3
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, MAY 18, 1899.
origin, nature and course of devel so short an existence. We are
horn a mental blank; we have to
opment.”
Under the Torch of Reason.
If man has come up instead of learn everything, and we scarcely
by “ a h o r r id in f id e l ” .
come down, as is proven by science, learn how to live till we must die.
that is, if man has not fallen, he I say this does not seem reasonable
Air: “ M arching T hrough G eo rg ia.’’
Brin** the good old bugle, boys, we 11 i needs no redeemer to redeem him nor right. “It is natural for man
ejng another song
from a fall. In other words, there to indulge in the illusion of hope,”
Sing it with a spirit that will move the
is no hell from which to redeem, hut it is not right. It is not only
world along.
,
.
Freethought soon will lead us, boys, a since there is no one to redeem. a waste of time, but it is a cheat;
glad and happy throng,
And since there is not the least sci and it is not only a mental injury,
Under the Torch of Reason.
entific proof of a future existence, but it is a moral wrong.
C h o ru s .
[urrah! Hurrah! Freethought will what need of heaven? In fact, if
Mystery is Deception.
win the day!
the human race did not come into
[urrah ! Hurrah! We’ll bring it back
existence as the Bible represents, it
to stay!
The Christian church is the
he people soon will follow us along the logically follows there is no re
golden way,
demption, no redeemer, no hell, no church of make believe. The non
Tinder the Torch of Reason.
sense we hear in the church can
Freethinking men are happy, boys, they heaven, for the simple reason that not be reconciled with the knowl
there was no fall to redeem from,
think their own free way ;
Their minds are free from every fear, etc. These things are all mutually edge we get in the world. It is
their heaven’s here today.
popular to use the old words of
Thev’ve had a weary waiting, boys, but dependent. Take any one away,
Truth has come to stay
the rest are meaningless and use mystery as though they contained
Under the Torch of Reason.
less. If there was no fall, there is the pure light of truth, but we pre
Hear the music ringing, boys, from Ore
no need of being redeemed; if no fer to deal in speech which does
gon to Maine:
Freedom and a happy time — there’s redeemed, no place for the re not need explanation.
everything to gain;
When people talk about Trinity,
We’ll shout no more for orthodox, nor deemed and no place for the unre Holy Ghost, miraculous birth and
pray to gods in vain,
deemed, etc. I confess, the hope
Under the Torch oi Reason.
and contemplation of these things vicarious atonement, they are talk
Happy homes you soon will see this are pleasant and to some minds ing to confuse and not to enlighten.
blessed country o’er;
Let us not be decived. Muddy
Happy wives and children who are meu- consoling. And I sometimes wish
water is not deep water. Discourse
tal slaves no more;
it
were
even
so.
But
a
fact
is
no
And we’ll welcome other nations to our
respecter of persons; and I think in is not profound because it is not
peaceful shore,
Under the Torch of Reason.
the end it is better that we face the clear. What we cannot compre
Now let the preachers boycott, and rant, facts, whatever they may be, and hend is not necessarily erudite.
and pray and pout,
Wisdom is plain and simple, and
The people now are weary—do you hear t ike life as it is and make the most common sense is the mirror of
their mighty shout?
of it. Not only is this the right
“ We’ve had enough of priestcraft; we’ll
thing to do, but it is our duty. truth.
turn you rascal’s out,
Under the Torch of Reason.”
Life is a mystery! And I know
If a god should reason concern
it does not seem reasonable nor ing his origin as a man does con
right that the human race, with all cerning his own, he would instantly
For the Torch of Reason.
the infinite possibilities before it deny his own divinity and con
Why I Am An Infidel.
and all the needed improvements jecture a god who created him.—
and its slow growth, should have I [Wettstein.
BY J . W. THOM AS.
For the Torch of Reason.
I am often asked how I came to
make such a great change from
ODce being a zealous Christian and
a divinity student to an uncompro
mising Infidel. I can give many
reasons; or I can give one reason,
which to my mind is sufficient.
The one reason I will give here. It
is: I found by studying scientific!
books such as geology, astronomy,
and even physical geography, that
the human race did not come into
existence as the Bible account says.
And as Dr. Savage, the great Uni
tarian preacher of New York city,
says, in an able article in the
North American Review for June,
1889, “And what of it? Why
plainly this: It means a belief in i
the ascent of man instead of the
fall of man; it means that man be
gan at the lowest point, and how
ever slowly, has been ascending
from the first. And since there
has been no fall, it requires no
great leap of logic to reach the
conclusion that the elaborate, un
supported and unjust scheme of or- i
thodoxy is not needed. The human
race is needy enough, but it does
not need this. It has called for
bread,’ and has received this con-
secrated ‘stone.’ It does not need
an imaginary cure for an imagin i
ary evil. Man’s great want calls
for rational treatment in the light
of the discovered facts as to his
. . . IS A BOOK OF . . .
S ix ty
E x c e lle n t
C h a p te rs
4
On the following and
kindred Subjects:
S e lf C o n tro l
S e lf R esp ect
W h a t is M o ra lity
W h a t is Ignorance
Fraud a C rim e
H a b it, 2nd N a tu re
P oliteness
W isdom
E tc ., e tc ., e tc .
One of these chapters is
Worth more to
h
Young and old than the
Price of the book.
. . . IT SHOULD BE IN . .
EVERY . HOME!
itgrjdl ^ O .@ ®
a n d re c e iv e a
n e a tly c lo th -
b ou nd co p y, p o s t p a id .
FIVE
a
%
RIGHT
LIVING
Reasons W hy
YOU
AGENTS WANTED.
*
«Mr
SHOULD HELP TO BUILD
The Liberal U niversity
-------- A DOR E SS--------
Töijch ©f Measen
S ilv er to n
-
O regon
AT S ILVERTO N, OREGON.
Six Tracts to Promote
1. It will help many young men and young women
to a higher education who otherwise will grow up
without its great advantages.
2. It will educate workers for the great forward
march of Freethought and Progress.
3. It will forever silence the accusation that Secu
larists have never done anything.
4. It will hasten the time when Reason and Love
will reign, and when superstition and hate will be
forever gone.
5. It will give you an opportunity to build yourself
and others a monument, while you yet live, that will
do a million times more good than the most costly
one of cold, senseless marble.
If all help a little, we can accomplish
much. Will you help a little?
Scentific
W isdom
In Place of Christianity:
1 Can Sins be Forgiven?
2 Does Christianity or Science Promote Civil
ization?
3 Is Religion or Science More Reliable?
4 Evolution and Comparison of Religions.
5 Does Belief in Miracles Benefit?
6 Immortality or Annihilation?
JU ST T H E T H IN G
to hand to your Christian friends. Send
2 cents for 6. or 6 cents for 25 tracts,
to E liza M ow ’ ry B liven , Brook
lyn, Conn., or semi 10 cents
for 50. either kind or as
sorted kinds, to
THE LIBERAL UNIVERSITY CO.,
Silverton
.
.
Oregon