T H E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, AUGUST 23, E. M. 300 (1900.)
A C h r istia n L a d y ’s C riticism
R obert G. In g er so ll, and
Our A n s w e r .
of
Much as the Cosmist declares ed so and to, th a t he said so and so,
C hrist did not exist, th a t the ac­ th a t he was too ju st for so and so;
cepted date of his b irth is th e ac­ but when we consider the accounts
cepted dating of the governing as priests’ stories, the whole thing
E ditor T orch of R eason :
countries of a world, is an arg u ­ loses its reality, the whole scheme
“ The K ing of D eath,” by R. G. m ent which needs no statem ent of salvation drops to pieces and we
Ingersoll, is a m isnom er, as, ac­ other th an the fact. T h at C hrist begin to look for som ething better.
. . . IS A BOOK OF . . .
cording to the sense of the article, is worshipped, loved, im itated, In regard to bis curing the sick and
the title should have been, not the m illions of m en’s lives attest. H is perform ing the other act» attrib u ted
R uler, but the “ Conqueror of self-nam ed mission was the con­ to him , there is not the slightest
D eath .” As the wife of an old quering of death as it refers to a proof.
friend of Mr. Ingersoll’s—Gen. le tte rin g of life, and his greatest
Religious trad itio n s are not con­
Geo. E. Speucer, /U. S. S enator com m andm ent, “ Thou sh alt love sidered au th en tic history by m odern
from A labam a, I have frequently, the Lord thy God with thy whole historians. If B ancroft would give
On the following and
a t his social receptions, debated h e a rt,” etc., was im m ediately de­ the trad itio n s of th e races of men as
kindred Subjects :
with Mr. Ingersoll, not because I fined by “ the second is like unto real history, he would be ignored by
S e lf C o n tro l
wished to differ from him , but be­ the first—and thy neighbor as th y ­ every intelligent stu d en t in the
cause, in ethics, as well as in re­ self.” T his was p art and parcel of the world. T h at such a people as the S e lf R e s p e c t
ligious ideas, I believe th a t Mr. practical m orality, the intelligent Mormons exist and that one Joseph W h a t is M o ra lity ?
In g erso ll’s prem ise was, according m inistry, of the greatest teacher Sm ith was a leader am ong them a t W h a t is Ig n o ran ce
to accepted stan d ard s, wrong.
th a t ever sought to raise m ankind. one tim e is good history. T h at he Fraud a C rim e
As the widow of Gen. Spencer, I
For who knows w hat love of God was mobbed and believed to b e a
H a b it, 2 n d N a tu r e
find myself again confronted by an means? But all know the regard great prophet by thousands of peo­
P o liteness
incorrect premise of the m aterially for one’s own comfort, the effort for ple, can be easily believed; but th at
dead R. G. Ingersoll; for while, ac­ one’s own advance, the protection he found such plates of gold as his W isdom
cording to my ideas, if spirit exists, of one’s own life and property, followers claim ed he did; th a t he E tc , e tc ., e tc .
One of these chapters is
it finds its expression in form — which come under the nom encla­ perform ed wonderful miracles; th at
W orth more to
m a tte r—an d I am unable to su b ­ ture of instinct, so in h eren t is this God revealed to him th a t polygam y
Young and old than the
Price of the book.
s ta n tia te w hat species of m atter — the love of self; therefore the is the proper thing, etc., etc., is too
. . IT SHOULD BE IN . .
follow’s the changing of this earth ly com m and, “ Love thy neighbor as absurd to e n te rta in , and is not con­
physical form, I m ust, for the sake thyself.”
sidered good history, excepting by
of convenience, accept the term ,
Im perfectly, persistently, with the religious fanatics— his followers.
and receive a
the m aterial death or change of R. m any discouragem ents and much The fact th a t belief in Joseph Sm ith
n e a tly c lo t h -
G. Ingersoll.
failure, still persistently is man has lived is no proof th a t M orm on­ b o u n d c o p y , p o s t p a id .
A sking pardon for this prelude, striving for the betterm ent of self, ism is really true. And so it is
A G E N T S W ANTED.
perm it me to take up the printed which attain in g , becomes bet­ with C hrist and C h ristia n ity . T h a t
--------A D D R E SS--------
tho u g h ts of Mr. Ingersoll, which, term ent of all the world and the m any men for m any years believed
T o r c h ©f R e a s o n
well worded, as were his usual acceptance of the brotherhood of in w itchcraft is a fact, but there
S il v e r t o n
-
O regon .
thoughts, have not yet changed m an. In this weak, faulty effort are no witches.
The belief in
th eir m aterial form.
is the w orship of th a t C hrist whose C hrist as a divine being does not
.F o r s t n e r ’s .
