THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, OCTOBER 26, 1899.
be “held up,” and the weapon call- church. And then, after all, do we number of students, all we need is
ed truth must be used, and we not offer more and give more than a chance to teach without being
should all become sharpshooters.
the orthodox preachers do? U e embarrassed by creditors and wor
The Only Paper of Its Kind.
To those who have become ex- teach what we do know. \\ e know ried about how to get money
ports in finding and using the truth as much about the Bible, about enough “to keep it up” until the
P ublished W eekly by the L iberal U ni
against slavery, are we indebted for God and the angels and about school is large enough to be self-
versity Com pany, in the In tere sts of
C onstructive, Moral Secularism . __ the great degree of liberty that we heaven as they do; yet we are too supporting.
Let’s cover up this institution
-----
”
Edit r have today. The light that must honest to “offer” that which we do
with money just once, and “aston
J. E. Hosmer,.................. M«nflirer lead us on liberty’s way and give not and cannot possess.
P- W. Geer...................... Manager
knowledge to wield our mighty
We offer the sublime truths of ish the natives.” If we can’t spare
weapon against every enemy of our science; they offer the ignorant, a thousand dollars, let’s put in
E ntered at th e postoffice a t Silverton,
race is reason, which will grow damaging falsehoods of theology, what we can spare, if it isn’t more
O regon, as second-class m ail m atter.
brighter and bl ighter as the way But the greatest idea for our Chris- than a “widow’s mite.” All doing
and the truth is better known.
tian friend to think about is that a little will accomplish wonders.
SUBSCRIPTIO N R A T E S .
It is very much to the interest of our doctrine of heaven on earth for “Go(o)d loveth a cheerful giver,”
One year, in ad v an ce.......................... I 1
all that every one does right. Come human beings is far superior and and much good may be accomplish
Six m onths in ad v an ce....................
T hree m onths, in ad v an ce................
and take a glimpse into the home will make her more happy than the ed if we will all cheerfully give,
In clubs of five or m ore, one year,
where all are happy in a splendid orthodox heaven idea. If it were “and pray (to our neighbors) with
in a d v an c e ..........................................
Money should fie sent by registered liberty. What do we find? All do possible for heaven to exist, how out ceasing.”
le tte r or m oney order.
right. If one child does wrong wrong it would be to selfishly work
REA SO N VS. F E E L IN G S .
then all suffer. It is true also of for its golden treasures and neglect
Notice!
the school. One wrong action of a the improvements of this earthly
We once said to a young minis
student engages the thought of the home to which millions of little
A h a n d pointing to th is notice denotes
ter: “You do not know that there
th a t your su b scrip tio n has e x p ire d . teacher and all the other students travelers will arrive yearly, ages
You are e arn estly requested to r e are at once robbed of their liberty and ages after we have left its is a god, and why do you teach it
new so th a t you m ay receive th e pa
This is also true shores. And, unconsciously, the as a fact.” A bright light came in
per w ith o u t in te rru p tio n . W e have de and their rights.
cided th a t it is liest for all concerned of a nation; and we, the people of victim of this selfish idea of heaven to his dreamy eyes as he replied:
th a t we do no t send papers longer th a n
I do know that there is a god; ’
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. the United States, are suffering becomes all wrapped up in self, and
T his will p revent any loss and we w i l l much loss this moment on account like a miser with his gold, he be and, as he pointed to his sternum
know just w here we stan d .
bone, he continued: “I feel it here,
We request you to send us th e nam es of the many individual citizens do comes so hardened that it matters
oi Secularists who m ight becom e suh- ing that which they in their ignor not to his narrow, stunted mind and I know that my redeemer lives
seribers and we will m ail sam ple copies.
ance think will be an advantage to whether millions are lost or not. as well as if I had seen him and
He is going to heaven; glory to felt the prints in his hands and
their own selfish selves.
THURSDAY, OCT. 26, E. M. 299.
To lessen the wrong and promote God! He shouts: “I am saved to thrust my hand into his side.” Of
the right is the only true religion, the uttermost! Halleluiah! Jesus course it is hard to reason with
L IB E R T Y , NOT S L A V E R Y .
and, as Secularists, we must not be is mine! Glory he to the Lamb!” people who have such w’onderful
All this is the quintessence of sel feelings, but hoping to help some
Freethinkers use the word liber narrow workers. We must und r
fishness, and one of the awful re who are not quite so far along with
ty very much, but we are afraid stand that giving alms is not as
sults of trusting in faith instead of the feeling disease, “let us reason
that there are many who have a good a thing as helping to bring
a bit,” as an Englishman would
very vague idea of what liberty about conditions in which alms reason.
