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-