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.