THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, JANUARY 18, 1900.
4
Torch of Reason
The Only Paper of Its Kind.
P u b lish ed W eekly by th e Liberal U n i­
versity C om pany, in the In tere sts of
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
J. E. H osm er,........................Editor
P. W . Geer......................... Manager
E n tered a t th e poetoffice at Silverton,
O regon, as second-class m ail m atter.
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THURSDAY, JAN. 18, E. M. 300.
EPITO M E OF T H E W E E K ’S E V E N T S
A T T H E L. U . O.
Perhaps we write so much about
the Liberal University, its doings,
its hopes and its prospects, that
some of our friends may weary of
the “old, old story,” but all of our
former false hopes of a future life
have vanished, and we are so filled
with the “holy ghost” and love of
the new religion of Science and Hu­
manity that we can not refrain
from “bearing testimony” to our
newer and higher salvation when­
ever there is “a ghost of a chance”
to do so.
Secularists are the only people
who have a religion that is worthy
of the name, and no false modesty
should keep us from being witness­
es to the truth and from keeping
each other informed as to the
spread of this new gospel.
Six new’ students entered the
University this week. One of these
was Master John Scott, who was
with us last year, and whose par­
ents are now living in Washington.
Three others, Thomas Garter, Mar-
gueritte Carter, and Sidney Rogers,
are from Utah, and the other two
are Miss Georgia Davenport, sister
of the cartoonist, and Mr. M. G.
Cooley, one of Silverton’s most
noted musicians.
Our telephone connection with
the rest of the world was finally
completed this week; much work
was done in getting our large and
growing library into shape; a little
workshop was fitted up for the
“youngier,” as Prof. Wakeman calls
the little folks; the important
society work of the Y. P. S. 8. C.,
the W. 8. 8. C., and the Thought
Exchange, have all been a decided
success.
Miss Mary Childers, a
graduate of the Oregon 8tate Nor­
mal School, has been added to the
corps of teachers; and much needed
improvements have been made in
the printing office. All this, with
the regular school work, which has
indeed been a decided advance, and
victory all along the line from kin­
dergarten to Greek, makes our
week’s work a great success, and
places another carefully laid rock
in the great foundation of the future
triumph of Science over supersti­
tion, ignorance and crime.
Another tower of Babel is being
built right under the Christian
God’s nose, and this time he will be
obliged to think of some better
scheme than the confusion oi
tongues, for we have people here
who can talk anything from pig-
Latiu and Chinook jargon to the
hardest of the dead languages. Our
tower is being built, as Prof.
Wakeman has been explaining in
his opening-exercise speeches this
week, to heaven just as the old
fable tells about; but the heaven
we are trying to reach is the heaven
here, one that we know we can
reach if we only wish and will to
build aright.
Ho there, workers! Do vou see
that rope? Put a timber-hitch on
to some of that material and send
it up here! Our young and active
artizans will put it in place. It
may seem strange to some that
there are people in the world who
really and truly love their fellow
men, those who are willing to un­
selfishly labor for future genera­
tions, but there are, and there is no
confounding of the language of
love. We build!
D EV E L O PM E N T V S. C R E A T IO N .
The cause of so much orthodoxy
in the world is a very simple thing.
It is ignorance! To be sure many
smart men belong to Christ’s army,
but they would not belong very
long if the masses were once filled
with the “holy ghost’’ of Science.
It seems that the laws governing
the origin and multiplication of the
various forms of life and the forma­
tion of species, families, genera,
orders and kingdoms are so little
understood by the average ortho­
dox man or woman, that there is
but little satisfaction in trying to
convert them excepting by giving
them a full course in Science. This
is impossible to any great extent
exceptiug with the young people,
and therefore we turn our attention
to them.
Through the young we will be
able to fill the world with the great
ideas of Science, and although some
may despair at this slow process
let us whisper to you that this is the
only way, and the sooner we are at
it the better.
