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About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1899)
REASON. VOL. 3. S IL V E R T O N , O R E G O N , T H U R S D A Y , JA N U A R Y 26, 1899. NO. 3. W e th o u g h t was gold, been ever barest dross? The Hope of Future Life. And shall we tr u s t th e siren w ith h er song T h at charm ed us as we floated on sweet BY ALONZO LEORA RICE. w aters, CAN recall no tim e before my b irth , And left us lonely on th e h itte r seas? And th en a living being I b e ca r,e , H as th a t su p rem est th in g we longed for E ndow ed w ith senses, and acquain- m ost tance m ade Been realize«!? Is not th e m ost of life W ith those fam iliar th in g s aro u n d M ade up of h itte r m em ories, w hich are my w a y ; hopes And from th a t tim e my life begins T h a t never cam e to life? Is not old age to date. A sta tu e sc u lp tu re d w ith reverted face T h a t, like L o t’s wife, looks back on ru in May not th a t th in g th a t has beginning, ed joys? have An ending, too? Does not th e first im ply Religion and Education. The last beyond all d o u b t am i q u estio n ? For th e Torch of Reason. introduction of religion would he in The constitution of the state of connection with anv * such instruc- New York, and of several other tions. Rev. H oward Crosby, I). D., states, are also em phatic in en u n ci said th a t “ we m ight as well insist ating the principle th at religion is on reading the Bible in a m achine —and ever shall he—entirely sepa shop as in a public school.” rate and distinct fr«»m the state There is a proper place to teach And vet, in the face of these ex- religion, not in any school or col plicit declarations of both U nited lege, the studies in which have no States and state law, every one, in necessary connection w hatever with cluding those who believe religion religion ; hut religion (for those who to have retailed civilization, sup desire it) should (only) he tau g h t pressed learning and discounte in the home, in the Sunday school, nance«! science—is compelled to j or in the church. pay hiR quota of w hat is taxed to I can n o t th in k of nor recall one pain We m ay not com plain so much support educational institutions, BY HENRY M. TABER. Before my e n tra n c e to th is life of m ine, of the teaching of religion in schools where a religion, which is repulsive For pain’ was nought nor recollection form ed. H E R E seems to have been an and colleges, where we pay for our to him , is taught. opinion prevailing among ch ild ren ’s instruction in the vari By feature, face and form we desig n ate This u n ju st system is advocated All m en. distinguish th em , th is one from past generations th a t relig ous departm ents of learning, know- by those who (faLely) claim th at th a t; And w hen this fleshy form decays, when ion was a necessary part of educa ,m g th at religion is there taught; there is no justice, no honor, no ears tion. Such opinion is, however, though it is a great wrong to those fidelity, no integrity, no purity, no T h a t d ran k th e richness of all harm ony Are d um b, when eyes th a t view th e g radually changing, under the in who do not believe in the prevail tru th outside of the C hristian e a r th ’s Rich feast are closed in th e ir ete rn al fluence of m odern rational thought. ing religion, th a t there are so few church.— [F a ith or Fact. It used to he considered th a t no educational in stitu tio n s where re sleep, W hen hands are clasped and w hite, and person w ithout the prefix of “ rev ligion is not tau g h t; hut it certain Natural Laws, or Hi racles? th o u g h t’s dom ain, The fount-of kindness and the still w here eren d ” to his nam e was eligible to ly is the rankest injustice to com h a te ’s BY SAMUEL LAING. Most deadly d rau g h t '‘ as brew ed, will the presidency of any college. Now pel us to pay (through the tax s|«ee«i no m ore we have tw’o colleges in New York levy) for the support of schools, The restless couriers on th e ir tireless H E verdict m ust he decided City presided over by gentlemen academ ies and collegies, in which ways, by the weight of evidence. W hen beauties of th e su m m er m orn u n who are not clergym en, and there is taught a religion we may abhor. fold, Theories m ust be called, Ami scented gales are wafted h ith e r are m any o th er colleges in the D is a violation of the gre&t princi ward, country of which it is not thought p le, which is the boast of our re , face io face, before the trib u n al of And birds of m orn th e ir songs of joy re necessary th a t a clerical should be public, of equal rights and exact Fact, and its decision must be re hearse, W hen lips are unresponsive to love’s a tlh e h e a d . W hy should not such justice to all; of our constitutional spected. T his is exactly w hat has touch, been going on for the last two cen And jo y ’s ripe grape te m p ts not th e p al he the case? W hat has religion prerogative th at we cannot be com ate fine; to do, necessarily, with education? pelled to contribute to the support turies, and especially for the last W hen all the senses th a t com m unicate, h alf century, and the record of de And