THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, DECEMBER 14, 1899.
T h an k sgivin g Home Festival
of Joy.
5
assuming otherwise makes “God” a and be glad. Glad that the old but tarnished coin or jewel. The
partner with him in his present ad- Nightmare of Theology is gone and use and therefore the reason for the
ministration. With an amusing that they are out in the clear! That existence of these celebrations can
Concluded from 3d page.
innocence(?) he goes over the great the old “firmament” of heaven has
University, the grand department things he and God have done to- been broken up bv the telescope; not but be greater as the feelings
of S ociology —the human domain, gether, and wishes to praise God and that it, and most of its conse- and interests of Humanity are en
where used to prevail the gods of for what man has done, and to quences, have disappeared. Never larged by the evolution of the
war, of battles and of nations—how pray to God to continue the same can we be too glad that we live in grander life of our species.
Let us then as social and con
is it now? The science of Sociology
divine guidance.
Just glance an Infinite World I That fact of
has within our own century, almost through his Proclamation schedule infinity is the only guarantee of structive Liberals welcome th is in
gathering Home Festival of joy! It
within our own days, replaced “di
and see how* he has his thanks perfect mental liberty and bound-
vine guidance,” except as an excuse wholly misapplied. In every sen- less aspiration. Yes, we ought to is the resultant, nay, a very part of
for aggression and robbery, by a tence God stands in the place of have some one day when we can the law’s, processes and consequents
of Nature; let us demand that in
Science of History and of Social Man—thus:
rejoice together that the firma stead of being dependent upon sad
Evolution and Progress.
It is
1. “No great pestilence has in ment is gone, and that, standing and degrading superstition and du
proved that M ax , individual, social, vaded our shores.” But it was on
out in the clear as Nature’s chil bious Proclamations, it be made a
political, is the only P roivdence of our borders, and is there now.
dren, we inherit infinite liberty.
regular Holiday and Holyday of
Man. Surely the Family of Nations What keeps it back but M an ’ s sci
Second: Then next, we know the land—the ever-enduring Festi
and Peoples, as soon as their des ence and sanitation?
that this liberty is the consequence val of the Home!—an acquisition of
pot-gods are off their souls, will
2. “Liberal employment waits on of the infinite and immutable Laws our people forever! It will be a
make this H uman P rovidence the labor.” The fact is uot so, but so
of Correlation upon which we needed memorial of our past, from
crowning glory of our race. There far as it is true, what but M an ’ s
stand and by which we exist. We the old colony days down—the pri
is no more room for spook-gods in providence provides it?
can not pray because they make us mitive rural ingathering of the “foi-
Sociology than there was in Cos 3. “Abundant crops rewarded the
secure—the very idea of a world or son plenty”—the fruits, grains and
mology or Biology, indeed it may husbandman.” Not so. Frost ru
of a god of caprice, vain-glory and flocks of summer under the threats
be said of them all:
ined the fruit, and mildew the hops, fickleness is gone forever. We of winter to be thus warded off!
Diis extinctis, deoque, successit Hu- and the price of wheat is below the know whereon we stand and what
It should be, also, the season of
manitas.
The gods being extinct, and God—Hu cost of raising it, and this fertile we can do, and that, because of the social “Peace Offering”, when
manity—succeed s.
valley is desolated by the president’s these immutable laws of the Cos- all family and other differences
And next comes the question is “god”, with nothing but Man’s *mos, “the traces of our Earth days should be dropped as we join in the
there any use, sense and propriety helpfulness and the forbearance of can not be lost in the depths of the higher feelings evoked by Homo,
in putting “up fervent prayers and creditors to enable us to live ages”.
and Children, Country, and Hu
thanksgiving” to this new Human through.
Third: We know that we are the manity.
Providence, in any or all of its
Well! the President gives us thir inheritors of a mighty H umanity
Thus sustained by an Infinite
forms—from the prattling child up, teen more items where he and“God” that has lived, suffered and died World; enlightened and emanci
through the family, town, city, hfcve done great things for us? through a past beyond the records of pated by Science; cheered by the
country, State, Republic, to Hu But it would be tiresome to carry History.
