2
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, NOVEMBER 16, 1899.
passed into a new heaven aiiu MUM bonum , a new ideal, operating
began to achieve the soul of the as a mainspring of action assuring
New Era,the idea of progress . This a new Paradise, and a new Im.nor
excited a new and ever-increasing tality, by which Death is finally
interest in the future of mankind conquered. For, dethroned from
on earth. The family, social, patri­ his old position as the king of ter ­
otic, human, in a word, all of the rors with his “sting,” he is seen to
altruistic sentiments, began to be himself a correlative-process,
overgrow the egoistic; until finally hut a name for the natural, nec­
ihe earthly interests, ambitions and essary, inevitable and ever-blessed
ideals have largely, though grad­ correlative processes by which only
ually, replaced the coelestial illus­ true immortality is possible.
Has it taken too many words to
ions of old. Nothing has contrib­
uted so decidedly to this new view* get this ol<I immortality rubbish out
of the future as the modern Scienc­ of the way, so as to get to the new
es of Cosmology, Biology and Soci­ point of view appreciatively before
ology. It would be hard to tell us? No! It is worth the loss and
which of these grand departments labor of a life-time to get that—in­
of the modern world explanation has deed what greater worth of life can
done the most to re-locate the fu­ there be than to realize that? Was
ture ideal of Man, his main heaven, not this the gate of the new heaven
paradise and object of life, on the through which the glorified and
future of this planet. Under the satisfied Faust gazed into the “ Para­
old Cosmology of the Bible, the dise Land” (Paradiesisch Land),
“jugdment day” might come at any when he said: “Stay, thou fairest
time, and then even the “elements” moment!—the trace (spur) of my
of this Earth would be melted with earthly days cannot be lost in the
“ fervent heat” . Its use as a place depths of the ages!”
But do you say correlation leaves
of probation for man, who had been
created and placed upon it, being us helpless in the hands of Fate?”
over, it would “pass away” and Let us see. Under the law of cor­
the “firmament” above, with its relation, that consciousness of wav­
“coelestial mansions” would re­ ering feelings we call the will ,
main as the only reality. All of which may fall one way or the
this myth has been reversed — other, is itself a correlation , a
those mansions are gone, swept out link, in the continuous and endless
by Galileo’s telescope, and it is the processes of correlation. We can
E arth which “endureth forever”. do as we will, but we cannot will
And the Biological Sciences are other than as we will; but our
equally subversive and reversive. will, because it can do what it wills,
Life instead of being an “entity” may trip into gear anew line of cor­
or “principle”, flitting from planet relations which may result in our
to planet, and using the human next or future will being different
body as its “organ” or machine, is —more powerful, higher and better
found to be only the processes of for us and mankind, than ever be­
assimilation and reatiou of proto­ fore. In this way, as Prof. Huxley
plasm.
said, “the human will is itself a fac­
And in Psychology the reversal tor for good in human events which
is, if possible, more astounding. fact anyone can prove as often as
The “soul” is found to be the con­ he wills to try.” But the equally
scious dependent correlative con­ grand or grander fact is that by
comitant and side process of the such changes of the environment
vital changes of the nervous sys­ of things, thoughts and feelings, the
tem and body. It, too, is a form, wills, and consequent conduct of
the most refined form, of protoplas­ others, may be changed, as w’ell as
mic action and reaction. It too, our own, and thus become co - oper ­
with life, commences with the pri­ ative without end for purposes
meval cells of each animal organ­ wished for by and beneficial to all.
ism ; of which organisms the human Thus correlation and evolution
body is the crown and “paragon,” with their inevitable laws of fate,
and continues until its process ac­ necessity and death, are but the
tion is closed in death. But in re­ indispensable and bénéficient in­
gard tothe human form and the pro­ struments of the creative human
cess of psychic action, the superior love and its immortality —open*
social fact is discovered, viz., a con­ ing the gates of that “Paradise
nection in continuity and solidarity Land;” and then, like our modern
of these psychic processes, hashing transpiercing rays of light, enabling
and passing from one individual, us to foresee and forefeel, and so
family, people, and generation to foresiiare even now the glorious
those about us and to those succeed­ achievements of the ages to be.
ing us. This fact of the conscious, Our will is only apparently free,
accumulative and hereditary co­ only free as a conscious wavering;
operation and succession of the but, as it is, it is the key which
psychic processes and factors of makes law unlock and build the
mankind in society on this earth, future for our race—and us, since
is perhaps the most important fact our race is an indissoluble part of
of correlation that Science has dis- ourselves, as we of it.
covered. It becomes at once the
Now, my friends, it is only on
basis of a new continuous life of this vantage ground upon which
human earthly love—a new sum - ¡we stand, raised by the facts and
premisings we have just gone over, tion into the powers for good, ever
that we can with sure hope take a growing with, and yet as endless
hand in the fight for I ngersoll and as, the ages. Ingersoll can be im­
his work and memory against mortal only as those who will with
Death and Oblivion. Let us see him correlate their wills into co­
operation with his, for the results
how his case stands:
Those who have preceded me to­ he loved and worked for, and upon
day, and many others all over our the lines which he indicated.
