T orch of
VOL. 2.
S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, T H U R SD A Y , OCTOBER 20, Ì898.
V
.... —
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.
p T 'H E world was n e ’er im proved
*
Bv tim id , fearful m en ;
• Nor niiyhty wrongs rem ov’d
By slavish tongue or pen.
& O ur noble sires of obi
W ere d au n tless and w ere
b ra v e ;
Their h e arts to tru th not cold,
Dared prison-cell am i grave.
*****
li.-t .—
way transposed.
** *
t IJ 111
« w . «
-ill I I
c rin g e d Lv ihe a a -rë F W T P rffW period. It is only since m an began
m an, and it is ihe height of folly to to think th a t this m onstrous b ar­
attem p t it.
barity has stopped, and ouly stop­
ped when he found out th a t a witch
The last day will he a very busy was not a reality, but a fiction. If
one fo r all concerned. Not only he will think a little more he will
wiI1 ever? hum an body th a t ever reach the same conclusion about
lived be re(l uired to h u n t up the the soul and the supposed au th o r of
PCatte,ed Pa rts which once consti- this m onstrous edict.
m ill i
i
Man is but a part of the earth
and the atm osphere which sur-
rounds it. H is being is due to ex-
isting conditions and to n atu ral,
not su p e rn a tu ra l, causes. Change
the conditions, stop the earth in its
They suffered for th e rig h t,
revolutions upon its axis, or in its tuted its »«»tom y, in order to ap-
They won th e m artyr-crow n,
A Great Change.
They fought th e noble tight,
course around the sun, and there Pear for sentence, but the Suprem e
They braved th e p riesth o o d ’s frown.
could be no such thing as m an. J u d 8e wil1 have to exam ine the
Help on w hat th ey l>egan,
There was a tim e when an unbe­
And strive for objects g re a t;
The earth and universe were not countless billions of records in or-
liever, open and pronounced, was a
Let us th e ir e rro rs sh u n ,
created for his sole use. H e is but der to reacb a JU8t conclusion,and at
T h eir virtues im itate.
wonder. A t th a t time the church
—[Selected.
an incident of circum stances and ^he same time will be obliged to re­ had great power; it could retaliate;
present existing conditions. There a »range the wnole order of the uni- it could destroy. The church a b a n ­
w a s a tim e when he did not exist, verse Inade necessary by the de­ doned the stake only when too
For the Torch of Reanon.
but the earth was going through its struction of the earth.
m any men objected to being b u rn ­
Unprejudiced Opinions.
revolutions as now. There will be
ed. At that tim e Infidelity was
a tim e when be cannot exist, owing
The tree does not put on its ra i­ clad not sim ply in novelty, but
BY C H A R L E S K . T E N N E Y .
to changed conditions, but the earth m ent of green in the spring-tim e, often in fire. Of late years the
will continue in its accustomed or the flower put forth its beauty thoughts of men have been turned,
A day is but the space of time orbit.
and fragrance by reason of any by virtue of modern discoveries,
occupied by the earth in m aking
***
special providence, but because, in as a result of countless influences,
oue com plete revolution upon its
M atter is ever changing form and obedience to the action of the su n ’s to an investigation of the founda­
axis. As the earth revolves towards
h ic h i« h nnrt
nnr ra - vs upon
the earth,
it cannot do tion of orthodox religion. O ther
the sun, its beginning and ending 4=3 | n la 1 c e j T 1 h a t w
wnicn
is
a
p
ari
o.
our
i
.
’
.
1 P 1 1 p 1 • z»
i
h
1
N either » is £« lUzv
the irtll
fall of religions were put in the crucible
cannot be the sam e a t any two dif- )oc*y f°day, and full of life and an- otherwise.
ferent places in its path; hence, the im ati°n ,
tom orrow, when it has the sparrow to the earth due to of criticism , and nothing was fouud.
same space of time cannot c o n s ti-1 Performed ’fs p art in our life, cast special providence, but is in direct hut dross. At last it occurred to
tute a day in any two different od’ an(‘ becomes lifeless, until in obedience to the laws of attraction. the intelligent to exam ine our own
H um an laws and prisons, the religion, and t h is exam ination has
parts. At some point on the earth due ProCP®8 °f ti»ne it is absoroed
the day is always ending and al- bv o iber anim ate m atter, and be- product of m an ’s genius for the bet­ excited great interest and great
ways beginning. As a day is but cornPH full of life, until again cast term ent of him self and fellows, com m ent. People want to hear,
the tim e required by the earth in °^* ^bus m atter is ever passing keep more men from evil than all and they want to hear because they
m aking one com plete revolution, a t ^rom hfe to death and from death to the churches ever founded or so- have already about concluded them ­
called divine laws ever w ritten. selves th a t the creeds are founded
what point in the revolution should life.