Come, dear lady, to the fountain say.
giving will not he necessary, ard
really is.
If some one would tell us that
W’e hold that whenever we do th:it working for the liberty of an of eternal truth. Wash and be
made spotless. Do not try to there is a piano in a certain house
that which is detrimental to others individual or a class is not as
in Silverton, and if, after searching
we rob them and ourselves of lib good as working for the liberty “dump all your sins on to Jesus.”
every room carefully, we could not
erty; therefore, in order to have of the whole world now and in But be sure to forsake them, and
find it, would we not be justified in
and to promote liberty, we must the years to come — a condition corue into the Secular ranks pre
saying that no piano is in the
do 110 wrong, and must continually in which it will not be neces pared to let your light so shine
sary to give anyone freedom or even among men (and women) that oth house? Now, thousands and mil
seek out and perform the right.
Whatever hinders our individual to think of it; for when once pos ers may see your good works and lions of people, both those who are
in favor of finding a god and those
growth, mental, moral or physical, sessed it will not be necessary to glorify humanity on earth.
who see no use for such a creature,
is wrong; therefore every habit, seek it farther, any more than one
have searched everywhere possible
F IN A N C E S .
every practice, every thought should searches for water when plenty is
for this every where-present god and
be examined by the lover of liberty at hand; but when we possess
liberty—real, . true liberty—we
can
.
We are now working in the new no one can find him. The micro
and tried by his highest trib u n a l- -----„
reason—and dismissed as innocent then use it to build up the grand building, but it is far from being scope, the telescope and all the
or condemned by his chief justice of future heaven, of which the true dnjshed, and, although it seems wonderful eyes of science fail to re
prophets of good have so often pro-. nece8ftary to finish it, we dare not veal any traces of such a thing.
judgment to eternal banishment.
For a setrcher to say he feels
Liberty is not the individual phesied, and by whose pearly go much farther until we settle up
gratification of one’s appetites, pas streams and crystal fountains of onr accOunts and get more money, that there is a god somewhere is
sions and whims. In the social happiness, those who possess our Our expenses for the last few equal to the searcher for the piano
state no one can he a law unto him souls of truthful thoughts may months, when compared with the to say he feels certain that it is in
self and not rob others of their bask in the sunshine of love and ( jf)(»onie, ' has been enormous, and we i < the house. It might he a thing
rights, and as soon as robbery he- liberty,
have reached a point where we much to be desired by some, but
gins, then all lose a portion of their
must stop and “gather up the there is no such thing as a god,
which is proven by the utter lack
liberty. In the home, the school
slack.”
W H A T DO W E OFFER?
and the state every evil thought
We have had splendid success of proof that there is. Men and
and
__ evil deed is a blow at one’s
A Christian lady remarked the this year in every way, but now women are the highest, the noblest,
own and his fellow’’s freedom. It other day that she rather go to much of our success will be lost un the wisest beings in the universe of
is not a weakling’s fault that he is church than to our lecture hall, be- less we can follow up our work and which we have any knowledge, and
weak, but his weakness causes all cause we offered her nothing in the finish it. The fact in the case is we should turn our love and ador
from the mythical spooks,
to lose a portion of strength in sup- future. The kind lady did not re- that we are a little in debt and ation
which some think they feel, to the
plying what he lacks and losing alize that being offered a thing and want money enough to pay up and highest, the noblest and the best.
what he might have furnished to being able to get it are two differ- complete the building. If each Let us serve Humanity.
the general fund of prosperity.
ent things. We might offer her the Liberal in the country can spare 5
Jesus Christ is not “the way, the fountain of immortal youth, that cents toward completing this Free-
In this age of progress it is im
truth and the life.” The only way old Ponce de Leon tried so hard thought fort, we’ll see that it’s fin- possible for Christianity to stand
to salvation is through real liberty, to find, and she would he ished in good style and our guns still. It must progress or die; and
which can only come to us by do- about as liable to get it as she trained on the enemy.
when it has outgrown its old skin
ing right, which wrongs no man. will the “silver streams and crystal
Now that we have a full corps of of myth it may as well be called by
To be sure, a robber of liberty must fountains” sung about at her instructors and an ever-increasing a new name—Secularism.
Torch of Reason