through which inform ation comes W hat connection is there between o f any religion of which we do not to us, religion and any of the prim ary, <u approve; of th a t inestim able, wise cisions is now a very am ple one. W hen all of these have m ouldered into of the higher, branches of educa and ju s t claim , which so d istin In every single instance law h as d u st— A pile of ashes show ing those behind tion? Young people are not sent to guishes us from alm ost every other carried the day against m iracle. Some tra v e le r’s tire has died, defying a rt Instance after instance has oc To kindle it again—w hen we are con school o r to college to learn relig nation, the u tter and entire separa curred in which phenom ena which quered th u s , ion, hut to he instructed in those tion of church and state. W h at is th e re h u t an airy ghost th a t The teaching of religion in the in former ages were attrib u ted branches of study which will e n a peoples Old w om en’s fancies, or a tale t h a t ’s told* ble them to acquire such kt owl- public schools and other in s titu w ith o u t hesitation to su p ern atu ral Around th e n u rse ’s knee a t eventide edge as may he useful in the v a ri tions, under state support, is a agencies have been conclusively To frighten children in to being good? ous avocations to which they may wrong, w hich no consistent person, proved to be due to n atu ral laws. I t is a hope born of th e h u m an h e a rt Take th e obvious instance of th u n That som ew here, w hen th e last good bye he called, and religion is entirely no one in whose character is the ele is said, unnecessary to fit them for any of m ent of justice, no true patriot, can 1 der. It was once an undoubted a r Amid th e sta rry realm s of light aliove ticle of faith th at th u n d er and Me shall clasp h an d s w here p a rtin g is these avocations, except such as for a m om ent advocate or palliate. no m ore. It is not necessary to discuss the lightning, hail and snowstorms, may he inclined to select the m inis O h! p h an tasy of hope th a t all o u r lives, try as an occupation, and for all question as to w hether religion has came direct from the father of the Forever on th e e rra n d of a fool gods in the sky. Even to a late Still sending us with prom ise of to m o r such there are theological in stitu been, or has not been, a benefit to row ; tions, where theology is tau g h t as m ankind. There are those who period this was the general faith, M hen day by day th e em p ty hours d e an en tirely distinct and separate think in the affirm ative, and those and the prayers in our rubric for p art, And life is noth in g hu t a barren w aste, study. who think in the negative. It is rain or fine w eather rem ain as a Thy devotees sta n d w ith a sheaf of R u d im en tary education consists sufficient to know th a t the latter survival of the belief th a t these thorns And ru in ed raim e n t in th e chillin g blast, in 1 he teaching of w riting, reading, class th in k so— and it m ay be a d d things, when unusual or in excess, A lo v e th e grave w here d issolution reigns, are su p ern atu ral m anifestations. And even th en the w itchery of th y sj»ell arith m etic, geography, history, etc. ed th at it is a very large class, and Is never lost, hut leads th e pilgrim on W hy introduce religion into these which class is entitled to all priv But Benjam in F ran k lin said, “ No, T h at som ew here in an undiscovered studies? In the higher branches ileges a ml im m unities which every there is nothing su pernatural about realm lightning. I will bring it down And endless «lay, will come to full fruti- of m athem atics, chem istry, astro n other citizen is entitled to. tion Religion was very properly—and from the clouds and m anufacture it T hat which you prom ised h ere, an d still om y, m icroscopy, literature, the d e n ie d ; languages, etc., why should religion designedly otni’tefl from any notice by tu rn in g a wheel.” Appeal being T h at th e re dw arfed flowers th a t w aited he intruded into these studies? Re w hatever in the form ation of our m ade to fact, the verdict is th a t for th e sun And pined in sw ee tex p ectan cy of sp rin g , ligion is entirely irrelevant to any constitution, and in order to em F ran k lin was right, and th a t light *\ ill bloom in rich perfection in th a t such branches of study. There are phasize the idea of its disassocia ning conductors protect ships an d clim e, And wooing winds be redolent and fair. schools for the teaching o f penm an tion with the state, the first of the houses better than prayers or in am endm ents de cantations. Again, when Galileo B ut is not hope a tric k ste r? H as she ship, for the learning o f trades; law co n stitu tio n al not and medical schools; business col m ands th a t “congress shall m ake and the church joined issue as to >ent u so n rainbow journeys a llo tirliv e s? w hether the earth was round or Has not the coinage of our broken h e arts, leges, in none of which is religion no law re s e c tin g an establism ent An«J m elted in grief’s red ripe crucible, tau g h t, and w hat an absurdity the of religion.” Conclu«le«l on 7th page. 1 I T T