Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1899)
material out of which the real, true and devoured and robbed us of our probably each will regard hie own gtructure of the new religion of Sci- happiness. phase as the particular form and ence and Humanity is being built”? It seems almost impossible that we name the new faith, or new philos- The Only Paper of Its Kind. It will certainly do no harm, and Secularists are first to discover the ophy, should assume. But Science so let us say it to all. Let us take instrument with which to conquer is a constant growth. She lives Published W eekly by the L iberal U n i some part, if ever so humble, and the worst enemies of mankind, but ever by devouring her offspring, versity Com pany, in the In tere sts ot help everyone to be as useful as so it is, and as we bear the torch like old Time and Saturn, and so C onstructive, Moral Secularism . he can in this great and glorious! aloft, frightening away the gods she renders every “system anti- J. E. Hosmer,......................Editor work ot the true redemption of and ghosts that still lurk around quated as soon as it is well made, P. W. Geer,.................... Manager man. To be sure, there will be the the campfires of civilization, we Humanity is greater than any of refuse heap; we caunot avoid it. cannot help comparing our work her servants, and includes them all, Entered at the postoffice at Silverton, Some will drop into the cellar of. with that of those ape-like men but can he identified with none, for Oregon, as second-class mail matter. orthodoxy after they have been who first learned the use of a she is free from all individual lim purchased (not by the blood of Je- burning brand to frighten away itations. Therefore it is that the SUBSCRIPTION RATES. sus) for the grand structure, and the cave bear, the hyena and the new faith can never become a per sonal religion. Confucius, Buddha, One year, in advance........................ I 1 some will get lost entirely. Some tiger. Six months in advance.................. ™ Let us make our ancient rela Zoroaster, Moses, Jesus, Mohamet will, like rusty nails in the wrong Three months, in advance............... In clubs of five or more, one year, place, pierce the feet of the work tives a visit. Do not be ashamed have their common successor in the in advance....................................... ers and cause them to limp as they of them; they were not made of great Humauity, of which no indi Money should be sent by registered work, but these are nothing, after dust and a rib, nor have they diso vidual, however good or beautiful, letter or money order. all, but the debris, the refuse, the beyed a god. They are true men can be but an insignificant part. odds and ends; and although they and women now; they have rea The “complete Positivist” and Hu Notice! are entities in fact, they are non son, and they have learned how to manitarian is not the one who fol Do you hear them lows a system or an individual A h a n d pointing to this notice denotes entities as far as construction is con build a fire. th at your subscription has expired. cerned and can no more binder the chattering to one another as they with complete subserviency, but the You are earnestly requested to re one who most cheerfully learns and new so that you may receive the pa growth and ultimate victory of our gather the sticks? See them as they per without interruption. We have de cause than the rusty nails, the stand around the’fire and enjoy its recognizes the true, where or how cided th at it is best for all concerned ever found, in order to do the good, that we do not send papers longer than slivers and the bad knots that an genial warmth. Do they love each the time paid for unless so ordered. noy and are rejected by the build other? Do they love their babies? where and however he can. This will prevent any loss and we will To individuals there is hardly ers of the Liberal University can Yes, indeed they do. But see the know just where we stand. We request you to send us the names stop its flag from waving in the glaring eyeballs of a carnivorous room to refer at all. of Secularists who might become sub Of those who have passed into monster as it creeps upon them! scribers and we will mail sample copies. gentle breezes of the great Pacific. Hear the warning cry (a root of the immortal world two stand forth modern language) of these animal- as prominent (ounders of the new THURSDAY, OCT. 19, E. M. 299. faith, the German poet, Goethe, T H E F IR S T A N D LA ST TORCH. men,and see how quickly those glar ing eyes disappear in the darkness and the French philosopher, Com R E F U SE . te, were the contrasts of each other, Not having faith in an after when the glare of a torch approach and may be, if rightly used, the There is a pathetic story told by death heaven, we are very anxious es. They have learned that their supplements of each other. He the refuse matter that is left in to do all we can for that which we enemies cannot stand fire. What who can best combine the free building our great evolutionary and love here while we have a chance, a great step that was in the civil growth of the oue with the method revolutionary