Abolish out laws and prisons and in error.
***
we mark the beginning of the day
the com m andm ents would have a
T housands come to hear me be­
embraced in the time known as
The soul of m an is but an idle sorry time in keeping our hands cause they are interested in the
“sacred”? In view of what consti­ fancy. Its existence cannot be de-
from our neighbors’ pockets, or from question, because they want to hear
tutes a day, is there any ra ­ monst rated by fact or reason. It th eir throats. Self-imposed restric-
a m an say what they think. They
tional reason for believing th at is the p r o d u c t of fa ith ,a n d is based tions, not divine edict, m ake men
w ant to hear th eir own ideas from
the time occupied by the earth in on a m isconception of m an ’s true good.
the lips of another. The tide hat-»
m aking any one com plete revolu- relation to the universe. W hen we
turned, and the spirit of investiga­
***
tion from any given startin g point ]Parn our true relations to it, and
tion, the intelligence, the intellect­
is anv more sacred than th a t occu realize the fact th a t we are hut a
Man wil1 hase his actions, course ual courage of the world is on the
pied in m aking any other com plete very insignificant incident of crea- in life and belief in future cxitence
other side. A real good old fash­
revolution? All believe th at there tion, we will cease to chase phan- u Pon the naked, unsupported state-
ioned orthodox m inister who be-
should be a tim e for rest and re­ tom shadow» and pay more atten- m enti of others; evidence th at would | ievPS the th irty . Iljne articleB with
creation for man and beast,perhaps tion to ourselves an fellows, and not be tolerated in a justice court a | ( hig m ig)lt jg re
ded todav aH
more frequent th an now, but this thereby benefit the race.
to convict a chicken thief, and yet * tlleological mumm
a Uind of
does not signify th a t th e first or
we are called an enlightened people.
_ , , .
_ .
,
corpse acted upon by the galvanic
***
seventh com plete revolution from
In the business affairs of life super-
t
i-
a., battery of faith, m aking strange
any given point is any more sacred
I hat there is a suprem e ruler can stition and tradition count b u \ t , little
motions, alm ost like those of life —
than the tim e occupied by the in- n°f be dem onstrated; th at there is with m an, but when an y th in g ap­
not quite.— [Ingersoll.
term ediate revolution.
T h at an y not, except in the sense th a t the pears to him m ysterious he seems
one revolution is any more sacred whole universe, acting together, is to lose his ordinary good judgm ent
Colonel M urray, of the Seaforth
the suprem e power, can be m athe- and th e word of the religious faker,
than an other is an absurdity.
m atically proven. Is faith, based however foolish or absurd, becomes H ighlanders, who was a t the battle
of A thara, pays a tribute to the re­
! on absurd trad itio n , better evidence solemn tru th .
Much is said by our C hristian
ligious sincerity of the Arabs. T hey
than the dem onstration of an exact
***
friends about “ sacred and profane
believe th a t if they kill an unbe-
science?
h isto ry ” . H istory is a tru th fu l re­
“ Thou sh alt not suffer a witch to liever they will certainly go to par-
***
cord of past events. W hat is true
live” , is the gentle com m and of the adise, and have a good place in its
m ust be sacred.
T h at which is
“ The prayers of the wicked avail- merciful F ath er, and acting on this very best departm ent. Accordingly,
false is not history, and in
th a t eth not.” This is equally true of com m and thousands of innocent they are reckless in battle, courting
sense is profane. As much of t h a t the righteous.
No prayer was or men and women ha ve suffered death rath er than shunning death. “ Ev-
which is denom inated “sacred ever will he answered, for nature by the most cruel torture. T hat ery one of those m en,” Colonel
plainly bears upon its face
the does not act in response to our ap- there could he no such thing as a M urray says, “ believes in his relig-
prom inent year m arks of falsehood peals, hut only in obedience to its witch never occurred to the chosen ion, which we do not.—[The Free-
and im possibility, it would seem laws. No law of n atu re can he until w ithin a com paratively short thinker.