past progress and the future hopes
manity in its final Congress of Na this solemn but absurd joke fur
Fourth: Then as such inheritors of our race; warmed by the glow
tions. The Science of Sociology ther. Where not wholly untrue, it we need a Common Festival to ex and love around the domestic
answers in the affirmative, because is ridiculously partisan and humil press a common joy by gratitude hearth, though the superstition of
it finds that man, individually, iating. The president knows per for all this past; and because the the old prophet has gone, let us
and in all of the forms of his col fectly well that no god had any past is past, never to be present cherish and hold among “the im
lectivity, is the only T elic B eing thing to do with these things, and as a sentient continuity, those who measurable blessings of conscious
known—the only being who can that the whole business is a hypo are present in solidarity , are their existence” our aspiration for a life
and does control future ends, ob critical pretense to shoulder his fail representatives. How can we fail that will ensure every year though-
jects and events by the interven ures upon “God,” while he makes to so recognize, and to recognize out the land “joy and gladness,
tion of his own will and power of an ostentatious flourish of the glo ourselves, as the heirs of a glory Thanksgiving, and the voice of
changing intermediate events. He rious results of “divine guidance”, past, and the builders of and melody!”
only can effect “final” or future which we can only hope to have transition-life to the greater glory of
(Greek, Telos) causes by his wilful “continued” by his own and God’s the earthly paradise to come! When
H O N E ST FR EETH O U G H T.
manipulation of present causes. re-election. “God reigns”, wired therefore, the shades of the winter
That is what telic and telesis Senator Hanna to the president days—the colder, shorter days—
Perhaps the best Freethought
means; and as they are useful when the bribed senate of Ohio begin to settle down upon us, our periodical in the world is published
words in our Science, you might as made them triumphant. But if the age and generation, more than any at 213, E. Indiana St., Chicago, 111.
well put them down in your mem people should relieve them both of that has ever existed, has need of Its name is the Freethought Mag
ory with Altruis-m, Socius, and public office, then who would reign ar.d use for all really human fes azine.
The December number
tivals, and these are already fixed: which reached us last week is load
Sociology itself as necessary addi —God or the ----- ?
tions to our language made by that
This proclamation ought to satis T hanksgiving , the harvest and ed with thoughts that are free and
Science.
fy every man of common sense that H ome F estival of joy, gratitude full of truth and wisdom. Its editor
The poet Goethe adumbrated this it should be the last. Jefferson was and reconciliation—how’, can that Mr. H. L. Green, stands squarely
in Pindaric form more than a hun right: honor the custom by breach be spared?
on the principles of ethical, pro
dred years ago; and Shelley, in instead of observance. If the uni Then C hristmas , the F estival gressive Secularism, and instead of
‘‘The Hymn of Apollo,” made the formity of a general Thanksgiving of C hildren , marks the winter sol being jealous of others who enter
H uman the only intelligent eye and and Harvest Festival is desirable, stice-birth of the new Sun, and the the same field he does all he can to
voice of the Universe, in words too let it be secured, the same as any promise to all of new life and hope. promote their work. This shows
true and relevant to omit:'
other public holiday, by a general As long as children come that must that the words he speaks are no
law fixing the last Thursday of be, though Santa Claus has grJTTe? empty words but are born of hon-
I am the eye with which the Universe
Beholds itself and knows itself divine ; November as a legal holiday for
Then the N ew Y ear , the first eRty of thought and purpose. We
All harmony of instrument or verse,
All prophecy, all medicine are mine, that purpose—and drop this whol moon change after the winter sol hope every one who can will take
All light of Art or Nature; to my song
stice. The F estival of H umanity the Freethought Magazine, for we
Victor}’ and praise in their own right ly unauthorized, absurd, half theo
logical, half partisan proclamation the world over. All nations and know by experience that it give*
belong!
peoples must be made more and more than value received.
This was written as poetry but it business forever!
Would it be well to have any more one in heart by that!
is Science now. The praise and
Remember, if you send us the
prayer which the President wishes such general and secular holiday? These festivals have been made
us to give to a spook or to a world Much can be said pro and con. As ei»och8 of joy and union by the hu- names and addresses of 25 of
infinitely alxive human distinc social and constructive Liberals, man race through ages beyond your Liberal friends and acquaint-
ancces, we will make you a present
tions, are a ^art of the victory and many would be inclined to vote, memory. Because they have been of a copy of the Torch of Reason
tarnished or abused by supersti- Song Book No. 2. This will only
praise which in their own right and Ayej
First: All Liberals have the tions, is no reason why they should cost you a few minutes’ work and a
nature belong to Humanity and to
Humanity only. The President by • best reason in the world to rejoice, be lost, any more than a precious1 two-cent stamp.