the fallacy th at men can credit wise w hat is left for us to perform her perm anent happiness?
As m uch of th a t im agined God today
This then, is the requires no divine aid, beyond the
As ere you saw the light of e arth below ; absurdities on insufficient evidence. for ourselves.
As m uch of heaven th is in sta n t you lie- He perceives th at every m an ’s stock of moral m aterial with which exercise of his reason, to inform
hold
As ever in th e past your race has seen, religion is, to a very large extent, m ortals commence a life of pleasure him that in order to be happy in
Or all th e m illions y et u n b o rn shall : a consequence of the circum stances and pain.
The sam e unknow n this life he m ust be just, peaceable,
reach.
All these are fancies crude, only devised of his situation in early life, and power has also given m an and sober, and tem perate in all things;
To hold u n lettere d fools from rank ami the influences which surrounded woman reason, by the exercise of chaste, a lover of tru th , kind, and
pow er;
Building a hope, for gain, of fu tu re rest, him at his birth. The Infidel,there­ which they can augm ent t heir- hum ane to all beings who possess
T o ch eat th e w earied hands of labor now. fore has no inducem ent whatever to pleasure, and reduce their pain. life. L»*t every hum an being, then,
The only hell th e universe co n tain s
Is th a t you m ortals build from hum an injure those who differ from him By the use of m a n ’s rational powers, turn to the laws of his own organ­
h a te :
in opinion; for, by detaching all he can plainly discover his duty ization, nam ely to his love of hap­
M aking of hum an tools th a t h orrid th in g
He piness and aversion to pain. These
You all d esp ise,th e cringing slave of fear. im portance from faith, and refer­ tow ards beings like himself.
Oh, m ost ingenious have your leaders ring entirely to good and virtuous loves happiness, ease, and every laws will give him unerring in­
been
Devising m eans to hold lieneath th e ir actions, he escapes all those angry I th in g which m akes life worth hav struction as to the duties he has to
feet
theological quarrels in which C hris­ ing; so also, do his fellow hein s. perform , and also as to w hat evils
Your w illing n e c k s; a hope of gain u n ­
tian s are more or less involved. He hates and retreats from positive he has to avoid.— [Offen’s Legacy.
b o ught,
For the T orch of Reason.