1. C h rist never claim ed the do­ character made historians like J o ­ even prove th a t he ever existed.
ing of m iracles. His assertion was, sephus and Renan single out his And again, we m ust never forget
“ I come to establish the law .” He life for their highest homage.
th a t it pleased the great rulers, who
IS INVALÜABE TO
was too ju st to have accepted, had
fn th e early days accepted this
A believer in Jesus C hrist,
the offering been m ade, the suspen­
“ religiou of love,” I > force this be­ C arp en ters a n d Jo in ers, for m ortising,
M rs . G eorge E. S pencer .
such as letting in locks, as it takes tl»e
sion in his favor of any law, and
lief upon th e doubters and th eir
place of chisel and gouge; to
OUR ANSW ER.
far too in tellig en t to have believed
innocent babes, by the cruel agen
C abinet M ak ers, for inlaid work, dow­
th a t an y law of an y w ell-regulated
W ith due respect for the C h rist­ cies of dungeon, rack and fire.
el ling, patching, removing splits and
m achine could be, by an y m achin­ ian lady, whose real acquaintance
knots. In fact, no
To be sure, when lowly people
ist, for an in sta n t suspended w ith­ with m odern saviors like R obert G. come in contact with our “ C hris­ W agon or P a tte rn M ak er m anufactur­
out d istu rb in g , not only the h a r­ Ingersoll, saves her from more than tian n atio n s,” th eir own crude
er of pianos, organs, sewing m achines,
•
agricultural im plem ents, sash, blinds,
m onious working of th a t m achine, her im aginary acquaintance with a su p erstitio n s are often laid aside,
furniture, nor
but also d istu rb in g the m achine it­ Jew who is supposed to have lived and by the great influence of Secu­
e r W o o d w o rk e r, sh o u ld be
self. Therefore, he worked with some two thousand years ago, we larism , which is in our co u n try in A n w y ith O o th
u t it.
th e laws, not ag ain st them . T h a t kindly offer her a few suggestions re­ spite of its superstitions, they are
he cured the sick an d performed lative to her ideas of the above-men­ broadened—raised
to a higher AS A MACHINE BIT IT IS UNEQUALED.
the various acts a ttrib u te d to him , tioned saviors. We think th a t Mr. plane of life. They do not neces­
Il <s the only round bit in the world
th a t will bore a SQUARE HOLE
m ust have tr u th — fact—as the Ingersoll’s name for Jesus, “ K ing of sarily become C hristians, however,
and do all th at any other
basis of such acts, is more proven D eath,” is better than “ Conqueror in th is their passage from darkness
bit will do.
th a n any facts of or in any other of D eath,” for, while Jesus rules to light. The Religion of Science
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terrible crim es com m itted by u n in ­ are “ over there” in thought instead tia n ity , in urging the “ snake Single bit, postp aid ................................go
telligence un d er the nam e of C hris­ of using their m ental force here stories” onto the poor heathen,
02016273
tian ity , an d following the leader­ where it is needed, he never con­ only hinders his progress, but, of Address, LIBERAL
SILVERTON OREGON.
ship of the various C hristian sects, quered death in any w a y The course, w hether he ever believes
C h ristian ity an d belief in C hrist priests, years after C hrist is sup­ the old stuff or not, C h ristia n ity
have lived. W hile the various posed to have lived (even taking alw ays takes the credit for his civi­
other religious teachers, holding C hristian statistics as evidence) lization.
T« e
W e have not alw ays taken
th eir followers who claim wonder­ wrote the account of his life and
ful deeds as the corner-stones of teachings; and ifan y o n e will th in k , C h rist’s b irth as a startin g point
SILVERTON, OREGON.
th eir various o ther religions, while he or she will not fail to see th a t in our datin g . T h a t was forced
Founded on Science and H u­
th e believers therein m ay num ber Christ him self had but very little upon the world u r d e r severe
m anity. The Only Institution
of the Kind. Write for An­
more th an the C hristiaus, yet when to do with the acts or doctrines a t ­ p en alty by a C hristian ruler. Secu­
nouncements. T he T orch of
brought in contact with the C hris­ tributed to him. They were taken larists now use th e b u rn in g of
R eason is a weekly journal of
tian (so-called) countries and laws, from other older religious teachings, Bruno as their s ta rtin g point, but __ Progressive, Moral Secularism.
Sample copy free.
finding them selves opposed to an put into C h rist’s dead m outh and th a t does not prove th a t B runo was
average higher intelligence, are have been used by the priests to divine.
Jesu s may have been a great
generally influenced by this in telli­ keep up th eir confidence game ever
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