THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, DECEMBER 14, 1899.
River, and of the good things of his will , put into active effect, is the ished away in building and pus - C osmology , we respectfully decline
the Willamette Valley. We might one aud only factor by which the.taining churches and Theological to follow the recommendation of
thus personify Mount Hood, but order of the world about him can prayer-buildings, if applied to hu - our President and Governor,aud to
we all know that it exists and acts be changed according to and under man purposes would realize the extend your Department over the
under immutable laws, and that the said immutable laws, for his “Earthly Paradise” within our own exercise of “fervent prayers” to any
prayers to it to change its action special benefit. U is simply child- lifetime. Millions upon millions supposed “Almighty God”, whether
would be ridiculously absurd. We ish, therefore, aud sacreligious to of dollars are thus worse than considered as a “spook” or as the
neither know nor can conceive of Man and even unworthy of the thrown away every year. The hu Infinite Cosmos itself.
any limit to this process of immut­ World, to keep on praying to the man race is simply paralyzed and
P resident H osmer : “You need
able correlation;—a prayer there­ immutable as though it could do impoverished, in its ignorance, by not worry; there will be no prayer
fore to the whole Cosmos is as ab­ anything specially for our benefit, tios stupid and wicked superstition; section in my Department.”
surd as if made to the Sun, or to for our asking or vows, or in pay­ and is thus, and thus only, kept in
M ell then, let us pass on to the
Mount Hood, or to any of its parts. ment for our peuances or sacrifices, misery. For our great officials to next, the second grand department,
But can there not be a Supreme as was fully believed of old.
make themselves and us parties to B iology , which in our Liberal
As to all this childishness what this ruinous folly is a wrong and an University is presided over by Prof.
Creator and Ruler of the world or
^cosmos, existing before aud outside should we do? ‘As was emphatic­ outrage unspeakable! We can only Leonard. The religious and super­
of it and of its infinite correlations? ally said by the apostle Paul (1 charitably suppose that they have natural values of microbes, plants
Let some one show7 something that Cor. 13:11), “When I was a child I never considered the consequences. and animals may not now detain
is not a part of these cosmic cor­ spake as a child, I thought as a
They are simply under the spell ds long, but it was not always so.
relations, and show how a limit to child; but when I became a man I and influence of an old custom of Few things in history are more sur­
appointing a “Thanksgiving,” and prising than the part that tree and
them is conceivable. For until put away childish things.”
Now in view of the law of relig­ do it without any consideration of animal worship have played in hu­
that can be done, all prayers or
peace offerings to a God outside of ious evolution as laid down to the the changes which Science has man affairs. Rome was founded
an infinitf world , are to the in­ Pilgrims by Robinson, and acted made in our knowledge and in pub­ by the sight of a flock of vultures,
conceivable; and if made to a God upon by the apostle Paul in regard lic opinion during the 1 st 300 was saved by the cackle of geese,
identical with or within the world, to the old Jewish faith, what are we years. The slightest regard of and always had an eagle to lead
they are simply to the World or compelled to say of these proclama­ modern considerations would com­ her armies, and did nothing with­
cosmos itself, which is only an in­ tions of our president and govern­ pel them to “honor this custom by out augury. The serpent and the
finity of correlations under immut­ or, under the light of scieuce? Why, breach instead of observance.” tree brought about the “fall of
able laws. If these law’s and cor­ that they are simply childish; that« There is no constitution nor law man”, and Egypt worshipped her
relations are personified and spoken their authors have sadly “come to which compels them to this un­ sacred bulls, India her sacred cows,
of as a “Personal God,” it is simply a period in religion” ; that they speakable folly. A few moments’ Siam her sacred white elephants,
a figure of speech, and has no more have committed a sin against evo­ thought upon the fundamental law China her dragons, and so t,o the
validity than our personification of lution, which, if any can be, is un­ of Science, would show them that end of the chapter. It was the
Mount Hood, or Coleridge’s person­ der science “the unpardonable sin” ; not all of the prayers of the whole wooden horse that took Troy; and
ification of Mount Blanc and “God” for there is no mutable god to “ra­ human race through all ages could the serpent was the only symbol
in his splendid cosmic poem in the pent himself,” and to reverse the change a drop of water, a breath of and only conqueror of eternity.
