T H E TORCH OF REASON, SILV ER TO N , OREGON, AVRIL 6, 1899.
For the Torch of Reason.
H a tte r o r Spook?
by otto wettstein .
3
period of your intellectual develop­ so forever in the fu tu re. And m a t­ aggregation of worlds, suns and
m ent. You have not quite reached ter, strictly w ithout the aid of ex­ system s constituting the universe.
All suggestions in the line of
the goal of scientific and rational traneous agencies, causing all phe­
M aterialism beyond which the hig h ­ nom ena falling directly un d er ou> “ suprem e causes”, “suprem e be­
est intellect cannot go— because be­ observation here, proves beyond ings”, gods, etc., are lam entably
1« there one suprem e pow er, nr are th e
yond this is intelleotual confusion, cavil th a t m atter, solitary and inadequate to explain the innum ­
many powers co-equal? M a tte r acts on
alone, is the cause producing sim i­ erable and diversified phenom ena
nothing.
You
m atter, but w hat is th e cause? “ A god, ’ phantasm agoria,
lar phenom ena every where th ro u g h ­ of nature, because a solitary cause
thinks th e h e a th e n ; “ M a tte r,” th in k s have not quite outgrown inherited
out the boundless realm s of space.
or m ind could not possibly ex­
our friend (C harles K . T e n n e y ); b u t we tendencies and m ethods
which
If gods, suprem e agencies, etc., or plain or account for infinite p h e­
KNOW th a t WE DO NOT know .—[Torch of
prom pt you to concede your ig n o r­
Spencer’s “ unknow able”,were need­ nom ena; but infinite causes which
Reason.
ance concerning final causes, and
ed way off behind Sirius or the far­ co-exist in and with infinite phe­
But we Ho know th a t “ m atter th at “ there may be” unknow n pow­
thest stars, ami existed th ere of ne­ nom ena, in the constituents of the
acting on m atter” is absolutely the ers or agencies behind ( never be­
cessity to produce phenom ena,such m atter constituting all phenom ena,
sole cause of all the in n u m erab le fore ) the sun, behind Sirius, Arc- factors would be needed and exist
this alone is a rational explanation
natural phenom ena of nature, and tu ru s or some other cosmic body here to produce phenom ena known of all prevailing cosmic phenom e­
more powerful and cogent th an all
to us.
But we know th a t such na and life.
nothing else. We know this sim ­
th e potencies of m atter com bined,
And so the finite segregate m at­
ply because we know nothing to the and which are the p rim ary causes agencies positively do not exist
here.
All known phenom ena is ter is the cause of all m inor phe­
contrary. Our knowledge stops af­ of m atter acting upon m atter. And
known to he caused by “ m atter a c t­ nom ena, while the vast infinite ag­
ter we have discovered “ m atter a c t­ these causes you im agine to be out
ing upon m atter” , ami beyond this gregate may he properly called the
ing on m atter” — all else is vague of sight and beyond the reach of
our knowledge ends. And by p ar­ “ supreme power”, though the sum
assumption, idle conjecture— su p e r­ science and are such suprem e causes
ity <>f reasoning we also know th a t total of all existence is and m ust
by virtue of being out of sight and
stition.
because such agencies do not exist forever remain simply m atter.
Don’t you see, dear Torch, th a t beyond our knowledge, because if
here, they are not needed and do
The absurdity of the theistic h y ­
conceding th a t som ething, not m a t­ in sight and knowable you could
not exist anywhere.
pothesis or of any other notion
ter, may act upon m atter, you put in sta n tly classify them with all
These agencies were conjectured suggesting “ suprem e power” , “ in ­
yourself squarely in the category other m aterial causes and discover
in the dark ages of ignorance be­ finite personal potency” , “ alm igh­
of theists or other spookists, who them to be “ m atter acting upon
cause they w ere supposed to be a ty energy” , etc., etc., will be a p ­
pretend to solve the problem of ex­ m a tte r” after all.
parent when we subject these sever­
You ask: “ But w hat is the cause” logical necessity and a need to ex­
istence by positing an unknow n
plain existence and life; but now, al concepts to b u t a casual exam ­
agent or unknow n agencies as the ot m atter acting upon m atter?
ination. N ot one of these god-
cause or causes of n ature and its M atter is th e cause— it is itself the when science explains nearly all
upon a purely physical basis, the creators can point to a solitary fact
infinitely varied phenom ena? You sole cause of all cosmic phenom ena
need of such agencies vanishes,and, in n atu re which in the least corre-
repudiate a personal god as you do and organic life. It is a fundam en­
as Bro. Pentecost once said, “ a use­ responds to these infantile concepts.
a ‘‘Mother Goose” story, but still tal characteristic and a ttrib u te of
The god in trousers-and-m antie
insist th a t an “ unknowable suprem e all m atter to be active, forever less god is no god at a ll” . The
fable has long since been repudi­
cause”— not m atter— “ m ay exist or acting upon m atter. T h a t m atter need of such agencies now not be­
ing apparent, consigns them all to ated by all thoughtful m inds, but
may not exist” , you “ don’t know!” is dead and needs outside agencies
these im personal
deities of all
oblivion.