The results he willed and worked
land, have properly dwelt upon the
grand endowments with which for have already been intimated —
nature had gifted this wonderful they are the dream of our better
man. One of the great masters of and higher life on earth realized!
that grandest organ of expression, But how to reach and verify’ that
He has told us right
the English language, he stood dream?
among us, and for years wielded it plainly. Let us take up a few of
as poet, philosopher, lawyer, states­ his words which “build” the way,
man and iconoclast, so as to call and picture the letter world by
forth expressions of wonder and which he was inspired:—
1. L iberty . “ We build” who
admiration from all. To his pre­
eminent acquisitions, gifts and tri­ free; so he says in his Prose Poems:
umphs in all of these departments “Is it nothing to free the mind? Is
he added those of a most genial it nothing to civilize mankind? Is
whole-souled and worthy man; it nothing to fill the world with
idolized at home, respected, either light, with discovery, with science?
out of fear or love, by every one Is it nothing to dignify man and
abroad, he spent a life, advanced exalt the intellect? Is it nothing
into ripened years, of singular in­ to grope your way into the dreary
dustry and devotion to the cause prisons, the damp and dropping
of liberty , for white and black dungeons, the dark and silent cells
and for every age and sex—“Lib­ of superstition, where the souls of
erty for man, woman and child!” men are chained to floors of stone;
First, from the chains of chattel- to greet them like a ray of light,
slavery, then Liberty from the soul like the song of a bird, the murmur
and mental chains of the old of a stream; to see the dull eyes
creeds, dogmas, Bibles, traditions, open and grow’ slow’ly bright; to
churches and nameless if not num­ feel yourself grasped by the shrunk­
berless superstitions of “religion.” en and unused hands, and hear
And he did his work so splendidly yourself thanked by a strange and
well that, if we do our duty, the hollow voice?
future historian will say that Lin­ “Is it nothing to conduct these
coln emancipated the body-slaves souls gradually into the light of
and Ingersoll the soul-slaves of his day—to let them see again the hap­
generation. No higher encomium, py fields, the sweet green Earth,
reward or glory than that could he and hear the everlasting music of
have; for no greater service could the waves? Is it nothing to make
he have rendered to our country or men wipe the dust from their swol­
to the world. By this enlargement len knees, the tears from their
of their liberty he lias opened up blanched and furrowed cheeks? Is
the way so that his countrymen, it a small thing to reave the heav­
and all of the intelligent people of ens of an insatiate monster and
the world, can have room and to write upon the eternal dome,
range enough, and, by our willing glittering with stars, the grand
hearts and hands, help enough to word—F reedom ?
lay good and broad the roadway to
“ Is it a small thing to make men
that “Paradise Land” of—Earth, truly free — to destroy the dogmas
which evolution guarantees to us of ignorance, prejudice and power
instead of the mirage-heaven which —the poisoned fables of supersti­
faded from the sky as the sun of tion, and drive from the beautiful
science rose. All of the powers face of the Earth the fiend of Fear?
whose correlation made and con­ Is it a small thing to quench the
tinued Robert G. Ingersoll for 65 flames of hell with the holy tears
years were passed on and correlat­ of pity; to unbind the martyr from
ed in that work of soul-einancipa- j the stake; break all the chains;
tion. Whether they shall be now put out the fires of civil war; stay
dissipated into various inhuman the sword of the fanatic, and tear
and useless correlations, or whether the bloody hands of the Church
they shall become the fulfilment from the white throat of S cience ?”
of his wish as the passage-way into
“Liberty! at thy sacred shrine,
the new Era Land of disenthralled Hypocrisy does not bow, Fear does
man, depends upon whether the not tremble, Superstition’s feeble
wills which can, will concur with tapers do not burn, but Reason
him in working out the correlation holds aloft her inextinguishable
steps to that higher life towards torch, while on the ever-broadening
which his face, as our leader, was brow of S cience falls the ever-com­
turned. If that result is accom­ ing morning of the ever-better day ”
plished, Death will have nothing
In such glorious passages as
more to do with our leader, it will these we have clearly indicated
have been already in its very self that the method by which Liberty
the means by which he became im­ is to reach the better day is that of
mortal by his correlate-incarna-. Science. Science is the torch he