T H E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON , AUGUST 24, 1899.
1
Torch of Reason
The Only Paper of Its Kind.
Published W eekly by th e Liberal U n i
versity Com pany, in the In te re sts ot
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
J. E. Hosm er,.......................Editor
P. W . G eer,...................... Manager
E ntered at th e postoffice a t Silverton,
Oregon, as second-class mail m atter.
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le tte r or m oney order.
truth or falsehood m ust rest, th a t
contains a mere unsupported sup
position. T hat term is the word
‘‘God”. Then again, an instinct, ac
cording to modern scientists, is not
“ given”, but is a m atter of evolu
tion; and, last, hut not least, we all
know th a t some instincts are really
detrim ental and worse th an “ v ain ” .
It makes us very indignant and
oftentim es sad to th in k of the
wholesale slaughter of innocent
m inds by those w’hose stock in
trade is nothing more th an cun
ningly devised and whitewashed
lies made to appear like great, “ d i
vine” truths.
C L A M S A N D B IR D S .
There are hum an m ollusca as
well as the kind th a t hum ans like
A h a n d pointing to th is notice denotes to m asticate; hut, although it is our
th a t your su b scrip tio n has e x p ire d .
You áre earn estly requested to r e duty to give to the world all the
new so th a t you m ay receive th e pa facts we can in w hat is said to be
per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de
cided th a t it is best for all concerned “ the proper study of m an,” it m ust
th a t we do not send p ap ers longer th a n not be supposed th a t we blam e the
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered.
T his will prevent any loss and we will lower order for being what they
know just where we stan d .
are, any more than we credit the
We request you to send us th e nam es
of Secularists who m ight becom e su b higher; for let us rem em ber what,
scribers and we will m ail sam ple copies. our great fallen cham pion said, and
w hat we have so often repeated in
TH U R SD A Y, AUG. 24, E. M. 299. the Torch, th a t “ men are w hat they
m ust he.” If hum an clam s live in
the blackest dirt of the m ud-flat of
F A L L A C IO U S A R G U M E N T S .
ignorance, whose fault is it? I t is
One of the most fallacious arg u certainly not their fault nor their
m ents in favor of a future life is ancestor’s fault, any more than it
summed up in the following C hris is the fault of the cohog to “ rubber
neck” at the outside world through
tian quotation:
a hole in the ground, in his partic
“ Alan alone, of all earth ly crea
tures, asks, ‘Can the dead die for ular inlet of the great sea. But the
ever?’ and the instinct th at urges study of clam s and birds helps us to
the question is God’s answer to be of a higher order, and with this
-----
No in stin ct is given m end in view let u s stretch our speci
m an.
»
»
vain.
mens on the Torch of Reason table
To one who is not of an a n a ly ti and exam ine their parts.
H um an clam s, like their bival-
cal tu rn of m ind, and to the young,
whose judgm ent is yet but feebly vular m iniatures, are forms of life
developed, this kind of argnment(?) with but few parts. They are soft,
has great weight, and one of the and yet many of them are tough.
most productive works in which we There are hut few things they know
Secularists can engage is the over how to do, and they never change
throw of just such reasonless state their place of worship (labor is w or
ments; for when one who has ac ship), nor their m inds, for they
W ith their headless
cepted such as par-excellent rea- hav en ’t any
soning, finds th a t the foundation of necks stretched, their legless bodies
one of his dogmas is easily shaken, in position, their alm ost nerveless
h i begins to doubt the tru th of flesh insensible excepting to the
others, and doubt is the beginning lowest anim al feelings, they take
w hat little slim y food is forced upon
of wisdom.
The Bible writer says th at “ the them by the filth-laden waves of
dead know not anything, neither their home. And though the clam-
have they any more a rew ard” . dealer shouts in their very ears,
Now we think much th a t the Clams! Clams! Clams! they heed
Bible writers have said is errone- him not until they are in his sack
ous, but we believe th a t the one who ° n the way to the m arket, from
wrote th a t was correct, and we which no traveler ever returns,
m ight now vary th e quotation and And they have never thought how
make it read th us: “ Man alone, of much more pleasure they m ight
all earthly creatutes, says that the have had and m ade if they had had
dead have no more a reward. And heads, legs, and wings like the
th e instinct th a t urges the state- birds.
inent is God’s answer to the ques-
There are hum an birds as well
tion, for no instinct is given in as those “ of a feather,” and though
vain.” This transposed statem ent many are too rapacious, others shun
shows w ithout doubt the weakness the full light of day, and some sing
of such attem pts to prove m an’s songs th a t grate on the sensitive
im m ortality, but it is also full of ear; they are birds ju st the same,
error. It uses a term , on which its ana do much more to make the
Notice!
world bright and happy th an do
the wingless (reasonless) clam m y
clam s. They are a t home high in
air, above the little things th a t jar
the clam and so easily m ake him
shut up; and yet they can descend
to a dark nook in the ea rth , and
ex tract from the soil or from the
flowers m any a choice tit-b it of
happiness.
