4
Torch of Reason '’pe" Lfc,ter a,,d foll°"!t with tl>e
.
The O nly P ap er of Its Kind.
C h ristia n ’s reply.
The subject is
. . . .
_
most worthy of discussion. T ruth
Published W eekly by th e Liberal U n i­ is what we want and we are very
versity C om pany, in the In terests of
m uch pleased to find an earnest
C onstructive, Moral Secularism
. ~
w
c
...
C hristian who is willing to read our
.,
, .
.
,
J . E. H osm er......................... E ditor ideas and give us a chance to place
P. W. fie e r......................... M an ag er them before the C hristian educator»
""
..............................
of Iowa. The
fittest
will survive,
E n tered a t th e poetoffice at Silverton,
and with this we are content.
Oregon, as second-class m ail m atter.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
AN OPEN LETTER.
S ilverton , Oregon,
One year, in ad v an ce.......................... $1 00
Oct. 10, 1898, After Christ.
Six m onths, in a d v an c e ....................
50
T hree m onths, in a d v a n c e ................
25 D ear C hristian :—
In clubs of five or m ore, one year,
You said in yours of the 1st inst.
in ad vance................................ .........
75
Money should be sen t by registered th at you do not believe in witches,
le tte r or m oney order.
will act wiaely to drive all the broad aubject, one would n atu ra lly
spooks out of your m ind and be conclude th a t you are some old hii
xxr_________ - •
,
....
v u iCU1u uu-
free. W e are your friends and will m an cran k , stran d ed upon the
help you all we can, and when you j rough rocks of bachelorhood, or
are free, we w ant you to help us some disgruntled “ m arried man ”
drive all the witches and *ngels w ithout children, or else, perhaps
and , ghosts .............
from the ..........
m inds of men it may be huh
still worse,
worse, a a grass
grass w
wid-
d-
and women and innocent children, ower, for certainly you evince very
Science is calling. It says, “ Come, little kuowledge or und erstan d in g
learn of me.” I t will teach you to of child n ature, hum an nature
say, “ Depart from me, ye accursed much less the true stan d ard of
of our fathers, into everlasting C hristian ethics, or w hat should
darkness to a place prepared by constitute the m oral instruction for
Secularism for th e devil and bis children.
angels.”
Go back to time im m em orial.
Good bye. W e hope you will Take any of the ancient, mediaeval
take no offense at what we have or m odern nations and peoples.
said for it is our honest opinion.
M h a t has been th eir history?
Y ours for Progress,
W h at is it to-day? W h at shall
S ecular J ohn ,
ours be? Yea, w hat m ust it be?
the D evil H ater
A re we to disregard all (he past?
and you ridiculed the idea, hut do
you not know th a t the unholy hook
Notice!
yon call the holy bible is the only
A pencil m ark here denotes th a t your one in use in civilized countries
W hat shall we build on? A re we
subscription will ex p ire w ith th e n ex t th a t teaches th a t there are such C hristian ’ s reply to secular john .
to take from (rob) “ innocent ch il­
n u m b er. You are earnestly requested beings, and also com m ands th a t
O
range
C
ity
,
Iowa,
to renew so th a t you m ay receiveShe pa­
d re n ,” say nothing of men and
per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de­ people shall not suffer a witch to
Nov. 17, 1898.
women, those stories, C hristian and
cided th a t it is best for all concerned
live?
Think
of
the
terrible
m
ental
Mr.
Secular
Jo
h
n
,
The
Devil
H
ater,
th a t we do not send papers longer th an
others, th a t lift child n atu re to th at
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. and physical suffering th at this one
D ear S i r :—Y ours of the 10th ethereal realm which to them is
T his will p rev en t any loss and we will
unholy statem ent from your dream ult., via Torch of Reason, a t hand heaven itself?
know ju st w here we stan d .
We req u est you to semi us the nam es hook of witches and ghosts has and contents noted. Since yours is
Shall we deprive “ innocent chil­
of S ecularists who m ight become suh- caused.
addressed
to
nobody
in
general
and
scrihers am i we will m ail sam ple copies.
d re n ” of those beautiful visions of
You sav you believe in angels. everybody in p articu lar, I tru st
pure im agery, which m akes ch ild ­
Well,
perhaps
the
belief
in
angels
th
a
t
you
will
not
be
greatly
su
r­
T H U R S D A Y , N O V . 17, E. M . 298
hood happy, m iddle and old age
j does less harm than the belief in prised to receive a reply to your a t­
replete with fond recollections, and
witches, but it does great harm , tack upon the most successful in sti­
th u s m ake stoics, herm its and w hat
E a r n e s t C h r is tia n vs. th e D e v il
nevertheless.
It
is
a
great,
black
tution
doing
business
to-day,
viz.:
H a te r.
not out of G od’s children?
1 lie. There are no such things as the C hristian C hurch.
God forbid! T rue, “Science is
In reply to an article entitled angels, and besides the great harm
Y our article savors too m uch of calling, ‘Come, learn ot m e,’” but
“ An Open L etter”, which ap p ear­ th a t all such superstitious ideas do, that worldly, yet dogm atic, practice
let us m istake not. F anaticism is
it
has
the
tendency
of
keeping
peo­
of
applying
to
C
hristians
the
same
ed in the Torch of Oct. 13, the fol­
not “science,” neither is “ science”
ple
from
investigating
the
real
images
and
ideas
th
a
t
you
enter­
lowing letter was received:
fanaticism . Science is the unfold­
causes of things.
tain and possess concerning Chris ing of tru th . He th a t searches the
O range C ity , Iowa,
You believe th a t angels have tia n ity ; yea, you literally put
true C hristian tru th will not m is­
Nov. 7, 1898.
wings.
