THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, AUGUST 17, 1899.
2
tails of young mice mixed with the several miles, and the policemen know his views on the religious
hams of old rat*. Besides these marched while the sun scorched, question.
During my stay in Buffalo I had
there were vegetables of all kinds, The poor suckers looked like they
BY P . W. G E E R .
including onions, cabbage, celery wished they were somewhere else, the pleasure of meeting the adopted
It is nothing unusual for one to and potatoes. This was all mixed and they acted like they were try- son of Dr. Wetmore, who, together
know but little of the attractions up together, a n i l know what they ing to get there. I don’t know with his wife, are splendW com
and sights of his own city. Th^re call it hut I can’t spell it. It what effect this procession had on pany. I also met Mr. Blair, who
are many people in New York City doesn’t matter anyway. A skunk the morals of the New Yorkers, as i is a Freethinker, and who suhscrib-
: ed for the Torch of Reason. I also
who have never climbed the Statue by any name will smell as loud, I didn’t stay to see.
of Liberty, many Bostonians have and C hinese victuals by any name
j
New York one evening, and visited Niagara Falls, which I will
never been in the old State House, all taste alike. Besides the mix- woke up next morning just as the attempt to describe in my next let
and there are some Chicagoans who ture we were served with rice, fruit train pulje(j into Buffalo. I had ter. Dr. Wetmore was to accom
didn’t see the World’s Fair. I find and tea. I don’t drink tea, so never seen Buffalo by day before, pany me on this trip, but business
that I am no exception to the gen Johnson had the benefit of that. an(j wag surprised to see so beauti- was too rushing, so I had to go
eral rule. I have been among the Of course wTe ate with chop-sticks, fQi a city. I was not long in finding alone, much to my regret, though I
Chinese a great deal; I lived in and I made slow progress for Dr 8 w Wetmore, where I was enjoyed immensely the world’s
Portland for a year, and passed awhile, but soon got on to the knack nja(je P) fee| a^ home. Freethinkers greatest waterfall.
through Chinatown quite often, but and found no trouble in getting all generaJiy are acquainted with the
F or the Torch of Reason.
I never entered a Chinese Joss I wanted
writings of Dr. Wetmore, and I am
We next went to the street, sorry they haven’t met him person
House, nor ;<e with chop-sticks.
Is Ingersoll in Hell?
Some of my Eastern friends thought where we saw a Chinese funeral ally. Dr. S. W. is not the only
BY F . S. MATTESON.
it very peculiar that I should live procession going by. From the Wetmore either. Mrs. Wetmore is
where Chinese are so plentiful and window of one of the carriages some indeed a lovely woman. She is a
The greatest theological mind of
not investigate their modes of liv strips of perforated paper were doctor, and together with her hus
ing and worship, and my friend, being thrown. These pieces of band has built up a large practice the age is no more. Roht. G. Inger
W. E. Johnson, proposed that we paper are for the purpose of fooling in the city of Buffalo. Both of the soll—the man who has done more
take in the sights of Chinatown in the devil, who has to go through Wetmores ride wheels, and were for the amelioration of undesirable
New York City. Mr. Johnson knew the perforations. Johnson didn’t kind enough to obtain oue for me, conditions in regard to beliefs than
how to proceed. He knew that if I know any better than to go out into so that I could enjoy rides with any other man who has lived in
this century; the man whose name
would be expected to eat anything the street and pick up some of the them.
we would have to attend to that pieces of paper. You ought to
and fame is known all over the
Mr.
Wetmore
rides
a
three-wheel
part of the program first, before I have seen the people run; they
civifized world, and whose name
concern,
which
he
makes
go
at
a
had seen enough to make me sick. thought Johnson was the devil. I
and fame will live, and be loved
pretty
good
speed,
and
he
and
I
We wound around through nar thought I would play the devil, too,
and honored when those of his de
had
a
lovely
ride
out
to
the
park
row crooked streets, where the side so I followed Johnson and picked
tractors shall have followed the
and
zoo
a
short
time
after
my
walks were only two feet wide, with up some of the papers, which I
“ghosts,” and faded forever from
arrival.
Buffalo
has
miles
and
Chinamen so thick that we could kept as curios. The poor Chinese
the memory of man—is dead. His
miles
of
lovely
drives
and
cycle
hardly get along. Johnson kept thought there were two devils, and
demise is a national loss, exceed
paths,
and
acres
of
beautiful
parks.
looking up. I couldn’t imagine ran twice as fast. We had plenty
ingly hard to replace.
We
saw
all
of
the
animals
and
what he did it for, unless he want of room after that, and could get
Is the soul of Ingersoll now in
birds,
and
visited
the
site
of
the
ed an excuse to walk on the China along the narrow streets very well.
hell? If the Christian’s assertions
Pau-American
Exposition
to
be
men who wouldn’t get out of his
We next visited the Joss House,
regarding their religion are true, it
held
in
1901.