They are beings of
parts, and are alw ays ready to
change th eir position when their
higher instincts warn them of d an
ger. They build th eir homes (th eir
belief) high above the m ud-flats
of th eir wingless (reasonless) neigh
bors, but when the cold gusts of
w inter storm s heat upon them , in
stead of draw ing deeper into the
mud of superstition they flit away
to a more congenial atm osphere,
where they build new homes and
teach their little ones the a rt of
flying.
Lord Chesterfield says: “ If you
im prove and grow learned, every
one will be fond of you. and desir
ous of your com pany; whereas, ig-
n o ra rt people are shunned and des
pised.” In other words, the birds,
those who do som ething to m ake
the world brighter and happier, are
honored and beloved. They are
happy singers of the music w ritten
for M other N ature’s older children.
But the clams, those who do n o th
ing but exist anti spout m ud at
passers by, go into the clam sack,
“ unw ept, unhonored, and u nsung.”
Y oung m an, young woman, keep
out of the mud! Do something!
Make life worth living! Don’t be
a clam!
m ake a good joint, to frame a w in
dow, to cut a rafter, furnishes c u lti
vation for both hand and brain,
th a t the solution of a problem in
algebra cannot furnish; and a l
though algebra and kindred studies
a re < very valuable, the m ental
strength thus secured must be ap
plied to practical work of some
kind, or the student becomes one
who can anticipate but not enjoy,
a th in k er hut not a doer, a would-
be w orker w ithout the ab ility to
work, and w hat is commonly called
au educated fool.
P R A I S E GOD?
W hen the C hristians build a
school or a church they continually
th an k th eir god for th eir progress,
and we Infidels, robbed (?) of th at
great p riv ile g e d ) m ust tu rn our
th an k fu l feelings in a different d i
rection. We are succeeding in a
wonderful way, to be sure. Our
precious Pearl has retu rn ed safe
and sound.
He is in excellent
health and spirits (not holy nor a l
coholic ones) and brings the best
news th a t we could possibly receive.
Our success is as certain now as
a n y th in g can he.
W e m et Mr.
Geer in P o rtlan d and together we
ordered a large hill of building m a
terial, and soon a carload of sh in
gles, lath , etc., will steam into the
city and m aterialize into a Free
thought institution.
S unday evening, October 1, Mr.
T. B. W akem an, who, according to
Mr. G eer’s statem ents and accord
ing to all we can learn w ithout
personal acquaintance, is one of
thp grandest F reethink rs of our
E D U C A T E D FO O LS.
tim es, will lecture to us. This will
l»e a great tre a t for the Silverton
There is nothing in the world people and a red-letter day for our
that develops people so rapidly as U niversity.
work and study at the sam e tim e in
As our building, for which we
proper proportions. One who is have labored and waited so long,
educated in books alone, is indeed assumes its perm anent form, with
in a pitiable condition. His ideas its spacious study rooms, recitation
rooms and hall,we do feel as though
are all theoretical, and he is fully we ought to thank some one, for we
as u n fo rtu n ate as a “ lien on a hot certainly could not have done this
griddle,” or “ a fish out of w ater.’’ great work alone. W hom should
At every tu rn lie fails, for practical we th an k hut each other? L et us
knowledge is absolutely necessary th an k Mr. Geer for his u n tirin g ef
forts in interesting and enlisting
in the discharge of any of life’s d u the very best ta le n t in the world.
ties. On the other han d , one who Let us th a n k the noble men and
has only labored with his hands, women of th e E ast who have
becomes a mere m echanical slave. stretched out th eir han d s toward
He cannot apply his labor scien our work and blessed it. L et u s
tifically to anything, for he has not th an k our Silverton friends who
learned the great principles which have stood bv us through evil as
can only be gained by tak in g a d well as good report, and let us
vantage of w hat m any others have th an k each other in advance for
learned and w ritten in books and the work we are willing and able to
papers for our benefit. \V ork and do in the future.
How m uch more reasonable and
study go together, and furnish the
two arm s of the lever bv which we beneficial it is to thus th an k those
m ust lift ourselves to higher and whom we know deserve our th an k s
yet higher things. Much depends th an to superstitiously m um ble a
on the fulcrum of our n atu ra l ab ili h alf-th an k and half-fear praver to
ties to he sure, but with a good the im aginary benefactor and devil
foundation of inherited strength we combined whom C hristians call god.
m ust still apply the lever in the Let us learn to love and piaise and
proper way, or our life’s endeavor th an k each other, and the fires.of
gods’ hells and the follies of dev-
will be a fiat failure.
The Liberal U niversity proposes 1 ils’ heavens will pass from th e
to teach the students to work with m inds of men and the m any b u ild
th eir hands a* well as to learn what ers who are now working on “ m a n
others have done; and we believe sions in the skies” will learn to la
th a t the young men who are now bor for a m aterial heaven on earth ,
w orking on the building, to pay for to th an k every benefactor of our
th e ir w inter’s tuition and board, race and to despise everything th a t
are receiving one of the most v alu detracts from the adoration of the
able parts of a real education. To true saviors of m ankind.