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.
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Published Weekly by the Liberal Uni­
versity Company, in the Interests of
Constructive, Moral Secularism.
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. .(.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.
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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.