4
TUE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, DECEMBER, 8. 1898.
Torch of Reason
lasting, is of slow growth, and if think for us, led us, though young, world And although some of the
/A
■« M n work
* x-k M 1. here
Il ft m /\ at Silverton
■ I as x> A « . w
» a r. is not A to think, investigate, pray over our
our
very parties who could and should
The Only Paper of Its Kind.
too slow, it is far better than the doubts, and at last doubt our pray­ help us most, are misled by the
— ¡failure that WOOld sun-lv come to a ers and everything belonging to cries from the opposing elements,
Published Weekly by the Liberal Uni- big “blow out” of a miscellaneous priestcraft. Then came a period although those who were willing to
vereity Company, in the Interests of , , * .
.
.
...
,
C n riH t m e t iv p M u r a l S e c u l a r i s m .
l o t Ol p e o p l e w h o s e I H l I f i i ) O l l l y when we were alone. We were pit­ take from us our labor, our time,
touches at a few points.
ied and prayed over by the saints, our hard earned knowledge, our
The Liberal University Company misunderstood and laughed at by very life, and then “kick us out,”
J. E. Hosmer,..................... Editor
P. W. Geer,.................. Manager is anxious to be known of all men. the nothingites, who did not believe are the first to cry thief against
Our ideas are radical; we do not in our ideas of true salvation us, when in spite of their unfaith­
Entered at the postoffice at Silverton, try to deceive anyone, and if we through education
and moral fulness we succeed in going on with
Oregon, as second-class mail matter.
can hold out until those who are preaching and practice. Even our the work, in spite of all, we are go­
.naturally our friends learn the better half did not understand and ing on, and never felt more encour­
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
truth about our plans, we will car­ could not believe as we did.
aged with our work or more able
One year, in advance........................$1 00 ry on the work without interrup­
Lonesomel O, how lonesome one to cope with all opposing forces
Six months, in advance..................
50
Three months, in advance...............
25 tion. If we do not get help enough may feel at times! But, glory! than we do at this writing. We
In clubs of five or more, one year,
we will be obliged to stop cur school Our better half began to think! She will succeed! We are succeeding,
in advance......................................
75
Money should lx; sent by registered until we can earn money to com­ says that when she joined the Con­ and those who have so kindly help­
letter or money order.
plete our building. We hope and i gregational chureh and during the ed us will not be disappointed nor
believe that this will not be neces­ years when she was a member, she see their work for educational, pro­
Notice!
sary w hen it takes so little to finish never really thought. The preach­ gressive, moral Secularism brouhgt
it, and a stop would hurt us so er was good and wise, and of course to naught. Our little baud must
A pencil mark lu re denotes that your
subscription will expire with the next much, but whatever be our ups she supposed he knew all about it, be patient and labor on and know
number. You are earnestly requester! and downs now in our pioneer work, and she never tried to think, but that thousands upon thousands will
to renew so that you may receive the pa­
per without interruption. We have de­ the success of our institution is she at last thought. Then came a join our ranks wdien they once
cided that it is best for all concerned sure, for the world is ready and we number of years of happiness with learn what great blessings to the
that we do not semi papers longer than
the time paid for unless so ordered. are in earnest. Let us get into our one who shares our ideas of a hap­ whole world will swiftly follow the
This will prevent any loss and we will new building next year and we will pier, truer religion than the old be­
success of the first school of Free-
know jnst where we stand.
more
than
double
our
number
of
liefs in the gods and devils, but we thought.
We request you to send us the names
of Secularists who might become sub­ students, and as the expense is not were ever anxious to find some way
scribers and we will mail sample copies.
much more for one hundred stu­ to help others find the light. Fi­
A W o lf in S h e e p ’s C lo th in g .
dents than fifty and the income nally we heard of the Oregon State
T H U R S D A Y , D E C . 8, E . M . 298
much larger, this will give us an­ Secular Union, and our hopes
The most successful thief is the
other push forward.
arose.
one who has the appearance of in­
F a ls e an d T r u e Id e a s .
