Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1899)
T H E TORCH OF REASON, SILV ER TO N , OREGON, MARCH 2, 1899. 4 fruit. It is called happiness. Some he thinks the time “ not ripe” to u n - ju s t and false accusations and cruel tim es people, especially the young, I O rCll OI the people. “ The end jus- condem nations of the preachers in m istake a kind of fruit called pleas T h e O n ly P a p e r o f I t s K in d . tifie s the m eans” is acted out, and their satin covered pulpits next Lord’s day. If they condem n evil, ure for this, hut this kind tends to __ ta c itly u n d e r-to e d a t least, I he m ake one wise and is for the heal PabUsbed Weekly by the Liberal Uni- power he has over his people, and though it he harsh, we will be con ing of the nations. versity C om pany, in the In tere sts of e s p e c ia lly o y e r the women, makes ten t; but the greatest evil is m ade But let us look at the other tree. _ C o n stru c t.» ^ Moral S e c u l a n s n , ^ h is U a c h e 9 h jm to appear as the greatest virtue, The tru n k is called ignorance. Its I P H osm er E d ito r not to do so, th an k God for not he and honest th in k ers are con t inned m ain branches are superstition, ir W G eer, .'.M a n ag er >ng like other men. Arrogance, both here and hereafter. But p er cruelty and greed, and from these bi gotry,self-conceit,self-worship, de- haps after all we should not call branch others called w itchcraft, b t m d a, tl,. a, SilwrU», ception,cunning, love of power, fear them liars. It does sound harsh. divine right of kings, inquisitions, Oregon, as second-class m ail m atter. of hum an nature mingled with im It may he better to say th a t, in the wars, drunkenness, priestcraft, aginary pictures of a god with these course of our evolution to higher tru sts, theology, etc. The twigs and SUBSCRIPTION RATES. same attributes, yet filled with love things, one of the m istakes we (the leav es are also nam ed. But the ... on for his creatures, are all impressed whole hum an fam ily) have made is One year, in a d v an c e ........................ *1 YY . , . the m istake of being credulously fru it? No, no, do not taste it! It Six m onths in a d v an c e .................... ^0 upon his brain. is m isery. Some call it hell. Look T hree m onths, in a d v an c e ................ j j u t a r e n o t the priests and min- led by our em otions, and th a t this In clubs of five or m ore, one year, has developed the class we call at the vile worms th a t eat and eat isters kind? Are they not c h a rita in advance....................................... ™ priests and preachers— th a t it has at its leaves and twigs, branches Money should I»e sent by registered ble? Do they not persuade people and tru n k . Y et it is never con le tte r or m oney order. to be honest, meek and to have just all been a m istake of the race, and sumed. They only give it more opposite characteristics than no one is particularly to blame. Look out, friend, th e ir N otice! Looking at it in this way, w eeau vigor. those m entioned? Ah! yes; but breath is poisonous! not because it is right, hut because indeed “ love our enem ies’’ even to Is there nothing th a t will kill A h a n d pointing to th is notice denotes the most priestly priest and preachy God sees us and will punish. How th a t vour su b scrip tio n has ex p ired . them ? Oh, yes; or, better yet, You áre earn estly requested to re easy it is for an arrogant priest to preacher; hut it is th at same kind new so th a t you m ay receive th e pa of love th a t the preacher has, or they m ay be changed into angels. preach meekness to his already p er w ithout in te rru p tio n . W e have de Fooling? No, indeed I ’m not. If cided th a t it is best for all concerned meek followers, or for a self-wor pretends to have, for crim inals— the th a t we do not send papers longer th a n kind th a t does not allow us to p ar they eat of the tree of life they will shiping m inister to in stru ct his peo th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. become real angels, and the more T h is will prevent any loss and we will ple in self-abandonm ent, hut words ticipate in their m istakes, hut r a th know ju st where we sta n d . er to help them to abandon their they eat the more beautiful do are hollow sounds when given the We request you to send us th e nam es evil ways th a t only lead to sorrow, they become. Shall we build a of Secularists who m ight become su b lie by principles and actions. home here, did you ask? W ell, if scrib ers and we will m ail sam ple copies. The ancient story told by Jose hypocrisy, insanity and crime. W hen a priest drops his priestly you choose; h u t un d er which tree phus, of the treachery of the priests shall we build? of Isis in deceiving P aulina, wife of office and teaches from his pulpit S aturnius, is well m atched by our m orality from a purely Secular O u r F u tu re W o rk . T h e N a t u r e o f P rie s ts . modern priests, endeavoring to standpoint, or when he becomes a teacher of science, we have no com After a child is born, his environ teach m orality, when the prim e plaint as iar as this work goes, but So far, our U niversity has been motives of their work is just the op m ent finishes bis character. There even our m odern preachers in our a success. W hen we consider the m ay be exceptions, but, as a rule, posite. most modern C hristian churches so obstacles which we have met and Not only the w ine-drinking prof one who is reared