Torch of reason., April 19, 1900, Page 5, Image 5

In criticising my little criticism
in the Torch of March 1st., Mr.
A ou will become what you think Wakeman says: “ Mr. Priestley has
most about.
just said that ‘what is verified bv
You cannot save souls in another several witnesses is probably true.’
world by raising hell in this one.
Now suppose these several witnesses
A vicarious atonement will not speak of themselves as ‘us,’ do they
work any better than a proxy thereby become a myth? And, if
so, how can a ‘m yth’ verify any­
courtship.
thing?”
Better go to Liberal University
Mr. Wakeman inquires: “ When
and get wise than to Klondike and he drives a yoke of oxen does he
get rich.
consider them a myth because they
No man lives by the dinner an­ are a team?”
other man eats, and no man is
W hat I say is that the words us,
saved by the good another man does. team, nation, and hum anity are
If ‘‘God tempers the wind to the simply abstract terms. They do
shorn lamb,” then Washington not represent anything objective—
anything that can become an object
State should grow more sheep.
of sensation. I do not question the
The world is wide, so do not all utility of abstract terms.
The
crowd into one town, leave room in power of abstraction has alone made
Silverton for me.
science possible and differentiated
Do not bother about what God enlightened man from the savage.
But I do not love or revere an
has decreed or fate has ukased for
you; give it a try, anyhow.
abstraction. I love women, child­
Work out your salvation with ren and men but have no love
joy and thanksgiving. If you make or veneration or respect for tribes,
a miss be glad of the chance to try or clans, or churches, or societies or
nations. I have veneration for the
again.
great and good without the least
Each part is as much a part of regard to the national flags they
the whole as there is of it, and the were born under. Nations do not
whole would be something different suffer, humanity does not suffer,
without any of its parts.
but human beings do.
There was a w’heel in my brain
The smallest sand grain in the
that slipped several cogs when I
universe helps balance the biggest
confused a myth with an abstrac­
planet. So the least thought helps
tion. An abstraction only becomes
instruct the largest intelligence.
a myth when regarded as objective.
Power is inherent in the one as
This is the beauty of abstrac­
in the all; you and I are factors of tions. You can freely apply them
the almighty pull. We are our­ to objective phenomena, and can
selves makers of fate, so let us make nearly always tell where you are
it out first rate.
at. You do not have to take off
your hat to them. You can treat
Among all the abominable apho
them in the most familiar way.
risms in the Bible, I believe that
They will help you survey a farm,
none has worked worse mischief
than that of “spare the rod and traverse the ocean, and, though
they will not enable you to navigate
spoil the child.”
the air or construct a railroad to
leach children self respect by the planet Mars, they will enable
first respecting yourself and then by you to travel upon the waves of
rf'peeting them. Honor thy son ether among the stars.
a"fj thy daughter; if you want
D. P riestley .
their honor show yourself honorable.
Be happy if you would be holy.
I here are some good sayings in
thp Bible, but they are none the
het ter.for being in that book, while
bad ones in it do worse mis-
i because of the reverence peo-
ple have for that old volume.
The man who sawed off the tree-
lrnb which he sat on, the man who
basons that reason is not a good
and the man who syllogizes
r i “vllogism is senseless, ought to
0Jganite themselves into the church
he the Perpetual Paradox, and
their pulpit the man who
two newspaper columns of
- ^physics to prove that meta-
liberal
UNIVERSITY
OREGON.
founded
1
s c ie n c e
h u m a n it y
c lc
J. EARL HOSMER, Ph. D„ B. S. D„ PRES.
’ uP®” nten£«nt Department of Cosmology.
Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Dyni
namics.
ABEL A. LEONARD, M. D., M. E *
Superintendent
Department of Biology,
~ ‘
department
a
Anatomy, Physiology, Animal Electricity,
1 hysiological Psychology, Microscopy.
THADDEUS B. WAKEMAN,
Superintendent Department of Sociology and Law
General History, Sociology, Law, Linguistics,
Ethics.
MINNIE P. HOSMER, L. S ,B . S. D„
History, English Grammar, Botany, Vocal
Music.
1 EARL W. GEER, M. G. PL, S ecretary ,
Business Methods and Correspondence.
FREEDOM W. HOFFMANN,
Botany, Mathematics.
MARY CHILDERS,
Kindergarten and Primary Glasses.
.
SOPHIE WOLF,
Piano Music, Elocution, English Literature.
M. G. COOLEY,
Violin and Cornet.
CLARA WAKEMAN,
Drawing and Painting.
ALICE DAVENPORT,
Stenography, Typewriting.
LOUIS RAUCH, Assistant,
Kookkeeping, Commercial Arithmetic.
LORA AMES, Assistant,
Physiology, Hygiene.
KATIE MATTESON,
Librarian.
PROFS. HOSMER, WAKEMAN, GEER
Lecturers on Religion of Science and Humanity.
COMMENT.
1 es, we have to learn to live and
think sympathetically as well as
analytically. But let us not waste
time over words. If Mr. Priestley
will insist that a team of oxen, a
family, a town, a city, state, nation,
etc., are not things but only “ab­
stractions,” the “ utility” of which
he does not question, we congratu­
late him upon the “abstraction”
called a “ free country,” and hope
(hat he may live long and prosper
in it and even learn to love it, and
send us from time to time some of
his short and sensible articles for
the Torch.
T. B. W.
on
e m il y l .
W a k e m a n ,
Matron.
- X
i Ä
thi8 ch*ir
~
S T U D E N T S M AY E N T E R A T A N Y T IM E .
We are now in our New building, which gives us room
for increased attendance and much better facilities for
teaching. For terms and further particulars, address,
P e a r l W G e e r , S e c ’y ,
p
SILVERTON OREGON.