2
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON OREGON, JANUARY 11, 1900.
connected with them. Our people order to secure a general knowledge
are divided and broken up, socially, about general methods and results,
by differences of the religions or w’hich will enable intelligent people
politics, or family or other tastes to be enlightened and generally in-
and cliques. Where is there any formed as to all — “eclaires de
attraction so general as our school tout”, as the French say.
meetings and entertainments? Sup-
Pardon me for these remark«, for
pose after the lecture, «ay on Friday I have served many a long year at
or Saturday evenings, the teacher the law to be with you today as a
or lecturer should be given a recep- teacher. It is a promotion which
tion by the scholars and their is the crowning glory of a patient
parents and friends at the school or life; and entering this new world I
other suitable place— why not? cannot help but say, Let us “mag-
There might be school addresses, nify our calling” and extend our
etc., and simple refreshments, per- profession in every way we can.
haps ending with a dance—why
For upon the instructors depend
not? Every body knows that the the future of our State and country,
lively young people of Oregon will [The teachers are now the leaders of
dance, and the only question is i the learned professions, because
lection OF BOOKS.”
they have the
J ames P arton , our leading bio­ shall it be done
highest
duty.
graphical historian, often said, and safely,
wisely
The clergy were,
I heard him say it, that what made and well, or oth­
but they must he
New England the school mistress erwise? Under
re-adjusted to
of America, as Pericles said Athens the approval of
meet the modern
was of Greece, was not only that parents, teach­
world. The law­
she had district schools, but that ers and friends
yers were, but
every family had a library. Often this art may
the people have
the books were but a dozen or so on take its place as
taken the pres­
hanging book-shelves in kitchen or one of the fine
tige from them
sitting-room, but they were general arts—the incar­
by making them
books often ending up with a lot nation of the
their servants in
of sermons, tough and heavy, but highest art in
a popular gov­
with the idea of duty in them. the humm form
ernment. Even
Every child from thence learned —the best ex­
the doctors are
the invaluable habit of, and taste pression of hu­
being dwarfed
for, the acquisition of knowledge, man joy aud de­
power and culture by reading; light—the living
by the rivalry of
which habit has spread over the poetry of motion,
people’s common
whole Union with their descend­ expressing the mutual delight and sense and sanitary science. But the
ants, and thus has become a germ homage of the sexes. Thus athlet­ people themselves, young and old,
of hope on our mountains and coasts ics and calisthenics would reach mustfall back,and do fall back more
here todav.
their flower; and if the old should and more upon their teachers; and
•r
But this need of general and r<- oin in — w’ould not all then be we must meet and use the respon­
sibility, if the people are to rise in
presentative libraries seems too young?
There is no law’ needed to start general intelligence, culture, and
patent for words here. What I
really rose for was to call your ear­ this extension of school utility and strength and joy of life. A noble
nest attention to another improve­ culture. If nicely begun the au­ sight it might be to see this Hall of
ment upon the school and library thorities w’ill approve and confirm our Legislature filled with the Leg­
system, recently adopted, and now it. There is no intention of lessen­ islators themselves—the law mak­
in most successful use in New’ York ing the practical results of school ers of our rising State,—but a far
City. It is the way of making lib­ life, tuition aud discipline. By the nobler sight it is to find it filled
raries and schools vocal , and so savings bank, by the scientific aud with, and to meet here the noble
very instructive and interesting practical nature of the studies and profession who, more than any
libraries, to be selected jointly by other, are the real creators of the
by lectures in this wise:—
The competent teachers and other the school authorities, teachers and legislators and legislation,and thus
lecturers are properly paid to give parents—all this will be better se­ of the laws and future of the State
evening lectures in the schools to cured than ever. But something itself!
the students and their parents and more is certainly needed. The great These remarks were frequently ap­
friends, to be admitted by tickets or objection to the public schools has plauded.
otherwise, on subjects scientific, ever been and is now,that they make Mr. Wakeman then moved to amend
historical, biographical or of gen­ little more than common-place hu­ the resolution by inserting, “ and such
other books,” before the word maga­
eral interest, illuminating the school man machines, limited in character zines. He explained that the object
.studies, and tending to make the and general views of life,—unable was to secure in every school district a
library a source of information and to enjoy but little of the higher representative part of that great living
interest to the whole school and to life of literature, art or culture—to literature, which constitutes the between-
family circles. These lectures are understand the great Republic of Ry. with the reference books on one
they are parts, or to know side and tl,e evanescent magazines and
fully attended. They are ihe pride which
, „ .
