THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, SEPTEMBER 7, 1899.
2
curtains adjusted and had again was somewhat thunderstruck at after a hotly contested game. Mr.
taken my seat in the buggy, it was these reports and really began to be Levi took me to his house, where I
raining harder than it ever rains in scared, and now when I think of had a short visit with his wife, who
BY P. W. GEER.
'Oregon, and the lightning made what happened all around me I seems to be as deeply interested in
Ohio is a great state for old one think of the evening of Jnly tremble with fear, and writing this the Freethought work as Mr. Levi
account of it makes my hair stand is himself.
maids and thunderstorms. I went 4th.
I spent Saturday night with Dr.
The ladies really di<l look scared, up like the editor’s after he has
out driving with two of the former
and we came in contact with and I began to think at times they spent half a day revising a poorly- Hjermstad at his home in Ken-
one of the latter. Miss McElroy were in earnest, and I felt a little written article. I think another tucky. The doctor has a family to
has been in Oregon and knows that frightened myself, but still I didn’t Ohio storm would frighten me so be proud of, and he knows it too.
we have no lightning and thunder realize the danger. In Oregon the that I wouldn’t stay in the buggy, This helps to make a pleasant
here, to amount to arything, and lightning comes in sheets and even if it did have the attraction of home which we all like to see. Mrs.
Hjermstad shares her husband’s
when we three started out in a bug­ makes quite a flash, but it doesn’t two old maids’
The rest of the time I spent in belief, and the two little children
gy that was intended for two she strike anything unless it is off in
was cruel enough to wish that w*» the mountains somewhere. This Ohio was very pleasant to me, appear to be too bright to ever be
could have a hard storm for my Ohio lightning came in little but would be uninteresting to read- very orthodox.
benefit. We had traveled only a streaks and made a terrible fuss ers of the Torch of Reason I visit­ Sunday morning I went with Mr.
few miles to the north, when a lit­ about it every time it came, but I ed the birthplace of my father and Andrew Hogg to the Vine Street
tle cloud, not big enough to disturb thought, “A barking dog never found many of my relatives as Congregational Church to hear a
the slumbers of an Oregon barome­ bites,” so I wasn’t greatly alarmed. usual. London is a pretty little so-called Liberal preacher attempt
ter, could be seen near the horizon Pretty soon we came to an open city and so is Mechanicsburg. I to harmonize the Bible with modern
ahead of us. The old maids imme­ gate in front of a large house and met very pleasant people in both literature and common sense w’ith
diately took notice of the cloud and barn, and the ladies proposed that places, and will be pleased to visit nonsense. He may as well attempt
declared that their wish would be we drive in. I thought they were them again. Mr. Geo. Van Ness to make a square circle. This is
granted. I supposed they were only fooling and I contended that and family live in Mechanicsburg, the church Mr. James R. Allen*
joined, and claims that he is just as
only attempting to scare me, for I we ought to drive on, but my argu­ and all are Freethinkers.
Saturday morning, Miss Van much a Liberal as ever although a
had never seen storms which ments were vetoed and into the
amount to anything come up so yard we went. A man came and Ness took me to Irwin and shipped member of a real Congregational
suddenly. In Oregon we can al­ took the horse and buggy, while we me to Springfield. I changed cars Church. Mr. Allen was for some
ways tell a day or so ahead what went into the house, where we staid for Cincinnati, where I arrived a time the secretary of the Ohio Lib­
the weather is going to he, especial­ in the dry while the elements kept little before noon. I was disap­ eral Society, but dropped that so­
pointed in this city more than any ciety for the present one. The
ly in Silverton, where Trenton up the serenade outside.
In half an hour or so the storm I visited on my whole trip. I al­ present minister of the church is
Hibbard’s barometer and Alonzo
Brown keep us posted. This com­ had passed over and the patch of ways had the impression that Cin­ really Liberal, in fact too Liberal
bination has often been successful blue sky was so accommodating cinnati was a clean city. I suppose for a Congregationalism but I don’t
in keeping a storm back for several that it had shifted around to the the name gave me that impression, think Mr. Allen or any other pro­
days, and sometimes warding it off direction in which we wished to go, because it really sounds clean. The fessed Liberal is warranted in join­
entirely, and I told the ladies that while the storm was marching at “Seven Hills” almost hide the town ing that church or any other which
I’d bet that if Alonzo had been double-quick time toward the south. and seem to confine the smoke of is under the wing of orthodoxy.
there we wouldn’t have had any The sun soon appeared over the the factories and mills to the valley, What would Mr. Allen do if the
cloud and seemed to be glad to see where it is mixed with the air to be church would change ministers and
storm.
