Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1899)
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, FEBRUARY 2, 1899. The Old and the New. stellation of the sun—by experi rance and faith. They preached Brains of Children. ment and research discovering a the glories of another world and the How much happier the lives few secrets of chemistry—by the in miseries of this. They derided the of the thousands of children en BY R. O. INGERSOLL. vention of printing and the pres prosperous, the industrious, those tering school would be if only wo Our fathers did the best they ervation and desseniination of facts, who enjoyed life, and reserved men—mothers and teachers— better could. They believed in the super- Hhd Noughts they wereen- heaven for beggars. understood the nature and lim ita natural, and they thought that sac ahled to break a few chains of su This philosophy is losing author- tions of their brain cells. Such rifice and prayer, fasting and weep perstition—to free themselves a lit- ity and now most people are anx- ing, would induce the supernatural tle from the dominion of the super- ious to be happy here in this life, knowledge is to be had, as very im to give them sunshine, rain and natural and to set their faces to- Most people want food and root and portant experiments and deductions been recently made by scien- harvest—long life in this world and ward the light. Slowly the num- raim ent—books and pictures and have ' i,iveMigators’' ' but it always eternal joy in another. To them. U r of investigators and thinkers luxury and leisure. They believe in unrea8o’n, able length of God was a monarch, quick to take increased—slowly the real facts developing the brain—in making offense, sudden in anger, terrible in were gathered—the sciences began servants and slaves of the forces of time for t»uch knowledge to become general. punishment, jealous, hateful to his to appear—the old beliefs grew a uature After 25,000 tests by the educat enemies, generous to his favorites. little absurd—the supernatural re Now, the intelligent of the world Thev •> believed also in the existence treated and ceased to interfere in have cast aside the teachings, the ors in America, it has been abso of an evil God—almost the equal of the ordinary affairs of men. philosophy of the ascetics. They lutely demonstrated, for instance, that the length of time a child of the other God in strength and a lit Schools were founded, children no longer believe in the virtue of six years of age can concentrate its tle superior in cunning. Between were taught, hooks were printed fasting and self-torture. They be these two Gods was the soul of man mind does not exceed seven min and the thinkers increased. Day lieve that happiness is the only like a mouse between two paws. good and that the time to be happy utes; and that all efforts to confine by day confidence lessened in the Both of these Gods inspired fear. its attention upon one subject be is now, here, in this world. They supernatural, and day by day men Our fathers did not quite love God, yond this limit are worse than use were more and more impressed with no longer believe in the rewards nor quite hate the devil—but they less. This power of concentration the idea that man must he his own and punishments of the supernat were afraid of both. They really increases slowly; at the age of eight protector, his own providence. ural. They believe in conseqences, wished to enjoy themselves with a child’s attention may be easily From the mists and darkness of and that the consequences of bad ac God in the next world and the held ten minutes. At the age of savagery and superstition emerged tions are evil and the consequences devil in this. They believed that twelve bis mind should not be riv the dawn of the natural. A sense of good actions are good. the course of nature was affected by eted upon one subject longer than They believe that man, by inves of freedom took possession of the their conduct; that floods and seventeen minutes. It is, there mind and the soul began to dream tigation, by reason, should find out storms, diseases, earthquakes and fore, a great mistake to keep a child the conditions of happiness and of its power. On every side were tempests were sent as punishments, of this age—say at the piano more invention and discovery, and bolder then live and act in accordance and that all good phenomena were than fifteen minutes; after a change thought. The church began to re with such conditions. They do not of occupation, another quarter of an rewards. gard the friends of science as its believe that earthquakes or tem Everything was under the con hour’s practice will be of incalcula . , f ... i foes. Theologians resorted to chain pests or volcanoes or eclipses are trol and direction of supernatural ° bly more benefit than the attem pt and fagot—to mutilation and tor- caused by the conduct of men. powers. The air—the darkness— tt,JV & , to continue work after brain and They no longer believe in the su ture. were filled with angels and devils; nerves have become fatigued. pernatural. They do not regard The thinkers were denounced as witches and wizards planned and Indeed, most of the inattention plotted against the pious—against heretics and