THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON OREGON, JANUARY 4, 1899.
ceived by the same genius that con- 'especially Italians, dropped on their bring in! On New Year’s Eve we
by their opponents long after the
ceived the rest. The genius was in* knees before it. Superstition, do shall hear of “The Ti iumph of Hu-
supposed Christ had disappeared.
spired by the same sentiment. The you say? Yes, but it struck the manity”,—-‘The Epiphany” of the
The Talmund refers to a “Jesus,”
sentiment sprang from the same most free and scientific with an awe Christ that is to be
In order to
human emotion. The emotions that was sile n t,- for only the stu -1 connect the two festivals, let us now an “illegitimate,” who was execut­
ed for “sorcery” some seventy-five
were awakened by the same phe- pid could fail to see in it the com- listen to Mrs. Hosmer’s rendering
nomena, old, but ever new, famil- posite reflection of the love and in- of “Ring Out Wild Bells”, of Ten­ years before “our” Jesus ought to
have been, if he ever was, but not a
iar, but ever astonishing and en- nocence, the suffering and devo- nyson.
Then for the show, the
trancing,— the return after a long tion, the sorrow and triumph, the play, that tree and the presents, word about him.
Not a single contemporary auth­
absence, of the creator of the visi- final hope and joy of the human from which this address has kept
or, not a scrap of writing, names or
ble universe.”— To which thought race. It was womanhood, as Goethe the “youngils” too long.
refers to “our” Jesus. The need of
we may add — the revival of hu- saw it, rising out of and embody-
such reference was so great that
man life in the birth and life of ing the awful past, prophetic of and
The Christ Hyth.
Christ-passagcs were “forged” into
children,— the new human life, a leading towards the nobler and glo­
A NOTE TO M R. W A K E M A N ’» AD D RESS. Josephus; all of which are now
new generation!
rious future!
plainly exposed and admitted by
Our scientific apotheosis of child­
Now we must turn from picture-
1. It is hardly proper to refer to all.
hood in the babe, of course car­ ideals to our reals. They, too, are
the Christ “gospels” or “lives,” an­
Tne Rev. S. Baring-Gould, the
ries with it the apotheosis of the all composites.
No real virgin-
mother and motherhood. You may mothers ever existed. Let every cient or modern, as deliberate “lies” English churchman, in his “Lost
see both in the word picture just one then make and honor his own or “forgeries.” The early gospels and Hostile Gospels,” closes the
given from Mr. Frotbingham, and Ideal of womanhood, and make all were semi-conscious growths out of story by this frank admission: “It
then by the eye in this copy on the women sacred as included in it. visions, traditions, rumors, gossip- is somewhat remarkable that no
wall of Le Rolle’s splendid picture, Also the child, and so the grown ings, etc., in addition to supposed contemporary or even early ac­
“The Nativity”. Notice how away ideal Christ or Humanity that is prophecies which “inspired the count of the life of our Lord exists,
back there in the darkness of the to be? No one individual ever did facts” necessary to their fulfilment except from the pensf?] of Christ­
stable, the nimbus of spiritual glory or can make it. The pictures of — “in order that the prophecy ian writers. That we have none by
proceeds from both mother and Christ are all composite ideals, might be fulfilled,” as we frequent­ Roman or Greek writers is not,
child, and throws its golden light whether in words, or paintings, or ly read.' Thus the gospels were perhaps, to be wondered at; but it
orally woven by the fancies of many is singular that neither Philo, Jo­
over animals and the wondering sculpture.
The first character-
men, and the M agi in the fore­ sketch of Christ in the four gospels enthusiasts in detached fragments sephus, nor Justus of Tiberias
or “paragraphs,” and were made should have ever alluded to Christ,
ground. That picture scientifically has been shown by Mr. Soloman in
interpreted means, that both moth his “Jesus Identified” [Bouton & always“more certain”by repetitions, or to primitive Christianity.”
until they began to be written
After the Christians began to
er and child are forevermore sacred Co., New York] to be made up
down in Greek lor Greeks, and were “make trouble” for the Romans,
and inviolable, and must have the chiefly of four of the Hebrew rebels
finally collected so as to make a i. e., abont a hundred years after
blessing and protection of Human­ against the Romans, with plenty of
whole “gospel.” The gospels ac­ Christ was supposed to have lived,
ity as the most tender and sacred “filling” from the Essenes Thera-
cording to Matthew and Mark grew we find Roman accounts of them by
parts of itself.
putae, with current prayers, mira­ up to sustain Peter’s visions and Tacitus, Pliny and Suetonius, which
Here is another great picture, cles, sayings, prophecies and para­
influence, Luke that of Paul; John, are often quoted. These contain
“The Star of Bethlehem”. Notice bles. It is because composite and
the last, grew up largely out of the echoes of or about a “Chrestus” or
we have the exact picture described never personal, that these myth
Apocalypse, which was attributed “Ciiristus,” who was supposed to
by Mr. Frothingham, with the star ideals touch so many phases of life
to “John the Divine.” The Apoc­ have been the God or founder of
and cherubs above the mother, and with a truth that seemed supernat­
alypses of Enoch (Jude 14), Peter, this “malignant sect.” Later on
the Magi, the “ wise men” of earth, ural—a truth stranger than fiction.