A highly complex compound of viduals and the inherited character­
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitro­ istics of their progeny came about
gen, phosphorus and sulphur, the difference of sex. Male and
which were brought together by the female were thus developed.
simple laws of nature in the same
The lower forms of life have no
manner in which hydrogen and eyes, but by the constant actions of
oxygen were brought together in the various lengths of waves in this
forming water, formed a jelly-like great ethereal ocean of space, the
substance, which being in turn “most fit” developed a set of cells
acted upon by the heat and light that became sensitive to these
(motion) of the sun, gained the char­ waves. These waves have beaten
acteristic of absorbing some of the upon the shores of this planet for
surrounding substances, and by millions and millions of years, and
contraction and expansion a sort of the result is that we see. How
locomotion. By exposure the sur­ strange! And yet how true. A
face became harder than the inner few cells, made up mostly of water,
portion. The absorption became have become so sensitive to certain
regular by regular action of the ele­ I lengths of waves that they tell us
ments. A nucleus was developed by the shapes, colors and distances of
this regular action and absorption, bodies which these waves beat
and this nucleus, perhaps by the upon and react, entering through
unequal distribution of absorbed the cells which have become trans­
material or the unequal walls of parent, and forming a picture on
the cell, caused perhaps by unequal the wonderful cell-screen which in
exposure, etc., was accompanied by turn is hurried along on a cell-wire
another nucleus. Thus two centers to the group of cells that know and
were formed and, naturally, the two feel and will. The waves in the
sets of actions became more and ocean of air also developed another
more independent, until by con­ separate organ, which we call the
striction the cell was divided and ear. We are thus in our entirety,
thus there were two. This is an epit­ creatures of development and not
ome of the origin and multiplica­ creatures of creation.
tion of the simplest forms of life;
How wonderful and yet how sim­
but this can only serve the reader ple it has all come about! There
as a pointer to the more exhaustive are no mysteries! Ignorance alone
works of such men as Darwin, cries mystery! We may not know
Huxley, Haeckel, and Spencer.
all but we can learn enough to
When this simplest of life forms know that all is law, order, cause
above described became numerous and effect, and that gods, miracles
enough and the conditions of heat and prayers are products of gross
light, etc., were right, a number ignorance and fraud.
grew together in a group and the
energy from the sun, in the same
ATOMS.
simple manner as with the single
cell, produced groups within the
All matter is made up of atoms,
group, which, by the regularity of so says the scientist, and as these
their actions, became distinct or­ atoms are indestrctible, essential
gans. Organs of locomotion and and forever acting, so are the atoms
organs of digestion were already in , of the great social life and moral
the cells, but by use one office be­ character of our people. The na­
came more or less given up and ture of the atoms determine the
special offices emphasized. This nature of the substance and the
made it possible for the develop­ nature of the little thoughts and
ment of other organs.
actions of the individuals of society
In very low forms of life we find determine the nature of the society
that cells separating from the itself.
parent group become new crea­
How much comes from each little
tures, and, if divided artificially, thought and deed we can never be
such low forms as worms will even able to determine, but in tracing
now form individuals of each part. out some of the results of seeming
The organs of propagation when unimportant things we are forced
developed were at first both in the into the conclusion that no thought
same individual (hermaphrodite), or action is really unimportant,
and many of the lower forms are but that from each thought-seed
found to be thus developed today. grows a crop that will only be com­
And what a strange thing it is pletely harvested at the sunset of
when we realize that even men and eternity, if such a sunset be possible.
women have the rudimentary or­ Every bad thought, every unkind or
gans of the opposite sex. The rudi­ false statement, every indulgence of
mentary mammary glands of men an evil habit h: s an appalling result!
and the males of all higher mam- But the greatest of reforms and the
mals tell a truer story of our genesis greatest of civilizations are started
than any bible that was ever writ­ and carried forward by the simplest
ten.
of thoughts aud actions that are
It is a perfectly natural thing go<»d and true. This thought itself,
that in hermaphrodite animals one for example, though perhaps seem­
of the organs of propagation should ing at first to be of little conse­
be used more in some individuals quence is of vast importance. If it
and the other in others. Thus by be true, the “blessed are the meek’'
the use and disuse iu sets of indi­ ideas should be sparingly enter-
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