Atheists—as the min** themselves as the servants, serfs, and restlessness of children may be the true believers. Eclipses were ions of satan and the defamers of slaves or favorites of a celestial explained on the physical basis. produced by the sins of the people, Christ. All the prejudice, igno kir g. They feel that many evils A boy’s brain, for example, under and the unusual was regarded as rance and malice of superstition can be avoided by intelligence, and goes a certain shrinkage at the age miraculous. In the good old times were aroused and all united for the for that reason they believe in the of fourteen or fifteen. It actually Christendom was an insane asy destruction of investigation and development of the brain. The weighs less than at the age of lum, and insane priests and pre thought. For centuries this con school house is their church and twelve and thirteen. This fact ex lates were the keepers. 1 here was flict was waged. Every outrage the university their cathedral. The plains the carelessness, laziness and no science. The people did not in was perpetrated, every crime com teacher, the interpreter of nature, is general unreasonableness of boys of vestigate—did not think. I hey mitted by the believers in the su their preacher, and all the truths this age. Statistics show that a trembled and believed. Ignorance pernatural. But in spite of all, the that have been demonstrated con large proportion of boys leave and superstition ruled the Christian disciples of the natural increased stitute their creed. They believe in the gospel of in school at about this time. It is a l and the power of the church waned. world. together probable that if parents At last a few began to observe, to Now, the intelligence of the world telligence and they wish to save the is on the side of the natural. Still world from ignorance, superstition and teachers realized that the prov make records and to think. erbial lawlessness of boys of four It was found that eclipses came the conflict goes on—the supernat and misery. The new religion satisfies the teen merely evidenced a temporary at certain intervals, and that their ural constantly losing and the nat condition of brain cells, more of coming could be foretold. 1 bis ural constantly gaining. In a few heart and brain. The old religion is cruel, selfish them would be patiently guided demonstrated that the actions of years the victory of science over through the period, to take up their men had nothing to do with eclip superstition will be complete and and absurd. The old religion was in perfect harmony with a flat studies a year or two later with re ses. A few began to suspect that universal. newed interest. So, there have been for many world, with a little heaven above it earthquakes and storms had nat The same tests have conclusively ural causes and happened without centuries two philosophies of life; and a large hell beneath. The old the slightest reference to mankind. one in favor of the destruction of religion had a powerful savage, an proved that the brain of a child is Some began to doubt the exist the passions—the lessening of wants immense barbarian for a God and si ways most active between 8:30 ence of evil spirits, or the inter —and absolute reliance on some another savage for a devil. Man at and 10:30 in the morning. All les ference of good ones in the affairs higher power; the other, iu favor his best was a poor slave whose sons, therefore, requiring the exer- of the world. Finding out some of the reasonable gratification of happiness and misery dwelt in the cercise of their reasoning power— thing about astronomy, the great the passions—the increase of wants, smiles and frowns of these super such as arithmetic and grammar— i should be at this hour. It has been number, the certain and continu and their supply by industry, in natural monsters. The new religion has destroyed further deduced that the average ous motions of the planets, and the genuity and invention, and the re fact that many of them were vastly liance of man on his own efforts. these phantoms. The universe is child, unhampered by grades and larger than the earth—ascertaining Diogenes, Epictetus, Socrates, to no longer governed by a tyrant and systems, may have easily mastered his arithmetic by the time he is something about the earth—the some exlent, Buddha, and Christ man at last is free. The supernatural has a almost lm o st twelve vears old. slow development of forms—the all taught the first philosophy. All growth and distribution of plants, despised riches and luxury—all gone, but the natural remains—the Scientists have also discovered the formation of islands and conti were enemies of art and music—the Gods have faded, but man is here. that if the brain centers governing nents, the parts played by fire, despisers of good clothes and good —[The Truth Seeker Annual. the motor nerves remain undevel water and air through countless food and good homes. They were oped until the age of sixteen, there centuries—the kinship of all life— the philosophers of poverty and Are you acquainted with the is no chance whatever of any later fixing the earth’s place in the con- rags, of huts and hovels—of ¡gno- merits of the Forstner auger bit? development; which fact is a pow-