Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1900)
4 THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, MARCH 29, 1900. Torch Of ReaSOH raou^8 d m ractei into greater ! foolishness; hut the damage they possible point, and although we do are doing in the world by unbal- not suffer, the expense is often too How different is the intoxication, ancing the already naturally emo- low for the real good of the institu the delirium of religious excite tional minds is beyond estimate or tion. P ublished W eekly by th e L iberal U n i ment. Every mental process that repair. Now, we do not believe in mak versity C om pany, in the In tere sts of Secularists, our work is a great weakens and prostrates the mind C onstructive, Moral Secularism . ing the L. U. O. a nuisance or a and body i« present. Thoughts of one. We yet have much rubbish l urden to any one. The days of J. E. H osm er,........................Editor a mysteriou« something called God: to remove in order * f build all that martyrdom ought- -tc be past, and P. W. G eer,........................M anager thoughts of death and its supposed we wi«h to build, but we of the L. therefore we, who know about this __ ______________ awful consequences; thoughts of U. O. believe that some ground is work, its great need and its great E n tered at th e posfcoffice a t Silverton, th e v i c t i m ’s o w n w e a k n e s s e s a n d ready and we are trying to make a needs, must do what we can easily O regon, as second-class m ail m atter. I paHt Kj I)8> w h jc h w ith m a n y c o n P tj. start to build something better than do now, plan for the future and get tute the mainspring of their relig the old emotional, degenerating de others interested. There are enough SUBSCRIPTION RATES. ious antics; and thoughts of hum lirium of superstitious religions. But of us, if we each do a little, to mak- our institution is young, and, like the work a grand success, but One year, in a d v an c e ..........................$1 00 ble submission to unseen and un Six m onths in a d v an c e .................... 50 known powers— all these painful the eagle spoken of in “holy writ” many of us have never yet even T hree m onths, in ad v an ce................ 25 feelings, coupled with the false hope (I)eut. 32:11), the great body of heard of such a movement. Our In clubs of five or m ore, one year, in a d v an c e .......................................... 75 that the poor, weakened soul has Freethinkers, whose minds have success demands that everv reader Money should be sent by registered found a panacea for his imaginary learned to soar above the caves and of the Torch act as our agent and le tte r or m oney order. woes and spurred on by an exciting, crags of ancient myth, in the beau at once do something to fiasten the earnest, tragical performance of tiful, cl ear sky, where the golden completion of the building and lay Notice! a trained preacher, it is little won beams of the sun of eternal truth ing out of the grounds. der that such scenes take place as gilds their mental pinions, are bear Ph ase do something at once, if it A h a n d pointing to th is notice denotes th a t your subscription has e x p ired . we still witness in nearly all the ing this little Luo eaglet upon their is possible. Can’t you write a let You are e arn estly requested to re rural districts of our spook-ridden broad wing, and by and by the lit ter now to a friend who will join new so th a t you m ay receive th e pa We recently witnessed tle bird will be strong enough to our Torch procession? Or, better per w ith o u t in te rru p tio n . YY’e have de country. cided th a t it is best for all concerned such a performance, and when it soar aloft and attract the at yet, go and see him or her as soon th a t we do no t send papers longer th an th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. was all over we felt weak and tention of those who are grossly as you have leisure and talk about T his will p revent any loss and we will tired in body and mind; and how gotging themselves on the putrid what we are working hard to ac know ju st w here we sta n d . YVe request you to send us th e nam es much more so were the. men and remains of past ignorance; and complish. If each one will do what of Secularists who m ight become sub- women who took it seriously. those little babes who are continu he or she can and then get others scriliers and we will m ail sam ple copies. Women are more emotional than ally coming to our world only to be to work, soon our yoke will be easy men, and this probably accounts corrupted by the foul breath of su and our burden light. In fact, we T hursday , M arch 29, E. M. 300. for the “sixteen to one” manifesta perstition, will be drawn, by the will he able to throw awyay tiou in religion. The illogic of a millions, toward the light of a our yoke and buy a Free- RELIGIOUS INTOXICATION VS. sermon seems to make no discord brighter and happier day. thought automobile, and sail into SECULAR EXERCISE. in the minds of these sixteen wo our Secular heaven in a man DO SOMETHING NOW. men and one man, and they are ner that will cast in the shade old By fixing the attention on any ready to fall into the arms of God’s Elijah and his chariot of fire. object and holding it there for a Our Freethought University is agent and do or believe anything