Now
think
h
ard
for
a
few
into
the
C
h
ristia
n
’s
m
outh
the
J . E. H osmer , Ed.,
take “ science” for fanaticism , which
m inutes. If they have wings they “ proper answ er,” th a t is to m ake
S ilverton, Ore.,
is the m ainspring in the devil’s
m ust be attached to a body and C h ristian ity the base m onstrosity
workshop.
M y D ear S ir :— H aving received
this body m ust be in the shape of a conceived by your own “ secular
a copy of the Torch of Reason and
We have taken no offense at
hum an being, for of course it would b rain .” C h ristian ity , while it deals
w ishing to test the m erit of its
w hat you have said.
We have
1 .1 • .1
1 •
1 think of them attach- specifically with everything, leaves
be aueuiu
absurd to
d epth in the purpose avowed in its ,
, .
sim ply given our “ honest opinion,”
„ T u
ed to nothing, or to anv other than a wider range. “ Judge not, th a t
pages, I have w ritten an answ er to
.
, ,
“
u a
and tru s t th a t it will not give of­
__ _
1 ..
.
, .
a
,
'a hum an body—such as a doc: or a ye be not judged.’’ T his gives us
an open letter signed by S ecular
~
8» ” r <*
fense.
cat
or
a
monkey.
T
his
body
m
ust
poor
heathen
a
far
better
o
p
p
o
rtu
­
John, The Devil H ater.
Y ours for C hristian Progress,
he dressed or undressed, and either nity than the narrow’ path o u tlire d
C ertainly the subject is w orthv
. .
E arnest C hristian .
of discussion. I am not one to he- i w ay y0,‘ t" ke
11 18 v,'r-v »bsurd; for us by yourself.
lieve these things should no be dis-1 “ “ an g e' ( ° th er Ulan " p u rely h u ‘
Y our analysis of an angel is too the devil hater ’ s second letter .
cussed, but to test your sincerity of
° " e WlthoUt U ln«s> p a,,ls> superficial for any use, and as to
S ilverton , Oregon,
purpose liefore I send you a list of 7 ° ,,niere ° r petticoats is enough to ghosts and witches, it is sim ply
Nov. 17, 1898 After C hrist.
Sioux Co. teachers, I have furnish ' ‘ r ‘Ve a " a ' tl8t W,ld> and ODe w l,h- your construction of our views and
D ear E arnest C hristian : — I
out
any
clothing
is
enough
to
shock
beliefs.
W
hat
care
we
w
hether
ed a reply signed E arnest C hris­
never expected to hear from you, so
even
a
M
ethodist
preacher.
angels are dressed or undressed? im agine my joy when your kind
tian.
Then
think
of
the
wings.
Are
We never spend time discussing letter of the 7th inst. was received.
I would be willing to send you a
list of teachers for sam ple copies, they attach ed to the body with a such absurd questions. We are But enough of this.
Defend y o u r­
ball-and
socket
jo
in
t?
Have
the
taught,
and
we
teach,
chat
angels
provided you dem onstrate fully
self!
wings
the
hum
erus,
the
ulna,
the
are spiritual beings.
This is
y o u r position by publishing my re­
You think the C hristian church
radius
and
phalanges
the
sam
e
as
a
enough.
It
rem
ains
for
infidels
to
ply» ° r giving good and sufficient
“ is the most successful in stitu tio n
hi
id
s
wing?
H
ave
they
veins,
and
clothe
innocency
with
the
rags
of
reasons for not doing so.
doing business to d ay ” ; but, if th a t
would
they
bleed
if
.
punctured?
hypocrisy
and
superstition.
’ I is not my desire to foist myself
be true, and we ad m it th a t it has
H
ave
these
wings
feathers,
or
are
W
hat
do
you
propose
in
place
of
upon you or your readers. I a p ­
m ade “ lots of money and th in g s”,
they
like
h
ats’
wings?
I
th
in
k
I
C
hristianity,
with
its
teachings,
its
preciate sincerity of purpose quite
does th a t prove th a t it is a good
heai
you
say,
“
I
d
o
n
’t
know
.”
No,
high
stan
d
ard
of
ethics
and
Chris-
as much in unbelievers as I do in
thing — th a t it has not done the
you
do
not
know,
because
there
is
tian
living?
Reason,
cold
blooded
those who profess them selves to he
world great harm ?
Robbers often
no
such
anim
al
in
existence,
except
|
reason,
from
a
finite
standpoint,
C hristians. They are equally as
for r
r ------» flourish and . ty
j i ra
n i n i i ts
n n have
a v e r ruled
u ie u io
in
the
mind»
of
th
e
ignorant.
Yea,
basely
th
ro
ttles
the
better
emo-
ages.
Its
success
has
been
a
t
the
responsible in every way for their
ignorant. You m ay he informed tions, drives them out of the hu
every act as other people.
expense of education, of invention,
on
some
subjects,
hut
if
you
believe
man
h
eart,
leaving
the
affectionate
Awaiting your reply, I am
of honest thought and of tru th . The
in angels you are as ignorant of nature of m an shorn of th e one
Y ours truly,
foundation of its success as a busi­
th
e
tru
th
as
that
old
Irish
Catholic
great elem ent of true character; ness rests down d ee p in the slim e of
E. D. B rown ,
lady
we
met
over
on
the
coast,
who
th a t which makes hum an happiness ignorance, superstition, persecution
Co. Supt.
For the convenience of the read- ’/ J “
in **'ch; a a,,d
!'«e™ below, to say nothing' o V t'l^
and crim e.
...
.
I t is not j o u r fault, hut now your great hereafter,
I have had as good opportunities
er we wi re p n u t the Devil H ate r’s i atten tio n has been called to it, you
From the m anner you tre a t the,
perhaps of form ing tru e “ im ages