Vale of Chamouny. We must de­ consequences of human error or ig­ wind, the shade of a hair, or a cell Divine and animal action wereone,
cline to be the victims of our own norance or hypocrisy. These pro­ of Garfield's body, in the slightest until science came!
rhetoric, either as to mountains, clamations are simply exhibitions degree. Why then spend millions
Yet how are the mighty fallen 1
of
a
theology
that
is
now
extinct
on millions for the absolutely im­ We now have to go to the far East
rivers or cosmic “gods.” But that
is just the way the human race, in except as a specimen of supersti­ possible. Why degrade ourselves to find prayers and sacrifices to
its ignorance of the infinite laws of tion, and presents a total misappre­ for nothing?
sacred animals in these days. There
2. This official prayer and was a 1 way3 some mystery of me­
immutable correlation, have been hension of the world as it is now
victimized hitherto. Many lan­ known to our people; and is a mis­ Thanksgiving business also turns tempsychosis, or of something
guages have no neuter gender, representation of a majority of the our people into deluded expectant supernatural about them—but that
children never have; and in the people of the United States and of slave-dependents upon an imagin­ is mostly gone now. “Show how
childhood of the races no one had. Oregon. Out of our seventy millions ary Deity, who will, as they im­ thy bull genders,” says Carlyle, “or
Everything was moved by a person­ not twenty millions are under this agine, in some way, take care of be fon ver silent.” Well any mod­
ified spirit in or about it. The superstition— probably not more them in a coelestial heaven. Tliis ern biologist can make that show­
whole cosmos was thus personified than fifteen millions. And yet be­ delusion breaks down and destroys ing without much trouble, and in­
a God, and after bloody ages they cause of no co-operative organiza- their mainspring of character and deed of the whole biological “mys-
defined him thus:—“God is a spirit tion of Liberal and Scientific peo- of energy in caring for this world, tery” from A to Z. What Science
[ghost,] infinite, eternal and un­ pie, this superstition lords it, not The loss of our church-building- explains passes into the domain of
changeable in his being, wisdom, only over a large majority of the, labor and money is bad, but the causal-correlation, and the super­
power, holiness, justice, goodness, people, but compels the public of- loss of our earthly heart and hope natural »1 wells only in the unknown
and truth.” Science tells us the ficials to publicly avow their belief for a heaven here is worse.“It makes Oken, Goethe, Lamark, Darwin,
higher truth, that God is not a in this supernatural prayer super- cowards of us all!” No man or wo- Huxley, and Haeckel have ex-
“Spirit or Holy Ghost,” or spook at stition. Thus our president boasts man can be free who is dependent plained the vital processes and
all, for there are no such things; of all of the great things, and the upon the will of another, whether actions, and their Gods have moved
Even Bryant would now
but if we must use the word God “abundant prosperity” that God god, or devil or man; or who inis- onl
as a reality, its scientific definition J has accomplished by bis adminis- takes the order of the world to be hardly find anything of “divine
must stand thus: “God is the tration, and urges the people to put the manifestation of a Will to be guidance” in his poetic “water-
world , infinite, eternal, and un­ up “fervent prayers for a continu - placated by prostration, prayer and fowl.” But very fortunately we have
changeable in its being, continu­ ance of the divine guidance”, thus sacrifice. This evil is the greatest learned by “artificial selection,”
ance and power, but ever-changing assuming, with coolness unspeaka- possible, but is only appreciated by and kind “eulhenasja” to put our
in its lacts, processes and phenom­ ble, that he is now under divine those who have succeeded in he- fowls of water and land, especially
ena, according to immutable laws.” guidance”, and that if we happen coming Liberals—i. e., einancipat- on Thanksgiving day, to a better
—thus getting “out into the use than to let them administer to
It results from this definition, to differ from him we are repudiat-
and Science in fact so reveals, that ing the guidance of God and flying clear.” The time is soon coming our superstition as divine guides or
when thousands will wonder at the interpreters.
this world of laws, processes and in God’s facel
Do you ask what harm is done supineness with which they pros-
Thus all living things shall have
facts is neither human nor inhuman,
moral nor immoral, good nor bad, by this childish superstition and trated their souls and bowed before our care, use, protection and love,
in regard to the human race, but is official imposition and vanity? The an imagined celestial despot— but for which they would soon pass
the infinite, unvarying order of answer must be: Much and in many which imagination has ever been out of existence, hut never more
the father of all earthly despots our prayers. They most patbetic-
things, out of which our race has ways.
1. Every effort of heart, mind or and despotism.
ally depend upon and pray to us.
grown, and upon which it rests, and
For these reasons, while we re-
Now turn to our diagram and
must work out its “lot and fate”. will, and every dollar expended
Department in our
But this man does by and in a upon or for that “G od ” is a robbery spect you, President Hosmer, as ,0° k at
Continued on 5th page.
“struggle for existence” in which of M an . The labor and money lav- our Superiteudent and Professor in I
9