Now, ready! Let’s all lift to long time, a person’s mind may be he says, provided he knows how to doing an untold amount of good. gether! come unbalanced. Again, i f people, dance about the stage, flap his We have young men and women without resting the mind, think of wings and shout in the proper here who are developing into ex OUR PLAYGROUND. any one subject too long, they lose manner. perts along the various lines of their mental equilibrium, and we We have as yet no real good The recent performance before thought. Some are excellent in say they are crazy. Of course, it is mentioned was truly an example arithmetic and algebra, some in grounds for field sports, but we easier for a certain type of mind to for a student of human nature to bookkeeping, some in botany, some have begun to stake out one of the lose its balance than for another, study. The performer, in addi in Latin, some in rhetoric and his finest bicycle tracks, football and the old saying that “fools nev tion to bringing onto the listeners’ tory, some in music, and many seem grounds and baseball diamonds er go crazy” shows that it is not to excel in everything they under imaginable. Of course we do not necessary for one to be lacking in mental stage the gods and ghosts, take; and besides this and much expect to run to seed on athletics all the faculties to become unbal also dug up their dead friends — old fathers and mothers and little more that could be truthfully said and neglect the mental faculties al anced. babes; this, with a fearful picture in regard to the studies of the sci most altogether, as some of the so- The excitement of the pleasurable of. an Infidel, who had no Bible in ences, the work is based upon the called colleges of our time do, but emotions is a rest, and those who his house and who was trying to freedom of thought and speech young people love sport, and know how to fortify the trinity of summon up sufficient courage to which gives all such an inspiration under proper management, when the mind,with healthful mental and to look further and become much properly limited in time, it is a physical exercise, will last much commit suicide, and a goody-goody one of a Christian who had had better educated than those who good and wise thing, for, in order longer and do much better work sunshine in his soul for thirty-five must finally run up against re to do good mental work, a student than he who ignorantly excites his must he w’ell and happy. years, a little sarcasm for season ligious AUTHORITY. emotional nature by false and un But this work is yet being car We will therefore proceed to ing, and all demonstrated, illus wholesome mental intoxicants. trated and emphasized with stamp ried forward with many disadvan make a track which we hope will Compare, for example, the health tages. Besides those who have he good summer and winter. This ful and elevating exercise of danc ing of the feet, rapid movements of helped make our work thus far the will require considerable tiling, ing, or of playing lawn ten the body and wonderful express success that it has been, there are plowing, scraping and rolling, but nis, with the frenzy of religious ions of countenance, unbalanced excitement. The one kind exercis- not a few. At first w*e were struck many others who have expressed when it is done it will be a joy for- es body and mind with lasting " ith tbe P « ‘> but a little sympathy and approval of what we ever to those who know how to effects for good. The dancer or ^ per ,bou8bt 8iU,8fi(‘d U8 ‘bat the are doing, but we are sure if those properly *mix labor and recreation. Then we hope to be able, some player is excited, but still has per-14*“ "«’ tl,U8„d°"e *° humanity is who have thus been able to ma have ~ time in the near future, plant feet self-control. The mind is per-1 O '* PP" '" 'gl J“ " 1 ° 1"' wb" ij terially * help, * and others who ------- - J ’ to I--- fectly balanced, for there is no aw- !“’P bope niakinga encouraged, knew just how much beautiful trees and flowers all , heaven here is soon deep in the the success of the L. U. O. depends around this playground, and we ful, unfathomable mystery to work of devising ways and means on their activity right now, they have in mind many pretty little thwart or harass its processes. And . f , 4.. , „ il, as is sometimes the case, a young ° •,C°« " ".'g * a,’k"'g the would scarcely rest till they had cottages, with flower-trimmed walks man weeps for the victory ” °/ 8UCb 8Uper8ti’ done all in their power to get the leading thereto. Our land is as level as a floor or the defeat of his club, or if tions, which are the main forces school onto a self-supporting basis. a young lady feels sad because she D°W ^itted a8ainst the armies of Every cent that we are able to raise and very rich. We can raise most TA W T Pi* c < by donations, printing, tuition, etc., everything. All we need is the does not get to dance as often a s ! °gre8u* sh e w o u ld lik e .it is perfectly nat- 8l„ n X e h-v p^ rite8- is spent in trying to put up our energy and enthusiasm that is born , , , i . J I some are semt-hy pocrites, and some building. Our actual, necessary of a love for the good, the beautiful ural and perhaps only softens and are almost entirely sincere in tbeir expenses are kept at the lowest and the true. beauty. The Only Paper of Its Kind.