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About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 1899)
T H E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, AUGUST 17. 1899. 5 An Agnostic’s Tribute to Ingersoll. polarized free thought and C ontinued from 3d page, of thé mean and designing men of both church and state, who have ever endeavored to enslave and en chain the m inds of the ignorant by clothing all m ystery with the super n atu ra l, and by denying the people the right to criticise, th in k and in vestigate for them selves. A gainst the allied powers of king craft and priestcraft, arm ed with the sceptre of ju s t’ce and the shield of tru th , Infidelity stands, a coun sellor of the ignorant, a guide of reason, an advocate of independ ence, a proclaim er of liberty, and a defender of ju st governm ent. Like an arm ed w arrior, like a plumed k n ight, Robert G. Ingersoll m arched down the highw ay of pro gress, scattering the dim ages like the m orning sunlight scatters the m ists of the valley. Full and fair upon the hrazen fore heads of the m onsters of supersti tion he threw his shining lance,and powerlesp th ey fell before him . The m ailed giants of orthodoxy came out to do him b attle,o n ly to add to the wrecks th a t strewed his path. Down went E n g lan d ’s great pre mier and A m erica’s great ju rist, and few thereafter dared face this m an of m ight, th is man of men. From thicket and cave and far-off horison the cohorts of m iracle howled defiance, but the m ultitude of sm all voices disturbed him not. There were beating of wings and ra ttle of arm or and blare of tru m pets such as never broke silence in heaven before, but onw ard and u n daunted he held his shining course. He was not the greatest scientist, nor the most profound scholar and exponent of Agnosticism in the ranks of F re e th o u g h t— he was the m asterful general that led the way. Ask ye what he did? He unloos ed the shackles of superstition with which C h ristian ity im prisons the brain of childhood, and set m illions free. T he whole world of men is more free to think and speak since he first cham pioned the cause of “ L iberty for Man, W oman and C h ild ”. Let speech be free, and ty an n y and superstition can not live. He who does most to free the mind of man from the gods and ghosts and hells and devils and fears of religion, does most to m er it the love and praise of m ankind. Ask ye w hat he did? He gave more money to ch arity in one year than most preachers have brains to earn in a lifetime. Ask ye w hat he did? He lectured on G hosts for two thousand dollars a night, when preachers who defam e him could not com m and an audience of one h u n dred people with free adm ission. ghosts of Ask ye w hat he did? He tau g h t men to think for them selves — to have opinions their own, and so lifted the in d iv id u ality and dignity of the race. By his fearless public exam ple the tim id grew brave. He of free speech. He dispelled the odium and contem pt which superstition had cast upon the F reethinker. H e resurrected the fair fame of T hom as Paine from the m ountain of lies un«ier which raalic’ou« C h ristian ity . . . . had buried it. He cham pioned the despised side of m ondern thought and illu stra te d the pow’er of one m an, arm ed with the tru th , against ihe intrenched and overw helm ing forces of creed and greed. He stam ped his indiv id u ality upon the age. He assisted F reethought to ward organization, and helped it to become a force to be reckoned with. He broke the ice-bound harbor of orthodoxy and forced its port open to the free sailing of every craft. He aroused the whole world from its drowsy, drunken dream of faith, and opened its eyes to the fact th a t freedom of thought and free d is cussion of all subjects m ust be the basis of free governm ent. Ask ye w hat he did? W h at he did to the clergy, they wrell know. I t is only a question of tim e when the C hristian people will realize th at he was their friend and their defender against the centuries of organized attem pt to fasten upon th eir brains the m iracles,the ghosts, the superstitions and the morbid beliefs of a barbarous and ignorant age, and so keep them hum ble and subservient to aristocratic and ec clesiastical power. W hat he did, for one m an, was plenty; and well the powers of superstition realize it. The ■r w z \9Z They are more or less happy th a t the voice th a t th rilled and charm ed the world, and ¿.wakened it from the dull lethargy of blind belief to the sober realities of reason, is still ed fcrrever; and freely they prophe sy th a t his power and influence will expire with him. T h at fond delus ion m ay serve for a tim e as their consolation. Ingersoll is dead; but the thousands of brains he freed are not. An influence so enorm ous can not die. It is beyond com put ation. I t insures him a cherished m em ory and a fame which will for ever brighten the track of time. In his day, presidents, crowned rulers and potentates, great theologians and great statesm en have lived and passed from the m em ory of m an. He lived to see the great tribunes of orthodoxy, Jones and Talm age and Moody, become extinct exist ences. He lived to see thousands of the im aginary great who aspired to meet him in discussion pass into hopeless oblivion. MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ The good he has done for the MZ world in liberalizing C hristians and MZ all classes of men can never be es tim ated. All the advanced thinkers MZ of the church in this country are MZ largely the result ot hfs work. His exam ple taught them to dare to tell the tru th . He so lilierated the m inds of the laity th a t the clergy were forced to vacate illogical and false premises. He drovp inspira- Concluded on ttth page. Liberal University >w"- T H E ONLY SC H O O L OF T H E K IN D . F ree from S uperstition MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ S trictly N on-Sectarian £ Pupils are (liven Every Opportunity to Learn Without Being Hampered by Supersti tions and Dogmas. MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ L o c a tio n H e a lth fu l MZ MZ S o c ie ty G ood. MZ E x p e n s e s M o d e r a t e MZ MZ MZ MZ ME MZ MZ A Splendid Corps of Teachers and Good Facil MZ ities for Teaching. For information, address t J. E. H O S M E R , Ph. D., B. S. D., P R E S ID E N T , SILVERTON. MZ MZ MZ MZ MZ