Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1899)
0 TH E TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, APRIL 20 1899^ i i, i, r. ( i ii 1 v thoM m a n "f b cn U b ri' tr\ iii if t(• k ¡11 fln X ', 'd o this cannot l-e familiar ¡„«titution where, right now, there I oren oi «W« Who W i r.nci! |ee (>r tradili(11„ of are yollng lnen and young women The Only Paper of Its Kind. Liberalism. We, who have always being educated who know more _________ “ .'m aintained that all BCD«»» " about the higher branches of learn Pobli.hed Weekly bv the Liberal Uni , thought should »“ P P ^1 ‘ ing t|ian he does, who better under- versity Company, m the Interests oi in s titu tio n s of le a rn in g , c a n n i m g a n H its ConstrucUve, Moral Secularism. witbout a giant inconsistency ask stand real Freethought and its ._________ — ---- tne legislature of a state to support needg> and whope habits are a J E. Hosmer......................... Editor a Freethought college. For my tboURand times better than his. P. W. G eer,...................... Manager „ „„ part, I ’hink the idea o ^ a tWy of we done that T orch of R eason W h e re a re You? Without any doubt, the one -hing most needed in the world to day is a scientific, moral revival. Every one with any degree of free dom of thought must admit that wrong doing is what makes this a wretched world in which to live. There are some, however, who, on account of'their own moral chil blains, or because of some selfish plans of their own, advocate “keep a univeraity7with success would re- appoints himself guardian of all ing still” on moral questions, and quire more more money than ree p reetbiukers’ money ‘‘insight.” SUBSCRIPTION RATES. just trying to unite the factions of thinkers have in P i t i e s It is a mistake that “to run freethought in a grand army to ad O ne year, in a d v an c e ..........................99 w\th h u7ge1'endowments, to say a university with success would vocate the “nine demands” and Six m onths, in a d v an c e .................... nothing of smaller ones, for one take more money than Freethink- bring about the secularization of T h re e m onths, in a d v a n c e ................ In clubs of five or m ore, one year, 75 without capital to succeed. Even epg have at present,” and he knows government, local, state and nation destr- - a ppnfS vear from each now our young Liberal folks ues centg a year Money should lie sent by registered al. Now the Nine Demands of ¡ng an education need not alien; p]a Freethinker would place the Lib le tte r or m oney order. Liberalism are all right, and the a Christian college, where on all eral University in such a position secularization of our government is they meet b hands a n d s th e y would w ould m eei the u w nms Notice! anceof theology. Why? B ecause aH to do untold good to our cause certainlv what we should all work state universities, as well as m a n y and to tbe world. for, but in order to accomplish these A h a n d pointing to fh is notice denotes private ones, are just as lib e ra l in AnOtber mis-statement, and one th at vour su b scrip tio n lias ex p ired . objects, and in ordeT to have them which can hardly be excused on i Vou are e arn estly requested to re- teaciiing ; and I”•• <*<«« . f t :g amount to anything when they are new so th a t you m ay recX “ l^ v e 5 e - university possibly couiu oc, wu ner w ithout in te rru p tio n . M e have de they have other advantages which account of ignorance of the fac s, fullv adopted, we must understand cidett th a t it is best for all concerned at the present time are beyond our that “state universities, as well as how to use our knowledge and our th a t we do n o t send papers longer th an reach. I think the majority of our private O nes, are just as liberal in th e tim e paid for unless so ordered freedom to our advantage and not Liberal friends will indorse t is |eacbjng and practice as a Liberal T his will prev en t any loss and we wi to our destruction. Perhaps not know iust w here we sta n d . view- , . v qtftinpr university could be” ; but if it were We request you to send us th e nam es What great good is Mr. bteiner true, these schools are not . in the .. many realize the fact, but there is of Secularists who m ight becom e sub- ecriliers and we will m ail sam ple copies expecting to do by trying to a • y < f Freethought, and if Free- an under-current in the onward or prevent our work. Is.. thinkarg pver wifih t„ gain the re- flow of Freethought, and the light foam, the driftwood and the more THURSDAY, APRIL 20, E. M. 3991 some deeper cause for .n s ill spect and atronagP ,,[ and patronage of the the work world rapid waters of the surface are _______________ 1 ...: in at n ia d e s ir e ° l 1 mud-throwing than just his desire they must do something in their nothing in power compared with to help people think right on the own name—something that ortho A n E n e m y to F re e th o u g h t. subject of a Liberal University? doxy cannot dominate or claim. the onward sweep of the mighty There are enemies to Freethought There is, indeed, and although we His last statement, “ I think the waters beneath. On the surface who, like traitors to every cause, haven’t very much space to devote majority of our Liberal friends will we see the mere foam ot sentiment, pretend to be its friends. Such to this gentleman(?), we wish to indorse this view,” expresses only without moral principle or be seems to be one Franklin Steiner, show the inconsistencies of his at