4
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, JANUARY 12. 1899.
!word p .licha (I avoid the Greek
I aui aware that some of your only, can have no more conception
jetterF uthe vitai breath, animal reader« will not agree with me on of a god than a brute”. He could
The Only Paper of Its Kind.
life, the life of animal..”
«»me of these points But with say the same of a man who does
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_
The word psucha is found more them 1 have no quarrel. I cede to not believe in a .Santa ( laus, or the
Pablhhed Weekly by the Liberal Uni- than 100 times in the New Terta-jall the right to accept any, all, or Irish Banshee, but his statement
versity C om pany, in the In tere sts of
ment, and always translated life no religion, as they may elect. I in either case proves nothing and is
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
or soul, according to its declention. esteem many Liberals as gentlemen only an unscientific assumption.
Instead of saying that “in spirit-
I F Hosmer
............... Editor This word, as we have seen, refers of a high order and could trust
P. W. Oeer,
......... Manager to animal life—that possessed in them with any amount without ual science or in man’s spiritual
nature lies the germs of religion”,as
___
common both by man And the fear of being deceived.
G. R. P ottorff . our friend has it, we would say
E ntered a t the jKistoffice at Silverton, lower animals, down Io the worm.
that in our ancestors’ belief of spir-
Oregon, as second-class mail m atter.
It is the same in kind. '1 his life
our answer .
its, ghosts and gods, lie the evil
we may call “co-ordination of com­
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
plex movements,” or “of adjust­ Our friend is somewhat our sen- germs of all supernatural religions
ior, has read much, and is very which curse the world.
$1 00 ments of inner to outer relations,”
One year, in ad v an ce....................
50 or “the inter-action of brain mole­ kind and moderate in his spoken
Some may think they see by
Six m onths in ad v an ce....................
25
T hree m onths, in ad v an ce................
cules,” or by whatever name we and written opposition to our ideas, their imaginary spiritual nature
In clubs of five fir more, one year,
may think makes it plainer. At This makes us feel humble and ^bat man is allied to a god, hut
in ad v an ce..........................................
Money should l»e sent by registered least here is the point that materi­ very friendly toward Mr. Pottorff,
study of nature itself reveals
letter or m oney order.
alists make and pronounce all ma­ and as we point out what we hon- that man is allied to the monkey
. believe
•
1 be t his
• mistakes
• _ 1 . _ • in _ I _ . _
-
1 • X
» Z-V
terial. And bv stopping here, with estlv
to
and
other
lower
forms
of
life.
Our
Notice!
them we have no dispute. Man, in the above, let it be understood that imperfect but ever-increasing intel­
this state only, can have no more we do it with respect, hoping to lects have created gods in our own
A pencil m ark here denotes th a t your
subscription will expire w ith the next conception of a God than the brute. discover the truth, which will be a image and given us, while we were
num ber. You are earnestly requested
Now, the Greelo had another benefit to all.
too young and ignorant to have
to renew so th a t you may receive the pa­
The first mistake which we dis­ classified knowledge of things, vain
per w ith o u t in te rru p tio n . We have de­ word that they applied to man, and
cided th a t it is liest for all concerned I believe never, or seldom, to ani­ cover is a very fatal one. It de­
fancies and yearnings for undesir­
th a t we do not send papers longer than
Here, take the Lexicon stroys the value of the whole arti­ able and unprofitable immortal ex­
th e tim e paid for unless so oniered. mals.
T his will prevent any loss and we will again and turn to the word pneu- cle. It is this: There is no such
istences. A longing for better con­
know ju st where we stand.
We request you to send us th e nam es ma. (1) “ The wind or air in mo­ thing as a spiritual science. No ditions here while we live and for
of Secularists who m ight become su b ­ tion.” (2) “The human spirit as
modern scientist of any note thus better conditions for the people who
scribers and we w ill mail sam ple copies.
distinguished from soma (body) classifies science.
will live here after we are dead, is
and psucha (soul).” (3) “Any in­
What is science? It is classified profitable, but the immortal-life
T H U R S D A Y , J A N . 12, E . M . 299
telligent, incorporial being, as the knowledge, or, as the Standard yearning is injurious, a source of
human spirit.” I believe these two Dictionary says, it is “knowledge contention, an absolute hindrance
A F rie n d ly C o m b a t.
words, spirit and life, or soul, are gained and verified by exact oh- to true science and progress,
H aving had a very friendly private distinct in all languages, and should servation and correct thinking.”
“Was this idea begotten in igno-
arg u m en t w ith our friend and fellow- never be confounded. He who ig­
The absolute facts that are known rance,” etc. “If so,” says our
citizen, M r. Pottorff, of th is city, we nores this fact will he surely crip­
to scientists by years of observation friend, “ignorance is bliss.” Igno­
th o u g h t it m ight advance th e cause of
pled
in
arriving
at
the
truth.
tr u th , for which we both profess to be
in regard to the earth’s crust is call­ rance may be bliss for those who
This word, pneuma, is found in
w orking, if we gave the readers of th e
ed the science of geology, and one believe in “spiritual science,” but
Torch th e Ilenefits of some of our oppos­ the New Testament at least 400
may actually demonstrate these not for a true scientist, one who
ing ideas.