As we look out of our window
Here was an opportunity to nocence and he who can success­
Some Freethinkers seem to think and see our healthy Freethought preach and teach our doctrines of fully pose as honest while in the
that, in order to start a University, boys and girls at their games; when freedom from superstition and our act of robbing a victim, has a great
we should have two or three mil­ we see our young men and young religion of right living. So, wilh advantage over one who makes no
lion dollars. Tin le are many whose women enjoying themselves in the willing sacrifice, we entered the pretensions of honesty. Thus in
infi<lelity has gone to seed, and who debate, the dramas, the tableaux, work, hut imagine our astonish­ the past the largest and most suc­
have that conservative, hold-hack the charades or the social dance; ment to find much wrong doing, cessful stealing games have been
idea that hinders our cause more, when we remember the work that much quarreling and confusion and the ones whose promoters could
perhaps, than orthodoxy itself. these students have already done much superstition in the ranks of successfully make their dupes be­
While these sluggards do nothing in the school room, and the great those professing just the opposite. lieve some wonderful story of di­
hut tear down everything, both un­ change for the better already come How disappointed we are when we vine purity, innocence and wisdom.
progressive orthodoxy and progres­ to them, and what a great aid they think of the slavish thinking of The history of all supernatural re­
sive Secularism, ihe Liberal Uni­ soon will be to the ranks of progres­ many who claim to be Freethink­ ligions are the same in this re­
versity, in spite of its many hin­ sive, working Secularism, it gives ers and the filthy thinking of those spect, Christianity being no excep­
drances, is educating young people us couarge, for it “chucks the lie I who talk purity. At last the idea tion. The character of Jesus Christ
for the future woik. Many who into the teeth” of the croaker and dawned upon us that “things are has been used for the purpose of
listen to these croakers do not the Christian bigot, who eay that not what they seem,” and that
robbing the people in the most civ­
realize what we are doing right Infidels can never do anvthiim.
many who were taking an active ilized countries, and thousands of
now. Why should we wait? The
A es, we are doing something now, part in the Secular work w’ere only
the weaker sort are still victimized
time is ripe when some one should and coming years will show to the working to force upon the unsus­
in free America.
take the initiative, and it would he world that our work of establishing pecting Infidels other doctrines as
Christ is represented as the Lamb
a loug time before two or three the first Freethought .University absurd, and some of them perhaps
of God, and touching stories told,
million dollars would present itself was one of great importance in as injurious as the Christian dog­
showing how he loves us. His suf­
to those who are capable of con­ bringing about the then more per­ mas. Others were working for no­
ferings are pictured in the most af­
ducting such a school. The right fect civilization.
toriety, and others for the money fecting colors and everything done
way—the most successful way— is
that a Robert Ingersoll commands. to make the young in years and the
for an institution to commence as
Jealousies, backbitings and corrup­
the Liberal University has com­ D is a p p o in te d , N o t D is c o u ra g e d . tion in high places, nearly as bad weak in intellect feel pity, love,
reverence, awe and adoration for
menced and grow into success.
About ten years ago we left the as those in the Christian churches, this character, and then the dupe
Two million dollars placed in Congregational church. A num­ paraded themselves before us
is politely requested to “throw up
the hands of a hoard of trustees se­ ber of years before we had been
until we were actually sick,
lected promiscuously from those fooled into joining the ranks of or­ but through it all we have his hands,” while his pockets are
who are supposed to be Secularists, thodoxy because we were young believed and still believe that rifled. It makes us cry to think of
would result in the money being and our judgment and reason not there is a bright future for the re­ the past—how the poor workers
used for salaries, buildings not yet strong enough to detect the fallacy ligion of Humanity. Education is have thus been robbed; but the in­
needed, disappointment in regard when the wily preacher presented what we need. We must have ed­ dividual losses and gains are noth­
ing compared with those of the na­
to attendance, removals of teachers, to us the beauties of a Christian ucated workers. We must have
tions. Christianity is the biggest
dissatisfaction and, finally, the ex- life. We wanted to do just what those workers understand what we
haustion of the money and failure. was right, hut we did not under­ did not understand wher we en­ thief on record. It stole its idea of
Stephen Gerard had the money, stand what an awful wrong was be- tered the work. They must know a god from the very people whom
it condemned and plundered. Its
but his plan failed and his ideas of ing done us, all in the name of the nature of the enemies, and they
best moral precepts came from the
Freethought are trampled under- truth, right and a holy God. But must have a definite plan and a
heathen whom it condemned to an
foot in the very institution that his our honesty of purpose, our grow- definite moral standard. This is
everlasting hell. The good cus­
money and his love for mankind ing intellect, our great desire to find why we established the Liberal Uni­
established.
the ab8olute truth, and our horror versity, and this is our excuse for of­ toms of those it could not over­
Everything in nature, that is of l»eing duped by letting others. fering the Torch of Reason to the 1 come, it has appropriated and
named Christian. It has entered