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TU E TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, JULY 12, E. M. 300 (1900.)
T H E B A R N H O U SE S.
way is broad and the broad way is hellish revenge, instead of over­
coming evil with good, as Jesus
very narrow.
While we were in Eastern Ore­
The O nly P ap er of Its K ind.
W e once, with the judgment and taught.
There are many reasous for gon last year at the O. S. S. U. con­
reason of youth, tried hard to make
P u b lish ed W eekly by th e Liberal U n i­ ourself believe that Jesus was the thinking that Jesus never preteud- vention, we met and became ac­
versity C om pany, in the In te re sts of
only light of the world, and we ed to perform miracles, nor taught quainted with the Barnbouses, and
C onstructive, Moral Secularism .
tried very hard to make ourself be­ that he was a god or the son of a we wish to introduce them to that
portion of the Torch family who
J. E. H o s m e r,........................E d ito r lieve that we did believe it, but the god: but, like Julius Caesar, he was
are so unfortunate as not to know
P. W . G e e r,............. ..
M an ag er “spirit” of Science entered our made a god by a few ignorant peo­
“soul,” and with the poor advan­ ple, assisted by their priests, after a them. The Barnbouses are not of
tages that a niueteen-bundred- cruel, orthodox-inflicted death. We the “Codfish Aristocracy;” they are
E n tered a t th e yxistoffice a t Silverton,
years’ battle against a false and hope that this is true, for we have of the yeomanry of Freethought
Oregon, as second-class m ail m atte r.
, superstitious religion has given to charity for ail men, and rather not and the kind of people who are
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
those whom it has robbed of their think of him as a bigot and a liar. Freethinkers, and know why. Mr.
birthright of equality, we read a But let thio be as it may, it is cer­ Barnhouse made us a short visit
One year, in a d v an c e ..........................$1 00 little of this “blessed, Science gos­ tain that if Christianity is the con­ last year, and now Mrs. Barnhouse,
Six m o n th s, in a d v an c e ....................
50
T hree m o n th s, in a d v an c e ................
25 pel,” became converted and a scientious following of the best doc­ Mr. E. R. Laughlin, their son-in-
In clubs of five or m ore, one year,
“change came o’er the spirit of our j trines ascribed to Jesus Christ, that law, and Mrs. Laughlin, with their
in a d v an c e ..........................................
75
we, the despised Secularists, are the three little Freethinkers, are with
Money should be sen t by registered dream.”
le tte r or m oney order.
Come to th e L ight, ’tis sh in in g for t h e e , real Christians, and that the mil­ us. To say that these good people
Sw eetly th e L ight has d a w n ’d upon me. lions of orthodox Christians who, are enthusiastic in the work, is
Once I was blind, b u t now I can see.
against the “spirit” of reform which stating it mildly. They have sent
Notice!
T he L ig h t of th e world is S cience .
has been breathed into a dead their son to our University; they
A h a n d p o in tin g to th is notice denotes
C H R IS T IA N IT Y A N D C H R IS T I­ world, cling to the rules, ceremonies have aided us financially; they
th a t your su b scrip tio n h as e x p ire d .
and d o g m a s of the ignorant past, have shown an appreciation and
A N IT Y .
You áre e arn estly requested to re ­
new so th a t you m ay receive th e pa­
are the Scribes and Pharisees-hypo- enthusiasm for our work that gives
per w ith o u t in te rru p tio n . We have d e­
us the very necessary encourage­
We consider some of the doc­ crites.
cided th a t it is best for all concerned
ment, and, best of all, they are not
th a t we do n o t send pap ers longer th a n trines and fundamental principles
th e tim e paid for unless so ordered.
through helping yet. Mr. Laugh­
BRICK .
T his will p rev en t any loss and we will taught by Jesus Christas the truth
lin expects to educate his three
know ju st w here we sta n d .
and a great boon to humanity. Of
We request you to send us th e nam es
What is the matter with the children in the L. U. O., and in
of Secularists who m ig h t become su b ­ course we do not claim positively
scribers and we will m ail sam ple copies. that a man by the name of Jesus world? All know that there is other ways will do all in his power
lived and taught these doctrines, much unnecessary suffering, pov­ to make our labors not in vain.