x
newspapers on the other. The amend-
of teachers and scholars, and a what 18 meant by the “immeasur- m(?nl wM seconded.
means of bringing all together able blessings of conscious exist- Prof. Martindale, mover of the resolu-
socially, and thus greatly increas­ ence.” Colleges are supposed to ,io^ di' j " h ’ 'S e r m a n , in the chair,
ing the general interest, culture and supply this higher education, but put the amendment, it was carried, anti
good of the school system. Is not to the many they can never reach, ‘hen the resolution as amended,-both
such an improvement particularly
Yet it can be largely extended to
-----------------
suited to the school districts of our the masses of our people, young
Remember, if you send us the
State? In large cities there may be aud grown, through the popular names and addresses of 25 of
other amusements, but with us we use of our school buildings aud the y°ur Liberal friends and acquaint-
have little of general and common extensiou of proper school studies, ancces, we will make you a present
a copy of the Torch of Reason
interest,unless it is our schools, and pictures, specimens, lectures, and of
Song Book No. 2. This will only
gome such lectures and amuse­ entertainments. It is not necessary cost you a few minutes’ work and a
ments, which can be incidentally to teach everything in detail , in two-cent stamp.
between reference book« and class­
ics, and the transitory and evan­
escent magazines and newspapers.
It provides the skeleton and the
skin, but omits the nerves, muscles,
and the circulative and assimila­
tive organs and processes which
make the growing healthy individ­
ual. This general growth must be
had, and in order to be it must be
fed by living books and living lit­
erature—the thought of present liv­
ing souls.
T homas C arlyle was in many
things our last great prophet as
well as author, and he never said a
truer thing than this: “ I he true
U niversity of these days is a col ­
D alhousie P rie stle y ,
BY j . h . morris .
The American Freethought pub­
lic have been more or less familiar
with the above name for the last
ten or twelve years, during which
time it has appeared attached to
numerous articles of merit and abil­
ity in the Freethought Magazine,
the Truthseeker, the Torch of Reas­
on, and other Liberal papers. Its
bearer was born in the town of
Chester, Warren county, New York,
September 30, 1836. The noted
heretic and scientist of the name of
Priestley,discover of oxygen,was an
uncle to Dalhousie’s father. The
last mentioned was an Englishman,
a graduate of Oxford, having com­
pleted the courses of Law, Physics
and Divinity. He left his practice
as a physician in New York in
1836 and went to Canada to take
charge of a medical college, leaving
behind the wife, soon to become a
mother. He died in a year, and
Dalhousie never saw his father,
though he bears a name of bis fa­
ther’s choosing, in honor of Lord
Dalhousie, then governor of Cana­
da. On the mother’s side, he is de­
scended from intelligent Revolu­
tionary stock, his maternal grand­
father and great-grandfather hav­
ing fought in the patriot army in
the Revolutionary war. An uncle
on the mother’s side was teaching
on the Hudson when Fulton sailed
bis first steamboat.
In his nineteenth year, our friend
came west to Wisconsin. Here he
attended three terms of school,
which constituted the greater part
of his schooling. At Wayland
University, where he attended one
term, he had access to the college
library, of which a young man of
his ambition would make the best
use. This, Mr. Priestley says, was
the only good library he ever had
access to until he came to Port­
land, Oregon, in 1882. In view of
these meagre educational opportun­
ities, Mr. Priestley’s intellectual at­
tainments are remarkable.
In abolition times, Mr. Priestley
wielded a vigorous pen in the cause.
Near the outbreak of the war, he
returned to his native State, where
he married, in 1860, and two years
later joined the 118th New York
Volunteer Infantry, serving until
the close of the war. Of his mili­
tary career, he says: “I was a pri­
vate all the time, never holding
any office, excepting what Andrew
Johnson would call ‘corporal ad in­
terim’. There is nothing in my ca­
reer as a soldier to brag about, and
nothing, so far as I know, to be
ashamed of. I did whatever came
in my way in the line of ‘duty’ and
made myself as useful as I could to
my comrades.” But usefulness is
the only measure of greatness, and
the private who makes himself use­
ful to the extent of his abilities and
opportunities has more to be proud