T H E TORCH OF REASON, SIL V E R T O N , OREGON, MAY 24, 1900. 4 Torch of Reason The Only Paper of Its Kind. • • - ................. Published Weekly by the Liberal Uni versity Company, in the Interests of Constructive, Moral Secularism. - • .«• - . .(.V «. j . E. H osm er,........................Editor P. W. G eer,........................M anager Entered at the postoffice at Silverton, Oregon, as second-class mail matter. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. One year, in advance...................... $1 00 Six months, in advance................. 50 Three months, in advance.............. 25 In clubs of five or more, one year, in advance.................................... 75 Money should be sent by registered letter or money order. Notice! A hand pointing to this notice denotes that your subscription has expired. You are earnestly requested to re new so that you may receive the pa per without interruption. We have de cided that it is best for all concerned that we do not send papers longer than the time paid for unless so ordered. This will prevent any loss and we will know just where we stand. We request you to send us the names of Secularists who might become sub- scriliers and we will mail sample copies. T hursday , M ay 24, E. M. 300. SA L V A T IO N FROM C H R IS T IA N C R E E D S. The C hristian dogm as have a n tagonized the elem ents of society in such a way th a t the hum an race, instead of being a great fratern al fam ily, Is still a lot of w arring tribes and clan n ish clans. The people from N orw ay,it would seem, should harm onize and help each other in this the land of th eir adop tion. But no; there are two a n tagonistic S candinavian churches, one holding th a t a god created m an with a free will, and the other stoutly denying th is and holding to the fore-ordination m yth. B ut th a t wonderful branch of the white race, the E nglish-speak ing people, they surely ought to have sense enough to harm onize. But no; they are divided on h a ir splitting subjects concerning a ghost, how best to serve this ghost, etc., etc. Then we have a great Rom ish in stitu tio n which, in the nam e of Jesus, is very antagonistic to all but its own mess of religious bodge podge. It teaches its m em bers to look upon all the others as “ children of h ell”. Then there are the m ixtures— the wheels of super stition w ithin the wheels of super stition, u ntil the m ind is dizzy with th e ir revolution. And thus even th e poor civilized(?) creatures of e a rth not only have the dark, the cold, the wild anim als, the disease germ s, the floods, the winds, the earthquakes, the drought, and fam ine to fight, but they are set against each other. Now, let it he known th a t we blam e no one class for this state of things. The people of the world are evolving and have reached this state in their progress. It is not as had as it was in former times, and all classes are beginning to find out the causes of our disunion, an d bye and bye the remedy will be applied. Then we will he a great b ro th er hood. We will have learned to be more anxious to know the tru th of things and how best to live the tru th than we will to have “ our ch urch”, our society, our priest, or our preacher prosper. Then the im portant questions which affect and effect our welfare can be set tled, and instead of our political, religious and m urderous wars, we will have honest, earnest, friendly discussion and arb itratio n . How is this harm onious chord of hum an music to he struck? H ark! the Religion of Science and H u m anity! Do you hear? Do you u n derstand? Does your whole be ing vibrate in unison w ith the melody of its sweet strains? Then you have caught a glimpse of the true Paradise; you are entitled to a golden crown of brotherly love and are endowed with the magic touch th a t can set in motion the chords of a most w onderful harp of hum an joy th a t will vibrate down through the ages forever. SO ZIA LER T U R N V E R E IN OF PORTLAND. P erhaps it is not known by some of our readers th a t the G erm ans in the U nited States have a great fraternal organization, with b ran ch es in nearly every large city throughout the country. The peo ple of Silverton were fortunate enough to have a visit from the P ortland branch of this T urn Ver- ein last S unday. W hen it was known th a t they were coming, m any of the C h rist ian -tau g h t people appeared frig h t ened, and a person unacquainted with these honest, industrious, lib erty-loving G erm ans would n a tu r ally th in k , to hear the meek and lowly Jesusites talk, th a t th e T u r ners all have horns and cloveD hoofs. One with a good im agina tion could alm ost smell th e brim stone as they talked. But the T urners have come and gone, and w hat a surprise to the timid 1 These Infidels were better behaved than C hristians generally are at a camp- meeting, and although it was the S abbath (?) day they danced, sang and played games u n in terru p ted by the gods or any of their ilk. The m ayor of the city could not give the welcoming address, aud therefore our own T haddeus B urr was called upou by the com m ittee to welcome these liberty- loving visitors to our little liberty- loving city, nestled at the foot of the great m ountains. The address was well received