his wish, but if our friends who are lief in moral principles to support it; we see the bits of driftwood of Des Moines, Iowa, who, not tempt to injure us. scattered all over the world under from the wrecks of the old faiths; We have already shown in a stand the Freethought question as many months ago, in a private let ter to us, now in our possession, former issue our reasons for asking we think they do, they will indorse we hear those shouting liberty who wrote in the most enthusiastic the legislature for an appropriation, neither his views nor those who are are forging chains for their own terms of our work, but who now but of course our enemies will use pleased to use him as a catspaw. slavery. But beneath it all there is a mighty movement among the says, through the columns of the this against us forever and forever Every attempt to do anything in great waters of human thought Truthseeker, that he thinks the after. But we have the satisfaction the name and interest of real idea of a Liberal University is im of thinking that our work with the Freethought has met with just such which turns neither this way nor that, but moves swiftly on to the practical. What has wrought this law-makers of this state will set enemies, and the question before us great ocean of 1 ruth. change? He was about to visit more people to thinking along now is not whether a Liberal Uni our city and other cities of Oregon Freethought lines than all Mr. The time is near at hand when versity will be a good thing or not. to lecture on Freethought subjects Steiner’s kind of work can ever do. We know it will he a good thing. all who understand the real needs when he wrote the letter, and it He speaks of the traditions of of Humanity will join in a mighty It is already a good thing. It has a may be possible that this had Liberalism. We think it is about organization which will capture the good attendance and promises to something to do with it. He came time to follow something better increase a hundred fold next year. world and free the people from the and we took him to our home; than traditions. The blind follow wicked priests ot greed, ignorance, Can we think of giving up because gave him the best our house ing of Liberal tradition is just as Mr. Steiner and a few others of his fraud and superstition. Then we n o ru in — bad Pa(j as aH the in e orthodox orvuuui,* “one wuv go-all .... could a afford in the way of selfish nature, for reasons best will build a happy home in which ►oard and lodgings; used ink, go_8beep” foolishness. Freethought our generation may rest in its old known to themselves, try to dis er and muscle to advertise coyege8 and universities are just age, and the children and the chil paper courage us? Why, no; we 1 1 go his lectures and in every way tried exactly what the state should sup- right ahead, and many a Free- dren’s children see before them the ,o make Ma work a auccesB. His port> and Mr. 8teiner kn()WB) or ; i|Q - , beautiful land about which the po Md style lectures and his habits, ought to know, that the state uni-1 thinker g ets have sung—a land in which to however, did not “take very well,” itie8 are fun of Christianityu \ \ \ h e v will all he free truly live—aland in which to grow, but this was not our fault, and we prayerg> religioUs hyQins, Y. M. C. j Mr. Steiner, or t h e w all I>e free to love and to be happy. were much grieved to find that he A?8> Chri8tian literature and Chris- from t a w hc i < and .)0 gse 8S a Secularists, let us be careful. No fell in with the loose liberal ele- tian iectlire8. No state school can be freedom of * , matter what our ideas have been, m entand talked and wrote against found with the Freethought books , Power of reasoning no let us be prepared to join the ranks our institution; and now it seems &nd papers tbat may be seen in the traditions. when the right time comes. Now he is-at it again. Liberal University today, and if —" ~ is the time to get ready, and when The article in the Truthseeker guch men as Mr. Steiner will kindly Freedom of thought depends, and the call comes let us have our referred to, among other things allow U8 to live a few years lorger, is waiting for, the dissemination o “ lamps trimmed and burning”, for contained a partial account of a we wiU demonstrate without a scientific knowledge, at presen verily we say unto you, unless a certain Rev. Coffey’s troubles, which doubt that he ig making a great hampered by the Christian myths man or woman lie prepared he or we gave to the readers of the Torch miatake <«\Ve should not waste everywhere we co in this great istake. — country of ours; therefore, we she cannot enter into this grea several weeks ago, and the follow- m --- viJnnurv pn- ,country ol our limited means on visionary en- should > hftve have g a Liberai Liberal University. I niversity. work. Where are we? Are we iug misleading paragraph: terprises,” says this wiseacre from We have a good start, and it is ready? If not, let us begin now to I l understand I Di iowh certainly Iowa. . If could u n u eisi< w u « a “Liberal —----- ai he ne u n u u i have i o . v followed c e ria in iy not inn inconsistent luvvuoio^ui. to follow ....... form good habits, study books ot versity” appli ’ersity” in Oregon has made appli-; me of our classes today he would u p the advantages we have won at an*e»pp?oplS n ° o f five I not think it visic nary. Think of a I the point of the enemy’« bayonets. ■ science, cultivate our love and sym- . * ■ 1 1 7 L __Q Ih .n a n u i