THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, NOVEMBER 2, 1899. can not enter the kingdom of lieav- are somewhere, because the book For the Torch of Reason. How a m in is te r of th e Gospel Ap. Is God S ile n t? says so.” en and become an angel and be proached a R eader of The “ Mr. Bates, can you tell me the BY D. PRIESTLEY. Torch of Reason. Bates,” I replied, size, weight and form of an angel “ All right, Mr i heaven and you talk so m uch about? H ave “ I do not believe T orch and There is an an cien t story told of To the E ditor of the , and th a t the Bible is an in’ angels bodies; if so, w hat do they hell a m an w’ho was a candid ate for o r its R eaders :— ed book, but a book w ritten by eat and drink . spired Do you know th a t it is wrong to th at. “ A gain, doctor, I cannot a n ders in the Church of E n g lan d . men, and poorly w ritten at read such a dam nable paper as the swer, but we read of (he angels, and According to rules, he was to be ex I never knew it However, if you will answ er me a am ined by a certain bishop; but, Torch of Reason? About a few* questions, to show th a t you therefore we m ust believe it.” before, but I do now. “ Yes, Mr. Bates, you C hristians unfortunately, th e bishop stuttered, at Sioux Center, have proof, I will become a mem year ago, while m ust believe it, or C hristianity and so be sent his vicar to conduct ber of vour Reform Dutch Church. * Iowa, a certain Rev. Mr. Bates, would fall to pieces. I do not be the exam ination. The first ques Mr. Bates, you say no one unless he came to my store just about closing tion which the vicar propounded certain is a C hristian and believes and is lieve it, for I think C h ristian ity is a tim e, having with him a m yth, and everlastingly illustrates to the can d id ate was, “ W hy did baptized can be saved. W hat be friend, Dr. Staad, who knew of my B aalam ’s ass sp eak?” The reply comes of the m illions of heathens the good and bad, heaven and hell, reading the Torch, and no doubt to its dupes. The more money a was, “ I suppose it was because his who have never heard of C h ristian told the faithful servant of God that member of any church gives, the m aster had an im pedim ent in his ity and those who lived and died I was a Secularist and an ex-Cath- better C hristian is he, and especial speech.” before the birth of Christ? The olic. So the first thing he said was: There seems to be a sim ilar rea ly so in the C atholic ch u rch .” w'orld stood thousands, perhaps “ Dr., I understand you read the “ W ell,” he says, “ doctor, I m ust son why priests and preachers talk millions, of years, then God all at Torch of Reason; is th a t so?” go home. I know you d o n ’t mean for God and explain his m ethod “ Yes, sir,” was my prom pt re once thought of sending a savior to and purposes in governing the w hat you say. Good n ig h t.” ply. “ Is there an y th in g wrong in redeem the world. Now’, Mr. Bates, “ Hold on, Mr. Bates; d o n ’t go world. Even in asking the ques did th a t savior die for the living reading it?” way m ad,” for he showed sig rs of tion if God is silent, it is taken for “ Yes, sir, doctor,” he answered. and the dead, and will all previous anger, because he was unable to granted th a t God is dum b, and to his birth and all others out of “ It is an un-Godly, good-for-noth th a t we must find out his m eaning answer my questions. ing paper; and to th in k that a man the church be lost?” “ I hope we part friends," said I. by m eans of signs som ething like “Yes, all outside the church since with the brightness of intelligence the deaf and dum b alphabet. The “ Oh, yes, I am not m ad.” you have, will read such trash! C h rist’s death are lost. As to those “ Well, Mr. Bates, we will both explanations are never scientific previous to C hrist’s death, I cannot Don’t you know it will lead you to Here is continue to read w hat we th in k is hut alw ays theological. destruction. It believes in neither tell, but presum ably they are right, and if I find an y th in g in the one of these explanatio n s as com God, heaven nor bell, and you had saved.” m ented upon by the Review of R e ‘‘Now M r.Bates,how do you know’ Porch th a t I don’t like, I sim ply better stop it.” pass it by, and if an y th in g good, I views: I first got upon my inherited, th a t all w'ho die out of the church “ It is a grewsome piece of reading W hat an unjust god, will try and be benefitted by it.” irritatin g , C hristian, impulsive are lost? which Mr. R ichard H eath presents T hus ended the controversy. tem per, and was going to order him to create men and dam n them for to us under the sta rtlin g heading, D r . L. S. S toll , out of the store, but my self-educat ever w ithout giving them a chance ‘Is God Silent?’ He takes strong E x-C atholic. ed common sense and reason came to be saved. I do not believe in P. S.— I have not as yet become exception to Dr. Robert A nderson, to my rescue ju st in time, and I such doctrine. F or instance, Mr. member of M r’ B ates’ or any assistant com m issioner of police, in spoke very kindly and in a low’ Bates, suppose tonight your house a his ‘Silence o f G od,’ th a t ‘God never is entered, you are overpowered, other church, but will when my tone. I said: questions are answered. Mr. Bates speaks to his people now.’ Mr. “ Mr. Bates, I do not think it your infant daughter is torn from called on me the next day, and H eath insists th a t th e voice of the wrong to read a good paper; a pa the m other’s breast and carried to looked over my library, half of A lm ighty is heard in the history of per th a t believes as I do. I think some d ista n t land, where it grows which are F reethought and Liberal individuals and nations still, es it is really a good paper. W hile up with no knowledge of your re books. He com plim ented me on pecially enforcing the two fu n d a Secularism is traveling on a higher ligion, dies and goes to hell, lost my fine selection. I told him he m ental tru th s, ‘H ereditary g u ilt an d better paved highw ay to reach forever!” was welcome to any of them , so he and vicarious suffering? H e illu s He shuddered and said: its destiny, you keep everlastingly took an old Catholic Gospel H ym n trates his contention by reference “ Yes, it could not he saved.” traveling in the old, m isleading and to the retribution which overtook “ T hat settles it,” I said. “ I don’t Book th a t had been in the library worn-out pathw ay which leads its the French nobility in the hundred followers to destruction, and their w ant anything to do with such for perhaps 20 years. As T value such books h ard ly the space they years war for their infam ous o p final destiny will be a great d isap an unjust god.” “ Well, hold on,” he says. “ Doc occupy, I thought: “ 1 hope it will pression of the peasantry, and pointm ent. Rev. Bates, why do which visited the A nglo-French you come here and dictate to me, tor, I am wrong. My child w ill he please you.” Mr. Bates has been friendly to nobility in E ngland in the W ars of an older man than yourself? Do saved, because my wife and m yself me ever since, hut never m entions the Roses for their b ru tal betrayal you know I am of age and we live are both C h ristian s.” “ Oh, th a t is it! If th a t is so, the Torch of Reason to me. Let of the common people. N ot co n in a free country, in this the most tent with expounding the vengeance glorious land on earth ? I do not C h ristian ity would soon he a thing the Torch shine for the welfare of of offended Heaven in these n a tio n come to you and say w hat you shall of the past; for, if all children now m ankind and the world. H u rrah for the U niversity and al judgm ents, Mr. H eath essays to and shall not read. I do not ask living and children from C hristian trace the same retributive trea tm en t you, why in the world, Mr. Bates, parents were to quit the church, or Mr. W akem an and fam ily! in the m iserable doom which over D r . S toll . do you read and explain the Bible com m itted m urder, adultery or sin took fam ily after fam ily of the of to your followers, and tell them ned otherwise, and died outside of The law by It is stated th a t the Rom an Cath- fending nobility. lots of trash th a t you know nothing the church, they would he saved about? I sim ply let you alone be and would surely go to heaven, olic priests in Belgium have suc- which th e Supretne Judge assigns cause I don’t believe your doctrines. where, otherwise, had they lived in ceeded in having a law passed this aw ard is: ‘Thou sh alt love,’ 'V 'i ? compels parents t o p r e t t a r and stern are the penalties for dis Y et, I think you a nice gentlem an the church and violated the teach- children no nam es other than those and consider you my friend. Now’, ings of the church, they m ight have in lhe calen d ar of eaint8. We are obedience. A ltogether it is a grew I think you should respect me and stood a good chance for the bad not inform ed w hat privileges are some ch ap ter in the philosophy of enjoyed by Belgian m ule-drivers in history? show me the same courtesy, as I place.” The th o u g h t never occurs to the “ Doctor, doctor, you are just try- lhe selection of nam es for their believe in reading the style of read it- ing to aggravate me! I know you bea8t8’ l,ut '.ru8t ‘b »t here, also, due theological m ind th a t God does, or ing from which I receive the g re at iat don’t mean i t ” ~ ’peCt fo 1 le 1 calenda . should do, anything to help the op- est light and benefit, and th a t aon i mean n . The intellectual powers of B alaam ’s , » - . TT , “ Mr. Bates, can you tell me ass were apparently on a par w ith P ^ s e d and suffering. He alw ays which teaches the greatest tru th “ Oh, doctor, doctorl You are where heaven or hell is located, those of most of the prophets, and lets them d rain the b itter cup to lost and will surely go to hell. You and how far it is? W hat is the there is no good reason evident w hy the very dregs. T heir redress is . , , .. . , . . . . .. , . . ,, the descendants of th a t sacred ani- referred to some other world, and is had better come back into the fare, or is it only one fare for all , , , , . .... ... . , . , . , » m al should not enjoy all th e rig h ts to be post-m ortem . If God only church and be saved and go to and any distance?” due them according'to th e doctrine heaven, for m an, he says, th at is “ Doctor, we cannot answer those of asinine succession.— [Boston In - gets back on some one else and thus adds to hum an m isery he is not baptized and does not believe questions, but we must believe they vestigator.