and three hearty only reason the L. U. O. has not cheers, whose echo will not pass moved still faster th an it has is be away in one generation, went up cause of the fact th a t our work is for Silverton and its F reethought not yet understood or kn&wn by people. thousands who will come to our When pastor of the F irst Secu aid as soon as they do know about lar Church of P ortland we became it. The workers here are few and acquHTufed with m any of these •hurdvned with th e work rig h t at “ S abbath-breaking Infidels” from home and can do but little abroad the R hine country, and therefore in com parison with w hat m ust be we were very much pleased with done. But when we have friends the visit, for it gave us a splendid in every com m unity who will make chance to show them our buildings it a business to let others know of and let them see for them selves us and of our labor for the Secular w hat the L. U. O. is doing. heaven, then our F reethought U n i Mr. Win. Feustal, ex-president of versity will be like a city set on a the F irst Secular Church of P ort h ill—a great electric light, not u n land, his esteemed wile and son der a bushel, but set in the sky of W illie were here, and expressed hum an thought. surprise and congratulated us on our rapid progress. Then we took A F R A U D OR A L U N A TIC . them to the pinnacle of our Free- thought temple, and instead of say We are in receipt of a C hristian ing, “ Get the hence, S atan !” Mr. Feustal exclaim ed, “ W h at a paper containing an illustrated ac beautiful piece of lan d !” and count of an Infidel who has recent everyone agreed with him; and ly burned his books and has be when we told them all about our come “ an exam ple of C h rist’s power plans they were indeed interested. to save to th e u tterm o st.” The Quite a num ber renewed their su b picture represents him sitting with scription to the Torch, and m any a lighted torch in his hand, with took sam ple copies to give to friends, which he has set fire to a large pile in order th a t they too m ight re of books in front of him , and as the ceive the “glad tidings” of our re books burn he sits reading the dem ption from superstition and Holy Bible. In the flames and ecclesiasticism. We c a n ’t name all smoke are interw oven hideous faces the friends who were here but we and forms, which are m arked Doubt will give a short list of those who and Despair. The a rtist did his first come to our m ind. Mr. and work well, and the picture alone Mrs. E rnest Bailey and th eir daugh will prevent hundreds from investi ter Ethel, Miss Bessie Anderson, gating scientific works and hold Mr. and Mrs. Fick, Mr. and Mrs. them in ignorance. The article sta rts out thus: M ar Sylvester, Mrs. McVicker, Mr. H an- vill, Mr. Chas. H ainer, jr., Mr. shall O. W aggoner, of Toledo, O., Schum an, Mr. Newnert, Mr. and once a prince of Infidels, is today Mrs. F rancis and others, all e n th u earnestly seekingsalvation of m en.” siastic workers for the Freedom of Then the article goes on with an account of his conversion, the b u rn T hought. E a rly iu the m orning, bicycles, ing of his “ large and costly Infidel wagons and carriages loaded with lib rary ,” the sp irit of his departed people began to come in from wife, his work in converting sin Now while this the country, and by 10 o’clock ners, etc., etc. between two and three thousand proves nothing even if it he true, people had gathered at the depot to and while hundreds and thousands greet them , and as the Silverton have been converted from C hrist M arine Band set the air vibrating ianity to Infidelism , yet we do not with strain s of harm onious m elody believe th at th e story is tru e; for, the tra in s rolled in, the great en if Mr. W aggoner, of whom there is gines puffing defiance to the gods no account in any of the societies, and their holy ordinance.-’. On papers, or histories of Infidelity account oi some m isunderstanding which we can discover, was once in regard to our places of business scientifically converted to the real being closed, about six hundred of tru th of things, he never could the T urners stopped at Mt. Angel; while in a sound m ind go back to but sixteen car loads of happy the rot of orthodoxy. A nd again, people in one day is quite a treat if his lib rary was a large and cost for a city of less than two thousand ly one, th a t he had gathered him in h ab itan ts, and all was gaiety and self, it would be very im probable excitem ent u n til our friends bade th a t a sane m an would burn it, be us goodbye at 6 o’clock p. m. cause of its value in showing up the But what has all this to do with errors th a t he is supposed to have the Liberal U niversity and the recently found in them. We would ‘ great cause which it cham pions? really like to know if he is a fraud W hat indeed! E very friend who and has some selfish motive, or if came is now doubly our friend and his m ind has become unbalanced will spread the joyful news. The by brooding over the loss of his G erm an people are workers, aud wife and her dyiug request “ to re when once convinced a th in g is ceive her S avior.” W e wonder how rig h t they are invincible, uncon much of an Infidel lib rary he had querable in their endeavors. The anyw ay, and w hat the books were.