4 T H E TORCH OF REASON, SIL V E R T O N , OREGON, NOVEM BER 30, 1899. never clings to preconceived notions fixing of the day of C h rist’s b irth hut is always on the lookout for on “ C hristm as”, the w inter solstice, more light; a n d o n this basis the is sim ply a p a rt of the m ythology new religion can expand and never of the sun-gods which extends down act as a dam to stop the rushing, to the A stro latry of Egypt. So the sparkling waters of hum an thought. “ year of our lo rd ” has really no For this new em ancipated re “ lord” back of it, nor an y date or ligion of love and tru th the Liberal event whatever. It is purely a fic- U niversity stands; and the only tion and a papal imposition , and question in regard to its success is it sums up all of the horrible papal the question of time. Have enough outrages on hum an n atu re, which I people thought them selves out of ought to have ended, hut did not, the wilderness of deceptive super with the burning of G iordano B ru SUBSCRIPTION RATES. naturalism and its swamp of sel no on the 17th of F ebruary, A. I) F O R MEN OF T H O U G H T A N D M EN fishness to form a nucleus? W e 1600, E ra of M an 1. OF A C TIO N . One year, in ad v an ce..........................$'• B runo was the M artvr of Science j believe enough have. Let us now Six m onths, in ad v an ce.................. T hree m onths, in ad v an ce................ 25 The effect of each individual hu learn to know, tru st and help each because he first put out decisively In clubs of five or m ore, one year, in a d v a n c e .. . . ................................ man thought and action is under other, and soon the world will have the modern heliocentric astronom y Money should l>e sent by registered of Copernicus and gave as its con estim ated. The su p ern atu ral re learned the im portance of every le tte r or m oney order. sequences the “ Infinity of Space ligions are accountable for the utter ' thought and deed, and there will be lack of com prehension of the conse- no need of a frightful hell to force and of W orlds”. T hus he entirely N otice! | qtiences of the little(?) doings of | us, uor a fancy heaven to coax us, upset the old C hristian astronom y H um anity will of the Bible and the church, with A h a n d pointing to this notic denotes ¡every m an, woman and child. By into doing right. th a t your subscription lias e x p ired . then create man in its own image its “ firm am ent’', “ heav en ” and ro You are e arn estly requested to re having the em phasis placed on a For this he new so th a t you m ay receive th e pa- i future state awav from this earth, w ithout repenting, and can forever tatin g suri and stars. per w ithout in te rru p tio n . We have de was duly roasted alive by th e C hris say, “ behold it was very good.” cided th a t it is best for all concerned . instead of upon the future of our tian s of Anno Domini 1600, and th a t we do n o t send papers longer th an ; race, and by being taught, drilled, tiie tim e paid for unless so ordered. th a t era ought to be recorded as T his will p revent any loss and we will coaxed and forced for m any gener E r a o f M an a n d E r a of S cien ce 2 S 9 ending at th a t date: because it did know just w here we stan d . ations into tru stin g in a crucified vs. “ A n n o D o m in i 1 8 9 9 . ’ We request y o u to s e n d u s th e nam es end then , and all C hristian s ought of Secularists who m ight becom e sub- savior and a god’s mercy for the scriliers and we will m ail sam ple copies. enjoym ent of th a t fai aw ay heaven, Said a C hristian to a Liberal to be m ade to know it. It ended because the new Era of Science and ( m e n have g radually learned to be- friend, “ You can’t live w ithout be T H U R SD A Y , NOV. 30, E . M. 299- 1 little the effects of their thoughts ing a confessed C hristisn, for every of Man then took its place. The and actions— their work here, and tim e you date a letter or look at new astronom y of Copernicus, B ru N earer The T ru th . have become like their anthropo- the alm anack, you subscribe to the no and Galileo, then proved, com , m orphic god, careless of their crea- ‘ year of our Lord, Jesus C hrist, pletely knocked out the old C hris N earer, the T ru th , to thee, i tions. We must learn th at repent 1899’.” “ T h a t’s where you are not tian heaven and hell and its Cos N earer to th e e ; ing, as God was supposed to do up to d ate,” replied the L iberal. m ogony generally, and m ade no E ’en though the tim e is long E ’e r m an is free; after m aking m an in his own “ I cau ’t help what is printed on C hristian heaven possible—only an Still all our songs shall be image, does not curt* an evil. your alm anacks, but when I date “ E a rth ly P arad ise” in the future of N earer, th e T ru th , to th e e ; N earer, tin* T ru th , to thee, How im portant to the future of letters or an y th in g for myself it the H um an Race on this E arth , N earer to thee. our race is our every thought and reads, ‘Era of Man 299,’ and d o n ’t which all Liberals are living in th eir hopes and efforts to realize. Though hu m an w anderers action! Even when we are alone you forget it.” of hou«e cleaning, com pany is a n nounced. Rut house cleaning does not last fort v**r, an d onietirae in T h e O n ly P a p e r of I ts K in d . the r e a r f u t u r e on;' buildings and P u b lish ed W eekly by th e L iberal U n i grounds will present a very fine versity C om pany, in the in te re s ts of appearance Much work is y e t