A jolly crowd of us went to Sil­
T hursday , J uly 12, E. M. 300. for this is much disputed by good erty, ignorance, war, drunkenness,
authorities, but some of the ideas fear, hate and hell right here. ver Creek Falls last Sunday, and
advanced by those who wrote the Can’t something be done? Why, what a picnic we had! Although
T H E L IG H T O F T H E W ORLD.
story of Jesus are certainly of great of course it can. Here is the we have been in Silverton about
Children need object lessons, but value. The first and most funda­ trouble: T he people of the high ­ four years, we had never been to
there comes a time when they mental of these ideas which we wish est TYPES OF HUMANITY ARE NOT see this wonderful piece of Nature’s
should put away childish things. to commend is his antagonism to united . Once united, we can ac­ work. And it is truly wonderful
A savior in the form o f man may the false notions of the orthodox complish wonders. What we call in its wild, picturesque leap of two
have served as an object lesson, churches of his time. In this we ignorance would soon be gone, and hundred feet to its rocky basin be­
and nearly every people has had a are followers of Jesus. He was not its offspring would soon follow suit. low, and all agreed that at some
Jesus, a Buddha, a Mohammet. afraid to call those who loved to
Why can’t we unite? Because time this grand scene will be
There were dozens of these saviors stand in the synagogues and on the the religions of belief keep the witnessed by millions, instead of by
during the childhood of our race, corners of the streets, making long people from getting the religion of hundreds, each season. Truly, our
but is it not time that the most prayers to be heard of men, hypo­ truth ; or, in other words, people are University is being built in the
civilized peoples, now that they crites, and neither are we.
divided on what they don ’ t know garden spot of the world, and
have really become men, put away
The time in which Jesus, or the instead of being united on what “there’ll come a time some day’’
when it will be greatly appreciated
childish things?
writers of the story, lived was in they do know .
Let us take up the higher ab­ some respects like ours. The politi­
Let’s build a university and for its position, as well as for its
stract branches. Let us learn that cal and religious forces were run­ teach, and teach, and teach, until freedom of thought.
Monday we went to the capital
Jesus, like other men, may have ning things in their own financial many will catch this great truth city
(“Salem, too, arrayed in
been the light of the world, but, interests. He tried to show* the and unite with us, and we’ll keep beauty”), and friend Laughlin said
like most of the Bible, he is only people that there is something at it as long as we live, and by and that he saw more in that one day
“typical.” The honest, true light higher thau mere money-getting— by the movement will get such a than he had seen in all the rest of
of the world is Science. Science is a condition of life far superior to momentum that nothing can stop his life put together. How’ we wish
had space, time and ability to
not what it was once thought to be. what they were used to—one in it, and the world will finally be­ we
write our innermost thoughts as we
It is no longer the theories of phi­ which equality would take the come a heaven to all who cast witnessed the pitiable sights at the
losophers, but the real truth of place of poverty and gluttony, hap- auchor on its beautiful, golden lunatic asylum, at the penitentiary
and the pompous, though beauti­
things so systematized as to be of piuess the place of misery and fear, shores.
the most practical use to us who love the place of hate.
Come! The yoke of Truth is ful, sights at the parade ground of
Oregon National Guards. Then,
need light.
The orthodox people of his time easy and its burden is light. Death the
too, the beautiful scenery along the
The Christians sing, “More love, had turned the house of God (God ends all for those who do nothing, way always gives us food for inde­
oh Christ, to thee,” but what they is love) into a den of thieves; and but those who place one brick in scribable thought. The beautiful
really need is more love for the is this not true of the orthodox the great temple of progress—the fields of grass and grain, the orch­
truth. Many fail to fiud the real people of our time? This has been great tower of the religion of Sci­ ards and the snug farm houses,
light because “straight is the gate done innocently, to be sure, on the ence and Humanity—will never from which, as we passed in the
cool, fragrant evening, poured the
and narrow is the way which lead- part of many; but if the Scribes die as long as the human family melody of music, laughter and
eth unto life, and few there be that and Pharisees of today are not in exists, and this unselfish immor­ song, gave us the right kind of in­
fiud it,” while “wide is the gate the orthodox churches, where are tality is an immortality worth a spirations. Oh, what a happy
and broad is the way that leadeth they? Jesus taught the golden thousand times as much to us, liv­ world this might he to all, but
to the destruction” which comes rule of Confucius and, as a social ing or dead, as the imagined, ego­ what a hell it is for millions! And
tistical heaven of the unemanci­ why?
from ignorance, idolatrous worship maxim, we think it is without a pated.
We are glad that there are peo­
of the priests, their heroes and peer; but the orthodox people of
We have a start. We call our ple who understand why, and we
books, and many there be who go our time teach that priest-grafted University The L iberal Univer­ believe that some time there will
in thereat. The narrow gate is dogma of eternal punishment which sity, because it is free. Help us be enough honest, hard-working,
that of study, thought, reason; the is exactly the opposite to the golden keep it free. Help us make it a enthusiastic, Freethought people,
to free others, that they may like the Barnbouses, to apply the
broad way is that of credulity, rule, and they even advance the power
in turn free the world and make it remedy—the Religion of Science
faith, superstition; and the narrow idea that their God practises this fit for union. Brick! B rick ! BRICK! and Humanity.
Torch o f
Reason