T H E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, MAY 24, 1900.
If any of our em ancipated bret h-1 conduct prescribed by society or the
ren in Ohio can find such a m an as individual for their common bene­
M araball 0 . W aggoner, we hope fit.
The necessary order of our
they will write to us at once and hum an or objective world.
give us a true history of his won-
The progress of the race is large-
-frfuL case, not p eH w tin g ♦<? find ly.megswred by »be
o/
out which he is, a fraud or a lunatic. the m eanings of words. Unless we
learn and use these newer m eanings,
as in the case of the words W orld
W e l u s t G row to Live.
and Law, we are sure to get left
The first page of this Torch shows and have to live in an old, played-
how to learn and grow in order to out world — absurdlv behind the
times. T hus this word W orld —
live.
Our h ealth y grow th iS the condi­ th a t which is objective with M an—
tion of life. There is no such thing his N ot I,— how im m ensely has the
as rest in nature. The inorganic or m eaning of it grown since th e old
active m atter th a t has been called “ Bible tim es”, when it only describ­
“dead” is known to us only as a ed a bit of country around the
constant process of change. In the M editerranean Sea; and the firm a­
organic world of living m atter, th a t m ent of sun and stars over it,—and
is the world of protoplasm ic bodies, only a short distance above the
the p lan t or anim al th a t does not clouds! T heir w orld-m ap was about
assim ilate new m aterial and grow as large as your h an d ; and thus,
is soon dead. So it is with hum an being very sm all, was conceived of as
individuals and so cieties— when created and governed by a Man-
they cease growing, they are begin­ God, or personal God. We have a
ning to die— physically, em otional­ world in which the whole E a rth is
a vast rotating planet, a Sun with
ly and intellectually.
It is this relation of the fact and an orbit 186 m illions of m iles in
law of growth to progress, and even diam eter and 358 m illions of miles
to life, th a t condem ns all forms of in orbit, which it circles every year.
Theology and M etaphysics. Their And this, our Sun, and its solar
“Gods” and “ P rinciples” are eter­ system, is moving through space at
nal and unchangeable.
T heir a d ­ the rate of ten miles a second, or
herents have th eir hopes and faces 300 m illions of miles a year, to­
turned to some past Eden or G old­ w ards the constellation L yra, which
en Age, or to a sky Heaver. E tern al is composed of sim ilar suns and 1
above, for which oui present world world.-!— and such suns and worlds
and life is only a “ state of proba­ are shown by the telescope and
tion” . The view of m an ’s lot and photograph to be beyond our power
fate th u s inculcated is one of stag­ to estim ate or com prehend in num ­
nation, and th a t has been and is ber! So says our great astronom er,
the principal cause of the m iserable Prof. Newcomb (M cClure’s M aga­
and unprogressive past and pres­ zine, Ju ly , 1899). How ridiculous­
ly absurd is it to think of applying
ent of the hum an race.
All of the progress there ever was ihe old “ tu p p en n y ” Bible concep­
in the past was the result of the tions about the world to the U ni­
evolution of N ature with its “ n a t­ verse or Cosmos as Science reveals
ural selection” and “ survival of the it to us? How childish to ta lk , as
fittest.” Even the progr ssive re­ those children of our race did,
sults of this n atu ral law the old re ­ about its being created or governed
ligions did all they could to defeat. by a m an-like god for the benefit
The idea of progress is not three of a bit of protoplasm on the su r­
hundred years old.
N ature went face of our little planet called the
on growing and developing, but the hum an race?
E qually absurd is
priests went on swearing the people the story of the origin, lot and fate
to their unchangeable revelations of our race:— the Creation, Flood,
and creeds. The idea o f law as the V icariousA tonem ent,all for the ben­
“order of change” was u n th in k ab le efit of a few in a sky Heaven u tte r­
to them. Instead of law, as an ob- ly impossible, as now astronom y
served order of events or of co n tin ­ shows it to be; and the dam nation
ual changes in n ature or in hum an ¡of a vast m ajority of the race in an
conduct, they believed th a t law was ¡ equally imposible Hell! Shall we
the com m and of some god, or had laugh or cry over their old world
some power to govern things by or story as com pared with the new?
of itself as a “ P rin cip le”, or u n a c ­ The im m ensity of the difference be­
countable P rincipium , or Beginning tween this old, silly, childlike m yth
of things. Science has raised us and the Infinity of the new World of
above all of th eir old ideas about Science may well excite a smile of
the word W orld and its origin, and contrast; hut when we consider the
the word Law ; to both it has given m illions of hum an beings who are
oew and true m eanings, as above imposed upon, robbed and d eg rad ­
ed by this old-w orld Bible story
intim ated.
L aw should never be spoken of and its consequences , the smile
as “governing” an y th in g , or as be- passes aw*ay before thoughts too
ing imposed by a god or any power deep for laughter or tears.
before, outside of, or beyond Na-
The remedy is to be found in the
lure; it is sim ply the order that we new scientific m eanings of old
discover in the changes of the oh- words. Look out for such mean-
jective world around us. In S o ci-; ings in the Torch hereafter.
I
°logy or M orals, it is the order of
t . b . w .
5
“LUO”
U I S E T FREE.
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LBERAL
UNIVERSITY
T« e
OREGON.
FOUNDED
ON
S C IE N C E
AND
H U M A N IT Y
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The ©nlv» Institution of the Kind!
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P a c u i t y — - i S q q - ’ o o .
SIZ J. EARL HOSMER, Ph. I)., B. S. I)., P res .,
Superintendent D epartm ent of Cosmology.
SIZ Mathematics,
Physical Sciences, Dynamics.
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ABEL A. LEONARD, M. D., M. E.,*
D epartm ent of Biology,
SIZ Anatomy, Superintendent
Physiology, Animal Electricity,
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Physiological Psychology, Microscopy.
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THADDEUS B. WAKEMAN,
Superintendent D epartm ent of Sociology and Law,
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History, Sociology, Law, Linguistics,
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Ethics.
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MINNIE P. HOSMER, L. S.,B. S. D.r
Preparatory Departm ent,
SIZ History, Superintendent
English Grammar, Botany, Vocal
Music.
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W. GEER, M. G. H., S ecretary ,
SIZ PEARL
Business Methods and Correspondence.
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FREEDOM W HOFFMANN,
B otany, M athem atics.
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MARY CHILDERS,
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Kindergarten and Primary Classes.
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WOLF,
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Elocution, English Literature.
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M. G. COOLEY,
Violin and Cornet.
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• CLARA WAKEMAN,
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Drawing and Painting.
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ALICE DAVENPORT,
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Stenography, Typewriting.
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LOUIS RAUCH, Assistant,
Bookkeeping, Commercial Arithmetic.
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LORA AMES, Assistant,
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Physiology, Hygiene.
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KATIE MATTESON,
Librarian.
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SIZ PROFS. HOSMER, WAKEMAN, GEER,
Religion of Science and Humanity.
SIZ Lecturers on EM
ILY L. W AKEMAN,
M atron.
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Leonard has consented to take this chair until some one
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to fill it perm anently.
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S T U D E T S M A Y E T E R A T A N Y T IM E .
SIZ We are now in our New building, which gives us room
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teaching.
For term s and fu rth e r p articu lars, address,
P e a r l W . G e e r, S e c ’y ,
"Xjk
S IL V E R T O N
OREGON.
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