K indly perm it me to show you to aid, assist and m anipulate it to
To insist, then, d ear Torch, th a t s p o o k s a r e th e most a b s u r d .
the weakness of your position, of assum e its innum erable aspects, is
W here for instance in natu re do
we “ don’t know ” is irratio n al and
Agnosticism ,as a stopping-place be­ one of the three g ian t delusions of
debasing—“ a concession to ortho­ we find personal attributes and
tween Rom anism, C alvinism , Tal- th e world— the others are the belief
dox prejudice” , as editor A rm strong functions in the absence of person­
madgeism and radical, rational, in a “ suprem e being” and in per­
says, because it tacitly adm its th a t al or anim al structure? The two
scientific M aterialism and, in cid en t­ sonal im m ortality.
are cause and effect, organism and
T y n d all says:
“ M atter is not theism and all other m ysticism s
ally, of Atheism . There is none.
which add extraneous causes to the a ttrib u te , m achine and function—
Follow tradition, hereditary ten d en ­ th a t em pty capacity which philos­
m aterial forces of nature, are as ra ­ one dependent upon the other. In
cies, teachings of your ancestors, ophers and theologians have pictur-
tional as the solid ground and self- the absence then of anim al stru c t­
“ the lessons m other ta u g h t” , the tured it, hut the universal mother
evident facts of the grand and in ­ ure, w hat rem ains to ma ke a god
who
brings
forth
all
things
as
the
faith you once held sacred, etc., ami
vulnerable science of M aterialism . out o f — air, ether, electricity,
to be consistant you should jo: n the fruit of her own womb. N ature is
gravity,
m agnetism , space, or
An
assertion
irratio
n
al
and
not
seen
to
do
all
things
spontaneously
first church, cease to reason, resign
w hat?
Believers in these gro-
vour work on the Torch, believe in w ithout the m eddling of the gods.” proven falls to the ground for w ant tesque phantom s or im personal
childish sim plicity all T alm adgean A nd, he m ight have added, w ithout of proof. Of course we do not a b ­ gods cannot answ er, and any def­
harangue, put $1.00 in the co n tri­ the aid of any extraneous pow­ solutely know th a t a devil does inition is and m ust be a burlesque
not exist behind the moon or in the
bution box every tim e you go to er or agency of w hatsoever kind.
on common sense.
M atter is force, power, potency, molten caverns of the ea rth . Y et
meeting, and above all, do not a t­
You say “ m atter acts on m atter
because
the
idea
is
ridiculous
and
and
in
th
e
absence
of
the
former
tem pt to argue with a philosopher
but w hat is the cause?” Let me
the latter do not exist. The G er­ not supported by evidence we free­
of the stripe of brother Tenney.
repeat the plain and only answ er:
ly
insist
th
a
t
we
know
th
at
a
devil
m
an
scientist
Lange
defines
the
Let us see, if such su p ra-m aterial
matter ! m atter is the sole cause
cause exists, such cause of course universe to consist of atom s and does not exist. If then after due the all-sufficient, the sole om ni­
must be som ething— an e n tity — or em pty space, and in its last an a ly ­ investigation we find the god idea present cause— the eternal and in ­
it is self-evident it would not exist. sis we find this strictly correct. equally absurd, and not sustained finite cause. N othing else could
by reason and facts, why not
But if an en tity , what is it if not And this, together with T y n d all’s
we know possibly act upon it sim ply because
m aterial? If real it is composed of m atured convictions, explains ex­ adm it frankly th a t
nothi ng else exists. M attel is the
such
a
being
does
not
exist.
The
istence,
both
organic
and
inorganic,
m atter, if not m atter, it does not
great all in all— w hatever is not
more ratio n ally th an any other world now is ready for th e whole
exist.
m atter— solid, fluid, airiform or
tru
th
,
let
us
be
fearless
men
and
theory,
because
it
posits
the
causes
Brother T enney’s affirm ation then
wom er and express our honest whatsoever kind is nothing. This
that “ all phenom ena is the product of all phenom ena to l»e concom itant
we know. T his is all we know.
thought.
w
ith
and
in
the
constituents
of
all
of m atter acting upon m a tte r” is
If you w ant to know the causes Therefore when any m an, school or
strictly correct, because if upon fi­ phenom ena — ever present, never
“ why m atter acts on m a tte r” , study church affirms th a t som ething else
absent.
M
atter,
of
necessity,
being
nal analysis we discover and dem -
physics, chem istry, read H aeckel, acts upon m atter, but does not
onstrate the existance of the alleged e te rn a l—the contrary proposition
H um bolt, D ’H olbach, Buchner, produce the evidence when called
being
an
ab
su
rd
ity
—
proves
th
at
Supreme Power, this power or force
T yndall and H uxley and you will upon, it is every rationalists du ty
in turn m ust also be classified as phenom ena sim ilar to th at which
learn th a t m atter purely by virtue to deny the affirm ation on the
one of the m aterial potentialities of surrounds us is an eternal series,
of its own potentialities causes a n d ground th a t a bald assertion
nature and then, don’t you see, an d , consequently was never “ first
evolves the crudest forms of life to w ithout evidence falls to the ground
would be nothing more th an “ m at­ caused” to assume cosmic harm ony,
when contradicted by the self-evi­
order and organic life, but hasdone the proudest m an and m ost beau­
ter acting upon m a tte r” after all.
tiful woman, as well as th e infinite dent facts we do know.
You are still in the evolutionary so forever in the past and will do
I