The subjects for the first lessens teachers of day schools and church ' although their pretensions of hard
*
1
«ins.Juv
re verv
1 hen the op-
Sunday schools, and other editors, work a are
very ereat.
great. Then
will be as follows:
will find our lessons so appropri- pOrtunit jeg and temptations of
ate
and practical that they will be Dreac^ers to commit crime are
The O n ly Paper of Its K in d .
Adult.
I*.«! to iibe
ouite generally. H
.
u«-e them
them quite
Introduction to the Bibles led
above
the
average,
and,
being
no-
Thus
will
be
attained
the
very
liiun
»»ill
---
„
Published W eekly by th e Liberal TTni
of the World.
thing we desire—right tt aching and thing but weak men, they more
versity Com pany, in the Interest« of
right living founded on facts. \\ ho j often fall; and if today the masks
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
Intermediate.
The Relation of Health to will help write these lessons? Don’t were torn from the lives of every
be afraid to try. The trying will preacher, ,inH
and the scales were
were torn
torn
J. E. H o s m e r,.......................E d ito r
Morality.
benefit ourselves.
from the eyes of their dupes, there
P. W . G e e r....................... M anager
E liza M owry B liven ,
Primary.
would be much surprise, disgust,
The Happiness of Animals.
Brooklyn, Conn.
and rapid conversion to a more
Entered at the postoffice at Silverton,
Oregon, as second-class mail matter.
A gem of thought will be selected
common-sense religion than that of
from one of the lessons or from
GOOD PREACHERS.
God and his chosen ones.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
other works on the subjects. Each
But what of the future? Preach­
$1 00 lesson will be limited to thiee hun­
A boy who has to be paid for ers will be forced by public opinion
One year, in ad v an ce....................
t’d ¡¿red words and ten questions. The being good is not a very good boy to become strictly honest. Many
Six m onths, in ad v an ce....................
5 writers may ask all or part of the
T hree m onths, in a d v an c e ................
after all; and when we bear certain will drop out of the business and
In clubs of five or m ore, one year,
questions if they choose.
ministers of Christ praised way up many less will take it up. 1 hose
in a d v an c e ..........................................
Money should be sent by registered
Twocolumnsof the Torch of Rea­ above other good men, and these having a natural aptitude for public
letter or m oney order.
son will be devoted to these lessons common good men neglected en­ speaking will engage in the Secular
each week, and we do hope that the tirely, we ask ourselves, why will work, and when once it gets a foot-
Notice!
burden of the work will not be al­ people be so foolish as to think that hold it will entirely capture the
lowed to rest on a few shoulders. the goodness of these holy ones is field. The one thing that has held
A h a n d pointing to th is notice denotes
th a t your su b scrip tio n has e x p ired . Let each write something and we any better than the goodness of back our work more than anything
You are e arn estly requested to re ­ will certainly find some good tim­ other men?
else has been the unwillingness or
new so th a t you m ay receive th e pa­
Plow easy a thing it is to help the inability of Freethinkers to take a
per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de­ ber to use in the great work of ed­
cided th a t it is best for all concerned ucating our youth and ourselves poor, smile sweetly at the old ladies firm moral stand.
This we are
th a t we do not send p ap ers longer th a n
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. free from the superstitions of the and little babies, take a sick sister now beginning to do, and we look
T his will prevent any I osh and we will old dogmas and traditions of our for a ride, and do all manner of forward with the greatest of hopes
know just where we sta n d .
goodnesses when one has nothing to the time when all preachers will
We request you to send us th e nam es heathen-like ancestors.
o f Secularists who m ight become su b ­
In a recent letter Mrs. Bliven else to do. A few hours’ work each stand on an equal footing with
scribers and we will m ail sam ple copies.
gives the following hints and sug- week at the pleasant occupation of other men, and have the opportun­
preparing two lectures, worries the ity of being truly good instead of
1 gestions:
T H U R S D A Y , SEPT. 21, E. M. 2Q9-
Some have the gift to interest average preacher but very little, being forced to play the hypocrite.
and instruct little children; others and how easy a thing it becomes,
THOSE SECULAR SUNDAY
can better teach youths, while oth­ after he has had a few years of
SCHOOL LESSONS.
WHO AND WHATP
ers can best adapt I heir teaching practice, to he very, very good. It
only to adults. Among the variety is a sad fact that the preachers’
The time has come when we must of methods and illustrations which goodness is only seeming goodness.
Who are we that we should un­
act or we will not have the Secular we ought to be capable of develop­ They are experts at deception as a dertake the great work of redeem­
ing, our editor ought to always
Sunday School lessons ready for have a surplus of good lessons in rule, and it is no wonder, for they ing the world from its corruption.
this winter’s work, and following store almost from the start.