a slave will be a weave and twine their godisms and overcome, it seems alm ost incredi slave, and one reared to the b ru ta l ligates of the Roman C atholic C hristism s, their devilism s and ble th a t we could accom plish so ity of a slave driver will be brutal. church are im m oral, hut every man hellism s into every good thought, much in so sh o rt a time. Now, w hat are the environm ents of who stands before an audience and th a t it makes evil outof w hat m ight Not all of our past successes by talks of a god in such a way as to the priest and preacher? be good. It is like puttin g into the any m eans, b u t one of the greatest, In the theological sem inary, those lead people to believe he knows hands of a child a hook th a t con consists in our present advantage who are fo rtu n a te (?) enough to there is such a person, is either de ta in s lessons of tru th m ingled with ous position to build for the future. have its advantages(?) are led in a ceived himself, or an im moral liar. lies of the grossest and m ost d am Our past work has been very crude, business like m anner into the way T his m ay sound harsh, and it and unsatisfactory to ourselves, aging nature. of preparing to lead the people. would be if we said it to be mean, But the past is past. H u rra h for com pared with w hat the glorious Seem ingly! ?)contradictory passages but we believe th a t it is best for all the glorious future and the wonder future promised. T his w inter we o f scripture m ust be explained, and to krow the tru th ; so let it be harsh ful changes it will bring! We see have had no hall of our own. To we dare say th a t no strictly honest if tru th is harsh. We repeat, with variations: men with the eyes of a Secular seer the be sure, when no one else w anted m an, one who tells the tru th , the priest of the future. He, or she, is Liberal H all, wc had permission whole tru th and nothing but the who have not been foolishly fooled not a priest. He, or she, is a n a t to use it, hut we have not dared to tru th , can stay long in such a them selves and still teach about uralist, a m oral philosopher, an el m ake dates or plan for lectures,and school, or a t least in such a profes gods, devils, angels, heaven, hell ocutionist, an instructor, a man or have even been obliged to postpone sion as the m inistry. The Catholic and the m iracles as though they woman who can en tertain , inform schools leave less latitu d e for con- are proven facts, are im m oral liars, and in stru ct in things th a t are the Y. P. S S. C. from tim e to time. science,but both C atholic and P rot-I and we believe this includes every known, th at are kuow ableaud th a t We do not blam e any one for this. We are very glad indeed th a t the estan t cultiv ate th a t in the stu- intelligent orthodox piiest and are w orth knowing. m anagem ent allows us access to the Let us speed the day. d ents m ind which fits him for the preacher in the world. hall a t any time. This does not Our conclusion is th a t the great priesthood, and th a t is largely de change the facts, however. B ut arm y of godly parasites now in our ception . T w o T re e s . see w hat an advantage we will After g rad u atio n , or after being m idst is composed of men who have Come into my garden of thought have when our m ain building is ordained w ithout graduation, th e two n atu re s—a God n atu re and a young priest is supposed to be m an n atu re— th a t the m an n atu re and look at two trees which, ju st up. I t will contain a large hall ready to build character, but, alas! is ungodly and the God n atu re is now, as if by magic, sprouted, grew where we can meet for lectures, en to m atu rity and shed their fru it,all tertain m en ts and literaries w hen th e false foundation has been start- far from being m anly. ever we wish. We can engage lec ed, and on this he builds and teach- These abnorm ally developed be iu the tw inkling of an eye. H ere they are, and they grow as tu rers and know th a t we will have es his “charge,” by com pelling ings have had the power to con- them to act th e worst lies on rec- dem n such as we to silence; they we look at them . T h a t one on the a hall when they get here, and no ord, to build structures sim ilar to have called us liars when we told right is the tree of life. Its stem is one can estim ate the im petus th a t his own. H e has tim e to study, the tru th ;th e y have tau g h t the peo- called knowledge. One of the m ain good scientific and m oral lectures hnt his study work is on the same pie to shun us and brand us with branches is m arked tem perance,au- will give to our work. A nother great advantage will be foundation, and he learns to even every vile nam e in their studied, other atten tio n , and another in d u s .... • ♦ ___ U..t___ 1______ e The sm aller branches are the better facilities for stu d en ts to im agine him self building m ansions priestly vocabulary. We havesuf- try. study. As it is a t present we can in the skies for him self and flock, feied in silence at tim es; we have called literatu re, m athem atics, h is accom m odate but very few students when he is only building hovels of dared to speak and been burned at tory, geology, astronom y, biology, etc. Even the twigs and leaves with board an d lodging. They are the stake. character on earth. Are we h arsh ? Listen to the un- are all nam ed. Here is some of the< therefore obliged to seek shelter in He knows he is a deceiver, but n a < ic n fl lv Cd SO 11