to C onstructive. Moral Secularism . be done and c tisiderable money J. E. H o sm e r,........................E d ito r m ust be expended, b u t we now have P. W . G e e r,........................M an a g er a place on which to stand, and having learned to believe the motto, E ntered at the postoffice at S ilverton, “ Labor omnia vincit,” we will en O regon, as Ke<'ond-class mail m a tte r. deavor to prove it. Torch of Reason Have been kept down, D arkness held over them By Priest and crown ; Y e t: in th e ir dream s th e y ’d lx* N earer, the T ru th , to th e e ; N earer, t h e T ru th , to thee, N earer to thee. an evil thought does its work Liberals who wish to he consist against the happiness of the future ent, independent, and stand on their children of H um anity, for it affects own bottom, will do well to think the thinker. It m akes him weaker, over in what E ra of the world they and when he next comes in contact are really living, so as to be able T hen, with our waking thought with others he affects them for evil tru th fu lly to m ake the reply of our B right w ith thy praise, in just the proportion to the evil in Liberal friend as given above. No Out of th e love of right the thought. Every good thought Liberal is now really living in the Science w e’ll raise. So, by our works, to lx* has its effect also, and goes forth in C hristian E ra at all, and it is a N earer, th e T ru th , to th e e ; ever-w idening waves until the circle good time to realize the tru th and N earer, the T ru th , to d ice, N earer to thee. of influence is utterly beyond o u r' to begin to tell it. Now ju st see com prehension. If, on the wings of th o u g h t, how the m atter stands: We search tin* sky, We, the people of this generation, The Greek era was dated by O lym * Sun, moon and -»tars will bring in order to form a more perfect piads of four years, commencing E a r th ’s heaven nigh. T hen, all our songs shall be ; union, establish justice, insure do- 776 B. C. The Romans dated their N earer th e T ru th , to th e e ; raestic tran q u ility , provide for the era from the founding . f the city, N earer, tl e T ru th , to thee, cd 11 um anitv. common defense, prom ote the gen 752 B. C. N o th in g va- Known or eral welfare and secure the bless is known about the b irih of Jesus ings of liberty for ourselves and C hrist, or rath e r of “ Jesus the L A B O R CON QUERS A L L . our posterity, should ordain and C h rist”. The nam e stands for a The growth of the Liberal U ni establish a religion of H um anity, m yth which grew into shape and versity is sim ply wonderful. Many which, instead of inculcating into “ personality” years after his sup of our most e n th u s ia s tic w orkers the m inds of men, as the old re posed birth. I t was not until A. were afraid th at.stu d en ts would he ligious have done, the selfish idea D. 572 th at Dionysius Exiguus very slow in coming, and that it of an exclusive heaven far away (th a t is, “ the L ittle ”), a Syrian would take years to have an y th in g and a lake of fire (or som ething m onk, first devised the plan of run of a university as far as num bers like it) for the wicked, will teach ning a new era from the time of are concerned; but we are steadily us of a univeisal, a Cosmopolitan C h rist’s supposed birth. It then increasing and even now begin to h* avt n th a t is being builded, not helped C hristian papal power, and think of what to do for more school by spooks eternal in the heavens, so it was g radually introduced as room, seats, sleeping rooms, etc. but by th e m inds and hands of men “ Anno Dom ini”, “ Y ear of Our This week several new students and women here and now. This L ord” ; but its first use in E ngland entered, and letters from E astern new religion m ust contain all the begau only in 680, and it did not states tiring the news th at others good of all religions hut m ust be become general in E u ro p e until are making arrangem ents to be free to improve. It can not be 1450. (See “ C hristian E ra ” in with us soon. W e often feel like built on anything but the broadest Jo h n so n ’s New Encyclopaedia, or the housewife, when, in the midst base of scientific truth. Science any other E ncyclopaedia) The Yes, then began the Era of Free- thought, of Science and of Man. Queen E lizabeth and the E nglish check-m ated popery in E n g lan d , E urope and Am erica, and th u s gave L iberty the first chance to get on her feet. Then America was settled, then India and the E ast was open ed up, and the Sanscrit led the way to the precious science of the la n guages; then Shakespeare found ed the new secular th e a te r and thus placed a new joy in the “ H eart of M an” which has “ set all aspiration free” ; then Bacon gave out the new philosophy of Science; then G rotius founded In tern atio n a l Law: then Lord H erbert composed the little book, “ T ru th ” , the first of Free- thought w ritings, then m any thing- happened to magnify the glory and happiness of m ankind so th a t more progress has been made in the last three hundred years (our Era of M an) than in the countless ages before. And they all m ean and prove what5? W hy, th a t the old nightm are of a firm am ent and a C hristian heaven-astronom y is «»ft of us forever; th at we are really “ out in the clear” , and th a t n > church,pope,bible,B runo and Servc- tus-burning, St Bartholom ew m as sacre Theology car: ever curse the hum an species with its hell on e a rth again. H ow can any L iberal , th at is,