(the intelligent among them) know We are the voices of a few, who have
the suggestions of our co-worker,
Perhaps the first lessons will that the very foundation of their been saved from the (d)evil of or­
Eliza Mowry Bliven, we take it lead to discussion and deeper study,
trade is a fraud. They know that thodoxy and its imps, crying in a
and
others
will
write
on
the
sub­
upon ourselves to suggest subjects
ject later. In school we had to most of their flock are ignorant of wilderness of selfishness to make
and call for help in writing the study each lesson several times,
the history of religions, and yet straight the way of Humanity.
more to it another term, they preach about everything ex­
lessons 1 here will he three giades j and
Repent ye, for the kingdom of
of lessons, and we hope that many aud repeatedly review, to make it
cepting the very things that the MAN is at hand!
will write on some or all of these so a part of ourselves as to he ready
Mauy have recognized the great
people ought to know. They are
for
practical
use
all
our
lives.
So,
grades, and keep at it. All the
,
, . ,
T
exactly on a par with the Catholic importance of our work and be­
lessons may not be published, but r ! think our editor
- will
... welcome
,
ad- priests in this respect. I he Chris­ lieve as we do that it is the greatest
the best ones and best parts of ditional knowledge at any time, on tian creeds as well as all supernatu­ movement of this age. Those who
others will be printed as soon as any subject that has been present-
ral religions, depend altogether on are engaged in the active work of
ed.
needed.
Of course none of the lessons can the ignorance of the majority of its building up this great Freethougbt
We have concluded to give a cash
_ „,,1 contain over 300 words, because adherents aud the hypocrisy of the educational center are just common
prize (the amount announced (hp Toroh >g smal, a()d can n(),
In fact we might be
rest. Knowing this, as every in­ people.
later) for the best lessons, as an in- 8pare U8 much space. No one
telligent preacher must, know, is not considered by some uncommonly
ducement for writers to take hold 8bouid send longer lessons, oblig-
of the moral health of common. We are all just com-
of the work. The judges will be ing the editor to cut them down. conducive
the goodie men called ministers o f mon workers. Of course we are
the readers of the Torch of Reason, He has enough other work.
,
1
e
For awhile I mean to send some- Jesus Christ. We recognize the inspired. We couldn’t do any­
who will, a t the close of the year s tbing) Qn,y Qne 9entence> on ev.
fact that some naturally good men thing without the inspiration of
work, send in their votes. I he ery 8UbjeCt selected which I uuder-;,
k>nn
mtn them inistrvbv God, could we? The only differ-
voters, not knowing who the writers stand; but the editor is not to print 1 .
,
their
own
youthful
ignorance
and
“wn vont > n ignorance an ence between us and the other fel-
are until " after the contest, can my attempts if he secures enough *b“,p
the advice of their friends, and th a t, lows who are inspired and work-
only be influenced by the merits of that is better; but I can thus help
to keep the hall rolling till we have some are so good naturally that ing for the salvation of the world,
the lessons.
writers enough so this becomes they are quite hard to entirely is that they know that they are in-
Here are the grades and topics needless. Who else will help? The
The!
guch k ig a
faard
ired and we don»t. We feel that
for the year’s work:
writers as possible, to aid'them to , fighb and generally ends in their we are no better than anyone el. e
WORK eor secular S unday schools , (jgygjop their own talents, and also i leaving the ministry or in their in- and that everyone else is just as
thereby we shall secure the best sanity.
sure S° to heaven as we are, and
E. M. 299 AND 300.
lessons obtainable, for printing,
It is claimed by statisticians that, we are quite sure that heaven is
I. A dult.
and furnish the Sunday School according to their numbers, there is quite near us. It is all “in our
Study of the world’s Bi­ lessons needed everywhere.
, minds,” don’t you see?
1
suggest
that
no
reference
be
more
crime
committed
by
preach-
bles in the light of modern
made to the Bible nor to God in era than by any other class of citi-. But sometimes circumstances, m-
science and morality.
any of the Intermediate or Primary zens, and our reason aud experi- herited traits and early training
II. Intermediate.
c
I JQ
bq O u B
lessons.
I mean to write mine so ence8 ]ead us to think that it would cause just common people to do
Prinrirv4*
they will
t tur ny
ill be printed in
111 the Ubser-,
Obser-
jj , be
be so.
80 Idleness is called some very uncommon things, and
III. irimary.
ver, a local Connecticut paper,
J
‘
.
I 1
. ..
.. . .
t . ..
Nature Studies and Kin- having 4,000 subscribers, besides the mother of vice and the preachers we believe that one of the mo t
dergartening.
’their use in the Torch. Perhaps arecertainly the most idleof all men, uncommon and yet most bene-
Torch of Reason