This
exposition
way. I finally decided that he was where we proceeded to worship at
certainly is. In a lake of fire and
going through some form of Chiuese the altar. We saw all the gods, promises to be a great event in the molten, burning brimstone, where
worship to keep on the good side of ghosts and angels, and many other history of the United States, and “the worm dieth not and the fire is
the Celestials; I noticed that he things I didn’t recognize, and I Buffalo proposes to outdo Chicago not quenched,’’ he is writhing and
was ou the top side of many of couldn’t read the labels. A China with her great World’s Fair. What shrieking in agony unspeakable.
them. I began to look up too, for man came around with some sticks the result will be remains to be He is ‘’lifting up his eyes being in
I thought it the proper thing to do, of punk, and Johnson bought seen. I have no doubt it will be a torment;” he is “calling for water
and I didn’t want to be odd. Fin en mgh to keep us out of h 11 a great event well worth attending. to cool his parched tongue;” he is
ally Johnson called a halt, and month for only fifty cents. Chinese Dr. Wetmore is a kodak enthusiast, “ weeping and wailing and gnashing
said we had arrived at a restaurant religion is “heap cheap.” We went and took some pictures of the var his teeth;” he is roaring, and rav
and would go up the stairway. I up to the altar, stuck some punk in ious sights we saw. We returned ing, and cursing the name of Al
couldn’t see any stairway, it was so the pots of sand, and set fire to the by the way of the cycle path, and mighty God; he is lolling liquid
narrow, but Johnson squeezed upper end. As we left, the smoke had a lovely rlde’ In the eveuine fire, lapping the flame, and chewing
through a crack in the wall and I was curling toward the nostrils of * 1 was ,nvlted to acc'"nPany Mrs. the bitter dust of hell; he is over
followed, and we proceeded to as god (Joss), and he has smiled on ' Wetmore and a small company on whelmed with anguish and un
cend an excuse for a stairway. I me ever since, and blessed me with an° " ,er rlde- wbich was bi«bly en‘ thinkable terror, while bands of
found that Johnson had beeu look good health. Thus endeth my ex- J°yable 10 me- " e visited tbe fierce specters rush round him in
ing up for a restaurant sign, and ploit in Chinatown. We passed parks and fountains, and watched frantic dance, shrieking with un
had just found it.
through the Russian Jew district of tbe borses test tbeir BPeed 00 tbe earthly yells, “ Welcome, thou first
We walked into a room at the the city on our way hack to Mr. new 8Pe« lway-
of Infidels! Welcome, thou lost
head of the stairs, where we found Johnson’s office, and witnessed a
My stay at the Wetmore’s home forever!” And this unspeakable,
some other white folks seated at nice little blaze in tfie tenement was one round of pleasure, never to unthinkable, unimaginable agony,
round tables eating rats and rice district. You can find all kinds of be forgotten. I am only sorry that fear, terror, and consternation, is to
and drinking tea. We found a va life in New York, from the high to I am not there yet. Both of the last “forever and forever, world
cant table near the window, where the low. For my part I like neither Wetmores are enthusiastic in the without end.”
we could get a breath of street air, of the extremes.
Freethought cause, and are anxious
The above is true, or Christianity
which was slightly less foil, than
New ork City lias several police- to see the Liberal University suc- is a fraud from beginning to end.
the air of the room. I told John men, and I had the opportunity of ceed. Mr. Wetmore expects to be “He that believeth not shall be
son that he would have to do the seeing several thousand of them on in Oregon in a few months, and, of damned.” “The wicked shall be
ordering as I was not familiar with parade one day. They seemed to course, will make Silverton a visit, cast into hell;” and so forth, and so
the language of Chinadom. I had be showing off their strength so as I am sure we will be glad to see on. Ingersoll “believed not,” there
resolved to eat whatever was to have a good influence on the him, and show him the beauties of fore he is “damned.” If unt-elief is
brought, and thought, of course, morals of the citizens. There were our locality and the magnitude of “wicked/ he was wicked, therefore
rats and mice would form the prin policemen ou foot, policemen on our enterprise. Dr. Wetmore is a he is in hell.
cipal part of the menu. Perhaps horseback, policemen on wagons, writer of ability, and is always
Christians may not dodge this
they did. The stuff we had was a policemen ou bicycles, and even heard from, through the press, on conclusion. After dinning it into
general conglomeration, and con policemen ou beats. The proces- questions of the day. He never our ears for 1800 years, will they
tained what I supposed was the, sion extended along Broadway for j misses an opportunity to let people run to cover now? Stand up, my
Abroad.