We were, therefore, very times, and translated “spirit” that
truths satisfactorily to Mr. Pot- loves truth more than all else he-
m uch pleased to receive th e following
many times, never “soul” or “life,”
torff and all of us. We can go to side—even his own comfort. “In-
from th e hand of our C h ristia n friend:
and I believe never applied to ani­
many cabinets and there actually telligent Christians love science.”
M r . E ditor :—I have been kind­ mals. The spirit, or a spirit, being see the proof of the great discover- and we might add that the more they
ly invited to write an article for possessed by man,or infused into his ies made in this science. The fos- love science, the more liberal and
the Torch of Reason, setting forth animal life, constitutes his crown­ sil trilobite, orthoceratite, crenoids- scientific they become until they
my views of the Christian religion. ing endowment. This brings us to and other forms, proving the are no longer Christians. To be
In accepting this invitation, I will our third division, “Spiritual facts of science, may be seen, sure some “read between the lines”
only make a few statements on a Science.” In this science, or in handled, examined and compared; things that are not there, even be-
single line—that of science. There man’s spiritual nature, lies the but not so with spiritual things, fore they can read the lines them-
are many sciences, all of which may germs of religion. Through this Nothing is known in regard to selves. We cau not find any such
be classified under three heads, spiritual nature, man is allied unto even the existence of a spirit, the between-line readings in the works
physical, biological and spiritual. God, and through it he apprehends existence of a god, the existence of of any of the great scientists of our
First, physical sciences relate to the divine in nature, the infinite in a heaven or the existence of a hell, time excepting now and then in the
matter, either in an organic or in­ the material, the biological and the
What if, as our friend says, the works of some lesser one, who
organic state, and, second, biolog­ spiritual world.
Greeks believed in and had words tries to cater a little to the popular
ical sciences treat of life in its va­ This sanctifies all the field of
science that lies within human to express life and spirit? They myths.
rious forms, wherever found.
Science is not changeable. The
The word life is variously used, reach. Here man is raised above were not infallible, and probably
and many times confusingly so. To its holy plains where all pour their built their theories on others far- theories given as theories by scient-
of one age may be proven wrong,
illustrate, let me refer to a couple treasure at his feet. At this spirit­ ther hack ir ignorance, as he is
Greek words. But first I will say ual height man feels a yearning—a now trying to have us do. They but two plus two will always re-
"t uc. life—a
..,v—» life
me im believed and had words to express majn four a8 ]Ong as the universe
longing .v.
for a « better
that the Greek language was exten­ lunging
sively spoken at the beginning, aud mortal, w here he hears the call and many things that none of us now stands. The square on the base
before the beginning, of our era. leceives the promises of a Father in believe. \\ hy, then, should their plus the square on the perpendicu-
The Romans generally spoke and heaven. Was this idea begotten in belief in spirits have any weight ¡ar of a right angle triangle will al-
ways equal the square on the hy-
wrote in that language. It was car­ ignorance, horn in ignorance, nour- wl^“ 118 ?
In regard to real science, then, pothenuse; but spiritual science—
ried into the far east at the time of ished and developed in ignorance?
we have no dispute with Mr. P., this reading between the lines, is al-
the Alexandrian conquest. The If so, ignorance is bliss.
Intelligent Christians love science, and we clai,n that there is no 8Pir" ways changing. A few years ago
New Testament was first written in
it reveals
an ..........
infinite r power
science. Many facts of sci-, we read between the lines that her-
that language, save probably Mat- because
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— —
thew. The Hebrew bible was trans- at work. They read between the,enc* are known to us, and when we etics should be hanged and burned,
lated into
Greek
Alexandria
lines,
“The
made us
Even in our
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ll
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IS come to our limit we say
* we do not but what a change!
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a
about 280 B. C. for the use of the divine.” Many Christians are the know; but he lets god, spirit, heav- time, brother Pottorff, . what
Egyptian readers. Now for these most profound scientists. Though en’ ete’ Pland ^(>r an imaginary change in “reading between 1 the
not
words. Take a Greek Lexicon. I as yet all is not scienee that is lienee—unclassified ignorance.
lines!” No, indeed, “all is bwv
have one published by Hinds, No- claimed to be. The science of one
It i» «il very well for our oppo- science that is claimed to be,” and
hie A Co., N. Y. City. Turn tothe age becomes obsolete in the next.
nent to say that “ man in this state |especially is this true of what is
Torch of Reason
1
Bi ,
■
m u v
I