T never in my life saw a cloud us again.
breathed by the inhabitants of the get one who is real orthodox? I
The Ohio pike roads are soon dry city. Across the Ohio river to the will agree with him that this one is
grow so fast. In less than half an
hour it had spread all over the after a storm, and as the air w’as south are the Kentucky hills, cov­ too Liberal to be even a Congrega­
northern sky and far enough south fresh and the horse rested, we had ered with houses, where many of tionalism but that doesn’t change
to cover the sun and make it quite a lovely drive that afternoon, vis­ the Cincinnati business men have the Congregational Church.
It
dark where we were.
Looking iting the old home of my friend their residences. The people are might be used to prove the hypoc-
back, I saw a patch of blue sky Mr. Kimball and stopping at cleaner, and their ideas brighter i risy of either the church or this par-
where the sun was shining, and I Woodstock, where we visited with than the appearance of the city ticular minister. I will admit that
wanted to turn around and drive in the Misses Cranston, with whom would lead one to believe. Sunday these “higher critics” in the Liberal
that direction, but the ladies said we had a delightful half-hour’s is used as a holiday, instead of a churches are doing good, but does
the proper way out that storm was talk. These ladies are very pleas­ holy-day, and one can go on an ex­ that warrant us in joining their
to go through it and not follow it. ant company, are quite liberal in cursion, a picnic, or to a baseball churches, accepting their tenets,
I supposed they were playing a their religious views, and have a game on that day.
and becoming members of their
trick on me and only wanted to give lovely home. We visited several
I was not long in finding the flocks? Of course Mr. Allen has a
me a wetting, but I knew they neat and well-kept houses on our office of Dr. B. L. Hjermstad, with right to do as he chooses in this
would get wet too, and as Miss rounds which deserve better de­ whom I was fairly well acquainted case, but I am myself doubting the
McElroy held the lines I allowed scription, but I have only room to by correspondence, but I had mis- wisdom of the rest of us following
her to drive on.
say that they are typical Ohio judged him in regard to size and his example. This preacher talked
The lightning flashed and the homes, and that expresses a great age. I had him pictured as a Urge, a great deal and said a few things,
thunder cracked all around us. deal.
portly man, with a full beard, and but there are many things he didn’t
The ladies would jump and Miss
We arrived at Miss McElroy’s at least fifty years of age. I only say which his arguments led up to.
Van Ness would utter a little home in time to dine and then missed it by a hundred pounds and Perhaps the things ne didn’t say
scream every time the lightning spent a delightful evening visiting twenty-one years. He is small, are what he didn’t dare to say. On
would dart by us. I thought they with the family. It was a nice young, and attractive, and I don’t the whole, I think these Liberal or-
were acting scared to affect me, and moonlight drive to the Van Ness blame his wife for falling in love thodox preachers are too Liberal
I didn’t have sense enough to be home later in the evening, where with him. He had a wrong im- for their churches and not Liberal
afraid*
the story was told of our narrow pression of me too, but I don’t enough for the people, so they have
Presently the rain began to come escape from being struck by light­ think he expected to see a woman, ‘ slim audiences as a rule. I hoped
down in great drops, and I was or­ ning. I thought it was only told as some did. Dr. Hjermstad took to have a long visit with my friend
dered out to put up the rain cur­ to scare me, but the next morning me to the Levi Brothers’ store, Allen, but lack of time and oppor-
tains. I expected that the horse! when the neighbors called they had where he left me until later in the tunity prevented, and 1 only Irad a
would become frightened (accident­ great tales to tell about the light­ day. I had met one of the Levi chance to exchange greetings with
ally on purpose) and run off and ! ning striking a barn, which burned Brothers in Chicago in ’96, and wae him and his wife after the meeting,
leave me standing iu the rain with­ to the ground. This scared a team, glad of the opportunity of renewing Mr. Hogg and I went to Dr. Hjerm-
out shelter, but I obeyed orders which ran away and killed a man. his acqaintance and also to meet stad’s office, w’here we talked the
through respect to my superiors Another man lost a lot of sheep, his brother Charles E., with whom whole matter over, and decided that
(in age), but kept one eye on the which had gathered under a tree to I had a splendid time. We w’ent Liberal societies were the proper
horse and one hand firmly on the escape the storm. Lightning struck to the ball game, where the Wash- places for Liberals. This decision
buggy. By the time I had the the tree and killed the sheep. I ingtons defeated the Cincinnatis , isn’t law and Liberals needn’t abide
Abroad.