John, indeed the whole class of cursing accounts of the most revolt­
at her feet. What may that mean? But all of this truth Science saves
“Apocalyptic literature” [See Ency. ing kind appear, by similar reflec­
Why, that the mother is the true and makes more useful to us than
Brit.J should be looked over to­ tion of hostility to th e Christians,
center of the world—and is to be its ever. We lose nothing real, true or
gether with all of the Apocryphal in the later Talmund and Jewish
principal care, for around her and good by carrying the illusions over
gospels to plainly see the relation writings. The prettiest echo, how­
her babe its learning and art and “into nothingness”, and recognizing
of the two. The so-called epistles ever, of the Christ-myth is found in
utilities are all devoted ministrante. that “the only wisdom is in truth”.
of Peter and John in the New Tes­ a letter purporting to have been
But above all the pictures you
As Theodore Parker said of Sun­ tament clearly confirm the visional written by “the Roman centurion,
see here a copy of T. G. Kitchell’e day, “It is indeed a blessed day
origin of “Christian” beliefs and Lentulus, who took part in the
(of Indianapolis, Ind.) composite when we get over the superstition of th e ir d is s e m in a tio n , as do also crucifixion.” It appeared in Latin
photograph of the three hundred it”. So we may say of this Sun, those of Paul. The Solution above during the early Middle Ages, and
famous paintings of the Madonna. Yule and Christmas Festival—this presented, and the expected coming gave such a beautiful word-paint­
You may measure your degree of re­ birthday of the Christ of and in of Christ within a few years, make ing of the “Christ” that it was ac­
al spirituality by ability to analyze ! Humanity, “the Christ that is to the New Testament for the first cepted generally as true. So pleas­
and then synthesize the feminine be”. The mythic Messiah-Christ of time intelligible and interesting ing was it to Thurlow Weed, the
elements in the great Madonna the past, with its “religion of sor- reading. We thus learn that prim­ well-known New York politician
paintings. We can not go far into row”,and the horror which has col- itive Christianity was never more and editor of the Albany Evening
that now. But they are all “com- lected around it, never lived, never than a state of expectancy —“car­ Journal, that he used to reprint it
posites”, all human, and combined died, and never will appear upon pet-bag” religion—waiting for “thy every year, near “Good Friday.”
make the chief ideal leading the this earth with its New Jerusalem kingdom” to come, and with no We will print it once, if any one
race, which Goethe, for the first coming in the sky. But the Hu­ morals, polity or mode of life, suit­ will send us a copy; for that, and
time, and as the triumph of all art manity of which it was formed as able for a permanent residence on the “handkerchief of St. Veronica,”
and humanity, added to the Trin- an unconscious symbol is now act- this planet. It was a subjective are the earliest “pictures” in line or
itv as a real Goddess, a flight no ually here, is being born on this irridescent dream, a mirage of the words left us of “our ascended
‘‘church” had ever dared to take, very day in million» of home», and oppressed human imagination pic- Lord.” The holy manger, and the
r au»t closes with the prayer to her will embody and iucarnate more taring in the skv a prophecy of wood and nails of the cross used to
thus:
'*■
. . . of . . in . the ]ove> liberty and . equality,
i i which
than was ever conceived
be abundant, but as they have no
“ Virgin, Mother, Queen,
myths of old. The Religion of 8ci- will one day be mnre than reaIized subjective meaning or importance
G oddess , gracious ever be!
ence, o f Humanity, in a word, the jn an “ Earthly Paradise,” unless they will probably be allowed to
[Youngfrau, Mutter, Kbnigin
R eligion of the noble , is here.
evolution fails mankind.
disappear.
t . b . w .
Gbttin, bleibe guadig!]
Young and old! let us rejoice over
2. The negative evidence against
The eternal womanly—
the clouds that Science has rolled the historical existence of Christ
Draweth us ever
Remember, if you send us the
away, and the future it reveals — or Christianity is overwhelming, names and addresses of 25 of
Upward and o n !
[Das Ewig-Weibliche
glorious and certain under the laws There was no note ever made of your Liberal friends and acquaint­
Zieht uns hinan.J”
of human. history and evolution. Christ’s life or miracles, nor of the ances, we will make you a present
When Raphael’s painting of The Rejoice in the old that each year “darkness” over the “whole earth” of a copy of the Torch of Reason
Madonna was exhibited a few years will ring out, and the newer, truer at his death! The Brethren were Song Book No. 2. This will only
cost you a few minutes’ work and a
ago it was not seldom that people, and better that each year is sure to first called “Christians” at Antioch two-cent stamp.