Freethought educa and while we can see its effect. ization of man! How long it is and social purposes of the other, Then, not having any god to ap since that time, and yet how short! tional institution. How much w’e have leaned! How will be our oompletest man. Their There are bits of timber that are peal to, we must appeal to a power much we have to learn! How many works are an inexhaustible store only fit to burn and furnish heat to that we love and respect, and enemies we have conquered! How house of suggestions in and toward the workers as they work. Then which we believe can help us to be the new culture. there are the odds and ends that good and to do good. This power many, many wonderful things w’e ORGANIZATION. will come handy for outbuildings is humanity itself. Thus, by be have inventedl But,oh,think of the It might seem to those unfamil by and by. Here’s a brick; there’s coming Secular we lose nothing, great Secular future! Brothers and sisters, we are joint heirs of all the iar with the subject that nothing some slacked lime, and there a fan excepting an ignorant, false hope, cy shingle that for some reason has and gain everything worth having, progress of the past; let us take would be easier than to secure the not yet been worked into the body and our desires, our hopes, our la stock in the wonderful, the freed, union and co-operation of those of our great movement. Rusty bor, our every thought is turned to the beautiful, the happy future who have been touched by the breath of the “new life.” But, in nails are occasionally seen. They ward being happy, doing well and Commonwealth of Man. fact,nothing is more difficult. It is were bright and shiny and were all doing good now; and, instead of said that the tendency of the course ready to go into their places to help making ourselves miserable and a Relation of the New Faith to of life and education of all pioneers hold a board, or a lath, or a brack nuisance to others by trying to be the Old. is toward individual action, liberty et, but the power of the world of lieve, and working to get others to and self-reliant independence. And selfishness — a great attraction to believe, . something ~ or be damned, ■ Continued from 3d page, some—pulled them away, and there we, in a perfectly normal and sane ¿ an ; under Comte it appears as the then, also, the service of Humanity rl 1 I « zvzx ♦ /> r» I k to m r* zi o a Positive • * • TA 1*1 1 _ — 1 has seems to “function itself.” It re go to work make they lie, mingling with the useless condition, Philosophy, and 1 1 he happy home—a heaven for the an- many who follow him in this, if in quires no special church nor organ clods and debris. But still the building goes on. 1 gels coming every day to occupy it. nothing more. To John StuartMill it ization. The whole world is its The time that a good worker would If we are born right and trained appeared as the Experimenal Phi- temple by the “Time River”—the waste in picking up a lost nail is right we will enjoy this unselfish losophy. Dr. Strauss describes it blue its dome, and the duties of life worth many times more than the work much more than “saving as the New Faith, in contrast with its ever present worship. Again, all attempts to found nail itself. And so it is with the souls for Jesus”,which means noth- the oid. Herbert Spencer presents human material out of which our ing but a sort of fanaticism which a new ar,d iater phase as the Syn special organizations have been im- cause is being built. We love to gas been stuffed into us from “ way thetic Philosophy; our own John mitations of Catholic or Protestant think of the beautiful, genuine ma back”, and which, ever since we Fiske calls his phase the Cosmic ecclesiastical governments, and the terial. Some are like the heavy were born, has been before our Philosophy, which suggests the placing of the new wine into such great fundamental work of Hum- old bottles has generally resulted in timbers of the framework and do minds’ eye. the ridiculous loss of both. - An, what grand possibilities open boldt—The Cosmos, their share in supporting the whole For this reason, Strauss, in his structure; then there are the boards, up to the individual and to the All of these names are good, the lath, the shingles and the nails. world as they “come out into the The Philosophy is new, positive, ex valuable epitome of the “New There are the windows, i. e., those Clear”! Like our lowly ancestors perimental, synthetic and cosmic, Faith,” discourages the attempts of through whose thoughts we can see when they found the use of fire and in the progress of its growth reconstructive Liberals to organize, things on the outside as they are. would frighten away the wild many more will be its names and but advises them to throw thpir in Is it useless to say, “Let us be care beasts, so we can use the torch of phases, and many more its dis- dividual efforts and influence upon ful not to be thrown into the refuse our reason to drive away the beasts tinguished scientists, philosophers, society, the government, human zl n heap, but to become part of the of superstition that have frightened I advocates and promoters. And Torch of Reason t I t t - x Z"l I «